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Marriage and Divorce, Rabbinical Style: ‘Fill the Void’ and ‘Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem’

The institution of marriage, and therefore divorce, in Israel is regulated exclusively religiously, with rabbinical consent needed to sanction both marriage and divorce. In Fill the Void, rabbinical authorisation is first denied, then granted to an arranged marriage, while Gett tracks a woman’s Kafkaesque divorce proceedings as the years go by. Premiering at the Venice …

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‘Much Ado About Nothing’ is an absolute gem of a film

Much Ado About Nothing Directed by Joss Whedon Written by William Shakespeare (play), Joss Whedon (screenplay) USA, 2012 Upon first realization that Joss Whedon’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing is set in contemporary Southern California, one most certainly becomes both skeptical and intrigued all at once. How will all this play out? (No …

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‘The Impossible’ is emotional and gripping – the best disaster movie in years

The Impossible Directed by J.A Bayona Written by Sergio G. Sánchez Spain, 2012 It’s easy to be sceptical about ‘true story’ films. Too often, adaptations of real events contrive and exaggerate genuinely enthralling stories by turning them into blockbuster behemoths for cinematic effect. These films can lean heavily on the promise that the picture will …

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2012 in Review: Personal Narratives and the Best Films Seen

Cinema, like most arts, exists beyond time and space. They are a medium of transportation, and for most of us, our only opportunity to fulfil our deepest desires and confront our darkest fears. That’s why it seems unfair to look back on a year in film and focus only on new releases. Our year end obsession with …

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25 Great Film Shots Seen for the First time in 2012

On the other side of my content filled posts for Sound on Sight, I manage a semi-popular Tumblr blog called Obscure and Offbeat Cinema. There is virtually no written content and the vast majority of what I present are screenshots taken from films that I’m watching or planning to watch. Though a popular film will …

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Doctor Who, 2012 Christmas Special, “The Snowmen”: Personality, energy outweigh third act blunders

Doctor Who, 2012 Christmas Special: “The Snowmen” Written by Steven Moffat Directed by Saul Metzstein Aired Christmas at 9pm (ET) on BBC America Another Christmas, another Doctor Who special. Though the series has a dubious track record for specials, to say the least, it’s become somewhat comforting to be able to count on new Who …

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‘Ted’ is crude, rude and strictly for fans of ‘Family Guy’

Ted Directed by Seth McFarlane Written by Seth McFarlane 2012, USA There are two types of comedy film: those with a story that happen to be funny and those that are funny and happen to follow a story. The former are films which focus on plot, character, cinematography, music – the important elements of film-making – …

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‘The Possession’ is outdated and conservative

The Possession (2012) Directed by Ole Bornedal Written by Juliet Snowden and Stiles White USA, 2012 The Possession is the newest film in a dominant sub-genre of horror family dramas that seem to be invading our theatres with increasing persistence. Very much on par with recent horror trends, at the center of the film is …

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MIFF 2012: Is “Normal School” more than just an underachiever with potential?

Normal School (Escuela Normal) Directed by Celina Murga Written by Celina Murga, Juan Villegas 2012, Argentina   Any time a narrative film or documentary, or any art form for that matter, attempts to portray a well-defined social entity, whether it be a community or an institution contained within walls, there can be moments of giddying …

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2012 TV Pilot Preview: August

Thanks to the Olympics, NBC is currently enjoying gangbuster ratings and, understandably, they’ve decided to take advantage of this increased viewer base to launch several of their new series this week. Most of the new fall series won’t be starting up ‘til September, but here’s a look at the August premieres coming up this week. …

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2012

2012 Directed by Roland Emmerich This review is SPOILER ridden so beware. Then again, if you’ve seen any disaster movie made since 1960 then nothing will be a surprise. Trust me. Judd Apatow, Tina Fey, Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell and all the other maestros of contemporary comedy should be afraid, as there is a new …

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