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2/5
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65
(2023)
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Matt Neal
|
65 is as disappointing and oddly misfiring as its title. Yeah, the dinosaurs are cool, but that's about it.
Posted Mar 15, 2023
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4/5
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Rise of the Guardians
(2012)
|
Matt Neal
|
As with The Avengers, each of the characters is given their time to shine and is nicely developed, while a tidy sense of humour sparkles on top of the darker undercurrents of the story.
Posted Mar 06, 2023
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3/5
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Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
(2023)
|
Matt Neal
|
Quantumania swings big, but forgets the small stuff, to its own detriment.
Posted Feb 27, 2023
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5/5
|
The Banshees of Inisherin
(2022)
|
Matt Neal
|
The most amazing thing about it is the fact it explores such huge ideas as the meaning of life, while simultaneously looking at the micro-aggressions of two stupid men with no capacity to deal with their own emotions.
Posted Feb 16, 2023
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4/5
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A Man Called Otto
(2022)
|
Matt Neal
|
A predictable tear-jerker made no less enjoyable or heartfelt by its predictability.
Posted Jan 31, 2023
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|
2/5
|
White Noise
(2022)
|
Matt Neal
|
Some people find white noise soothing and listen to it to help them sleep. Others find it annoying. And that pretty much sums up White Noise.
Posted Jan 23, 2023
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4/5
|
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
(2022)
|
Matt Neal
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A standalone sequel to Knives Out is here, and it's even better than the first Benoit Blanc outing.
Posted Jan 01, 2023
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|
|
Sissy
(2022)
|
Michael Sun
|
An entertainingly schlocky parody of influencer culture.
Posted Dec 16, 2022
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4/5
|
Moonage Daydream
(2022)
|
Matt Neal
|
Moonage Daydream won't be the last word on Bowie that we see on the screen. But it certainly sets the bar high.
Posted Oct 12, 2022
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|
2/5
|
The Gray Man
(2022)
|
Matt Neal
|
An A-grade budget trying to wallpaper over a B-grade script.
Posted Aug 31, 2022
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|
3/5
|
Elvis
(2022)
|
Matt Neal
|
It's only in the second half, when Luhrmann calms down, that the film truly engages, and Butler's stunning performance is able to shine through and become more than just a caricature.
Posted Jul 07, 2022
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2/5
|
Senior Year
(2022)
|
Matt Neal
|
The film suffers from failing to either properly parody teen movies or be one.
Posted Jun 04, 2022
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|
3.5/5
|
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
(2022)
|
Matt Neal
|
Ultimately this film's genuinely surprising guest spots and Raimi's dalliances with his dark past are the most memorable bits.
Posted May 12, 2022
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4/5
|
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
(2022)
|
Matt Neal
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It's hard to imagine anyone other than Nicholas Cage delivering such a high-wire act of naturalism and self-parody, or anyone else with the chops, balls and craziness to pull it off.
Posted May 01, 2022
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5/5
|
Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
(2021)
|
Matt Neal
|
Questlove's film show the capacity for the music doco to be about so much more than music. It's one of the best examples of the genre to date.
Posted Apr 08, 2022
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4/5
|
Beastie Boys Story
(2020)
|
Matt Neal
|
Watching Ad Rock struggling to talk about his departed friend MCA is heartbreaking. It's part of the honesty that makes the film feel valuable and important, and not a cash-in.
Posted Apr 08, 2022
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4/5
|
CODA
(2021)
|
Matt Neal
|
CODA isn't the best film of the year, but it's the heartfelt uplifting story we all need.
Posted Apr 05, 2022
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5/5
|
Belfast
(2021)
|
Matt Neal
|
Branagh's lived experience obviously shines through in this, but its his ability to distil it into a moving and enjoyable film that's perhaps more important.
Posted Mar 16, 2022
|
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4/5
|
Booksmart
(2019)
|
Matt Neal
|
Wilde's taken a classic coming-of-age chassis, updated it, chucked on a few mod-cons, and given it a very fresh paint job, and the resulting ride is fast and fun.
Posted Feb 01, 2022
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4/5
|
Borg vs. McEnroe
(2017)
|
Matt Neal
|
Between this and Battle Of The Sexes, it makes you wonder why there aren't more tennis movies.
Posted Jan 19, 2022
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|
4/5
|
The Power of the Dog
(2021)
|
Matt Neal
|
There are many mysteries buried here, but perhaps the biggest one is "why has it taken Jane Campion 12 years to make a new feature film?".
Posted Jan 08, 2022
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|
3.5/5
|
Don't Look Up
(2021)
|
Matt Neal
|
Dear Adam McKay, If someone doesn't like your movie, it doesn't necessarily mean they didn't get it.
Posted Jan 04, 2022
|
|
4/5
|
Prisoners
(2013)
|
Matt Neal
|
Filmed like a horror film, and with a mood to match, Prisoners is haunting and will stick with you.
Posted Dec 22, 2021
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|
5/5
|
No Time to Die
(2021)
|
Matt Neal
|
No Time To Die achieves every goal it sets itself, and does so with heart, grit, guts and the occasional wry smile.
Posted Nov 16, 2021
|
|
3/5
|
Eternals
(2021)
|
Matt Neal
|
Good without being great, Eternals is an enjoyable but bloated push into Marvel's cosmic comics catalogue.
Posted Nov 16, 2021
|
|
3.5/5
|
The Last Duel
(2021)
|
Matt Neal
|
Despite its pacing and repetition, there is enough in The Last Duel to keep you hooked until its physically and emotionally brutal ending.
