Reviews
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DVD Releases: ‘The Secret of Kells’
If you go down in the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise: The Secret of Kells (2009) is a weirdly unique Irish animation which tells the story of the Book of Kells – currently on display in Dublin’s Trinity College – a colourful manuscript made by monks in a tiny village who were…
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DVD Review: ‘Predators’
★★★☆☆ It’s no surprise producer Robert Rodriguez and director Nimród Antal stressed that they wanted this film to be seen as a sequel only to the original Predator (1987) movie, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. With their simplified plots and cartoon-like feel, it was also no wonder that Predator 2 (1990) and the two spin-off Alien…
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DVD Review: ‘Carlos the Jackal’
★★☆☆☆ To begin, I must admit that I have only been exposed to the 2 ½ hour “movie version” cut of Olivier Assayas’ Carlos the Jackal (2010), truncated from the original 5 hour TV mini-series by its director in order to make it more palatable for cinema audiences.From other, informed accounts, the longer version appears to be…
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Theatrical Releases: ‘The Hunter’
The Hunter (2010) is Iranian-British director Rafi Pitts’ follow-up to his acclaimed 2006 film It’s Winter. Again, we are in Iran, just before the elections. Progress is evident in the vast cranes that dominate the skyline, but the film’s opening shots reveal Tehran to be a concrete jungle, bleached of colour. There are endless traffic jams on…
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Film Review: Paranormal Activity 2
★★★★☆ Paranormal Activity was the infamous movie that spooked Steven Spielberg (who quickly jumped in to help distribute the film), and had audiences jolting out of their seats last year. It centred around the lives of a couple, Katie (Katie Featherstone) and Micah (Micah Stoat), who upon moving into a new apartment begin experiencing a number…
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Theatrical Releases: ‘Saw 3D: The Final Chapter’
Someone could argue (though probably not myself) that the supposed finale to the seemingly never-ending Saw saga, Saw 3D: The Final Chapter (2010), is also the end of a defined horror movie era, with the franchise having been with us for the majority of the Noughties. It all started in a basement with two strangers,…
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LFF 2010: ‘Black Swan’ review
★★★★★ Black Swan (2010) is a work of chilling beauty. Its excellent cinematography, dance, and music all accompanied by the performance of an exciting cast makes it a delicacy for the eyes and ears but much like any other Darren Aronofsky film, it requires some unravelling and consideration.Black Swan has a narrative that works on…
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LFF 2010: ‘The King’s Speech’ review
★★★★☆ The King’s Speech (2010) delves deep into the relationship between two men – one a common man and the other a royal – by exploring the romance of true friendship and asks us to invest ourselves emotionally in such a relationship. The film traces the turbulent and painful accession to the throne of King George…
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DVD Releases: ‘Night of the Demons’ (2009)
Night of the Demons (2009) director Adam Gierasch said he wanted to make the “ultimate film that my seventeen year old self wanted to see”, with “punk rock, demons, scantily clothed women, gore and big scares”. Excluding the “big scares”, he manages to put all those things together – the result, however, is probably not…
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DVD Releases: ‘Iron Man 2’
US multi-billionaire Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) superhero ‘alter ego’ was revealed to the world at the end of Iron Man (2008), and John Favreau’s follow up Iron Man 2 (2010) picks up where we left off, with Stark attempting to market his new Iron Man ‘brand’. However (as all superhero’s must learn) with power – be it physical or financial – comes ‘great responsibility’.The United States…
