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Surveillance

What Just Happened?

Engaging, stylish black comedy with DeNiro on rare decent form. Great Bruce WIllis beard cameo.


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31st Dec 2012

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It's A Wonderful Life

Inspiring, slow-burning sentimental Christmas classic with vintage waterworks finale. \#BTTFII.

Halliwell says: Superbly assembled small-town comedy drama in a fantasy framework; arguably Capra's best and most typical work.****


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26th Dec 2012

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Hugo

Touching homage to cinema from that guy that did Goodfellas, tucked away behind a broad brushstrokes kids film.


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25th Dec 2012

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Seven

The edgy extremities may have worn with time but David Fincher's masterpiece still packs an accomplished punch.


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16th Dec 2012

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Ladyhawk

No Can Do

I stupidly under-rated this album for a few weeks. So many hooks.


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12th Dec 2012

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Timecrimes

Ingenious Spanish thriller that ties itself up in all kinds of knots.


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6th Dec 2012

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Lincoln

Daniel Day-Lewis is Oscar-bait in Spielberg's history lesson, a West Wing 1860 full of wit & political drama.


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13th Nov 2012

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Skyfall

Solid, stylish, well-rounded Bond - that tips its hat while also serving as something of a reboot.


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26th Oct 2012

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Argo

(dir. Ben Affleck)

Trenchcoats, crazy CIA plans, beards and a gripping true life hostage situation - there's a lot to enjoy in Ben Affleck's latest. Following The Town and Gone, Baby Gone, this is another assured directorial job from Affleck, here channeling the spirit of 70s classics like All The President's Men and Klute to craft an intelligent, grown-up thriller that doesn't have to resort to shoot-outs to ratchet up the tension. Bonus points for Van Halen and Led Zep on the soundtrack.

Tehran 1979: Ayatollah Khomeni's revolution is in full swing, the US embassy is stormed, 52 hostages taken - but six staff members manage to escape in the confusion and seek refuge in the Canadian embassy. Back in Washington, Carter-era spooks concoct "exfiltration" plans - with "the best bad idea" being a fake Hollywood production company scouting middle eastern locations for a Star Wars rip-off.

The film keeps the potential for any "Hollywood - so CRAZY!!" stuff to a minimum - managing to contrast it with the intensity of 70s revolutionary Tehran without resorting to Get Shorty wackiness. Max graininess in the cinematography (shot with an Arri Alexa, fact fans, as well as "on film, cut in half, blown up 200%" according to IMDB trivia) combines with actual news footage to build convincing period atmosphere. 

Affleck plays Tony Mendez, the CIA agent leading the plan, a role that plays to his strengths. The rest of the casting is spot on - Bryan "Breaking Bad" Cranston, Tate "Damages" Donovan, John Goodman as Hollywood make-up expert John Chambers (responsible for Planet Of The Apes' apes and Spock's ears), Alan Arkin, Victor Garber, Rory "Dazed And Confused" Cochrane, Titus (Lost's Man in Black) Welliver, Scoot (Monsters) McNairy and a cameo from Adrienne Barbeau in the goofy Argo cast's table read.

For more background, here's the Wired article on the actual CIA operation and the real-life fake movie. It's a great read, though obviously it's pretty much the entire plot. One nice detail that gets a little lost in the film - Captain America co-creator Jack Kirby did the original comic strip-style production drawings.

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24th Oct 2012 - Add Comment - Tweet

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Looper

Decent time-travel conundrums from @RCJohnso in this indie-meets-tentpole scifi effort. A bit like 12 Monkeys.


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3rd Oct 2012

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Tyrannosaur

Gut-wrenching drama from Paddy Considine. Desperate, raging performances from Peter Mullan, Olivia Colman.


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12th Sep 2012

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A Separation

Elegant, multi-sided family drama from Iran that unravels a complex mess from everyday moments.


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23rd Jul 2012

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We Need To Talk About Kevin

Accomplished, terrifying, kaleidoscopic portrait of a child's descent to the dark side.


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29th Jun 2012

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Martha Marcy May Marlene

Absorbing psychological indie cult-escape drama. Beautifully written, shot and directed.


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4th Jun 2012

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Chronicle

Well-executed found-footage teens w powers drama; tight, great characters, understated FX.


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1st May 2012

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Billy Bragg and Wilco

Mermaid Avenue Complete Sessions

Great round up of the project with 3rd disc and DVD doc.


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30th Apr 2012

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Collateral

A hokey ending, but the set-pieces and edgy technical direction still make for an often riveting thriller.


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16th Apr 2012

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Senna

Compelling doc about the Brasilian F1 driver edited from existing footage. Great ride even if you find F1 dull.


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21st Mar 2012

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12 Monkeys

Engaging but overblown sci-fi romp, as Terry Gilliam stretches a 5 min experimental film out to 2 hours.


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20th Mar 2012

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Luck

A strong cast and confident direction get this Michael Mann show off to a strong start. Let's hope it grows.


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18th Feb 2012

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June Tabor and Oysterband

Chichester Festival Theatre

West Sussex based organisation “Roots around the World” have organised a music festival "The Britfolk Footprint" as part of their efforts to promote both new and established artists. This was the headline evening of the festival with veterans June Tabor and Oysterband top of the bill. Their act was largely based around their two collaborative albums, the folk rock classic "Freedom and Rain" and their current much acclaimed "Ragged Kingdom".

The performance got off to the best possible start with the rousing traditional "Bonny Bunch Of Roses" modified to blend folk diva Tabor's smooth and melodious voice with the stomping backing of the Oysterband. However it was not all folk based music as they worked their way through PJ Harvey’s "That Was My Veil", Dylan’s "Seven Curses", Joy Division’s "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and an excellent duet between Tabor and John Jones of the soul classic "Dark End of the Street". The finishing number was the powerfully delivered Jefferson Airplane 60’s classic "White Rabbit".

