Luke Graham continues our Buster Keaton month with reviews of Three Ages and Sherlock Jr…. The British Film Institute’s decision to pair Three Ages (1923) and Sherlock Jr. (1924) proved a wise one, as these two films serve as a great introduction to Buster Keaton. By 1923, Keaton was already famous for his short films, […]

The Railway Man, 2013. Directed by Jonathan Teplitzky.Starring Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Hiroyuki Sanada, Stellan Skarsgård, Jeremy Irvine and Sam Reid. SYNOPSIS: A victim from World War II’s “Death Railway” sets out to find those responsible for his torture. A true story. Nicole Kidman can’t play ordinary. She can’t simply exist, she has to carry […]

Insidious: Chapter 2, 2013. Directed by James Wan.Starring Rose Byrne, Patrick Wilson, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins and Barbara Hershey. SYNOPSIS: The haunted Lambert family seeks to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world. Picking up more or less exactly where the first movie left off, Insidious: Chapter […]

12 Years a Slave, 2013. Directed by Steve McQueen.Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Fassbender, Sarah Paulson, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Quvenzhané Wallis, Garret Dillahunt, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael K. Williams, Scoot McNairy, Ruth Negga and Taran Killam. SYNOPSIS: In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, […]

47 Ronin, 2013. Directed by Carl Rinsch.Starring Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano, Ko Shibasaki and Rinko Kikuchi. SYNOPSIS: In this fictionalised account of the Japanese legend a band of ronin seek to avenge their master who was tricked into dishonouring his land. With the help of a half-breed demon they assault the castle of […]

All Is Lost, 2013. Directed by J.C. Chandor.Starring Robert Redford. SYNOPSIS: After a collision with a shipping container at sea, a resourceful sailor finds himself, despite all efforts to the contrary, staring his mortality in the face. The art of storytelling. It’s the backbone of any great film, regardless of age, budget, genre, or audience. […]

Battle of the Damned, 2013. Written and Directed by Christopher Hatton.Starring Dolph Lundgren, Melanie Zanetti, Matt Doran, David Field and Jen Sung. SYNOPSIS: Following a deadly viral outbreak, private military soldier Max Gatling leads a handful of survivors and a ragtag band of robots against an army of the infected. Some films just have a […]

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, 2013. Directed by Adam McKay.Starring Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Fred Willard, Chris Parnell, Vince Vaughn, Harrison Ford, Kristen Wiig, Dylan Baker, Greg Kinnear, and Meagan Good. SYNOPSIS:  With the 70s behind him, San Diego’s top rated newsman, Ron Burgundy, returns to take New York’s […]

Battle of the Year, 2013. Directed by Benson Lee.Starring Josh Holloway, Laz Alonso, Josh Peck, Caity Lotz and Chris Brown. SYNOPSIS: Battle of the Year attracts all the best teams from around the world, but the Americans haven’t won in fifteen years. Dante enlists Blake to assemble a team of the best dancers and bring […]

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, 2013. Directed by Adam McKay.Starring Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Fred Willard, Chris Parnell, Vince Vaughn, Harrison Ford, Kristen Wiig, Dylan Baker, Greg Kinnear, and Meagan Good. SYNOPSIS:  With the 70s behind him, San Diego’s top rated newsman, Ron Burgundy, returns to take New York’s […]