lukehiggs Reviews

Free Fire (2016)

Want to see a entertaining movie? See this

[8/10 · 1 April 2017]

I went into this movie with Mixed expectations. Mainly because of the high caliber of actors featured in it, Cillian Murphy been one of my favorites at the moment, Also because the trailer blew me away! it had me laughing out loud! Ben Wheatley is very hit and miss for me i liked sightseers thought Kill List was OK and i hated High-Rise, so as you can imagine i was unsure whether it was going to be as good the the trailer made it seem.

This movie is fantastic, the shot composition, acting, lighting and most of all dialogue are perfect! It's hilarious and brutal at the same time, yes the movie is in one location but it never gets boring you are never wanting to see something different. Armie Hammer is great, Cillian Murphy is superb and Sharlto Copley is absolutely hilarious nearly every line he delivered had me and the people around me in stitches, for me he made the movie.

Free Fire surpassed my exceptions and i can honestly say its one of the most entertaining films iv seen in years.

8/10

Ghost in the Shell (2017)

Loved this movie!

[8/10 · 31 March 2017]

In the near future, Major (Scarlett Johansson) is the first of her kind: A human saved from a terrible crash, who is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world's most dangerous criminals. When terrorism reaches a new level that includes the ability to hack into people's minds and control them, Major is uniquely qualified to stop it. As she prepares to face a new enemy, Major discovers that she has been lied to: her life was not saved, it was stolen. She will stop at nothing to recover her past, find out who did this to her and stop them before they do it to others. Based on the internationally acclaimed Japanese Manga, "The Ghost in the Shell."

I Loved the anime and I loved the live action version, fantastic visuals and a truly immersive world, I haven't enjoyed a sci-fi movie like this in a long time, yes.. some lines are cheesy but look at the source materials dialogue. This is a very well made version of that to me, especially to appeal to western audiences. It blends the feeling of The Matrix with the landscape of Blade Runner. The only issue I have with it is that I think it would have benefited from a R rating but I can understand why the studio wanted to go with what they did.

8/10

Point Break (2015)

I surprisingly didn't hate it

[6/10 · 9 February 2016]

​ Going into the Point Break remake I don't think I could have had any lower expectations because I am a massive fan of the original, but I came out of this movie actually quite liking it. The acting in this movie is average and the story is very predictable and cheesy at times but the stunt scenes! They are fantastic and i found I couldn't take my eyes off the screen while they were happening. Unfortunately after a stunt scene comes dialogue which with its bad timing and believability pulled me straight back out of the film, I do honestly think they should have taken the Point Break elements out of this movie and just called it something altogether fresh, then I think I would maybe hold this film a little higher. But even with all this I do think this movie was very, very enjoyable and if you just want to kick back and watch a mindless action movie this is a brilliant choice. I give Point Break (2015) a 6/10

Dirty Grandpa (2016)

This movie has got some seriously bad rating's.

[6/10 · 8 February 2016]

I went in too this movie open minded or you could even say with with low expectations, to start with I am a massive fan of 90% of Robert De Niro's work and his comedic side does work well for me and since Zac Efron did Bad neighbours I have been a big fan of his comedic talents as well.

There isn't much story to the movie and the story that is there is very generic. Yes, some of the jokes are cheap and some of them are over the top but to be honest 80% of the jokes in this movie made me laugh. De Niro is absolutely hilarious and Zac Efron seems to bounce off him giving them a brilliant chemistry.

Dirty Grandpa is a lot better than a lot of other comedy's that have come out a lately e.g Daddy's home. I'd say If you like adult comedy's and the red band trailer of this movie appealed to you, You should enjoy it.

Jessica Jones (2015–2019)

Everybody needs to watch this show.

[8/10 · 22 November 2015]

Jessica jones

This show to me did start off as a bit of a slow burn and was harder than say daredevil for me to get into because I didn't know anything about the character, but after the first 3 episodes I was hooked.

The story for Jessica Jones is very dark but brilliant the acting is awesome and the direction of the whole series is great. The way it is dark and gritty but doesn't put you in the frame of mind where you find the characters dull and boring was impressive, also the characters of Jessica Jones and Luke cage i found to be eminence, especially Mike Colter as Luke Cage who for me was one of my favourite parts about this show.

