gillespiesan Reviews

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

Nearly...but not quite.

[8/10 · 10 May 2024]

With the previous trilogy ending so superbly, the notion of this new episode felt partly redundant, a bit like Toy Story 4. Did we need it? No. Did we want it? Well, kinda yes.

The story is fairly engaging, the central trio of Noa, Soona and Anaya hold most of the heart of the movie and the few human characters on display do all that's expected of them, especially Freya Allen's Mai, though the always excellent William H. Macey feels a little underused. The action sequences hold up well and the conclusion of the story leaves everything nicely set up for the next movie. But we miss Caesar and Maurice, the soul of the story lacks that sense of gravitas or manifest destiny that the previous movies had.

That aside, if you're a fan of the series, you won't be disappointed. I'm interested to see where they take the story from here.

Late Night with the Devil (2023)

Cracking little 'horror' movie....

[8/10 · 29 April 2024]

Not in the least bit scary but wonderful in its execution, Late Night With The Devil is exactly what the genre needs to make itself fun and relevant again. Horror movies of the last decade or so have relied purely on jump scares and tired cliches to get by. Yes, there's nothing new at all here but what there is they gleefully exploit.

David Dastmalchian is always watchable and here he knocks it out of the park as the desperate talk show host who gets in way over his head. Ian Bliss is superb as the James Randi style skeptic out to debunk everything that's happening and, perhaps best of all, newcomer Ingrid Torelli is remarkable as the possessed teenager.

In conclusion, see this movie. It's the most fun you're likely to have watching a horror movie this year...and maybe even next.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

Eye candy and not much more than that...

[6/10 · 26 April 2024]

When you open a review by saying it looks good, it's never a good sign, is it? Well, Godzilla X Kong The New Empire looks good...

And that's about it, really. The 'story' is basically the same old nonsense that Hollywood has been propping their kaiju movies up with since forever, people do things for inexplicable reasons, the monsters - a fair number of them this time out - go bang crash, lots of buildings fall down with presumably thousands of innocent people dying in the process and eventually everybody goes back to living their lives as if nothing untoward had happened. Just another day at the office...

Oh, one plus is that we get to see the wonderful Mothra, that's always a good thing. Sadly, we are alwaso introduced to 'baby' Kong. Yes, that's every bit as bad as it sounds...

Hollywood's first Godzilla movie to follow last year's magnificent Godzilla Minus One was never gonna be easy.....but it should have been easier and better than this.

Argylle (2024)

A new level of dumb...and not in a good way!

[6/10 · 1 March 2024]

There's generic and there's generic and then there's Matthew Vaughn's new clunker Argylle, a movie so utterly dumb that it wastes the talents of Henry Caville, John Cena and Sam Rockwell on an 'action' movie so below their level as to ask the question should they now be looking for new agents?

When the negative reviews started to flood in, I was skeptical about their legitimacy. Having now seen the movie, I am starting to think they were too kind. This is, as far as spy spoofs go, truly a low water mark. Everybody involved should hang their heads in shame. Matthew Vaughn seriously needs to get his mojo back!

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

Watched this for the first time in many years this evening....

[6/10 · 7 February 2024]

I can remember enjoying Kill Bill Vol. 1 immensely in the movie theatre at the time of its release, as everybody did. Watching it again after twenty years, it hasn't aged well and is frankly a bit rubbish. Is this really the same director that made Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, all rightly seen as modern movie classics? The truth of the matter is that this and its slightly inferior sequel are easily Tarantino's most immature films. A judicial bit of editing could have made one superior movie out of the two that were released.

The entire bloodbath at the tea house could be lost, its ridiculous in the extreme and played mostly for laughs. The final dual with O-Ren Ishii in the Japanese garden is superb, though. All in all, as I say, time hasn't been kind to this movie and I doubt I'll bother revisiting it any time soon.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024– )

As usual the great unwashed are clueless...

[8/10 · 5 February 2024]

Unsurprisingly, the average viewer is eating this excellent drama according to what they expected and wanted rather than what is on offer. Make no mistake, if you want to waste your time comparing this show to its movie counterpart, you're on a hiding to nowhere. Previous to watching it, I had made my mind up to skip it purely because I saw no point in retreading the same path that the movie had trodden. It was only when I began to watch It that I realised that the show's makers had reached the same conclusion. Mr & Mrs Smith works precisely because it's nothing like the movie.

