Screen Noir

When one particular uneventful morning in Hobbiton, or more importantly within the green hills of the Shire and at the oval door of a quite unlikely hobbit, a rather unexpected Journey began. Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys his second breakfast as much as the next hobbit and likes nothing more than his own company and a book beside the fire place in Bag End, so when Gandalf the Grey an infamous and mischievous wizard appears on his porch offering an adventure of a life time Bilbo flat out refuses and offers the wizard the best and a good morning. Though as tea time comes around, Mr Baggins finds himself welcoming a host of quite uninvited and bizarre group of Dwarves, 13 to be precise all arriving on the whim of Gandalf, believing that our dear Mr Baggins is actually a burglar and again urging him into the ensuing dangerous journey. While he persists that a Baggins of Bag End has no want for adventure when the final calling comes Bilbo finds himself signing a contract and runnin...

Beat cops, Brian Taylor and Mike Zavala are considered the heroes of the LAPD with their ongoing actions and the amount of heroics they can occasionally bring to the department, while at the same time both prove that they have more to offer than the red and blue calling in life, love and family. Though as Superior Hauser is always reminding the thrill seeking partners that hubris can be a dangerous thing after rescuing infants from a burning house, coming face to face with the big man of crime and surviving minor shoot outs Taylor and Zavala appear to think they're invincible. It's when the two hot headed heroes find a small weapons cache after a little digging, the pair have little heed for the danger that lies ahead. When the gangs start to realize the potential threat they pose, the days of dishing out parking tickets and neighborly disputes seem like a godsend as what seems like the whole of Los Angeles seedy underbelly is out for their blood. Undoubt...

An emotionally eye opening film as well as visually, Life of Pi embraces both a strong narrative and superb style of filming to make it one of the stand out points in a year full of already memorable films. The film follows the book by Yann Martel closely in which a young man by the name of Piscine Molitor Patel, named after a swimming pool in France though he later comes to abbreviate it to 'Pi', growing up peacefully in India, Pi finds himself searching for the meaning of life by taking up not one but three different religions. In all he finds a piece of tangible meaning and helps further his view of the deepening of the meaning of life, continuing a relatively normal life for a young boy named Piscine whose family owns a Zoo, Pi deals with issues of love, religion and family. It's when his family are forced into a financial corner and find themselves having to move the entire Zoo full of animals that Pi ends up on a journey of both spiritual and physical challenge whe...

Ben Affleck proves again he's as good a scribe off camera as he is in front of it, from his success with The Town Affleck decides to take on story loosely based on real life events. When a U.S Embassy in Tehran is ambushed and taken over, a small group of would be captives escape and hide out with a Canadian ambassador still within Iran. Meanwhile back in America, the CIA struggle with several vauge and crazed ideas (one including sending in bicycles) to try and get the six escapee Americans out of Iran in one piece. In steps CIA specialist Toby Mendez brought in to help consult the ideas on show, while he points out all routes so far explored are too far flawed he admits he himself sees no effective substitute. Answering all his prayers Mendez catches Battle of the Planet of the Apes on television late one night and instantly hatches a miraculous yet outrageous plan. Rallying a team of a Hollywood make up artist and a producer to put together a p...

 This year marks the 50 th anniversary of the Bond franchise and to celebrate hitting our screens as James Bond is Daniel Craig In Skyfall. Splitting off from the arc which crossed Casino Royale to Quantum of Solace, Skyfall sees Bond far from his best and coming to terms with a changing world where enemies aren't nations at war but shadows in the dark. Bond's relationship with M is put to the test and as a new threat makes a personal attack on MI6, both look inward with M looking back on her past in Military Intelligence and past decisions. Both Bond and M are on the edge of being pushed aside, though neither are prepared to sizzle out and fade away, Bond aims to earn back his licence to kill and M's respect by searching in the shadows for the sinister Silva, a journey which takes him from Istanbul to shanghai and even deep into the London Underground. Daniel Craig takes on a third mission as Bond after taking the helm from Pierce Brosnan in 2006, his brutal yet p...

So Liam Neeson is back and doing what he apparently does best searching and destroying. Bryan Mills is off on a bodyguard detail in Istanbul for a stint while his ex family sits safe and sound in the USA. Of course, going through some difficult times with the new husband, ex Mrs Mills, Lenore and daughter Kim decide to surprise Bryan before he heads home.  Though with Bryan Mills a quick brush of sun can't happen without a gun being pointed at him or his daughter, this time round a lavish dinner turns into kidnapping with both himself and Lenore the targets. Realizing his nemesis this time round is grieving father of his previous punching bags, he's in for a tricky one in getting out of the deep end. Speaking of deep ends, daughter Kim's rejuvenation by the pool is cut short when the father must make a disciple of his child if he is to escape and save his wife's life. Together Bryan and Kim must set about to crashing across Istanbul before time runs out wit...

