Tag: US
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Review: Rabbit Hole
After successfully adapting his off-Broadway play into his debut feature film Hedwig and the Angry Inch, John Cameron Mitchell went quiet for a few years. As the writer/director/star of the cult hit, following up the musical film was always going to be challenging, so instead he chose to challenge audiences with his 2006 effort Shortbus. Labelled…
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The Next Three Days
Since pulling off one of the greatest Oscars upsets in recent history, writer, director and producer Paul Haggis has kept a relatively low profile. After his race relations drama Crash controversially trumped Ang Lee’s lyrical Brokeback Mountain for best picture in 2006 (taking out editing and original screenplay awards as well), his cinematic output has…
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Faster
Wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson graduated from a small part in The Mummy Returns to a starring role in series spin-off The Scorpion King and hasn’t looked back. Yet the past few years have seen him follow in the footsteps of Vin Diesel and Arnold Schwarzenegger into the family friendly films, from the updated version of Get Smart to…
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Sanctum
REVIEW: If you are having trouble sleeping, try drowning yourself. If that fails, see Sanctum.
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Catfish
Real or fake? It doesn’t really matter, as the tale that unfolds is such an intriguing reminder of the dangers of living in the 21st century.
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Burlesque
It seems as though it is barely possible to release a pop record in the 21st century without also have a three-picture deal in the bag. Following in the footsteps of Britney Spears and Mandy Moore, former Mousketeer Christina Aguilera (or Xtina if you prefer) eyes Hollywood in Burlesque. Having already made her mark on…
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True Grit
Following the murder and robbery of her father at the hands of ranch-hand, practical and precocious 14-year-old Mattie Ross (newcomer Hailee Steinfeld) vows that she will avenge his death. The local sheriff turns a blind eye to the dealing, and the murderer Tom Cheney (Josh Brolin, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) is on the run…
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The Fighter
David O. Russell has continually pushed the Hollywood conventions over his short but illustrious career. Although beginning his career with indie comedies Spanking the Monkey and Flirting with Disaster, it was with the controversial yet heavy-hitting and darkly comic Gulf War action film Three Kings (1999) that put the director on the map. Yet since his…
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The evolution of the western: Part 2 – The Man with No Name
In The Evolution of the Western – Part 1: The Last Gunslingers, we discussed the changing nature of the cowboy over the first half of the 20th century. From the earliest days of cinema through to John Ford’s The Searchers (1954), the gunslinger turned from hero of legend to “a figure of pathos, not tragedy”…
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The Green Hornet
In an interview with Total Film several years ago, legendary comic book creator Alan Moore said that “The main reason why comics can’t work as films is largely because everybody who is ultimately in control of the film industry is an accountant”. Those accountants have certainly been counting their receipts over the last few years,…
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