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5 Fingers of Death (Tian xia di yi quan) - R
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November 18, 2009
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N/A
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas) - PG-13
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A beatufully simple story of the unlikely friendship between two boys during the holocaust. Powerful, thought provoking and while it's far from the 'feel good' movie of the year, it will leave you with plenty of moments to ponder. A welcome return from David Thewlis, but it's the pure charisma and innocence from the two boys that really makes its mark. It's that innocence which can come off as ignorance that really sells the story and the cinematography is quite spectacular too. Well worth a look!
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September 26, 2009
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N/A
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Driving Miss Daisy - PG
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Beautifully crafted tale of the unlikely bond between Tandy and Freeman. Well deserving of it's classic staus thanks to some very likeable performances from the two leads. The 20 year timespan is well portayed (if a little too obvious) and the moments of comedy are well paced and a welcome change of tone. A special mention must go to the production designer, who obviously put alot of effort into making the backgrounds authentic and approprate to the time. Brilliant!
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August 29, 2009
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N/A
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Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan - PG
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An incredible outing since 'Star Trek - The Motionless Picture'. In the wonderfully campy original series, there was an episode called 'Space Seed' that introduced Kahn. This incredible features follows the path of revenge and brings us more campy dialogue, but an amazing story as well. Totally quotable and ultimately a bit tearjerking in the end. A brilliant piece of cinema that proves the small screen can go big and do an amazing job. The sequels are hit and miss, but 'Wrath of Kahn' nails all the right buttons.
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August 16, 2009
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N/A
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Jing wu ying xiong (Fist of Legend) - R
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Jet Li is nothing short of amazing in this fast paced, action packed remake of Bruce Lee's 'Fist of Fury'. I've seen a bunch of martial arts movies in my time, but Jet Li's stunningly kinetic fight scenes are truly something to behold. Yeah the story has been seen before and it's really nothing special, but the action coreography more than compensates for some typically silly dialogue. Undoubtably it's Jet doing what he does best and every martial arts fan should see this at least once. Astounding and the Dragon Dynasty DVD really does it justice.
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August 15, 2009
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N/A
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Transporter 3 - PG-13
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I love the Transporter movies. Yeah they are ridiculously over the top and quite silly but My God they're entertaining. The addition lacks the ingenuity of the first two, but is good for a laugh nonetheless. Some wicked stunts and driving scenes elevate it above your average action fare, but seriously do not go looking for anything even vaguely intelligent. This one is strictly a watch with brain entirely disengaged, but when it's this entertaining, you just dont care. Sit back and enjoy the mindlessness.
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August 15, 2009
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N/A
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He's Just Not That Into You - PG-13
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After many requests from my wife I finally caved in and watched this one. Now I want to kick my own ass for allowing such tripe into my life. Basically, a bunch of attractive twenty-somethings whine at eachother about how inept they are with the opposite sex for approximately 90 minutes. Exceptionally girlie and certainly no fun for anyone without an idealistic, teenage romanticism. Yes all the pretty people are nice to look at, but if you just have to have some substance in your movies, look elsewhere.
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August 8, 2009
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N/A
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Valkyrie - PG-13
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Well tolk story of the true life assassination attempt on Hitler by a group of German insiders. An impressive supporting cast back up an equally impressive Tom Cruise, who proves he still makes an impression on screen. A thoughtful performance which manages to capture your attention and run with it. Bryan Singers confident direction is a welcome departure from comic book movies and is well written and executed. Don't miss the great documentary on the DVD, telling the tragic true story of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg...... riveting.
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July 26, 2009
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N/A
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Milk - R
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Sean Penn knocks it out of the park with an outstanding portrayal of political activist and crusader for gay rights, Harvey Milk. The story itself is interesting, if not completely riveting all the time. Quite inspirational in the journey Milk takes, but again, it's all due to the outstanding performance from Sean Penn. A decent supporting cast do well and the direction of Gus Van Sant shows a confident hand behind the wheel. Inspirational and tragic, it's well worth a look for the non-homophobic.
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July 26, 2009
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N/A
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Slumdog Millionaire - R
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Utterly captivating 'best picture' winner from the ultra-talented and incredibly versatile Danny Boyle. The clever storytelling style and touching performances from a cast of unknowns draws you in from the beginning and never lets go. The powerful message of the pricelessness of life experience (no matter how harsh) really hits home and the loyalty displayed by the lead character is nothing short of trul endearing. Highly recommended viewing to anyone and everyone. A visionary work from Boyle.
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July 4, 2009
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N/A
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Igor - PG
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June 27, 2009
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N/A
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In the Valley of Elah - R
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Paul Haggis' powerful follow-up to "Crash" is a very deep and moving affair, with a typically great performance from Tommy Lee Jones. Not afraid to delve into some touchy issues, this topical thriller asks some genuinely confronting questions about the role of society in modern warfare and ultimately where should loyalty lie. Well written and engaging, though not really appealing to everyones taste. Certainly a more mature and multilayered effort from Haggis, I can't wait to see what he does next.
