In Episode 19 of The Electric Shadows Podcast, Rob Daniel & myself get all X-cited about Logan, Hugh Jackman’s swansong to the X-Men franchise. And – spoiler alert – this Wolverine can really cut it in a film that boasts amazing action, genuine emotion, and a chilling vision of where Donald Trump’s America is heading.…
Logan: an elegiac, sincere, and bloody end to an era
SPOILER-FREE
“You should take a moment, feel it.”
We’ve come a long way since a fresh-faced, devil-haired Wolverine first popped his claws in an Alberta biker’s bar back in the original X-Men.
Now, seventeen years and nine films later, Hugh Jackman is heading down south of the border for Logan; a farewell letter to the role that took him from a London production of Oklahoma!…
20th Century Women: sun-dappled reflections on ’70s history; both personal and cultural
“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” The surrogate bunch in Mike Mills’ latest, 20th Century Women, is certainly unique; if not quite unhappy.
It’s tough being a kid: discovering your sense of self, your place in the world.…
Oscars 2017 (Electric Shadows podcast)
Rob Daniel & myself do an early morning post-Oscars review after staying all night to watch the ceremony. The highs, the lows, the biggest gaffe in Oscar history, we chat all about it here. Jimmy Kimmel did a great job, the (possibly staged) Celebrity Zoo was a bizarre misfire, and damn… that ending.
…CINEMATIC GRAB-BAG: A Cure For Wellness & Patriots Day
A Cure For Wellness
A Cure For Wellness is a film I wish was better.
A psychological horror with grandiose ambitions, it stars Dane DeHaan as Lockhart, a callow young stockbroker with ice-chip eyes dispatched to retrieve his company’s CEO from a remote “wellness center” in the Swiss Alps.…
Wellness, Wick, & The Founder (Electric Shadows podcast)
In Episode 18 of The Electric Shadows Podcast, Rob Daniel & myself pay tribute to the Hollywood legend, the sorely missed Bill Paxton.
We also turn a critical eye toward Gore Verbinski’s A Cure for Wellness, lock n’ load with John Wick: Chapter 2 and get stuck into tasty McDonald’s biopic The Founder; boasting a fantastic lead performance from Michael Keaton.…
Hidden Figures: three women, one important historical course correction
Progress comes in many forms, both self-evident and obscure.
For every grand act of public heroism or defiance that makes it into the history books, seeking to set up a new beachhead of progression, there are million moments of quiet, often unacknowledged toil; individually chipping away at the bedrock of prejudice.…
John Wick: Chapter 2 shows a franchise in no danger of burning out
He might not be exactly Shakespearean in his conception, but the character of John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is, at heart, an absurdly tragic one.
The world’s deadliest assassin, his attempt to settle down to an ordinary life is made impossible; first, by the death of his wife, and, second, by the theft of his beloved car and the murder of his dog.…
Fences: a sturdily constructed acting masterclass
Denzel Washington is not a man who chooses his projects lightly.
Even a consistent run of by-the-numbers actioners – 2 Guns, The Equalizer, The Magnificent Seven – have, in recent years, served as vehicles for his charm and gravitas; only helping to ensure his elder statesman status.…
The Founder is lean and flavorsome; a hearty meal perfectly portioned
Imagine a burger – the best no-frills burger you’ve ever had. Imagine the bun; slightly crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy within. Imagine a thick, juicy patty cooked to perfection. Exactly two pickles; a dab of onion.
It seems unlikely you’d imagine that McDonalds would be the point of origin.…