Solitaire for 2 (1995)
Jun 1, 2015Romantic Comedy/Telepathic Woman
A romantic comedy in which Amanda Pays has a curse that gives her the ability to read thoughts
Jason Isaacs
DragonHeart (1996)
May 28, 2000Rogue and Dragon
This places an amusing spin on the standard dragon fantasy, having the dragon and its would-be slayer team up to fool the peasantry out of money. The Sean Connery-voiced dragon looks like a big CGI cartoon
Event Horizon (1997)
Jun 29, 2008Haunted Spaceship
Paul W.S. Anderson puts together a well-produced and atmospheric copy of Alien, However, this also comes with a premise - spaceship returns after travelling through Hell - that is nonsensical
Soldier (1998)
Apr 29, 1999Programmed Soldier Becomes Self-Aware
Kurt Russell gives a fine performance as a programmed soldier who discovers emotions but under Paul W.S. Anderson the rest of the big-budgeted film collapses into over-inflated cliches
Armageddon (1998)
Jul 31, 1999Asteroid on a Collision Course with Earth
A film that relentlessly celebrates its own brainlessness. Michael Bay directs an asteroid collision film amid plenty of loud noise, mass destruction, flag-waving patriotism and resolute heroism
The Tuxedo (2002)
Jan 25, 2003Spy Supersuit Comedy
Part of the sad depths that Jackie Chan's career sank to after he was discovered by Hollywood. This is a spy film parody where he is a cabbie who places on a hi-tech tuxedo that turns him into a super-agent
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Dec 6, 2002Young Wizard
The second of the Harry Potter films and better than its predecessor. Chris Columbus has his tendency to overblown effects more in check but that does leave the film more dependent on J.K. Rowling's contrived deus ex machina plotting
Peter Pan (2003)
Dec 30, 2003Children's Adventures in a Magic Land
Live-action remake of the classic story this has some lovely moments but also feels over-produced and adds unnecessary adult psychological motivations to the mix
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Nov 26, 2005Young Wizard
Fourth of the Harry Potter films and one that feels much more seamless and sure of itself as a story. The problem is the absurd contrivation of J.K. Rowling's weak story that wheels out every sports movie cliche in the book
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Jul 11, 2007Young Wizard
The fifth and in my opinion the best of the Harry Potter films. It is the first film where we see the darkening of emotions and the children growing up as storm clouds gather. Much of the show is stolen by Imelda Staunton
Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)
May 19, 2011Comic-Book Superhero/Animation
One of the best of the animated Batman films, telling the story of the overlooked Robin Jason Todd and his resurrection as the villain Red Hood, a film that has an adult tone and comes with immensely exciting action scenes
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010)
Nov 17, 2010Young Wizard
The penultimate chapter in the Harry Potter series surprisingly strips out most of the effects and is much slower, more character driven, while moving the saga towards an epic conclusion
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011)
Jul 15, 2011Young Wizard
I've never been a huge fan of the Harry Potter series but the final chapter rounds out the boy wizard saga in rousing style, mounting an epic-sized battle and finding characters depths that hold some of the best writing of the series
Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011)
Oct 15, 2013Animation/Tales of the Green Lantern Corps
Animated film that tells different stories of various members of the Green Lantern Corps (including two stories from Alan Moore). Another of the worthwhile animated DC adaptations
Rosemary’s Baby (2014)
May 24, 2014Satanic Impregnation
Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby was a classic film that popularised the modern interest in occult and deviltry on film; this sad remake is something that only parrots the cliches that have set in in the ensuing 46 years and clumsily mishandles all of Polanski's comically edgy paranoia
Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015)
Nov 18, 2016Animation/Alternate World Justice League
An alternate world take on DC Comics characters, who are much more morally ambiguous – Superman is General Zod's son and Batman's role is taken by Man-Bat and is an actual vampire
A Cure for Wellness (2016)
Jun 4, 2017Sinister Health Sanatorium
From Gore Verbinski, director of The Ring and the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films, a film about a sinister health sanatorium. A beautiful looking film but it is a long time before we ever find out what is going on
London Fields (2018)
Jul 6, 2020Near Future/Femme Fatale/Precognitive Dream
Based on an acclaimed book, once to be directed by David Cronenberg. This opened to bad reviews but is not uninteresting. A near future setting, precognitive dreams and Amber Heard as a sizzling femme fatale
Superman: Red Son (2020)
Mar 6, 2020Comic-Book Superhero/Alternate History/Animation
A very different take on the Superman story that asks What if Superman had grown up in the Soviet Union rather than in the US and become a paragon of Communist virtue
Scoob! (2020)
May 22, 2020Ghostbusting Team/Hanna-Barbera Crossover
An animated film revival of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? This also makes an misguided attempt to build a shared universe among assorted Hanna-Barbera characters