Tag: American cinema
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Young Adult.
Who we are during our high school years remains a sensitive and crucial part of us all. Whether you loved or loathed your teenage years in education, high school leaves a lasting impression on everyone. Many may deny this fact but it is a simple truth that those insecurities and emotions that we had back…
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Magic in the Moonlight.
Throughout his body of work, Woody Allen has always dabbled with magic. There is something about the impossible and the mystical that seems to fascinate a man so obsessed with his own mortality. The common consensus seems to be that, these days, Allen’s movies rise and fall in a natural motion. His last six or…
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Another Woman.
It’s my strong belief that Woody Allen’s work is at its best when he is doing two particular things – engaging in philosophical debate and writing for women. His masterful 1988 feature, Another Woman, shows glimmers of philosophy but primarily demonstrates just how well Allen knows women and their complexities. To enhance his insight into the female…
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Gangs of New York.
The Wolf of Wall Street marks the fifth collaborative effort between director Martin Scorsese and actor Leonardo DiCaprio. The duo will only need to make another three films together in order to equal the number of ‘Bobby and Marty’ joint efforts. Their first cinematic collaboration was the gruesome and relentless Gangs of New York. Scorsese is…
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Boyhood.
Richard Linklater’s Boyhood has been 12 years in the making. Following the little, and sometimes seemingly insignificant, moments that make up one boy’s journey into adulthood, this is a film with a unique spirit and ambition. Shot in a staggering 39 days, over 12 years and with a particular cast, Boyhood travels across time in an original and…
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Giant.
Set against the dusty backdrop of Texas, Giant spans over 25 years and 200 minutes. It is an extravagant tale about identity, race, pride and the dawn of the age of oil. Giant follows stubborn and determined Texan rancher Bick Benedict as the industry he loves gradually deteriorates whilst oil drilling rises. After Bick marries the strong-willed, and equally…
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Rebel Without a Cause.
James Dean only made 3 films before his death at age 24. East of Eden came out in early 1955, half a year before its star died in a car crash. A month after his death, his second film was released, followed by his last, Giant, in 1956. With the tragedy of his death still looming and his portrayal…
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Chef.
I didn’t care whether or not Chef had a pretty conventional and predictable plot. I wasn’t desperate for it to make me howl with laughter and tug at my heart strings. I was prepared to sit through two hours of mediocre characters who I wouldn’t warm to – I’d seen the trailer after all. All I wanted…
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Fading Gigolo.
I hardly need to mention what a huge Woody Allen fan I am. Equally, I admire John Turturro and his body of work which is so often at its best when he works alongside Joel and Ethan Coen. With their on-screen nihilistic traits and their off-screen New York backgrounds, it makes perfect sense for Allen…
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Moonrise Kingdom.
Sometimes I forget how exciting the wilderness was as a child. I have fond memories of running along windy grassy hill tops in the Falkland Islands, where I spent five years of my childhood. Children’s literature is usually devoted to adventure and freedom. Many Enid Blyton novels are evidence of this.Moonrise Kingdom is a story of…
Hannah McHaffie 