The beauty of this show is the relationship between Donald Glover's John and Maya Erskine's Jane. The dialogue is smart and witty and the whole thing is utterly believable. Sure, there isn't a lot of fun play and if that's what you need you'll have to look elsewhere. My advice is enjoy it for she it is and stop moaning about what it isn't.

Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)

It's great fun, isn't that enough...?

[9/10 · 24 December 2023]

So the keyboard warriors have spoken. Again, Zack Snyder's work is found wanting by the great unwashed. Seriously, you can't just enjoy Rebel Moon for what it is because you're too busy complaining about what it isn't? I'll tell you what it isn't, shall I? It isn't dull. It isn't afraid to take a few chances. It isn't afraid to wear its heart on its sleeve. Shall I tell you what it is? It's more fun that the last three or four Star Wars movies....

Is it perfect in every possible way? Absolutely not. Is it thoroughly enjoyable in a Flash Gordon, Saturday morning pictures kinda way? Absolutely it is. It has the spirit and sense of joy that Lucas, Kennedy et al lost somewhere around....oh Jesus, I dunno. Return Of The Jedi? It isn't helpful or fair to make too many Star Wars comparisons but it also isn't easy to avoid doing it. Suffice it to say that I'd plump for this over anything Lucasfilm has churned out in a long, long while.

See it yourself and make up your own mind. Like a grown up.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

Bigger, better, more impossible.

[9/10 · 21 July 2023]

Much like the more ridiculous but equally enjoyable Fast & Furious movies, Mission: Impossible is on a never ending quest for bigger, better, faster and more impossible feats of daring and danger than it's predecessor witj each new outing. With Dead Reckoning Part One, Tom and the gang have delivered one humdinger of an action movie that is the best of the series so far...

Along with the always welcome return of Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg and recent series regular Rebecca Ferguson we are spoilt by the return of the always watchable Vanessa Kirby as the excellent White Widow and, best of all, we are treated to a franchise debut for Peggy Carter herself, the wonderful Hayley Atwell in the central role of thief extraordinaire Grace. Oh, and let's not forget the gleeful villainy of Pom Klenieff, who is having great fun as a femme fatale. So, that's the cast taken care of...

The stories AI related theme couldn't possibly be more topical and the usual globe trotting - frankly, it's easier to list where they DON'T go! - moves the story along at a cracking pace. Trust me, three hours flies by very quickly. The train wreck finalevus nothing new but it's never been done better. If you're s fan, you'll love it. If you're not a fan, you'll love it. Believe me when I say you'll love it!

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

Well, at least there are no aliens....

[7/10 · 30 June 2023]

Like everyone else, I was excited at the prospect of a fifth and final Indiana Jones movie. To be frank, I wanted something to wash away the unpleasant taste left behind by Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Didn't we all? So, is the Dial of Destiny the movie to do that? Well yes...and no.

Yes in as much as it's a solid improvement on Crystal Skull. Toby Jones and Antonio Banderas are welcome, if only fleeting, additions to the cast, Phoebe Waller-Bridge is, for the most part, excellent (don't listen to the misogynistic rants of the haters!) and Harrison Ford himself hasn't lost the spark that made the character of Indiana Jones so utterly irresistible in the first place. The first twenty minutes or so of the movie turn the clock back brilliantly. So far, so good...

The problems come in two places. Sadly, the magnificent Mads Mikkelson, never usually less than spellbinding in anything he does, is a major misfire here. For some bizarre reason, he just doesn't come off as evil enough. As we all know, a hero needs a worthy adversary. Extraordinarily, on this occasion, Mikkelsen isn't that adversary.

But, for me at least, the movie's biggest problems come with it's utterly preposterous denouement. Yes, yes, of course I understand that it's necessary to suspend disbelief to enjoy a film like this and I tried, I really did. Is it as bad as Crystal Skull's aliens. Well, no...but it's a close call.

See it yourself and tell me I'm wrong.

Extraction II (2023)

A Breathless ballet of brutal violence...magnificent from start to finish.

[9/10 · 20 June 2023]

So you liked Extraction? Yeah, me too. It ticked all the boxes needed to elevate it above the average, run of the mill action movie so beloved of Netflix - and god knows there have been enough of them, right? No, Extraction had enough of a story to hang some superb action set pieces on and it left you wanting MORE...MUCH MORE.

