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Excision (2012)

12 Nov

 

The subversion of genres and their tropes is something many filmmakers attempt.  Commendable as such efforts might be it’s incredibly difficult to get right.  Joss Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods was remarkable in its gumption, throwing knowing winks and nods at horror fans and thumbing his nose at the lazy, insipid torture porn that has come to dominate the oft maligned genre.  Thankfully, newcomer Richard Bates Jr’s pitch black suburban body horror Excision, whilst not thematically or stylistically similar to Cabin is another fine example of an original, refreshing take on the genre that titillates and surprises in equal measure.

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Taken 2 (2012)

10 Oct

So, I saw Taken 2 and in short it was dogshit.

But, and I must caveat this, it was worth it, primarily because my review was published in Metro, a national paper with 3.6 million readers.  So for me, kind of a big deal.

See my review, in situ, after the jump…

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From the Archives: The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)

1 Oct

 

Welsh author and documentarian Jon Ronson’s 2004 book “The Men Who Stare at Goats” examined the U.S. Army’s investigation of the psychological and paranormal and their potential uses in modern warfare. Utilizing this fascinating study of top-secret military research as source material, director Grant Heslov delivers an entertaining picture, albeit one which slightly trivializes the underlying seriousness of its content.

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From the Archives: 44 Inch Chest (2009)

17 Sep

 

“Sexy Beast” scribes Louis Mellis and David Scinto team up once again with acting talents Ray Winstone and Ian McShane for a well-observed study of the male ego. Those hoping for a sequel of sorts will find themselves in aurally familiar territory, but this is a very different beast and it’s anything but sexy. Continue reading

The Imposter (2012)

25 Aug

In San Antonio, Texas, 1994, mischievous 13-year-old Nicholas Barclay disappeared without a trace. For three years his family pined for him, searching, praying and holding out hope that he would one day be found alive and well. Then the seemingly miraculous happened as Nicholas appeared in Spain — afraid and alone, the apparent victim of a child prostitution ring. Except “Nicholas” was not whom he claimed to be and so transpires an utterly beguiling and completely baffling journey into the psyche of serial impersonator and eccentric con man Frédéric Bourdin.

The Expendables 2 (2012)

15 Aug

Whereas “The Expendables” somewhat benefited from the novelty of seeing the likes of sharing the big screen in a dumb, explosive homage to the type of ’80s action films that made them household names, the same cannot be said for “The Expendables 2,” which is little more than a depressing embarrassment.

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Ted (2012)

26 Jul

Erstwhile funnyman Seth MacFarlane — who in recent years has been tediously flogging that perennial dead horse “Family Guy” into the ground — has redeemed himself somewhat with his directorial feature debut “Ted.” Perhaps conscious of where his success stems from, MacFarlane dips his toe into live-action film while maintaining the core facets of what has made him such a star: namely, a razor-sharp script and quirky animation.

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From the Archives: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)

18 Jul

Any picture associated with directorial visionary Terry Gilliam is always going to rouse the public’s attention, yet the tragic death of Heath Ledger midway through filming has ensured that the name “Doctor Parnassus” has been on everyone’s radar for more than 18 months. Much has been made of Gilliam’s fervent determination to finish the film and particularly the ingenious casting of Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell to fill Ledger’s void. Gilliam executes it with gusto, and — as should be expected from such an auteur — transports the audience into a visually fantastical world tinged with a didactic message about the importance and power of the imagination.

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The Vault: Batman Forever (1995)

15 Jul

“Riddle me this, riddle me that, who’s afraid of the big, black bat?”

The year is 1995 and thus spake The Riddler (a maniacal Jim Carrey) in Joel Schumacher’s utterly bonkers take on the Batman universe, Batman Forever. Well, the answer was of course absolutely nobody. Taking over directorial duties from he of the inky heart Tim Burton (who moved into the Producer’s chair), Schumacher, presumably in thrall of nervy Warner Bros execs, instead applied a neon polish to Burton’s grimy Gotham and discarded the brooding tone of Bat instalments one and two in favour of camp, vampish comedia.  Continue reading

The Hunter (2011)

9 Jul

The premise of one man’s enigmatic hunt for one of nature’s most elusive beasts is a well-worn one.   Herman Melville’s Moby Dick immediately springs to mind and there are evident shades of Ahab in Willem Dafoe’s Martin David, the focussed and determined protagonist of Daniel Nettheim’s adaptation of Julia Leigh’s 1999 novel The Hunter.

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