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June 27, 2009
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N/A
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Seven Pounds - PG-13
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Will Smith proves once again that he really can do anything in this obscurely titled melodrama. This astounding piece of work has no shame about pulling at your heart strings and it does so in a surprisingly witty way that will leave you devestated. More than just a story of redemption, it's depth is almost biblical in nature and provokes the audience to ask some shocking questions about ourselves and the world we live in. Wonderfully deep, with some truly original twists and a very touching finale. Just see it!
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June 27, 2009
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N/A
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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - PG-13
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Maybe it was all the hype surrounding 'Benjamin Button' that led me to expect more from this amusing drama, but I gotta say, I was disappointed. All credit to the cinematography and Pitt's make up jobs, but I was underwhelmed by the chemistry between the leads and it really did feel every bit of a nearly 3 hour long movie. At times I was very bored and to be honest I think this is the first work from David Fincher I haven't loved. While it sets out to be deep and romantic, I found it more saccarine and pretentious. Quite overrated.
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June 27, 2009
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N/A
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The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor - PG-13
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A fairly forgettable addition to the Mummy series. An abundance of CGI effects and a pretty cool battle scene do not make up for a rambling script and some lacklustre performances. For me the biggest irritation was having the always watchable Rachel Weisz replaced by a thoroughly average Maria Bello. By comparison to it's predecessors, it certainly is nice to look at, but somehow lacks the sense of fun and adventure that the other two managed to pull off. Looks like a good candidate to demo BluRay with.
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June 27, 2009
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N/A
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He Was A Quiet Man - Unrated
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Christian Slater proves that he can still hold centre court in a nice little thriller that really owes everything to his beautifully psychotic performance. The movie itself is not great, the pacing is off, it lags at times and the underlying message is a bit weak, but Slater really kept my attention with a performance that is either darkly funny or scarily realistic. While his character could have been ripped from the script of 'Office Space', there is plenty there for everyone to identify with and even cheer for. Not great, but better than it's 'direct to DVD' statys.
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June 15, 2009
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N/A
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The Comebacks - PG-13
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Yet another addition to the very tire spoof movie genre. Somewhat better than the others in that it has a somewhat coherent storyline (however predictable and silly), and some of the jokes are genuinely funny. David Koechner was born for this sort of stuff and glimmers of his great turn in 'Anchorman' can be seen, but sadly anyone with the slightest touch of intelligent life can't help but be a tad insulted by the steaming pile of rehashed gags and cheap shots. Stick with the greats 'Airplane', 'Hot Shots' or 'Top Secret'.
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June 15, 2009
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N/A
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Låt den Rätte Komma In (Let the Right One in) - R
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June 5, 2009
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N/A
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The Warriors - R
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Do you have one of those movies that has been available for ages, but you just never seem to have gotten around to it? Well, Walter Hill's classic post apocalyptic gang movie falls into that category for me. After all these years, finally I caught it and I'm glad I did. Raw, exciting, violent and with a nice sense of justice, theres plenty to like about this one. Yes, it looks a bit dated, but since it was made in 1979 you can forgive the visual failings and just enjoy the originality of story that Walter Hill presents.
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June 1, 2009
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N/A
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Henry Poole Is Here - PG
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The underrated Luke Wison is captivating in this surprisingly 'feel good' and yet very quirky little film. The message of religion and faith can get hard to swallow, but is still reminiscent enough of the magical elements of 'Field Of Dreams' that you can't help but be a bit enamoured with the premise. That said, the whole story does feel a bit padded and gets a tad boring at times, even though a well selected cast so a fine job all around. Perhaps more overlooked than it should be, but still comes off as more 'preachy' than its predecessors.
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May 31, 2009
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N/A
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The Spirit - PG-13
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The sheer silliness of this comic book movie makes it very hard to like. Frank Millers directorial debut could have been a stylish, classy romp in the style of 'Sin City', but unfortunately leaves the bitter aftertaste of 'Batman and Robin'. While it's still got some visual flair and it's odd moment of creative originality, the utter silliness of the script is pretty unforgiveable. Given the pedigree of director Frank Miller, I guess I expected more, but then reminded myself, the man is a graphic novel legend and definitely not a great director.
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May 31, 2009
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N/A
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The Horror Show (House 3) - R
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May 22, 2009
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N/A
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House (Ding Dong, You're Dead) - R
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May 22, 2009
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N/A
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House IV (House 4: The Repossession) (House IV: Home Deadly Home) - R
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May 22, 2009
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N/A
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House of 1000 Corpses - R
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May 22, 2009
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N/A
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2833 ratings
715 reviews
