Joseph Walsh
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Film Review: ‘Chariots of Fire’
★★★☆☆ Winner of four Academy Awards, director Hugh Hudson’s 1981 hit Chariots of Fire holds a great deal of nostalgia and charm but is best remembered for its use of slow motion and Vangelis’ memorable score. This newly-remastered version of the film is to be released as part of the celebrations of this summer’s London…
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Film Review: ‘The Soul of Flies’
★★☆☆☆ The Soul of Flies (2010) is a comic and at times poignant story of two brothers who have never met until their father invites them both to his funeral. Set amidst the Castilian plains of Spain, Jonathan Cenzual Burely’s whimsical directorial debut finds the two brothers stranded at a deserted train station. Stranded for the foreseeable future, they have little choice…
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DVD Review: ‘Trishna’
★★☆☆☆ For the third time, British director Michael Winterbottom once again attempts to breathe cinematic life into the works of 19th century author Thomas Hardy, one of the countries most beloved writers. Having previously adapted Jude The Obscure (given the cut-down title, Jude, in 1996) and transported The Mayor of Casterbridge to 19th century America…
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Film Review: Strawberry Fields
★★★☆☆ The second feature from British director Francis Lea (and part of the successful Microwave film funding scheme), Strawberry Fields (2012) is a powerful, at times twisted drama surrounding two emotionally dysfunctional sisters who are in love with the same man – but for very different reasons. Opening with a young Gillian (Anna Madeley) cycling…
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Film Review: ‘The Hunter’ (2011)
★★★★☆ Australian director Daniel Nettheim adapts fellow countryman Julia Leigh’s philosophical thriller The Hunter (2011), in what is a compelling, if flawed, debut feature. Gun-for-hire Martin (Willem Dafoe) is sent to the wilds of Tasmania by a mysterious European biotech firm to hunt the presumed-extinct thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger. Taken in by a grieving widow…
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Film Review: ‘Quatermass and the Pit’
★★★★★ The sci-fi cult classic Quatermass and the Pit (1967), directed by long-time Amicus and Hammer director Roy Ward Baker (who sadly died last year) and written by Nigel Kneale (who wrote the recent Quatermass Experiment staring Mark Gatiss), is at last being rereleased in cinemas this week via StudioCanal – which should be joy…
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DVD Review: ‘Requiem for a Killer’
★☆☆☆☆ Writer-director Jérôme Le Gris’ debut feature Requiem for a Killer (2011) is a laughably bad thriller from beginning to end, focusing on the last days of a pseudo-femme-fatal Lucrèce (Mélanie Laurent). Tired of being a gun for hire, Lucrèce agrees to take one last job before she can devote her time with her eight-year-old…
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Interview: Todd Solondz, director of ‘Dark Horse’
Director Todd Solondz has always been know for controversial themes in his films such as Life During Wartime (2009), Palindromes (2004) and Storytelling (2001), but in his latest film Dark Horse (2011), starring Jordan Gelber and Selma Blair, he has taken a more heart warming approach. CineVue met up with the US filmmaker to discuss…
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Interview: William Friedkin, director of ‘Killer Joe’
American director William Friedkin has made a triumphant return with his latest feature Killer Joe (2011), starring Matthew Mcconaughey, Emile Hirsch and Juno Temple. Surrounding a group of morally warped characters, Killer Joe is the story of Joe Cooper, a corrupt cop who moonlights as a hitman. CineVue met up with William Friedkin to discuss his new…
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Film Review: ‘The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie’
★★★★★ Made by Spanish-born director Luis Buñuel in 1972, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is a deliciously surreal comedy rereleased by StudioCanal and the ICA for the film’s 40th Anniversary. The plot is an inversion of Buñuel’s earlier work The Exterminating Angel (1962) where a group of friends are unable to leave a dinner…