Creed draws on the entire Rocky canon’s rich history to reinvigorate an ailing franchise…
Film Review: Sinister 2 – 6/10
Nowhere near as sickeningly frightening as Sinister…
Film Review: The Martian – 8/10
Matt Damon makes a film much more fun than his last space outing…
Film Review: The Monuments Men – 3/10
Utter, total, turd.
Film Review: Elysium – 6/10
There is a great movie here somewhere amongst the mess. A missed opportunity…
Ten More Great TV Shows of 2015
Despite my undying love for films, we have now reached a stage where the quality found on TV is actually far superior to 90% of offerings churned out on the silver screen. Since running through my top ten favourite shows of 2015 in November, I have discovered a plethora of other top notch shows. Here are ten of them: Continue reading “Ten More Great TV Shows of 2015”
Film Review: The Rack Pack – 7/10
Back to the Baize…
Film Review: Room – 8.5/10
Take a fucking bow Brie Larson…
Film Review: Black Mass – 7/10
Johnny Depp – Tim Burton = Good Movies
Film Review: The Gift – 7/10
What it lacks in Katie Holmes’ breasts, The Gift makes up for in tense thrills…
The Gift contains a typically fine performance from Rebecca Hall but it is the cat and mouse game between Jason Bateman and Joel Edgerton that rightly takes first billing. Edgerton wrote and directed The Gift as well as starring and he gives an excellent performance in what is obviously a passion project for him. If you watch Edgerton’s confident turn in another 2015 success Black Mass compared to his more socially awkward character here, you will see the amount of range that he possesses and the flexibility of his acting skill.
The stalker tale is a typical horror trope but The Gift isn’t out to break new ground, only to tell a good story and tell it well. The performances in general are far superior to that of the average horror flick, with Fargo‘s Allison Tolman rounding off a talented cast.
The Gift is not really a horror film in reality. It is more a tense thriller and whilst Jason Bateman is an odd choice for such a straight character, he takes his opportunity to play against type here. Bateman made me change my mind about who was the protagonist and who was the antagonist numerous times throughout The Gift which is also a testament to Edgerton’s writing.

Joel Edgerton or Murray from Flight of the Conchords?
Indeed this is Joel Edgerton’s movie. Aside from the gripping script and the focused direction, Egerton puts in a sympathetic but offbeat turn as Gordo in a role unrecognisable compared to his recent fare.
The Gift is in many ways old fashioned in it’s story and style but it is a modern twist on a familiar fable that will appeal to a mass audience. Caps off Joel Edgerton.