Neil Egan-Ronayne

Having given Universal’s reimagining,reboot, rework, call it what you like of the original ‘The Mummy’ a chance, the only surmise I can offer is that of squandered potential. No doubt crafted from a vast budget, what starts out mildly promising quickly descends into a bloated, miscast and unimpressive mess, and on this occasion not even the seemingly impervious Tom Cruise is able to drag it back from the mire we call ‘flop’. In all honesty I couldn’t recommend this cinematic bomb to anybody, and it’s such a shame when it’s evident that it could have been so much better, and so my only advice would be to avoid it without regret, and perhaps give the Brendan Fraser / Rachel Weisz version a second chance instead.

While perhaps not quite in the top 3-4 Steven Spielberg titles, his reimagining of the 1953 original projects an identity of its own, and with solid tension spanning all three acts, it’s undoubtedly a feature film that delivers time and time again, particularly on the sonic front. With a great cast and inventive direction, Spielberg captures the imagination with a dark menace often absent from his cinematic style, and yet the narrative keeps true to a simple formula, which in many respects underpins its success and lasting appeal. What’s ultimately great about ‘War of the Worlds’ is that you can watch this never having seen its predecessor, and lose nothing in the appreciation it’s apocalyptic scale, while I for one would welcome am extended cut were the opportunity to present itself, and so in conclusion it’s an easy recommendation to newcomers, and a gentle reminder to those who’ve perhaps forgotten just how good it really is.

Unfairly slaughtered by critics of the time, ‘Waterworld’ has since gone on to garner an almost cult status as an alternative post-apocalyptic forum centred around human evolution and the seemingly almost inherent ignorance of man. This review is based upon my initial viewing of the long missing ‘Ulysses’ cut, which while running at almost three hours, seems only incrementally longer, largely due to the interpolation of footage, which is often hard to spot. I love the premise, it’s always rewarding to watch the primary character’s emotional development, and the tongue-in-cheek approach helps move the narrative without losing sight of the story’s aims, which is another positive facet of this film. If you’ve previously seen the theatrical cut, then there is much to be gained by catching this almost forty-minute long version, even if it’s for the visual upgrade, which works well when emphasising the contrast between sea and plant-life, and so for this reason alone you owe it to yourself to see it.

Unequivocally one of the greatest Martin Scorcese outings of his film career, this 1990s ‘Cape Fear’ remake wastes little time in its suspensful delivery, and proved a film almost tinged with a claustrophobic paranoia such as the kind you rarely see in modern cinema. The direction is frankly awesome, while the characterisation is nigh on perfect, and yet nothing underscores this movie like the borderline perfectionistic attitude taken by Robert de Niro as he strives to showcase Max Cady as nothing less than a product of his environment, which ironically carries significantly more weight than our consciousness might perhaps allow. To summarise, I have never, and most likely never will grow tired of this absolutely clasice rendition of an older original, and for that reason alone I would implore that you take the time to watch this superb retelling at least once, if only to cement your views one way or the other.

While abjectly aware that I’m at risk of stomping over sacred ground, and no matter how much I enthuse over this John Carpenter epic, I’m equally sad that at some point the world will finally say goodbye to a man that single-handedly tackled all that was largely unspoken during the early to mid 80s and beyond. There’s little anyone can add to what is already a somewhat institutional fable, and lord knows Kurt Russell blows most, if not everyone off the screen as the narrative flows ever onwards, and with reckless abandon to boot, In all honesty if you haven’t seen ‘Escape from New York’ there’s little I can offer you, and yet if you have, this 4K rendering is just sublime, and so it comes with my highest recommendation all round. In closing, John Carpenter’s epic ‘Escape from New York’ is a cinematic classic and no less, and so everybody deserves to watch this gem at least (25) times at the very least, so please,with my absolute blessing, fill your boots and enjoy the ride without apology.

Watched more out of curiosity than any childhood nostalgia, I found myself enjoying this film for its ambition, which I have to admit took me a little by surprise. Known and celebrated for its groundbreaking digital effects, ‘The Last Starfighter’ explores the tale of a reluctant hero, and it’s executed with a warmth that is sometimes lost in these kinds of exchanges, while it’s that intimacy that keeps the film bobbing along when perhaps it might otherwise flounder. The narrative is simple, there are some humorous moments to break up the mild drama, and it never collapses under its own weight despite it having every reason to do so, and for that reason alone this is a great 80s movie that can be enjoyed by all.

An unquestionably epic film, and perhaps the greatest drama of the 1970s, Michael Cimino’s ‘The Deer Hunter’ rewards three hours of viewing with a story so achingly beautiful and yet tragically desolate that it stays with you for quite literally hours afterwards. The cinematography is par excellence, despite the gritty and depressing Pennsylvania landscape, and when the main cast wind up in Vietnam, the harshness of conflict is merely magnified beyond words as the key players escape with their lives before trying desperately hard to readjust to civilian life. If you haven’t seen the historically relevant ‘The Deer Hunter’ then you absolutely owe it to yourself to witness cinematic history, while I would hop in some small way you’ll come to realise that since the late 1990s the art of visual storytelling has by and large lost its way.

More a character study than anything, ‘Jacknife’ explores the post-traumatic trauma felt by so many Vietnam veterans, and the seemingly unending guilt carried by those fortunate enough to come home. Based upon a play, the narrative turns through the overlapping relationships shared by Robert de Niro, Kathy Baker and Ed Harris, and it’s a touching drama that moves at its own deliverate pace, and yet never loses its momentum, despite switching from a blossoming romance to a disparate rivalry between two former soldiers, and it’s also a film that remains accessible to anybody fascinated by the human condition. I personally love these simple, and yet somehow familiar movies, and for me it’s a timely reminder that cinema needs to get back to what’s really important, and focus less on box office returns, but I suspect that’s hoping against hope. Nonetheless, this is a film that deserves your time, if only for nostalgic reasons, and to enjoy great acting in its simplest form.

Armed with only vague memories of Ted Bundy’s somewhat dramatic execution coverage, I chose to invest myself into what proved to be a compelling and yet ironic retelling of this patently damaged individual’s killing spree, and one that stands apart from many others of the time, but for reasons that only trouble the mind further. Active at a time when U.S. law enforcement and jurisdictional relations were fragmented, and in many respects diluted, Ted Bundy succeeded in his exploitation of non-communication and slow-moving technology in order to rob thirty innocent victims of their young lives for reasons of narcissistic gratification and little else. This excellent documentary weaves the narrative through his own testimony, along with those who knew him both personally and professionally, and while it’s a difficult watch, it’s hard not to appreciate just how much his arrogance was over indulged both by the media and the courts, and that in many respects his so called infamy constantly loomed over and thereby diminished the atrocious acts that followed in his wake, and so for those reasons alone it’s an historically important series that cannot be overlooked by anyone who cares to remember the facts of his cruel legacy.

Released as the second instalment exploring the crimes and subsequent conviction for multiple murder counts of Aileen Wuornos, this documentary essentially finishes what Nick Broomfield had begun in his previously titled ‘Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer’, only this time we get to see her gradual psychological decline within a system patently willing to both sensationalise and exploit those sentenced to death and/or imprisonment. For my part I wish there had been more time given to Aileen’s childhood and adolescence, as I believe the truth and genesis of this woman’s tragic and painful existence will never be fully explained without further investigation. Yet despite the repeated attempts to capitalise on her story, the outstanding Patty Jenkins film titled ‘Monster’ is a related experience that will undoubtedly affect you, and it’s easily one of the best visual biopics that I can remember, so if you want to offset the two documentaries with an equally emotional cinematic perspective, it comes very highly recommended.