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Author Archives: Sam Sewell-Peterson
Review in Brief: Hostiles (2017)
I don’t think we’re ever going to see a Western that’s not bleak again; it just wouldn’t be taken seriously. We’ve had an influx of de-romanticised frowny-face examples of America’s Favourite Genre over the last few years (this is my … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Film Review
Tagged Christian Bale, Western, Out of the Furnace, Scott Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Black Mass, Slow West, Hostiles
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50s Review: Rear Window (1954)
Alfred Hitchcock loved screwing with his audience. From the many Macguffins scattered throughout his works to killing off protagonists halfway through and making us doubt our own perceptions, he used pretty much every twist and trick in a skilled director’s … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Film Review
Tagged 1950s, Alfred Hitchcock, Black Comedy, Frank Cady, Georgine Darcy, Grace Kelly, James Stewart, Judith Evelyn, Rear Window, Sara Berner, Thelma Ritter, Thriller, Wendell Corey
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Review: BlacKkKlansman (2018)
I’m still reeling from the final moments of BLACKKKLANSMAN – no other film of 2018 will pack quite as forceful a denouement. Nowhere else is Spike Lee’s mastery of blending of subjective emotion-driven storytelling with documentary filmmaking techniques more apparent, … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Film Review
Tagged 13th, Adam Driver, Alec Baldwin, Ava DuVernay, Biopic, Black Comedy, BlackKklansman, Drama, James Brown, John David Washington, Oscars, Ron Stallworth, Spike Lee, Topher Grace
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Underwhelming Netflix Sci-fi Double Bill: We’ve been here before, but better
It’s been widely discussed that Netflix is fast-becoming a graveyard for genre films. It seems like whenever a major studio has doubts about a project in development (particularly horror or sci-fi), or one which is approaching release with too much … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Film Review
Tagged Ant-Man, Battle Los Angeles, Extinction, Gary Oldman, Maika Monroe, Michael Peña, Mute, Netflix, Sci-fi, Skyline, Tau, The Cloverfield Paradox
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Review: Cargo (2017/18)
CARGO is not to be confused with Cargo, the not particularly good Swiss ALIEN/MATRIX mashup from 2009. But I don’t think many people saw that one, so the mixup is unlikely. Netflix’s Cargo is, to put it simply, an Australian … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Film Review
Tagged Alien, Ben Howling, Cargo, Drama, Horror, Martin Freeman, Sci-fi, Susie Porter, The Matrix, Yolanda Ramke, Zombie Movie
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Review in Brief: The Florida Project (2017)
I’ve no idea why it took me so long to watch THE FLORIDA PROJECT, one of the best films of 2017. So few films (STAND BY ME and the new IT spring to mind as other good examples) show kids … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Film Review
Tagged Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Chinatown, Drama, It, Stand By Me, The Florida Project, Willem Dafoe
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30s Review: The Wizard of Oz (1939)
A couple of weekends back I attended my first ever outdoor film screening as part of Film 4’s Summer Screen at Somerset House in London. It was a dream-themed double-bill of LABYRINTH followed by what I think most of the … Continue reading
Review in Brief: Berlin Syndrome (2017)
BERLIN SYNDROME takes simple exploitation film premise, “nice boy you met on holiday turns out to be a kidnapping psychopath” and goes far deeper into the psychological makeup of these characters who could very easily just be archetypes. It portrays … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Film Review
Tagged Berlin Syndrome, Black Widow, Cate Shortland, Drama, Max Riemelt, Teresa Palmer, Thriller
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Review: The Meg (2018)
Keep an ear out for this exchange in pubs over the next few months: ” Did you see that Jason Statham Giant Shark Movie? Yeah, it was alright I guess”. That’s how THE MEG is going to be remembered because … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Film Review
Tagged B-movie, Deep Blue Sea, Jason Statham, Jaws 2, Li Bingbing, LL Cool J, Monster Movie, Rainn Wilson, Sophia Cai, The Meg, Thriller, Winston Chao
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