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5/5
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Chinatown
(1974)
|
Simon Weaving
|
It was with Chinatown that Nicholson made the world sit up and notice: he's in every scene of this film and he fills the frame with that heady mixture of knowing charm and explosive energy.
Posted Jun 12, 2020
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4/5
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Contagion
(2011)
|
Simon Weaving
|
A high-class ensemble piece, with director Steven Soderbergh reimagining the disaster genre of the 1970s.
Posted Jun 12, 2020
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5/5
|
Uncut Gems
(2019)
|
Simon Weaving
|
It's intense filmmaking that starts slow and messy and accelerates to a mesmerising climax.
Posted Jun 12, 2020
|
|
4/5
|
The Half of It
(2020)
|
Simon Weaving
|
A warm hearted, funny and really well-crafted movie about two girls, one boy, love letters and the art of romantic texting.
Posted Jun 12, 2020
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4/5
|
Dark Waters
(2019)
|
Simon Weaving
|
A gripping portrayal of a determined lawyer's battle against corporate greed from inside the belly of the beast.
Posted Mar 07, 2020
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|
2/5
|
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
(2020)
|
Simon Weaving
|
An excessive, frazzled tale of hyper-violence that plays out like Tom & Jerry in the colourful and hazardous world of Gotham City
Posted Mar 06, 2020
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|
3/5
|
The Professor and the Madman
(2019)
|
Simon Weaving
|
Although messy, overwrought, and plagued by years of creative and legal dispute, this tale of the making of the Oxford English Dictionary remains engaging thanks to the original story.
Posted Mar 06, 2020
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|
2/5
|
Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears
(2020)
|
Simon Weaving
|
A turgid whodunit with some great costumes and a strong cast doing their best with uninspiring material.
Posted Mar 06, 2020
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|
4/5
|
A Hidden Life
(2019)
|
Simon Weaving
|
It's a beautiful work, as much about the power of everyday minutiae as it is about the torments of standing up for your beliefs.
Posted Feb 04, 2020
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|
4/5
|
Bombshell
(2019)
|
Simon Weaving
|
The fascinating, high-energy and somewhat true tale of how three women brought high-flying Roger Ailes down to earth. Charlize Theron is a stand-out.
Posted Jan 24, 2020
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|
4/5
|
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
(2019)
|
Simon Weaving
|
Director Marielle Heller continues Rogers' vision in this very very McFeeley movie
Posted Jan 24, 2020
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|
2.5/5
|
My Spy
(2020)
|
Simon Weaving
|
An enjoyable spy spoof, with the film's opening set up and ambitious finale never as convincing or satisfying as the playful fish-out-of-water shenanigans of the middle act.
Posted Jan 24, 2020
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|
3.5/5
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Jojo Rabbit
(2019)
|
Simon Weaving
|
Pack up your political correctness, hold onto your jaw and enjoy the ride.
Posted Jan 24, 2020
|
|
2/5
|
The Good Liar
(2019)
|
Simon Weaving
|
What starts as a playful cat and mouse game of deception, rapidly loses its way, morphing into an unbelievable, convoluted and dark tale of revenge.
Posted Dec 12, 2019
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3/5
|
Official Secrets
(2019)
|
Simon Weaving
|
What could have been either a raw and intimate look at the personal cost of standing up for your principles or a thrilling political drama turns into a dry retelling of events.
Posted Nov 24, 2019
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4/5
|
Ford v Ferrari
(2019)
|
Simon Weaving
|
A supremely well-balanced combination of corporate rivalry, on-track competitiveness and human drama.
Posted Nov 20, 2019
|
|
2/5
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Last Christmas
(2019)
|
Simon Weaving
|
Easily forgettable and highly contrived, the music of George Michael is never used strongly enough to make the film soar.
Posted Nov 10, 2019
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3/5
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Terminator: Dark Fate
(2019)
|
Simon Weaving
|
It's mindless fun, overly nostalgic in places and held together with the breathless, non-stop action sequences that made T2 a huge hit.
