Author: Rich Cline Page 61
Celeste and Jesse Forever
With its refusal to follow the usual romantic-comedy formula, this snappy and observant movie is a nice surprise. Not only does it keep us wondering about where it's heading, but it gives the likeable Jones...
Movie Review posted on 7th December 2012
The Oranges
There's plenty of potential for jagged black humour in this suburban comedy-drama, but the filmmakers never take a single risk. So with its soft and simplistic approach, the movie is never as quirky or hilarious...
Movie Review posted on 7th December 2012
The Man With the Iron Fists
Rapper-turned-actor-turned-filmmaker RZA is clearly influenced by cohorts Quentin Tarantino and Eli Roth as he indulges in this crazed pastiche of 1970s kung fu action romps. It's energetic and often quite funny, but far too silly...
Movie Review posted on 7th December 2012
Seven Psychopaths
Martin McDonagh gleefully plays with both the gang thriller genre and the moviemaking process with this enjoyably absurd action comedy. It's a little self-indulgent, acknowledging how difficult he found it to follow up his acclaimed...
Movie Review posted on 7th December 2012
![The Hunt [Jagten]](http://www.contactmusic.com/images/reviews2/the-hunt-fr.jpg "The Hunt [Jagten]")
The Hunt [Jagten]
Superficially about child abuse, this riveting, troubling Danish film is actually an exploration of collective paranoia. And the centrepiece performance from Mikkelsen is so good that it helps us overlook some of the rather awkward...
Movie Review posted on 30th November 2012
Trouble With the Curve
With beautiful but bland direction and a script that can't help but overstate everything, this film is an odd misstep for Eastwood and his assistant-turned-director Lorenz. Instead of being an intriguing exploration of ageing, the...
Movie Review posted on 30th November 2012
Laurence Anyways
After I Killed My Mother and Heartbeats, 23-year-old filmmaker Dolan gets even more ambitious with this epic-length romantic drama. Not all of his flourishes work, and the film is far too long, but there are...
Movie Review posted on 30th November 2012
Sightseers
Even by Ben Wheatley's genre-busting standards, this film is a triumph, centring on comedy and romance in a road movie about two violent serial killers. After the terrific Down Terrace and Kill List, we probably...
Movie Review posted on 30th November 2012
Rise of the Guardians
Vividly colourful details in the animation and script bring mythical characters to life in ways that are thoroughly engaging as this riotous action-comedy soars through its epic story. It's a bit frantic, barely pausing to...
Movie Review posted on 30th November 2012
Great Expectations
Even though Charles Dickens' oft-told story is livened up with a terrific cast and sharp script, it's difficult to see anything terribly new about this BBC-produced version. Especially since it comes less than a year...
Movie Review posted on 30th November 2012
The House I Live In
One of the finest documentaries of the year, this involving film is lucid, sharply well shot and edited, and ultimately so important that it's rather terrifying to watch. It starts as an exploration of the...
Movie Review posted on 23rd November 2012
Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger!
After 2009's inane comedy Nativity, no one was clamouring for a sequel, but at least this one tips the scales into sublime silliness. If you can suspend your disbelief, this might even be a guilty...
Movie Review posted on 23rd November 2012
Gambit
Remade from a 1966 romp starring Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine, this con artist action-comedy is enjoyably silly but never much more than that. Part of the problem is a lack of chemistry between stars...
Movie Review posted on 23rd November 2012
End of Watch
A strong sense of camaraderie sets this edgy police thriller apart from the crowd. And it's also a change of direction for writer-director David Ayer, who has explored the dark side of police corruption in...
Movie Review posted on 23rd November 2012
Silver Linings Playbook
Writer-director David O. Russell's out-of-control filmmaking style is perfectly suited to a romantic-comedy involving mental illness, and he infuses the film with a sparky unpredictability that's echoed in the perfectly graded performances of the entire...
Movie Review posted on 23rd November 2012
Starbuck
By taking a warm, witty approach to a rather outrageous situation, Canadian filmmaker Ken Scott helps us see past the plot holes to the underlying emotional resonance. And the result is a startlingly engaging comedy...
Movie Review posted on 23rd November 2012
A Week in Movies Featuring: Breaking Dawn Part 2, Keira Knightley, Sylvester Stallone, Brad Pitt's World War Z, Matt Damon, Seth Rogen and More!
