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Motherless Brooklyn | Average Guy Movie Review

When his boss is murdered, Lionel Essrog (Edward Norton) - a private detective afflicted with Tourette's - looks into his last case to try and figure out who killed him. Essrog's investigation will see him caught in a web of political conspiracy, as he draws the attention of some of New York's most powerful. Edward Norton has his hands full with Motherless Brooklyn - not that you'd know it. On top of his acting duties the star also serves as writer, director and producer. Taking the book Motherless Brooklyn - the title is eventually explained - a story set in 1999 and adapting it into a movie set in 1957 is a bold move, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't work. Norton and his team have done a good job of recreating 1950's New York in all its glory...and its destitution. Shot in the style of a classic noir detective drama - much like Chinatown and L.A. Confidential - the story cleverly deals with issues of corruption, greed, gentrification, exploitat

21 Bridges | Average Guy Movie Review

After eight cops are found dead in Brooklyn, veteran NYPD detective Andre Davis (Chadwick Boseman) is brought in to investigate. But when the suspects are tracked to Manhattan, Davis proposes a radical plan; close all the bridges and tunnels into Manhattan, trapping the suspects on the island. Now the cops are caught in a race against time to catch the killers and end the bloodshed. '21 Bridges' is a fast-paced and highly kinetic action movie, in which a group of cops literally whizz around Manhattan searching for a pair of cop killers. As Sergeant Nicholas Angel from 'Hot Fuzz' would say: " I wouldn't argue that it wasn't a no-holds-barred, adrenaline fuelled thrill ride. But there is no way you can perpetuate that amount of carnage and mayhem and not incur a considerable amount of paperwork." In fact, that's a perfect way to describe the events in this movie. As an action movie it is a lot of fun, dialling up the excitement very early on

Knives Out | Average Guy Movie Review

When the famous mystery writer Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead in his home, legendary detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is brought in to investigate. But in order to do so, Blanc will have to deal with Harlan's extremely dysfunctional family, all of whom are potential suspects. And the only person who can help him sort through all the madness is Harlan's nurse, Marta (Ana de Armas). Rian Johnson's crack at a murder mystery is undoubtedly some of the best fun you'll have at the cinema in 2019. It takes the classic whodunnit and dials things up to eleven. Thanks to a superb script and some fantastic performances - even Christopher Plummer gets time to shine through flashbacks - Johnson's take on the world-class detective is introduced to what is possibly the world's most dysfunctional family, a myriad bundle of mysteries even without Harlan's death. They're the type of people that many would try to avoid, especially in publi

Le Mans '66 | Average Guy Movie Review

Also known as Ford v Ferrari, this is the story of Ford's battle to beat Ferrari at Le Mans. Racing veterans Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and Ken Miles (Christian Bale) are caught in an up-hill struggle with Ford executives, as they spearhead the development of a car that can go head to head with the Italian racing pedigree. Based on the book "Go Like Hell" by A. J. Baime, "Logan" director James Mangold tells the story of one of racing's great rivalries. In the early 1960's, Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) looked to improve sales by investing in a racing team. But when a deal to purchase Ferrari fell through - resulting in some animosity between Ford and old Enzo Ferrari (Remo Girone) - the man from Michigan was determined to have his revenge, by winning the Ferrari dominated Le Mans 24 hour race. Now you're probably thinking that a story like this is all about the racing, well you'd be half-way right. There are indeed a lot of scenes featurin

Finding Santa: A Christmas Story | Average guy Movie Review

Santa Claus is missing, and the evil Krampus has taken over his workshop. The only person who can save Christmas is a young orphan boy named Julius. But can he do it before every child wakes up to a lump of coal in their stocking? If you're looking for a fun, family movie this Christmas, "Finding Santa: A Christmas Story" could be just what you're looking for. It's a heart-warming tale of a boy struggling with self-confidence, who finds himself on this massive adventure to find Santa and save his favourite holiday. But Julius (Herman Knop) isn't alone, he has help in the form of a fairy called Safina (Maria Lucia Rosenberg), and a giant, talking pig named Herman (Lars Hjortshøi). Now if a giant, talking pig doesn't sell this movie to you, I don't know what will!... Did I mention he's made of marzipan? This magical world where Christmas is under threat, has been brought to life by a great voice cast and some wonderfully quirky animation

Apollo 11 | Average Guy Movie Review

On 16th July 1969, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins were launched into space on what is undoubtedly the most famous mission in the history of space exploration. Their destination, the moon, where Armstrong and Aldrin would become the first humans to set foot on another world. Thanks to the discovery of previously unseen footage, director Todd Douglas Miller and his team have been able to bring this incredible feat of human achievement back to life. Charting events from the hours prior to launch, through their flight to the moon, the landing, the return to Earth and the aftermath, Miller is able to provide whole new perspectives on the mission. Not just from the point of view of the astronauts, but from all those who worked to get them to the moon, and the millions of people who watched from around the world. In many ways it's like you're actually witnessing these events as they take place, rather than watching a documentary. And the lack of a narrator des

Midway | Average Guy Movie Review

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese looked to eliminate America's aircraft carriers in order to cripple their fleet. The plan was to attack the US base on Midway Island, drawing the US carriers into a trap. It is the battle that saw the beginning of a massive shift in naval power in the Pacific. Roland Emmerich's re-telling of the Battle of Midway isn't quite as epic as you'd expect it to be. But on the bright side it is better than "Pearl Harbor" - the Michael Bay movie, not the battle - not that that's a major accomplishment. Known for his epic disaster movies - Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow - Emmerich favours a slow build, allowing his audience to get to know the characters as he gradually positions them for the main event. With Midway, it's a brief history of the early days of the war in the Pacific. However, at times this can feel vague, like the movie is skipping over major details and lacking in context, leavin

Zombieland: Double Tap | Average Guy Movie Review

It has been ten years since the most fucked up family in Zombieland took us on a tour of their zombie infested world, and things have changed...a bit. The zombies have evolved, there are now different kinds, and the guys have given them appropriate nicknames. But even with Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) moving into a fancy new house, all is not well in zombie paradise. And when Little Rock runs off with a boy, the gang are forced to head off on another dysfunctional road trip. After the success of Zombieland, it was highly likely - inevitable almost - that the people at Sony would want to try and catch lightning in a bottle for a second time. There's no denying that it's great to see Eisenberg, Harrelson, Stone and Breslin together again. Especially under the guidance of Ruben Fleischer, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Much like "Shaun of the Dead", Zombieland took a very marmite

Official Secrets | Average Guy Movie Review

The story of Katharine Gun (Keira Knightley), a translator for British intelligence charged with a breach of the Official Secrets Act. Whilst working for GCHQ, Gun was copied in on an American memo requesting any useful information in relation to UN Security Council delegates. This was part of a surveillance operation - spearheaded by the NSA - designed to secure a UN resolution for an invasion of Iraq. Seeing this as proof of an illegal action, Gun leaked the memo to the media in the hope that it would stop the war. But when Martin Bright (Matt Smith) wrote an article about the memo in The Observer newspaper, GCHQ began hunting for the whistleblower and Katharine faced a prison sentence for trying to do the right thing. The thing that makes this story so incredible is that it doesn't involve the actions of a super spy. No, Katharine Gun was - and still is - a regular person, one who saw something wrong and risked everything to do something about it. Director Gavin Hood (Re