Film Reviews

Review by Leslie Byron Pitt/@Afrofilmviewer Magnus von Horn’s frosty debut feature; The Here After, has the lead; John (Ulrik Munther), looking to start anew after serving two years in prison for a violent crime. What occurred is revealed slowly in muted detail. We know enough to understand what happened, but the film never lingers fully on the crime. Indeed the film is more concerned on the aftermath and how a small community looks upon one of their own. The wide-eyed...

Review by Leslie Byron Pitt/@Afrofilmviewer It’s a good guess that the Now You See Me franchise will be the closest thing the younger set of Millennials will get to an Ocean Eleven series. They have the same amount of gloss and slick pizzazz you’d expect from something from Soderbergh's trio of films. The all-star caper aspect, a thing we seem to see less of, also makes a viewer think of Clooney, Pitt, and Co. Now You See Me 2 is...

Review by Michael McNulty John Hillcoat’s newest film, Triple 9 is a tense corrupt cop, crime thriller, with a star lineup that’s hard to rival. Sure, the plot is shakier than the camerawork on Cloverfield, packed with genre clichés, predictable plot points, and one of Kate Winslet’s most questionable performances ever, and maybe Hillcoat’s nihilistic commentary on the disintegration of trust, the pervasiveness of violence and America’s disenchantment is flat. But, put all that to one side and Triple 9...

Review by Leslie Byron Pitt/@Afrofilmviewer Burr Steers’ (Igby Goes Down) Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, much like a particular brand of wood varnish, delivers exactly what is said on the tin. This film is based on Jane Austen’s seminal novel and features the undead. A drab way to start this review. Then again, this film, despite its unique take on a 19th-century critique on status, romance and manners, doesn’t really extract as much humour and horror as it could. Much...

Next up in a line of sequels that were never needed comes Independence Day Resurgence. Roland Emmerich returns on directorial duties desperately attempting to recapture the magic of the first film and failing spectacularly. This is the sequel to 1996’s blockbuster event film, this time around losing Will Smith in favour of new comers to the franchise - Liam Hemsworth as Jake Morrison and Jessie T. Usher as Dylan Hiller – son to Will Smith’s Steven Hiller. Unfortunately Will Smith...

One of the strengths of the series since the pilot episode has been the characterisation of not only our regular band of misfits, but also the ancillary characters that prop up the world of Annville. ‘Monster Swamp’ sees Jesse fade into the background, in favour of fleshing out the side characters and the writing team does this admirably – continuing to weave the webs that connect the members of this community. The episode opens with imagery that wouldn’t be out...

After an action packed episode 2, Preacher returns to its famed slow boil this week using this latest outing to unpack the characters and reward the audience with some startling revelations. Spending the first two episodes tearing through Texas, we open with Tulip trading in the map she stole in the pilot – it turns out it was mere currency for the last known address of an ex-accomplice. Whilst we don’t see what the map contains, it’s great to finally see...

Review by Leslie Byron Pitt/@Afrofilmviewer As we are seemingly embarking on a more skeptical and paranoid, right-leaning era, it's more than a little disheartening that Trumbo pulls it's lefty punches and holds no real political relevancy. Whether this is partly due to the film being made way before the feverish excitement of Trump delirium, or the simple fact that director Jay Roach is only really interested investing in the political aspects Hollywood's golden age with the spikes removed. These are...

Review by Leslie Byron Pitt Gabriel Ripstein’s minimalist 600 Miles has a naïve, young gun runner (Kristyan Ferrer) deciding that the best thing to do with an injured ATF agent (Tim Roth) is to take him hostage. It’s a novice mistake and one that many could only see happening in the fictional world that certain crime films inhabit. That said, one thing Ripstein’s feature does well, it is illustrating just how green the young lead of the story is.  It’s...