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Whiteout
Unsatisfying Antarctic murder-mystery, that wastes a great premise.
24th Jun 2013
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Neil Young
The O2
Fun theatrics and feedback hurricanes, as Crazy Horse plod in places and rage through hits in others.
18th Jun 2013
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Premium Rush
Fixie courier thriller that works, despite veering perilously close to BMX Bandits territory.
15th Jun 2013
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Manhunter
Beneath the 80s trappings, the original Lektor pic still oozes tension, style and outstanding action.
14th Jun 2013
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Behind The Candelabra
Game Douglas & Damon double act dazzles, doesn't quite transcend the bio genre. Rob Lowe: cameOH!
10th Jun 2013
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World War Z
Brad Pitt keeps his cool in a breathless globe-trotting zombie thriller that's more shock than gore.
7th Jun 2013
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Looper
Pseudo-indie, twisting sci-fi pic, that manages to be both better and worse than it could have.
6th Jun 2013
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This Is The End
Surprisingly tight apocalypse bro-com with Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel holed up in James Franco's pad.
6th Jun 2013
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Tell No One
Occasionally clumsy, but this Francosised US novel packs some decent thrills.
6th Jun 2013
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2 Days In New York
Noisy, amateurish comedy that occasionally manages to be charming.
3rd Jun 2013
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Shadow Dancer
Stylish but slight IRA informant drama, that seems to suffer from being based on a true story.
31st May 2013
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The Snowtown Murders
Stylish, intense, gruesome Australian drama that you won't watch twice.
30th May 2013
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Girl Most Likely
Kristen Wiig, Annette Bening & Matt Dillon wasted in an unlikely string of misfired life crisis gags.
30th May 2013
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Magic Mike
Fun moments and solid performances save an otherwise drawn out drama-lite.
25th May 2013
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Total Recall
Blade Runner-esque production design tops the original, but it's all undermined by a sense of deja vu.
23rd May 2013
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The Great Gatsby
Cold, empty adaptation with a few good Leo & Carey moments in a wash of flashy mega-trailer set pieces.
23rd May 2013
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Bends
An engrossing Hong Kong tale of the class divide, hampered by inexperienced direction and average performances.
19th May 2013
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Jimmy P (Psycho therapy of a Plains Indian)
Amateur direction and abysmal acting sink this painfully slow turkey.
18th May 2013
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Heli
Boring, drawn out drug cartel anecdote, with occasional ultra-violence.
18th May 2013
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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
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Prometheus
Shoddy prequel that leaves less unanswered questions on second viewing and a bigger sense of vacuousness.
11th May 2013
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The Double
Bog-standard predictably tricksy spy thriller. Richard Gere in neutral.
10th May 2013
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Ted
Base humour. Wahlberg should know better. Even the funny bits from the trailer were drawn out here.
6th May 2013
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The Aviator
Solid, but totally unremarkable Brit relationship weepy.
5th May 2013
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Having You
Solid, but totally unremarkable Brit relationship weepy.
4th May 2013
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Star Trek Into Darkness
Phasers set for fun again, Benedict Cumberbatch a decent grudgematch foe. Warp-level lens flare.
4th May 2013
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The Hunter
Patient, confident Australian environmental thriller that builds up to a decent climax.
28th Apr 2013
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Blow
Forgot I'd seen this occasionally enjoyable, sub Scorcese coke-fest. The true-story backbone is the big problem.
27th Apr 2013
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Emmanuel and the Truth About Fishes
Mis-cast drama, with a touch of horror and a serious case of student filmitis.
26th Apr 2013
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In A World
LOL-packed comedy set in the competitive world of the voice over artist, with a nicely handled subtext.
26th Apr 2013
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The Five Year Engagement
Lazy Hollywood dross that telegraphs its every move and hides no surprises.
21st Apr 2013
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Flashbacks of a Fool
Stylish but unnecessarily drawn out faded movie star film. Should have ditched the flashbacks.
14th Apr 2013
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Snow White and the Huntsman
Beautifully shot, restrained fairytale summer tent pole. If only \#LOTR was this classy.
