Urban Cinefile Critics
Tomatometer-approved critic
Launched in February 1997, www.urbancinefile.com.au is Australia's premier online movie magazine and winner of the 1998 AFR Internet Awards Best Arts & Entertainment Site Award. It was again judged among the top three Entertainment sites in the 2000 Awards. Edited by film journalist Andrew L. Urban, it is updated weekly, with a comprehensive menu of reviews covering all new film releases, many DVD and VHS releases, plus star interviews and behind the scenes features, news and box office reports. Streaming videocontent includes star interviews, location reports, movie reviews, trailers.
Sydney, Australia
http://www.urbancinefile.com.au
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Snowden (2016) |
A well-made and engaging film that presents Snowden as a principled romantic and modest hero - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Oct 02, 2016
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Miracles From Heaven (2016) |
Told with sincerity, heart and a winning performance by Jennifer Garner, the trouble with this weepie about faith is its melodramatic, manipulative and syrupy treatment - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Mar 19, 2016
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The Choice (2016) |
This Nicholas Sparks weepie is a surefire recipe for disaster: syrupy Mills & Boon romance, clichd script, overcooked performances, irritating characters and a twist that makes you weep for all the wrong reasons - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Feb 03, 2016
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The Walk (2015) |
A glorious edge-of-seat affair - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Oct 10, 2015
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Blinky Bill the Movie (2015) |
It's a colourful, high spirited tale with endearing characters, non stop action and plenty of heart, as Australia's favourite koala embarks on a grand Outback adventure in search of his missing father - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Sep 12, 2015
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Oddball (2015) |
Based on a true story, director Stuart McDonald injects humour and heart into the tale - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Sep 12, 2015
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A Walk in the Woods (2015) |
The ripe chemistry between Robert Redford and Nick Nolte makes this hybrid adventure and buddy movie into a thoroughly enjoyable outing. Moreover, it is very funny, with as many laughs as there are mishaps on the Appalachian Trail - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Aug 07, 2015
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The Gunman (2015) |
Action packed, with tense and thrilling sequences, although things come together in the end, I was frustrated by the constantly shifting nature of the story - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Apr 10, 2015
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The Interview (2014) |
The idea is much funnier than the film: a crazy cocktail of political satire and silly buddy movie jammed with sexual innuendos and crass references to body parts - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Feb 09, 2015
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What We Did on Our Holiday (2014) |
I laughed throughout this sharp, witty and observant film that makes us look closely at ourselves, as we address serious issues - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Feb 07, 2015
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Annie (2014) |
As sure as the sun will come out tomorrow, you'll fall in love with Annie! I couldn't stop smiling throughout this happy film that the whole family will embrace - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Dec 15, 2014
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The Reckoning (2014) |
What I like most about John V. Soto's engaging police procedural cum thriller is that we get more than we bargained for. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Aug 25, 2014
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Venus in Fur (2013) |
The two-hander plays like a crackling fire - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Jul 12, 2014
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Reaching for the Moon (2013) |
The passionate and troubled love affair between reserved American poet Elizabeth Bishop and flamboyant Brazilian architect Lota de Macedo Soares is a yin-yang affair in this engaging bio pic - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Jul 12, 2014
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Belle and Sebastian (2013) |
When you see the keyart images of a young boy with a beautiful white dog at his side, you could be forgiven for thinking this is a lightweight family adventure. The elements of Nicolas Vanier's enchanting film however, are far richer - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Jul 01, 2014
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Under the Skin (2013) |
A nonsensical and impenetrable scenario that intrigues as a sensory experience with an alien seductress as our guide but frustrates in the final analysis. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted May 24, 2014
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300: Rise of an Empire (2014) |
Gory for the greater glory of the genre, 300: Rise of an Empire delivers what its predecessor promised, with all the skills of the filmmakers focused on gripping our senses and exciting them - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Mar 08, 2014
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Lovelace (2013) |
It's voyeuristic, unbelievable and often shocking as it delivers surprises, twists and many elements of interest, including an effective depiction of the times during the sexual revolution - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Sep 24, 2013
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Before Midnight (2013) |
The beauty of this film - like the two before - is its natural flow of conversation and ability to engage and transport us into the moment - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Jul 13, 2013
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Reality (2012) |
The themes involving the confused sense of today's reality hit a note, (but) the film is not funny enough, nor interesting enough to hold our attention for its 116 minute running time - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Jun 29, 2013
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The Lone Ranger (2013) |
The plot is rich and colourful and with a hi-ho Silver, non-stop humour and fast action; there is much to enjoy in the company of the incongruous trio of an in-form Depp, dashing Armie Hammer and a scene stealing white horse - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Jun 29, 2013
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Epic (2013) |
A fantasy forest is a fabulous setting for animation; it is filled with all shapes and sizes and colours of flowers and animals ... Sweet and funny and sometimes exciting, Epic is a cleverly made visual delight, certain to keep younger kids entertained - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Jun 24, 2013
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The 25th Reich (2012) |
Giant Nazi robot spiders and a swarm of giant mosquitoes are two of the classic sci-fi B movie elements given a new run in this throwback from Aussie filmmaker Stephen Amis, who clearly loves the genre. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Jun 20, 2013
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Antiviral (2012) |
Cronenberg Jnr has created a reality that makes the skin crawl. Satire, horror and sci-fi meld into one delectably gruesome tale in which Caleb Landry Jones' pasty protagonist spends most of the film clutching a thermometer, syringe and a vial of blood - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Apr 20, 2013
