Reviews
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Film Review: One and Two
★★☆☆☆ The richly shot opening images of Andrew Droz Palermo’s debut feature hold much promise. Sadly, One and Two doesn’t go on to deliver. From murky depths, light penetrates a body of water which is pierced by two figures. A boy and girl contemplate the stunning reflection of a twilight sky playing on its surface.…
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Film Review: Innocence of Memories
★★★★☆ Fans of Terence Davies’ heartfelt ode to his hometown Liverpool in Of Time and the City will be drawn to Innocence of Memories, from fellow British filmmaker Grant Gee. A slow-paced yet mesmerising documentary, it interweaves an epic romance and nostalgic love letter to Istanbul to shed light on the past, present and future…
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Film Review: Dirty Grandpa
★☆☆☆☆ Dan Mazer’s Dirty Grandpa sets up its stall as an irreverent and defiantly non-PC comedy vehicle for Robert De Niro. At least that’s the idea and intention. And we all know what the road to hell is paved with, right? What actually unfolds across a hard slog 102 minutes is a dumb, mean-spirited and…
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Film Review: Backtrack
★★★☆☆ Adrien Brody has never been one to take the predictable route when it comes to his choice of roles. His body of work encompasses an array of unusual characters found in projects ranging from independent to high-profile outings. He consistently surprises, maintaining a quality output with every new venture. Such is the case with…
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Film Review: 13 Hours
★★☆☆☆ Michael Bay dialling it back still leaves plenty of room for bombast, bombs and baloney. 13 Hours isn’t a shrill Fox News version of recent world events exactly, but it makes no bones about the failings of the Obama administration, intelligence gatherings screw-ups and funding cutbacks which led to the kind of minor-calamity-turned-into-a-political- hot-potato…
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DVD Review: Legend
★★☆☆☆ The latest feature from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Brian Helgeland, whose career has been peppered with a starkly varied series of films, from L.A. Confidential to postmodern period comedy A Knight’s Tale, Legend presents him with a fascinating canvas upon which to paint a portrait of two of post-war London’s most historically notorious figures –…
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DVD Review: A Touch of Zen
★★★★★ Most Western audiences could probably name a handful of important kung fu films – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers, perhaps a smattering of Bruce Lee flicks – but it is King Hu’s A Touch of Zen that set the template for all kung fu cinema to follow. In A Touch of…
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Film Review: Lost in Karastan
★★☆☆☆ Coming to you from a newly autonomous republic somewhere in the vast plains of the Caucasus is a real oddity. Lost in Karastan – the latest offering from British filmmaker Ben Hopkins – is difficult to pin down. Modelling itself as a satirical black comedy interrogating the nature of creativity, art vs. love, and…
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Film Review: Dark Places
★☆☆☆☆ After the dark satire of David Fincher’s excellent Gone Girl, the possibility of fast-tracking another of Gillian Flynn’s intricately plotted thrillers from page to screen must have seemed like a fantastic idea. Dark Places revolves around another complicated woman, the kind of role that Charlize Theron would be perfect for if she added a…
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Film Review: Attacking the Devil
★★★★☆ “What kind of adolescence will a ten year old boy look forward to when he has no arms, no legs and is only two feet tall? How can an eleven year old girl look forward to laughing and loving when she has no hand to be held and no legs to dance on?” This…