Chimpomatic

Another Girl Another Planet

Thoroughly pretentious, thoroughly enjoyable 90s PXL-Vision hipster indiefest.

#JustWatched
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#CSF

4th Jun 2015

Whiplash

Inspiring, unpredictable music drama. Slow to start, but some nice turns keep it fresh for the drum solo.

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#CSF

25th May 2015

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Witty, post modern detective pic, with standout comeback turns from RDJ and Val Kilmer.

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#CSF

20th May 2015

Cold In July

Sparse, atmospheric indie thriller - which quickly breaks the template with a couple of left turns.

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17th May 2015

Sleeping Beauty

Genre-pushing 1950s Disney fairytale, this time in epic widescreen. Tastefully done.

Halliwell says: Rather stodgy, unwisely Cinemascoped feature cartoon of the old legend; very fashionable and detailed, but somehow lifeless.*

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29th Dec 2014

Terriers

Great characters, fantastic scripts, a long-game season arc and a bunch of good twists make this very watchable TV.

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26th Dec 2014

Peter Pan

Rich, action-packed Disney entry, benefitting from J. M. Barrie's more layered source material.

Halliwell says: Solidly crafted cartoon version of a famous children's play; not Disney's best work, but still miles ahead of the competition.***

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#Halliwell

26th Dec 2014

The World's Fastest Indian

Textbook, sentimental, heartstring-plucking tale - done flawlessly.

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25th Dec 2014

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Genre-defining animation from Disney. Dated in some ways, but still full of style.

Halliwell says: Disney's first feature cartoon, a mammoth enterprise which no one in the business thought would work. The romantic leads were wishy-washy but the splendid songs and the marvellous comic and villainous characters turned the film into a world-wide box office bombshell which is almost as fresh today as when it was made.****

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#Halliwell

22nd Dec 2014

The Hunt

Intense, paranoid witch hunt. Thought provoking and intricately crafted, with many stand out performances.

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19th Dec 2014

Labor Day

Powerful, stylish drama. Beautiful cinematography, anchored by strong performances and a solid script.

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12th Dec 2014

I Origins

Compelling, stylish, indie-ish sci-fi. Laced with originality, if a little heavy handed in places.

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5th Dec 2014

Nightcrawler

Electrifying modern thriller. Great script and a breakout turn from Donnie Darko. He's going to be big.

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4th Nov 2014

Up

If you like being punched in the emotional face you'll love this Pixar tearjerker. One of the best openings ever.

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25th Aug 2014

Night Moves

Classy slice of 70s film noir, with a fantastic, effortless script and a star turn from Gene Hackman.

Halliwell says: Apparently a Chandlerish mystery, this is really a Pinterish audience-teaser with obsessions about communication and the meaning of life. A smart-ass entertainment for eager trendies.*

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#Halliwell

31st Jul 2014

Searching For Sugarman

Outstanding, intriguing, moving documentary about a deep black hole in the music industry.

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#CSF

20th Jul 2014

Timecrimes

A mind bending time travel loop does a magnificent job of distracting you from an otherwise thin plot.

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7th Jul 2014

No Country For Old Men

Intense cat and mouse chase between two incredibly well drawn characters.

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26th Jun 2014

Dallas Buyers Club

Well handled drama with a powerhouse performance from McRomcomedy. Tad long.

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8th Jun 2014

Captain Phillips

Intense modern piracy drama, skilfully handled as Paul Greengrass builds the tension and intensity.

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29th Mar 2014

Before Midnight

Celine and Jesse walk and talk nine years on, as teen dreams echo through 40s reality looking for love.

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23rd Mar 2014

Wake In Fright

70s Aussie fever dream about an uptight teacher stuck in a booze-drenched Outback town full of menace.

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20th Mar 2014

12 Years A Slave

Intense, harrowing slavery biopic. Steve McQueen leaps forward with a more accomplished hand.

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8th Mar 2014

One False Move

Tense, brutal film noir. Updating western sensibilities and old-fashioned tension for the 90s.

