Vortex Reviews
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Below you'll find our latest reviews of films out in cinemas and on DVD, as well as updates on festivals and short films. For a list of older reviews just click on the relevant section from the menu above.
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The Switch The Switch may have Jenifer Aniston as top billing on all the marketing, but it’s not really her film. It actually belongs to her male co-star Jason Bateman who steals the show as her neurotic best ... In Cinemas | Friday, 3 September 2010 Read more |
22 Bullets Jean Reno has had a bit slump of late. His seminal performance is undoubtedly 1994’s Léon where he played the titular honourable hitman for hire. Since then, he’s not really had much to write home about, appearing in a number of films which will quickly ... In Cinemas | Thursday, 2 September 2010 Read more |
Certified Copy Is it real or is it fake is the intriguing central theme that runs throughout elegant art-house film Certified Copy (hence the title), starring the ever-talented and beautiful Juliette Binoche. The power of Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami’s latest, more commercial offering than late is in ... In Cinemas | Thursday, 2 September 2010 Read more |
Cherry Tree Lane Low-budget Brit indie-pic looks to shake up the middle-classes in this taut suspense thriller/horror about a couple who are held hostage by a group of violent kids searching for their ... In Cinemas | Wednesday, 1 September 2010 Read more |
The Girl Who Played With Fire Steig Larsson’s so-called Millennium trilogy hits the “difficult second album” stage with The Girl Who Played With Fire. The first tale, Dragon Tattoo, both literarily and cinematically, was a potent story of secrets, lies while introducing the saga’s title-inspiring protagonist, Lisbeth Salander.... In Cinemas | Monday, 30 August 2010 Read more |
The Last Seven A quick word how film criticism works. Every time the lights go down and the curtains part, you’re on the verge of seeing what might just be the best thing you’ve ever seen. It probably won’t be, of course, but it might be. Some of ... In Cinemas | Monday, 30 August 2010 Read more |
Grown Ups Adam Sandler used to be funny. 10 years ago he was putting out comedies like Happy Gilmore where his brand of barely caged anarchic humour was enough to cover for the predictability of his film’s plot lines. But as time went on, he never really ... In Cinemas | Friday, 27 August 2010 Read more |
The Last Exorcism In the American Deep South lives Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian), an evangelical exorcist with a secret: he believes in neither God nor Demons. Armed with plenty of electronic gizmos and a spool of fishing line, he operates under the philosophy that a placebo style exorcism ... In Cinemas | Tuesday, 24 August 2010 Read more |
The Illusionist This summer’s blockbusters may have been disappointing but 2010 has definitely been a golden year for cinema animation. We’ve already had the wonderful How To Train Your Dragon, effortless fun with Miyazaki’s Ponyo and a strong candidate for film of the year in Toy Story ... In Cinemas | Saturday, 21 August 2010 Read more |
Marmaduke And so the much-loved cartoon Great Dane gets his long-awaited big screen appearance. What do you mean you've never heard of him? Didn't you buy the Evening Standard in the late 70s? You don't know what you missed. Panel after panel of jokes about how ... In Cinemas | Saturday, 21 August 2010 Read more |
The Human Centipede There are some films which make you wonder exactly what kind of shenanigans their creators get up to behind closed doors. Such a movie is The Human Centipede, a warped and twisted horror movie which will make even the sternest constitutions ... In Cinemas | Saturday, 21 August 2010 Read more |
The Last Airbender After a string of disappointing movies, The Last Airbender must surely be the final nail in the coffin for M Night Shyamalan (The Happening, Lady In The Water). It’s a movie which is awful on every level; in acting, effects, plot, script and dialogue, this ... In Cinemas | Friday, 13 August 2010 Read more |
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World So the Epic of Epic proportions is finally here, and boy is it a whopper! This is surely the Citizen Kane of geeks, but you’d be a fool to not put yourself in that category (if only for the couple of hours it takes to ... In Cinemas | Friday, 13 August 2010 Read more |
Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky Coco Chanel is apparently so important that she warrants two biopics in as many years. Coco Before Chanel , released last year, focused on her rise from penniless seamstress to fashion diva and her romance with Arthur “Boy” Capell. ... In Cinemas | Wednesday, 4 August 2010 Read more |
The A-Team The A-Team, one of the most beloved of TV shows from the 80s gets the big screen treatment and unfortunately the result is a deafening mass of explosions with a paper-thin plot and characters which don’t live up to their small screen ... In Cinemas | Wednesday, 28 July 2010 Read more |
The Karate Kid As the Hollywood remake machine marches unstoppably forward, there were always going to be casualties. I never thought I’d see the day when 1984’s beloved classic The Karate Kid got the treatment though and it’s with a heavy heart that I write this ... In Cinemas | Wednesday, 28 July 2010 Read more |
