[Movie Review] Donnie Darko

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Patrick Swayze, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne Director: Richard Kelly Genre: Drama Cert: 15 Released: 2001 Richard Kelly’s directorial debut is about sardonic but likable schoolkid Donnie (Gyllenhaal – “The Good Girl”, “October Sky”, “Highway”) who, during a sleepwalk one night, encounters a far-from-cute bunny rabbit – Frank – who tells […]

[Movie Review] Vanilla Sky

Starring: Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Jason Lee, Kurt Russell, Timothy Spall Director: Cameron Crowe Genre: Thriller Cert: 15 Released: 2001 When a movie like “Vanilla Sky” hits the screens, you can imagine that it is going to divide the critics and the public like a knife through butter. And so it has. Cameron […]

What the Hod is going on?

Absence Absence makes the heart grow fonder they say. Well after ten months living in the rather physically and socially isolated environment of New Zealand, I think I can safely say that this is a load of bollocks. Moving 20,000km away from Spurs manager Glenn Hoddle has not made me any more accepting of him […]

[Movie Review] Red Dragon

Starring: Edward Norton, Anthony Hopkins, Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson, Harvey Keitel Director: Brett Ratner Genre: Thriller Cert: 18 Released: 2002 I love watching prequels. It’s so much fun watching “Star Wars Episode II” and knowing that Luke’s dad takes a trip to the darkside in future movies. Eh…in “The Amityville Horror Part II”, we see […]

[Movie Review] Payback

Starring: Mel Gibson, David Paymer, Gregg Henry, Maria Bello, William Devane, Lucy Liu, Kris Kristofferson Director: Brian Helgeland Genre: Action Cert: 18 Released: 1999 Double-crossed criminal, Porter (Gibson – “What Women Want”, “The Patriot”, “Conspiracy Theory”, “Ransom”), left for dead by his partner, Val (Henry – “Star Trek: Insurrection”, “Raising Cain”), returns to claim back […]

[Movie Review] Signs

Starring: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Cherry Jones, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin Director: M Night Shyamalan Genre: Drama Cert: 12 Released: 2002 After a tepid start to his movie career (1992’s “Praying with Anger and 1998’s “Wide Awake”), director M Night Shyamalan was afford the chance to make his breakthrough with 1999’s surprise hit, “The Sixth […]

[Movie Review] A Civil Action

Starring: John Travolta, Robert Duvall, John Lithgow, William H Macy, Kathleen Quinlan, James Gandolfini, Stephen Fry Director: Steven Zaillian Genre: Thriller Cert: 15 Released: 1998 Cynical personal injury lawyer, Jan Schlichtmann (Travolta), noramlly backs away from any case where he is not sure he can win. When a distressed mother (Quinlan) asks him to take […]

Pop goes the bubble

Question mark A big question mark hangs over Premiership sides this season, and one might say, over the big European leagues as a whole. As small clubs go to the wall (Clydebank and Airdrie in Scotland, folded this year), big clubs feel the pinch (Valencia, Lazio, Chelsea and Leeds are reportedly tens of millions in […]