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'The Man Who Saved the World'

26/6/2015

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Available on DVD June 29th!
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The word 'hero" is one that has been bandied around often within the twenty-first century, especially when it comes to movies and entertainment. Ask anybody on the street and they would easily reel off an extensive list of well-known and popular heroes - both male and female, super-powered or otherwise. But, ask the very same people whether they knew the name Stanislav Petrov, and, more often than not, the sole response would be a blank stare and a casual shrug of the shoulders.

Stanislav Petrov is a former lieutenant colonel of the Soviet Air Defence Forces. And, on September 26 1983, he held the fate of the world in his hands. Stanislav Petrov is literally, and with not an iota of hyperbole, is the man who saved the world.
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A decade in the making, and two decades overdue, Peter Anthony brings to the screen both a revelatory character portrait and an incredible story. Turning the traditional documentary format on its head, potentially creating a whole new genre unto itself, 'The Man Who Saved The World' is a film that is an equal blend of real-life, then present day footage and dramatised reconstruction. The former telling the story of a forgotten man, broken by time and circumstance rediscovering the love that exists in the world. And the latter of which, featuring fluid editing and an amazing score, is captured with the kind of cinematic flair more becoming of a Hollywood blockbusters of the famous faces Stanislav encounters, as he embarks on a tour across the United States which he delivered from utter anihilation. Posing and giving voice to some extremely important social and political questions and insights along the way.
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Equally noteworthy is the wonderfully emotive performance from Sergey Shnyryov as the younger version of Stanislav. Navigating each scene with aplomb - be they terrifying or tragic, personal of professional. Not a facial expression or movement wasted, drawing the audience even further in and forcing people to experience each tense or tragic moment and every ounce of pain along with him. The scenes revolving around his crucial decision positively drips with as much tension as his brow brims with sweat. And the moments spent with his wife are both genuinely sweet and emotionally devastating, offering nuance and a depth of humanity that is often dismissed in favour of the surface appearance of an enemy soldier, and can't always be imagined and put to page. As well as also adding to the bafflement and horror that strikes the heart upon the recollection that this is actually a true story.
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Armed not with a gun or super-strength but with heart and compassion, Peter Anthony has placed the name of a real-life hero - of Stanislav Petrov - amongst the fictional likes of John McClane, Iron Man, and ninety-nine percent of Arnold Schwarzenegger characters. As well as, simultaneously, crafting a truly stunning and accomplished film around him, demonstrating that truth really is stranger than fiction and true heroes do exist, even if they themselves fail to see it and the world fails to realise. A film that, in the modern climate, offers concerns more troubling and carries a message that is more poignant than ever. A verdict made all the more impressive and inspiring given the fact that this is the Danish filmmaker's directorial debut.
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All in all, this might just be one of the most important films of our time! Maybe even of all time!
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Review by Jay Thomas.
See this review on The Fan Carpet.
Tell us what you think!
Rate the film and why not write your own review in the comments?
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'The Final Haunting'

22/6/2015

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Out now!
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Let me just start by saying that this film is okay, not great but okay. I realised as I was writing what you are about to read below that I was getting hung up on one element and one character that I think I dislike so much it has tainted every element of the film for me. As a positive thought crept up all I could think about was this glaring fault and even though it is not the main focus of the movie I kept coming back to it. In fact if that problem alone was solved it’s probable that I’d be giving this film a higher rating. Anyway, I’ll explain further in the review proper, I just wanted to make this point here as my review was feeling a little judgemental.

'The Final Haunting' introduces us to Lily (Pearl Chanda), an emotionally disturbed young woman plagued by nightmares that appear to depict some traumatic past experience. She seemingly has no family and her only friend is an elderly blind lady who used to work as a psychic and as we meet her she is advising Lily on how to keep out the evil spirits (dare I say demons?) that plague her dreams.

We’re then dragged into a bizarrely needless plot thread about her meeting Chris (Paris Wharton), a charmingly awkward young man who stumbles around trying to ask her out in the park. The two of them then proceed to clumsily dance around each other and eventually become a couple, but feel free to forget that as it’s basically pointless despite taking forever. I’ll come back to that.

More importantly, Lily is on a job hunt that is not going well until she spots an advert in an agency window for a babysitting job and she jumps at the chance. The job, it transpires, is in a big house in the middle of nowhere where a creepily overly attached mother, Samantha (Bella Heesom), and her frustrated husband, Tom (Josh Burdett), live their bleak unhappy lives. Tom practically drags Samantha out of the house but not before setting out the rules of the job, such as don’t go into the cellar and don’t touch the creepy painting hanging over the stairs, because he seems to be one of the few characters aware that they are in a horror film.
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Not long after Lily is left alone in the house the proverbial starts to hit the fan and she is tormented by something playing on her personal fears whilst trying to steal the child she has been tasked with taking care of. Or are they? I won’t go into spoiler territory other than to say that the mystery of what’s really happening is quite intriguing, interesting and inventive, and whilst it’s perhaps not as clever as it thinks it is the movie at least has more to offer us than a few bumps in the night.

