He went 15 rounds in the stunning 1975 heavyweight world championship against the greatest boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali, and ultimately inspired the billion-dollar Rocky franchise. No, not Andrew Brooker, but the guy in the film he’s written about…
Tag Archives: review
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
“We all know how humans work. They’re so predictable.”
In what could be argued as being the first popcorn fuelled summer blockbuster of the year – at least the first that doesn’t have a Marvel or DC title card – Valerian seemed doomed to fail from the second it opened in the US to seemingly poor reviews. Undeterred, we sent Brooker off to see if Luc Besson’s latest is as bad as everyone seems to think.
Continue reading Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Dunkirk
Christopher Nolan’s WWII drama, Dunkirk, has finally landed on these shores. We drafted our podcast host, Steve Norman, to write a few words on this “triumph in storytelling”.
It Comes At Night
Emily Shawcross makes her Failed Critics debut to review new mystery thriller, It Comes At Night, a faithful ode to Greek tragedy. Warning: here be spoilers!
Netflix’s Castlevania – finally meeting the gamer’s test
All things Retro video-gaming are en vogue right now. SEGA are putting out games for free via mobile apps, Nintendo is selling as many mini versions of old consoles as they are their latest console, the Switch. Now Netflix revives a lost franchise from the dead, pulling it from the death-grip of gaming’s sleeping giant, Konami. Castlevania is back, and this time it’s a TV show, but does it do enough to seduce Gamers and casual viewers alike? Matt Lambourne, one of Failed Critics’s resident gamers, delves into the darkness to tell you more.
(Note: there will be spoilers!)
Continue reading Netflix’s Castlevania – finally meeting the gamer’s test
Night of Something Strange
Zombies have never been as unsexy as they have in the gore-filled, not-so-erotic comedy-thriller, Night of Something Strange. Owen Hughes put a bucket by the side of the sofa and watched this absolutely disgusting indie flick through his fingers. Here are his thoughts.
From the Vault: Blair Witch
In the first of our new From The Vault series, we pluck out unfinished articles from the archives of unpublished material, sitting in the Failed Critics drafts folder, and spruce it up a bit before finally hitting that publish button. First up, Owen Hughes’s long forgotten review of Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett’s found-footage collaboration, Blair Witch.
Originally written: September 2016 Continue reading From the Vault: Blair Witch
Originally written: September 2016 Continue reading From the Vault: Blair Witch
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Unfortunately there are no instructional videos presented by Captain America to teach us how to write a good wholesome film review of the latest attempt at repackaging Spider-Man. Alas, you’ll just have to make do with Owen Hughes’s thoughts on this Sony / Marvel concoction.
Baby Driver
They call it Baby Driver, and once upon a pair of wheels, Edgar Wright hit the road and was gone, zooming a full two chevrons ahead of most other action-comedies you’re likely to see this year. Read on to see what Owen Hughes thought of this toe-tapping caper.
Okja
Korean filmmaking icon Bong Joon-ho gives English language features another crack with a Netflix Original about a young girl and her friend, a giant genetically modified pig, whom she raises in the mountains of Korea. It’s as weird as it sounds, but ten times more lovely – and more than a little bit distressing. Owen reviews Okja: Continue reading Okja
Transformers: The Last Knight
“It started as a legend. One of the greatest of all.”
Whilst The Last Knight might be the last of Michael Bay’s Transformers movies (if you discount the proposed Bumblebee solo spin-off), it still seemed like it was worth sending Andrew Brooker to review this unequivocally dire fifth instalment.
Wonder Woman
In an ugly, grey and corrupted world, Wonder Woman impresses Owen Hughes to be one of the best comic book movies we’re likely to get this year. Read his full review below.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge
“No longer will their wretched flags stain the seas.”
Andrew Brooker grades Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge in the high C’s as one of the most unfairly written off adventure movies around. Read his full review below.
Continue reading Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Ooga-shaka, I’m hooked on a Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise and it keeps getting better. Owen Hughes reviews James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
The Belko Experiment
“We signed up to let these guys do whatever the fuck they want to us.” Andrew Brooker reviews what is sure to be one of the year’s most underrated thrillers.
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