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Review of Shane Black’s Iron Man 3
As the first post-Avengers Marvel film, Iron Man 3 feels a little peculiar. It's a decent enough film, but it feels like a minor offering; if I feel like an Iron Man film in the future, I'll probably watch the first one or The Avengers, and if I feel like a Shane Black film in which Robert Downey Jr. gets pushed around a lot, quips, teams up with a slightly mis-matched partner and is set during Christmas, I'll watch Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. →
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Review of Brandon Cronenberg’s Antiviral
If a young artist has a famous parent, it's very easy to lazily dump that fact into a discussion of their work, regardless of relevance; see, for example, the number of reviews of Moon and Source Code that pointlessly name-drop Duncan Jones' father, David Bowie. That said, with Brandon Cronenberg's Antiviral it's impossible not to mention his father because the only way I can describe the film is as distinctly Cronenbergian. →
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Skyfall, a rebooted reboot
I'm not a special fan of the James Bond films, which is to say that I treat them as I would any other film; each on their own merits. I like some films that have happened to be Bond films, and I've disliked others. I'm neutral on Bond. I'm Swiss. The Daniel Craig run, though; Christ, what a dreary, joyless, tiring run this has been. →
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My 2012 film highlights
Throughout 2012 I watched approximately 262 films, which I don't think is an unreasonable amount. What follows are 20 films from that list that I felt deserved a special mention for a variety of reasons. Not necessarily what I'd consider to be the best films I saw last year, nor even limited to films that were released that year either. →
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Review of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Managing expectations is important; this is not strictly an adaptation of The Hobbit. Instead, it's a prequel to Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. This is crucial, because if you go in hoping for a lightweight children's fable, which is more or less what The Hobbit is, you'll find something bloated and overly dark in tone. As a prequel it's a success, though a qualified one. Note: To try and avoid confusion, I'll be referring to the film as An Unexpected Journey, and the book as The Hobbit. →
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Review of Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master
The Master, Paul Thomas Anderson's exploration of the beginnings of a Scientology-like cult during the 1950s, is a difficult film to get through. While the production values are as high as any other of Anderson's films, and the performances as impressive, there's an absence of any sympathetic characters and I struggled to care about anything that was happening. →
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A genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist
Robert Downey Jr.'s delivery of his "Genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist" line in The Avengers changes between the trailer and the film. →
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Review of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises
While The Dark Knight Rises feels satisfying as you watch, it doesn't stand up to much scrutiny. Logically tenuous and structurally dubious, the film suffers from a surfeit of characters and plot. Worst of all, the film just feels pointless, a film that didn't need to exist and one that adds little to what came before. →
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Review of Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom
Wes Anderson's films aren't for everyone; some find them cold and alienatingly whimsical. If you don't get on with his style, watching a film of his must feel a little bemusing; if you can't empathise, you'd be left wondering what the point of any of it was. Myself, I've always been a fan, but watching Moonrise Kingdom made me feel how it must be to watch any of his other films without getting it. All the key elements were there -- hipster soundtrack, fairytale settings, lovely typefaces, Bill Murray -- but the whole thing left me cold. →
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Review of Joss Whedon’s The Avengers
I've enjoyed the Marvel films. They've been, with the exception of the plodding Iron Man 2, dependable, enjoyable popcorn flicks. The appealing presence of Robert Downey Jr. helped make an A-list character out of Iron Man, I have a soft spot for The Incredible Hulk, Captain America was a little forgettable but bolstered by a great cast and Thor, despite my initial scepticism, turned out to be my favourite of the lot. There was never anything in this line-up likely to challenge the more cerebral and serious The Dark Knight but that's ok; Marvel comics have always had a lighter tone than DC, and it's a testament to Marvel that they resisted the urge to Nolanify most of their properties. →
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A cinema is a place where people use their phones
