Tag Archives: Movies

“Alas…he won’t be joining us for the rest of his life” (RIP Alan Rickman)

January 2016 will go down as a cruel time for the arts. Just days after transcendent musician David Bowie passed away at 69 from cancer, character actor extraordinaire Alan Rickman has died at the same age from the same dreadful … Continue reading

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Review: Aloha (2015)

Hey they used the old film studio logos and fanfares – that probably means something, right? A lot in ALOHA probably means something, but I’ll be damned if I can puzzle out what Cameron Crowe wanted his movie to say, … Continue reading

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Review: Black Mass (2015)

BLACK MASS is a frustrating beast. I’d recommend you just watch THE DEPARTED again instead as it’s a much better Boston gangsters and informants movie  that was partly based on Whitey Bulger’s story anyway. In the 1970s and 1980s, few … Continue reading

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Review: Wild Card (2015)

I like a Jason Statham movie as much as the next guy. There’s also a certain pleasure in seeing Statham being beaten up by a toupee-wearing Max Casella early on in the film, and in a goon having his forehead … Continue reading

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Looking Back and Looking Forward: 2015

It’s that time of year, where every critic professional and amateur alike publishes some sort of Best of the Year list. This time last year, I thought 2014 was a mixed bag. 2015 may have been even more so. There … Continue reading

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Review: Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)

First, a disclaimer: STAR WARS is one of my favourite things in this, or any, galaxy. It was my childhood playground and will always have a very special place reserved in my heart. Now arguably the most highly antipated film … Continue reading

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Review: Cop Car (2015)

Marvel Studios are unrivaled at spotting raw talent early and snapping it up before the rest of the world notices. From Tom Hiddleston to the Russo Brothers, the latest to be enlisted by the world’s most powerful film studio is … Continue reading

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Review: The Lady in the Van (2015)

It’s always nice to sit back and watch a great actor do their thing. THE LADY IN THE VAN is often just that: Maggie Smith, Alan Bennett’s words. and a camera. You might not think Bennett’s stories would be particularly … Continue reading

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Review: Bridge of Spies (2015)

The thing about Steven Spielberg is that he’s consistent. A couple of clangers aside (and 1941 and A.I ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE are at least terrible in interesting ways) you can usually rely on him to deliver something special. That goes double … Continue reading

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Review: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Extended Edition (2015)

It’s over. We now have Peter Jackson’s final Middle Earth Extended Edition. It doesn’t dramatically improve THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES but it certainly isn’t a pointless exercise in making your lean movie unwieldy like extended DESOLATION OF SMAUG. … Continue reading

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