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Showing posts from December, 2019

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, exploita...

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...