First up I’m reluctant to get hung up on technical issues, abundant though they are here, when it comes to indie films they can feel like an easy target and perhaps it’s unfair to judge these kinds of films on the same level as the latest blockbuster. But to ignore it feels like a cop out and plenty of low budget movies manage to transcend their humble production values. Unfortunately this isn’t one of them and I found the glitches distracting, from the usual sound balance issues to pull focuses that last too long and a surprising number of background reveals that don’t actually reveal anything and yet linger anyway. And don’t try to pass these off as artistic choices, it’s a fine line between artistic and messy and this film leans closer to the latter. However you can get past these if you are less obsessive than I am so don’t take these as a damning of the film, it’s just the surprisingly frequent feel of a film feeling not quite finished.
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As previously mentioned the movie begins with Lily going about her daily life and meeting Chris, and as you may have inferred I think I hate Chris. I honestly do not see the point of this opening, it has a curious quality of a poorly constructed storyline that feels as if it moves both too quickly and too slowly, with each scene dragging well beyond it’s welcome and new developments happening suddenly and without provocation, sometimes seeming to be contradictory to the characters motivations in the previous scene. More egregiously it’s painfully unnecessary. Chris returns in the finale but he serves no real purpose during the main storyline and for what little involvement he has there’s no reason we couldn’t have had him established at the start, which actually would have helped round out Lilly, adding to the mystery and giving us more time for the haunting, as the shift in tone when we move from the almost rom-com like setup of the uninteresting boyfriend to the intenseness of the haunted house is extremely jarring and it is clear that the haunting is where the strengths of the film lie.

All negativity aside the story of the haunting is very well constructed, the atmosphere is thick, the pacing is tense, the mystery is interesting and the scares are scary, which feels like the bare minimum requirement in a horror film but you’d be surprised how many horrors fall at this first hurdle. Unfortunately I’m still hung up on the sloppy opening and as I write this I feel it is a big problem because almost all of my negative points can be drawn back to this relatively minor area of the film. I could comfortably cut out half of Chris’s appearance in the film without losing anything and it would have been nice to have seen a little more of the couple who owned the house, as they add a nice level to the puzzle of what’s really happening.
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As a side note I’m actually not clear what exactly was happening. I mean I understood the “truth” of the haunting but as to the details I can certainly make assumptions but whilst I know there definitely was a scene at the end where two characters sat down and one explained the plot to the other (the other was Chris, who we’ve established I hate) I struggled to follow what they were talking about and whatever the explanation was didn’t sink in. Maybe I’m an idiot but I’d have preferred no explanation at all as opposed to one I didn’t understand. All in all this film seemed unaware of what it’s strengths were, the spooky stuff works great but the bigger character building and deeper meanings all fell a little flat despite Pearl Chanda doing an excellent job of adding real vulnerable depth to the character of Lily. I might be being generous in my rating of this film but the parts I enjoyed I enjoyed and a second viewing would probably hold up favourably.
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Review by Kristian Mitchell-Dolby.
See this review on The Fan Carpet.
Tell us what you think!
Rate the film and why not write your own review in the comments?
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'Jurassic World'

15/6/2015

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In cinemas now!
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65 Million years ago, way back in 2003, work began on the fourth instalment of the Jurassic Park franchise. Since then, numerous actors, directors, writers, and producers have joined, left, re-joined, and re-left the project, with studios desperately trying to get this film made. This sequel has been anticipated for twenty-two years (The Lost World and Jurassic Park III are kind of snorted aside) and for twelve years, it’s been dangled in front of our faces, much like a shark to a hungry mosasaurus. And it’s because of this disjointed and ‘bodge-job’ approach that the screenplay has ended up being as poor and ironically 2D as it is. By the end you’ll inevitably be won over by the greatly executed dinosaur-on-dinosaur fight scenes but, as fun as it is, this is just a not-too-brief distraction from what is actually a messy plot and a flat piece of writing.
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Because twenty-two years ago there were no real burning issues with the safety or morality of the events of Jurassic Park, now Isla Nublar is a fun-filled interactive theme park for all the family to enjoy. As a self-deprecatingly aware comment on itself, the film acknowledges that normal dinosaurs aren’t enough and that for attendances to spike, they’ve had to create a new attraction in the form of the Indominus rex. This of course is all representative of both CGI effects and Hollywood sequels - a nice yet very sad confession.
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Zach (Nick Robinson) and Gray (Ty Simpkins) are the two young nephews of the park’s operations manager, Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard). When things naturally turn sour and the fancy new hybrid dinosaur turns out to be a mastermind as well as a killing machine, Claire finds an unlikely partnership in sexually driven and tanned velociraptor whisperer, Owen (Chris Pratt). Together, and with endless moral distractions from other characters we fail to care about, they try and hunt down the Indominus rex and keep the island of theme-park-lovers out of harm’s way.
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As aforementioned, the characters were horribly written. We’re constantly reminded that Zach is a teenager, by having verging-on-strange amounts of shots of him ogling at other young girls. He also says “chill” a lot. Claire is a terrible Aunt - we know this because she doesn’t understand the concept of time and thinks she hasn’t seen her nephews in three years when in fact it’s seven. Lowery (out of place but humorously played by Jake Johnson) is the token geeky comic character. The only saving grace is Irrfan Khan as the Park’s billionaire owner Simon Masrani - really well acted and well grounded, fending off cheesy lines fairly well. Gray is the excited young kid in all of us that can’t wait to see the abundance of CGI dinosaurs that the park has to offer. Although the effects got considerably better - brilliant in fact - by the final third of the film, many of the CGI characters just didn’t cut it for me. Begun by the clever use of a garden bird’s footprint, the visual effects just look far too crisp and crystal clear for them to seem real. I much prefer the raw and untouched feel of the original.
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Director Colin Trevorrow, I assume realising some of this, successfully tries his utmost to include as many references to the original classic as possible, instilling that magic from the first film into this. The wonderful music (composed by Michael Giacchino) is a great twist on the original soundtrack, the cameos of Mr. DNA, the dilophosaurus hologram, the night vision goggles, and the number 29 tourist jeep, all individually give us throwback memories to Jurassic Park.
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In spite of the long list of criticisms I have, I was won over by the end. The story does grip you, even if it is littered with plot holes. It’s certainly a very thrilling and tense film; less of an adventure movie and more of an edge-of-your-seat cat and mouse thrill ride. I don’t think I’m being unfair in thinking that well written characters and popcorn-action should not be exclusive from one another. There’s no reason we can’t have both of those things. It’s not a choice of action or intelligent writing. It should not be. However it seems like in this instance, we do indeed only have the privilege of the latter.
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It’s enjoyable. It’s good. Fine. Dinosaurs are cool. But what’s wrong with Jurassic Park is what’s wrong with modern cinema. And what’s worse is, it knows it. Dr. Ian Malcolm said it all the way back in 1993: “I’ll tell you the problem with the scientific power that you're using here, it didn't require any discipline to attain it. You read what others had done and you took the next step. You didn't earn the knowledge for yourselves, so you don't take any responsibility for it. You stood on the shoulders of geniuses to accomplish something as fast as you could, and before you even knew what you had, you patented it, and packaged it, and slapped it on a plastic lunchbox, and now you're selling it, you wanna sell it.”
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Review by Peter Imms.
Tell us what you think!
Rate the film and why not write your own review in the comments?
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'Entourage'

