Over sized monster

Godzilla (2014)

Directed by Gareth Edwards this reboot of the popular monster franchise stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Bryan Cranston and Elizabeth Olsen. An American military officer heads to Japan to find his father who thinks that there is a conspiracy to cover up what caused a nuclear meltdown.

There is a lot that this film does not do such as have any characters of interest but it does deliver on the prerequisite of plenty of monster inspired destruction. Unlike the original film there is no real depth here but I suppose it does have some enjoyable moments even if the attempts to force Americanization on what is clearly a Japanese story is slightly awkward in places. The special effects are clearly just a CGI extravaganza and disappointingly despite having three great actresses cast all there parts combined don't add up to a decent role.

3/5

Africa's bright cinematic light

Yeelen (1987)

Written and directed by Soulemane Cisse this film based on a Bambara legend stars Issiaka Kane, Niamanto Sanogo and Aoua Sangare. A young man with magical powers seeks out his paternal uncle to help him fight his father who wants to destroy him.

It may take a little to adjust to this African mythic tale but it is a really interesting story of cross generational struggle and man's connection with the Earth. While not exactly a classic hero's journey in the mono myth style it has plenty in common with that idea and the cyclical nature of the story works well. The landscapes of Mali are captured beautifully and the magical elements are well done.

5/5

Remaking a remake

Last of the Comanches (1953)

Directed by Andre de Toth this film, which is a transplanted remake of Sahara (1943), stars Broderick Crawford and Barbara Hale. Six US Cavalry survivors of a massacre pick up a group of civilians and hide out from Comanches on the war path.

While this film maybe a remake (of what seems to be a remake itself) it throws nearly every genre cliché there is at the screen. We may end up with a deeply average film but in it's favour it does have a positive Native American character and keeps events moving along at a brisk pace. Really the script could have done with more depth but for a short Western this is not a bad film.

3/5

Fizzles

The Big Bang (2011)

Directed by Tony Krantz this film stars Antonio Banderas, Sienna Guillory, Autumn Reeser and Robert Maillet. Three policemen interview a private eye about his most recent case, the search for a stripper pen pal of a recently released murderer.

This script would work a lot better if it included just an ounce of subtlety but it is intent in smashing you over the head with the parallels between the scientific theories discussed and the plot. What plot there is is a standard neo noir by way of cheap Tarantino imitation and does not hold up especially well. There are one or two moments of interesting direction involving light and colour but they are not nearly enough to save this film from being a snooze-fest.

2/5

No art.

The Art of the Steal (2013)

Written and directed by Jonathan Sobol this film stars Kurt Russell, Jay Baruchel, Matt Dillon and Terence Stamp. After spending seven years in prison thanks to his half brother selling him out a man seeks revenge with the theft of a rare book.

Stuck between being a comedy, a slick heist film and a Tarantino rip off this film ends up being none of those and is a real waste of all the talent involved. The script is limp to say the least and does not offer much in the way of entertainment. Given there are some pretty good actors involved the most puzzling thing is what drew them all to this project and I have no answers here.

2/5

Everybody was kung fu fighting

The 36^th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)

Directed by Liu Chai-Liang this film stars Gordon Liu and Lo Lieh. A young student gets caught up in rebellion against the Manchu government and heads to a Shaolin temple to learn the ways of kung fu to fight oppression.

Despite this having a reputation as being the best Shaw Brothers film for my liking it spends far too long on the training sequence over action. While the training sections do a good job of exploring the Shaolin and their methods it leaves little time for much else. Generally the film is well made and has some nice sequences but given the reputation of the film I was expecting a little more.

4/5

Once a night is plenty, more and you could get sore

Knights of Badassdom (2013)

Directed by Joe Lynch this film stars Ryan Kwanten, Steve Zhan, Peter Dinklage and Summer Glau. Three roleplayers head to a LARP after one has broken up with his girlfriend and accidentally unleash a real evil fiend.

Right from the get go it's clear this is not going to be the most intelligent or emotionally deep film you will see but it just about stays clear of being completely juvenile. There is not a huge amount to say in favour of this film but I suppose it's depiction of LARP culture is not too bad. It would have been nice to see a more affectionate, subtle take on the material but for what we get it's not the worst film you will ever see.

2/5