Movie Gazette

Reviews Featuring Michael Shannon

Kangaroo Jack
Diabolical CGI-assisted slapstick buddy comedy.

Bad Boys 2
Big budget nonsense, which commits the fatally smug error of supposing that just about anything will acquire charm and wit merely through Will Smith's involvement. 'Bad Boys 2' is full of misfiring humour, inappropriately sadistic violence, and paddle-pool shallowness - just about its only virtue is that, though it seems to last a lifetime, it is thankfully soon forgotten.

Grand Theft Parsons
An incredible true story unnecessarily embellished with banal fictitious details. Michael Shannon's performance as Larry Oster-Berg, some funny lines, and a great basic premise keep it moving along the road, but it needs a much better script to provide the right directions.

Vanilla Sky
Watchable, provided you’ve got way too much time on your hands.

Jesus' Son
Don’t let the title put you off – this is quite a bit easier going than 'The Passion of the Christ'!

Pearl Harbor
It’s big, it’s loud, and it’s a bit of an all-American mess – but it’s not quite as bad as you might expect.

The Woodsman
Watch this gripping drama about a child molester's struggle against his own inclinations if you want to see the problem of paedophilia handled with more intelligence, sensitivity and balance than the tabloids can muster - if not, then watch it for Kevin Bacon's performance.

Criminal
Tense and twisty grifter remake - but so close to the original, it's criminal.

Dead Birds
In this prequel to all American haunted house movies, the past is just like the future.

Revolutionary Road
It doesn’t leave you feeling particularly optimistic about love, but Revolutionary Road is well acted and directed, and it’s good to see Winslet and DiCaprio together again, even like this.

News Items For Michael Shannon

Reporter's log: Venice 2009
The BBC's Keily Oakes is in Venice to witness the events and glamour surrounding this year's Venice Film Festival.

In profile: Best supporting actor nominees
Profiles of the stars nominated for best supporting actor at the 2009 Oscars.

Oscars 2009: The winners
The full list of nominees for the 81st Academy Awards.

Hollywood prepares for Oscar gala
Preparations are in full swing for Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony, with speculation rife about a different flavour to this year's proceedings.

Mother jailed over Shannon kidnap
Shannon Matthews' mother and co-accused Michael Donovan are jailed for kidnapping and imprisoning the schoolgirl in a plot to claim reward money.

News feed from BBC News
BBC News for Michael Shannon