Joseph Walsh
-
Film Review: ‘Lawrence of Arabia’
★★★★★ Many already (rightly) cherish David Lean’s greatest masterpiece, 1962’s Lawrence of Arabia, but thanks to its latest restoration from Sony Pictures (now in 4K for its 50th anniversary), fans and newcomers alike can now gaze at the jaw-dropping landscapes of Arabia and the dazzling blue eyes of Peter O’Toole in all their glory, appreciating…
-
Film Review: ‘End of Watch’
★★★☆☆ Writer and director David Ayer is best known for his hard-hitting cop dramas, responsible for both the critically divisive Street Kings (2008) and the more successful Training Day (2001). With his latest effort, End of Watch (2012), Ayer manages to bring a freshness to the buddy cop movie which, at its best, thrills and…
-
BFI Uncut Season: ‘Temple of Doom’ uncut review
★★★☆☆ Back in 1984, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas’ iconic whip cracking hero returned once again in the pursuit of fame and fortune in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the prequel to the hugely successful Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). No sooner had the director called cut, the censors – both in…
-
Blu-ray Review: ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ (60th Anniversary)
★★★★★ Featuring a host of sparkling musical numbers and several iconic set pieces, Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly’s 1952 masterpiece Singin’ in the Rain is undoubtedly one of the finest musicals to have come out of Hollywood. Earning both critical and popular acclaim in numerous polls and lists, it’s a film that has the ability…
-
Film Review: Mother’s Milk
★★☆☆☆ With lines as awkward as “Your milk was so laced with gin I could barely drink it”, the tone is quickly set for Mother’s Milk (2012), Gerry Fox’s adaptation of Edward St. Aubyn’s novel, a dynastic drama spiked with an overabundance of Freudian froth. The Melroses, once a distinguished, wealthy family, are hitting hard…
-
Film Review: ‘Ray Harryhausen: SFX Titan’
★★★★☆ An auteur of special effects, Ray Harryhausen’s fantastical monsters are the stuff of movie legend. Now the subject of filmmaker Gilles Penso’s latest documentary, Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan (2011) pays homage to the 92-year-old, who has influenced some of today’s greatest living mainstream directors, including Steven Spielberg, Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson…
-
Film Review: ‘People Like Us’
★★★☆☆ It would be easy to dismiss People Like Us (2012), the debut feature from Alex Kurtzman, as yet another mushy family drama that contains more sentimentality than your average Nicholas Sparks novel. Yet beneath the prolonged stares and hammy piano score lies an enjoyable, emotive drama. Sam Harper (in a winning performance by Chris…
-
Film Review: ‘The Sapphires’
★★★☆☆ Reputedly based on a true story and adapted from the 2005 hit stage play, Wayne Blair’s comic drama The Sapphires (2012) sees popular Irish comedian Chris O’Dowd and Australian Idol runner-up Jessica Mauboy combine in this feelgood, yet flawed period effort. Set at the start of 1968, three young, talented aboriginal sisters (plus cousin)…
-
Film Review: ‘My Brother the Devil’
★★★★☆ My Brother the Devil (2012), the first feature from director Sally El Hosaini, tells a tale that we have seen before, but with the addition of some controversial and compelling themes she makes a tired genre fresh again. Two teenage brothers, the younger Mo (Fady Elsayed) and the elder Rashid (James Floyd), live in…
-
Blu-ray Review: ‘Groundhog Day’
★★★★☆ Harold Ramis’ prolific career is one that boasts numerous memorable comedic titles including Caddyshack (1980), Analyze This (1999) and, of course, Groundhog Day (1993), now released on Blu-ray for the very first time. February 2nd comes but once a year, unless you’re weatherman Phil Connors, played by the dry and doleful Bill Murray in…