Screen Noir

Baz Luhrmann is back and proving yet again that there is no one else like him for pushing the stars of modern cinema to the forefront of blinding lights, musical extravaganzas and glamorous set pieces. Nick Carraway begins our journey as he reflects on the lavish story of Jay Gatsby a man who pulls Nick into a world he'd never imagined he'd ever see. While the ridiculously expensive parties and foaming champagne hide Gatsby away, Nick finds himself slowly accommodating to his new quaint home next to the mysterious billionaire but his life begins to follow en suite when he realizes that everyone in this world is lavish and over the top. From his cousin Daisy, to her polo-famous husband Tom Buchanan and his Mistress to the seductive Jordan Baker, it seems everyone in the world he's adsorbed into is beyond the board and hides the truth behind layers and layers of secrets. The king of secrets arrives however when an invitation arrives from a Jay Gatsby to one of his grand scale...

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...

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 ...