Burn After Reading (2008)

The Coen Brothers are two of the most consistent directors working today, as they are able to take any subject and genre – comedy or drama – and turn it into a masterpiece. They have made some incredibly intense and grandiose films in the past – Fargo, No Country for Old Men and True Grit…

The Guard (2011)

After seeing Brendan Gleeson’s absolutely amazing work in Calvary a few weeks ago, I was eager to see his other collaboration with John Michael McDonagh, the Irish version of a traditional buddy cop comedy. The film, entitled The Guard, is a real oddity of a comedy – it has a simple premise combined with the…

Barton Fink (1991)

Very rarely is a film made about writers, which is strange considering how they are mostly responsible for creating the stories we see on screen. I am sure anyone who tries to write regularly, either as a hobby or as part of their career, can relate to the hilariously tragic story of Barton Fink. With…

Calvary (2014)

Brendan Gleeson – what an underrated actor. The brooding, sinister Irish character actor has had some brilliantly memorable roles. However, it is his performance as Father James, the kindhearted Catholic priest in a remote Irish small town that truly shows off his range as an actor. The McDonagh Brothers (Martin and John Michael) have singlehandedly…

Bernie (2011)

Richard Linklater is an oddity – he is capable of making so many different kinds of movies and twisting genres and stories, each one being a complete stranger to the one before. Those of you who follow my reviews know that I proclaimed Before Midnight the best film of 2013, and unless something impresses me…

Black Snake Moan (2006)

I want to talk for a moment about typecasting – sometimes, earlier in their career, an actor plays a role so well, they are permanently cast in that type of role. Some of them use it to their advantage, and some of them desperately try to expand their career horizons. Samuel L. Jackson has been…

Hobo With a Shotgun (2011)

Very seldom does one find a film so absolutely obscure and strange that they feel a combination of shock, amazement and sheer damn excitement. Hobo With a Shotgun is just that. A brilliant film that is so shocking and odd, it would be wrong to call it anything other than an experience. First of all,…

August: Osage County (2013)

In all my years of watching films, I have never quite seen a film like August: Osage County. That isn’t to say it is better or worse than all the other films I’ve watched, just it is incredibly unique and unlike any other family drama, I have seen. This is the type of film you…