Category Archives: Film Review

Review: The Lego Movie (2014)

THE LEGO MOVIE could so easily have been awful. Many, including myself, expected nothing more than a cash-in, an extended advert for pricey plastic blocks. Thankfully, it’s so much more. It’s sweet, funny, bouncy and clever, an animated adventure for … Continue reading

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Review: Ironclad (2011)

There have been a lot of historical epics in the past couple of decades – next to the superhero movie, it has become a favourite blockbuster genre, and tends to be more favoured come awards season. Though it flew somewhat under … Continue reading

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Review: Mansome (2012)

MANSOME, from documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (SUPER SIZE ME) aims to answer the question of what does being a man mean in the age of the “metrosexual”. Despite featuring entertaining, engaging interviewees giving their opinion on the subject, the debate is … Continue reading

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Review: Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Some critics have compared the Coen Brothers’ latest film, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS to their previous downbeat allegory for life and its essential rubbishness, A SERIOUS MAN. There are similarities, but in some ways I see it as more akin to … Continue reading

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Review: Captain Phillips (2013)

I’d heard great things, and expected something remarkable from CAPTAIN PHILLIPS. It’s not remarkable, it’s just decent. It’s solidly constructed, well performed, and has Paul Greengrass’ usual aesthetic of a beleaguered former journalist. The film is based on Captain Richard Phillips’ … Continue reading

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Review: Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)

It really says something when the best thing in your movie is a scene where a giant picks his nose then wraps Ewan McGregor in pastry. It’s quite frankly mind-boggling why most of the decisions in Bryan Singer’s fantasy romp … Continue reading

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Review: Her (2013)

There is no filmmaker working today quite like Spike Jonze. He’s the master of thoughtful, playfully reality-bending cinema with punchy messages. HER tells the story of Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a writer who’s life is persistently haunted by a disastrous breakup … Continue reading

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Review: You’re Next (2011/13)

YOU’RE NEXT is a good home invasion horror elevated by confidence in direction and the occasional promise of something more. It’s not a game-changer, but it’s just different enough to stand out from the rest of the all-consuming horror market. When an … Continue reading

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Review: The Frozen Ground (2013)

An inept filmmaker is one thing, an uninspired filmmaker is another, and neither do much harm in the grand scheme of things. What is more worrying is when you have an artist who’s clearly technically competent, who does their research and claims … Continue reading

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Review: The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET is a joyous, mostly unashamed feast of sin, and a pleasingly brazen, amusing and different Oscar-contender in comparison to all the more supposedly “fitting” contenders it’s up against this year. Based on Jordan Belfort’s memoir, … Continue reading

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