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Surveillance

21 Years

Richard Linklater

Career retrospective doc that keeps it fun and doesn’t outstay it’s welcome.


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11th Mar 2018

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By the Sea

Slated by the critics, this is a stylish, slight, small movie - with two massive stars in it.


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6th Jan 2018

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Kong

Skull Island

Fun, original take on an otherwise ageing property. Apocalypse Now meets Watchmen.


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5th Jan 2018

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I, Daniel Blake

Bleak, real-time journey through the realities of living on benefits.


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25th Dec 2017

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Lucky Logan

Amiable, zero jeopardy comedy from Soderbergh. Slightly unsure what it’s trying to be.


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2nd Dec 2017

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6 Days

Historical engaging, but languidly edited thriller surrounding the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege.


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5th Nov 2017

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The Lobster

Clever, quirky, black comedy parable that runs out of steam.


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23rd Aug 2017

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The Girl With All The Gifts

Reasonable zombie drama. More rewarding than Walking Dead, but still a bit derivative.


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14th Jul 2017

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Cake

Self-important, slightly contrived mainstream indie with the one with the good hair from Friends.


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8th Jul 2017

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Song to Song

More clichéd Terrence Malick. Amazing cinematography. Meandering improv. Great real-world settings.


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6th Jul 2017

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Jack Reacher

Never Go Back

Serviceable action sequel that ticks a lot of boxes without thinking outside of any.


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27th Jun 2017

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Jason Bourne

Tired, pointless rehash of a franchise that long ran out of steam.


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6th May 2017

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Money Monster

Tenuous financial hostage thriller, that doesn't add up to the sum of its parts.


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11th Feb 2017

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Green Room

Disappointing punk rock horror thriller, that doesn't make the best of its left field set up.


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9th Feb 2017

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Carol

Small scale period drama, anchored around strong central performances.


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15th Jan 2017

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10 Cloverfield Lane

Ambitious small scale sci-fi that drags a bit before it all gets a bit wacky.


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11th Jan 2017

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Zootropolis

Decent enough animated parable from Disney. Lacking the usual emotional Pixar punch.


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25th Dec 2016

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The Overnight

Arkward and occasionally hilarious Duplass-esque LA comedy. And only 75m long.


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26th Nov 2016

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Everybody Wants Some

Glacially paced re-hash/follow up to Dazed and Confused, with moments of fun. Great music.


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11th Nov 2016

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Black Mass

Boring, meandering re-tread of The Departed. Wannabe Scorcese, with a typically OTT Johnny Depp.


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19th Oct 2016

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20,000 Days on Earth

Pretty standard music promo from Nick Cave - extended to feature, executed with superior style.


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3rd Aug 2016

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Mission Impossible

Rogue Nation

Collection of tired Hitchcockian set pieces, with very little tying them together.


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11th Jul 2016

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Trainwreck

Enjoyable modern comedy, but it's bloated by improv and missing the magic ingredient. And no Paul Rudd.


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29th May 2016

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Far from the Madding Crowd

Surprisingly straight adaptation from Vinterberg. Shapeless, but with a few nice moments.


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7th May 2016

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The Gift

Indie Cape Fear. Intense and solidly handled, but it's all a bit one-note.


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15th Apr 2016

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Knight of Cups

Incredibly shot, but there's a lot of slow walking and one-note improv. Best on a Bill Viola level.


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18th Mar 2016

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Ant-Man

That Paul Rudd that we like gets a shot at super hero status. Solid enough, but not particularly remarkable.


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3rd Feb 2016

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Body of Lies

Expensive, glossy thriller that's trying to be gritty. Muddled and forgettable. Classic Ridley Scott.


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17th Dec 2015

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Force Majeure

Clinically executed, Kubrickian Euro drama. Intriguing concept, but it's all a bit lifeless.


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4th Dec 2015

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Good Kill

Thoughtful, but ultimately heavy-handed drone pilot drama.


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2nd Dec 2015

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Inherent Vice

Derivative, badly cast, impenetrable private dick pic. Meticulously made, but it's a bit pretentious.


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18th Nov 2015

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Ex Machina

Self conscious, pretentious Brit sci-fi that acts a lot more mysterious and enigmatic than it really is.


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8th Nov 2015

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Manson Family Vacation

Confident, small scale indie with input from the Duplass brothers.


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29th Oct 2015

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Friday Night Lights

Solid dry run that set the tone for the long form TV epic. Get 'er done.


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22nd Oct 2015

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The Disappearance Of Alice Creed

Focussed British indie thriller. Twisty, but somehow not that memorable.


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17th Oct 2015

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Zabriskie Point

Meandering, liberal arthouse pic from 69/70. It must have seemed a lot more topical at the time.

Halliwell says: Highly self-indulgent and unattractive fantasy about escape from the crudities of our over-civilised world. An expensive failure and an awful warning of what happens if you give an arty director carte blanche.


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16th Oct 2015

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Almost Famous

Like an Allman Brothers jam, this has tons of personality and moments of greatness but is way too long.


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8th Oct 2015

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Coherence

Intriguing indie sci-fi that makes the most of its small setting, before becoming a bit incoherent.


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30th Sep 2015

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The Drop

Another underwhelming, over-acted melodrama with Tom Hardy. Decent enough, but Tony Soprano can do better.


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29th Sep 2015

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Keith Richards Under The Influence

Stylish doc that avoids too much new-album promo, instead focussing on the legacy.


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29th Sep 2015

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Black Sea

Old-fashioned submarine thriller. Well put together with a great cast, but hardly full of surprises.


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19th Sep 2015

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It Might Get Loud

Stylish, but ultimately bog-standard guitar doc. You might rearrange your heroes after watching.


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30th Aug 2015

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Interstellar

Impeccably stylish but deeply flawed, sci-fi with some of the worst pacing ever. Someone reign Nolan in.


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25th Aug 2015

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Men, Women & Children

Thoughtful, high-spec indie from Jason Reitman. Nicely put together, but a little high-concept.


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16th Aug 2015

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Minions

Canny animated prequel, upping the tech style while cashing in on the banana-obsessed stars of the original.


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25th Jul 2015

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Ant-Man

Efficient Marvel shrinking antics in which that Paul Rudd that you like gets a cool suit from Michael Douglas.


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9th Jul 2015

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Ain't Them Bodies Saints

Luscious outlaw drama. Malick aspirations, hampered by pretensions and clumsy pacing.


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1st Jul 2015

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Fury

Stylish but muddled war clone, lacking the clarity of the classics. Star power pastes over the cracks.


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28th Jun 2015

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All This Mayhem

Paranoid, one-sided documentary showing an ugly slice of the 90s skate scene.


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5th Jun 2015

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The Woman In Black

Classic gothic ghost story. Thin, but well crafted with plenty of shocks.


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31st May 2015

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