So, imagine my surprise when I learned that Tyler Rake was back from the dead and that Extraction 2 was in the works. As excited as I was, there was the inevitable concern that the follow up movie would be a disappointment. Well, it couldn't possibly match the first movie for pure, adrenal action, could it? Well, could it...?

The answer is an emphatic YES, IT CAN!! Extraction 2 is all you could hope for in an action movie and a hell of a lot more. The 21 minute, single take escape from the Georgian prison alone is worth the price of admission. I have NEVER seen action set pieces on the scale that these are on flow so effortlessly, it is balletic in its grandeur. This is as good as action movies get, people. Roll on Extraction 3!!!!!!

The Flash (I) (2023)

Miller shines....

[9/10 · 18 June 2023]

What makes The Flash work so well is Ezra Miller. Simple as that. Sure, the gags are genuinely funny and come thick and fast, the visuals are, at times, absolutely stunning and the plethora of familiar and very welcome cameos are a joy to behold. But it's Miller's sensitive and highly amusing portrayal of a shy young man bestowed with super powers who spends most of the movie totally out if his depth that leaves the most enduring impression.

Make no mistake about it, this movie is all about fan service and, to these eyes anyway, it represents a high water mark for DC. James Gunn would be unwise to totally ignore the path this movie appears to be on because I firmly believe the loyal fan base will want and expect more of the same going forward.

Guy Ritchie's the Covenant (I) (2023)

Hits hard and lingers on...

[9/10 · 8 June 2023]

I no idea how strongly Guy Ritchie genuinely feels about the grave wrongs that the US and UK military have done to interpreters in both Afghanistan and Iraq in recent conflicts but, if The Covenent is anything to go by, he's pretty pissed. And rightly so. The promises made to these individuals in an effort to get them to behave against the best interests of both them and their families needed to be honoured. In this story and in many real life cases, they weren't. That is shameful.

Jake Gyllenhaal is his usual reliable self, turning in a performance dripping in both commitment and duty. He's a good man and he's gonna do the right thing, no matter how far that necessitates he goes. Dar Salim - a new name to me - is an utter revelation as Ahmed, the bitter but pragmatic interpreter who puts his life on the line countless times to...yes, do the right thing.

The impact that war and each other have on these men's lives is at the very heart of this story. Though not based on any real incident to the best of my knowledge, this movie is testament to many real life situations that I have no doubt still keep men awake at night. It's an important movie and almost certainly a career high for all involved.

Blood & Gold (2023)

Good with better yet to come...

[8/10 · 7 June 2023]

Peter Thorwarth anounced himself to international audiences with the unconventional vampire flick Blood Red Sky which, though lacking a little punch where it really needed it, showed great promise. Now, with war time heist drama Bloid And Gold, Thorwarth delivers on that promise.

This is a movie that could happily sit in the resumes of both Quentin Tarantino or Guy Ritchie, thick as it is with rich characters, surprising plot twists and buckets of blood. Indeed, it would have suited Tarantino semi-regular Christoph Waltz perfectly to have played the sinister, disfigured and totally deranged SS officer.

I have no doubt in my mind that this movie - replete with its Tarantino-esque Mexican stand-off finale - will serve as an excellent calling card for Thorwarth and his future Hollywood career. I am looking forward to good and possibly even great things to come from him in the years to come.

The Mother (2023)

Enjoyable enough if a,tad predictable.

[7/10 · 1 June 2023]

Jennifer Lopez has charisma, to suggest anything else would be churlish. She has considerable screen presence and is often capable of injecting a significant level of believability into the roles she chooses. We find her in alpha female mode here, and whether or not you find her believable in The Mother will probably depend on whether you buy into the action woman genre as a whole. Personally, I think she manages it all far better than either Angelina Jolie in SALT or Jennifer Garner in Peppermint, both of which cover much of the same ground and both of which were largely lamentable.

Sure, it's unlikely that a woman could go nose to nose with an ex SAS operative and how her shooting is so good when everyone else's is so poor is an ageless Hollywood mystery but the story of a mother's love winning the day is one we'll never tire of. This movie does nothing new but it does the tired old stuff well enough to give it a fresh coat of paint and edge it just above the ordinary.

