Three And Above

Les Misérables  (2014) A Review by Grant Kanigan Directed by: Tom Hooper Written by: William Nicholson, Alain Boublil,                    Claude-Michel Schönberg,                   Herbert Kretzmer, based on                   Victor Hugo's novel Starring:  Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway,                Russell Crowe, Eddie Redmayne Rating: PG Release Date: December 25th 2012 Hugh Jackman gets huge, and jacked, man in  Les Misérables © 2012 - Universal Pictures      A lot of people hate musicals. Who can blame them when all they offer is cheery renditions of well known storylines coupled with recycled show-tunes that they're hearing for the hundredth time? Grease, Purple Rain, Anastasia, Jesus Christ Superstar, Moulin Rouge, Chicago, or Mamma Mia all o...

Fury  (2014) A Review by Grant Kanigan Directed by: David Ayer Written by: David Ayer Starring:  Jon Bernthal, Shia LaBeouf,                 Logan Lerman, Michael  Peña,                 Brad Pitt Rating: 14A* Release Date: October 17th, 2014 Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Brad Pitt, Michael Peña & Jon Bernthal in Fury   © 2014 - Columbia Pictures      "Ideals are peaceful. History is violent" Wardaddy, (Brad Pitt), tells Norman Ellison, (Logan Lerman). David Ayer's Fury  is not a film of ideals. Fury is the story of five men struggling against the insurmountable cruelty of war. Fury is cold, brutal, violent and brilliant;  Fury is one of the best films of the year.      Entering the Second World War in the final year of combat, Fury  follows the eponymous tank squad. Consisting of 5 members; Don 'Wardaddy' Co...

The Judge  (2014) A Review by Grant Kanigan Directed by: David Dobkin Written by: David Dobkin, Bill Dubuque                   Nick Schenk Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall,                Vera Farmiga, Vincent D'Onofrio                Billy Bob Thorton Rating: PG Release Date: October 17th, 2014 Robert Downey Jr., and Robert Duvall in The Judge © 2013 - Warner Bros. Pictures      Adult dramas are hard to come by these days; it's either period pictures, comic book sequels, or the umpteenth film in the Transformers franchise. I'm not trying to belittle comic book films- pure escapism is warranted now and then - it's just that the scales have been tipped overwhelmingly in The Avengers'  favour. It's a delight, then, to see Iron Man himself take on a role like The Judge' s Hank Palmer.    ...

American Sniper  (2015) A Review by Grant Kanigan Directed by: Clint Eastwood Written by: Jason Hall, based on Chris Kyle's                    autobiography with help from Scott McEwen                   and James Defelice Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller Rating: 14A Release Date: January 16th, 2015 Bradley Cooper and Kyle Gallner in American Sniper © Warner Bros. Pictures       Bradley Cooper is fast becoming the best American actor working today. First coming onto the scene as a comic actor as the highlight of Wedding Crashers and The Hangover franchise, he's slowly blossomed into an acting juggernaut. With three consecutive years of Oscar nominations for Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle  and this year's American Sniper , the man is on pace with the greats of yesteryear; Brando, DeNiro, Peck, et al. It's no wonder then...

The Drop  (2014) A Review by Grant Kanigan Directed by:  Michaël R. Roskam Written by: Dennis Lehane Starring: Tom Hardy, James Gandolfini,               Noomi Rapace Rating: 14A Release Date: November 14, 2014 James Gandolfini & Tom Hardy in  The Drop Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.      Sometimes all it takes to make a great film is the right people working together at the right time. Tom Hardy, fresh off of his demented turn as the villainous Bane in The Dark Knight Rises , James Gandolfini, comfortably slipping into movie stardom after years of brilliant work in The Sopranos , and screenwriter Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River , Gone Baby Gone , and Shutter Island are all at the top of their game. Couple their willingness to explore the material with Michaël R. Roskam, a foreign director eager to cut his teeth on English-speaking North American cinema, and you have a brilli...

Scream  (1997) A Review by Grant Kanigan Directed by: Wes Craven  Written by: Kevin Williamson Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox,                David Arquette, Henry Winkler Rating: 14A Release Date: May 2nd, 1997 Drew Barrymore in Scream © 1996 - Dimension Films      During the late 1970's and early 1980's there were two directors who reigned supreme over the horror genre, and gave credence to it as a valid cinematic art form. While John Carpenter has the honour of directing what is arguably the best horror film of all time, ( The Thing ), and a sampling of other genre classics, ( Halloween, Escape From New York, They Live ), his films have aged poorly, and his talent has started to decline with age. Wes Craven, director of the other classic 1970/80's horror flicks ( The Last House on the Left, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Serpent and The Rainbow ), has refined his talent in order to beco...

Frank  (2014) A Review by Grant Kanigan Directed by: Lenny Abrahamson Written by: Jon Ronson & Peter Straughan Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal,               Michael Fassbender Rating: 14A Release Date: August 15th, 2014 Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Fassbender and Domhnall Gleeson in Frank © 2013 - Film4       Frank is an oddity. Both as a film and as a character. Ranging from ridiculous, to sentimental, to completely tragic, it's no wonder that such a bipolar character is based on the true story of the late Chris Sievey  - reality is always stranger than fiction . Our protagonist is Jon Burroughs, (Domhnall Gleeson), a twentysomething pencil pusher at a small town office in England. Wandering and wondering his way through life, the opening sequence of Burroughs waltzing through town trying to come up with song ideas is absolutely hilarious and completely relatable to anyone who has t...