Some of the action in the series was a let down for me, i think because I compared it too much to daredevil, but this series it self felt a lot more of a character development, just a little look at what Jessica Jones has to offer and who she is. I cannot wait for season 2.

Everybody needs to watch this show.

The Woman (I) (2011)

Nothing new

[4/10 · 22 September 2015]

The woman review I went into the movie not knowing much and not expecting that much either. From What I had heard tho I thought it was going to be a new, brutal but creative horror movie, which is What I have been waiting and wishing would happen because I'm so fed up of the none stop roll out of found footage and unmemorable jump scare films.

Unfortunately this movie was no better. after watching it I realised the synopsis on IMDb explained the movies plot better than the actual film did. The woman to me felt like it wanted to go down the route of I Spit On Your grave. I did get that feeling of dread from it, but just not in a way I was anticipating something happening and sitting At the edge of my seat, like I think the movie wanted. The woman isn't hard to watch because of its gruesome horror and bloody violence it's just hard to watch because of the terrible acting and, unrelatable ridiculous characters.

The director of this film did manage to to shoot the film well and Pollyanna Mcintosh does act well and look terrifying. which to me is the redeeming part of this film.

All round I would advise people to skip this one. It's neither scary, horrific or anything new. Too be honest it's just not good.

Ant-Man (2015)

I was not expecting this... Brilliant addition to the MCU.

[9/10 · 19 July 2015]

AntMan is a lesser know character of marvels but by no means does that effect the quality of this movie. First off I thought that the casting of this film wasn't going to work, that been Paul Rudd mainly, just because I have read a few of the AntMan comics and didn't think it was going to work, I was wrong he is brilliant, hilarious and believable, all of the jokes he made actually made laugh out load which doesn't happen much. Michael Pena was great in this film, he plays the same kind of character he always seems too, but it really works, especially the story telling scenes were hilarious. This was a all round well cast film.

The action and CGI Was great, on first thoughts I thought when AntMan shrinks down that the CGI would take you out of the movie but let me tell you it doesn't, it's awesome! Especially seeing the world from that size and scenes where AntMan is shrinking and enlarging when fighting i thought would get a little too much but the honestly don't.

All around I AntMan felt different to all the other MCU movies that have come out, but a good different.    A well cast,directed and acted film that will be a welcome addition to my marvel collection.

The Burning (1981)

A easy to enjoy 80's Slasher

[6/10 · 4 July 2015]

So after reading and seeing a lot of clips about this movie I decided to give it a watch.

This film is brilliant for what it is (a low budget 80s slasher flick) it had all the trademarks you'd expect from a movie of the time and genre, with acting on par with that off releases of its time, but this actually holds up better. Mostly due to the director of this film who tried building tension about when the killer is going to strike, not just having one big killing spree! Within the story there is a motive behind the killer, Even if it is a bit silly. That is where a lot of similar movies went wrong and missed out on been a actual movie, they just turned into a pointless gore fest.

If that it what you like, this film has plenty of that too. With brilliant practical effect within the deaths even the skin burns still stand up to this day. More believable than any CGI could make. If you are a gore lover the raft scene is brilliant in this film.

I do think The Burning borrowed a lot from Friday the 13th especially in the first 40 minutes but I really do like how the story takes the characters away from the familiar setting of camp. It does have a lot of flaws but overall compared to the first Friday the 13th movies it's nothing if you like a good old slasher movie, with brilliant death Scenes and plenty of gore but not too much character development.

If that is the type of movie you are looking for then I think you'd enjoy this movie.

Chappie (2015)

Chappie is cool!

[8/10 · 14 June 2015]

So I just finished watching Chappie and It was awesome.

Let me just start by saying when this movie was announced I was stoked to see it, Then the following trailers got me even more excited, but before actually watching it because I was impatient to see it. I watched and read a couple of reviews about the film online, which actually kind of killed my excitement for the movie, lets just say they weren't too positive. So going into this film I wasn't expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised.

The CGI in this movie is amazing Chappie does 100% feel like a human character (yes I know he is a robot) but i genuinely felt for his character, you want him to succeed. The direction of the film is great the cinematography of the film is brilliant and honestly puts you in the city the events are taking place in.

The only negative I felt in the film is the casting of Chappies Mom and Dad. At times they were tedious and could be aggravating but as the story moves on you do feel for the characters and the annoyance of them does fade away. 3 amazing actors support all this. Who are all great in this film even tho…I think Dev Patel could have been in the film a little more.

