MARKED MOVIES

Creed

Posted in Drama, Sport with tags 2015 on January 21, 2016 by Mark Walker

Director: Ryan Cooglar.
Screenplay: Ryan Cooglar, Aaron Covington.
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Tony Bellew, Ritchie Coster, Graham McTavish, Andre Ward, Jacob ‘Stitch’ Duran, Malik Bazille, Ricardo McGill, Wood Harris, Gabe Rosado.

“Time takes everybody out; time’s undefeated”

Nostalgia has crept into a lot of films lately. In 2015 alone, we’ve revisited Bond (for the 24th time) in Spectre, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is now the 5th film spawned from the 60’s TV show, Mad Max was rebooted with Fury Road, Jurassic World and Star Wars: A Force Awakens tapped into the magic and excitement of their predecessors and now Ryan Cooglar’s Creed is a revisit to the boxing gyms of Philadelphia and has much in common with the original Rocky of 1976. Yes, it’s hard to believe but it’s been 40 years since Balboa first had us on the edge of our seats and punching the air with delight. Continue reading →

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The Big Short

Posted in Comedy, Drama with tags 2015 on January 14, 2016 by Mark Walker

Director: Adam McKay.
Screenplay: Adam McKay, Charles Randolph.
Starring: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Rafe Spall, Jeremy Strong, Marisa Tomei, Melissa Leo, Tracy Letts, Karen Gillan, Hamish Linklater, Jeffry Griffin, Adepero Oduye, John Magaro, Finn Wittrock, Anthony Bourdain, Selena Gomez, Margot Robbie.

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so”

Better known for his comedy films like Anchorman, Step Brothers and Talladega Nights, The Big Short is a big leap for director Adam McKay. Going from improvised Will Ferrell gags to dealing with the true story of the global financial crisis of 2008 is quite a departure from his usual comfort zone. If truth be told, I’m not a fan of his comedies and had some strong reservations about this but it was hard to resist seeing such quality actors sink their teeth into a very personal subject that has affected us all. Continue reading →

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Joy

Posted in Drama, Family with tags 2015 on January 11, 2016 by Mark Walker

Director: David O. Russell.
Screenplay: David O. Russell.
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro, Bradley Cooper, Edgar Ramirez, Isabella Rossellini, Virginia Madsen, Diane Ladd, Dascha Polanco, Elisabeth Röhm, Susan Lucci, Laura Wright, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Isabella Crovetti-Cramp, Melissa Rivers.

“Don’t ever think the world owes you anything, because it doesn’t, it owes you nothing”

After Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, David O. Russell had established himself as somewhat of an Oscar record breaker. Not only were these two films nominated – back-to-back – for Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Screenplay and Supporting Actor/Actress roles, they happened to be first time in the Academy’s history that this was ever achieved. You could say that the pressure was on for O. Russell and his trio of actors in Lawrence, Cooper and DeNiro to make it a hat-trick. Sadly, this time around, it appears that the pressure was too much. Continue reading →

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The Hateful Eight

Posted in Crime, Mystery, Western with tags 2015 on January 8, 2016 by Mark Walker

Director: Quentin Tarantino.
Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino.
Starring: Kurt Russell, Samuel L. Jackson, Walton Goggins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Demian Bichir, Channing Tatum, Jason Parks, Zoe Bell, Gene Jones, Dana Gourrier, Lee Horsley, Keith Jefferson, Craig Stark, Belinda Owino.