On the 8th February, the artists scooped four awards at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, including Best Singer, Best Group and Best Album (Ragged Kingdom), making our attendance very timely.

The support acts for the evening were provided by talented and gimmick free English folk trio "Pilgrim’s Way", and singer guitarist Sean Taylor.

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13th Feb 2012 - Add Comment - Tweet

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True Grit

Sumptuous, beautifully shot, stylish western. Its slowness is saved by a couple of great set pieces.


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23rd Jan 2012

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True Grit

Jeff Bridges saddles up for a manhunt w Matt Damon & Hailee Steinfeld. Nobody does ornery better: true great.


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21st Jan 2012

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Leon

It seemed derivative at the time, but Luc Besson's hit man flick brought some edgy originality to Hollywood.


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13th Jan 2012

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Betrayed

Detailed, absorbing thriller from Costas Garvas, as Debra Winger goes undercover with the KKK.

Halliwell says: Heavygoing piece with Something to Say, but not much to watch.*


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3rd Jan 2012

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Tootsie

Still great 80s drag comedy w Dustin Hoffman scoring a soap job in heels. Bonus: Bill Murray as his flatmate.

Halliwell says: As with Genevieve and Whisky Galore, an unlikely comedy subject makes an instant classic. It's all in the handling.**


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3rd Jan 2012

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What Just Happened

Dark, stylish, humorous dissection of the movie biz ...that only makes me want to live in LA.


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2nd Jan 2012

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Drive

Still derivative. Still borderline pretentious. Still enjoyable.


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1st Jan 2012

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The King's Speech

A touching, powerful story. Well acted and adequately told.


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26th Dec 2011

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Thelma and Louise

Stylish feminist road movie that saw a return to form for Ridley Scott. Feminists might disagree.

Halliwell says: Timely, exuberant and off-beat feminist road movie that manages to say something interesting about the relationship between the sexes.***


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18th Dec 2011

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Wassail

Poole Lighthouse

This concert included some of Dorset’s finest musicians - The New Scorpion Band, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Purbeck Village Quire and the St. Osmund Singers. They blended magnificently to produce a great evening of everything that is traditional about Christmas.

The Scorpions are a group of musician/composers – several of whom regularly perform at the Globe Theatre - who sing and play unamplified music using a wide variety of historical instruments. However, amplification was hardly necessary with the full BSO behind them and they produced a varied and very enjoyable selection of music and verse. Highlights were Sans Day Carol and the Dorset Mummers’ Play whilst the BSO excelled with Warlock’s Bethlehem Down and Vaughan Williams’ English Folksong Suite.

This conceptual concert started at the Lighthouse in 2010 and returned by popular request, whilst now also expanding to a tour with new venues in Bristol and Portsmouth. Look out for further expansion in the years ahead.

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18th Dec 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet

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The Bicycle Thief

Italian neo-realist classic, as area man struggles to find work and the necessary tools to do it.

Halliwell says: The epitome of Italian neo-realism, the slight human drama is developed so that it has all the force of King Lear, and both the acting and the backgrounds are vividly compelling.***


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14th Dec 2011

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Up

Touching, magical animated adventure - with one of the most powerful openings of any film.


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18th Nov 2011

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PJ20

Engaging, kaleidoscopic movie documenting the life and times of @PearlJam and the Seattle music explosion.


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12th Nov 2011

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Kurt Vile

So Outta Reach EP

Another great set of tracks from the busy long hair. 'The Creature' is magnificent.


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10th Nov 2011

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My Morning Jacket

Roundhouse

A near flawless set and perfect venue elevated this to more than just another MMJ show.


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8th Nov 2011

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Life In A Day

Touching, inspiring, crowd sourced documentary. Like a people-centric Koyannisqatsi.


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5th Nov 2011

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Drive

Cliched, shamelessly derivative, thoroughly entertaining, 80s-drenched, LA car chase movie.


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23rd Sep 2011

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Days of Heaven

Dated, but still majestic slice of 1970's Terrence Malick. Amazing photography and atmosphere.

Halliwell says: Visually a superb slice of period life, let down by obsessively self-important and symbolic drama; also by imperfect sound recording.**


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2nd Sep 2011

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The War On Drugs

Slave Ambient

Impressive expansion from Future Weather EP. Nicely rocking the Kurt Vile vibe.


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2nd Sep 2011

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Ian Vine

40 Works For Richard

Party-shuffle ready collection of contemporary classical cuts from chimp alumni.


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30th Aug 2011

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All Of My Friends Are Superheroes

Andrew Kaufman

Delightful short story full of insight and heartbreak. Recommended.


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30th Aug 2011

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Inception

The worlds most expensive and profitable student film. Well handled, hokey fun. Smoke a bowl first.


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29th Aug 2011

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Jonathan Wilson

Gentle Spirit

Deep longjam Laurel Canyon vibes. COMMUTER ALERT so mellow you might miss yr stop


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23rd Aug 2011

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Fish Tank

Hardly a laugh a minute, as Andrea Arnold returns to familiar ground for her most accomplished film yet.


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22nd Aug 2011

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Electrelane

XOYO

Thunderous, awe inspiring gig from the chimp playlist veterans. Big, fast, loud and cool as fuck


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16th Aug 2011

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The Secret In Their Eyes

Classy Argentinian murder-mystery, that deservedly took home the Best Foreign Film Oscar.


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6th Aug 2011

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Henry V

Dated but assured adaptation from the young Kenneth Branagh. Highlighted by the rain of the English Longbow.

Halliwell says: A darker film than Olivier's, with which it can stand comparison, stressing the brutality of war.***


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6th Aug 2011

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