Archive for 2023

The Zone of Interest

Posted in Drama, History, War with tags on May 1, 2025 by Mark Walker

Director: Jonathan Glazer.

Screenplay: Jonathan Glazer.

Starring: Christian Friedel, Sandra Hűller, Johann Karthaus, Luis Noah Witte, Nele Ahrensmeier, Lilli Falk, Anastazja Drobniak, Cecylia Pekala, Kalman Wilson.

“I wasn’t really paying attention… I was too busy thinking how I would gas everyone in the room”

Jonathan Glazer isn’t a director known for being prolific, but he is known for being precise. In over two decades, he’s directed just four feature films, and each one leaves a deep impression. From the volcanic energy of Sexy Beast (2000), to the haunting intimacy of Birth (2004), and the surreal alienation of Under the Skin (2013), Glazer doesn’t just direct movies – he dissects human nature. With The Zone of Interest, he reaches a new pinnacle of controlled horror, presenting perhaps his most unnerving and audacious work yet.

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Beau Is Afraid

Posted in Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Horror with tags on December 22, 2023 by Mark Walker

Director: Ari Aster.

Screenplay: Ari Aster.

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Patti LuPone, Amy Ryan, Nathan Lane, Denis Ménochet, Kylie Rogers, Parker Posey, Zoe Lister-Jones, Armen Nahapetian, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Hayley Squires, Richard Kind, Julia Antonelli, Archie Madekwe, Julian Richings, Lily Bird, Michael Gandolfini, David Mamet, Bill Hader.

“You were so selfish in your own search that no-one could find you”

By now many will seen Ari Aster’s haunting directorial debut Hereditary (2018) and the unsettling flow-up Midsommar (2019) which highlighted him as a director to watch. If you haven’t, then you’re missing out on two of the best horror movies in recent years. For those that are familiar, you’ll notice that Aster has the recurring themes of grief and the impact that parents can have on our lives. In Beau is Afraid, Aster, once again focuses on these earlier concepts and in many ways extends upon them with an outrageously metaphysical odyssey that transcends the bravery and boldness of his previous outings.

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Killers Of The Flower Moon

Posted in Crime, History, thriller, Western with tags on December 10, 2023 by Mark Walker

Director: Martin Scorsese.

Screenplay: Martin Scorsese, Eric Roth.

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, John Lithgow, Brendan Fraser, Tantoo Cardinal, Jason Isbell, Scott Shepherd, Louis Cancelmi, Tatanka Means, Tommy Schultz, Sturgill Simpson, Ty Mitchell, Pat Healy, Cara Jade Myers, Janae Collins, Jillian Dion, William Belleau, Gene Jones, J.C. MacKenzie, Barry Corbin, Jack White, Pete Yorn, Jay Paulson, Talee Redcorn, Yancey Redcorn, Steve Witting, Steve Routman, Charlie Musselwhite.

“I don’t know what you said, but it must’ve been Indian for handsome devil”

At the ripe old age of 80 years, Martin Scorsese shows no signs of slowing down. His latest in Killers of the Flower Moon sees him tackle a time in American history with just as much bite and ferociousness as someone half his age. To do so, he’s brought alongside his frequent collaborators in Leonardo DiCaprio (his sixth feature film with Scorsese) and Robert DeNiro (his 10th feature) to embody pivotal roles. However, this is the first time that we’ve had all three of them together which, in itself, is enough of a hook whether you appreciate this type of genre or not.

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Oppenheimer

Posted in Biography, Drama, History, thriller, War with tags on November 27, 2023 by Mark Walker

Director: Christopher Nolan.

Screenplay: Christopher Nolan.

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Gary Oldman, Alden Ehrenreich, Jason Clarke, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Conti, Matthew Modine, Dane DeHaan, Benny Safdie, Olivia Thirlby, David Krumholtz, Tony Goldwyn, Macon Blair, James D’Arcy, Scott Grimes, Matthias Schweighofer, Alex Wolff, Michael Angarano, David Dastmalchian, Josh Peck, Jack Quaid, Gustaf Skarsgard, James Urbaniak, Christopher Denham, James Remar.

“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”

When Christopher Nolan releases a new film, it goes without saying that his new endeavours create mass excitement among film enthusiasts. I certainly show an interest myself. However, there’s a saying that you’re only as good as your last movie and on that note, I hold a potentially contentious opinion on his recent output in that his last two films in Dunkirk and Tenet were quite underwhelming. That said, I reckon he’s getting back on track with this fearless historical epic that explores similar themes that were the crux for his sci-fi masterwork Interstellar.

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The Killer

Posted in Crime, Drama, thriller with tags on November 18, 2023 by Mark Walker

Director: David Fincher.

Screenplay: Andrew Kevin Walker

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell, Kerry O’Malley, Sophie Charlotte, Sala Baker, Emiliano Pernia, Gabriel Polanco.

“Of those who like to put their faith in the inherent goodness of mankind, I have to ask, Based on what, exactly?”

It’s been nearly 30 years since David Fincher and writer Andrew Kevin Walker collaborated on the visceral and deeply affecting serial-killer thriller Se7en in 1995 and to this day it remains one of the absolute best of the genre. Since then, Walker has managed to keep his hand in among some interesting projects but it was Fincher who became a director that amassed a genuine following such was the consistent quality he was producing. With the arrival of The Killer, that interest certainly hasn’t waned and it’s perhaps gained even more traction due to it bringing the two of them back together again.

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Indiana Jones and The Dial Of Destiny

Posted in Action, Adventure, Fantasy, History with tags on September 15, 2023 by Mark Walker

Director: James Mangold.
Screenplay: Jez Butterworth, David Koepp, James Mangold.
Starring: Harrison Ford, Mads Mikkelsen, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Boyd Holbrook, Toby Jones, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Thomas Kretschmann, Ethann Isidore, Olivier Richters, Shaunette Renee Wilson, Martin McDougall, Karen Allen.

“I don’t believe in magic but a few times in my life, I’ve seen things. Things I can’t explain and I’ve come to believe it’s not so much what you believe. It’s how hard you believe it”

With Raiders of the Lost Ark premiering in 1981, I’d have been just over two years old. This more or less makes me as old as the character of Indiana Jones himself. So, if Harrison Ford is game to put an end to his cinematic icon, the least I can do is come out of a writing hiatus/obscurity and add some of my comments on what is, one of the very reasons I fell in love with movies in the first place. Indiana Jones has been part of my movie going experience for as long as I can remember and it’s with a heavy heart that that journey has come to an end. Continue reading →

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