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Showing posts from October, 2019

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

Terminator: Dark Fate | Average Guy Movie Review

Twenty years ago the future was changed, but not as much as Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) had hoped. Now dedicated to a life of hunting terminators, Sarah finds herself on the run with an enhanced soldier from the future named Grace (Mackenzie Davis) and Dani (Natalia Reyes), a young woman whose future is key to the survival of the human race. But will they be able to outrun the deadly new terminator (Gabriel Luna) that's chasing them? Dark Fate follows the same basic premise as the first two movies, and while it never quite lives up to them, it is by far the best movie to have come since, by some considerable margin. It takes the story in an interesting new direction, one that provides an apparently unintentional jab at US immigration and border control policy. As always, thanks to time travel there's someone who needs protecting from a terminator, and a warrior sent back to protect them by the human resistance. Natalia Reyes brings strength to Dani, and an innocence.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | Moustache Trailer Reaction

The final trailer for Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker is here, and it looks to be on a scale beyond anything we've ever seen in a galaxy far, far away...if that's even possible. If you haven't seen the trailer (or you just want to watch it again), check it out below: With all the information circling the final instalment in the Skywalker saga, I was expecting something quite dark and sinister when it came to the final trailer. But this actually feels quite hopeful, maybe the people at Lucasfilm are lulling us in to a false sense of security. Either way, this trailer does its job perfectly; it's both exciting and tense, it raises more questions than it answers, and the saga looks to be going out with a massive bang! The Resistance are gathering their forces in preparation for a major battle, possibly a last stand, a battle to end all battles. It appears that Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) and Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) - aboard the Millennium

The Day Shall Come | Average Guy Movie Review

When Moses (Marchánt Davis) draws the attention of the FBI, he and the other members of his small religious commune - who believe there will be a black uprising to take back the world from their white oppressors - become the target of a calamitous sting operation. Facing eviction from their home, Moses is tempted by an offer of funding and weapons from an undercover informant posing as a member of Islamic State. But the problem is, the Star of Six aren't quite the terrorist group that the FBI have made them out to be. Chris Morris, the director of Four Lions has returned with a new movie depicting something all too real, and in absurd fashion. This time he has shifted focus to the war on terror. As the slogan on the poster points out, The Day Shall Come "is based on a hundred true stories", in which paid informants provide information on supposed terrorist groups, all so the FBI can look like it's keeping America safe. Morris did a lot of research into ca

Gemini Man | Average Guy Movie Review

When government assassin Henry Brogan (Will Smith) decides to retire, some of his former associates deem him a threat. But how do you eliminate one of the world's greatest hitmen? Send his clone - a younger version of himself - to do the job.  Ang Lee pushes motion-capture technology to its limits in his latest endeavour, which sees Will Smith go up against his younger self. It really is uncanny seeing the two Wills stand opposite each other. Bar a shot here and there - where the clone's face gets a little rubbery - it really is a flawless recreation, circa "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"/"Bad Boys". The artists at Weta are able to capture all of Smith's performance(s), nothing is lost, all of the emotion he portrays is there, despite all of the work that has been done to de-age him. At times it will even make you think; "what would I say to my younger self?" However, once you get past the incredible technology used to pit tw

The Goldfinch | Average Guy Movie Review

After surviving the bombing that killed his mother, the life of young Theo Decker spirals out of control. The trauma of his situation combined with a series of unstable homes leads to trouble with drugs and alcohol, and the only constant in his life is the priceless painting - of a Goldfinch - that he inexplicably stole from the scene of the bombing. Now grown up and working as an antiques dealer, Theo finds himself in trouble with a client to whom he sold a forgery. But what is it that the client wants in recompense? Based on Donna Tartt's New York Times best-selling novel of the same name, The Goldfinch purports to be a tense and engrossing thriller about loss, survivor guilt, and moving on. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. It meanders through several periods in Theo's life - played by Oakes Fegley and Ansel Elgort - and never really seems to know where it's going. You'll sit there waiting for the movie to find a course, and for the entire two and a half h

Hustlers | Average Guy Movie Review

When the financial crisis of 2008 hit, everybody was affected. Even the bankers themselves had to cut back, no more excessive nights of partying, which hurt the dancers working in the clubs these men frequented. But when the stock markets began to recover, and the men started to reappear, an enterprising group of women decided it was their turn to make some real money. Inspired by a true story - and covered in the New York Magazine article: "The Hustlers at Scores" - Hustlers follows a group (or should I say crew) of exotic dancers who would seduce and drug wealthy men in order to rack up large bills on their credit cards, in strip clubs throughout New York city. The group would then get a percentage of whatever the men spent in the clubs, and the men would wake up totally unaware of what had happened - until the credit card bill arrived anyway. As a criminal enterprise this is genius, albeit a little scary for the wealthier among us, but as a movie it's a lot of

Hotel Mumbai | Average Guy Movie Review

During the Mumbai attacks of 2008 Islamic extremists laid siege to the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. With the police unable to deal with the situation, and awaiting a military response from New Delhi, the staff and guests had to do whatever they could to survive. Anthony Maras' feature debut doesn't shy away from the brutal horror of a situation like this, nor should it. Over a three day period more than 170 people were killed. It's impossible to tell a story like this and not show what the victims went through in horrifying detail. Which at times can make Hotel Mumbai a difficult watch. But at the same time, it is a reminder that the worst in us of often brings out the best in us. Something that is certainly true of the staff of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, who risked everything to keep their guests safe. This is the story that the director wanted to tell. To do so, you need a tremendous cast of actors, and that's exactly what Maras and his team delivers.