The Sofa and Popcorn Degree

THE DARK TOWER starring Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey and Tom Taylor directed by Nikolaj Arcel A review by Helen J. Reynolds The Dark Tower is based on a series written by Stephen King, but fans of the book need not watch the movie adaptation. As with many successful book series, the movie version is drastically different. Jake (Tom Taylor) is struggling to cope with his father's death and has been haunted by nightmares involving a dark meancing tower that - if it falls - will bring destruction to the world. His child psychiatrist talks of what this symbolises, but the money's been wasted as his dreams aren't dreams and there really is a tower at the centre of the universe, keeping the world safe from demons and darkness. He also dreams of people - two in particular. One, a gunslinger sworn to protect the tower, and the other, a man dressed in black, hell bent on destroying the tower. He then stops dreaming and enters the world itself... The plot is excru...

DETROIT starring John Boyega, Will Poulter and Algee Smith directed by Kathryn Bigelow A review by Helen J. Reynolds Detroit is not an entertaining movie. You won't laugh and cry, then, after all the ups and downs, leave feeling satisfied by the end. It isn't even a movie that will transport you back in time to the racial tensions during the 1967's uprising in Detroit. Instead, there's the uncomfortable feeling that you're simply watching the news. This did happen and is happening in America. Walter Scott (2015), Philando Castile (2016), Jordan Edwards (2017)... all unarmed, black victims killed by police with no accountability, no justice. Like Kathryn Bigelow's previous works ( Zero Dark Thirty , The Hurt Locker ), this isn't a movie to sit back, switch off and escape into a movie-world. She puts you right there, into the violence, into the chaos and there's nothing off-hand in how she crafts the story. Many movies nowadays skim over sho...

GIRLS TRIP starring Regina Hall, Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith directed by Malcolm D. Lee A review by Helen J. Reynolds   Four friends catch up after five long years as the big success of the group, Ryan (Regina Hall) is an invited keynote speaker for the New Orleans Essence Festival. It turns into an all-out girly weekend with booze, boys, gossip and scandal.  The format is pretty stale and the story is fed through Channel Five movie-esque scripting, but there are plenty of jokes and good chemistry in the main cast.  Ryan is a bestselling author, married to Marvel's Avenger Luke Cage (Mike Colter), here a soccer player who can't keep it in his pants. Their marriage runs on the cheesy catchphrase that You Can Have It All, meaning women can be both loved and successful. The sad thing is that this isn't a satire of the self-help section but, near the end, actually tries to be truly empowering in a speech that runs so long and predictably, you almost reac...

SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING starring Tom Holland, Michael Keaton and Robert Downey Jr.  directed by Jon Watts A review by Helen J. Reynolds Spider-Man is a familiar (masked) face by now, with a long string of films to his name. With the Avengers adding him in their super-gang, Hollywood felt compelled to introduced us, again, to the friendly, neighbourhood spidey. This time, we don’t witness Peter Parker (Tom Holland) transformation from geeky boy to spider-enhanced hero. Instead, we step right in his Vlog, on the mission filmgoers will already have seen him complete in Captain America : Civil War . It makes for a refreshing change in the formula and is indicative of the rest of the movie. Everything about Spider-Man: Homecoming is familiar yet unfamiliar. There’s high-school drama, crushes, geekiness (see Lego Deathstar) and, of course, bad guys to chase. The filmmakers do a clever trick in telling you the same story, but with fresh eyes. Th...

VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS starring Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne directed by Luc Besson A review by Helen J. Reynolds V alerian and the City of a Thousand Planets has a well-thought out story, impressive special-effects and good acting, for the most part. So why do most reviewers predict a flop in the making? Well, probably because, despite Luc Besson directing, this film is virtually unwatchable. You'd have to be a teenager or younger for it to hold interest and, even then, I’d wager most would tune out. Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are two agents on a mission to collect a creature that's the last of its kind. However, they aren’t the only ones after it. Their mission is part of a deep conspiracy, and Valerian’s strange dreams could be the key to understanding what’s really at stake.     The universe looks spectacular and has details, but calling it ‘City of a Thousand Planets’ suggests a lo...