15/6/2015

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In cinemas June 3rd in the USA and June 19th in the UK!
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In 2011, with the aptly titled 'The End', HBO and a horde of dedicated fans waved goodbye to Vincent Chase and his titular 'Entourage' as they flew off into the sunsets of Paris and Italy, and towards their own personal happy and professionally successful endings...
...In 2015, movie-star Vincent Chase, and his titular 'Entourage' are back - and back in business with super agent-turned-studio head Ari Gold on a risky project that will serve as Vince's directorial debut.

All the way back in 2004, creator Doug Ellin, wasted no time in sweeping the audience into his fantastical Hollywood world. Over a decade later, he wastes even less, dropping immediately in on a yacht party where the music is blaring, the alcohol is flowing, and the deck is teeming from port to starboard with an endless and nameless parade of strictly female beauties, all in various states of undress. The tone is set with a speed that the makers of the characters' luxurious cars would no doubt be envious of.
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Many other aspects of the film follow suit, with the writing sharply cutting a swathe through the various developments and cliffhangers left from the show. Though years have passed in the real world, less than a week has gone by in the paradise that these characters inhabit - a fact frequently emphasised by a running gag revolving around one character's mysterious weight-loss and newly athletic physique. No doubt, it is a sign of an eagerness to steer the characters back to their previous status quo, and headlong into the next chapter of their individual and collective lives. And what lives they are.
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The deeper the audience follows the quintet into their world, the further it becomes apparent that the yacht party was only the tip of the iceberg. This is a world of excess and prestige. A world of big houses, sports-cars, and unlimited wealth and sex. A world where a cinema can be erected on the beach in a matter of hours for a screening party, helicopters are readily available in order to interrupt meetings across town, and Piers Morgan narrates your previous exploits in a handy montage of cliff-notes to bring the uninitiated up to speed.

Therein lies the greatest of the film's issues. Though this is very much a fictionalised account of Hollywood and its blessed inhabitants, it is constantly at odds with the pseudo-documentary-style aesthetic it has chosen to adopt. It is almost as much a fantasy land as the likes of Middle-Earth and Westeros, but with less orcs and dragons and more opportunities for a former pizza-chef and simple driver to become millionaires. Yet, it is also has foundations that ground it firmly in reality. Though it affords the crew opportunity to utilise some truly stunning camera-angles and luscious views, it's a juxtaposition that fails to click.
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The jokes and humourous situations come thick and fast, but unfortunately they fail to land as frequently or strongly as was probably hoped and intended. On some occasions, a knowledge of the show would probably help, adding context to the moments and dialogue. But other times, and over all, it feels inorganic and suffers from a mentality that feels at least a decade out of date. As though the writer is clinging to a by-gone era and that the majority of scenes are inserted for the sake of comedy, rather than the comedy emerging naturally from the various, supposed arcs. The same can also be said for brief attempts at more dramatic and poignant moments, shoe-horned in to create a faux-redemptive sense of brotherhood, and lacking from any substantial build-up. Although, one such recurring story does serve to give supporting cast-member, Rex Lee, some great and hilarious moments. As well as leads to, without a doubt, the funniest and most organic of their trademark celebrity cameos.
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The acting is mostly solid throughout - with Jeremy Piven and Kevin Dillon being the highlights. Both serving to help the writing hit their targets on the comical front, especially when it comes to their respective experiences with therapy, as well as blessing the characters of Ari Gold and Johnny Drama respectively with more of a feeling of sincerity, nuance and pathos. Adrian Grenier adds believability to Vincent Chase as a movie-star around which everybody orbits and to whom attractive models flock. But, as is always the case in these types of comedies, the main character always serves to pale in comparison to slightly crazier and more unpredictable co-stars and characters.

