Jackie (2016) ★★★★☆

Where is the Best Picture nomination?  All from her point of view, Grief-stricken Jackie Kennedy (Natalie Portman) recounts the events leading up to the assassination of her husband. This is captured through an interview with an unnamed journalist (Billy Crudup). You’d expect this version to strike as nothing more than a run-of-the-mill Oscar bait biopic. In fact, Jackie surprises…

Hacksaw Ridge (2016) ★★★★★

“Help me get one more.”  Set in World War II, Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) enlists as a medic in the Army. Unlike the rest of the soldiers, and due to his own religious practices, Desmond refuses to use a weapon in battle, making him a conscientious objector. He faces a lot of opposition to his decision,…

Christine (2016) ★★★★☆

“In keeping with Channel 40’s policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts, and in living colour…” When News Reporter, Christine Chubbuck, committed suicide live on air, it shocked the world. It is significant that the reporter suffered from severe depression throughout her career. When she decides to change the opening of the…

Nocturnal Animals (2016) ★★★★★

“My Husband used to call me a Nocturnal Animal…”  Art gallery owner, Susan Morrow (Amy Adams) lies in a loveless marriage with husband Hutton (Armie Hammer), but is troubled due to past events with her first husband, Edward Sheffield (Jake Gyllenhaal). When he sends her his unpublished novel, of which he has dedicated to her, Susan…

Suicide Squad (2016) ★★☆☆☆

It’s OK to be a hit-man, as long as you love your daughter.  Directed and written by David Ayer, Suicide Squad marks as the third instalment to DC’s expanded universe. Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), assembles a number of imprisoned villains who are chosen to carry out deadly missions, in return for a lowered prison sentence. The squad consists of…

Finding Dory (2016) ★★☆☆☆

Not Pixar’s best fish in the sea…  Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) lost her parents since she was a young fish. Now, she lives with clownfish Marlin (Albert Brooks) and his son, Nemo (Hayden Rolence). Sooner or later, Dory loses her clownfish friends too, and decides to search for her real parents. Marlin and Nemo must go on the search for Dory…will they…

The Martian (2015) ★★☆☆☆

Merely a long, drawn-out science lesson.  When a storm hits Mars, Astronaut, Mark Watney (Matt Damon), is left stranded, and presumed dead after being hit by flying debris. Alive and well, he must now find a way to contact NASA. The Martian isn’t particularly “dreadful”, but it certainly didn’t live up to the overwhelming hype set before us. The amount of critics that…

Vertigo (1958) ★★★★★

Just when you think you have already predicted the plot; then Hitchcock makes a fool of you. Unlike Hitchcock’s previous works, Vertigo takes a slightly different approach to enticing its audience in. Vertigo is a near-perfect suspense thriller with a devastating tragedy at hand. Retired police detective, “Scottie” Ferguson (James Stewart) is traumatized after a rooftop chase to…

Goosebumps (2016) ★★★★☆

Bloggers beware, you’re in for a scare!  After the death of his father, Zach (Dylan Minnette) has moved house from New York City to Madison, Delaware with his mother who is hoping for a change of scenery. Zach befriends the girl living next door, Hannah (Odeya Rush). Her father however, keeps her locked in her house a lot of the time. Having…

The Boy (2016) ★★☆☆☆

A half-hearted horror.  Directed by William Brent Bell, The Boy follows Greta (Lauren Cohan), an american woman who has accepted a job in England as a babysitter. However, upon arrival she finds Brahms (the boy) is a porcelain doll of which the family believes to be alive. When she is left to care for him alone, she begins to believe that the doll may…