The most surprising thing about Sofia Coppola’s The Beguiled is that it’s so straightforward. It tells a simple story of a repressed group of girls and women in Virginia during the Civil War. These ladies live in a war-abandoned boarding school on the fringes of society. Martha Farnsworth (Nicole Kidman) runs the household and doesn’t take any […]
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The Transfiguration is not about sparkly, human-loving vampires as they were made out to be in modern TV shows and movies. (Yes, Twilight I’m looking at you). In fact, The Transfiguration isn’t really about vampires at all. What it does is use vampirism as a means to explore trauma, grief and depression. The main character is Milo (Eric Ruffin), a […]
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Jackie Chan is back in business. This time he’s in something a little more weighty. The Foreigner is a one-man vendetta film, very much in the vein of Taken. It’s an adaption of Stephen Leather’s novel, The Chinaman. Chan, in his sixties, still has enough juice left to pump out an engrossing performance. He plays Quan Ngoc Minh, a restaurant owner, […]
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From bare-knuckle brawls to climactic battles, fight scenes are a key component of the action genre. The best fights scenes are chaotic and gritty and make us want to double down on our combat training. Suffice to say I have never been in a fight and claim no expertise in filming a fight scene! Regardless, […]
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The Florida Project has the precision of a documentary, the grittiness of a kitchen-sink drama, and the feel-good vibes of a coming-of-age flick. It sees the world from a kid’s perspective, which is full of wonder and excitement. I have a lot of praise for this film, but I would like to enforce that The […]
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This is a dramatisation of a true social experiment that took place in 1971, at Stanford University. With searing performances by its cast, The Standford Prison Experiment thrills you for most of its runtime. It starts with one simple question: “Would you rather be a prisoner or a guard?” That’s what 24 college guys get asked […]
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The first John Wick is the definition of a sleeper hit. When it dropped in 2015, it looked like another generic revenge movie, but it turned out to be a terrific, action blast. John Wick: Chapter 2 is bigger, bloodier and builds on everything that happened in its predecessor. You better believe it: the second chapter is […]
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Do you ever get that fuzzy “after-taste” feeling when you finish watching a captivating movie? That feeling of awe, relief and a sudden craving for fictional characters in your real life. Kicks gives you all these feelings and more. Newbie director Justin Tipping draws emotion from his cast to generate tension and to express his vision. Only […]
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SOCIAL MEDIA is taking over the world. I remember a time when it was all about connecting with your friends. These days, we go on social networks for news, videos and to follow famous people. We have a persistent urge to check Facebook, Instagram and tweet. That’s why Ingrid Goes West a.k.a First World Problems, couldn’t be more […]
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There’s no shortage of great heist movies – all of which might inspire you to round up your mates to pull off a grand-slam robbery. (I’m joking. Don’t do this.) Watching the workings of criminals is a fun escape from everyday life, and heist films are in full throttle, with Baby Driver and Logan Lucky being […]
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You’d be forgiven for thinking Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was going to be straightforward. It seems like a simple revenge tale. But it’s not. It’s more a tale of how life can hurt, heal and transform people in the strangest ways. Right from the off, it completely denies you the comfort of an easy viewing. If you […]
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There’s nothing like a British “grit-film” to give you a slice of life, in the bleakest way possible. Tyrannosaur, like most British films, doesn’t hold back on its depiction of violence and abuse. For want of a better phrase, this is an up-close-and-personal kind of movie. It focuses on Joseph (Peter Mullan), a middle-aged widower, […]
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