Posted Nov 04, 2019
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|
2.5/5
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Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
(2019)
|
Simon Weaving
|
With the overwhelming razzle-dazzle of computer-generated vistas, there's definitely something missing. Fairytales are meant to be whispered, invoking wonder and mystery, even at their darkest. This is shouty and loud.
Posted Nov 04, 2019
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2/5
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Gemini Man
(2019)
|
Simon Weaving
|
Whilst there are some heart-pumping action sequences, neither the technology nor the woeful script can save the experience from feeling a little like watching those clips of early flying machines, with plenty of flapping but little elevation.
Posted Oct 14, 2019
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|
2.5/5
|
Gemma Bovery
(2014)
|
Simon Weaving
|
A strangely dull and dated affair, sugar coated by the beauty of the landscape and the beauty of Gemma Arterton.
Posted May 26, 2015
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|
3.5/5
|
Mad Max: Fury Road
(2015)
|
Simon Weaving
|
A spectacular demolition derby of action that totally overwhelms every other aspect of the film: characters, narrative, emotion and charm flattened in the dust.
Posted May 22, 2015
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3/5
|
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2
(2015)
|
Simon Weaving
|
No more than an excuse for James to play out his affable brand of humour - mixing physical slapstick with a verbose running commentary of both grandiose and self-depreciating observations on life and himself.
Posted Apr 22, 2015
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|
4.5/5
|
Testament of Youth
(2014)
|
Simon Weaving
|
A cinematic and moving coming-of-age love story, sticky with the personal fallout that comes with news from the trenches.
Posted Apr 22, 2015
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|
3.5/5
|
Black Sea
(2014)
|
Simon Weaving
|
Twelve men in a leaky boat with greed for company and the Russian Navy above them. A shame that none of them are very likeable.
Posted Apr 07, 2015
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|
3.5/5
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Mommy
(2014)
|
Simon Weaving
|
Although the performances are outstanding, and there's plenty of Dolan's trademark vigour, it's a long and at times overindulgent examination of a hyperactive teenager, his white-trash mum and their kindly neighbour.
Posted Apr 07, 2015
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3/5
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The DUFF
(2015)
|
Simon Weaving
|
A predictable prom-com, but the journey is fun.
Posted Mar 31, 2015
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|
4.5/5
|
Foxcatcher
(2014)
|
Simon Weaving
|
Plays like a slow-motion wrestling bout, the characters edging and circling each other, occasionally finding an emotional grip before sliding apart to re-assess the stakes and manoeuvre positions.
Posted Mar 24, 2015
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|
3.5/5
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The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby
(2013)
|
Simon Weaving
|
A nostalgic, moving and tender story of love, change and loss, made beautiful by the mesmerising performance of Jessica Chastain.
Posted Mar 24, 2015
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|
4.5/5
|
Inherent Vice
(2014)
|
Simon Weaving
|
This preposterously funny hippie-noir is a warm, back-to-the-'70's journey of paranoia and intrigue, dentists and dope - a kind of fin de siecle of the Californian '60s.
Posted Mar 24, 2015
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|
3.5/5
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Big Eyes
(2014)
|
Simon Weaving
|
Athough this is not an entirely successful change of pace for director Tim Burton, there's enough in the story to make his version of events very watchable.
Posted Mar 24, 2015
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|
3.5/5
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'71
(2014)
|
Simon Weaving
|
A superb debut feature from director Yann Demange, who expertly captures the mood of ragged violence and the naivety of British forces arriving in the midst of a deeply complex political conflict.
Posted Mar 24, 2015
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4/5
|
Cinderella
(2015)
|
Simon Weaving
|
This is an enchantment - with the occasional touch of nostalgia - just the way it should be.
Posted Mar 24, 2015
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|
4/5
|
Paper Planes
(2014)
|
Simon Weaving
|
A wholesome, feel good tale of a primary school under-dog who dreams of getting to the world paper plane championships in Japan.
