The title Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is disturbingly reminiscent of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and unfortunately so is the film’s quality. What could have been either an exciting, funny supernatural romp, a Princes Bride style fractured fairy-tale or a genuinely creepy horror movie ends up as a clumsy, noisy yet dull action film. A miscast Jeremy Renner and Gemma
Read moreAbraham Lincoln is such a towering and mythic figure in American history it seemed inevitable that American cinema’s great story teller Steven Spielberg would make a film about him. Lincoln is not, however, the emotionally manipulative epic we might have expected from Spielberg, instead it’s a dour, low-key and thoughtful look at an introspective and conflicted man. Like the Hitchcock
Read moreIt’s a massive show this week on Built For Speed. With the Oscars rapidly approaching it’s time to look at two of the major statue contenders Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty. It’s also time for Built For Speed’s classic album and this week we go back to 1973 for The Rolling Stones’ Goats Head Soup. There’s also plenty of great
Read moreZero Dark Thirty, which is director Katherine Bigelow’s follow-up to her Oscar winning The Hurt Locker, describes the 10 year CIA mission that lead to the killing of Osama Bin Laden. With this film it again seems that the movies are borrowing from TV rather than the other way around. Much like The Wire, Zero Dark Thirty is a detailed
Read moreDavid O. Russell’s latest film Silver Linings Playbook, has been lauded by a number of critics but the praise seems excessive given the way the film lurches awkwardly between gritty indie movie and formula rom com. Much like As Good As It Gets, this film mixes themes of mental illness and redemption with romantic comedy. Unfortunately, it lacks the assurance,
Read moreBUILT FOR SPEED, PLAYLIST, 1ST FEBRUARY 2013 SEX PISTOLS – EMI. BAND OF HORSES – NW Apt. THE BRONX – Ribcage. PIL – Annalisa. ZZ TOP – Tush. JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS – I love rock’n’roll. MOTLEY CRUE – Kick-start my heart. RICHARD HAWLEY – Tonight the streets are ours. MIKAL CRONIN – Again and again. THE BOAT PEOPLE – Awkward
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