Looper review: Have gun, will time travel
| October 10, 2012 | Posted by Liam Morgan under entertainment, reviews |
In 2005, Christopher Nolan released a game-changing summer blockbuster with Batman Begins. It was a film that took a great deal of money and marked the beginning of a multi-million dollar budget franchise, yet had the look and feel of an art-house film (admittedly projected onto a much grander scale). The effects of its construction are still being felt: what Nolan showed was that blockbusters did not have to be mindless, vapid manifestations of money and explosions (well, not merely) but could simultaneously have an intelligent storyline and well-developed, realistic characters. The major revelation was that audiences do not have to be spoon-fed; given intricate plotting, they are not confused but instead refreshed. Nolan gave the audience back some credibility… more
Anna Karenina review: does classic fiction convert to classic cinema?
| October 1, 2012 | Posted by Liam Morgan under culture, entertainment, reviews |
Anna Karenina is the latest film from established period-piece director Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride and Prejudice), and is an adaptation from Leo Tolstoy’s much-celebrated 19th century novel. It tells the story of the eponymous aristocrat (Keira Knightley) who engages in a scandalous affair with Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). In doing so, Anna throws both herself and her husband Alexei (Jude Law) into disrepute. The film details the social exclusion felt by Karenina after her adulterous actions come to light, and also the way in which both male sides of the love triangle struggle to cope with her mercurial nature. This is Wright’s third collaboration with Knightley. The couple’s previous work together has been solid, if not a tad on the… more
Hugo
| January 8, 2012 | Posted by Liam Morgan under entertainment, reviews |
Film Information: 2nd December 2011, Certificate U Cast: Asa Butterfield; Chloe Grace Moretz; Ray Winstone; Ben Kingsley; Jude Law; Richard Griffiths; Sacha Baron Cohen; Christopher Lee; Emily Mortimer; Frances de la Tour Director: Martin Scorsese Screenwriters: John Logan; based on the novel by Brian Selznick Running Time: 126 minutes Plot Hugo is an orphan living in the walls of a Parisian train station in the 1930s. He fixes the station clocks and other gadgets, carrying on his father’s trade. The only thing that he has left that connects him to his late father is an automaton that doesn’t work; Hugo must find its heart-shaped key. On his adventures, he meets with a vindictive station inspector, a grumpy old shopkeeper, a mysterious librarian… more
Kevin Spacey’s Richard III
| September 2, 2011 | Posted by Liam Morgan under culture, reviews |
Running at just over 3 hours, The Old Vic’s new stage production of Shakespeare’s Richard III is an epic in every sense of the word. It aims to exhaust its cast of all their physical and emotional potential and succeeds in truly devastating fashion. The standout performance is, somewhat inevitably, Kevin Spacey, artistic director of the Old Vic who also stars in the eponymous role of Richard the Duke of Gloucester (later King Richard III). And what an excellent performance it is. The play opens of course with those famous lines: “Now is the winter of our discontent/Made glorious summer by this Son of York”; but instead of being spoken amidst a backdrop of ancient castle walls or medieval decorum, they… more
Arcade Fire + special guests from Hyde Park
| July 18, 2011 | Posted by Liam Morgan under culture, entertainment, reviews |
30th June 2011, Hyde Park More like a fully blown festival than a gig, the scene at Hyde Park on the eve of the 30th of June was intimidating to say the least. The biggest headlining gig the band has ever played, Arcade Fire have certainly come a long way from their modest Canadian background. Four huge tents, spread across an entire cordoned off corner of London’s biggest outdoor venue, towered imposingly into the early summer sky and seemed to create an entire city in which we would reside for the next 7 or so hours. It was truly a ‘supergig’ in every sense of the word, and from that first sight of the internal skyline we knew we were… more
An atheistic enlightenment
| June 19, 2011 | Posted by Liam Morgan under culture, lifestyle |
For me, becoming an atheist was a curiously religious experience. A ‘rebirth’ of sorts; a revelatory experience, an epiphany delivered not from some omnipotent deistic figure but instead from some previously uncovered, fiercely rational being that I never realised was within me. Of course, being newly reformed I am no expert on atheistic life – indeed, I have often experienced relapses where I find myself ‘thanking God’ for something, or using the phrase ‘dear God’ to apply to something I desperately want. But those anachronistic terms hold no weight anymore – just the skeletal shells of a previous belief, echoes of which still remain very much in my vocabulary. It’s only a matter of time before they leave my inward… more
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (3D)
| May 3, 2011 | Posted by Liam Morgan under culture, entertainment, reviews |
The bracketed “3D” stamp following a movie’s title nowadays might as well be a label saying “approach with trepidation” or “beware: cheap gimmick-based content within”. Until now that is. Cave of Forgotten Dreams (in glorious, revolutionary, innovative 3D) is a work of art, and provides ample reason for employing the use of a previously superfluous extra dimension. Werner Herzog’s latest brainchild fuses fascinating documentary and genuine human-interest stories to create a film as rare as the historical site it is based on. It is the Caves of Chavuet in which Herzog chooses to place his camera for his latest piece, and that in itself is no easy feat. The 40,000 year-old caves are host to the first examples of human… more
Never Let Me Go
| February 16, 2011 | Posted by Liam Morgan under entertainment, reviews |
In undertaking the arduous task of adapting Kazuo Ishiguro’s beloved novel Never Let Me Go, it seems Alex Garland has firmly established himself as one of the world’s leading science fiction screenwriters. While his previous Danny Boyle-directed projects have given him confidence within the genre (The Beach, Sunshine, 28 Days Later), his latest adaptation has allowed him to manipulate the conventions of a traditional sci-fi film to produce a genre-bending and truly thought-provoking piece of work. The story centres around three seemingly ordinary school children, with the first act taking place in the boarding establishment Hailsham as the trio forge their turbulent relationship. Our main protagonist Kathy (Carey Mulligan) falls deeply in love with Tommy (Andrew Garfield) at a very… more
Denmark 1 – England 2: a cause for optimism?
| February 11, 2011 | Posted by Liam Morgan under sport |
Watching England of late is, more often than not, a painful affair. It is a pain all too familiar for any remaining England fans, and this more than anything will have occupied Fabio Capello’s mind when preparing for his latest international match in charge. For a boss whose days are numbered (Capello will step down after Euro 2012) every game now counts toward his currently failing legacy. Wednesday witnessed Capello strive to amend this fate and pray that it is not, as it appears, accompli. Whilst technically a friendly, the fan response was poised to be anything but if England were to fail to impress once again. A certain heaviness has hung over England games since the team’s abysmal summer… more
