Asteroid City Movie Review
That idiosyncratic nature plays out in the look of the sets and costumes, the colour palette and lighting, the dialogue and performance of the actors and the whimsical nature of the stories they tell. Seldom laugh-out-loud funny, the humour is too dexterous for that, this is the kind of mirth that builds most in remembrance.
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Trying to reduce Asteroid City to a mere synopsis does it a disservice as it is a work filled with subtext, subversion and sublim...
Sisu Movie Review
The violence is ramped up to a ridiculous extreme but since the receivers of the carnage are Nazis you don’t feel that the actions are unwarranted. It is cartoonish in nature but always entertaining. The work is littered with nods to Quentin Tarantino so if you find that auteur's take on brutality palatable then this will be right up your alley.
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Set in the waning days of World War II, a scorched Northern Finland provides the backdrop for the actions of ...
Scandinavian Film Festival 2023: Let The River Flow Movie Review
In Let The River Flow when you combine the sad and racist treatment of the Sámi people with the emerging personality of its main character Ester Isaksen (Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen) you have the basis for some looming signs of emotion.
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Ester does her best to hide her ethnicity in an attempt to fit in but her undeniable sense of heritage is brought to the forefront. Her involvement in the protest of a government’s disregard for Sámi lands by building a dam that ...
Barbie Movie Review
With a storyline that works the angle of Barbie (Margot Robbie) becoming a sentient being who begins to question the reality of her surroundings, it opens the door for some very assertive social commentary. Ideas delivered with a sly wink via an effective monologue by America Ferrera. The fully colour-saturated look is as imbued with robust ideas as those words.
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Casting Ryan Gosling as the Ken doll works well as he is unafraid to ham it up or play the fool and ...
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Those big risks give the action on-screen a much more visceral impact and the wow factor is elevated substantially. This is also needed as the character development in this, the seventh time out is minimal. Cruise is such a recognisable celebrity that it is difficult to see him other than himself but in that context, he rarely disappoints.
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The storyline of Dead Reckoning revolves around a hot topic in today’s news cycle Artificial Intelligence or AI as it is ...
Insidious: The Red Door Movie Review
Insidious: The Red Door envelopes the audience with just enough information to build a sense of unease that escalate throughout its 107-minute running time. This might underwhelm those who thirst for extreme violence or novel ways of dispatching victims.
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When you take the time and make the audience endure the pace you can build to a real climax. This is where most horror films lose the plot, too much violence and it becomes cartoonish, showing the protagonist in ...
Joy Ride Movie Review
The setup is simple Audrey (Ashley Park) and Lolo (Sherry Cola) are lifelong friends, having known each other since a very young age. Audrey is an overachieving lawyer and Lolo is a free spirit and struggling artist. Together they are the classic odd couple.
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When Audrey has to travel home to China to close a big deal she brings Lolo along and chaos ensues. The film pushes the boundaries and gloriously steps over the line time and time again. It makes you realise ...
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Movie Review
After the opening WW 2 set-piece we jump forward in time to find Jones being awoken from a deep slumber by a neighbour loudly playing the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour to herald the arrival of the first men on the moon. This expensive use of a fab four tune successfully sets up the late sixties landscape, as does the slice-of-life scenes from New York City
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Coming in contact with his goddaughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) sets in motion a contrivance that ...
No Hard Feelings Movie Review
Jennifer Lawrence plays Maddie Barker, one of the few permanent residents in Montauk, New York. The town is a destination for New Yorkers with money to while away the idyllic summer months by the water while the locals tend to their every need.
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Maddie, on the cusp of losing the house her late mother left her due to back taxes answers an ad to seduce the lonely child of a rich couple played by Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti. This predictable premise (for a ...
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Movie Review
The Transformers films have always operated at a high level of visual spectacle and basic human endeavour and the new edition is no different. Things have improved notably now that they are casting humans with more real appeal than being just eye candy even though they give them very little to do.
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Stakes have risen and it’s nothing less than the complete annihilation of planet Earth at stake. With the introduction of a new set of adversaries, the Terrorcons who ...
