Sian

Since Liam Neeson and TAKEN, a whole new sub-genre of ageing action flicks have popped up, taking over-the-hill actors and (despite their creaking joints) having them kick butt. While Neeson has arguably held dominion over this new brand of action flick (I’m not complaining; I love a bit of Neeson!), Sean Penn has recently joined the fray….and I’ll be honest; he packs more of a punch! THE GUNMAN t...

CHAPPIE: Proof that you shouldn’t always listen to movie critics. I could barely contain my excitement when the media invite for CHAPPIE hit my inbox. A fan of DISTRICT 9, I was interested to see what director Neil Blomkamp had in store for us with his third cinematic offering. His second flick, ELYSIUM, was undeniably enjoyable yet it lacked the integrity and grit of his debut feature. The teaser...

Jeff Bridges whips out his best Gandalf impersonation in fantasy flick SEVENTH SON. SEVENTH SON tells of Tom Ward (Ben Barnes), a farm boy who is taken as apprentice to an aging “Spook” (Jeff Bridges) to learn the art of exorcising troublesome dark creatures.  With the powerful evil witch Mother Malkin (Julianne Moore) regaining her full strength, the Spooks have limited time to get Tom trained an...

TAKEN 2 was perhaps the biggest disappointment of my life thus far (OK…that’s a slight overstatement, but it was a huge let down).  When the trailer came out for TAKEN 3, I’ll admit I was pretty impressed – it looked sweet! But is it?! TAKEN 3 finds our favourite ex-operative, Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) on the run after he is falsely accused of murder. Mills must employ his “particular set of...

Katniss Everdeen may have survived two Hunger Games, but can she survive a third film? I remember going to see the first HUNGER GAMES movie:  The media screening was practically empty. I didn’t have to fight my beloved AccessReel colleagues for the tickets. There was little hype (among those who hadn’t read the books atleast!) The budget was relatively modest, the special effects were lacking, but...

Is it wrong that I’m in love with a 62 year old? To be fair, that 62 year old is Liam Neeson… Based on Lawrence Block’s bestselling series of crime mystery novels, A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES follows former cop turned unlicensed private eye Matt Scudder (Neeson) who reluctantly agrees to hunt down two men that kidnapped and murdered a drug trafficker’s wife. But the hunt ain’t that simple. Soon th...

While the TWILIGHT induced vampire phase of the last five years has done little to float my boat, you can’t go past the papa of vampires: Count Dracula! It seems that villains can’t be bad for the sake of it these days; they need a reason –  a heart breaking back-story to justify their descent into darkness.  Some may argue it dampens the ‘scariness’ of the baddie in question. Me? I like them! Cal...

As a kid I dreamed of finding a real life giant maze (I blame THE SHINING for this odd desire!) But my visions of beautiful leafy green labyrinths have been violently squished by THE MAZE RUNNER, replaced instead by images of sinister concrete prisons….thanks. Based on the novel of the same name, THE MAZE RUNNER is shrouded in mystery for the greater part of the movie (if you’ve not read the books...

TWILIGHT eat your heart out: There’s new vampires on the scene….and they’re way cooler. Forget London or New York: It’s Wellington, New Zealand that presents the oddest flat shares. Thanks to WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS us mortals get an insight into what it’s like for three vampires sharing residence in Kiwi country. The mockumentary follows Viago, (Taika Waititi), Deacon (Jonathan Brugh) and Vladi...

I love Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton’s oldie romance flick SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE, so my hand shot up to review this film. Sure, AND SO IT GOES doesn’t have scrumptious Keanu Reeves as a love interest, but I was certain there’d still be some warm and fuzzies to be had… AND SO IT GOES follows 60+ year old Oren (Michael Douglas) and Leah (Diane Keaton) both of whom have lost their long loved spous...

Dumb action flick tries to be smart. Or smart action flick comes off dumb…I can’t decide which. I love Morgan Freeman. I could listen to that smooth voice all day. Particularly when he’s lecturing about the human condition – something I find incredibly intriguing, even without his hypnotising tones. Thus, LUCY should have been right up my alley. Trashy student Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) gets tricke...

Cinema has an ongoing fascination with our primate relatives. The PLANET OF THE APES franchise dates back to the late 60’s, spawning various movies and even a TV series. So basically, monkeys have amused us higher homo sapiens for nearly 50 years…(now who feels like the ape?!) Set ten years after RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, the world is suffering the aftermath of a devastating virus (thanks a ...