Latest – Page 629
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Reviews
A Perfect Day
Dir/scr: JoanaHadjithomas, Khalil Joreige. Fr-Leb-Ger. 2005. 88mins.The perfect metaphor in search of a plot, thesecond feature from Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige assembles thenecessary ingredients to paint a portrait of life in Beirut but lacks thedramatic momentum to pull them all together and spark some life.Set in the Lebanesecapital, A ...
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Reviews
The Cave
Dir:Bruce Hunt. US. 2005. 96mins.US-backedbut utilising international above- and below-the-line talent and locations, TheCave is an efficient yet routine horror thriller with what would normallyseem like a novel underground exploration setting. Unfortunately, the settingis shared with recent British caving chiller The Descent - so in theinternational marketplace at least, The ...
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Reviews
Gypo
Dir/scr: Jan Dunn. UK.2005. 98minsThe prospect of anofficially approved British Dogme film may not set hearts racing but Gypodefies any low expectations. An accomplished first feature, it makes a virtueof its adherence to the vows of cinematic chastity required by the Dogmemanifesto.Shot in 13 days on a microbudget from a ...
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Reviews
The Cave
Dir:Bruce Hunt. US. 2005. 96mins.US-backedbut utilising international above- and below-the-line talent and locations, TheCave is an efficient yet routine horror thriller with what would normallyseem like a novel underground exploration setting. Unfortunately, the settingis shared with recent British caving chiller The Descent - so in theinternational marketplace at least, The ...
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Reviews
The Dark
Dir: John Fawcett. UK.2005. 92minsA promising supernaturalthriller never quite comes to the boil in The Dark. The latest featurefrom Ginger Snaps director John Fawcett blends together the intriguingingredients of a pagan religion, a remote coastal location, the power of amother's love and the scorn of an injured child but it ...
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Reviews
An Unfinished Life
Dir: Lasse Hallstrom.US. 2005. 107mins.An Unfinished Life is the kind of film where you can predicteverything that will happen within moments of the story starting to unfold. Allthat remains is a simple matter of dutifully filling in the blanks.This Lasse Hallstromventure had been sitting on the shelf for some time ...
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Reviews
Antarmahal: Views From The Inner Chamber (Antarmahal)
Dir: RituparnoGhosh. India. 2005. 118mins.Returning to thelate 19th century, Rituparno Ghosh spins another sumptuous, yet intimate familystory with Antarmahal: Views From The Inner Chamber, playing once morein the same register he successfully used two years ago for fellow Locarnocompetitor Chokher Bali.Less enticing andnot as rich as his previous effort - ...
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Reviews
Serenity
Dir/scr: Joss Whedon. US.2005. 117mins.Nine successful StarTrek movies and one X-Files outing on the big screen are ampletestimony to the enduring attraction of cult sci-fi television. That factoralone should be enough to ensure muscular box-office for Serenity, afeature spin-off from the short-lived Joss (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)Whedon sci-fi western series ...
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Reviews
Love + Hate
Dir/scr: Dominic SavageUK. 2005. 86mins.A timely call forracial tolerance set in an unnamed town in northern England with a large Muslimcommunity, Love+Hate will be energised, for UK distributors, by thecurrent debate on the resurgence of Islamic identity among apparentlywell-integrated second- and third-generation immigrants.Ona simpler level, though, this is a classic ...
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Reviews
The Brothers Grimm
Dir: Terry Gilliam. UK-CzRep. 2005. 118mins.Terry Gilliam is afilm-maker for whom the joy of cinema is more in the journey than the finaldestination. This is usually okay because of the sheer phantasmagoria of hiscreations, and the kernel of universality at the core of his colourfulidiosyncrasies. But The Brothers Grimm, the ...
