Chimpomatic

The Rover

Disappointing, drawn out second film from David Michôd. Style over substance and a dud turn from R Pat.

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27th Aug 2014

Blood Ties

Cliched, pretentious, utterly derivative wanna-be-Scorsese gangster pic. Forgettable.

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26th Aug 2014

Night Moves

Slow pace and a dry execution let down this promising environmentally friendly indie thriller.

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25th Aug 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

Enough Said

Smartly-scripted romcom that flips a lot of tropes for analysis through the middle-aged divorcee lens.

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24th Aug 2014

Godzilla

Underwhelming monster pic that's surprising similar to the '98 model. The trailer promised a more suspense.

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24th Aug 2014

Gravity

Without the 3D or IMAX, this visually impressive space flick stretches a little too thin.

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23rd Aug 2014

2 Guns

Good concept and smart-ass but derivative script, hampered by two of the least subtle actors in Hollywood.

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21st Aug 2014

Lone Star

Thoughtful, multi layered modern cowboy pic, examining division through the generations of a Texan town.

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18th Aug 2014

The Impossible

Intense tsunami drama. Well meaning and powerful in places, but essentially not serving a purpose.

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18th Aug 2014

Rust and Bone

Complex French indie favourite that fails to completely engage.

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17th Aug 2014

The Washington Snipers

Accomplished feature debut from Sundance '13. Stylish, beautifully shot, but underdeveloped.

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17th Aug 2014

Saving Mr Banks

Forgettable, plodding Mary Poppins-related biography. Full of stars, but a bit low on magic.

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16th Aug 2014

Thor

The Dark World

Star Wars meets LOTR for a forgettable entry into the Marvel universe.

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16th Aug 2014

The Fisher King

Erratic, wacky morality tale from Terry Gilliam. Uneven, but elevated hugely by Bridges & Williams.

Halliwell says: Enjoyable more for its director's extravagances than for its attempt at modern myth-making, and finally too diffuse to be taken seriously.**

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12th Aug 2014

The Sessions

Gentle, old-fashioned indie drama. Coming of age with a twist.

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11th Aug 2014

Locke

Pretentious, boring gimmick movie that unfolds like a tedious, drunken anecdote in a joke Welsh accent.

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9th Aug 2014

The Lady In The Lake

Glacially paced Raymond Chandler mystery, hampered immensely by the peep show camera style.

Halliwell says: Complex private eye yarn which makes the original Chandler dialogue sound childish by over-reliance on the subjective camera method: we see the hero's face only when he looks in a mirror. An experiment that failed because it was not really understood.*

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8th Aug 2014

Last Ride

Stylish, forgettable small aussie drama about a bad fella bonding with his young son while on the run.

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4th Aug 2014

Mistaken For Strangers

Intriguing self-referential rock doc about The National ...that quickly runs out of steam.

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3rd Aug 2014

Not Waving But Drowning

Decent debut from Devyn Waitt, capturing a solid old school 90s indie vibe.

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2nd Aug 2014

Captain America

The Winter Soldier

Solid sequel that manages to stay away from too much CGI hokum for a 70s vibe.

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2nd 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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31st Jul 2014

RIPD

Disarmingly competent - despite being an utter derivative of Men In Black, Ghostbusters and more.

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31st Jul 2014

Sorcerer

Dull 'existential' 70s remake of tight 50s classic. Friedkin remains one of the most over-rated directors.

Halliwell says: Why anyone should have wanted to spend $20 million on a remake of The Wages Of Fear, do it badly, and give it a misleading title is anybody's guess. The result is dire.

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30th Jul 2014

Love

Interesting low-budget sci fi, that has much to offer despite the ambition outstripping the execution in places.

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29th Jul 2014

Medium Cool

Confident genre-bending 60s cult classic, that's running a little low on plot.

Halliwell says: Stimulating if overlong comment on the quality of life in the sixties, immaculately made and with a rather effective though obvious twist ending.**

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28th Jul 2014

Blue Jasmine

Literally the best Woody Allen film in 20 years. Solid script and several great performances.

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27th Jul 2014

Mud

Classy, slow burning character drama from Jeff Nichols, full of decent performances.

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20th Jul 2014

Searching For Sugarman

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

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20th Jul 2014

Promised Land

Smart, thought provoking drama from a Matt Damon/John Krasinski script. Well handled by Gus Van Sant.

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19th Jul 2014

The Thin Red Line

Beautiful, epic, poignant film in the endless churn of war. Beautifully shot, acted and directed.

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13th Jul 2014

Rush

Gimmicky nostalgia flick, short on focus and tension. About as interesting as a Formula 1 race.

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12th Jul 2014

Now You See Me

A total car crash of a script, held together by smoke and mirrors.

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7th 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

Transcendence

Promising sci-fi quickly morphs into hollow action in the hands of first time director Wally Pfister.

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4th Jul 2014

Under The Skin

ScarJo plays the David Bowie role in Jonathan Glazer's unflinchingly old-fashioned sci-fi.

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28th Jun 2014

No Country For Old Men

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

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26th Jun 2014

Sightseers

Confident, genre warping black comedy from Ben Wheatley. Not very likeable characters though.

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23rd Jun 2014

The Deadly Game

Aka All Things To All Men. Stinking turd of a Brit thriller. From the producer of Kidulthood.

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22nd Jun 2014

What Maisie Knew

Interesting, well performed indie take on bringing up a child …that jumps the shark at the end.

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21st Jun 2014

Enemy

Ominous, enjoyably pretentious theatrical Lynchian waffle. With double introspection duty from Jake Gylenhaal.

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17th Jun 2014

Borrowed Time

Poor direction and terrible photography are just two of the problems sinking this Brit stinker.

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17th Jun 2014

The Wolverine

Competent but forgettable solo super hero action. Was expecting a bit more from James Mangold.

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13th Jun 2014

Elysium

Well-executed dystopian sci-fi that manages to add up to less than the sum of its parts.

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9th Jun 2014

Dallas Buyers Club

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

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8th Jun 2014

Breathe In

Close-to-the-bone, occasionally ponderous midlife crisis drama from the Terrence Mallick of mumblecore.

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1st Jun 2014

The Invisible Woman

Jane Campion-esque Dickens biog that never gets going - and overlooks the wonders on Nunhead.

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30th May 2014

Laurel Canyon

Pretentious, cliche ridden meander through life and music - weighted by several leaden performances.

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27th May 2014

The Lego Movie

Witty post-modern mash up that surprisingly manages to capture the awesomeness of \#LEGO.

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27th May 2014