13th Apr 2013
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Oblivion
Tom Cruise patrols empty earth in big bucks sci-fi with style. Borrows from classics but a satisfying ride.
10th Apr 2013
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The Amazing Spider-man
Solid, but essentially pointless remix that doesn't really add anything new to cinema.
8th Apr 2013
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Rock of Ages
Nostalgic music choices, but yes - it is an actual musical.
6th Apr 2013
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On the Beach
Atmospheric, somber, slow-burning, post-apocalyptic drama that fails to ignite.
Halliwell says: Gloomy prophecy which works well in spasms but is generally too content to chat rather than imagine. A solid prestige job nevertheless.**
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6th Apr 2013
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Lockout
Hideously mis-cast, B-grade Euro-blockbuster, with Luc Besson's sticky fingers all over it.
4th Apr 2013
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Ill Manors
Well-handled urban crime drama, that deals with the same old boring cliches.
3rd Apr 2013
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Mudhoney
Vanishing Point
It was 1988 when Mudhoney put their super fuzz and big muff pedals together for first single 'Touch Me I'm Sick'…a cocky, snotty finger to the man, casting the band as full-time, half-cut losers just in it for the rock n roll. 25 years and 8 albums later, who would have guessed that they would be one of the last survivors in an industry more disposable than ever?
Since 2002 they've been back on Sub Pop, where it all began, and Vanishing Point keeps the finger raised and flag flying for noisy distortion and punk rock riffs. Drummer Dan Peters kicks off opener Slipping Away, with a reminder as to why he once kept Nirvana's drum stool warm for Dave Grohl. His pounding rolls are soon joined by Steve Turner's drunken lead and the unmistakable whine of Mark Arm. A sound perfected in '88 and not tweaked since.
On first single I Like It Small, Arm sings of the ambition that never saw them scale the heights "I've got big enough balls to admit I like it small" but is probably the reason they are still together and making music. Chardonnay is a 90 second love/hate song to "The crate that launched a thousand strippers" and I Don't Remember You is a fuck you to faces from back in the day. A day that Mudhoney, unlike most of their peers, survived. That they did so without changing their attitude or sound along the way is a small victory for those of us that don't feel that different from how we did 25 years ago either.
Killer Track: The Only Son of the Widow From Nain.
1st Apr 2013 - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 3 star reviews
Brave
Decent fairytale about a highlands princess who can't bear tradition. Looks great, but lacks pure Pixar magic.
31st Mar 2013
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American Psycho
Overblown, vacuous satire that is hampered further by Christian Bale's near-slapstick performance.
Halliwell says: A daft, elegant portrait of a self-obsessed, fashionable, design-conscious man descending into psychosis as a result of his obsessions.**
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25th Mar 2013
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The Omega Man
Charlton Heston cruises an empty NYC by day, dodges albino mutants by night. Good start, lacks tension.
Halliwell says: "Realistic" version of a novel which was about vampires taking over, and was previously filmed unsatisfactorily as The Last Man On Earth. This nasty version rises to a few good action sequences but is bogged down by talk in between.*
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24th Mar 2013
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On The Beach
Cary Grant and Ava Gardner wait months for lethal atomic radiation to arrive down under. Apocalypse slow.
Halliwell says: Gloomy prophecy which works well in spasms but is generally too content to chat rather than imagine. A solid prestige job nevertheless.**
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23rd Mar 2013
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Last Days
Unrevealing, uninvolving, dull meander through the last days of a Kurt Cobain-esque grunge star.
23rd Mar 2013
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Peace, Love & Misunderstanding
Uptight Catherine Keener reconnects w Woodstock mum Jane Fonda. No surprises, good vibes.
23rd Mar 2013
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Men In Black 3
Big, brash, glitzy summer blockbuster - that's surprisingly lean, well rounded and entertaining.
22nd Mar 2013
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I'm So Excited!
Almodovar reworks Airplane! as a wild mescaline-fuelled mile-high business class satire. Mucho fun.
18th Mar 2013
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We Bought A Zoo
Low-effort, cookie cutter sentimental drama that has some merit.
17th Mar 2013
Read more 3 star reviews

