Eleanor Reviews

** DVD Release After an American submarine loaded with nuclear weapons sinks, the crew of a nearby oil rig are hired to help a group of US Navy SEALS track down the missing vessel and determine the reasons for the sinking. It soon becomes apparent that the downing of the submarine was more than just a result of human error… I really like the ‘Theatrical Version’ (aka, the not-messed-around-with version) of The Abyss : it’s a feel good blockbuster with good characters, some good set pieces, some witty one-liners and also (spoiler alert!) aliens. There are good guys and bad guys trapped on an underwater oil rig, alone in the dark as a hurricane rages on the surface. There’s also a big nuclear warhead – what’s not to love?! Of course, all these elements are still in the ‘Special Edition’, but they are somewhat diminished by a handful of unnecessary scenes, and an absolute mess of an ending. Seriously, the ending on this version of the film is pretty terrible, and completel

**** Having been rescued by the rebels and secured within District 13, Katniss becomes ‘the Mockingjay’; the symbol of resistance against the tyrannical President Snow and the Capitol. Whilst she is being used for propaganda purposes, it becomes apparent that Peeta, captured by the Capitol at the end of the Quarter Quell, is being used for the same reasons. Outmanned and outgunned, the rebels begin their quest to topple the dictatorship. I haven’t read the books, nor have I seen Catching Fire , but when offered a free ticket to see the latest Hunger Games instalment, I couldn’t turn it down… And I was pleasantly surprised. Essentially an angst-ridden, overly-emotional teen fantasy about finding yourself when faced with impossible odds, director Francis Lawrence does well to make the film seem very adult. Whilst we do not witness the bloody moment of an execution, or the torture endured by some characters, Lawrence allows the camera to rest upon the shocking outcomes, wheth

*** In the latter years of his life, the artist William Turner painted some of his most beautiful pieces, whilst all the while his personal life was in turmoil.   I am somewhat torn; I knew that there would be a severe lack of car chases, explosions and thumping techno beats, and yet I couldn't help feel disappointed... and almost bored by Mike Leigh's latest. I feel sad to admit this as I've read other rave reviews of Mr. Turner, where critics bow down in awe of his biopic, and yet I cannot deny that I failed to find the film enjoyable. There is no real plot apart from the fact that Turner is getting older - each scene is only loosely linked to the one prior to it, sometimes jumping months into the future from where we were last based. Each scene is like a small sketch, detailing the processes of Turner's life, yet he remains an enigma throughout, leaving many questions unanswered: why was he estranged from his wife and children? Why did he deny their existen

**** In the not too distant future, humankind is facing disaster and death. Our past excesses have left the Earth a barren wasteland, with limited food stocks and unpredictable, extreme weather conditions. In an attempt to save humanity, NASA launches a select crew into space, to travel through a wormhole, to find a habitable planet in another solar system. I had a headache for some hours after seeing Interstellar ; not because it was too loud, or that I was too close to the screen, but because I had been forced to concentrate, think and question for almost three hours. Advertised as a space exploration film, Christopher Nolan’s latest is more a study into humanity and the lengths that man will go to in order to achieve a goal: it’s about our place in the universe, our ability to adapt, inevitable human error, the fragility of the body and the mind, and love. Love is at the very heart of this space-epic, with Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) leaving his children behind on Earth