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The Arrested Development Documentary Project 2013
It was great to have interviews with most of the cast, but the lack of access to footage from the show and generally poor production quality let this down a little. But as a "made by fans, for fans" kind of affair, I imagine the budget just wasn't there for that kind of stuff. It feels a lot more like an extended DVD extra than a film in itself... It was a good way to ramp up excitement for the…
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Star Trek Into Darkness 2013
This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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Mansome 2012
The most entertaining part of this was the selection of celebrities/comedians/experts that talked between sections, and the banter between Arnett and Bateman. As for the serious meat of the documentary, it felt like each section went on a little longer than it needed to and didn't really provide enough depth to prove satisfying.
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Mr Nice 2011
I enjoyed Rhys Ifans’ performance in this adaptation from the book about Howard Marks (a true story), but not so much the film overall — which was a little disappointing because I really liked the book. I feel like the storyline was a little disjointed in places, and I suppose missed some of the humour or charm that I felt from the book (or am I remembering it wrong?).
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Pitch Perfect 2012
A feel-good hit — and I don't even *like* Glee or Step Up.
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The Fall 2008
This film is really something to behold, and it's made all the more impressive once you find out that the locations are all real and the visual effects were created in-camera. Filmed over four years, and in more than 20 countries, this is a labour of love for director Tarsem (who also financed it himself) and as you can imagine it is completely indulgent to his vision. But the result is something quite unlike anything I've seen, and I wish…
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Berberian Sound Studio 2012
This is the kind of film that is an 'experience', and anyone looking for a straight-ahead story that wraps up neatly will be rather disappointed (particularly as it moves more toward Lynch territory). But for any fan of the visual/audio aspects of film (or fans of the Giallo genre, not that I've seen any) there is a lot here to enjoy. It's analogue heaven, featuring miles of tape in a studio full of old gear, and not a computer in…
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Pearl Harbor 2001
I caught this twice on TV in the last couple of weeks and, while I didn't watch the whole thing either time, I roughly cobbled together the whole film between the two viewings. And it's pretty much just as I remembered it. Some of the action sequences are actually pretty engaging, but holy shit do you have to wade through a tonne of cheesy bullshit and america-is-the-bestest to get there. I don't know how accurate this is historically, but my guess is that a lot of people who were there — on both sides — may not be big fans of this film.
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Ferris Bueller's Day Off 1986
Ferris lived up to my memories from the 80's, and watching it in a backyard projector screening with friends was the perfect way to see it again. It's a classic from the John Hughes stable, and the first film I remember watching that broke the fourth wall — something I'm seeing again as we watch House of Cards (though I have to say Ferris is a lot more jovial in his asides).
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March of the Penguins 2005
Those cameramen must have endured some pretty shitty weather to get the great shots they did, and for that I applaud them. The scenery is incredible, and getting a glimpse at this annual migration that's been happening unseen for thousands of years felt almost like we were spying on another planet. I'm glad to have finally seen it but overall I found it a little light, skimming over some areas where I felt there could have been more detail —…