Had the writers adopted more of under-dog approach beyond Dillion's character and his desire to be taken seriously, there might have been more to root for and this might have been a very different review. But, with every set-back erased before it has a chance to truly become an obstacle and, subsequently, a distinct lack of tension, what the audience is left with is the journey of rich people getting richer and successful people becoming even more successful.
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The aforementioned horde of dedicated fans will surely enjoy getting another opportunity to hangout with - and live vicariously through - their favourite collection of Hollywood bros. But for everyone else their enjoyment will depend on their level of passion for celebrity culture, constant celebrity cameos, and seeing the kid from Sixth Sense in a way you never could have imagined...
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Review by Jay Thomas.
See this review on The Fan Carpet.
Tell us what you think!
Rate the film and why not write your own review in the comments?
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'Natural Resistance'

15/6/2015

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In cinemas June 19th!
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The closest most people can come to calling themselves a wine expert is probably by imitating the way that Hannibal Lector appreciates and savours wine in all its aromas and flavours, as seen on the critically acclaimed NBC/Sky Living show 'Hannibal'. Or courtesy of the one-thousandth re-watch of the equally acclaimed and equally wine-centered movie 'Sideways'. Unless, of course, your name is Jonathan Nossiter...

In parallel to being a film-maker, he is a trained sommelier who has shared his wisdom and experience in restaurants around the world. Not to mention brought the art of wine-making to the fore, with the critically acclaimed and Palme d'Or nominated documentary 'Mondovino' which sought to reveal the impact of globalization on the world's different wine regions. In other words, he is far from what anybody could consider a layman.
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Ten years later, with as much passion as before, his new film 'Natural Resistance' follows four Italian winegrowers who live the life we all dream of. Each of these farmers have encountered a fierce resistance as they struggle to make their dreams of a natural, sustainable and ecologically just wine-making industry a reality. Giovanna Tiezzi lives in a converted 11th century monastery and grow grains, fruit and wine in a way that links to their ancient heritage. Corrado Dottori is a refugee from industrial Milan who inherited his grandfather's farmstead and tends to it as an expression of agricultural social justice. Elena Pantaleoni works her father's vineyards and strives to create a utopian reality. Finally Stefano Belloti, the controversial radical farmer poet, disrupts the long established rules of farming from his avant-garde property in the Piedmont. But these natural winemakers stand up against the "New World Economic Order" to offer a model of charmed and joyous resistance, hoping to stir the hidden rebel in all of us.
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Slipping just shy of the ninety-minute mark, 'Natural Resistance' is a far more compact beast, opting to focus more solely on the individual rather than global. Taking the majority of the responsibility upon himself, including operating a handheld camera, and with few in the way of technical flourishes, Jonathon Nossiter has created a film that feels personal and intimate in a way that so few are in this day and age. What the audience receives can, essentially, be described as little more than beautiful, serene images of various Italian vineyards and a collection of conversations.

That is where, unfortunately, the film falters as well as flies. Though already compact, it could have actually benefited from a stricter editing process and a keener eye on the narrative flow. There is a message at the core than serves as both the connective tissue and the driving force, but there is little variety in the ways it can be expressed before it becomes repetitive. Frustratingly, that moment emerges only a little way into the run-time. Nossiter does his best to combat this, making wonderful use of footage from vintage films, no doubt drawing a parallel between the way the corporations hinder the homegrown farmers and the effect Hollywood is increasingly having on independent filmmakers and their work. But, whilst it serves to expand the scope of his ideals and make it relatable to a wider audience, it also has the unmistakable aura of padding, added in order to turn something that could have been expressed in a video-blog or podcast into a film for no other reason than to be a film.
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That being said, even repetition isn't enough to reduce the importance and the impact of the message. The concepts of environmentalism and revolution are firmly taking hold of the social consciousness of late. And they are keenly felt throughout the film, not to mention pursued with passion, humour and sincerity, leaving it almost impossible to walk away without pondering the state of life and the world, the potential for change, and wanting a sip of something red or white.
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Review by Jay Thomas.
See this review on The Fan Carpet.
Tell us what you think!
Rate the film and why not write your own review in the comments?
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'Shooting for Socrates'

13/6/2015

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In cinemas June 12th!
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What’s the rule on spoilers here? This actually happened (more or less) and there are probably people who know more about the story than I do and I just finished watching it. 'Shooting for Socrates' tells the tale of the last time that scrappy underdog Northern Ireland qualified for the football world cup and their eventual match against towering behemoth Brazil. We follow a young David Campbell (Nico Mirallegro - 'My Mad Fat Diary') as he joins the team for the first time under the commanding presence of manager Billy Bingham (John Hannah - 'Four Weddings and a Funeral'), as well as a young lad called Tommy who is back in the virtual war zone of Belfast as he approaches his tenth birthday, following the team with pride and anticipation as they psych themselves up for a match that no one really expects them to win and with the country united behind them. This is punctuated by the Brazilian team having the titular “Socrates” on their side, a player who seems more like a myth than a man, a key figure in the democratic revolution in Brazil at the time and to top it all off he was also a doctor of medicine, achieving his doctorate during his time playing football. Seriously, this is a real guy, look him up.
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As a man who has literally never taken any kind of interest in sports I’m always impressed by a sports movie that can draw me in. I’m not captivated by the spectacle (no, not even of “the beautiful game”), I’m not invested in the world and I don’t care to see how everything works behind the scenes. However, this in no way reflects my choices when it comes to movies and there are powerful stories to be told in the world of sport as there are dull and lifeless ones. If this seem like stalling it’s because 'Shooting for Socrates' sits in that awkward middle ground where I genuinely can’t think of anything all that interesting to say about it.

