Movies

A 1987 war film — considered to be one of the greatest of all time — is now streaming on Netflix for fans to watch.Directed and produced by the legendary Stanley Kubrick, Full Metal Jacket is based on Gustav Hasford’s 1979 autobiographical novel, The Short-Timers, and has a screenplay adapted for the big screen by Hasford, Michael Herr, and Kubrick himself.The movie’s title is a nod to the full metal jacket bullet that is used by servicemen in the military. It was the very last film of the iconic filmmaker to be released while he was still alive.Made on a production budget of $16.5-30 million, Full Metal Jacket grossed a whopping $120 million at the global box office. Receiving widespread critical acclaim, the war film was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Adapted Screenplay ca...

Bruce Willis and Adrien Brody fans had high hopes from the 2018 Chinese action film Air Strike, also known as The Bombing and Unbreakable Spirit in some regions.Directed by Xiao Feng, the war drama is about the Japanese bombings of Chongqing during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The film’s official synopsis reads: "During World War II, five different Chinese people fight their way through Japanese Air Force attacks to protect an important military machine in Chongqing, 1940."Starring Bruce Willis and Liu Ye in the lead, supported by Adrien Brody, William Chan, Song Seung-heon, Nicholas Tse, and Simon Yam — Air Strike was made on a whopping $65 million production budget and even had Mel Gibson serving as the art director of the film.Unfortunately, it failed to live up to expectations and ...

Despite the cold weather, film season is well and truly hotting up. In the lead-up to Oscar season, we see the release of many films bidding for more than a couple of nods from the Academy and beyond. But with this comes a wonderful excuse to spend more time indoors or at your local cinema. October was a busy month for me on the film front, and for streaming services; however, dare I say, surprisingly, it was a wrestling film that took the lead this time around. Here are the highlights of my film watching in October.A Ballad of a Small PlayerBallad of a Small Player is a British psychological thriller film directed by Edward Berger, written by Rowan Joffé, and based on the 2014 novel The Ballad of a Small Player by Lawrence Osborne. It stars Colin Farrell, Fala Chen, Deanie Ip, Alex Jen...

Netflix has just added a critically acclaimed 1990s film that's essential viewing this weekend.Based on a bestselling novel by crime mastermind John Grisham, this epic adaptation brings the courtroom drama to life with an all-star cast.Hollywood icons Sandra Bullock and Samuel L Jackson lead the film with a stellar supporting ensemble that also includes Matthew McConaughey, Oliver Platt and Donald and Kiefer Sutherland. Plus, Oscar-winning star Octavia Spencer makes her film debut.1996 hit A Time to Kill has just been added to the streaming service this week and many movie buffs agree it's a five-star masterpiece that's well worth your time this weekend.Although it received mixed reviews at the time, the film was a box office success and has built up a passionate following of cinephiles...

Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville is set to star alongside Happy Valley's James Norton in a new British comedy film.The film, directed by first-time filmmaker Tanya Reynolds, known for her role as Lily Iglehart in Netflix's popular comedy-drama Sex Education, is titled Dog Person.According to Screen Daily, the film is a black comedy that follows the life of a dental receptionist in her mid-thirties who finds herself caught between education and exhaustion.The plot thickens when she breaks a tooth and visits a new dentist, leading to an unexpected awakening within her.She then embarks on a disturbing fantasy to escape societal pressures obsessed with perfection. Reynolds will also take on the lead role, joining TV and film favourites Norton and Bonneville.Besides Downton Abbey, Bonneville ...

Sometimes the heart yearns for a marathon of horror film classics or a cosy BBC period drama when autumn rolls around. Other times a throwback feel-good film just hits the spot, and if that is the case, Good Will Hunting is streaming on UK Netflix now.The critically acclaimed film, which became a major box office hit, was written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. In Good Will Hunting, Robin Williams is a professor at MIT who discovers a young janitor at the university (as played by Damon) is a maths genius. The 1997 flick earned Damon and Affleck an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay whilst Robins won for Best Supporting Actor.Damon's character is Will Hunting, a 20-year-old man recently released from prison who works as a janitor at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology. H...

Netflix's latest period drama draws from a 'beloved' novel and is arriving on the streaming platform earlier than anticipated.Train Dreams is amongst a number of forthcoming releases that the streaming giant is launching in cinemas initially.The film will have a brief theatrical run before becoming accessible to subscribers for home viewing.Initial reviews have started appearing online, with audiences eagerly awaiting its arrival as it has already been dubbed a 'masterpiece'.But what is the storyline behind this production? Who features in the ensemble and what are critics already saying about it? Here's what you need to know.What is the plot of Train Dreams?According to Netflix's description, Train Dreams adapts the "beloved novella by Denis Johnson". The narrative centres on Robert Gr...

A captivating Irish period drama based on a best-selling novel is set to depart from Netflix this month. The Secret Scripture, which first hit cinemas in 2017, left critics and film buffs with mixed feelings. Netflix subscribers have until Sunday, November 23 to watch it and form their own views. The film is an adaptation of Sebastian Barry's 2008 novel of the same name, and tells the story of Rose McNulty, an elderly woman who has been a patient at a mental institution for 50 years.Accused of killing her baby during the height of World War II, Rose was sent to the facility. However, as the hospital is due to be demolished, Rose undergoes a reassessment to decide whether she should be released or transferred. This process allows Rose to tell her own story through notes she has penned in...

As a newly found thriller lover, I have found myself trolling through various horrors in the lead up to Halloween. But there is one film I believe to be the greatest thriller of them all, and it might surprise you. The film in question was released in 2009 and features a starry lineup including Megan Fox, Adam Brody and Amanda Seyfried. It was not appreciated at the time by the critics, but in the years after its release, it has continued to grow in popularity and gain a cult following. It is, of course, Jennifer's Body - the thriller meets comedy film that flopped at the box office. Directed by Karyn Kusama and written by Diablo Cody, with producer Jason Reitman, who stated that he and his producers "want to make unusual films", Cody said she wanted the film to speak to female empowerm...

Fans of heartwarming Pixar films are in for a delight this afternoon (Sun) as the fantasy comedy-drama Coco is set to air on BBC.The film revolves around Miguel, a 12-year-old Mexican boy who accidentally finds himself in the Land of the Dead. He seeks the assistance of his deceased musician great-great-grandfather to return him to his family and overturn their ban on music.While Pixar is renowned for producing top-notch films – remember Toy Story 1, 2, 3 and 4? – Coco stands out as one of their finest, boasting a near-perfect rating on Rotten Tomatoes and widespread critical acclaim.CinemaScore's audience poll awarded the 2017 film an 'A+' grade – a distinction shared by fewer than 90 films in the service's history and only the sixth Pixar film to earn such a rating, with Up in 2009 be...