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Week in Review: ‘Captain America: Civil War’ adds Paul Rudd, Martin Freeman, Emily VanCamp

  We’re just a week removed from The Avengers: Age of Ultron, and already people are moving on to talk about the next one. Captain America: Civil War is the next chapter (after Ant-Man) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and this one, (really, you guys) is the one you’ve been waiting for, not the one …

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‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ is a fitting farewell to Middle-Earth

To fully appreciate Peter Jackson’s last foray into Middle-Earth, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, one must understand it’s actually two separate movies. The first movie is a sour, pseudo-Shakespearean morality play that has nothing to do with Hobbits. The second movie is a heartfelt rumination about friendship and self-sacrifice. For those willing to overlook the sour for the sweet, there are great treasures to be found, as Jackson brings his trilogy to a suitably-epic conclusion.

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‘The Hobbit’ meets ‘The Office’ in inspired ‘SNL’ sketch

Saturday Night Live may have out done themselves on the nerdy quotient this weekend. Martin Freeman hosted SNL Saturday to promote the final chapter of The Hobbit, and in the spirit of the season, Freeman portrayed Bilbo Baggins in a mashup with the BBC version of The Office. Freeman initially portrayed Tim on the Ricky …

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Saturday Night Live, Episode 40.09: “Martin Freeman/Charli XCX” brings unmemorable sketches, shoddy music

Not every episode of SNL is going to make an imprint on the viewer of the culture. It’s in these so-so episodes that we really find what interests the cast and the writers because they are the talents’ base level of ability. “Martin Freeman/Charli XCX” has the cast engaging almost entirely original sketches that have much of the cast riffing off central concept of the sketches with middling results.

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Sherlock, Ep.3.02, “The Sign of Three”: the most heartfelt episode of all three seasons

Sherlock, Season 3, Episode 2, “The Sign of Three” Directed by Colm McCarthy Written by Steve Thompson Aired Sunday, 5th Jan 2014 on BBC1 Considering last week’s amazing episode, trying to top last week’s exciting season opener of Sherlock seems like a daunting task.  But co-creators Gatiss and Moffatt have taken a slightly different turn in the latest …

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Sherlock, Ep. 3.01, “The Empty Hearse”: The mystery is solved

Sherlock, Season 3, Episode 1, “The Empty Hearse” Directed by Jeremy Lovering Written by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffatt Aired Wednesday, 1st Jan 2014 on BBC1 It has been almost two years since Sherlock Holmes was seen faking his death, leaving his faithful companions John Watson and Mrs. Hudson to grieve his unfortunate passing.  In …

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‘Sherlock’ releases a mini-sode ahead of its season 3 premiere

One of the most popular series to emerge out of British television over the past few years has been the BBC series Sherlock. A modern day re-imagining of the iconic detective, the series co-created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss has garnered a number of fans, despite having only six episodes over two seasons, with …

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‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ a mild improvement on its predecessor

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Written by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Guillermo del Toro Directed by Peter Jackson New Zealand, United Kingdom, and USA, 2013 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is, no doubt, an improvement over The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, though perhaps because it is the second of three …

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The Once and Future Kings: ‘The World’s End’ is a triumph for Pegg, Frost, and Wright

To exit a film directed by Edgar Wright is to be reinvigorated by the state of modern cinema. He’s now made his fourth feature-length film, The World’s End, and it’s tempting to rate it as his best work yet. But when you consider his others—Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World—the challenge becomes differentiating these by how many slight nitpicks may crop up from story to story. Like most directors of his generation, Wright’s work is heavily influenced by the pop culture of his childhood. Unlike many of his peers, though, Wright is able to translate that affection and hyper-literate awareness into something fresh, exciting, and intelligent. As such, The World’s End is as peerless as a mainstream film gets.

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‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ a decent, if overlong, return to Middle-Earth

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Directed by Peter Jackson Written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Guillermo Del Toro New Zealand and USA, 2012 Who can blame Peter Jackson for not wanting to leave Middle-Earth? His adaptation of The Lord of the Rings book series, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, was an enormously successful …

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Sherlock Ep. 2.03: “The Reichenbach Fall” – the final chapter of Season Two

Season 2, Episode 3: “The Reichenbach Fall” Written by Steve Thompson Directed by Toby Haynes Aired Sunday January 15th, 2012 at 9pm GMT on BBC 1 We knew that this day would come.  We’ve been looking forward to it for long enough.  So how do you end a brilliant second season of our favourite consulting …

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Can Sherlock survive?

Tonight, UK viewers will see Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes go against his nemesis James Moriarty, played by the wonderfully creepy Andrew Scott, in the latest adaptation of the novel, ‘The Final Problem‘.  For Sherlock fans, it is the final installment in a thrilling three-episode series but for others, it spells the end of the eponymous …

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Sherlock, Ep. 2.02, “The Hounds of Baskerville”: A classic tale with a modern twist

Season 2, Episode 2: The Hounds of Baskerville Written by Mark Gatiss Directed by Paul McGuigan Aired Sunday January 7th, 2012 at 8.30pm GMT on BBC 1 After last week’s quite thrilling episode A Scandal in Belgravia, fans are treated to an adaptation of one of, if not the most, famous Sherlock Holmes stories – The …

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