Review

Twenty years on from its original release, nothing feels remotely extinct about Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster take on Michael Crichton’s bestselling novel. Not the Oscar-winning FX that brought the dinosaurs back to life. Not John Williams’ timeless score. Not even Richard Attenborough’s hokey-but-wholesome turn as John Hammond, the eccentric billionaire who …

Director Mikael Marcimain makes an auspicious debut with this chilly drama based on a real-life prostitution-ring scandal that nearly brought down Sweden’s government. An indomitable madam with a high-class clientele, Dagmar (Pernilla August) lures in girls’-home escapees Iris (Sofia Karemyr) and Sonja (Josefin Asplund) with easy money and glam perks …

Don’t judge Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (opens in new tab) by its overly dramatic opening moments, which awkwardly depict a tragedy on a lake that leaves a young boy motherless and imbued with a healthy fear of water. Gauge its effectiveness instead by the memorable hours of adventure …

When Total Film saw Neill Blomkamp’s dystopian mindfuck District 9 (2009), we were blown away. A “stunning debut,” we called the epic fantasy that wrangled hot-button issues of racism, subjugation and segregation, “heralding the arrival of an exciting new action-cinema voice”. Neo-realist, gritty, innovative and boasting a gut-punch of an …

Continuum 2.12 “Second Last” TV REVIEW Episode 2.12 Writers: Shelley Eriksen, Jonathan Lloyd Walker Director: Amanda Tapping THE ONE WHERE Gardiner’s body is found and Kiera is blamed for his death. She goes on the run from the cops and Carlos goes renegade to join her (who needs a police …

You’d hope that, emboldened by the success of its predecessor, Red 2 would come out swinging. Instead, it opens with a shot of a Costco sign, rubbing our faces in the fact this isn’t the product of creative vision but rather a proven seller intended to pad some coffers. Inside …

Ex-model Pippa (Daisy Lowe) – a recluse after a disfiguring accident – has her sanctuary shattered when bitchy crim Kayleigh (Eliza H. Bennett) gatecrashes her flat. Tobias Tobbell’s micro-budget thriller aims high, with nods to Panic Room and Repulsion . But this is yet another under-powered, clichéd Brit-crime fiasco. A …

Common consensus suggests that if you’ve played one Dynasty Warriors game, you’ve played them all. With Xtreme Legends this, Empires that, and countless spin-offs, you couldn’t be blamed for filtering out the series’ near-annual cadence. The large-scale 3D beat-’em-up does have its hardcore fans, and the dollar-to-content ratio across the …

Once Upon A Time 2.15 “The Queen Is Dead” TV Review (opens in new tab) Episode 2.15 Writers: Daniel T Thomsen, David H Goodman Director: Gwyneth Horder-Payton THE ONE WHERE In the past: Young Snow White faces a test when her mother is dying – should she use dark magic …

True Blood 6.05 “F**k The Pain Away” TV REVIEW (opens in new tab) Episode 6.05 Writer: Angela Robinson Director: Michael Ruscio THE ONE WHERE Sookie’s dad possesses Lafayette and tries to drown her; the vamp camp adds to its collection and sends Pam to a shrink; Billith learns of Warlow’s …