As far as video game movies go, Resident Evil has never really been at the top of that list. We start off where Afterlife ended, with Alice and co under attack from a newly replenished force of Umbrella Corporation goons and what tries to be a stylish use of filming techniques coupled with a tedious ten minute flashback of the previous films. Captured by umbrella, Alice awakens in yet another science lab full of nasties but this time she finds replicas of time square, the Kremlin and segments of suburbia which have been used to test the virus on live subjects welcoming her on her escape. Led by the mysterious Ada Wong and a now friendly Wesker, Alice has to make her way through the submerged Umbrella base, fight fields of zombies, horrific Lickers and even face of against her brainwashed bestie in order to make it out alive. Elsewhere in the facility another group also led by Wesker attempts to find and rescue Alice, will any of them survive another dance with the evil, newly resurrect...

Life is a loop. For Loopers when the loop finally closes, it's a cause for celebration but for their future selves 30 years away it means game over. A Looper kills whoever appears in front of them and eventually that means themselves, sent back through time by mobsters as in 2074 bodies are to hard to get rid of its an easy buck for an average kind of killer. Joe a Looper from 2044 finds his faith in the job wavering when his friend Seth let's his loop run(letting his older self escape) and he hands him in to keep his stash of silver. Though when a spree of loops start closing in quick succession Joe finds himself face to face with himself, overpowered by his future self his loop runs. Present Joe sets out to close his loop and save his life while future Joe wants to stop the villainous future Rainmaker who causes a world wide spread of chaos. Present Joe soon realizes he'll do anything to keep his life while his other self has the same revelation selfshness and desperation...

For a film so quiet in procedure the presentation is pretty damn loud giving us an American crime thriller the likes that hasn't been done so low key yet intensely gripping in a long while. When a high-stakes poker game is robbed by two armed gunmen, Jackie Cogan is sent to clean up the mess and find out who's responsible. While the thieves Frankie and Russell are celebrating their achievements unaware of Cogan's presence and the holder of the game, Markie Trattman's who previously robbed one of his own games violent encounter. Soon Frankie realizes the situation he's gotten himself into, the serious rate of return those he robbed want and aware that time is running short for him and everyone else involved. What seems like at first a dream way out of a poor and shady life changes into a tragic demise as Cogan himself sets out to even the score. With thieves, killers and contacted hit-men all out to in full force, the key thing for all of them is the fact that it...

The Bondurant Boys a bootlegging trio are the answer to many prayers in a depression-era Virginia carting around their own moonshine produce during prohibition. While not as business orientated as his two brothers, Jack Bondurant aims to make a name for himself and outshine even his legendary brother Forest. But the bootlegging suddenly becomes more difficult when a new deputy comes into town, Charlie Rakes is obsessed with catching the brothers out and bringing their illegal escapades to a grinding halt. Never being ones to just bow down to the law the Bondurant boys especially Jack, takes defiance to a new level when opposing Rakes and his reign of harsh and violent justice. Taking center stage is Shia LaBeouf and while a quieted down role for once in comparison to his other onscreen performances, his boyish arrogance which seems to always be lulling around suits the youngest Bondurant, Jack to a tee. While also fitting with his usual rules Hardy gives a muscled man hidden behind ...

Out with the old in with the new, the new law that is and his name is Dredd. Putting on the helmet and out to steal a better sense of law, Judge Dredd is back on the big screen and streets of Mega-City One to hand out justice to the masses. A new drug swamps the city streets and Judge Dredd is eager to kick start a crackdown after encountering a minor crime while at the same time he finds himself training the new flunky recruit and psychic, Anderson. Giving Anderson first pick of which call to respond to, she chooses the killing and skinning of three men in 200 floor slum, Peach Trees. Inside and finding a minor drugs exchange occurring, the judges set about bringing down the law until that is Ma-Ma the self imposed ruler of Peach Trees finds out. Sealing the whole complex into an emergency shut down, the judges find themselves in the deep end with no way out and a war waged against them by the lowest of the low and none of them are fond of the law. Dredd and Anderson have to make thei...

