Amon Warmann
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Film Review: ‘The Way, Way Back’
★★★★☆ Cinema loves coming-of-age stories. The examination of how adolescents navigate that period in their lives has and will always make for some excellent stories. After winning an Oscar for penning Alexander Payne’s The Descendants (2011), Nat Faxon and Jim Rash have switched their focus from parents to teens for their directorial debut The Way,…
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DVD Review: ‘Olympus Has Fallen’
★★★☆☆ The first of two films this year to use the White House as its setting, Olympus Has Fallen (2013) is the latest film to adopt the time-honoured one man army vs. terrorists plot-line, and it accomplishes its task in entertaining fashion. Directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), it sees former presidential head of security…
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Film Review: ‘Elysium’
★★★★☆ Some filmmakers take their time to get into their directorial stride, ironing out their craft over a series of offerings. For South African Neill Blomkamp, however, the opposite is true. Blomkamp nailed it first time with District 9 (2009), the film striking a chord with critics and audiences alike. It’s no surprise then that…
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Film Review: ‘Planes’
★★☆☆☆ Following the enormous commercial success of Pixar’s merch machine Cars (2006) and its sequel, it’s unsurprising – if a little disheartening – that we now have Planes (2013), a Disney spin-off set in the same universe. You’d be forgiven for thinking that the project sounds lazy, particularly for a studio known for its originality,…
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Interview: ‘Elysium’ star Sharlto Copley
District 9 director Neill Blomkamp returns to cinemas this month with his eagerly awaited follow-up, Elysium (2013). Set in 2159, in a future dystopia where the wealthy live on man-made space station Elysium and the rest of humanity inhabit a ravaged Earth, the film centres on the story of Max DeCosta (Matt Damon). After an…
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Film Review: ‘The Wolverine’
★★★☆☆ Whilst Wolverine remains one of Marvel’s most popular characters, his latest big screen appearance is low on hype. Maybe because it’s released in the same year as superhero juggernauts Iron Man 3 and Man of Steel, or perhaps the critically-savaged X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) is still weighing on people’s minds. James Mangold’s The Wolverine…
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Special Feature: First trailer for ’12 Years a Slave’
Often said to be America’s ‘original sin’, slavery is a topic which has formed the basis of many a powerful drama. Most recently, Quentin Tarantino and Steven Spielberg have each analysed the subject in their own unique ways in Django Unchained (2012) and Lincoln (2012) respectively, and the next to do so will be Steve…
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Film Review: ‘Snitch’
★★★☆☆ Through course of association, the merest reference to former wrestling superstar Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson automatically brings to mind testosterone-filled actioners, and for good reason; this year alone the actor has starred in the enjoyable Fast & Furious 6 and the not-so-enjoyable G.I. Joe: Retaliation. With Snitch (2013), however, Johnson’s machismo is dialled down…
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Film Review: ‘The Hangover Part III’
★★☆☆☆ There are some films which simply don’t need sequels, but these days it’s increasingly likely that studios will green-light follow-ups after an a successful first outing. Such was the case with The Hangover (2009); the film struck a tone with cinemagoers, but spawned a lacklustre sequel. Director Todd Phillips and co are back for…
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Film Review: ‘Fast & Furious 6
★★★☆☆ With Fast Five (2011), director Justin Lin – with a little assistance from Dwayne Johnson’s newcomer Agent Hobbs – managed to reinvigorate the ailing Fast & Furious movie franchise. Racing to $626 million at the global box office, it’s no surprise that everyone is back for another round of vehicular warfare. Offering more of…