Review: The Wanting Mare (2021)

We’ve seen so many worlds in so many franchises, all with vast world building. Most of these films take on huge budgets – from Panem in The Hunger Games to the gigantic world of the MCU – but Nicholas Ashe Bateman’s The Wanting Mare proves that it doesn’t take a budget of over $100 million to create a convincing world like that. Sometimes you just need a great production team and time to do so. This film takes us to a world called Anmaere, where we focus specifically on the city of Whithren. This is a city plagued by an intense heat; and everyone who lives here dreams of escaping to the continent of Levithen across the sea, where it’s winter year-round. The chance to get there comes once a year where a giant ship docks in Whithren to transport its most valuable export of wild horses. On this ship, there are tickets the people can get to travel to Levithen, but these tickets are highly coveted.

The Hunt (2020)

Directed by: Craig Zobel. Starring: Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank, Ike Barinholtz. Runtime: 1h 30 min. Released: March 13, 2020. This review contains spoilers. I was really looking forward to The Hunt when it was to be released last August before it was delayed because due to mass shootings. Now, when there’s reason to delay movies, … Continue reading The Hunt (2020)

The Forest (2016)

Released: January 8, 2016. Directed by: Jason Zada. Starring: Natalie Dormer (times deux), Taylor Kinney, Yukiyoshi Ozawa. Runtime: 1 hr 33 min. The first wide release of 2016 came in horror film The Forest, also the first top billing role for Natalie Dormer (TV’s Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part I). … Continue reading The Forest (2016)

The Giver (2014)

Released: August 15, 2014. Directed by: Phillip Noyce. Starring: Brenton Thwaites, Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep. Runtime: 97 min. Note: Sorry for the font inconsistencies - I really couldn't figure out how to fix it.  The Giver starts out exactly like Divergent; with a basic review of what this futuristic community is like, followed by a … Continue reading The Giver (2014)

Divergent (2014)

Released: March 21, 2014. Directed by: Neil Burger. Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ashley Judd. Runtime: 139 min. Timing's an important thing to consider when releasing any movie. With Divergent, one must consider if we truly need another post-apocalyptic YA novel adaptation while The Hunger Games still reigns supreme. I think it makes it easier to … Continue reading Divergent (2014)

Lone Survivor (2013)

Released: January 10, 2014. Directed by: Peter Berg. Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster. Runtime: 121 min. "Lone Survivor" is a war film that truly expresses how far one will go to survive in a life-threatening situation. It's like that example commonly used where if a parent sees their child in danger, their protective instincts … Continue reading Lone Survivor (2013)

My Top 25 Films of 2012

2012 saw some great films, and some real stinkers. I have seen 68 of them. These are my top 25 favourite films of 2012, and also the ten worst. Oh and, some of these films don't have the highest scores, but they're higher up on the list. This is because some films (like The Hobbit) … Continue reading My Top 25 Films of 2012

The Hunger Games (2012)

The Hunger Games Release Date: March 23, 2012 Director: Gary Ross Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth Runtime: 143 min Tagline: The World Will Be Watching.   I favor the book. The film is set in an America which, after a war, has been renamed Panem in the future.  As a cruel reminder to the … Continue reading The Hunger Games (2012)