It’s not so terrible I can bash it or so amazing I can praise it. It was good but all very much made of nothing. Unfortunately, and ultimately this is a fault of the film, I’m keenly aware that this movie wasn’t made for me. If you’re a big football nut then you’ll probably like it. If you’re Irish and interested in a little slice of your culture and history, you’ll probably like it. If you’re Irish, interested in a little slice of your culture and history and you’re a big football nut then maybe this is the greatest movie ever made, I don’t know, but I don’t think you’ll love this movie unless at least some of that is true.
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If I had to describe the film in one word it would be unfocused. I could try and go into more barely touched upon plot details such as the parallels of politics, religion and philosophy of the time but frankly it’s not really there, and however much subtext you try to read into the film you’re probably going to end up feeling empty. It is on the whole a good film but not a great one, it’s a special kind of filmmaker who can find tension in events we already know the outcome of and this hasn't achieved it, though the ending does have an uplifting message that almost makes up for that. Almost.

The drama of game isn’t quite captured here and despite a handful of good gags the comedy largely falls flat as well, though I’d say it’s still where the film looks to be the most comfortable and a little more emphasis here would have been the way to go. The ensemble cast, another thing that’s tricky to pull off, actually does work really well, there’s no weak link with I think Jackie Fullerton (Conleth Hill - 'Game of Thrones') being the highlight for me, and the cast as a whole do a great job of constructing their own sympathies without pulling focus so that the various plot threads sync together nicely. It’s just I wasn’t all that interested in any of them.
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All in all the film feels kind of hollow. The front line that is the streets of Belfast makes for a lot of tense set ups, but nothing really happens. In Brazil despite explicit orders from Billy the squad sneak out for a drink and a bit of late night chicanery, but nothing really happens. Tommy turns ten and his dad fulfils a promise to him that he has been waiting for the whole movie, it’s a sweet moment, but nothing really happens. We have two comic relief characters who sell everything they own to go to Brazil and support the team, but again they don’t really do anything or serve a purpose, so … yeah … nothing really happens.

This film is a whole lot of nothing really happening, we have Campbell joining the team and the lead up to his first ever match for his country, and although he mopes about a bit because he can’t get the managers attention straight away he pretty much fits in and we don’t spend enough time with him to really feel his angst. Even if you don’t know the story in advance it’s clear that he’ll eventually be allowed to play otherwise what’s the point... In addition whilst Ireland in the eighties is a fascinating backdrop for any story the film clearly doesn’t want to be about that and so never commits to any kind of political or philosophical thinking despite how much it insists that it’s making a statement in the third act.
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Socrates himself is portrayed at the end to be some kind of villain of the piece but that truly comes out of nowhere and isn’t nearly a strong enough motivation to support the “take that” moment he receives in the titles epilogue. Yes he’s a presence throughout the film and is portrayed as a bit of a tool, but this seemed way out of place to me. Personally I’d have preferred to have focused on Campbell, he has stars in his eyes, jumps at the chance to prove himself, is the outsider of the team at first but is eventually accepted and becomes one of the lads. Yes it’s ripped from the pages of the Idiots Guide to Scriptwriting but cliches are there for a reason, they work, especially in a genre not well known for its innovation.
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At the end of the day you probably know from the subject matter alone whether this films appeals to you and you likely won’t be disappointed, but if it doesn’t then I probably wouldn’t worry about catching this one.
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Review by Kristian Mitchell-Dolby.
See this review on The Fan Carpet.
Tell us what you think!
Rate the film and why not write your own review in the comments?
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'Girlhood'

