Tag: Review

Review: The Avengers (2012)

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After laying hands on “the Tesseract” (a cube shaped source of energy capable of opening portals between worlds), Asgardian demi-God Loki (Tom Hiddleston) becomes hell bent on conquering Earth once and for all. Realising they don’t have a human army resilient enough to check his wrath, S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) calls upon six individuals with superhuman abilities – Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) – in a plan codenamed the “Avengers Initiative”, to Continue reading “Review: The Avengers (2012)” →

Review: Safe (2012)

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Ex-cop turned cage fighter Luke Wright (Jason Stathan) finds himself embroiled in a three-way throw-down between the Russian Mafia, corrupt NYC officials and the Chinese Triad when he stumbles upon Mei (Catherine Chan), a 12-year-old Chinese girl who saves him from attempted suicide. Vowing to protect Mei from all and sundry, Luke thrusts himself back into his old, destructive life.

Unlike many films of its ilk, Safe resists the temptation to explode into one relentless action sequence after the other from the offset. Instead, writer and Continue reading “Review: Safe (2012)” →

Review: Breathing (2011)

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Roman (Thomas Schubert), an institutionalised young offender, finds himself on the brink of another parole hearing. Advised to take part in the work-release program to better his chances, Roman takes on employment at a local mortuary. After he happens upon a body bag labelled with his surname, he’s moved to track down his absent mother (Karin Lischka) who helps force him to come to terms with his past actions, his potential freedom and the rocky road to stability.

Rooted in the affliction felt by an adolescent haunted by his past, Austrian actor best known for his role in Stefan Ruzowitzky’s The Counterfeiter Karl Markovics’ Continue reading “Review: Breathing (2011)” →

Review: North Sea Texas (2011)

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Pim (Jelle Florizoone), a courteous dreamer, lives in a quaint Belgian town with his sexually promiscuous mother, Yvette (Eva Van Der Gucht), and her foolish boyfriend, Etienne (Luk Wyns). Feeling contained by his surroundings, Pim starts to fantasise about what life must be like outside his towns limited offerings and about a possible relationship with handsome boy-next-door Gino (Mathias Vergels).

Crafted out of a delicacy and honesty towards emphasising the fragility of an adolescent’s existence and their wide-eyed imagination, North Sea Texas bears Continue reading “Review: North Sea Texas (2011)” →

Review: Salmon Fishing In The Yemen (2011)

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When conservative fisheries expert Dr. Fred Jones (Ewan McGregor) receives an unexpected request from legal representative Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Emily Blunt), he finds himself embroiled in a wealthy sheikh’s ludicrous dream of introducing salmon fishing into the Yemen. After the project receives backing from the British government as a way of diverting attention away from their latest blunder in the Middle-East, Fred slowly finds the faith needed to turn a dream into a reality.

Adapted from Paul Torday’s acclaimed novel, screenwriter Simon Beaufoy employs neat tactics to ensure the narrative plays out at a believable, tempered Continue reading “Review: Salmon Fishing In The Yemen (2011)” →

Review: The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists (2012)

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Labelled a fool by the pirate consortium, Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) enters the world famous Pirate of the Year awards in a bid to prove to his crew and his rival captains – Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven), Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) and Peg Leg Hastings (Lenny Henry) – that there’s more to him than meets the eye. After a false start, the crew cross paths with scientist Charles Darwin (David Tennant) who makes a discovery that’s sure to cement the Pirate Captain’s win.

Made by the creative team responsible for Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run and last year’s CGI holiday fare Arthur Christmas, The Pirates! In An Adventure With Continue reading “Review: The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists (2012)” →

Review: The Cabin In The Woods (2011)

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Five unsuspecting college friends – Dana (Kristen Connolly), Jules (Anna Hutchison), Curt (Chris Hemsworth), Holden (Jesse Williams) and Marty (Fran Kranz) – head off to a ramshackle cabin in the woods for a weekend of alcohol-fuelled frolics. However, when Dana stumbles upon a cellar filled with thousand-year-old trinkets and relics, all hell breaks loose as she inadvertently seals their fate.

Both a reverential love letter to and parody of the oft-told cabin in the woods scenario, The Cabin In The Woods takes the expectations derived from an easily Continue reading “Review: The Cabin In The Woods (2011)” →

Review: The Hunger Games (2012)

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In a world torn apart by war, drought and famine, there lies Panem, a society split into a Capitol and twelve separate districts. To compensate for past rebellions, each district must annually offer up two “tributes” to take part in the Capitol’s “Hunger Games”: a televised fight to the death. When her sister is chosen as one of the “tributes”, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), a strong-willed teenage girl, volunteers herself to take her sister’s place. Alongside her male counterpart Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), a lowly baker’s boy, Katniss enters The Hunger Games, only for them to find themselves in a situation like no Continue reading “Review: The Hunger Games (2012)” →

Review: The Kid With A Bike (2011)

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Disregarded by his father (Jérémie Renier) for no apparent reason, Cyril (Thomas Doret) longs for a normal childhood and to escape the children’s home he’s been placed in. He sees a new opportunity when he happens upon friendly mother figure Samantha (Cécilie De France), who agrees to take care of him on weekends, but his turbulent past leaves him unsure how to handle his emotions and new found security.

Slight, yes, but that’s what makes The Kid With A Bike such a tender, heart-warming and true-to-life depiction of the innocence of childhood and one child’s Continue reading “Review: The Kid With A Bike (2011)” →

Review: 21 Jump Street (2012)

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When best friends Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) realise that they’re out of their policing depth even as park officers, the former high-school enemies are assigned to a newly revived undercover division on 21 Jump Street, spearheaded by Captain Dickson (Ice Cube).  The death of a careless teenager, Billiam (Johnny Simmons), reveals the spread of a new drug at the local school, prompting Schmidt and Jenko back to class as “teenagers”, to infiltrate and put an end to the drug ring before anyone else is hurt.

Taking its name and supposedly many of the sensibilities from the cult 1980’s TV series, 21 Jump Street is every bit as hysterical, crude, action-packed and self- Continue reading “Review: 21 Jump Street (2012)” →