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#CSF

25th Jan 2014

Boyhood

Epic indie odyssey from Rick Linklater, following lead actor Ellar Coltrane through 12 years of high school.

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20th Jan 2014

Dallas Buyers Club

Great Matthew McC perf as a cowboy hustling unapproved drugs in the early days of the Aids crisis.

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10th Jan 2014

The Hidden Fortress

Kurosawa's Tohoscope tour de force packs in action, a princess on the run and some great shots.

Halliwell says: In medieval Japan, the heiress of a feudal lord is saved from a bandit by a samurai. Roistering eastern Western.**

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1st Jan 2014

Prisoners

Dense, old-fashioned thriller with ratcheting tension and powerhouse turns from Gyllenhaal and Jackman.

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31st Dec 2013

The Departed

Over the top, unsubtle, bombastic and thoroughly enjoyable Scorsese picture. Great script, great turns.

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30th Dec 2013

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

The bronze medal of Indy movies, but Connery and Phoenix expand the formula.

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#CSF

26th Dec 2013

Syriana

Stylish, classy, sprawling oil epic from Traffic's Stephen Gaghan. Backed up by a great ensemble cast.

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#CSF

6th Dec 2013

Robot & Frank

Smart, touching near-future parable, with a great turn from Frank Langella.

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30th Nov 2013

White Denim

Village Underground

Quirky, erratic Texan rockers go super tight and loud. So good.

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20th Nov 2013

Robot & Frank

Subtle sci-fi that plays with ideas of memory loss, family & ageing - and has a great one last heist.

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#chimp71

19th Nov 2013

End of Watch

Witty, tense, effective police procedural, despite the contrived hidden cameras. Heat meets Blair Witch.

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#CSF

3rd Nov 2013

Side Effects

Taught, surprisingly Hitchcockian thriller, that makes for a great final film from Steven Soderbergh.

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2nd Nov 2013

Gravity

Bullock & Clooney float in space. 3D pushed to the limit, breathless tension, great shots. A proper cinema film.

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31st Oct 2013

Argo

Deftly handled period thriller, anchored by a solid script and a wide range of decent performances.

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19th Oct 2013

Django Unchained

Too long as usual, but relative restraint from Tarantino makes for his best pic since Jackie Brown.

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11th Oct 2013

25th Hour

Classy love letter to NYC from Spike Lee, with a great script and a rare, restrained turn from Ed Norton.

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10th Oct 2013

Skyfall

A semi-re-boot for James Bond, that's convoluted but with many thrilling moments and some nice twists.

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#CSF

8th Jul 2013

The Limey

I hated this kaleidoscopic, fractured thriller in '99. In hindsight it's one of Soderbergh's highlights.

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5th Jul 2013

This Is 40

Well rounded marital LOLs from @JuddApatow ...that's a little close to the bone.

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#CSF

29th Jun 2013

The Outsiders

The Complete Novel

Despite Coppola's tinkering, this melodramatic 80s classic still stands up well.

Halliwell says: Oddball youth melodrama, a curious choice for a director with big successes behind him.

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13th May 2013

Margin Call

Taut, economical thriller with a strong cast filling out some juicy roles as the financial bubble bursts.

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12th Mar 2013

Sound Of My Voice

Stylish, tightly written DIY indie sci-fi, with a cult leader claiming to be from the future.

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#CSF

25th Jan 2013

Top of the Lake

Flawless police whodunnit from Jane Campion. NZ's entry into the "unmissable TV" category.

#TV

21st Jan 2013

Another Earth

Spectacular low budget sci-fi that builds a touching human story in front of a high-concept backdrop.

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12th Jan 2013

Desperately Seeking Susan

A great story helps carry this career-launching slice of 80s New York cool briskly along.

Halliwell says: Mildly diverting romantic mystery which could have been both funnier and more thrilling.*

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#Halliwell

3rd Jan 2013

The Princess Bride

Witty, totally enjoyable fairy tale romp, with Homeland's Saul sans beard. Modern classic.

Halliwell says: Rather strained fantasy with occasional bright moments.*

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#Halliwell

31st Dec 2012