13/6/2015

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In cinemas May 8th in the UK!
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Over the last ten years we have seen more and more films that focus on life in the poorer ends of a city. The struggles, hopelessness and gang culture that are a frequent product of poverty are increasingly a source of inspiration for film writers. It is, however, unusual to find such a film almost entirely populated by women, from their perspective. 'Girlhood' does just that. Battered from all angles of her life, from her frustrating and hopeless educational prospects to her oppressive and controlling older brother, Marieme finds solace in a group of rebellious girls. As their friendship grows they support each other through power struggles, romance and family issues. Marieme must eventually find her own way and escape from a life that cannot satisfy her.
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Writer and director Céline Sciamma has stated that she did not want to make a film where the audience peers through the looking glass at a world seemingly removed from our own. There is a danger, especially when writing a story that is not a life the writer themselves have lived, to delve into an almost nature documentary-like quality, poking into the forest and observing with wonder the creatures that emerge. Sciamma has avoided this trap, instead writing characters we all know and recognise in a story trenched in reality and humanity. It is, in essence, a classic coming-of-age story in a modern setting.
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Some of the key themes of this film are sorority and empowerment, something which is largely embodied by the central friendship group. Marieme (Karidja Touré), Lady (Assa Sylla), Adiatou (Lindsay Karamoh) and Fily (Mariétou Touré) share an almost instant bond. Drawn together by their frustrations at life, they constantly shake it off and lift each other up by creating their own little world of fun and frivolity. This is one of the joys of the film. With so many intense and difficult scenes, it would be easy to descend into an all encompassing doom and gloom. However, the scenes between the girls are a pleasant release, often filled with joy and hilarity.
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The actresses themselves do a fantastic job. For a group with little to no acting experience between them, they take to the scenes and characters like ducks to water. Their chemistry and energy is palpable and every character is one easily recognisable. These are girls you went to school with, girls you lived next door to, each steeped in complex layers and realism that even the most seasoned actress can struggle to convey at times. Karidja, Assa, Lindsay and Mariétou make it look easy. Of course the stand out star of the whole film has to be our lead, Karidja Touré. She gives a performance that is so convincingly heartbreaking that I was genuinely surprised on meeting her a few weeks later and discovering that she is in fact an incredibly chirpy, carefree individual. She possesses giant eyes that seem to convey a million emotions in just one glance and a presence that holds the screen with the expertise of a seasoned professional.
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'Girlhood' is a refreshing break from many of the blockbusters that saturate the cinemas. On top of this, it takes a world that is often represented in film but turns it on its head by looking at it from a completely different viewpoint. It expertly avoids following the clichés of the genre, often setting the audience up to expect a generic outcome then twisting into something completely unexpected. The final scene is particularly powerful and frustratingly, yet appropriately, open ended. A must see.
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Review by Melanie Crossey.
See this review on The Fan Carpet.
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'Tomorrowland: A world Beyond'

12/6/2015

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In cinemas May 22nd!
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When a scientifically gifted young girl, Casey (Britt Robertson), is given a mysterious pin, she discovers that touching it has the ability to transport her into another, futuristic world. In searching for its meaning, she meets a cynical former boy-genius, Frank (George Clooney), who has a little more history in that world than he desires. Despite both of their objections, they discover that they must team up in order to protect themselves and the world at large.
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'Tomorrowland: A World Beyond' is reminiscent of old-school Disney. It is full of hope for the future, that fantastic old belief in the goodness of human kind winning out in the end. There must be a happy ending. It’s quite refreshing amidst the countless Sci-Fi epics that tout the end of the world where human kind destroys all with greed and doesn’t care until the moment apocalypse is on their doorstep.
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The old-school theme continues when we are brought into the futuristic new world. There is something distinctly evocative of Hanna-Barbera’s 'The Jetsons' in this world, right down to the 1960s Sci-Fi costumes. In fact, when we first step in, there is something almost unnervingly 1960s airport about the whole thing. Casey is welcomed with open arms, everyone seemingly expecting her and so calm and smiley that the majority of the English audience, at least, will find themselves very untrusting of the situation in the way that they are when someone in a supermarket wishes them to “Have a nice day now!”. I’ll be honest, this part grated on me a little. Luckily, there is a reason for this intense cheesiness, as explained later in the film, so it is worth gritting your teeth and sidling past it.
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Britt Robertson and George Clooney both do a good job of bringing their respective characters to life. Britt is sufficiently smart and optimistic, George is sufficiently grouchy and pessimistic. But here-in lies my problem with this film. The word I could use to describe the majority of it is “sufficient”. It is by no means a bad film but it’s not a great film either and when watching the offerings of powerhouses such as Disney and George Clooney, you expect the spectacular. Both Britt and George, although not bad in their roles by any means, lack any real exuding passion resulting in cookie cutter characters that could be played by anyone with half a teaspoon of talent. The same goes for the majority of the characters in this tale.
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The one exception to this trend, however, is Raffey Cassidy as Athena. An obvious talent that should be looked out for, she manages to bring great depth and empathy to a character which is possibly one of the hardest in the film to play (you’ll have to watch to see why, no spoilers here). Her screen presence alone makes it difficult to watch anyone else and with pivotal scenes alongside Mr Clooney, she more than holds her own.
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Personally, I don’t believe that “Tomorrowland: A World Beyond” will follow in the footsteps of Disney’s previous theme-park-ride-turned-movie “Pirates of the Caribbean”. I do not see a multi-million dollar franchise in its future. Although entertaining, it was also distinctly underwhelming. I would advice waiting for a lazy Sunday afternoon when you can pull this one out on Netflix rather than seeking it out in the cinema.
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Review by Melanie Crossey.
See this review on The Fan Carpet.
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'Big Game'

6/6/2015

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In cinema's now in the UK and June 26th in the USA!
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In the forested mountains of Finland thirteen year old Oskari (Onni Tommila) is about to embark on a quest to find his manhood, an ancient rite of passage all the people of his community go through whereby a boy goes out into the wild alone to hunt and kill the first thing he comes across and thus comes back a man.

Meanwhile the president of the USA (Samuel L. Jackson) is on a fairly typical diplomatic visit when Air Force One comes under attack from a small terrorist group, led from within by his personal bodyguard Morris (Ray Stevenson). He is thrown into the escape shuttle and dropped into the forest below as Morris takes out the rest of the security team and the plane before parachuting to safety to meet the terrorists and hunt down the president. This isn’t a spoiler by the way, it happens within the first twenty minutes and I’m pretty sure it’s given away in the trailer.

