Chimpomatic

Whiteout

Unsatisfying Antarctic murder-mystery, that wastes a great premise.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

24th Jun 2013

Neil Young

The O2

Fun theatrics and feedback hurricanes, as Crazy Horse plod in places and rage through hits in others.

#Gig

18th Jun 2013

Premium Rush

Fixie courier thriller that works, despite veering perilously close to BMX Bandits territory.

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#CSF

15th Jun 2013

Manhunter

Beneath the 80s trappings, the original Lektor pic still oozes tension, style and outstanding action.

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#CSF

14th Jun 2013

Behind The Candelabra

Game Douglas & Damon double act dazzles, doesn't quite transcend the bio genre. Rob Lowe: cameOH!

#Screened
#Film
#chimp71

10th Jun 2013

World War Z

Brad Pitt keeps his cool in a breathless globe-trotting zombie thriller that's more shock than gore.

#Screened
#Film
#chimp71

7th Jun 2013

Looper

Pseudo-indie, twisting sci-fi pic, that manages to be both better and worse than it could have.

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#CSF

6th Jun 2013

This Is The End

Surprisingly tight apocalypse bro-com with Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel holed up in James Franco's pad.

#Screened
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#chimp71

6th Jun 2013

Tell No One

Occasionally clumsy, but this Francosised US novel packs some decent thrills.

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#CSF

6th Jun 2013

2 Days In New York

Noisy, amateurish comedy that occasionally manages to be charming.

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#CSF

3rd Jun 2013

Shadow Dancer

Stylish but slight IRA informant drama, that seems to suffer from being based on a true story.

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#CSF

31st May 2013

The Snowtown Murders

Stylish, intense, gruesome Australian drama that you won't watch twice.

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#CSF

30th May 2013

Girl Most Likely

Kristen Wiig, Annette Bening & Matt Dillon wasted in an unlikely string of misfired life crisis gags.

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#chimp71

30th May 2013

Magic Mike

Fun moments and solid performances save an otherwise drawn out drama-lite.

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#CSF

25th May 2013

Total Recall

Blade Runner-esque production design tops the original, but it's all undermined by a sense of deja vu.

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#CSF

23rd May 2013

The Great Gatsby

Cold, empty adaptation with a few good Leo & Carey moments in a wash of flashy mega-trailer set pieces.

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#chimp71

23rd May 2013

Bends

An engrossing Hong Kong tale of the class divide, hampered by inexperienced direction and average performances.

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#CSF

19th May 2013

Jimmy P (Psycho therapy of a Plains Indian)

Amateur direction and abysmal acting sink this painfully slow turkey.

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#CSF

18th May 2013

Heli

Boring, drawn out drug cartel anecdote, with occasional ultra-violence.

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#CSF

18th May 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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#CSF
#Halliwell

13th May 2013

Prometheus

Shoddy prequel that leaves less unanswered questions on second viewing and a bigger sense of vacuousness.

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#CSF

11th May 2013

The Double

Bog-standard predictably tricksy spy thriller. Richard Gere in neutral.

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#CSF

10th May 2013

The Raid

If you like never-ending punch-ups, you'll love this.

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#CSF

7th May 2013

Ted

Base humour. Wahlberg should know better. Even the funny bits from the trailer were drawn out here.

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#CSF

6th May 2013

The Aviator

Solid, but totally unremarkable Brit relationship weepy.

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#CSF

5th May 2013

Having You

Solid, but totally unremarkable Brit relationship weepy.

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#CSF

4th May 2013

Star Trek Into Darkness

Phasers set for fun again, Benedict Cumberbatch a decent grudgematch foe. Warp-level lens flare.

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#chimp71

4th May 2013

The Hunter

Patient, confident Australian environmental thriller that builds up to a decent climax.

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#CSF

28th Apr 2013

Blow

Forgot I'd seen this occasionally enjoyable, sub Scorcese coke-fest. The true-story backbone is the big problem.

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#CSF

27th Apr 2013

Emmanuel and the Truth About Fishes

Mis-cast drama, with a touch of horror and a serious case of student filmitis.

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#CSF

26th Apr 2013

In A World

LOL-packed comedy set in the competitive world of the voice over artist, with a nicely handled subtext.

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#CSF

26th Apr 2013

The Five Year Engagement

Lazy Hollywood dross that telegraphs its every move and hides no surprises.

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#CSF

21st Apr 2013

Flashbacks of a Fool

Stylish but unnecessarily drawn out faded movie star film. Should have ditched the flashbacks.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

14th Apr 2013

Snow White and the Huntsman

Beautifully shot, restrained fairytale summer tent pole. If only \#LOTR was this classy.

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#CSF

13th Apr 2013

Oblivion

Tom Cruise patrols empty earth in big bucks sci-fi with style. Borrows from classics but a satisfying ride.

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#chimp71

10th Apr 2013

The Amazing Spider-man

Solid, but essentially pointless remix that doesn't really add anything new to cinema.

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#CSF

8th Apr 2013

Rock of Ages

Nostalgic music choices, but yes - it is an actual musical.

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#CSF

6th Apr 2013

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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#CSF
#Halliwell

6th Apr 2013

Lockout

Hideously mis-cast, B-grade Euro-blockbuster, with Luc Besson's sticky fingers all over it.

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#CSF

4th Apr 2013

Ill Manors

Well-handled urban crime drama, that deals with the same old boring cliches.

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#CSF

3rd Apr 2013

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.

#Music
#chimpovich

1st Apr 2013 - Add Comment - Tweet

Brave

Decent fairytale about a highlands princess who can't bear tradition. Looks great, but lacks pure Pixar magic.

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#chimp71

31st Mar 2013

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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#CSF
#Halliwell

25th Mar 2013

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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#chimp71
#Halliwell

24th Mar 2013

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.**

#Screened
#Film
#chimp71
#Halliwell

23rd Mar 2013

Last Days

Unrevealing, uninvolving, dull meander through the last days of a Kurt Cobain-esque grunge star.

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#CSF

23rd Mar 2013

Peace, Love & Misunderstanding

Uptight Catherine Keener reconnects w Woodstock mum Jane Fonda. No surprises, good vibes.

#Screened
#Film
#chimp71

23rd Mar 2013

Men In Black 3

Big, brash, glitzy summer blockbuster - that's surprisingly lean, well rounded and entertaining.

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#CSF

22nd Mar 2013

I'm So Excited!

Almodovar reworks Airplane! as a wild mescaline-fuelled mile-high business class satire. Mucho fun.

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#Film
#chimp71

18th Mar 2013

We Bought A Zoo

Low-effort, cookie cutter sentimental drama that has some merit.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

17th Mar 2013