Alien: Covenant

Posted in Action, Science Fiction with tags on August 21, 2017 by Mark Walker


Director: Ridley Scott.
Screenplay: John Logan, Dante Harper.
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Guy Pearce, Demián Bechir, Carmen Ejogo, Jussie Smollett, Callie Hernandez, Amy Seimetz, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, Benjamin Rigby, Uli Latukefu, Tess Haubrich, James Franco.

“No one understands the lonely perfection of my dreams”

When it was announced that Prometheus would would have Ridley Scott revisit the Alien world of his 1979 classic, there was much anticipation. However, the end result caused huge disappointment for fans and many were left wondering why Scott even bothered in the first place. Alien: Covenant was a chance for Scott to right some wrongs and have another go but, unfortunately, he doesn’t achieve that. If anything, Covenant is an even bigger misstep. Continue reading →

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CLASSIC SCENE: “Sicilian’s have black blood pumpin’ through their hearts”

Posted in Uncategorized with tags on August 14, 2017 by Mark Walker

Film: TRUE ROMANCE
Director: Tony Scott.
Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino.

Setting the scene:
CLIFFORD WORLEY (Dennis Hopper) returns home from work to his lower-middle-class trailer park. He opens the door to his trailer, steps inside the doorway and then, before he knows it, a gun is pressed to his temple. He’s then punched in the face and knocked to the ground. Cliff awakens in a chair in his living room. There are several mobsters standing around him that include FRANKIE (Frank Adonis), LUCA (Paul Ben-Victor), LENNY (Victor Argo) and VIRGIL (James Gandolfini). Across from Cliff sits VINCENZO COCCOTTI (Christopher Walken), the Frank Nitti to Detroid mob leader BLUE LOU BOYLE. They have tracked down Cliff to find out the whereabouts of his son CLARENCE (Christian Slater) who has stolen their narcotics and disappeared.  Continue reading →

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Polished Performances

Posted in Uncategorized with tags on July 26, 2017 by Mark Walker

• Actor: Gary Oldman
• Character: Drexl Spivey
• Film: True Romance

Continue reading →

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Get Out

Posted in Horror, thriller with tags on July 21, 2017 by Mark Walker


Director: Jordan Peele.
Screenplay: Jordan Peele.
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Alison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, LilRel Howery, Marcus Henderson, Betty Gabriel, Lakeith Stanfield, Stephen Root, Richard Herd, Erika Alexander, Ashley LeConte Campbell.

“A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste”

Better known for his TV comedy sketches with Keegan Michael-Key or most recently the action-comedy, Keanu, Jordan Peele makes his directorial debut with a genre you wouldn’t ordinarily expect from him. It isn’t exactly the horror that it’s been marketed or advertised as – instead leaning more to psychological thriller – but there’s no mistaking Peele’s dramatic flair or natural ability to work outside his comfort zone.  Continue reading →

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Silence

Posted in Drama with tags on July 13, 2017 by Mark Walker

Director: Martin Scorsese.
Screenplay: Martin Scorsese, Jay Cocks.
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson, Ciarán Hinds, Tadanobu Asano, Issei Ogata, Yoshi Oida, Yôsuke Kubozuka, Shin’ya Tsukamoto.

“The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church”

Martin Scorsese is, undoubtedly, one of the great American filmmakers. For over 40 years he has been the guy that has wanted to wash the scum off the streets; claimed it’s better to be King for a night than schmuck for a lifetime; advised us to never to rat on our friends and to go home and get our fuckin’ shine boxes. These classic cinematic moments aside, he’s also known for the occasional deviation from the norm of his criminal outings and delivered films with deep religious themes; The Last Temptation of Christ, Kundun and now Silence completes his unofficial religious trilogy.  Continue reading →

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Mulholland Falls

Posted in Crime, Film-Noir, Mystery with tags on July 7, 2017 by Mark Walker

Director: Lee Tamahori.
Screenplay: Pete Dexter.
Starring: Nick Nolte, Chazz Palminteri, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Jennifer Connelly, Melanie Griffith, John Malkovich, Treat Williams, Kyle Chandler, Andrew McCarthy, Bruce Dern, Louise Fletcher, Daniel Baldwin, Ed Lauter, Titus Welliver, Richard Sylbert, Virginia Madsen, William Petersen, Rob Lowe.

“This is L.A. This is my town. Out here you’re a trespasser. Out here I can pick you up, burn your house, fuck your wife, and kill your dog. And the only thing that’ll protect you is if I can’t find you. And I already found you”.

Released in 1996, Lee Tamahori’s Mulholland Falls has largely been overshadowed by the Oscar winning L.A. Confidential – which followed a year later. Although I often find fault with the Academy, on this occasion, I’m not going to split hairs with them and argue that Tamahori’s film is as good, because it’s not. But that’s no shame in Tamahori’s efforts as, for me, L.A. Confidential is one of the best films over the last 20 years. Mulholland Falls is a very admirable attempt that doesn’t deserve to have become a forgotten addition to L.A. themed noir.  Continue reading →

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Triple 9

Posted in Action, Crime with tags on June 27, 2017 by Mark Walker


Director: John Hillcoat.
Screenplay: Matt Cook.
Starring: Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Aaron Paul, Norman Reedus, Clifton Collins Jr, Kate Winslet, Gal Gadot, Teresa Palmer, Michael Kenneth Williams, Michelle Ang, Terence Rosemore.

“You’re a bank manager. You should be smart enough to know that the monster has gone digital. Be careful what you instagoogletweetface”.

After his relentlessly grim debut The Proposition and it’s equally grim follow-up, The Road, director John Hillcoat carved a reputation as a less than cheery filmmaker. However, he was clearly one with an undeniable ability to capture a time and place. His third feature – Lawless – proved again that he had a great eye for detail – even though it was lacking a depth of narrative. With Triple 9, Hillcoat, yet again, showcases his gritty realism but it suffers the same problems in terms of the story. Continue reading →

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