Tag: Review

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Shallow Grave (1994) Review

Ben

It’s surprising that the same director who delivered an amazing, uplifting and inspirational opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics, would also be responsible for a film as dark and bleak as Shallow Grave. It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise though because nobody seems to be able to do dark and depressing like British filmmakers. It must be the dreary, rain-soaked environment that fits any morbid scenario perfectly. Whether it’s a hitman in London, a film centered round domestic violence or, in the case of Shallow Grave, a dead body and a whole heap of cash and mistrust between friends, … Continue reading Shallow Grave (1994) Review

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The Office (An American Workplace) (Season 7) TV Review

Ben

Because I review a whole tv series rather than individual episodes, there is a chance of spoilers, so if you haven’t watched the whole series yet, stop reading now! I don’t know many television shows that have successfully survived when their lead actor/character decides to leave. The only shows that I can think of that have tried to continue once their lead has decided to move on to other things are X-Files (David Duchovney), Scrubs (Zach Braff), and Two and Half Men (Charlie Sheen). I’m sure there are many more and each of these had various degrees of success. Unless you … Continue reading The Office (An American Workplace) (Season 7) TV Review

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Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) Re-View

Ben

The reason that the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels fail to impress is because the original Pirates film should never have been successful or even “worked” in the first place. It was a film idea that originated from a theme park ride. It was a film about Pirates, which until this film had come along, were camp, stereotypical and silly. It starred Johnny Depp pretending to be Keith Moon pretending to be a pirate. The film shouldn’t work! Except many of those reasons is why the film does work. Shockingly, Pirates was an original idea. It was based (loosely) on a … Continue reading Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) Re-View

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The Office (An American Workplace) (Season 6) TV Review

Ben

Because I review a whole tv series rather than individual episodes, there is a chance of spoilers, so if you haven’t watched the whole series yet, stop reading now! The American version of The Office is better than the original, UK version. Pretty bold statement and one that is actually silly and pointless. By this point, with (I think) the ninth season airing in America, the similarities between both programs is so slight and superficial, that comparing them would be like comparing James Bond and Johnny English. Yeah, they’re both spies, but apart from that? I have been a fan of … Continue reading The Office (An American Workplace) (Season 6) TV Review

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X-Men (2000) Review

Ben

If what I understand about how films are made is correct, then Roger Mussenden deserves a special award for his work on X-Men. Roger was the person that (if my understanding is correct) has some hand in casting Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Ian McKellen as Magneto and the biggest, and probably most surprising success of all, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. The scenes between Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are brilliantly acted and set up the more serious tone for X-Men. This isn’t a goofy, light-hearted superhero film, like Raimi’s Spiderman had been or the attempt at the Fantastic Four film had ended … Continue reading X-Men (2000) Review

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Skyfall (2012) Review

Ben

Casino Royale wasn’t a Bond film. I’m talking about the more recent Casino Royale, the fantastic film that introduced us to Daniel Craig’s brilliant version of Bond. The film that managed to pull Bond into the 21st century after the franchise had become a joke and a cliché. That’s why Casino Royale wasn’t a “proper” Bond film. To reinvent Bond for the (I hate to say it) Bourne generation, you had to remove the raised eyebrow, the drink, the gadgets, the same tried and tested formula and even, in the most extreme cut of all, the Bond theme itself. It was a … Continue reading Skyfall (2012) Review

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Moone Boy (Season 1) TV Review

Ben

Because I review a whole tv series rather than individual episodes, there is a chance of spoilers, so if you haven’t watched the whole series yet, stop reading now! No matter what setting you choose for a sitcom or who your characters are, you won’t ever be able to beat the sitcoms set in and around a family. The most successful or memorable are the sitcoms that focus on the family dynamic, Only Fools and Horses being one key example, The Royle Family being another. They probably make double the amount of sitcoms set in and around families than they do … Continue reading Moone Boy (Season 1) TV Review

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Battle Royale (2000) Review

Ben

I would like to see a Battle Royale Hollywood remake. Not because I think it needs it, I don’t, I think Battle Royale is very good as it is, but because I’d be interested in how they handled it. In a time when money and reaching the largest available audience forces films like Die Hard 4 to tone itself down for a more inclusive certification, how would they handle or what would they change about a very mature film like Battle Royale. I’m intrigued because I think the mature element is what makes Battle Royale so unique and successful as a movie. It’s not the … Continue reading Battle Royale (2000) Review

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Bad Education (Season 1) TV Review

Ben

Because I review a whole tv series rather than individual episodes, there is a chance of spoilers, so if you haven’t watched the whole series yet, stop reading now! I’m now going to be a complete hypocrite. I’ve reviewed two sitcoms recently (Trollied and Gates) and highlighted, as positives, how closely they try to show a mundane but recognisable environment and find the humour in that. Bad Education does something similar, but then veers off in its own direction. The sitcom is set in a secondary school, following the lives of the teachers and students at the school. This has … Continue reading Bad Education (Season 1) TV Review

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Quarantine (2008) Review

Ben

Quarantine is pointless. As a film, it’s actually a waste of time. A waste of the actors time, the directors time and possibly worst of all, the audiences time. Quarantine is the very common form of movie, the remake. Except Quarantine fits into a very specific category of remake, the worst kind, the scene for scene, exact remake. Quarantine is a remake of the Spanish film REC which was released in 2007, literally the year before. I can understand why the remake exists. The first film is considered a foreign language movie. It’s understandably in Spanish and is viewed with English subtitles … Continue reading Quarantine (2008) Review