Amon Warmann
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DVD Review: ‘Hummingbird’
★★☆☆☆ After garnering praise for his screenwriting efforts on both Dirty Pretty Things (2002) and Eastern Promises (2007), Steven Knight makes his directorial debut with Hummingbird (2013). Previously titled Redemption, this London-set thriller is not your typical Jason Statham vehicle. Yet, while “the Stath” proves he’s up to the task, the uneven screenplay is where…
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LFF 2013: ‘Don Jon’ review
★★★★☆ Having worked under the tutelage of some of Hollywood’s finest directors in his twentysomething years in the industry, it would be safe to say that Joseph Gordon-Levitt has had a masterclass in the art of filmmaking en route to making his first feature. Rather than play it safe, Gordon-Levitt has admirably chosen to tackle…
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DVD Review: ‘After Earth’
★★☆☆☆ After a string of underwhelming films, much-maligned American director M. Night Shyamalan – who was remarkably being touted as ‘the next Spielberg’ only a decade ago – is now associated with flops. For his latest endeavour, the auteur has called upon the talents of father-son duo Will and Jaden Smith for apocalyptic sci-fi After…
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DVD Review: ‘Deadfall’
★★★☆☆ Having picked up the 2008 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar with The Counterfeiters, Austrian filmmaker Stefan Ruzowitzky now makes his English-language debut with Deadfall (2012). Penned by screenwriter Zach Dean, this neo-noir thriller heads onto DVD and Blu-ray under the radar, despite its star-studded cast. Eric Bana and Olivia Wilde play Addison and Liza,…
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Film Review: ‘Emperor’
★★☆☆☆ World wars and their subsequent fallout are topics cinema loves revisiting. Directed by Peter Webber and set in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, Emperor (2012) centres on the efforts of military intelligence head Bonner Fellers (Matthew Fox) – under orders from General MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) – to investigate Emperor Hirohito’s…
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Film Review: ‘Thanks for Sharing’
★★★☆☆ The examination of sex addiction in cinema is becoming more and more frequent. Steve McQueen’s Shame (2012) was a bold exploration of the topic, whilst Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s directorial debut Don Jon (2013) will once again put the subject under the microscope. Directed by The Kids Are All Right scribe Stuart Blumberg, Thanks for Sharing…
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Film Review: ‘Cold Comes the Night’
★★☆☆☆ After earning praise for his first feature Children of Invention (2010), Tze Chun returns to cinemas with follow-up Cold Comes The Night (2013). Whilst the presence of Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston will undoubtedly pique interest, Chun’s latest is an overly safe sophomore offering. Set against a wintry backdrop, Cold Comes the Night centres on…
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Film Review: ’42’
★★★★☆ The best sports films are often those where enjoyment is not entirely dependent on a love of the game in question, and Brian Helgeland’s 42 (2013) fits that criteria perfectly. Unflinching in its depiction of the legendary Jackie Robinson’s journey from the Negro leagues to Major League Baseball, the stirring material is matched by…
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Film Review: ‘White House Down’
★★★☆☆ With an apocalyptic résumé that includes Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow and 2012, Roland Emmerich is renowned as one of the biggest purveyors of over-the-top blockbuster mayhem. White House Down (2013) is very much in the same mould; loud and unabashedly dumb, it’s fun and forgettable popcorn fodder at its purest, all wrapped…
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DVD Review: ‘Iron Man 3’
★★★★☆ Much like Tony Stark, Marvel Studios have been tinkering with Iron Man for over five years now, striving to upgrade and improve upon the previous model. In some ways, the success rate of the franchise mirrors Stark’s own cinematic journey. The first Iron Man (2008) was an unexpected hit, delighting cinemagoers whilst sowing the…