Category Archives: Film

Review: An Inspector Calls (2015)

This review contains spoilers for JB Priestley’s 1945 play, as well as subsequent film and TV adaptations. For the most part, the BBC’s TV adaptation of JB Priestley’s classic AN INSPECTOR CALLS, broadcast last weekend, is polished, if conventional. The … Continue reading

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Review: Legend (2015)

The first time we see Ron Kray, he’s talking animatedly about taking another man’s sausage. Over the two uneasy hours we spend with him he progresses to claiming to be able to see the future, and doesn’t seem to be … Continue reading

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Review Embargoes: A Catch-22 for All Involved

To embargo or not to embargo? That is the question. Whether gagging journalists’ criticisms pre-release or simply not showing anyone your product before the big day, it’s a major concern for film studios and their flagship blockbuster products, not to … Continue reading

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Review: Inherent Vice (2014)

Usually, a film’s plot or lack thereof is something I can rant on for hours about. Usually, if the plot doesn’t work, the film doesn’t work. That said, this is not a usual film, and I can say with absolute … Continue reading

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Review: After Earth (2013)

Wow. After the STAR WARS prequels and being subjected to four-and-a-half hours of Hayden Christensen, I didn’t think it was possible for another actor to make him look charismatic by comparison, by Jaden Smith manages it. In AFTER EARTH’S first … Continue reading

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Film Confessional: Seventh Son

I have a confession to make…I rather liked SEVENTH SON. But this isn’t going to be one of those times where I’m going to defend a much-derided work to the ends of the Earth. Seventh Son is pretty bad, there’s … Continue reading

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Review: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

2015 has been a busy year for the spy genre. Between the anarchic KINGSMAN, the thrilling MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, and the much-hyped SPECTRE lurking round the corner,  THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. had it all to prove. Guy Ritchie is in the … Continue reading

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“Enough about me, let’s talk about me…”: When Actors Play Themselves (Sort-of)

What’s an actor to do when your star persona becomes a joke? You embrace it of course, and let the audience know that you’re in on the gag. It can be incredibly self-indulgent if mishandled, but if pitched just right … Continue reading

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Review: Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)

The latest outing for Ethan Hunt and the IMF is the most ambitious and technically accomplished to date. There really is very little to ruin your enjoyment of ROGUE NATION overall, and Christopher McQuarrie equips himself admirably as the latest … Continue reading

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Review: The Homesman (2014)

Tommy Lee Jones’ return to feature directing nine years after THE THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADES ESTRADA doesn’t quite strike the same perfect balance of tone, characterisation and slow-burning story, but it does reaffirm Jones’ mercurial eye for detail and reemphasise  … Continue reading

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