A horror based around a demonic possession, it seems to be all the rage in Hollywood these days. Divorced and newly moved Clyde finds himself struggling to be the all round father figure his two young daughters Em and Hannah need and most importantly they need plates for his new home. Em, the youngest of the two insists stopping at a local yard sale to purchase the essentials the house requires though finds herself more interested in an old antique box lined with ancient writing. Ending up with the pile of tat Clyde picks up his daughters new box is still the most horrific item they obtain, the consequences of the purchase soon begin to dawn on the splintered family as strange occurrences become the norm, plagues of insects appear and even death loiters over it. As events get stranger and Em becomes more distant, the more suspicious Clyde gets about the box she clutches so close. But it appears Clyde may realize to late that the box is actually more deadly and curse ridden than it seem...

As the year drudges on through the summer onslaught yet another remake is thrown into the mix to make the days of originality feel that bit more dull. An all out nuclear war leaves the world a desolate place, wiping out must of humanity only leaving the remnants of Australia now known as the Colony and the United Federation of Britain in it's wake. Down on his luck and stuck in a mundane life in the slums of the Colony, Douglas Quaid is eager to escape his everyday labour anyway possible. As if an answer to his sullen mood, he hears about Rekall from a co-worker, a place where you can have the dreams and memories you desire imported straight into your head. Quaid sees it as an opportunity to live the life of his dreams, but when the procedure begins it triggers what appears to be long lost memories of his real identity and life. Quaid soon realizes nothing is as it seems as he tries to recall his memories, avoid his decoy wife trying to kill him and find out why he's become a ...

Gone is Matt Damon and in his place rises Jeremy Renner, for once in the leading man's shoes. Aaron Cross an agent of the Outcome project funded by the CIA is sent on a training exercise traversing the mountains of Alaska with pills which give him a boost in both mentality and physical strength, green and blue. When he arrives at his target finish and finds another agent he thinks things are done and dusted, unbeknownst to him across the world Jason Bourne is busy exposing the CIA's other pet projects to the world. Fearing the Outcome project could also come out if the FBI dig deep enough, Eric Byer is called upon to make sure that the project remains hidden, the decision being to terminate all existing agents part of the programme. When a Predator drone arrives to get rid of Cross however the CIA realize just how effective the Outcome project is, determined not to die at the hands of his employers Cross sets out to survive. Also surviving after witnessing her colleague mow dow...

A sweet and innocent tale... which turns into much more than a light hearted affair when Seth Macfarlane takes centre both behind and centre stage. Young loner John Bennett's life is turned around forever when one magical Christmas night he wishes to finally have a friend, only in the morning he finds that wishes can come true in the form of the living cuddly bear, Ted. Years later both bear and boy have grown to mischievous adulthood, gone are the days of innocence (By far, these guys like to party) but still the two are nevertheless inseparable. Though not all is as rosy as it once was when John's long-time girlfriend Lori highlights that his failures in life all lead back to his juvenile magical bear, not wanting to lose either friend or girl John tries to balance both alongside a career. Trying to move on and leaving his old Thunder-buddy behind is harder than he expected and for the best of friends they used to be John finds himself slipping back to the good ol' days. ...

In a dystopian future law and order have taken a drastic turn in the form of the judges, an ominous force assigned to keep the peace in Mega-City One. Among their ranks, the legendary Judge Dredd who will do everything and anything to keep and maintain justice prevails on the streets. However when damning evidence comes to light and Dredd is beileved responsible for first degree murder, he is forced to abandon his city, his law and his purpose. Dredd sets out to retain his Judge status and fight for the law he upholds with a vengeance, with his lawgiver fire arm primed to shoot a mass amount of deserved justice at his enemies, can Dredd prove his innocence and once again bring judgement to his enemies? Sylvester Stallone is Judge Dredd, as usual he brings forth the testosterone fueled rampage that can be expected from him, while it works scenes which should be handeled with saitre and irony are brought to the silver screen with far too much realism. You would think Stallone thought h...

Sam Raimi finishes his hat trick trio by sending Ash(Bruce Campbell) back in time to face against the darkness a third and final time. At first viewed with speculation and believed to be part of a conquering army, Ash is dragged forward by his captures to pay for his imagined crimes. However on seeing his amazing ability to survive(it's as if Ash were in Return of the Jedi vs a Rancor) the supernatural and his 'boom-stick' the primatives turn to Ash to aid them in their battle. Ticked off, chainsaw armed and out of time, Ash sets out to be as groovy and awesome as he can and how can he not with that chin! Only one name needs mentioning Bruce. Campbell. His badass and arrogant nature this time around win out as he's pushed to the limit (wouldn't you if it's happened twice before!) and Campbell makes us remember the character of Ash so much so that he's a cult hero! With brilliant yet terrible one liners and his cheesy completely off the page remarks generati...

