Episode 123 : A far, far better rest.
Sad news - we're mothballing our podcast, as we move to a brand new site, with a brand new podcast. theOneliner.com isn't going anywhere, but will no longer be updated. But fret not! Fresh new entertainment awaits at our new site, FudsOnFilm.com
Latest reviews
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
There is nothing new under the sun.
A belated return to the violent Noir stylings of Rodrigeuz and Miller as we see another handful of stories from the criminal underbelly of Sin City - the only city that's entirely criminal underbelly. A mostly returning cast perform mostly similar roles in mostly similarly themed and graphically executed stories, with enough style to push it through a relatively weak narrative. Provides enough highspots to be an enjoyable enough watch, but it's not going to set anyone's world on fire.
Olympus Has Fallen
Acceptable in the 80s.
When North Korean terrorists invade the White House and hold the President hostage there is only one man who can save the day. Unfortunately he's busy on another job right now, but he's sub-contracted it out to Gerard Butler so you're in safe hands. Right? Well yes, if for some reason you've been living in a bubble for the last quarter century. Olympus Has Fallen is lazy, unimaginative, by-the-numbers filmmaking that steadfastly refuses to believe we're living in the 21st century. Creationist action, if you will. Avoid.
Pacific Rim
A rare del Toro disappointment.
Giant monsters from an inter-dimensional portal beneath the sea threaten mankind, and in response we...erm...build giant robots to kick their asses. Operated by pairs of mentally compatible pilots these "Jaegers" are mankind's last line of defense, but as the alien menace increases in intensity it seems as though we may be on the brink of extinction. Can a former pilot re-team with a raw recruit and drive an obsolete Jaeger to victory over the monster menace?
Wake Wood
The woods have, er...awoken.
Reeling from the tragic death of their young daughter, a middle class couple attempt to put the past behind them by moving to a quiet country village where NO GOOD CAN POSSIBLY COME OF IT. Initially unsettling as the locals are, nothing can quite prepare vet Patrick and pharmacist Louise for Timothy Spall's offer of their daughter's resurrection, OF WHICH NO GOOD CAN POSSIBLY COME. Brushing aside the highly unlikely nature of Spall's offer, our protagonists accept the attached conditions in return for three more days with their darling girl, as you do. Mark my words, NO GOOD WILL COME OF IT.
Hummingbird
Statham's best acting turn, but the shifting tones of this drama lets the side down.
Joey (Jason Statham) starts Hummingbird as a traumatised, perma-drunk ex-soldier homeless on the mean streets of London before seizing a chance to turn his life around, if by "turn around" you mean "work for the Triads". He uses his new position and earnings to help his estranged family and his friends on the street, leading to an unlikely romance with a nun that has little chance to go anywhere before Joey undertakes a quest of vengeance. There's a lot going on in Hummingbird, and some of it works at cross purposes to other things it's doing. It's trying to be all grim and gritty, but ruins that with enjoyable, but silly, Statham ass-kicking scenes and the tonal clash is quite grating. Dramatically, it has some fairly serious structural issues however the engine of Statham's personality does move everything along enjoyably enough to warrant a mild recommendation.