hoopla.nu http://hoopla.nu film reviews, opinion and more en-us hoopla.nu http://hoopla.nu/images/banner_rss.jpg http://hoopla.nu Mud The simple fact is that, when not doing romantic comedy dross, Matthew McConaughey is a fantastic actor. I would have thought that after all this time, people would realise this, but in my experience most are immediately dismissive of the guy. http://hoopla.nu/films/mud/mud.html Sat, 15 Jun 2013 20:21:36 +1000 http://hoopla.nu/films/mud/mud.html   Mud
The simple fact is that, when not doing romantic comedy dross, Matthew McConaughey is a fantastic actor. I would have thought that after all this time, people would realise this, but in my experience most are immediately dismissive of the guy.

Rating: Rating = 7
Review by Stuart Wilson
Hoopla Factor: Hoopla Factor = 6]]> Mass Effect: Paragon Lost Paragon Lost will only interest diehard fans who can't get enough of the ME universe. For everyone else, it's an underwhelming experience. Above all, people who haven’t played the games definitely shouldn't use this as a benchmark to decide whether or not to dip their toes in the franchise. http://hoopla.nu/films/mass-effect-paragon-lost/mass-effect-paragon-lost.html Sat, 15 Jun 2013 20:07:44 +1000 http://hoopla.nu/films/mass-effect-paragon-lost/mass-effect-paragon-lost.html   Mass Effect: Paragon Lost
Paragon Lost will only interest diehard fans who can't get enough of the ME universe. For everyone else, it's an underwhelming experience. Above all, people who haven’t played the games definitely shouldn't use this as a benchmark to decide whether or not to dip their toes in the franchise.

Rating: Rating = 4
Review by Stuart Wilson
Hoopla Factor: Hoopla Factor = 5]]> The King of Pigs The King of Pigs is a brutal tale that is not for the faint-hearted. Whilst the pacing never feels sluggish, there is one subplot that could have easily been excised. The dénouement feels like a bit of a narrative fumble but for the most part this is compelling viewing. http://hoopla.nu/films/dwae-ji-ui-wang/king-of-pigs.html Sat, 15 Jun 2013 19:55:10 +1000 http://hoopla.nu/films/dwae-ji-ui-wang/king-of-pigs.html   The King of Pigs
The King of Pigs is a brutal tale that is not for the faint-hearted. Whilst the pacing never feels sluggish, there is one subplot that could have easily been excised. The dénouement feels like a bit of a narrative fumble but for the most part this is compelling viewing.

Rating: Rating = 6
Review by Stuart Wilson
Hoopla Factor: Hoopla Factor = 7]]> The Great Gatsby DiCaprio is in fine form as Gatsby. He gets the mix of confidence and insecurity just right, and if nothing else, it's good to see him get some scenes where he's happy (something that rarely seems to occur in his roles of late). http://hoopla.nu/films/great-gatsby/great-gatsby.html Sat, 01 Jun 2013 13:12:44 +1000 http://hoopla.nu/films/great-gatsby/great-gatsby.html   The Great Gatsby
DiCaprio is in fine form as Gatsby. He gets the mix of confidence and insecurity just right, and if nothing else, it's good to see him get some scenes where he's happy (something that rarely seems to occur in his roles of late).

Rating: Rating = 7
Review by Stuart Wilson
Hoopla Factor: Hoopla Factor = 8]]> Iron Man 3 Colonel Rhodes (Don Cheadle) and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) are afforded their moments in the spotlight, and both feel integral to the script. More significantly, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) finally has something useful to do, and gets some of the film's best scenes. http://hoopla.nu/films/iron-man-3/iron-man-3.html Sun, 19 May 2013 11:31:06 +1000 http://hoopla.nu/films/iron-man-3/iron-man-3.html   Iron Man 3
Colonel Rhodes (Don Cheadle) and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) are afforded their moments in the spotlight, and both feel integral to the script. More significantly, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) finally has something useful to do, and gets some of the film's best scenes.

Rating: Rating = 10
Review by Stuart Wilson
Hoopla Factor: Hoopla Factor = 10]]> Broken The narrative frequently takes a step backwards, to cover the same short period of time from another character's perspective, and sometimes deliberately withholds information, so that you're not sure of the order of events. This works particularly well in a couple of the film's tenser scenes. http://hoopla.nu/films/broken/broken.html Wed, 15 May 2013 12:02:35 +1000 http://hoopla.nu/films/broken/broken.html   Broken
The narrative frequently takes a step backwards, to cover the same short period of time from another character's perspective, and sometimes deliberately withholds information, so that you're not sure of the order of events. This works particularly well in a couple of the film's tenser scenes.

