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‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ is a decent Batman film with a Superman problem

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Written by: Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer Directed by: Zack Snyder USA, 2016 “Wouldn’t it be cool if..?” should be Zack Snyder’s motto. He should print it on a t-shirt and wear it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. His entire career is based on capturing …

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‘The Brand New Testament’ is a clever off-beat comedy that can’t quite sustain its premise

The Brand New Testament Written by: Thomas Gunzig, Jaco Van Dormael Directed by: Jaco Van Dormael Belgium, 2015 Imagine you found out the exact time you were going to die. What would you do? Would you quit your job and take that long awaited round the world trip or finally seek true love? Or would …

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Let the Games Begin: Theme and Allegory in ‘The Hunger Games’ Saga

  With the recent cinematic release of the latest installment of The Hunger Games series, Mockingjay- Part 1, it seems to be the perfect time to look into some of the more predominant themes and allegorical references in this wildly popular franchise. Being that these films have been adapted from Suzanne Collin’s trilogy of bestselling …

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Timothy Dalton: The Bond Who Paved the Way for Daniel Craig

When naming the best and most influential actors who have portrayed James Bond, one might expect George Lazenby to pop up at the end of the list. After all, he only starred in a single film as the famous spy. However, Lazenby’s one entry, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), is now recognized as one …

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The Cultural Impact of James Bond

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published May 5, 2015. Ian Fleming’s James Bond is one of the most recognizable and successful characters in modern popular culture.  The novels have sold over 100 million copies, and the film franchise is the second most successful in history, having been recently displaced by the Harry Potter series.  For most …

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‘Die Another Day’ flounders amidst bare faced stupidity

Die Another Day Directed by Lee Tamahori Written by Neal Purvis (story) & Robert Wade 2002, UK The end of Die Another Day’s first act provides a set up to what could potentially have been one of the most freshly original Bond installments, an opportunity to explore deliciously dark corners of the iconic spy’s psyche. …

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‘Live and Let Die’ gets Roger Moore’s Bond tenure off to a sputtering start

Live and Let Die Written by Tom Mankiewicz Directed by Guy Hamilton UK, 1973 1973’s Live and Let Die unleashed a new kind of Bond upon the world, a Bond whose bland propriety and vacuous quips would dominate the screen for another twelve years. Roger Moore, taking over for Sean Connery, the third different Bond …

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‘Spectre’ is an entertaining and bombastic swan song for Daniel Craig’s James Bond

Spectre Written by John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Jez Butterworth Directed by Sam Mendes UK, 2015 “It’s just a matter of perspective,” says James Bond to evil mastermind Oberhausen as they discuss the difference between killing and dying, and this line best sums up how much an audience will enjoy Spectre, the latest – and quite …

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Horror-Comedies: Sam Raimi’s ‘Evil Dead 2’

One of the best at blending the two genres is Sam Raimi, whose answer to the question of why horror and comedy go together is his Evil Dead trilogy, which crackles with the energy of a mad scientist’s concoction.The Evil Dead II is largely considered the best of the three, taking the camp, gore, and over-the-top situation from the original and cranking it up past eleven.

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‘Evolution’ Movie Review – is as mysterious as it is beautiful and a masterclass in tone and restraint

It is difficult to discuss Evolution without giving away a lot of its surprises. Needless-to-say, Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s masterful film (only her second in a decade) is disturbing, beautiful and restrained. Mysterious from beginning to end, the film challenges and intrigues, reaching down inside to grab hold of something within us all that is ancient and primordial, engaging on a level that exists within not only a collective imagination but our collective biology

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‘Rattle the Cage’ Movie Review – is a tightly wound thriller that almost falls apart in its final moments

One often wonders what they would be capable of if their life depended on it. Would you take charge, delegate responsibility but do your part, or would you completely break down and cower in the corner? Would you be able to think clearly enough to find a solution to the problem or would your emotions be too overpowering?

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‘Under Electric Clouds’ Movie Review – envisages a Russia of the near future struggling with the legacy of its Soviet forebears

In 2013, renowned Russian filmmaker Alexey German died before he could complete his astonishing final film Hard to Be a God which, after being completed by his wife, screenwriter Svetlana Karmalita, and his son Alexey German Jnr, screened at last year’s London Film Festival.