“Keeping you at a disadvantage is an advantage I intend to keep”

In January 2014, Quentin Tarantino officially announced that he would be following up his successful western Django Unchained with yet another trip down the trail with The Hateful Eight. However, the script was leaked shortly after this announcement and he abandoned the project – seemingly in favour of releasing it as a book instead. After a successful live script read at the United Artists Theatre in Los Angeles, Tarantino again changed his mind and decided to go ahead with making the film. It’s now close to 25 years since he arrived on the scene with his blistering debut Reservoir Dogs and in that time he’s only released eight films – with the intention of retiring after his tenth. That said, he’s made enough for us to reflect on his style and in some ways you could say that – although the genre is very different – this is as close in structure to his debut than any other film he’s done. Continue reading →

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Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade

Posted in Action, Adventure with tags 1989 on December 30, 2015 by Mark Walker

Director: Steven Spielberg.
Screenplay: Jeffrey Boam.
Starring: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott, Alison Doody, John Rhys-Davies, Julian Glover, River Phoenix, Michael Byrne, Alex Hyde-White, Richard Young, Kevork Malikyan, Robert Eddison, Ronald Lacey, Michael Sheard, Bradley Gregg, Alexei Sayle.

“Germany has declared war on the Jones boys”

Even before the days of Raiders Of The Ark, Spielberg had expressed an interest in making a James Bond movie but he couldn’t get the go ahead from Bond producer Albert Broccoli. Indy was just as good an opportunity for him, though, and who better to cast as Indy’s father than (the original) James Bond himself? It’s actually through the casting choice of Sean Connery that this third instalment of Indy’s adventures really takes flight and silences the critics of The Temple Of Doom. Continue reading →

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Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom

Posted in Action, Adventure with tags 1984 on December 29, 2015 by Mark Walker

Director: Steven Spielberg.
Screenplay: Willard Huyck.
Starring: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan, Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth, Philip Stone, Raj Singh, Roy Chiao, David Yip, Ric Young, Dan Aykroyd.

“Are you trying to develop a sense of humor or am I going deaf?”

Following the massive success of Raiders of the Lost Ark, it was inevitable that a sequel would follow. No sane-minded or financially aware production company would ever dream of missing the opportunity to boost a few more zero’s on their bank accounts. As expected, the sequel made it to the screen three years later. Now, some have given this second adventure a bit of hard time but I happen to think it’s a very underrated and action packed addition to the adventures of the whip-cracking, fedora-wearing Dr. Jones that we have come to know and love.

Continue reading →

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Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Posted in Action, Adventure with tags 1981 on December 28, 2015 by Mark Walker

Director: Steven Spielberg.
Screenplay: Lawrence Kasdan.
Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Wolf Kahler, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott, Anthony Higgins, Alfred Molina, Wolf Kahler, Vic Tablian, Don Fellows, George Harris, Pat Roach.

“It’s not the years, honey. It’s the mileage“.

In 1975, George Lucas and Philip Kaufman came up with the concept of a film that would pay homage to the action serials of the 1930’s and 40’s like The Adventures of Captain Marvel or Dick Tracy – you know, the one’s were they’d always end in a cliffhanger? However, this idea was put on hold so that Lucas could concentrate on Star Wars in 1977. After the surprise success of that film, Lucas then embarked on the proposal and enlisted the help of Lawrence Kasdan on the screenplay and gave his friend Steven Spielberg the chance to direct and prove the studio bosses wrong after the star-studded, monumental failure of his World War II comedy 1941, a couple of years previously. This meeting of minds resulted in Raiders of the Lost Ark and has since became one of cinema’s most revered and iconic film’s. Continue reading →

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The Fitzgerald Family Christmas

Posted in Drama with tags 2012 on December 23, 2015 by Mark Walker

Director: Edward Burns.
Screenplay: Edward Burns.
Starring: Edward Burns, Connie Britton, Michael McGlone, Kerry Bishé, Heather Burns, Caitlin Fitzgerald, Marsha Dietlein, Dara Coleman, Anita Gillette, Ed Lauter, Joyce Van Patten, Tom Guiry, Noah Emmerich.