All together this film is well worth a watch. Don't listen to the negative reviews.

Misery (1990)

This movie is brilliant and brutal.

[8/10 · 12 April 2015]

So after a lot of years of watching horror movies and loving horror movie adaptations of Stephen king books, i realised i had never watched Misery, after watching it i realised i should have took the time to watch it many years ago.

The story is about a writer who having finished a book decides to return home, but on his return he has a accident and is rescued by his number one fan after that things take a dark twist while he is trying to recover from the accident, the story in this film is brilliant and gripping, you are always on edge of your seat wanting the main character to succeed its very believable which makes you fully emerged in the film.

The acting in this is brilliant and makes this film stand out, James Caan and Kathy bates are so believable, you genuinely hate but want to understand Kathy Bates's character and you are constantly behind James Caans character wanting him to succeed.

A great movies for horror and Thriller fans, Worth a watch to anyone who's interested in either genre.

'71 (2014)

Felt like Warriors in Ireland

[8/10 · 7 March 2015]

I stumbled across this movie whilst looking for something decent to watch and man, am I happy I found this. This film is based on British soldiers and their ordeal in Ireland in 1971. Gary (Jack O'Connell) is basically caught behind enemy lines and is trying to get back to his barracks.

This movie is brilliant. I'm not usually the biggest fan of war movies, which is what I expected when I started watching this, but boy was I wrong. This film really did feel more like a gangster film, like The Warriors (1979); it was gritty, dark and thrilling. For the most part of this movie I could not take my eyes off the screen. You honestly feel worried for the main character and you never know what's around the next corner. Jack O'Connell is brilliant, as is the direction of this movie. It shows you what Ireland was really like at that time and makes this film so powerful and real.

I give this movie a 8/10; a must see!

Cape Fear (1991)

A Scorsese Must

[7/10 · 5 March 2015]

After watching this movie for the second time, the first time must have been about 5 or 6 years ago, I think it is still a good movie and holds up well.

The story is excellent and believable. It's about a convicted rapist fresh out of prison who is taunting/stalking and messing around with a lawyer. His own defence lawyer none the less, who he believes has done him wrong. The directing in the film is great and it was nice to see Martin Scorsese doing a different type of thriller, some camera angles and the way things are shot really remind me of movies like Psycho and help build suspense in the film along with the violent scenes seeming a lot more realistic. What made this film even better is Robert De Niro. I'm used to seeing him play the part of a gangster in movies, which don't get me wrong I love, but in this film he is brilliant and most of all you actually feel the suspense and threat that his character is imposing on the lawyers family. The only thing that lets this movie down for me is the last fifteen minutes which to me feel rushed along with some of the acting been a little too over the top; the film could have been wrapped up a lot better. The suspense should have carried on!

This movie is still an awesome film showing the brilliant talent De Niro has as a actor and Scorsese as a director. I would advise everyone who's a fan of film to watch this, especially people who love thrillers.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

Awesome

[9/10 · 24 February 2015]

Re watching this film after a couple of years since my last viewing and watching it on blu ray it is brilliant.This film has everything. Since it was made in 1977 the special effects to me still hold up to this day (The original effects not the remastered add on's that i think look ridiculous). The story is absolutely awesome everyone watching it is backing Luke and wanting everyone on the millennium falcon to triumph. One of the best parts of this film is the universe that it puts you in and the different species/people you get to meet along with all there separate stories. The only problem with the movie to me is some of the acting in the film, it really isn't the best it could be but with the places and scenes the characters are in, the acting isn't ever unbelievable or bad enough for you to loose interest in the characters.

This film started my love for sci fi movies and I believe it will continue to do the same for people for many years from now.

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)

brilliant film.

[9/10 · 22 February 2015]

I only decided to watch this movie after being advised to from a friend. I didn't believe the hype surrounding the film. I thought it was going to be to style over substance with what I had heard, But after watching it I understand the hype.

The film is very well directed, the long scenes following the characters around the stage etc makes the movie feel very real along with the great acting, which gets your attention. Awesome performances from Keaton and Norton who really carried the film. The story is good made even better by the casting choices. A all round good film i would love to see Michael Keaton in a lot more movies.

Well worth a watch.