65 (2023)

Even at 93 minutes it feels like it's overstayed its welcome.

[7/10 · 28 May 2023]

Under normal circumstances, I'm very easily pleased. When I go to the movies, I just wanna be entertained. It doesn't need to be high art but I also don't want my slightly above average intelligence insulted. 65 did manage to entertain sporadically but it insulted my intelligence for the entire duration of its running time.

I couldn't fault Adam Driver, who was as committed as ever and is probably incapable of phoning in a performance, but what he's given here to work with here is well below his abilities. They should have got Chris Pratt to play the role, it has his name stamped all over it.

A movie featuring space men and dinosaurs really should have been a lot more fun and a hell of a lot less predictable. Like Cowboys and Aliens before it, definitely a swing and miss for me.

Fast X (2023)

Frankly speaking, it's beyond criticism by this point...

[8/10 · 19 May 2023]

What is there left to be said about the F&F franchise? Surely to god everybody knows what to expect by now, nobody could possibly be surprised by what's on offer. If you've been along for the ride this far, why would you find anything to moan about now? It all got super silly a fair while ago and if you've decided to stick with it as it gets siller by the episode...well, you get what I'm saying, right?

The nonsense inherent in the franchise means that people pop up out of nowhere at the drop of a hat - even characters that have been dead for a number of previous outings! - and characters do inexplicable things for incomprehensible reasons but that's all par for the course and you either buy into it or you don't. I do, and I therefore love these movies for what they are - BIG DUMB FUN!

The addition this time out of the scenery chewing villainy of Jason Momoa and Brie Larson as Mr. Nobody/Kurt Russel's daughter work well as do the fun cameos - no spoilers here! - so no complaints from me. Go to the theatre intent on having fun and i promise you that you will. Don't and you probably won't. It's nup to you....

Bullet Train (2022)

Fast, fun and ultimately forgettable

[8/10 · 2 September 2022]

Everybody obviously had a lot of fun making this chaotic, sometimes confusing and comically violent affair. Brad Pitt shows again his deft comic touch and Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry's vaguely inept British hit men are interesting and quite amusing (especially Henry's British accent!) but it gets to the point where there are simply too many characters on screen. The wolf and The Hornet appear and then are gone too soon...is that a spoiler? I don't think so.

As always, Hiroyuki Sanada is a joy as the aging Yakuza and the final twenty minutes are totally bonkers. As crime capers said on a high speed train go, this is probably the best...but that's probably not saying too much, is it? At the end of the day, It's all BDF.... Big Dumb Fun.

Moonfall (2022)

Enough, already...

[5/10 · 12 August 2022]

Seriously, isn't it about time that somebody stopped Roland Emmerich from making movies? His hit to miss ratio is appalling. Midway was fine and, of course, the first Independence Day movie remains one of cinema's great guilty pleasure but after that? 2012, The Day After Tomorrow, 10,000 BC, Godzilla.... wow, those are some champion turkeys right there!

And now, to add to that 'illustrious' list we have the unbelievably poor Moonfall. Words fail me. Uwe Boll makes terrible movies and gets hammered for it. Roland Emmerich makes awful movies time and time again and somehow continues to have a career. Go figure....

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Good, not great....

[8/10 · 8 July 2022]

Just like Ragnarok, there are laughs aplenty and some great cameos in Love and Thunder. Unlike Ragnarok, there isn't really that much of a story and the genuine excitement comes in dribs and drabs. In short, the good is great, the not so good is pretty average. And here's why...

If - and I guess it's really 'when' - there's another Thor movie, we need to wrestle the reins away from Taika Waititi. Great though he is, his comedic take on Thor has now run its course. We need a more serious approach to the god of thunder from this point onwards. Ragnarok had that balance perfectly, Love and Thunder leans too heavily on the humour. This obviously suits Chris Hemsworth but its to the detriment of the story here. Full marks to Christain Bale, whose Gorr the god butcher is an excellent villain, but we needed more of the drama his character brought to the story.

So, good not great. We need more of Thor and less of the rest next time out, please.

Lightyear (2022)

Well made but ultimately pointless"

[6/10 · 3 July 2022]

It's clear to me that nobody at Pixar really thought this movie through properly. How could they have? Who was it made for? Certainly not fans of the Toy Story franchise and very probably not fot real science fiction lovers. It's well animated and the talented voice cast gives it all they've got but you're left with a charmless, souless and ultimately pointless movie that thinks it knows what it wants to be but has absolutely no idea of how to achieve that goal.

