Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from September, 2016

Hell or High Water: Average Guy Movie Review

In an era of comic book movies and remakes it's rare to watch a movie without some idea of how it will end. Now this doesn't affect the enjoyment - not for me anyway - life's about the journey not the destination. But it's refreshing to go to the cinema without a clue how the movie will end, British Director David Mackenzie delivers just that with Hell or High Water. Brothers Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner Howard (Ben Foster) concoct a plan to rob banks in order to save the family ranch. Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges) and Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham) are the Texas Ranger's assigned to investigate the robberies, as per Hollywood cliche it's Marcus' last case before retirement. Family is definitely the major theme of this movie, that and what people will do for their families. In this case, as the title would suggest, come hell or high water, whatever it takes no matter what the cost.  Hell or High Water is written by Taylor Sheridan, the

Blood Father: Average Guy Movie Review

Mel Gibson is back on the silver screen in Jean-Francois Richet's Blood Father. Gibson plays John Link, an ex-con who must re-visit some of his old ways in order to protect his estranged teenage daughter Lydia (Erin Moriarty) from the drug dealers that are trying to kill her. William H. Macy co-stars as Kirby; Link's friend and AA sponsor. Gibson may be trying to win back his fans by returning to the type of movie he's famous for. Blood Father even begins with his character speaking at an AA meeting about all the bad things he's done in his life and how he can never take it all back. It feels like Gibson is trying to make amends as much as Link is, probably a deliberate move. Being a child of the 80's I've grown up watching Gibson in classics like Lethal Weapon, Mad Max, Maverick, Tequila Sunrise, Payback, and he's delivered brilliant performances in all of them. Despite the fact that he has proven to be an arsehole (and then some) in his persona

Operation Market Garden Anniversary 2016

The John Frost Bridge at Arnhem (from my visit in 2013) 72 years ago today, Allied troops set off on what could be one of the boldest missions of World War 2, Operation Market Garden. Developed by Field Marshall Montgomery, the plan was to advance into Nazi occupied Holland and develop a bridgehead over the River Rhine into Germany. There were two parts to the operation: Market (Airborne) Garden (Ground Forces) In what was the largest airborne operation of the war, paratroopers and glider troops had the job of securing bridges at Eindhoven (US 101st Airborne), Nijmegen (US 82nd Airborne) and Arnhem (British 1st Airborne). The ground forces, made up of the British XXX Corp had to advance up a single highway through Holland, linking up with the airborne forces as they went. In honour of the anniversary of Operation Market Garden we look back at some of the movies and TV Shows that tell the story of the Allies ill-fated attempt to end the war by Christmas 1944. A Bridge Too Far

Eye in the Sky: Average Guy Movie Review

Gavin Hood brings 21st Century warfare to the big screen with Eye in the Sky. A movie that will not only be remembered for its great story and brilliant performances but also as the last live action performance of the late Alan Rickman. Helen Mirren stars as Colonel Katherine Powell, an intelligence officer in the British Army running a joint counter-terrorism operation to capture an international group of terrorists in Kenya linked to Al-Shabaab. Working with Powell are US Airforce Lieutenant Steve Watts (Aaron Paul), a Reaper drone Pilot based out of Creech Airforce Base, Nevada and Jama Farah (Barkhad Abdi), an undercover Kenyan Field Agent. Alan Rickman plays Powell's commanding officer Lieutenant General Frank Benson, the man responsible for liaising between the military and the Politicians supervising the mission. When complications arise, all involved are faced with the moral dilemma of weighing up the consequences of what could happen with what will happen if they

Sausage Party: Average Guy Movie Review

The supermarket becomes a parody for real life in what could be Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's most extreme and yet intelligent movie to date. Sausage Party is laugh out loud funny throughout, but with the comedy comes a sort of over head view of the world we live in, as well as all of the swearing drug, alcohol and sex references we've come to expect of a Seth Rogen movie. The movie could be just as controversial as Rogen and Goldberg's The Interview, but where that was a very stupid story that depicted a current, real, live dictator and his (fictional) assassination, Sausage party takes the South Park approach...everyone and everything is fair game! Sausage Party is set during the days leading up to the July 4th celebrations, hot dogs Frank (Rogen), Barry (Michael Cera) and Carl (Jonah Hill) as well as Franks' girlfriend, a hot dog bun named Brenda Bunson (Kristen Wiig) are all looking forward to being purchased so they can travel to the "Great Beyond&