Oskari is drawn into this conspiracy as Air Force One literally crashes down on top of him, destroying the forest and sending the young boy running for his life. As a result, and unfortunately for Morris and the terrorists, Oskari finds the president first and they form an unlikely duo as the conspiracy unveils and they must fight for their lives. I won’t give away any further details of the plot other than to say that it’s kind of weird that we never really find out what the big conspiratorial plan really was. Despite coming in at under ninety minutes, which is a rarity in the cinema these days, 'Big Game' manages to feel slow and drawn out. That might be giving away my opinion too early but I’m sorry, 'Big Game' just doesn’t work.
Every character involved seems to have their own motivations, which is nice, but when we meet the character who is pulling all the strings their intentions seem a little unclear and all we really learn about them is how they manipulated everyone else into doing what they wanted. I get the impression this was something that probably seemed clever when it was being written but just hasn’t quite worked, leaving us with a great big question mark hanging over the end of the film.

Movies like this only really work two ways, firstly if they are surprisingly clever, which I’ve already said this falls short of, leaving it’s only other option of being a big ball of over the top action fun. Unfortunately it manages to fall short of this as well, though much like the almost clever plot it feels like it could have very nearly worked on this level. In fact this is probably the problem, the film could have been clever or it could have been fun but it tried to be both so the almost clever script gets in the way of the characters just going nuts whilst the silliness of the situation keeps the plot from having any real gravity.

The villains are all just glorified henchmen in desperate need of some personality. Oskari’s coming of age story arch comes together in a big dramatic realisation that would been more powerful if the audience hadn’t already come to that conclusion themselves within the first fifteen minutes of the movie,. The action scenes are few and far between and are all drawn out far too long (seriously, there’s literally only three big action beats, that’s it) and whilst Oskari and the presidents unlikely friendship works nicely and the final pay off is kind of heartwarming, the rest of the story is so weak they have nothing to play off of.

As I say this is a film that tried to be both clever and fun and collapsed under it’s own ambition, which is a shame considering 'Mad Max: Fury Road' just made doing that look so easy. I don’t think you’ll hate 'Big Game' but it’s hard to imagine you’ll enjoy it all that much either.
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Review by Kristian Mitchell-Dolby.
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'Moomins on the Riviera'

2/6/2015

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In cinemas now!
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After quite a long break from our screens, the Moomins finally return in the form of a feature film. ‘Moomins on the Riviera’ sees Moomin (Russell Tovey), Moominmamma (Tracy Ann Oberman) and Moominpappa (Nathaniel Parker), along with Snorkmaiden and Little My, head off for a sea adventure. Out at sea they are caught in a great storm and lose their way before landing on a desert island, but before long they head back out to sea to try and find their way home. However they instead find themselves landing on the French Riviera, much to Snorkmaiden’s delight. As the family try to adjust to their new surroundings their loyalties and family ties are tested through the glitz and glamour, new friendships, romance, and creating a feeling of home.
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A sweet and innocent story, it is sure to be a hit with children and adults who remember Tove Jansson’s illustrated books or the television animations. Though older children may unfortunately find it slow in comparison to today’s big Disney, Dreamworks and Pixar movies. It is great to see them sticking to the original animation style and also refreshing to have a simple storyline to follow. However in parts it did seem to be stretched a little too thinly in its transition from shorter episodes to a full feature length film. It would also have been nice to have seen more of Snufkin with his trademark pipe and mouth-organ.
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Never the less it is both charming and quietly hilarious in places and will certainly make you fall in love with the characters all over again, following their entertaining and naïve antics while learning some important moral life lessons along the way. ‘Moomins on the Riviera’ is much more innocent than the old television show, which is somewhat a shame as it was these slightly darker elements that made it stand out before. In losing that the whole thing becomes just a bit too sickly sweet, although it was still a good film and will be thoroughly enjoyed by young audiences.
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Review by Lydia Kay.
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'The Supreme Price'

2/6/2015

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In select cinemas now!
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'The Supreme Price' tells the story of the rise of the Pro-Democracy Movement in Nigeria; starting with the 1993 election of Moshood Kashimawa Olawale Abiola, that was quickly overturned and led to yet another military coup in the country, and moving on to his daughter Hafsat who currently runs the organisation. She campaigns for women's rights in the country having been inspired by her mother, who took her husbands mantle when he was arrested by the military dictator who annulled his election.
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Let's get the technical glitches dealt with, the pacing is a little slow, the sound bits could have been worked into the scenes with a little more speed and the minimal graphics that are used last much too long and don't seem to match with the narration. But these are minor niggles even though they did distract me ever so briefly. The slightly bigger issue that bugged me is the way in which the film flits from one idea to another. Now there is a lot of information going on here - politics, religion, heavy subject matters, but it felt a little like we weren't give time to digest one before we jumped to the next. It all balanced out and everything got it's fair share and I wasn't left confused or wanting at the end, but I noticed it at the time.
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That very nit picky criticism aside the film is incredibly moving and kept me engaged all the way to the end. The subject is not something I am particularly familiar with I must admit but it is a fascinating story, made all the more shocking as the timeline slowly approaches and you realise this isn't something that happened but rather something that is happening now.
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The truth of the story is an incredibly powerful thing, even if as a westerner my country comes across as unfeeling at best and criminally corrupt at the worst. The story is more than compelling enough to hold together what is, if I'm completely honest, a somewhat shaky production, and I find myself moved by a plight I was largely unaware of before. This is an important piece of film that needed to be made about people who deserve to go down in history for their convictions and determination. Thoroughly recommend for any documentary fan.
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Review by Kristian Mitchell-Dolby.
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'San Andreas'