Posted Jan 19, 2015
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3/5
|
American Sniper
(2014)
|
Simon Weaving
|
Not one of Clint Eastwood's best film, this is a biopic of Chris Kyle, a Texan rodeo-rider who became a Navy SEAL sniper, credited with 160 kills while on duty in Iraq.
Posted Jan 19, 2015
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2/5
|
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
(2014)
|
Simon Weaving
|
A disappointing messy instalment, this combination of battle scenes and soap-opera marks an extraordinary achievement - the completion of a 20 year journey in Middle-earth by Peter Jackson
Posted Jan 13, 2015
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5/5
|
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
(2014)
|
Simon Weaving
|
A journey of crisis and transformation as an ageing actor (Michael Keaton) battles colleagues, family and friends, but mostly his own powerful inner demons.
Posted Jan 13, 2015
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|
3.5/5
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The Judge
(2014)
|
Simon Weaving
|
Highly watchable with a great cast, this tale of an estranged father and son coming together through a courtroom drama is undermined by moments of nostalgia.
Posted Oct 08, 2014
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4/5
|
The Little Death
(2014)
|
Simon Weaving
|
A loveable, clever and feel-good film despite the fragmented structure.
Posted Sep 25, 2014
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|
2/5
|
Freedom
(2014)
|
Simon Weaving
|
Noble in intention, this story of slavery and the origin of John Newton's hymn Amazing Grace opens with style but then steadily sinks into messy theatricality, overwhelmed by its own earnestness.
Posted Aug 21, 2014
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|
2/5
|
The Expendables 3
(2014)
|
Simon Weaving
|
The saggy-faced Stallone takes this old-school smaction franchise to new depths of inanity!!
Posted Aug 14, 2014
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|
3.5/5
|
Guardians of the Galaxy
(2014)
|
Simon Weaving
|
Think a wild ride through an amusement park with five crazy friends. Or Star Wars meets Flying High.
Posted Aug 06, 2014
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|
2.5/5
|
The Keeper of Lost Causes
(2013)
|
Simon Weaving
|
This predictable and one-dimensional Danish crime thriller sees an anti-social detective ignoring the rules and trying to rescue a damsel in distress.
Posted Jul 29, 2014
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4/5
|
The Selfish Giant
(2013)
|
Simon Weaving
|
A powerful, often gruelling but supremely tender fable about two boys scrounging for scrap in Britain's industrial wasteland.
Posted Jul 28, 2014
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2.5/5
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Devil's Knot
(2013)
|
Simon Weaving
|
With a rather stilted and unfocused aesthetic, this tale of bias and bungling covers the same sad ground that documentary WEST OF MEMPHIS did so very well. Reese Witherspoon works hard but she and Colin Firth are wasted.
Posted Jul 23, 2014
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3.5/5
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Still Life
(2014)
|
Simon Weaving
|
Contemplative and graceful, it's a showcase for highly watchable English character actor Eddie Marsan.
Posted Jul 23, 2014
|
|
2.5/5
|
Reaching for the Moon
(2013)
|
Simon Weaving
|
The rather pale and uninspiring story of obscure poet Elizabeth Bishop's love affair in Brazil in the 1950s and '60s.
Posted Jul 16, 2014
|
|
4/5
|
Good Vibrations
(2012)
|
Simon Weaving
|
Chock full of vigour, great punk tunes and larrikin wit, this feel-good film tells the story of Terri Hooley, a man who brings music to a battered 1970s Belfast.
Posted Jun 12, 2014
|
|
3/5
|
Sunshine on Leith
(2013)
|
Simon Weaving
|
A wee bit twee and syrupy, this jaunty Scottish musical works hard to take you from misery to happiness all to the upbeat sound of The Proclaimers.
Posted May 21, 2014
|
|
3/5
|
Chef
(2014)
|
Simon Weaving
|
This easy-going, feel-good film about a passionate chef who looses his job, starts in sparkling style but turns into a predictable come-back story.
Posted May 07, 2014
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