JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2 [2017]

After a lengthy string of box office bombs and critical failures actor Keanu Reeves finally reached back to the top with 2014's wildly entertaining hyper-violent revenge flick John Wick.  So naturally he and director Chad Stahelski would return for a second round of inexcusable violence.
Wick travels the world after a bounty is put on his head, where he finds himself wearing plenty of stylish clothes, indulges in extravagant fight sequences & slick music, reunites with Laurence Fishburne and finds guns.  Lots of guns.
This time around the film knows how ridiculous it is and adds in plenty of dark humor to lighten the mood a little more but it also manages to flesh out the alternate reality that it's set in, making for a very intriguing set-up for the inevitable concluding chapter.  The Wick films are some of the best pieces of cinematic pulp fiction audiences have seen in a long time and it seems everyone involved enthusiastically knows it.

3 awkward subway rides out of 5

TERMINATOR SALVATION [2009]

Director McG does the impossible and finds a way to make a worse film than Rise of the Machines with the fourth instalment of the sci-fi/action franchise, Terminator Salvation.
Separating itself from the previous films, it's set in a dystopian future where the human race is smack in the middle of a losing war with the Skynet intelligence systems.  This is pretty much Christian Bale's vanity project and I'm not sure why because he's embarrassingly terrible as an adult John Connor.  Overweight heroin-addicted Eddie Furlong would have been more preferable.  The film lacks any sort of heart and therefore leaves not a whole lot to be thrilled about come the "danger".  With a slew of robotic creatures that seem like they were pulled out of Bayformers, McG's attempt at the franchise feels more like a big budget YouTube fan-made flick than a proper sequel to James Cameron's far more superior films.

1 callback to G N' R out of 5

RUN ALL NIGHT [2015]

I think it's time to admit that I am fully enthusiastic about flashy hard-boiled thrillers about old guys (mainly Denzel Washington or Liam Neeson) who are usually ex-marines, ex-assassins or some guy who used to kill and need to find a way to redeem themselves before they too finally bite the bullet.
With that generic description you pretty much get the idea of director Jaume Collet-Serra's latest, the laughably titled Run All Night.  It starts out like a Google Maps app on speed but about an hour in I found myself pretty involved and intrigued with the mess that it was, before it winds down into a pretty formulaic and dull climax.  It met all my expectations and just sort of hovered on that notion for the duration of the film.

3 Fairytales in New York out of 5

SELMA [2014]

Director Ava DuVernay's historical drama Selma depicts the 1965 march in Alabama led by Martin Luther King, Jr. to secure voting rights for the African-American community.
David Oyelowo does an excellent job as Dr. King with a strong and demanding presence but also channels a fragile side when needed.  Juggling the ugliness of the times and the stirring speeches without ever losing it's impact makes for some gripping cinema.  While it educates the viewer of time we shouldn't forget it never feels too dry or like we're being force-fed.  There's many films like this but it never hurts to be reminded, especially in this day and age, where many of the topics covered are sadly still quite relevant.

4 Nobel Peace Prizes out of 5

NOW YOU SEE ME [2013]

Now You See Me is a flawed yet highly entertaining crime caper thriller from Danny The Dog director Louis Leterrier.
Being a film about magic, I was hoping it'd focus more on using camera trickery and slight of hand rather than distractingly bad CGI to create the illusions.  The wrap-up at the end leaves you feeling a bit cheated and makes you wish that the magicians didn't reveal their secrets.  However the rest of the film is so much damned fun I'm willing to forgive the problems and enjoy it for what it is.  Popcorn munching entertainment that isn't a reboot, remake, sequel or comic book adaptation.

3 savage detectives out of 5