Film Review: Saving Mr. Banks

Saving Mr. Banks is the untold tale behind one of the most cherished family movies ever made; determined to bring the character of Mary Poppins to the big screen, Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) sets out to woo the books author, P.L. Travers, by whisking her over to Los Angeles to sign the rights to the character.

However, things don't go smoothly, with the hard-nosed English woman unimpressed by Disney, and the two butt heads over the movie.

Top 5: Star Wars Spin-off Movies

The Internet has been abuzz in recent weeks with rumour that Star Wars fan favourite monosyllabic bounty hunter, Boba Fett, is currently being tooled for a solo spin-off movie. 

And whilst nothing as been confirmed, the mere concept alone is simply mouth-watering. Boba is arguably the most bad-ass character in the franchise and a character-driven spin-off focusing on either his story prior to Empire Strikes Back or post-Sarlaac pit swallowing would be a real treat for die-hard fans of the Star Wars Universe.

However, Boba isn't the only character or story with depths to be plumbed and back story to be explored. In this edition of Top 5, I take a look at other characters or Star Wars stories that should get their own spin-off movie. And no, Jar Jar is not one of them. As if that even needed saying...

Film Review: Philomena

A Best Picture-nominated dramedy starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan, Philomena is a touching and heartfelt film driven by two fantastic lead performances and a great story that deals with themes of love, loss and forgiveness.

60 Second Film Reviews #10

Quick movie reviews, without the waffle. 60 Second Film Reviews is a regular feature where I compile together brief reviews of recent films I've watched at home or at the movies - and generally couldn't be arsed didn't find time to write a proper review for. 

This month, we have Red 2, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters and Mud. 

Film Review: Jack Ryan - Shadow Recruit

Shadow Recruit is the long-mooted reboot of the popular Tom Clancy character Jack Ryan, whom has a slightly messy cinematic past. The four-film 'franchise' has hopped through three different lead actors (from Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck) across the last twenty years. The last Jack Ryan film, The Sum of All Fears, came out in 2002. 

Now, with Kenneth Branagh at the helm and Chris Pine in the lead-role, Shadow Recruit brings the iconic character back to the big screen for a post-GFC, post-Bourne incarnation. And it is darn good.

Film Review: 47 Ronin

47 Ronin is a historical epic set in Feudal Japan; an isolated and mysterious land of shogun, samurai and katanas. Oh, and witches, demons and weird-ass snake dragons. Apparently. I don't know, I'm no historian.

Voice of Reason #15: Oscar Snubs

Award season is well and truly upon us; earlier in the week was the Golden Globes, and last night we saw the unveiling of this years Oscar nominations. And, as is the case with any Oscar nomination night, there was controversy over the films that didn't make the cut.

Here are my thoughts on some of the sickening snubs from last nights announcement.

Film Review: Behind the Candelabra

Behind the Candelabra received a fairly small cinema release upon arriving in Australia last year; unfortunately, this meant I never got the chance to sit down and review the thing. With the film now on DVD, here's my full length review of this touching and glitzy HBO-produced TV movie.