Film Reviews by MB

Firstly I have to say that not seeing this film at the cinema upon its release is a big regret of mine. I was initially unconvinced Bladerunner needed a sequel so many years later, however after being recommended to me by a friend I decided to go but sadly just missed its cinema run.

I can now say, having seen this film many times, that is a masterpiece of film making and an incredible accomplishment by director Denis Villeneuve.

The cinematography, the score, the themes explored in the story and some incredible performances make it every bit the equal of the original, although it is also a very different film.

Every scene is a piece of visual art and every passage of music in the score envelops you.

Some complained of the length of the film, but if you like slow paced films, as I do, that give you the time to explore the feelings of the characters and the atmosphere of the settings then you will enjoy this.

The film deals with some very human concepts on top of the sci-fi setting, what is it to be human? How do we connect to each other? Every time I watch it I see something new, something I missed earlier, there is so much to digest here.

There are great performances from all the actors, for me the standout being Sylvia Hoeks as the replicant Luv, who manages to tell so much of the storyline, reveal so much of the aforementioned concepts in the film and convey so much emotion with just a facial expression, truly a tour de force of acting.

This is a film that you need to be engrossed in, to study every part of to get the most out of it, perhaps why it didn't do so well as expected at the box office. You could say this is more of an art house movie with the deep story and the concepts involved, but it came with a blockbuster budget, the likes of which we probably wont see again due to its relatively disappointing performance.

Take some time to watch and study and drink in this film, if you give it time you will be rewarded with an incredible cinematic experience and a film that will stay with you long after.

King of New York was a film that was ahead of its time, that is now rightly regarded as a classic.

Featuring a stellar cast that includes great performances from Christopher Walken, Laurence Fishburne, Wesley Snipes, David Caruso amongst others, the film of full of good performances from the supporting cast. Fishburne in particular plays a fantastic part as Jimmy Jump, the sidekick and assassin for Walken's Frank White character.

White is a powerful New York gangster with connections in high places, he is released from prison where he has spent a lot of his life. In the film he surrounds himself with gang members from the streets of New York. This was one of the first mainstream films, if I remember correctly, that featured hip hop culture (Boyz N The Hood came out a year later), there is a great soundtrack from pioneering rapper Schoolly D that features throughout the film, alongside that powerful and atmospheric score based on Vivaldi.

The film looks fantastic, great cinematography and lighting, with the scenes having a great atmosphere, something that Director Abel Ferrara talks about in the commentary (which is definitely worth listening to, there is also some great extras and interviews on the disc, which are worth watching), he also sings an acoustic version of Schoolly D's title track!

I watched this on Bluray and it looked great, the only criticism I have is that you need to check the audio settings and make sure you select the DTS-HD 2.0 version rather than the 5.1 version, first time I watched it I found the sound to be tinny and the dialogue hard to hear, but after changing it I was happy so its not a massive criticism.

An all time classic this one which ended up having a big influence on hip hop culture, Biggie Smalls even used to check in to hotels under the pseudonym Frank White, highly recommended.