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Reviews
Kinky Boots
Dir: Julian Jarrold. UK.2005. 106mins.Ealing-style comedy meetsAlmodovar-style extravagance in Kinky Boots, a likable triumph of theunderdog comedy celebrating tolerance, drag queens and fabulous footwear. Thefilm has a good number of marketable elements from the intriguing premise tothe slinky soundtrack and the star performance of Chiwetel Ejiofor but it lacksthose special ...
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Reviews
Tsotsi
Dir: Gavin Hood. UK-S Af.2005. 94mins.Touched by the kind ofdynamism that also marked City Of God, Tsotsi brings a fresh energy tofamiliar themes of crime and redemption. Based on a novel by Athol Fugard, itoffers an unflinching portrait of post-apartheid South Africa; the lawlessshanty towns and lives bereft of hope. ...
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Reviews
Citizen Dog (Ma Nakorn)
Dir/scr: WisitSarasatieng. Thai-Fr. 2004. 100mins.Co-produced by LucBesson's EuropaCorp, Wisit Sasanatieng's follow-up to Tears Of The BlackTiger is a film of undeniable charm: a romantic fantasy already touted bysome as a Thai equivalent to Amelie. Shot in the same iridescent coloursas Black Tiger, full of surrealistic humour and musical interludes, itis ...
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Reviews
Wah-Wah
Dir/scr: Richard E Grant.UK-Fr-S Afr. 2005. 97minsAdd the name of Richard EGrant to the roster of actors who have made a successful transition to thedirector's chair. His feature debut Wah-Wah is an affectionate, keenly-observedportrait of a family's life set against the dying days of the British Empire.Working from autobiographical material, ...
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Reviews
Rag Tale
Dir. Mary McGuckian.UK-Lux. 2005. 123mins.Bashing newspapers hasalways been popular sport for film-makers. But Mary McGuckian's Rag Taleadds nothing to the genre, despite its radically different technical approach,and ultimately only results in a muddle.Shot mostly in hugeclose-ups by three madly swinging HD cameras and using every type of distortinglens to twist ...
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Reviews
The Constant Gardener
Dir: Fernando Meirelles.2005. UK-Ger. 125mins.Proving that City OfGod was no one-hit-wonder, Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles delivers avivid tapestry of international intrigue set against the backdrop of Africa anda pharmaceutical industry in The Constant Gardener, based on spyspecialist John le Carre's novel of the same name.Part retrospective lovestory, part political mystery, ...
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Reviews
Red Eye (S Korea)
Dir: Wes Craven. US.2005. 81mins.Screen elitists arealways decrying the feckless over-complications of modern action movies, butWes Craven's air-bound Red Eye strikes a blow for old-fashionedentertainment, even as it unfolds against a decidedly contemporary setting. Athriller cast as a breathless nouveau labyrinth dash, the movie delivers solidgenre jolts in a tight, ...
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Reviews
A Perfect Couple (Un Couple Parfait)
Dir/scr. SobuhiroSuwa. Fr-Jap. 2005. 104mins.Tailor-made for film festivals and those with apenchant for obscure material, Sobuhiro Suwa's A Perfect Couple is the sort offeature that will deter audiences whose patience is tried by films that delaydelivering their message.Shot in Paris with aFrench cast, this chiaroscuro (more scuro than chiaro) portrait ...
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Reviews
Familia
Dir. LouiseArchambault. Can. 2005. 102mins.Louise Archambault's cheerful debut may bebookended by some ambitious statements about the inevitability of geneticinheritance, but by the end has proved to be a light romp that is more than happyto settle for crowd-pleasing solutions.If audience responseat Locarno, where Familia played last week, is any indication, ...
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Reviews
The 40 Year-Old Virgin
Dir: Judd Apatow. US.2005. 116mins.Marking the featuredirecting debut of acclaimed TV comedy writer Judd Apatow and the featurestarring debut of in-demand comic actor Steve Carell, The 40 Year-Old Virginis a sex comedy that's sweet-natured one minute, enthusiastically raunchy thenext and sporadically very funny. Relatively subtle and character-driven by sexcomedy standards, ...