Sat | Dec 2, 2023

Stories by Damian Levy/Gleaner Writer

Published:Friday | September 23, 2022 | 12:07 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

For the first 5 minutes of Bullet Proof, there’s next to no dialogue. All that you hear are gunshots, tense music, and the occasional yell or grunt. It’s remarkable restrained and lets the action speak for itself. The film feels focused, relying on...

Published:Friday | September 16, 2022 | 12:09 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

During intermission for Barbarian, I whipped out my phone to find out who was behind the visual monstrosity I was enduring. What sick and twisted mind would envision this grotesque and unsettling film? Who is so demented as to put this story on...

Published:Friday | September 9, 2022 | 12:07 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

Who among us hasn’t fantasised about a whole new life? To be whisked away from the problems of the day to day, and flung into a whirlwind of adventure and intrigue. For Nathalie Emmanuel’s Evie, the transition is from struggling waitress to royal...

Published:Friday | September 2, 2022 | 12:07 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

What is your most heartfelt desire? For Tilda Swinton’s Alithea, she hasn’t got a clue. As a narratologist, she studies the stories told around the world; the myths that explain the unexplainable. As a woman of science, she’s convinced herself that...

Published:Tuesday | August 30, 2022 | 12:08 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

This past Sunday, just two months shy of its second anniversary, the New Kingston Drive-In had its final showing. Scores of movie fans showed up to support the venue’s grand finale, with attendance higher than it had been in months. Just past the...

Published:Friday | August 19, 2022 | 12:07 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

Think of a terrible family vacation. Odds are the worst thing that happens is a dull car ride, or some miserable squabbling. While those sound uncomfortable, it’s paradise compared to the Samuel’s South African holiday in Beast. For Idris Elba’s Dr...

Published:Friday | August 12, 2022 | 12:07 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

Aboard a Japanese bullet train, an assassin-turned-pacifist named Ladybug embarks on his latest assignment. Sworn against violence, he aims to get in, grab a mysterious briefcase, and get off at the train’s next stop. Unfortunately for Ladybug, he’...

Published:Friday | August 5, 2022 | 12:11 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

The mark of any good film-maker is turning a bad idea into a good one. While a film about superpowered animals of the DC universe is far from the worst concept, it’s not exactly one that inspires confidence for anyone over the age of 10. Talking...

Published:Friday | July 29, 2022 | 12:08 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

Sometimes you see things you can’t explain. A phenomenon that’s completely alien, and the only thing that feels familiar is how distinctly unfamiliar it is. Personally, in the presence of such a thing, I would opt to hightail it in the opposite...

Published:Friday | July 22, 2022 | 12:11 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

With a powerful voice and electromagnetic stage presence, Elvis Presley is undoubtedly one of the most significant performers of the 20th century. He also happens to be one of the most controversial. History remembers the legend known for taking...

Published:Friday | July 15, 2022 | 12:07 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

In his 8th appearance as the Norse God of Thunder, Chris Hemsworth returns to the role that made him into a superstar. After saving the earth, the heavenly realm of Asgard, and half the universe, one wonders what more the character will have to...

Published:Friday | July 8, 2022 | 12:07 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

It’s been five years since the Minions were on the big screen, though their absence has not been felt. In terms of sheer merchandise the yellow menaces and in blue denim are inescapable, something that’s noted by their young employer Gru in this ‘...

Published:Friday | July 1, 2022 | 12:09 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

We know it’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all, but what if you loved, lost, and was cursed with the violent ghost of your lost loved one? That’s the plight of one Yuta Okkotsu, whose deceased girlfriend emerges to...

Published:Friday | June 24, 2022 | 12:07 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

A good horror movie can make a frightening scene out of just about anything, from a haunted house with a demonic presence to a monster with gnashing teeth and a thirst for blood. While there’s creativity in a well-designed threat, done poorly,...

Published:Friday | June 17, 2022 | 12:06 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

There’s always that perfect couple whose life could not be better. They have good jobs, their health, and what should be the perfect marriage. Yet, something doesn’t feel right for Gerard Butler’s Will and Jaimie Alexander’s Lisa. What that...

Published:Friday | June 10, 2022 | 12:10 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

After five films of running from monsters in a jungle, the last Jurassic film had a drastic upping of the stakes. The dinosaurs are loose, and humans are at their mercy. The film opens with scenes of prehistoric creatures invading people’s everyday...

Published:Friday | June 3, 2022 | 12:06 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

As schools prepare to close and the days start heating up, one place that you can always count on is the cinema. If you’re trying to beat the heat or find something to do with the free time on your hands, summer 2022 has some very promising films....

Published:Friday | May 27, 2022 | 1:13 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

For the longest time Top Gun seemed a relic of a bygone ‘80s era. An action film with a cheesy title, grown men parading around with ridiculous nicknames, and an inexplicable volleyball scene. Yet by all accounts, Top Gun has stood the test of...

Published:Friday | May 20, 2022 | 12:07 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

The original Firestarter film came out in 1984, yet its story has never been more familiar. A young girl subjected to experiments develops amazing abilities and is hunted down by the very people who made her what she is. Stranger Things has become...

Published:Saturday | May 14, 2022 | 12:06 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

As superhero names go, Doctor Strange is perhaps the most apt, if only to describe the trajectory of his cinema appearances. Debuting in his 2016 original with a formulaic plot saved by captivating visuals and a clever ending, the odd doctor has...

Published:Friday | May 6, 2022 | 12:06 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

There’s nothing like a good romance film. Two would-be-lovers without any reason to care for one another discover there could be something there that wasn’t there before. In the case of The Lost City, self-proclaimed sapio-sexual and writer’s-...

Published:Friday | April 29, 2022 | 12:08 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. A young prince destined for greatness has his future stolen from him. His enraged uncle kills the prince’s noble father, and holds his mother against her will. The prince escapes and ventures into the...

Published:Friday | April 22, 2022 | 12:08 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

The wizarding world is a remarkable treasure trove of fiction. The original story of Harry Potter opened the door to a realm of infinite potential with a rich and detailed mythology. It’s puzzling then that a series with the ability to go anywhere...

Published:Thursday | April 14, 2022 | 12:06 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 has several of the mainstays for a popular sequel. The introduction of new characters, diverse locations, and a visual effects facelift. It is the by-product of a well-received start and a bumped-up budget. More often than not...

Published:Friday | April 8, 2022 | 12:07 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer

After years of reschedules, reshoots, and rewrites, Morbius is finally in cinemas. Highly anticipated isn’t quite the phrase to describe it, but there’s a certain relief with the film’s cinema debut. Anticipating audiences have been theorising...

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