United States
In this animated short film called Francis, a young man tells us about his memories of a camping trip. As he grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, he’d often go camping in the Quetico Provincial Park, up on the border of Minnesota and Canada. However, he won’t be going back there any time soon, not after what happened there to Francis Brandywine.
In Edge of Tomorrow, Earth is hit by a meteor infested with a strange and highly violent alien species called the Mimics. They immediately start to destroy the world, and everything the humans do is futile. The alien species is strong and fast, and more importantly, has control over time – though no one (aside from a very select few) is aware of it.
Maleficent is the latest addition to the Disney legacy that tells the story of the 1959 animated classic Sleeping Beauty, but this time from the perspective of the story’s villain, Maleficent. Maleficent is played by Angelina Jolie and Princess Aurora, the Sleeping Beauty, is played by Elle Fanning. The movie also marks the directorial debut for visual effects producer Robert Stromberg.
The long anticipated 2014 edition of Godzilla has not been hailed too positively by the critics. I recognize its flaws, but ultimately, I found the movie to be an enjoyable and entertaining ride. Godzilla – or Gojira – is originally a Japanese concept within the Kaiju (“monster” or “strange creature”) genre.
“Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” – Horace “It is sweet and right to die for one’s country”. Most famously, and aptly, used by the World War I era poet Wilfred Owen in his poem, “Dulce Et Decorum Est-,” about knock kneed soldiers slogging through dirt and grime within dangerous trenches on the European front. The quote is haunting in both Owen’s and Horace’s context, even if it also belies a satirical edge.
Christopher Nolan, Wally Pfister, Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman… The big names attached to this film as well as the potentially great story all promised a pretty awesome movie. The movie, however, did not live up to the promise, at all. Transcendence tells the story of the great, famous computer scientist Will Caster (Johnny Depp) and his wife, Evelyn Caster (Rebecca Hall).
Last night I attended the Australian premiere of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and because it won’t be released in the US for another two weeks, I had to hand in my phone. My phone’s my only way of telling the time, and during the movie, I constantly felt like grabbing for my phone to check how late it was. The movie felt like it was taking forever.