Did anything happen in cinema this week other than the final Twilight movie? The cast of Breaking Dawn Part 2 attended massive red carpet premieres in both Los Angeles and London, while the studio kept...
Review posted on 16th November 2012
Amour
A striking look at a long-term relationship, this film is an antidote to those who are tired of shamelessly sweet depictions of retirees, such as The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel or Hope Springs. Meanwhile, it's...
Movie Review posted on 16th November 2012
Mental
Even for a riotous Australian black comedy, this film packs in just a bit too much chaos. It's consistently smart and funny, with lively characters and especially witty dialog, but some of the sideroads never...
Movie Review posted on 16th November 2012
The Pool
Shot with a level of realism we rarely seen in Indian cinema, this film combines sharply engaging characters with an involving story that really gets under the skin. After a series of entertaining documentaries (such...
Movie Review posted on 16th November 2012
Happy, Happy
While highlighting the messier side of human interaction, this Norwegian black comedy blends snappy wit and romantic farce to keep us entertained even when things get rather dark. A prize-winner at Sundance, the film features...
Movie Review posted on 16th November 2012
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2
With a flurry of bonkers action and cross-species bonding, The Twilight Saga surges to a howling conclusion that has more attitude in it than all four previous films put together. There's no time for moping...
Movie Review posted on 16th November 2012
Hit So Hard
Hole drummer Patty Schemel's feisty personality infuses this fast-paced film, which not only documents her rollercoaster experiences with drug addition but also provides a lucid exploration of the Seattle grunge scene. Both aspects of the...
Movie Review posted on 16th November 2012
A Week in Movies Featuring: Argo, My Brother the Devil, Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman, Hitchcock, Emma Stone, Penelope Cruz and More!
As big movies like Skyfall and Argo open in the USA and UK respectively, it's the smaller titles that are getting the most attention. The British independent drama My Brother the Devil won awards at...
Review posted on 9th November 2012
Alps
From the Greek filmmakers behind the acclaimed anti-thriller Dogtooth, this fiendishly inventive drama is just as complex and telling. But it's also a more difficult film to enjoy, as it doesn't reveal its twisty, freaky...
Movie Review posted on 9th November 2012
Argo
Ben Affleck leaps on to the A-list of directors with this relentlessly entertaining thriller, combining comedy and nerve-jangling suspense to maximum effect. Based on a declassified story that's unbelievable but true, the film is also...
Movie Review posted on 9th November 2012
Grassroots
There's a terrific sense of righteous anger in this scruffy comedy about disenfranchised people shaking American politics to its core. But the film plays it far too safely, dealing lightly with important themes while refusing...
Movie Review posted on 9th November 2012
My Brother the Devil
Sharply well-observed, this punchy British drama is packed with rising-star talent, including its gifted first-time writer-director, an engaging young cast and skilled cinematographer David Raedeker. The film also daringly tackles hot potato issues without ever...
Movie Review posted on 9th November 2012
People Like Us
There's an intriguing true story buried inside this overly structured drama, and by playing by simplistic screenwriting rules the filmmakers make everything trite and predictable. Fortunately, the cast is much better than the material, and...
Movie Review posted on 9th November 2012
The Sapphires
Shamelessly crowd-pleasing, this warmly engaging film is based on a remarkable true story. And since it's topped off by Chris O'Dowd's most engaging performance yet (which is saying a lot), resistance is futile. Surprisingly for...
Movie Review posted on 9th November 2012
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Keelan X talks to us about staying true to "your creative vision", collaborating with Giorgio Moroder and being "a yoga nut" [EXCLUSIVE]
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![Luke De-Sciscio talks to us about having the courage to be yourself, forgiving that which is outside of one's control and following whims [EXCLUSIVE]](/images/home/homepage/luke-de-sciscio-abof-a.jpg "Luke De-Sciscio talks to us about having the courage to be yourself, forgiving that which is outside of one's control and following whims [EXCLUSIVE]")
Luke De-Sciscio talks to us about having the courage to be yourself, forgiving that which is outside of one's control and following whims [EXCLUSIVE]
Wiltshire singer-songwriter Luke De Sciscio, formally known as Folk Boy, is set to release is latest album - 'The Banquet' via AntiFragile Music on...
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Dekker talks to us about writing with Jose Gonzales, making headway in the U.S and the difficulties associated with wearing a hat! [EXCLUSIVE]
Ahead of the imminent release of his second solo album - Dekker, aka Brookln Dekker, took time out to let us know about the musical project he...
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