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‘Ruined Heart: Another Love Story between a Criminal and a Whore’ Movie Review

A quick search of the film Ruined Heart: Another Love Story between a Criminal and a Whore reveals that it is an expanded version of a 2012 short by Filipino poet Khavn De La Cruz (known simply as KHAVN) and that pretty much explains the feature’s shortcomings in a nutshell.

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‘Yakuza Apocalypse’ Movie Review – is the greatest yakuza vampire movie ever made

Yakuza Apocalypse is the greatest yakuza vampire movie ever made. It also appears to be the only yakuza vampire movie ever made, and if Miike’s surreal, violent, hilarious and unashamedly bonkers film is anything to go by, it will probably be the last.

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‘The Club’ Movie Review – finds moments of grace and meaning amongst the sinful and depraved

Director Pablo Larraín is known for his extremely fascinating social commentaries about his native Chile. Most famously, he tackled the Pinochet regime and its legacy with his trilogy comprising Tony Manero, Post-Mortem­ and ­No. With The Club, Larraín looks at Catholicism, another major Chilean institution, and the abuses of power that can occur within the priesthood.

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‘The Corpse of Anna Fritz’ Movie Review – is a surprisingly tame necrophilia thriller

The objectification of women and the ravenous consumption of celebrity culture are some of the very clear themes that inform the narrative of The Corpse of Anna Fritz, the debut feature of Spanish director Hèctor Hernández Vicens.

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‘Mountains May Depart’ Movie Review – is a partly gripping relationship drama that overstays its welcome

Following the brilliant A Touch of Sin, auteur and Chinese master Jia Zhangke returns with a similarly structured, yet more narratively linked, portrait of China in the new millennium. Mountains May Depart is two-thirds of a gripping relationship drama that captures not only a China in constant flux, but also the universality of human experience.

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‘Bone Tomahawk’ Movie Review – is a character-driven Western with a horror spin that engages despite its languid pace

To describe Bone Tomahawk as a “horror-Western” is good shorthand, but could be a little misleading. The film indeed has horror elements but novelist turned screenwriter/director S. Craig Zahler seems more interested in spending time with his four main protagonists as they travel across country, letting their different personalities and world views, and the harshness of the terrain, challenge them on their journey

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‘Assassination’ Movie Review – brings the Tarantino touch to an important period of South Korean history

Assassination is pure entertainment. Director Choi Dong-hoon pulls together an astonishing group of talent both in front and behind the camera to portray a story close to South Korea’s heart with humour, pathos, gorgeous cinematography and a series of impressively bombastic action scenes to create one of the most exciting adventure films in recent years.

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‘Der Nachtmahr’ Movie Review – a shifty, unsettling debut feature

Der Nachtmahr Directed by Akiz Written by Achim Bornhak Germany, 2015 German nu-techno artist Akiz opens his debut film with a meek disclaimer to ‘play this film loud’, a rare moment of quiet trepidation before all sorts of sonic and symbiotic hell breaks loose. Tina (Carolyn Genzkow) and her teenage friends are veterans of the …

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‘Suffragette’ Movie Review – impactfully chronicles a long, hard struggle

Suffragette Written by Abi Morgan Directed by Sarah Gavron UK, 2015 As the high-profile spearhead of UK film culture, the London Film Festival thrives on promoting the heritage films that its indigenous industry clings to so dearly: the historical and period dramas which keep the production designers, wardrobe wranglers and most of the Royal Shakespeare Company solvent throughout another procurement drive of Elizabethan ruffs, …

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‘Parabellum’ Movie Review – offers a minimalist take on the Apocalypse

Parabellum Written by Ana Godoy, Esteban Prado and Lukas Valenta Rinner Directed by Lukas Valenta Rinner Argentina/Austria/Uruguay, 2015 Cinema is certainly no stranger to Armageddon scenarios. Whether it’s environmental collapse, zombie uprising, or alien infestation, these CGI-stuffed extravaganzas aren’t exactly known for their subtle charms. Parabellum, the debut film from Austrian director Lukas Valenta Rinner, proves that …

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‘Lucifer’ Movie Review – is a hypnotic and satirical reflection on faith

Faith is such a tenuous concept that it’s hard to believe that it has the strength that it does. The act of believing in the existence or the potential of a supreme being despite any earthly evidence or causation should be treated with suspicion or disdain right from the outset.

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