Tag Archives: universal pictures

Review: Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Posted on January 22, 2013 | Leave a comment

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***THIS REVIEW WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON THE HOLLYWOOD NEWS, HERE***

DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow.

CAST: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Ehle, Mark Strong, Kyle Chandler, Chris Pratt, Mark Duplass, Harold Perrineau, Edgar Ramirez, James Gandolfini.

SYNOPSIS: Following the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, CIA operative Maya (Chastain) starts a resolute pursuit of Osama Bin Laden, the man behind countless Al Qaeda acts of destruction. After years of searching, a new lead comes to light in 2011 that may finally help her get her man.

American cinema has a habit of skewing history in its favour – Pearl Harbor, anyone? But though Zero Dark Thirty starts with a heartbreaking American phone call, the splicing of footage and news from around the world ensures that its devastation is felt intimately by everyone. Continue reading →

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Review: Ted (2012)

Posted on August 7, 2012 | 2 Comments

DIRECTOR: Seth MacFarlane.

CAST: Mark Wahlberg, Seth MacFarlane (voice), Mila Kunis, Joel McHale, Giovanni Ribisi, Aedin Mincks, Jessica Barth, Patrick Warburton, Bretton Manley, Patrick Stewart.

SYNOPSIS: After a childhood wish turns Christmas present Ted into a real life teddy bear, John (Wahlberg) realises it may be time to finally grow up after girlfriend Lori (Kunis) begins to feel that a pot-smoking stuffed toy may not be the best companion.

With the Griffin family rightfully earning their television cult status and the Smiths not too far behind, Family Guy and American Dad creator Seth MacFarlane had a lot to live up to when it came to his first motion picture. But unfortunately his first live-action film gives the sense that he may have already shown his cards – even if Patrick Stewart’s opening and closing narration tells us it is all one big overblown fairy tale. Continue reading →

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Bitesize Review: Snow White And The Huntsman (2012)

Posted on June 4, 2012 | 14 Comments

DIRECTOR: Rupert Sanders.

CAST: Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, Sam Spruell, Sam Claflin, Nick Frost, Brian Gleeson, Johnny Harris, Bob Hoskins, Toby Jones, Eddie Marsan, Ian McShane, Ray Winstone, Vincent Regan, Rachael Stirling, Noah Huntley.

SYNOPSIS: A twist on the fairytale we all know, when Queen Ravenna (Theron) sends a Huntsman (Hemsworth) to kill Snow White (Stewart), he finds himself incapable of murder and joins forces with her to end the Queen’s tyranny.

My broken arm calls for a slightly different (and bitesize) reviewing format. So here’s ten things I want to say about Snow White And The Huntsman: Continue reading →

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What I’m Watching – June 2012

Posted on June 2, 2012 | Leave a comment

This list only includes films I watched for the first time this month. My most recent viewing is the top entry:

Lawless (Dir: John Hillcoat, 2012) ****

God Bless America (Dir: Bobcat Goldthwait, 2011) ****

Sexual Chronicles Of A French Family (Dir: Pascal Arnold, Jean-Marc Barr, 2012) ***

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (Dir: Timur Bekmambetov, 2012) **

Life Just Is (Dir: Alex Barrett, 2012) **

Small Creatures (Dir: Martin Wallace, 2010) *

Shadow Dancer (Dir: James Marsh, 2012) ****

Unconditional (Dir: Bryn Higgins, 2012) ****

Flying Blind (Dir: Katarzyna Klimkiewicz, 2012) ***

Young Dudes (Dir: Yin-jung Chen, 2012) **

Leave It On The Track (Dir: Benjamin Pascoe, 2011) ***

Fred (Dir: Richard Ledes, 2012) ***

The Imposter (Dir: Bart Layton, 2012) ****

Killer Joe (Dir: William Friedkin, 2012) ****

Mirage (Dir: Yang Jung-ho, 2012) ***

Pusher (Dir: Luis Prieto, 2012) ***

Girimunho (Dir: Clarissa Campolina, Helvecio Marins Jr, 2011) ***

Bottle Rocket (Dir: Wes Anderson, 1996) *****

Son Of Rambow (Dir: Garth Jennings, 2007) ****

The Muppets (Dir: James Bobin, 2011) ****

The Angels’ Share (Dir: Ken Loach, 2012) ****

Snow White And The Huntsman (Dir: Rupert Sanders, 2012) ****

Prometheus (Dir: Ridley Scott, 2012) ***

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