Oliver Davis counts down the best ever casino films… 5. Ocean’s Eleven It’s got more stars than a sky-gazing evening with Brian Cox, Ocean’s Eleven was a dream team-up movie with as-yet-unmatched ‘name’ power. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts…even Bernie Mac, the 2001 remake even surpassed Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy […]

Oliver Davis asks, ‘where are The Avengers?’… The crowd that exited Wednesday’s 8.30pm 3D screening of Thor: The Dark World did so in excitement. The movie had surpassed everyone’s expectations. Well, everyone bar the Batman T-shirt wearing chap, presumably a DC fan and angrily thinking ‘how dare a superhero movie have sense of humour – […]

Oliver Davis reviews East of West #8… “We catch up with the three horsemen and gain insight into what their greater mission is and what plans they have for The Chosen.” After telling the Keeper of the Message’s tale in the last issue, East of West #8 concerns itself with his replacement – a Cruella […]

Oliver Davis reviews Spawn #238… “Jim’s struggle to control his new life is put into perspective as Cogliostro reveals the secrets of the Dead Zone. From the temptations of Eden to the wars of today, the whole of human history has been tainted with conflict. While Cogliostro’s motives may not be clear, his first lesson […]

Oliver Davis reviews Prophet #41… Only four more issues to go until Prophet’s end. Brandon Graham, the comic’s writer, has promised a six issue miniseries to fully conclude the story, but still, bad times. Prophet is one of the most consistently absorbing comics out right now. Issue 41 sees the War in Space take things […]

The Great Train Robbery, 2013. Created by Chris Chibnall.Starring Jim Broadbent, Luke Evans, Neil Maskell, Jack Roth and Robert Glenister. SYNOPSIS: A two-part television adaption of Britain’s biggest ever heist – the ‘great train robbery’ of 1963. Having your life adapted for the screen seems to be the kiss of death these days. Shortly after […]

Oliver Davis reviews Prophet #42…After its terrific issue 41 (and, to be honest, every installment prior to that), Prophet #42 acts as a filler episode, taking a break from the series’ climactic battle to tell a story from Diehard’s millennia-spanning life. The comic’s usual writer and artist – Brandon Graham and Giannis Milonogiannis, respectively – […]

Oliver Davis reviews East of West #9… Another issue in Jonathan Hickman’s sprawling East of West, another new character to confuse things. With each installment, the series confounds its already-epic narrative with a new, superfluous thread. It’s like the frustrating latter books of George R. R. Martin’s ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ saga.Issue 9 […]

Oliver Davis on the passing of Philip Seymour Hoffman… Philip Seymour Hoffman (or ‘PSH’ as he was lovingly called in my house) was never a leading man in the conventional sense. A man of untucked shirts, his face was rough and slightly weathered, his portly torso giving him the appearance of a New York slob.But […]

Locke, 2014 Directed by Steven Knight Starring Tom Hardy, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott and Olivia Coleman SYNOPSIS: A construction manager’s life slowly falls apart on his drive home from work. Locke’s titular character is Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy), a Welsh (it takes a while to get past the ‘camp Bane’ accent quickly) construction manager, who’s […]