“I had no intention of breaking this family up”

In 1995 a young Edward Burns came onto the film scene with independent, family drama The Brothers McMullen and followed it up with equally impressive films like She’s The One and Sidewalks of New York. Not everyone took notice but those that did began to compare Burns’ writing and directing style to that of fellow New Yorker Woody Allen (without the neurosis). However, after his crime drama Ash Wednesday in 2002 people seemed to stop taking notice and Burns’ directorial efforts disappeared from the limelight. He was still making films and even though I was a big admirer of his earlier stuff, even I had forgotten all about his more personal projects… until this one landed in my lap. Continue reading →

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Miller’s Crossing

Posted in Crime, Drama with tags 1990 on December 15, 2015 by Mark Walker

Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen.
Screenplay: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen.
Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, Jon Polito, Marcia Gay Harden, John Turturro, J.E. Freeman, Steve Buscemi, Mike Starr, Al Mancini, Richard Woods, Thomas Toner, Michael Jeter, Michael Badalucco, Sam Raimi, Frances McDormand.

“You ain’t got a license to kill bookies and today I ain’t sellin’ any. So take your flunky and dangle”.

It was in 1984 that we were introduced to (what would become) two of cinema’s finest writer/director’s in Joel & Ethan Coen. Their darkly cynical debut Blood Simple grabbed audiences by the crotch yet their wacky follow up, Raising Arizona, managed to tickle said area. By their third film, Miller’s Crossing, there was no denying that this was truly a creative partnership that knew how to construct and deliver films of great substance and enjoyment. Continue reading →

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Drive

Posted in Crime, thriller with tags 2011 on December 3, 2015 by Mark Walker

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn.
Screenplay: Hossein Amini.
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Oscar Isaac, Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman, Christina Hendricks, Kaden Leos, Jeff Wolfe, James Biberi, Russ Tamblyn.

“I give you five minutes when we get there. Anything happens in that five minutes and I’m yours. No matter what. Anything a minute on either side of that and you’re on your own. I don’t sit in while you’re running it down. I don’t carry a gun. I drive”

In 2008, just three years after the publication of James Sallis’ crime novel Drive, Universal Studios got behind the idea of a film adaptation. Originally, director Neil Marshall was to take the reigns and craft an L.A-set action mystery with Hugh Jackman as the lead. Two years later, this proposed plan collapsed and in stepped Ryan Gosling. With a spate of successful films and strong performances already behind him, Gosling was an actor in high demand and for the first time in his career he was given the opportunity to choose who would direct the film. Already a big admirer of his work, he chose Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn. The film was eventually released in 2011 to mass acclaim and struck a chord with audiences and critics alike. Not only was Refn awarded Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival but the film received a 15 minute standing ovation. Continue reading →

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God’s Pocket

Posted in Comedy, Crime, Drama with tags 2014 on November 26, 2015 by Mark Walker

Director: John Slattery.
Screenplay: Alex Metcalf, John Slattery.
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, John Turturro, Christina Hendricks, Eddie Marsan, Domenick Lombardozzi, Caleb Landry Jones, Peter Gerety, Glenn Fleshler, Prudence Wright Jones, Jack O’Connell.

“I don’t know why writing down what everybody knows, is any better than knowing it in the first place”

Along with A Most Wanted Man, God’s Pocket was sadly one of only two remaining lead performances from the late Philip Seymour Hoffman – after his untimely death in 2014 to a heroine overdose. For this alone, it’s worth reminding yourself what a great talent this man was and how the medium of film will forever miss his astonishing onscreen presence. If truth be told, it’s not a role that requires him to do very much and the film itself continually switches tones but like many other movies featuring this fantastic actor, it benefits from his commitment and his everyman naturalism.
Continue reading →

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21 Years: Richard Linklater

Posted in Biography, Documentary with tags 2014 on November 23, 2015 by Mark Walker

Directors: Michael Dunaway, Tara Wood.
Featuring: Keanu Reeves, Ethan Hawke, Matthew McConaughey, Jack Black, Billy Bob Thornton, Zac Efron, Greg Kinnear, Nicky Katt, Jason Reitman, Kevin Smith, Joey Lauren Adams, Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass, Michael McKean, Parker Posey, Julie Delpy.