Rating: Rating = 8
Review by Stuart Wilson
Hoopla Factor: Hoopla Factor = 8]]> Star Trek Into Darkness Moral dilemmas are something that Star Trek does well, and Into Darkness certainly features its fair share. It's no coincidence that this is about the same time that Cumberbatch takes centre stage, and his performance is near legendary - managing to be gloriously over the top yet never feeling pantomimic. http://hoopla.nu/films/star-trek-into-darkness/star-trek-into-darkness.html Sun, 12 May 2013 18:21:32 +1000 http://hoopla.nu/films/star-trek-into-darkness/star-trek-into-darkness.html   Star Trek Into Darkness
Moral dilemmas are something that Star Trek does well, and Into Darkness certainly features its fair share. It's no coincidence that this is about the same time that Cumberbatch takes centre stage, and his performance is near legendary - managing to be gloriously over the top yet never feeling pantomimic.

Rating: Rating = 7
Review by Stuart Wilson
Hoopla Factor: Hoopla Factor = 7]]> Olympus Has Fallen (Stuart Wilson) If the action were spectacular, then this all-round idiocy would be acceptable. It's not. In fact, most of the movie is shot in semi darkness, which means WE CAN'T EVEN SEE when Mike is shooting people in the face. http://hoopla.nu/films/olympus-has-fallen/olympus-has-fallen.html Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:00 +1000 http://hoopla.nu/films/olympus-has-fallen/olympus-has-fallen.html   Olympus Has Fallen
If the action were spectacular, then this all-round idiocy would be acceptable. It's not. In fact, most of the movie is shot in semi darkness, which means WE CAN'T EVEN SEE when Mike is shooting people in the face.

Rating: Rating = 3
Review by Stuart Wilson
Hoopla Factor: Hoopla Factor = 2]]> Olympus Has Fallen (Mark Lavercombe) Butler and Eckhart are charismatic enough to make the film watchable, at least, and this is high praise for the performers. Butler is almost perfect as the scorned but heroic action hero, and Eckhart tries hard despite working with his hands tied behind his back for much of the film (both literally and figuratively). http://hoopla.nu/films/olympus-has-fallen/olympus-has-fallen.html#mark Fri, 03 May 2013 00:00:00 +1000 http://hoopla.nu/films/olympus-has-fallen/olympus-has-fallen.html#mark   Olympus Has Fallen
Butler and Eckhart are charismatic enough to make the film watchable, at least, and this is high praise for the performers. Butler is almost perfect as the scorned but heroic action hero, and Eckhart tries hard despite working with his hands tied behind his back for much of the film (both literally and figuratively).

Rating: Rating = 5
Review by Mark Lavercombe
Hoopla Factor: Hoopla Factor = 5]]> Oblivion (Mark Lavercombe) Audiences will be thrilled by the depiction of a ruined world, and the action sequences featuring Harper in his flying machine are as exciting as they come. This is truly a film to see on the big screen, and the bigger the better. http://hoopla.nu/films/oblivion/oblivion.html Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +1000 http://hoopla.nu/films/oblivion/oblivion.html   Oblivion
Audiences will be thrilled by the depiction of a ruined world, and the action sequences featuring Harper in his flying machine are as exciting as they come. This is truly a film to see on the big screen, and the bigger the better.

Rating: Rating = 8
Review by Mark Lavercombe
Hoopla Factor: Hoopla Factor = 8]]> Oblivion (Stuart Wilson) Fresh faced younger viewers and non-sci-fi geeks will probably be surprised and challenged, others less so. It really depends how willing you are to overlook the obvious lack of originality, because on its own terms, the film is excellent. http://hoopla.nu/films/oblivion/oblivion.html#stuart Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:00 +1000 http://hoopla.nu/films/oblivion/oblivion.html#stuart   Oblivion
Fresh faced younger viewers and non-sci-fi geeks will probably be surprised and challenged, others less so. It really depends how willing you are to overlook the obvious lack of originality, because on its own terms, the film is excellent.

Rating: Rating = 7
Review by Stuart Wilson
Hoopla Factor: Hoopla Factor = 7]]> The Company You Keep Seeing Robert Redford, Julie Christie, Susan Sarandon, Nick Nolte, Chris Cooper, Stanley Tucci, Richard Jenkins and Brendan Gleeson together in the same film is a pretty good reason to get excited. Such a cast, however, did make me realise how much of Hollywood's output these days is only concerned with younger stars. http://hoopla.nu/films/company-you-keep/company-you-keep.html Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:55:41 +1000 http://hoopla.nu/films/company-you-keep/company-you-keep.html   The Company You Keep
Seeing Robert Redford, Julie Christie, Susan Sarandon, Nick Nolte, Chris Cooper, Stanley Tucci, Richard Jenkins and Brendan Gleeson together in the same film is a pretty good reason to get excited. Such a cast, however, did make me realise how much of Hollywood's output these days is only concerned with younger stars.

Rating: Rating = 6
Review by Stuart Wilson
Hoopla Factor: Hoopla Factor = 6]]>