Sian

Vince Vaughn musters some water works in his new comedy…wait…drama? No, comedy…No! Family flick? Errr….. film DELIVERY MAN. Based on the successful (but small) 2011 Quebec-made film STARBUCK, this English remake shows great promise. The story is pretty darn interesting, and the cast likeable. It is even distributed by Disney whose judgment has won my everlasting faith. Yet does it ‘deliver’?...

There’s no denying it: Controversy surrounds the release of CAPTAIN PHILLIPS. Based on the book A Captains Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea (penned by Phillips himself), the screenplay is hailed as true to it’s source material. There are only minor changes made to maintain pace and political correctness, and to keep Tom Hanks in focus. But it’s not the version of events ...

20 years after he first stumbled awkwardly into the media arena, Alan Patridge is back…and still as pathetic as ever. Britain is the King, or should I say Queen, of ‘skin crawl’ humour. Its seems Her Majesty’s subjects enjoy a bit of discomfort, with hit shows like THE OFFICE and EXTRAS (or basically anything Ricky Gervais). But before Ricky, there was the awkward Alan Partridge:  UK comedian Stev...

I’m starting a new trend. It involves avoiding the trailer and synopsis of a film I’m going to see, thus rendering me completely unaware of what’s in store. I take it to such an extreme that, believe it or not, I didn’t even know this film featured time travel…(boy was that a bit of a shock!) Judging by the poor poster (which, sadly, I couldn’t avoid) I expected a stock standard romance flick; Dor...

Once in a while you see a film that reminds you just how great storytelling can be. This is one of those moments. Set in war-scarred Loas, we follow young Ahlo and his family. They are a people steeped in tribal traditions struggling to keep their old ways of life after being displaced due to ‘progress’. Unknown to Ahlo at first, he was born one of a twin (his brother was dead at birth and quickly...

Neill Blomkamp, writer/director of DISTRICT 9 sticks to what he knows in his second feature film ELYSIUM. Much like his impressive debut DISTRICT 9, Blomkamp’s latest offering tackles a similarly socially and politically progressive premise. Mashing ‘gung ho’ action with relevant social comment, ELYSIUM transports us to the year 2154, when our planet is environmentally beyond saving. The rich have...

Hugh Jackman gets his teenage girl on once more, whipping his claws out in the latest X-Men spin-off THE WOLVERINE. Despite the undeniable embarrassment that was X-MEN ORIGINS:WOLVERINE, Logan has been given a second shot at solo stardom. Jackman managed to stack back on the 12 kilograms of pure muscle he dropped for his emaciated portrayal of Jean Valjean in 2012’s LES MISERABLES, and is looking ...

I’ll admit, the words ‘zombie’ and ‘Brad Pitt’ in the same sentence is just plain weird. But end of the world movies have always been a guilty pleasure of mine so I was fully ready to embrace the weird this time around. Despite feelings that the zombie subgenre is a little worn out, and whilst I was not sold on the trailer, nor the casting (again; Brad Pitt in a zombie flick?!), a little voice at ...

12 years ago a 14 year old girl sat staring at the cinema screen in wonder: how could a kids’ cartoon be this good?! Even teenage angst and hormonal scepticism were no match for this heartfelt flick.  The film? MONSTER INC. The spotty teen? Me. Naturally, with such fond memories of Sulley and Mike, I was more than happy to revisit the characters once more for MONSTERS UNIVERSITY. Unlike most kiddy...

Baz Luhrmann ups the razzle dazzle in his adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel THE GREAT GATSBY.  See our review here old sport! Let me be clear from the ‘get-go’: I have not read the book, nor have I seen any of the previous film or stage adaptations of THE GREAT GATSBY.  In fact, I had not even read the synopsis nor watched the full trailer: I walked into the screening entirely open, free...

Whilst Robert Downey Jr and director Shane Black are raking in the box office dollars with IRON MAN 3, AccessReel remembers it wasn’t always so. Sian goes back to where it all began; taking another look at their first film together KISS KISS BANG BANG. Less than a month into it’s release, IRON MAN 3 (written and directed by Shane Black) has already made over $800 million profit – an impressive add...

Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper in a film together? Talent and good looks times two? Hell yeah; I’m up for that! Blue Valentine Director Derek Cianfrance tackles the legacy of fatherhood, studying two families intertwined across two generations, their entire lives directed by one fateful event. The film’s opening sequence tracks Ryan Gosling’s beefy, tattooed character from the back. His fac...