A major - maybe the first? - misfire from Pixar.

Deep Water (I) (2022)

Enjoyed this more than Gone Girl...

[8/10 · 21 March 2022]

But then Fincher directed Gone GIrl and so it must automatically be better than this, right? Wrong. This was so much more engaging than that film was. Why am I making Gone Girl comparisons? Well, it isn't just because both films star Ben Affleck. Both movies wallow in the darker, deeply unpleasant side of human nature and the effects of obsessive love. Both films are populated by thoroughly dislikeable characters who you wouldn't want anything to do with in real life. Both movies end with...well, that would be telling, wouldn't it?

The difference here is that, while Gone Girl was directed by a director whose leaden approach was far too heavy for the material on offer, leaving you with the feeling you were being repeatedly hit over the head by shock value, Deep Water benefits from the deft touch of a master technician who understands the material perfectly. One for more discerning amongst you.

The Adam Project (2022)

The vocal minority strikes again...

[8/10 · 13 March 2022]

You know what's wrong with this whole aggregation ranking thing? Everybody's a critic and everyone thinks that their opinion matters. And it doesn't. Not one little bit. Mine included, so you can stop reading anytime you like...

People are pissed at this movie the way they are pissed at every movie that isn't directed by Christopher Nolan and have a plot you need a PhD to understand. These people appear to have lost the ability to just...enjoy.

What anybody who watched this movie - a movie about time travel starring Ryan Reynolds - was expecting when they threw a hissy fit is totally beyond me. Did they not know what was on offer? It kinda says that on the tin. Now, if that's not gonna appeal to you, move along. Nothing for you to see here. For the rest of us - you know, those of us who haven't forgotten how to enjoy stuff an don't require everything we see to be groundbreaking and profound - The Adam Project was a smart, touching and reasonably exciting Sci Fi romp that hit all the right notes and pushed all the right buttons. Recommended.

Kimi (2022)

Enjoyable enough...

[8/10 · 11 March 2022]

Steven Soderbergh knows how to direct a taught story and he could have made this with his eyes shut. For all I know, he did. But I have to say, I enjoyed it. Zoe Kravitz was her usual, eminently watchable self as the protagonist and the COVID-19 background to this corruption story lent it all a great deal of authenticity.

Yes, it's lightweight but then not every movie has to feel like a Christopher Nolan cast off, does it? At around 90 minutes, this film was perfectly paced and had no fat to trim. Recommended if you just want to watch something that will pass the time nicely.

The Batman (2022)

Move over, Christopher Nolan, your Dark Knight clown is slipping....

[9/10 · 11 March 2022]

Matt Reeves has given us a Batman befitting the times, dark and anxiety ridden. More Raymond Chandler than previous big screen renditions, The Batman is a brilliantly staged drama that, at three hours long, doesn't seem bloated or in any way convoluted. When the climax of the movie comes, it's exciting and satisfying. Unlike the false ending that blighted The Dark Knight, a once-more-around-the-track that felt so exasperating, the finale of Reeves' movie actually delivers.

Kudos to Robert Pattinson for his troubled take on the Bruce Wayne/Batman character, never laying it on too thick and always holding the viewers attention, and also to Zoe Kravitz for being an engaging and feisty Selina Kyle/Catwoman. And as for Colin Farrell, all I can say is ...wow! I for one sincerely hope that this is just the first in an ongoing series of Batman movies of this ilk. Finally, the Batman is actually a detective, albeit a vengeful one.

Uncharted (2022)

Gamers get over yourselves...

[7/10 · 20 February 2022]

I am so sick and tired of gamers whining and moaning about how the latest movie adapted from a video game isn't 100% exactly like the game even down to the most microscopic of details. Well, listen up. We, the average movie goers, don't care! What we care about is whether or not we're entertained and, in the case of Uncharted, we were.

Sure, it's dumb but no dumber than the Fast & Furious franchise...and they are the epitome of big, dumb fun.

Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg riff off each other nicely and the action set pieces - particularly one in the hold of a large cargo plane - are spectacular. So, in closing, play the game and watch the movie, but remember they are different and therefore mutually enjoyable.