“Eighteen films. One legend”

They say that a career should never be judged until 21 years have past and although it’s hard to believe, director Richard Linklater has now achieved this milestone. As a result, filmmakers Michael Dunaway and Tara Wood decide to shine some light and appreciation on one of the most inventive and daring of contemporary American filmmakers. Continue reading →

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SubUrbia

Posted in Drama on November 20, 2015 by Mark Walker

Director: Richard Linklater.
Screenplay: Eric Bogosian.
Starring: Giovanni Ribisi, Steve Zahn, Nicky Katt, Amie Carey, Parker Posey, Joyce Bartok, Ajay Naidu, Dina Spybey, Samia Shoaib.

“Idealism is guilty middle-class bullshit”

Having already delivered Slacker in 1991 and Dazed and Confused in 1993, Richard Linklater’s third film, SubUrbia, somewhat confirmed him as a voice for the disillusioned youth and their struggling transition into adulthood. This is a recurrent theme among his films and has lasted from his debut, to his most recent 2014 film Boyhood. A lot of director’s are often drawn to a particular niche and it would seem that this is where Linklater comfortably resides. Continue reading →

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Knock Knock

Posted in Horror, thriller with tags 2015 on November 19, 2015 by Mark Walker

Director: Eli Roth.
Screenplay: Eli Roth, Nicolás López, Guillermo Amoedo.
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana de Armas, Aaron Burns, Ignacia Allamand, Dan Baily, Megan Baily, Colleen Camp.

“I’m glad we knocked on your door”

Not being a fan of writer/director Eli Roth or the torture porn sub-genre itself, I went into this film with serious reservations. I hoped against hope that with the appealing inclusion of Keanu Reeves this might be worth some attention. Reeves has been involved in the occasional dud here and there, but he’s also been known to unearth a few gems in his time. I was hoping for the latter and also hoping that Roth may have moved on from his gratuitous early films like Hostel and Cabin Fever and actually managed to mature somewhat. Alas, I should have paid heed to my reservations. Continue reading →

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Out Of Sight

Posted in Crime, Drama, Romance with tags 1998 on November 16, 2015 by Mark Walker

Director: Steven Soderbergh.
Screenplay: Scott Frank.
Starring: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Steve Zahn, Albert Brooks, Catherine Keener, Isaiah Washington, Luis Guzman, Dennis Farina, Viola Davis, Nancy Allen, Paul Calderon, Keith Loneker, Mike Malone, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson.

“If I see Glenn wearing his sunglasses I’m gonna step on ’em. I might not even take ’em off first”

The late Elmore Leonard had been writing crime and western novels as far back as the 1950’s and has had numerous adaptations of his work: Paul Newman in Hombre, Clint Eastwood in Joe Kidd and Charles Bronson in Mr. Majestyk are just some of the more familiar ones. However, around the mid 90’s there was somewhat of a reinvestment in his work. After the release of Quentin Tarantino’s hugely influential Pulp Fiction in 1994, crime became cool again and Elmore Leonard became the go-to guy for the material. John Travolta would follow-up Pulp with Barry Sonnenfeld’s humorous adaptation of Leonard’s Get Shorty and Tarantino himself adapted Rum Punch into Jackie Brown. There were other TV Movies like Gold Coast and Pronto, Paul Schrader’s misjudged Touch and the short lived TV series Maximum Bob. Steven Soderbergh then rounded them off with this stylish film that, arguably, handed George Clooney the first role that suited him as a fully fledged leading man. Continue reading →

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It Follows

Posted in Horror with tags 2015 on November 11, 2015 by Mark Walker

Director: David Robert Mitchell.
Screenplay: David Robert Mitchell.
Starring: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Lili Sepe, Olivia Luccardi, Jake Weary, Daniel Zovatto, Deborah Williams, Ele Bardha, Bailey Spry.