Picture this: the adverts and trailers have finished and it's time for another laugh-free lobotomy courtesy of Orange Mobile that hawks the phone brand at the same time as telling you to switch the cocking things off. A man in the audience, having spent the last twenty minutes furiously texting, pauses to watch the advert. He laughs, then goes back to texting as the film starts up. Because it's funny, isn't it? The idea of turning your phone off, that is. Who turns their phone off these days? →
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Review of The Cabin in the Woods
Reviewing The Cabin in the Woods seems pretty redundant, as it's so recognisably from the Joss Whedon stable that there's little here you won't already have an opinion of and you probably already know if you're going to see it or not. Enjoyed Buffy, Angel and Firefly? You'll enjoy Cabin. Didn't enjoy them? There's nothing here that's going to change your mind. Also, your opinions are wrong, and you're grotesquely ugly. →
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Review of Martin Scorsese’s Hugo
Hugo, Martin Scorsese's love letter to THE MAGIC OF CINEMA, is two things: the end result of Scorsese's desire to make something with 3D technology, presumably before the bottom falls out of the market, and a plea for a better understanding of, and a greater respect for, early cinema. The result: a load of irritating 3D effects and a grating, preaching tone. →
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The Robert Carlyle Effect
Stargate Universe was mediocre, at best and at worst. It was never good enough to be eagerly or even slightly anticipated but also never bad enough to be watched ironically either. Bland characters, weak scripts and contrived situations with cheap resolutions. There were a couple of high marks, such as the time-bending episode Time and an occasional decent cliffhanger but it was never enough. What it did have, and what everyone watched the show for, was Robert Carlyle. Robert Carlyle, who once played the role of a mindless, snarling, Rage-infected monster in 28 Weeks Later and still managed to be the most personable character in the film. →
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Review of Andrew Stanton’s John Carter
John Carter's closest recent parallel is probably Kenneth Branagh's Thor, in that both films feature fantasy concepts that a contemporary, mainstream audience may find hard to swallow. Thor pulled it off by presenting its world up front and delivering it all straight-faced instead of resorting to eye-rolling irony or tortured attempts to retcon the source material. The subject matter was treated respectfully and helped to put the audience in an accepting frame of mind. John Carter fumbles this just a little. With clunky lines such as "You can't just bow down to Zodanga!", unmemorable character names and a marketing campaign that blinked, you're left with a film that's occasionally difficult to swallow. Get past that and you're left with an enjoyable and good-looking action flick with solid performances and some great set-pieces. →
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Review of The Muppets
I am, and always have been, a big Muppets fan. I watched The Muppet Show as a child, I dutifully watched Muppets Tonight as a teenager, I watch The Muppet Christmas Carol every Christmas Eve and if I could find a way to be abused by Chris Langham, you'd have a hard time stopping me. →
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Review of Josh Trank’s Chronicle
Various Hollywood lizards have spent a great deal of time trying to bring an unwanted, live-action, Americanised adaptation of Akira into production, with reactions drifting between hilarity and gnashing of teeth as project status updates flickered between 'cancelled' and 'project back on, Keanu Reeves to play Kaneda'. Though Josh Trank's first film Chronicle is not a literal adaptation of Akira, it's so similar in tone and story that it's safe to consider the Hollywood adaptation (last known status: cancelled) safely trumped. →
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Review of The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
I never read Tintin as a child as Tintin was quite obviously for the squares, for children whose parents made you take your shoes off at the door, who wouldn't let you watch Your Mother Wouldn't Like It and who owned a BBC Micro. I read Asterix instead. I was pretty uncool, but at least I knew it and was making an effort to improve myself. →
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Review of Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows isn't much of a Sherlock Holmes film, but it's an attractive action flick unhindered by 3D gimmickry nonetheless. Robert Downey Jr. continues doing that thing that Robert Downey Jr. does, and he does it well; I don't know of anyone who does Robert Downey Jr. better than Robert Downey Jr. →
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Review of Guy Moshe’s Bunraku
When did Woody Harrelson become one of those actors that adds instant gravitas to any scene they're in? As he gets older and craggier he seems to have solidified into this wall of character, with every line he reads sounding more meaningful than it has any right to. In Bunraku he happily takes on the "philosophical barman" trope, the linchpin in a film with so many stylistic influences that it's a wonder everything holds together. →