Tag: Cinema
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American Hustle.
American Hustle is a delightful whirlwind of nail varnish, comb-overs, quiffs and hairspray. The eccentric costumes are fitting of both the time setting of the film as well as the characters – whose natures are artificially glamorous, fake and nasty. David O. Russell has created a film with a fun and nostalgic visual aesthetic that reflects…
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Frozen.
In 2010 Disney released Tangled. Despite trying to do something new and refreshing Tangled ended up feeling a little too familiar with the modernised fairytale being thoroughly worn out since the success and originality of Shrek. Tangled also demonstrated Disney’s attempt to step up their game as collaborators and partners and animation rivals Pixar churning out a vast number of high quality…
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Worst New Releases: 2013.
Amongst the thrills, laughter and emotion that the best cinema of 2013 brought us, there was also some yawns, some boredom and plenty of cringe-worthy moments. 2013 was as full of terrible tripe as it was mastery. Luckily, I avoided 99% of the rubbish due to good judgement. This is perhaps the only joy I…
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Best New Releases: 2013.
2013 has certainly been an exciting year for cinema. Amidst the many hours I’ve spent in dark cinema screenings, a few films have stood out. The following list documents what I consider to be the best new releases I’ve seen since January. This post will be followed up by a piece discussing the worst releases…
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Alice.
There is something indulgent about sitting down on a rainy weekend and enjoying a Woody Allen film you’ve never seen before. With a large mug of tea and a slice of buttered toast, I sat back to enjoy Allen’s fantasy/comic adventure Alice. A film that centres around re-evaluation, Alice tells the story of a woman of luxury, assessing her…
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Badlands.
Terrence Malick’s debut tells the story of fifteen year old Holly who falls in love with ‘James Dean lookalike’ Kit. Whilst Holly dryly narrates us through their tale, we watch the couple run away from home and venture out across America, killing anyone who stands in their way. Based on a true case, Badlands has darker dimensions…
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The Piano Teacher.
Perhaps Michael Haneke’s most refined and meaningful piece of work, The Piano Teacher is far from an easy watch. In typical Haneke-style, there is unpredicted physical violence, repression and unanswered questions but all of this comes together to form a majestic yet twisted piece of contemporary European cinema. This take on the melodrama, tells the story of…
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Last Days.
I mean, talk about a yawn-fest. Last Days is one of the most dull and uninteresting films I have ever seen. I’m familiar with Van Sant’s style so I was prepared for long scenes of “not much really happening” but Last Days takes this to an unbearable level. This is Gus Van Sant’s depiction of the final days of…
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Blue Is The Warmest Colour.
I have only read a handful of negative reviews of the 2013 Palme d’Or winning Blue Is The Warmest Colour. This french film has had a glorious reception and has remained one of the most discussed and anticipated films of the year. The film tells the story of Adele, a confused and vulnerable student. When we…
Hannah McHaffie 