Posted Oct 30, 2021
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|
5/5
|
A Streetcar Named Desire
(1951)
|
Matt Neal
|
The emotions are dialled up to 11 by the sweltering New Orleans heat and Marlon Brando's physique, which is matched by his titanic performance.
Posted Oct 26, 2021
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4/5
|
It Happened One Night
(1934)
|
Matt Neal
|
The quintessential pre-Code rom-com, laying out the template for a formula that exists to this day.
Posted Oct 25, 2021
|
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4/5
|
Shane
(1953)
|
Matt Neal
|
This is not a film trying to show us what the Wild West was really like, but to be a perfect example of what America wanted it to be like.
Posted Oct 09, 2021
|
|
4/5
|
Free Guy
(2021)
|
Matt Neal
|
Highly enjoyable and wonderfully funny, with almost as much heart as high-octane special FX sequences.
Posted Oct 02, 2021
|
|
3/5
|
The Philadelphia Story
(1940)
|
Matt Neal
|
Without its trio of legends and a few well-placed zingers, it would be long forgotten, lost in a mist of ideas that have aged like a banana in the sun.
Posted Oct 01, 2021
|
|
3/5
|
Kate
(2021)
|
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
|
A fun, fast-paced actioner
Posted Sep 28, 2021
|
|
4/5
|
Death at a Funeral
(2007)
|
Matt Neal
|
A wonderful ensemble comedy that doesn't get the dues it deserves.
Posted Sep 24, 2021
|
|
3.5/5
|
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
(2021)
|
Matt Neal
|
A highly enjoyable addition to Marvel's mega-franchise.
Posted Sep 24, 2021
|
|
5/5
|
Pig
(2021)
|
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
|
A deeply moving film with twists and turns that few could see coming, Pig is - amongst other things - a timely reminder of just how good Nicolas Cage is at his job.
Posted Sep 22, 2021
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5/5
|
Midnight Cowboy
(1969)
|
Matt Neal
|
If you don't buy into the movie's deconstructions of the American dream/image/masculinity, it's impossible to ignore the warped sweetness in its bromance.
Posted Sep 20, 2021
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5/5
|
Bonnie and Clyde
(1967)
|
Matt Neal
|
There is Hollywood before Bonnie & Clyde, and Hollywood after Bonnie & Clyde.
Posted Sep 12, 2021
|
|
2/5
|
Cinderella
(2021)
|
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
|
Cinderella is oddly depressing in just how forced its joviality is, and how flimsily it's executed.
Posted Sep 10, 2021
|
|
5/5
|
Candyman
(2021)
|
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
|
With its shadow puppetry, sophisticated reclamation of the Candyman legend and slick, confident filmmaking, even for those not thrilled by the idea of horror cinema more generally, it is hard to deny that Candyman is a massive and exciting step forward
Posted Sep 08, 2021
|
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5/5
|
The Sound of Music
(1965)
|
Matt Neal
|
Singing nuns and gun-toting Nazis - something for everyone.
Posted Sep 07, 2021
|
|
3.5/5
|
PAW Patrol: The Movie
(2021)
|
Matt Neal
|
More ambitious but fundamentally the same show the kids have always loved, Paw Patrol gets a big-screen update worthy of putting on the big screen.
Posted Aug 26, 2021
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|
|
The Night House
(2020)
|
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
|
Intelligent, emotionally compelling and visually sophisticated, for fans of darker fare and old-fashioned spooky stories, The Night House is unmissable.
Posted Aug 25, 2021
|
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5/5
|
Chopper
(2000)
|
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
|
Chopper is more than a vehicle for Bana's extraordinary performance; it's an immaculately crafted masterpiece of Australian cinema that feels as fresh, energetic and provocative today as it was the day it was released.
Posted Aug 25, 2021
|
|
3.5/5
|
Respect
(2021)
|
Matt Neal
|
Jennifer Hudson takes this biopic to another level, dragging it out of its paint-by-numbers storytelling.
Posted Aug 23, 2021
|
|
4.5/5
|
Val
(2021)
|
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
|
A raw, honest portrait of self-reflection by one of Hollywood's biggest names in a personally and professionally challenging period of transition.
Posted Aug 11, 2021
|
|
3.5/5
|
The Suicide Squad
(2021)
|
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
|
If the ham-fisted glut of multi-million dollar special effects don't dazzle you, then the calibre of The Suicide Squad's genuinely impressive ensemble cast by all rights should.
Posted Aug 11, 2021
|
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5/5
|
King Kong
(1933)
|
Matt Neal
|
It's effects are transporting and dazzling, but they are merely means to end, which is to tell a tale of humanity's (and Hollywood's) hubris.
Posted Aug 10, 2021
|
|
3.5/5
|
Black Widow
(2021)
|
Matt Neal
|
An origin story without totally playing out like one, but also a hard-punching spy thriller with a strong central theme.
Posted Jul 30, 2021
|
|
5/5
|
Spirited Away
(2001)
|
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
|
The magic of this film exists well beyond simple beautiful animated artwork and a moving, well-crafted story; it is how warmly it opens up so many elements of Japanese culture and belief to an international audience
Posted Jul 30, 2021
|
|
3.5/5
|
Jolt
(2021)
|
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
|
Like fun, wacky action comedies? Give it a shot. Are you a woman whose hormones have pushed your anger levels into a realm where you feel you can't control them? This film might speak to you - as it did to me - in surprising ways.
Posted Jul 30, 2021
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