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State of Grace
Early 90s gangster pic - with juvenile Penn, Oldman and Reilly doing a dry run for 'The Departed'.
Halliwell says: Dull and plodding gangster movie.
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28th Feb 2012
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The Eagle
Roman action/drama that covers the same ground as 'Centurion', with twice the style and half the pace.
25th Feb 2012
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The Company Men
Thoughtful unemployment drama, filled with solid performances and classy cinematography.
25th Feb 2012
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Walking Tall
Fun smalltown actioner with a plot The A-team would be proud of except The Rock didn't know who to call.
25th Feb 2012
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Married To The Mob
Tight, multi-layered comedy in Jonathan Demme's best film - and the antidote to 'Goodfellas'.
Halliwell says: Effervescent comedy-thriller that bubbles merrily along.**
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23rd Feb 2012
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Scarface
Shapeless pacing and shoddy production values make for one of the most over-rated film school favorites.
Halliwell says: Absurdly brutalized version of the above, with detailed violence and a superabundance of foul language. Scarface has now become an emigre Cuban, and the film seems to want to make a political statement.
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20th Feb 2012
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No Strings Attached
Devastatingly transparent and unambitious romcom-by-numbers with Natalie Portman.
19th Feb 2012
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London Boulevard
Surprisingly acceptable mockney caper. Think The Long Good Friday with flashes of Only Fools & Horses.
18th Feb 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.
18th Feb 2012
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Tomorrow, When The War Began
Heartbreak High meets Red Dawn in this bland teen Aussie box office smash.
17th Feb 2012
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Rush
Disappointingly dated, wooden, melodramatic undercover-cops-go-too-far movie. With added Eric Clapton noodling.
15th Feb 2012
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No Man's Land
Surprisingly stylish slice of 80s action with @CharlieSheen ...like Point Break, without surfboards.
14th 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.
13th Feb 2012 - Add Comment - Tweet
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The Lincoln Lawyer
Matthew McRomcomedy gets semi-serious in this tricksy courtroom drama ...an updated Jagged Edge.
13th Feb 2012
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Chalet Girl
Unambitious @UKFilmCouncil drivel starring many of the usual suspects. I'm talking to you \#BillNighy.
12th Feb 2012
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Battle Los Angeles
Stylish, directionless, underdeveloped video game shoot 'em up. Black Hawk Down with aliens.
11th Feb 2012
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I'm Not There
This novel, stylish, pretentious biopic fails to make the most of its biggest asset...Bob Dylan's music.
10th Feb 2012
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The Ghost
Clumsy, inefficient thriller. Was going to say wannabee-Polanski, then I noticed Polanski directed it.
1st Feb 2012
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Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
More mindless big budget tentpole antics. Nothing new to report, Cap'n.
30th Jan 2012
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Ironclad
Shapeless medieval actioner. The medium calibre cast is let down by the shoddy production quality & script.
28th Jan 2012
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Paul
Turgid alien bromance comedy. Disappointing turns from Rogan/Frost/Pegg/Mottola.
26th Jan 2012
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True Grit
Sumptuous, beautifully shot, stylish western. Its slowness is saved by a couple of great set pieces.
23rd Jan 2012
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Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Improved op, Simon Pegg lightens Cruise control. Overlong, vertigo stunts IMAX-ready.
23rd Jan 2012
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127 Hours
Bold, confident filmmaking from @DannyBoyleFilm. 57 Hours might have worked better.
23rd Jan 2012
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The Adjustment Bureau
Unsteady retro sci-fi with religious undertones - that once might have starred Jimmy Stewart.
21st 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.
21st Jan 2012
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Reds
Portentous historical epic from Warren Beatty. Ambitious in scale and production, it sadly fails to get going.
Halliwell says: Interminably long but full of quality, this immensely detailed work was a most unlikely project to succeed in the eighties, but its very strangeness enabled it to break even.**
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21st Jan 2012
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The Good The Bad And The Ugly
Newly extended scenes only highlight how good every scene is in this masterful western.
Halliwell says: Intermittently lively, very violent and interminably drawn out western with a number of rather hilarious stylistic touches.*
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19th Jan 2012
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Midnight Run
Note perfect action comedy from Martin Brest. Movies don't get much better than this.
18th Jan 2012
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Limitless
Expensive, psychedelic student film exploring sci-fi drug dependency.
16th Jan 2012
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Limitless
Well-shot, pacy NYC fantasy about a wonder drug that gives you ultra clarity/turns everything into fisheye.
15th Jan 2012
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It's Kind of a Funny Story
Disappointing blend of Cuckoo's Nest and 500 Days. @Galifianakisz saves the day again.
14th 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.
13th Jan 2012
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Sinoia Caves
The Enchanter Persuaded
Moody synth soundscapes from @_blackmountain_ 's Jeremy Schmidt.
12th Jan 2012
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Fallen Angels
WKW's Chungking Express follow-up sacrifices charm for extremist style that has rarely been equalled.
11th Jan 2012
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Hereafter
Bizarre exploration of the afterlife from Clint. Hot on the heels of What Dreams May Come and Lovely Bones.
7th Jan 2012
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The Green Hornet
Dull big screen outing for a second rate superhero - wasting considerable talent and money.
7th Jan 2012
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Mesrine Part 2: Public Enemy No 1
More expensive, directionless French gangster antics. With added Almaric.
4th 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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Ratatouille
There's a rat in the kitchen, what can Pixar do? Serve up a MasterRat toon. Hard sell, but it works.
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.
2nd Jan 2012
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Gulliver's Travels
Unambitious, child friendly update to the classic tale.
2nd Jan 2012
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Drive
Still derivative. Still borderline pretentious. Still enjoyable.
1st Jan 2012
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Cool World
Early 90's car crash, as Ralph Bakshi's kaleidoscopic fountain of ideas collides with the mainstream.
30th Dec 2011
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Beginners
Assured, personal, touching, refreshing exploration of love and relationships from Mike Mills.
29th Dec 2011
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Megamind
The superior rock OST is virtually all that distinguishes this from 'Despicible Me'.
27th Dec 2011
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Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Super fast paced, thoughtful action movie - that stretches things a little too far.
27th Dec 2011
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Breaking Bad Season 4
This show just gets better and better, with S4 providing the tightest, most rivetting twists yet.
26th Dec 2011
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The King's Speech
A touching, powerful story. Well acted and adequately told.
26th Dec 2011
Read more 4 star reviews
