Movie Reviews

Spring Breakers  Mercifully Short Review by Jonathan Empson  I love the idea of da kids deciding to watch this based on its title and expecting a gross-out comedy. True, it has its music-video segments of bouncing boobs and binge drinking, but then it gets a bit surreal and dark. Three blonde college chicks (don’t ask … Read more

Bullet to the Head  Mercifully Short Review by Jonathan Empson  Sylvester Stallone is 66 but still has his trademark muscles and slightly brain-injured diction. He also has the hair of a much younger man, which I hope he returned after filming. In this, he plays a New Orleans hitman who whacks a bent cop, then … Read more

Oblivion  Mercifully Short Review by Jonathan Empson Earth has been devastated while fighting off alien invaders, and the human race has decamped to Titan. A few aliens survive, threatening the nuclear installations that supply power to Titan (don’t ask how). Jack (Tom Cruise) is the last man on Earth, an engineer who has to maintain … Read more

Warm bodies  Mercifully Short Review by Jonathan Empson Bad title, good premise: the zombie apocalypse from a zombie’s point of view. R – that’s as much of his name as he can remember – is played by Nicholas Hoult, who brings his perfect natural pallor to the role. R isn’t a bad guy. He’s just … Read more

Hyde Park on Hudson  Mercifully Short Review by Jonathan Empson  Daisy (Laura Linney) is a distant poor relation of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Bill Murray). She’s summoned by FDR’s fearsome mother to his private residence in Hyde Park, upstate New York to provide peaceful company. He starts driving Miss Daisy to isolated rural spots and … Read more