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Alien
Tense, timeless sci-fi. Magnificently designed and executed and only mildly showing its 33 years.
Halliwell says: Deliberately scarifying and highly commercial shocker with little but its art direction to commend it to connoisseurs.*
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5th Jun 2012
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Martha Marcy May Marlene
Absorbing psychological indie cult-escape drama. Beautifully written, shot and directed.
4th Jun 2012
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The Road
Episodic, relentlessly brutal post-apocalyptic drama. A right barrel of laughs.
31st May 2012
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Love And Other Impossible Pursuits
Effective weepy as Natalie Portman deals with the pains of the modern family.
29th May 2012
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Stay Cool
Amiable, returning-to-your-hometown comedy drama from the Polish Brothers, with a well-cast Winona Ryder.
27th May 2012
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Wild Bill
Appalling, shambolic, episodic biopic - with Jeff Bridges never given a chance to get things going.
23rd May 2012
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L'Immortel
Clunky French revenge actioner, with Jean Reno hunting down les mobsters that put 22 bullets in him.
20th May 2012
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Donnie Darko
Post modern, post @DougCoupland time travel flick that favours style over substance.
19th May 2012
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Class
80s derivative of The Graduate - that hasn't held up too well, despite the early brat pack connection.
Halliwell says: Ghastly travesty of The Graduate which aspires to every kind of sophistication it can think of but ends nowhere.
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19th May 2012
Read more 2.5 star reviews
Transformers Dark of the Moon
So OTT I had to watch in two sittings, with a final hour of unprecedented Bayhem.
19th May 2012
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Super 8
Spielberg derivative that's more 'Goonies' than 'ET'. Not unsuccessful, but lacking the master's touch.
14th May 2012
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Everything Must Go
Will Ferrell gets serious in this engaging drama/comedy - drawn from a Raymond Carver short.
13th May 2012
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Gimme The Loot
Engaging low-key indie drama debut about graffiti bombers in NYC that won at @SXSW.
11th May 2012
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Breathless
Superficial 80s remake of the New Wave classic. Obviously made an impression on Tarantino.
Halliwell says: Fashionable amalgam of sex and violence, borrowed from A Bout de Souffle but far to long after the event.
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7th May 2012
Read more 2.5 star reviews
A Little Bit of Heaven
Weepy chick flick that plays like an animated @Pinterest page. Alan Dale plays a doctor.
4th May 2012
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Behind Enemy Lines
Surprisingly enjoyable pilot-on-the-run action flick that could've been made in 1986.
2nd May 2012
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River's Edge
It may have moved from video shop shelf-filler to cult classic but the clumsy handling lets this down.
30th Apr 2012
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Bad Teacher
Shockingly unimaginative low brow comedy - which fares even worse second time round.
29th 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.
16th Apr 2012
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The Messenger
Thoughtful, gut-wrenching, post-war drama with powerful performances from Ben Foster and Harrelson.
15th Apr 2012
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Mr Mom
Dated, but amusing prototype John Hughes flick. Everybody learns something. You fill in the rest.
15th Apr 2012
Read more 2.5 star reviews
Your Highness
Get your quest on, as Eastbound and Down goes retro in this swords and sorcery comedy. Stupid/funny.
14th Apr 2012
Read more 2.5 star reviews
Captain America
The First Avenger
Enjoyable, old fashioned actioner, with plenty of nice comic book moments.
2nd Apr 2012
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The Change Up
Gosling and Bateman swap lives. Everybody learns something.
2nd Apr 2012
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Horrible Bosses
Low brow comedy update of 'Strangers on a Train'.
2nd Apr 2012
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Warrior
Contrived, convoluted, testosterone filled fight flick, worthy of an 80s VHS rental.
2nd Apr 2012
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The Descendants
Convoluted melodrama, with a decent central performance from George Clooney.
23rd 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.
20th Mar 2012
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Fast Five
Furiously paced ensemble heist movie. A muscle car next to Danny Ocean's vintage Porsche.
17th Mar 2012
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Love And Other Drugs
Pseudo-deep, nostalgia tinged comedy > drama, painted with big, cliched brush strokes.
12th Mar 2012
Read more 2 star reviews
Faster
The Rock does his best Lee Marvin impression while Billy Bob slums it in this unsubtle thriller-by-numbers.
10th Mar 2012
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Schindler's List
Brutal masterpiece. Outstanding direction, assured writing and performances, amazing photography.
5th Mar 2012
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Galaxy Quest
Entertaining post-modern comedy, effectively riffing and paying homage to the geek-fest of \#StarTrek.
4th Mar 2012
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John Carter
An uneasy mix of sandals, sci-fi, Superman and cowboys that holds together, but never quite takes off.
3rd Mar 2012
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Hanna
Abstract, ambitious, pretentious, graphical, European art house thriller. Like Wes Anderson doing Bourne.
2nd Mar 2012
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Country Strong
Another lumbering plod through the troubled, lovelorn, cliche-ridden world of Country & Western.
2nd Mar 2012
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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
Read more 3 star reviews
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
Read more 4.5 star reviews
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
Read more 2 star reviews
No Strings Attached
Devastatingly transparent and unambitious romcom-by-numbers with Natalie Portman.
19th 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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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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The Ghost
Clumsy, inefficient thriller. Was going to say wannabee-Polanski, then I noticed Polanski directed it.
1st Feb 2012
Read more 1.5 star reviews