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In The Heart Of The Sea (Cinema Review)

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in-the-heart-of-the-sea-review-slideStarring: Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy
Directed By: Ron Howard
Running Time: 122 Minutes
UK Release Date: December 26th 2015
BBFC Certificate: 12A

Our Score

Ron Howard returns to direct the film based on the script, based on the book, that’s based on the true story that Moby Dick was based on. As one can imagine I won’t be fact checking this film for historical accuracies.

In the Heart of the Sea tells the story of the whaling vessel The Essex, which, while on voyage in 1820, was attacked by a monstrous whale forcing its crew to abandon ship. This is a sea faring adventure which turns into a quest for survival against all odds with many dramatic moments throughout, but it unfortunately doesn’t live up to its potential. [Read more…]

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Cinema Review)

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star-wars-the-force-awakens-review-slideStarring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac
Directed By: J.J. Abrams
Running Time: 136 minutes
UK Release Date: Out Now
Certificate: 12A

Our Score

“This will begin to make things right.” The first words spoken out loud in The Force Awakens are uttered by a minor character and are clearly not meant to be about the Star Wars franchise in general. But the subtext is clear. For most fans, the three Star Wars prequels – The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith – were to varying degrees cartoonish, often boring disappointments. Ten years on from the last and best of these, Star Wars newcomer J.J. Abrams wants us to know it will be different this time. And it is. The Force Awakens really does live up to the new hype. [Read more…]

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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (Cinema Review)

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mockingjay-part-2-review-slide
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Julianne Moore
Director: Francis Lawrence
Running Time: 127 mins
UK Certificate: 12A
UK Release Date: November 19th 2015

Here we have the end of a franchise that initially I didn’t think I would like, but which I have been impressed with over the years. Yet another teen book sensation transitioned onto the big screen, and on the surface The Hunger Games (2012) seemed like a tween rip-off of the excellent Battle Royal (2000). However, it was so much more than what I was expecting and its sequel Catching Fire (2013) is one of those rare sequels that is better than its predecessor.

As Hollywood trends seem fit, the third and final book, Mockingjay, was split into two movies a la Harry Potter, Divergent and Twilight. But this trend generates more money for the studio and the audience gets more time with the characters and story that they love. Everyone (in theory) wins, although with Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) the audience was left hungry for more (pun intended). [Read more…]

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Brooklyn (Cinema Review) – Saoirse Ronan goes from Ireland to New York

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brooklyn-review-slideStrarring: Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Michael Zegen, Julie Walters
Director: John Crowley
Running Time: 112mins
UK Certificate: 12A

Our Score

Colm Toibin’s novel about an Irish girl finding her feet in New York has been much admired, but I found it a little underpowered. Nick Hornby’s adaptation suffers from similar problems, namely that not an awful lot happens, and when it does it’s so understated as to be almost invisible.

One thing that is undeniable is Ronan’s performance as Eilis Lacey; a sweet, honest, nice girl who has to suddenly cope with being the breadwinner of her family. Ronan is not the town’s glamour puss, or even pretty, but her puffy face, with piercing, honest eyes, is a wonder to behold. She is always sympathetic, completely real and without her the film would be even more paper thin. Eilis lives in a stifling, suffocating Irish town in the 1950s, where buying shoe polish on a Sunday is seen as an evil sin. All the boys look the same, with their oiled hair and rugby blazers, so it is a relief when she is picked as the member of the family to go to Brooklyn to find a new life. [Read more…]

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