Stellan Skarsgard

Cinderella Review

Kenneth Branagh's live action telling of Disney's Cinderella is basically a classic fairy tale perfected and everything a Disney fan could ask for.

Home Entertainment Review: Nymphomaniac

Nymphomaniac (Lars Von Trier, 2014) – For years Lars Von Trier has threatened to smack audiences with his take on an “erotic” movie. The plucky provocateur always brought an exploitation filmmaker’s chutzpah and showmanship to his art house career, and chasing the metaphorical white whale of a serious erotic drama that porn kings and legitimate […]

Home Entertainment Review: Insomnia (1997)

  Insomnia (Erik Skjoldbjaerg, 1997) – Though sadly overshadowed by the Al Pacino and Christopher Nolan American remake, Erik Skjoldbjaerg’s Insomnia remains one of the greatest thrillers of the 90s. While Skjoldbjaerg never quite managed to deliver an adequate follow up, his directorial debut was one of the most striking of his era. It’s a […]

The Railway Man Review

If you can get past the somewhat awkward and out of place first act, The Railway Man is worth it overall. It’s a compelling enough drama, but it keeps hinting at a lot more depth that never quite surfaces.

Nymphomaniac Review

There’s a daringness and certainly a great degree of ambition to Danish auteur Lars von Trier’s latest misanthropic opus Nymphomaniac, but there’s also a been there, done that kind of feel to his work here that’s almost more distressing than the subject matter.

Home Entertainment Round-Up: 3/9/14

As we dig out from under the pile of Blu-Ray and DVD releases that have come into the office this month, we take a look at Criterion editions of Soderbergh's underrated King of the Hill and Truffaut's Jules and Jim, Blu-rays for Thor: The Dark World, Nebraska, Wadjda, and Blue is the Warmest Color, and a DVD of the found footage thriller Banshee Chapter.

Thor: The Dark World Review

While it’s undoubtedly going to make a lot of money at the box office thanks to branding and the franchise juggernaut that fuels it, Thor: The Dark World isn’t a good movie. It might appeal to those who live only for credit stingers, plot twists that can be undone mere moments after they happen, or those who enjoy comic book epics indiscriminately, but this really does represent a turning point for the character and the series it now finds itself entrenched within.

Romeo and Juliet Review

There’s almost nothing that I can say about Carlo Carlei’s big screen staging of Romeo and Juliet. It would be redundant to say there’s nothing here that you haven’t already seen before, and yet it’s worse than that. This is EXACTLY what you have seen before. It’s a drab, lifeless Shakespearean melodrama perked up ever so slightly by a few decent performances that does absolutely nothing whatsoever to warrant its existence.

King of Devil’s Island Review

King of Devil’s Island, depicting a harsh Norwegian juvenile detention centre, isn't too different from other juvie based films, but it's an undeniably affecting and gut-wrenching addition to the subgenre.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Review

The only real issues with David Fincher’s take on Stieg Larsson’s best selling The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo are problems that were in the original story to begin with. It’s overlong, needlessly convoluted in terms of pacing, and the plot is sleazy and dumb as a box of hammers. Having said that, this remounting of the Swedish pop culture juggernaut firmly establishes Fincher as one of the best in the world at what he does. A technical maestro of the highest order, Fincher teams up with two pitch perfect leading actors to make the pulpy material vastly more watchable and entertaining than it probably should be.

Thor Review

I should preface this review with one caveat: I've never read or watched — or heard of Thor at all, really — before seeing the film. As you can probably guess from the preceding sentence, I don't even know what format of text or media from which its story originates. Colour me uneducated and largely incurious. Instead of attempting to hide this gaping hole in my nerd credentials, I'm sure that highlighting my lack of Thor knowledge will make for a pretty interesting review.

Thor Review

I didn’t know it until I saw it, but I have been waiting for a summer movie like Thor for a long time. It is fun, far more fun than any comic adaptation I have seen in years. Its director brings to it a distantiation that allows for investment in the fun of it all: the outrageous narration, exaggerated and impossible action sequences, and actors who can just let go and enjoy the ride without any pressure while still maintaining their integrity and talent. This, my friends, is what a summer movie should be: exciting, clever, comedic, and a joyride.

New Thor Trailer Arrives

A new trailer for the live action adaptation of the Marvel Comics superhero Thor has hit the web. The Kenneth Branagh directed action epic stars Chris Hemsworth as the titular Norse god, robbed of his power and cast down to Earth by his father Odin. The film also stars Anthony Hopkins as Odin, and Natalie Portman as his love interest, Jane Foster.