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A Hologram For The King (Blu-ray Review)

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hologram-for-the-king-slideStarring: Tom Hanks, Alexander Black, Sarita Choudhury, Sidse Babett Knudsen
Directed By: Tom Tykwer
Running Time: 98 mins
BBFC Certificate: 12
UK Release Date: September 19th 2016 (UK)

Our Score

Alan (Tom Hanks) is a middle-aged businessman whose life isn’t turning out how he planned. His boss doesn’t think he’s particularly good at his job, he’s divorced, and feels a bit of a failure towards his daughter as his debt means he can’t afford to pay her college tuition fees. However, he now has a new opportunity, heading off to Saudi Arabia to give a presentation about a holographic IT system to the King.

He expects to be a stranger in a strange land, but finds that in some ways things are more similar that he expected, while in others they’re more strange. He gets into a bit of a Waiting For Godot situation where he spends much of his time being palmed off and ignored as he waits for the arrival on the King, who may never turn up. He also discovers the massive city his company is hoping to get the IT contract for, is nothing but a welcome centre in the desert, waiting for other building to come along. [Read more…]

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A Hologram for the King (Cinema Review)

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hologram-for-the-king-slideStarring: Tom Hanks, Alexander Black, Sarita Choudhury
Directed By: Tom Twyker
Running Time: 98 Minutes
BBFC Certificate: 12A
UK Release Date: 20th May, 2016

Our Score

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a film starring Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks, although Bridge of Spies (2015) is on my list to watch. The last film I can recall was Cloud Atlas back in 2012, which due to mixed reviews and lack of marketing seemed to bomb at the box office. However that film is definitely worth a watch and best done at home due to the complex intertwining storyline and a runtime of almost 3 hours.

Hanks has reunited with Cloud Atlas co-director Tom Tykwer for another film based on an international bestseller. As per most films I review, I knew next to nothing about this one, and was initially hopeful to be surprised by an independent film about self-discovery (as per the film’s poster) with the visual flare of Tykwer’s 1998 film Run Lola Run. [Read more…]

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A Hologram for the King Trailer – Tom Hanks heads for Saudi Arabia in Tom Twyker’s movie

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hologram-for-the-king-slideHot on the heels of the first image from the movie comes the trailer for A Hologram for the King, the movie that reunites Tom Hanks with one of his Cloud Atlas directors, Tom Twyker, and sends him to the Middle East. A UK release date of May 20th has also just been announced.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Starring Academy Award® winner Tom Hanks, A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING follows businessman Alan Clay (Hanks) on a journey halfway around the world, far from his American roots, to a rising Saudi Arabian city.

‘Based on the best-selling novel by Dave Eggers, Clay is dispatched to pitch a new IT contract to a wealthy King, a project that must be a success for him to stave off bankruptcy, pay his daughter’s college fees, and finally accomplish something big.

‘Tom Tykwer’s comedy-drama is a portrait of the transcendent power of love, recounting the journey of a man in a country that requires him to rise to completely unknown challenges – and that answers old questions in new and unexpected ways.

‘A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING reunites Hanks and Tykwer, who previously worked together on Cloud Atlas. The film also stars Sarita Choudhury (Homeland), Sidse Babett Knudsen (Borgen), Ben Whishaw (Spectre), Tracey Fairaway (Enough Said), David Menkin (Zero Dark Thirty) and Tom Skerritt (Ted, Top Gun).’ [Read more…]

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