In 2005 Batman began, in 2008 The Dark Knight fell from Gotham's grace at the hands of the Joker and Two-Face and after what feels like too long a wait The Dark Knight Rises as a new threat emerges from the darkness. It's been 8 years since the Dent act was put into motion clearing the streets of organized crime in the name of DA Harvey Dent who, to the people of Gotham, was brutally murdered by the Batman. Though Commissioner James Gordon keeps watch over the now quiet streets, an aged Bruce Wayne finds himself a recluse without his late-night activities to keep him occupied and Alfred questioning his life goals Bruce finds himself lost without the cape and cowl. Elsewhere prominent thief Selina Kyle sets her paws on the ex-billionaire playboy at the behest of her employers who are out for Wayne and his family business. All mysterious events from Wayne's cat-theft to people disappearing into the sewers begin to unfold as rookie-cop John Blake picks up on...

Peter Parker is swinging back across the Manhattan skyline for a more personal story of boy meets radioactive spider. Brilliant in the mind but a loner in popularity, Peter Parker gets by in his simple life of science that is until he discoveries a long hidden mystery that led to his parents death. Looking for answers Peter sneaks into Oscorp Industries in hope of finding out what his father was working on, while it leads him into a more personal relationship with intern and classmate Gwen Stacy, Peter also makes the acquaintance of Dr Curtis Connors a enigmatic old friend of his fathers. His journey through Oscorp tower takes Peter to a room filled with artificially enhanced spiders and one of which take a liking to Parker, being on the end of a nasty bite Peter soon learns he's gained some nimble new abilities, though on sharing a scientific algorithm Peter helps Dr Connors on his own scaly metamorphosis of chaos. D...

He paved the way for a better America, he stood for equality and justice, he had a fantastic beard... and a little known fact is that the 16th president to watch over the stars and stripes was secretly a vampire hunter. So it may not be exactly as history tells it but this version of Abraham Lincoln finds himself lusting the death of apparent vampire Jack Barts who he believes responsible for his mothers death. On carrying out his vengeful mission against the demonic creature Lincoln finds himself thoroughly outmatched and would have been the helpless prey of his nemesis without the help of the mysterious Henry Sturgess. Henry teaches young Abe all about the sinful enemies hiding in the shadows, taking Abe under his wing Henry shapes him into a weapon of mass vampire destruction with all the knowledge he possesses. Abraham Lincoln takes to his calling as vampire hunter with rage and hatred hoping to obtain the vengeance for his mothers death but soon finds ...

Where did we come from and why are we here? Are the central questions that plague the Prometheus and her crew as it descends upon LV-223. After discovering several archaeological findings Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway set out to find their answers striking a deal with the major international Weyland Corporation and CEO Peter Weyland, who also has his eyes set on finding humanities lost tale of origins. Upon landing on LV-223 the crew soon realize that the race they nicknamed Engineers who invited them to their world may have other plans in mind for humanity. Shaw's beliefs in science and god are soon brought into question along with the creation of humans and their purpose pushed along by a cyborg named David and the Weyland Corporations own voice of input in Meredith Vickers it soon comes to light that like the truth of creation, the real intentions of the Prometheus aren't as what Shaw is led to believe. The Girl with the Dragon tatt...

A darker fantasy without all the Disney happy-go-lucky, warrior princess', aggressive dwarves and a darkly delicious queen rule this land of far, far away. Much like always Snow finds herself in the clutches of evil yet beautiful on the outside stepmother Ravenna, on hearing from a magic mirror that young miss white could surpass her beauty and take back her families castle she sends her brother to bring forth the child and eat her heart to obtain everlasting beauty. Outsmarting the Queens brother, Snow manages to free herself from captivity and away to gain back her fathers honor and her peoples trust. Enraged the Queen sends for a huntsman to go and bring back Snow's heart but can the Huntsman really obey such a wicked ruler? Can Snow regain her namesake and castle? Will the mirror ever be polished to perfection? Kristen Stewart brings Snow White to life (and back again after snacking on a rotten apple) though the charms aren't really as blaring as the animated...

Here come the Men in Black, The boys are back in town or at least one of them is with the other looking considerably younger and dare i say peppy. On a secret moon prison far above the earth, the menacing alien threat Boris the Animal finds a way to break free and exact his revenge on the MIB agent responsible for his stint in LunarMax, K. Meanwhile J and K are up to the usual MIB day-to-day business of bringing galactic menaces to judgment this time in a Chinese restaurant, when Boris turns up to goad K with his freedom the two agents find themselves at a difference of opinion and split off K reminiscing other past mistakes and J broading over his incomprehensible partner once again. On arrival at MIB HQ the next day J finds that K has vanished from everyone's memories and informed by Agent O that K died in 1969, confused by the apparent change to the time space continuum J soon comes to the conclusion that...