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Warm Bodies (2013) |
Trying valiantly to replicate the charm of the enigmatic Twilight romance in a zombie reality, this adaptation stiffens like a corpse thanks to its silly script, and sadly neither Teresa Palmer or Nicholas Hoult are any match for Bela and Edward - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Apr 06, 2013
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Compliance (2012) |
It's a creepy and frightening demonstration of the risks society faces when accepting authority without question. And it's made visceral by the astonishing performances - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Jan 12, 2013
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Life in Movement (2010) |
What this documentary about 29 year old dancer and choreographer Tanja Liedtke achieves brilliantly, is the depiction of the way the artist becomes locked inside her work and creativity - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Apr 07, 2012
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The Yellow Sea (2010) |
Probably the year's best crime drama and might be confirmation that there is a new master of the genre, spinning tough as teak tales, ready to emerge - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Dec 05, 2011
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Killers (2010) |
Far from the knock out we hope for. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Jul 29, 2010
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Mother (2009) |
Korean film-maker Bong Joon-ho's fourth feature film, Mother, displays an assurance in suspenseful story telling that is remarkable. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Aug 10, 2009
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Tyson (1995) |
A deft combination of Tyson telling his story, his boxing matches and the media view from the day makes this a left-right combo punch that hits the mark for both boxing and documentary fans - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Jul 29, 2009
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Thirst (2009) |
Thirst is a smart and exotic piece of film-making from one of Asia's leading commercial talents and a quality example of an Asian director exploring a classic genre. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Jun 29, 2009
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Quiet Chaos (2008) |
Moretti's imposing frame and presence form the heart of this unexpected tale about love, relationships and loss. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted May 15, 2009
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Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) |
There are more problems than ghosts in this charmless romantic comedy in which Matthew McConaughey's Lothario gets a lesson in the love stakes. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted May 04, 2009
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Balls Out: The Gary Houseman Story (2009) |
A tad too obvious for my liking but then it's a Sean William Scott movie -- so obviously it's obvious. But as a tennis redemption movie (not too many of them around) it stands out for a sense of gruff fun. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Apr 09, 2009
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Dead Write (2007) |
Competently made and full of solid performances, Dead Write is an entertaining escape. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Mar 25, 2009
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The Watch (2008) |
This efficient and tightly made (if slightly flawed) horror-tinged thriller has a terrific young cast and a zesty concept. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Mar 19, 2009
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Two Fists, One Heart (2008) |
The themes are universal, and the simple (but not simplistic) story is delivered with considerable verve by debuting director Shawn Street and an ensemble cast that makes it zing. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Mar 19, 2009
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(undefined) |
True to his creative, eccentric and mischievous self, Paul Cox has made another film in which he spins a web of man's own doing, a wry, acidic tale that unmasks televangelists as fakes and moral dwarfs. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Mar 19, 2009
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Beautiful (2009) |
Clearer storytelling would bring into focus the various aspects of the film that are scattered throughout with nothing to glue them together. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Mar 13, 2009
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The Combination (2009) |
The kind of film Australians should be making more often. Hats off to the entire team and to David Field for his mature and intelligent direction of this gripping and relevant drama. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Mar 11, 2009
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I.R.A.: King of Nothing (2006) |
The film is politically incorrect, but will no doubt connect with those who share Bobby's point of view. General audiences will no doubt find it and edgy political thriller. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Mar 06, 2009
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Pride and Glory (2008) |
It's predictable, it's also escapist entertainment. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Jan 29, 2009
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The English Surgeon (2007) |
This multi-award winning doco is a riveting insight into something that goes on every day within reach of us all, but out of sight and mind. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Jan 14, 2009
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Restraint (2008) |
Dave Warner's taut and terrific screenplay gives director David Denneen plenty to work with in this classy, beautifully photographed thriller. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Dec 15, 2008
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Rock n Roll Nerd - The Tim Minchin Story (2008) |
It's Tim Minchin's downbeat, dark and fatalistic sense of humour that comes through in this great doco about his rise from nowhere to somewhere. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Nov 24, 2008
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Trainwreck: My Life as an Idiot (2007) |
Tod Harrison Williams directs with a sense of humour that never takes cheap shots but isn't overtly reverential to the author, and the playful tone helps make the film entertaining as well as offbeat. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Nov 18, 2008
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One Stays, One Leaves (2005) |
Deception is tricky and full of pitfalls, but so is love and we are left to wonder throughout who will be the one to stay and the one to leave? - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Nov 18, 2008
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RocknRolla (2008) |
A messy, often self-indulgent film with some redeeming features (including some of its humour), Guy Ritchie's crime thriller has above average intelligence, a great cast but a below par story structure. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Oct 25, 2008
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The Village (2004) |
M. Night Shyamalan keeps the story vague enough to work up to his plot twist, and while I won't reveal it here, I will say that I don't think the payoff is worth it. - Urban Cinefile
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| Posted Oct 18, 2008
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