Category: Film
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Captain Fantastic.
Peter Bradshaw gave Captain Fantastic one star in the Guardian; describing its protagonist as “essentially a cross between Charles Manson and Captain von Trapp.” Although my reaction to the film completely opposes Bradshaw’s, I adore his description of Ben, the father of 6 children whom he is raising, educating and training in the wild, using…
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Hunt for the Wilderpeople.
Based on the written work of Barry Crump and spawning from the mischievous mind of director Taika Waititi comes Hunt for the Wilderpeople – the tale of a troublesome foster kid and his somewhat reluctant foster-uncle. The unlikely duo find themselves on the run in the density of the New Zealand bush, chased by both the…
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Café Society.
For the last year I’ve been terribly aware of being an apologetic Woody Allen fan. This is of course a conversation for another time but it makes me even more aware of whether or not his latest work either flops or soars. I could breath a sigh of relief when Midnight in Paris rolled into…
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Tickled.
New Zealand journalist David Farrier seeks out the strange and the sensational for a living. He has made a career out of entertainment reporting which often includes interviewing life’s true individuals. He is one of the co-directors of Tickled a documentary funded by a 2014 Kickstarter campaign with the erotic fetish of competitive tickling torture…
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Wiener-Dog.
Todd Solondz did with his masterpiece Happiness what so few could do. Dealing with the subject of paedophilia – amongst an array of other uncomfortable topics – he brought us one of the most inspiring independent American movie of the 1990s. Almost twenty years on, his latest movie’s protagonist is a Dachshund. This ‘wiener-dog’ provides…
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David Brent: Life on the Road.
It’s been over twelve years since David Brent, regional manager at a Slough based paper merchants, was made redundant. It’s been over twelve years since Dawn walked back into the Christmas party and it’s been over twelve years since Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant brought our time spent watching the inner workings of the employees…
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Born to Be Blue.
By delicately and thoughtfully multi-layering fact over fiction, Robert Budreau’s Born to Be Blue is a beautifully textured, loose interpretation of jazz musician Chet Baker’s 1960s comeback. We first meet Baker on the floor of a damp Italian jail cell, withdrawing from heroine. Moments later, we’re in a world of fast pace black and white,…
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Finding Dory.
How do you follow up perfection? Many of us remember being enchanted by the staggering, animated ocean beds of Finding Nemo thirteen years ago – moved to tears by both the film’s wit and emotional story of an anxious clown fish on a journey to find his missing son. Although Monsters Inc. is undoubtedly my personal…
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The BFG.
To celebrate Roald Dahl’s 100th birthday, cinemas, organisations and arts venues up and down the country are celebrating with the Film Hub Wales initiative ‘Roald Dahl on Film’. Nostalgic screenings of childhood favourites such as Matilda, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach are just some of the movies being…
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Maggie’s Plan.
Written, directed and produced by Rebecca Miller, Maggie’s Plan is a spontaneous and whimsical piece of magic starring the impeccable Greta Gerwig. We meet Maggie on the cusp of a life altering decision. Making the choice to artificially inseminate herself with the produce of an aspiring pickle entrepreneur, Maggie is looking towards motherhood – content…
Hannah McHaffie 