“It could look like someone you know or it could be a stranger in a crowd. Whatever helps it get close to you”

Too often with contemporary horror films we are subjected to a barrage of positive claims. Claims that the most recent one is the best for decades. It almost seems like audiences and critics are desperate for it to actually be the case, such is the lack of any true quality in a failing genre and the desperate demand to be spooked again. Sooner or later, though, one had to arrive where the positivity surrounding it would be genuine. Finally, we have It Follows: a film that can confidently stake it’s claim for being that coveted frightener. Continue reading →

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Halloween

Posted in Horror with tags 1978 on November 6, 2015 by Mark Walker

Director: John Carpenter.
Screenplay: John Carpenter, Debra Hill.
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasance, P.J. Soles, Nancy Loomis, Charles Cyphers, Kyle Richards, Brian Andrews, John Michael Graham, Nancy Stephens, Will Sandin, Tony Moran.

“It’s Halloween, everyone’s entitled to one good scare”

The “slasher film” is now a commonly known sub-genre among horror films and has developed a devoted fan base. Many would say that Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho in 1960 was one of the most influential and successful of such a film with Bob Clark’s Black Christmas and Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (both in 1974) also cited as a major players. However, there was once a “Golden Age of Slasher film” which ran from 1978 to 1984 and incorporated such iconic horror characters as A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger, Friday the 13th’s Jason Voorhees and, of course, Halloween’s Michael Myers. It’s this John Carpenter film that was the kickstarter for the Golden Age and credited with being the film that defined the genre. Continue reading →

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New York Times’ Touch of Evil

Posted in Horror, Uncategorized on October 29, 2015 by Mark Walker

In 2011, The New York Times assembled 13 of the best actors of the year and had them each contribute to a little video gallery where they would play villains. Some of you may have seen these already but for those who haven’t, there are a few twisted delights amongst them and perfect to get you into the Halloween mood. Each video is approximately a minute or less but, in that time, they still manage to convey a surrealistic wickedness.

1: Brad Pitt as The Madman.

On whom he’s channeling: ‘‘Peter Lorre — with a dose of Kramer.’’

2: George Clooney as The Tyrant.

On playing bad: ‘‘I picked Captain Bligh because I liked his hat. Bad guys don’t think they’re bad guys. In film, the best evil performances are when the actor remembers that.’’

Continue reading →

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The Gift

Posted in Horror, Mystery, thriller with tags 2015 on October 27, 2015 by Mark Walker

Director: Joel Edgerton.
Screenplay: Joel Edgerton.
Starring: Jason Bateman, Joel Edgerton, Rebecca Hall, Allison Tolman, Tim Griffin, Busy Philipps, Adam Lazarre-White, Beau Knapp, Wendell Pierce, P.J. Byrne, Mirrah Foulkes, David Denman, Katie Aselton, Nash Edgerton.

“You think you’re done with the past, but the past is not done with you”

Is there no end to Joel Edgerton’s abilities? Although he’d been involved in projects before, it’s probably fair to say that it wasn’t until David Michôd’s Animal Kingdom in 2010 that opportunities began to really open up for him. He’s since went on to work with Kathryn Bigelow, Baz Luhrmann and Ridley Scott, while also penning Michôd’s impressive second feature The Rover. Now he makes his own feature length directorial debut and it would seem that we have much more to see from Edgerton’s talents. Continue reading →

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Ted 2

Posted in Comedy with tags 2015 on October 23, 2015 by Mark Walker

Director: Seth MacFarlane.
Screenplay: Seth MacFarlane, Wellesley Wild, Alec Sulkin.
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Seth MacFarlane, Amanda Seyfried, Giovanni Ribisi, Morgan Freeman, Jessica Barth, Sam J. Jones, Patrick Warburton, Michael Dorn, Bill Smitrovich, John Slattery, Cocoa Brown, John Carroll Lynch, Ron Canada, Tom Brady, Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel, Dennis Haysbert, Liam Neeson.
Narrator: Patrick Stewart.

“There are no chicks with dicks, Johnny, only guys with tits”

Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane always struck me as the type of humorist that had a seemingly endless amount of jokes. His animated show has been hugely successful for years and seems to have the ability that The Simpsons has in terms of staying power and maintaining a high standard of entertainment. However, that ability to provide the goods is severely lacking from this second attempt at a winning formula. Continue reading →

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