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Blu-Ray: From Paris With Love Jonathan Rhys Meyers stars as James Reece, the personal aide of the US ambassador to France. Despite his success in the role, and the comfortable life and hot girlfriend that come with it, he is desperate to be moved into work as a secret ... At Home | Monday, 2 August 2010 Read more |
I Love you Phillip Morris - DVD I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS is the improbable but true story of a spectacularly charismatic con-man’s journey from small-town businessman to flamboyant white-collar criminal, who repeatedly finds himself in trouble with the law and on the lam, brilliantly escaping from the Texas prison system on ... At Home | Saturday, 31 July 2010 Read more |
Shutter Island DVD Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio are in the midst of forming the sort of collaborative partnership that in the past has yielded some of the greatest films ever made. Some of their earlier films might not have been up to the high standards they are ... At Home | Friday, 30 July 2010 Read more |
Remember Me - DVD In the romantic drama Remember Me, Robert Pattinson plays Tyler, a rebellious young man in New York City who has a strained relationship with his father (Pierce Brosnan) ever since tragedy separated their family. Tyler didn't think anyone could possibly understand what he was going ... At Home | Friday, 23 July 2010 Read more |
Hachi - A Dog's Tale A well made and superbly crafted gem, which was cruelly dismissed on theatrical release but makes for fantastic home entertainment. Based on a true story, Richard Gere stars as a man devoted to his family and his pet dog. What is extraordinary is that the ... At Home | Thursday, 15 July 2010 Read more |
Solomon Kane An effects-heavy telling of the works of renowned writer Robert E Howard, Solomon Kane is a fun and entertaining romp which looks spectacular on the small screen.... At Home | Wednesday, 14 July 2010 Read more |
Everybody's Fine An emotional drama starring Robert De Niro and directed by Brit Kirk Jones, that also stars Kate Beckinsale, Drew Barrymore and Sam Rockwell. Frank Goode lives by himself following the death of his wife. When his four children are unable to make a planned summer ... At Home | Thursday, 8 July 2010 Read more |
My Name is Khan The biggest film star in Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan, aims for international glory with this politically charged story that takes a closer look at post-9/11 American society.... At Home | Thursday, 8 July 2010 Read more |
Sammy Going South A unique portrait of a time now gone, Sammy Going South takes the epic journey of a 10-year-old orphan across Africa and turns it into an in-depth look at the strange mix of people who frequented the far corners of Africa.... At Home | Thursday, 24 June 2010 Read more |
May DVDs PreciousBased on the novel Push, by Sapphire, (as the US title makes abundantly clear), Precious follows the eponymous heroine through a particularly difficult time in her life. Not that it ever easy. An unwanted and abused child, Precious is someone who has only known struggle: ... At Home | Thursday, 3 June 2010 Read more |
Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll DVD Evening Standard British Film Awards winner and BAFTA and Golden Globe nominee Andy Serkis stars in the critically acclaimed biopic ‘Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll’ which celebrates the life of iconic 1970s music legend Ian Dury.... At Home | Sunday, 2 May 2010 Read more |
The B-Movie Collection BOULEVARD ENTERTAINMENT PROUDLY INTRODUCES “THE B-MOVIE COLLECTION”... A NIGHTMARE! In a box FOR all. 12 OF THE BEST LOVED B-MOVIES AVAILABLE TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A COLLECTABLE DVD BOXSETLegions of horror movie fans will enthrall at the release of 12 of the best ... At Home | Sunday, 2 May 2010 Read more |
The Dark Knight With Iron Man 2 on its way to the cinema's this week and another re-release of The Dark Knight on DVD, we thought it the perfect time to revisit this modern masterpiece. Both Cassam and Mike are locked in battle over the virtues (or lack ... At Home | Wednesday, 28 April 2010 Read more |
The Littlest Hobo It is an absolute classic that we salute today... The Littlest Hobo no less, from the theme tune to the slightly dubious moral stories underpinning wholesome family fun, this show had it all. It might just have been an updated version of Lassie, but so ... At Home | Monday, 26 April 2010 Read more |
Bitch Slap Prepare yourself for a racy riot of buxom brawling babes, ballistic bedlam, crazed catfights and gratuitous sapphic romps in Bitch Slap, a sassy celebration and post-modern parody of 1950s, 60s and 70s exploitation ... At Home | Friday, 16 April 2010 Read more |
DVD Releases - April 12th Once a second-rate superhero, Harvey Birdman is now a third-rate lawyer, with ailments and attitude to boot. Although he works at an upscale law firm, it’s not clear whether Harvey ever went to law school. He is, however, comfortable with top-notch legal jargon and isn’t ... At Home | Sunday, 11 April 2010 Read more |