2/6/2015

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In cinemas now!
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I feel like disaster movies have a bad reputation, that is to say they tend to be all style and no substance, with the kind of writing that wouldn’t get you through the first year of film school. Let’s put it this way, it’s difficult to imagine a disaster movie being nominated for an Oscar, or indeed any award, other than the coveted most explosions per scene trophy. This might be in part due to them always feeling on the edge of bad taste. 'San Andreas' for example is about a series of earthquakes (and a resulting tsunami, which isn’t a spoiler, it’s in the trailer) and it’s not hard to see how some might not see the entertainment value in an earthquake at the moment. I mean it’s difficult to imagine a film being made about terrorists stealing a plane and flying into a building so why are natural disasters acceptable fun? You can pretend you’re watching high impact drama about characters finding their strength and overcoming nature but at the back of your mind you know you’re just here to watch everything and everyone get destroyed for your own amusement.
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None the less some great disaster movies have been made, and poor taste or not they bridge a level of realism few other genres manage. This is a real threat being face by ostensibly real people and it’s difficult not to be shocked or panicked or simply afraid on their behalf. After all, what would you do if this happened to you? Would you be our plucky heroes or just one of the faceless mass just crushed by that building. If you’re like me and disaster movies are something you would normally avoid then I’m afraid to say 'San Andreas' is not the movie to coax you into the genre. Almost purposefully the film seems to embrace the “all style and no substance” method that is typical of the genre, and to it’s credit it does the style part flawlessly. Unfortunately I’m not of the opinion that that is enough, and dopey fun or not I’m positive more could have been made of this material.

The plot, for what little it is worth, concerns Ray (Dwayne Johnson) a rescue chopper pilot and the worlds most capable man who luckily knows literally everything about surviving disasters, who happens to be piloting his chopper on a maintenance check when the San Andreas fault rips itself apart hitting the west coast of America with the biggest earthquake in recorded history. Ray, who instead of returning to base, picking up his team, and joining the rescue effort, opts instead to basically steal his helicopter and go rescue his wife, Emma (Carla Gugino), and daughter, Blake (Alexandra Daddario), who have both been caught in the middle of the disaster and are both in desperate need of seeing just how amazing he is.
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You see Ray and Emma are going through a divorce because of a tragic back story and she’s dating a rich guy who on the surface is better than Ray in every way but is bound to turn out to be a jerk when it comes time for men to be men and for women to be rescued. Thus Ray and Emma are forced to come together to save Blake, bringing the family back together under his enormous muscles and you’re probably already half asleep before this sentence even finishes. Yes it’s cliché, it’s unimaginative, it’s cheesy and let’s be frank it’s kind of stupid, but you know what, the mass destruction action set pieces are some of the best if not the best I think I’ve ever seen and there’s something to be said for knowing what you want to achieve and knuckling down; even if what you want to achieve is the kind of thing most of us would be too embarrassed to admit to.

In no way would I call 'San Andreas' a good movie but it’s not really trying to be, it never attempts to lift even a pinky above the cliché, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t entertaining (you know in that bad taste kind of way I mentioned before). It’s way over the top, the dialogue is cringe worthy and all the characters are as flat as pancakes, though they made the curious choice of not including an extensive supporting cast to be slowly killed off in imaginative ways, which is the one choice I actually approve of. Our heroes might be boring stock characters but at least we get to know them and can cheer them on. Also as much as I like The Rock he just isn’t suited to serious acting, for one thing he looks ridiculous. He’s so muscular it’s like he just fell out of a cartoon and I’m sorry but I find it impossible to imagine him as a real person, which is weird because he is a real person, sort of.
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But despite my criticism it’s hard to deny that I don’t know the last time I saw movie mass destruction this compelling, exciting or just plain gorgeous looking. The film is all the poorer every time we have to cut away from the thrill and watch the actors stumble through the predictably awful script. On a side note the film also features Paul Giamatti in what is possibly the most pointless role to ever appear in a movie. He literally plays the science guy who knows everything because at some point during production the writers realised they needed a science guy who knew everything because disaster movies always have a science guy who knows everything. He genuinely shows up to tell us there are going to be lots of earthquakes after the earthquakes have already started in a movie about there being lots of earthquakes. He never interacts with Ray’s storyline, which is by far the main focus of the film, and whilst his story arch does involve hacking into the news network (which is complicated and dramatic for some unclear reason) and broadcasting a warning message to the people of San Francisco (which helps for some unclear reason), we never really get to see the point of all this we’re just told it was a good thing to do at the end of the film despite all the death and destruction we have witnessed. Supposedly he helped with the evacuation but buildings were falling down, were people not already evacuating? And how many people were really sat watching TV at this point?
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The faceless mass of people really is the faceless mass, we have next to zero interaction with anyone who isn’t a name character so the impact of the presumably thousands of people who are killed and the rescue/evacuation effort scrambled together are pretty much lost altogether. The film is beautiful to look at and the actions sequences are every bit as thrilling as anything else you’ve ever seen and whilst I acknowledge that the film is probably a pretty good example of what it’s trying to be I don’t think what it’s trying to be is something worth doing.
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Review by Kristian Mitchell-Dolby.
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