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Review: BLINDER Fails To Engage On Any Level

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Review: BLINDER Fails To Engage On Any Level

Review: BLINDER Fails To Engage On Any Level

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 09:00 PM PST

Shot around Torquay, Victoria, Blinder is the story of a disgraced ex-footballer Tom Dunn (Oliver Ackland) who after a ten year stint away from home returns to face the scandal that tore his town apart. Embracing the life lessons his coach (Jack Thompson) once taught him he reignites an old flame and reunites the team, faces up to past mistakes and rekindles their love of football. After everything is done and dusted, it's not about giving your best; it's about doing your best.This schmaltzy finisher to the synopsis is the type of high strung morality that pervades Blinder. This is a shame as the material is compelling and murky; essentially underage sex and rape is buried under a mediocre story witnessed thousands of times before....

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TV Review: COMMUNITY S4E05, Cooperative Escapism In Familal Relations (Or, The Challenges That Come With Expectations And Closure)

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 08:00 PM PST

Jeff's challenges around the absence of his father most of his life have played an important role in Community since the early days of the study group. There have been key moments in each season that have touched upon his vulnerabilities, anxieties and fears due to what he felt was a broken home, but all without the plot point of actually introducing his estranged father. So we knew the day was coming that if the show lasted long enough there would  be the inevitable episode where Jeff faces his father for real. Although was it really warranted? I've been of the mind for a while now that Jeff has been able to work through many of those fears about himself -- that he was unloved and...

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Hey Australia! Win This Awesome BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO DVD/Blu/Vinyl Combo!

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 06:00 PM PST

Madman Entertainment are releasing the terrifically bizarre Berberian Sound Studio on DVD and Blu-ray on March 13th. To celebrate we are offering four lucky readers based in Australia a DVD or Blu-ray of the film and most awesomely the original soundtrack on vinyl!Set in 1976, Toby Jones plays a documentary sound engineer who finds himself employed by a notorious low-budget Italian horror studio. Uneasy in his new environment and surrounded by a world he finds alien, he throws himself into his work, failing to notice how life is slowly beginning to imitate art.For your chance to win email me at kwenton@twitchfilm.net with your favourite Giallo or Giallo inspired film and why in 25 words or less. Also provide your full name and full address.Most justified entries win....

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Review: Herzog, Snowmobiles and Dogs Make for HAPPY PEOPLE: A YEAR IN TAIGA

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 04:01 PM PST

A snowmobile struggles over one frozen bump then another, his trusty dog keeping pace alongside without a problem. For as far as the eye can see, the terrain is snowcapped, wild, yet tranquil. The scraggly driver is a Russian trapper - a survivalist of the purest order, hailing from an existence devoid of electronic connectivity and indoor climate control. As the film points out, his snowmobile and his chainsaw are among the only modern conveniences he and others like his opt to use. Later, a trapper will make an epic 150 km dash back home in utter darkness, his dog forced to keep up on foot amid the vehicle's spitting snow kick-back. The film posits that out in nature - tasked, determined, and single-minded -...

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COMIC BOOK HEROES Programme At TIFF Bell Lightbox Promises To Be Super

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 03:00 PM PST

Spring Break is just around the corner here in Toronto. And with the icy cold grip of Old Man Winter still lingering and threatening to ruin a perfectly good week off from school, families will want to consider taking in a matinee screening during TIFF's Comic Book Heroes programme. From spandex-clad superheroes to square-jawed cops and cowlicked kid reporters, TIFF's Comic Book Heroes series celebrates those figures heroic enough to fight crime and injustice wherever it may live, and do it while wearing colourful tights. Running from March 9 to 24, this family-focused March Break matinee series looks at some of the best comic book adaptations in cinema history, as well some screen superheroes who live beyond the pages.If I had spawned younglings I would definitely...

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Review: THE GIRL Lacks Power And Strength

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 02:00 PM PST

Two films titled The Girl were released in 2012. One stars Toby Jones as Alfred Hitchcock and is about his unsuccessful journey to swoon Tippi Hedren (Sienna Miller) during the filming of The Birds and Marnie, which were shot back-to-back and of which she was the star. The other -- the one I'm going to talk about in this piece -- stars Abbie Cornish as Ashley, a redneck young mother in Texas who lost her son to Child Protective Services because of a foolish night of drinking and driving with him in the car. Ashley is broke, lives in a tiny trailer, and works at a dead-end job. When taking a trip with her deadbeat dad (the great Will Patton) to Mexico, she learns he...

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McAvoy Pulls Off A Heist In New Clip From Danny Boyle's TRANCE

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 01:30 PM PST

It appears that Danny Boyle is headed back to the good old days with Trance, his James McAvoy and Vincent Cassel starring heist thriller calling back to the energetic films of his youth. You know, stuff like Shallow Grave and Trainspotting. And as satisfying has his more 'adult' phase has been it feels pretty damn good to see Boyle back in this sort of stomping ground.The initial red band trailer for the film was plenty impressive and today an extended clip from the film was released as well, on that focuses on the actual heist at the core of the story. Check it out below and see if it doesn't bring a big ol' smile to your face....

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SXSW 2013: Poster and Trailer for Emily Hagins' GROW UP, TONY PHILLIPS

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 01:00 PM PST

The darling of Austin, Texas, Emily Hagins, returns to the SXSW film festival next week with her latest film Grow Up, Tony Phillips. We have an excellent new poster and trailer for her film.Who doesn't love Halloween? All of Tony Phillips' (Tony Vespe) high school friends, apparently. It's senior year and they've now decided that they're too cool for Halloween. When his older cousin (AJ Bowen) returns home right before the holiday, Tony starts to wonder if he really is the dork everyone thinks he is, or if he's just ahead of the curve. Two of her stars from her previous film My Sucky Teen Romance return; Tony Vespe plays the title role and Devin Bonnee plays his best friend. Indie film start AJ Bowen joins...

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Liam Neeson In Talks To Join MacFarlane's A MILLION WAYS TO DIE

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 12:30 PM PST

Is Liam Neeson going to bring his very particular set of skills with him to Seth MacFarlane's comedy western A Million Ways To Die? According to the report over at THR Neeson, currently one of Hollywood's favorite tough guys, is is negotiations to fill in the role of Charlize Theron's outlaw husband. In the film he would come to town looking for revenge after Seth's character, a meager sheep farmer, falls in love with Neeson's wife (Theron) as she helps him find courage after chickening out of a gunfight. ...

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Review: THE ABCS OF DEATH Encourages Letter Skipping

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 12:00 PM PST

Anthology films, that strange format where a number of directors assemble to tell their own take on a given subject, are strange cinematic beasts. On the one hand, they play like mini-festivals, a cinematic buffet, or one of those sushi places that have the dishes on a conveyor belt. As an audience member, you can sample bites from a variety of sources, with the advantage that if you don't like a given segment you only need wait a few minutes for another taste to come along. The disadvantages, however, tend to outweigh some of the positives; no matter how strong the theme, or how capable the filmmakers, there's inevitably going to be some real stinkers that you have to sit through, and those are going...

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Hey, Toronto! Win Tickets To Catch BRANDED TO KILL On The Big Screen!

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 11:30 AM PST

Hey, Toronto! Here's a rare treat! The Twitch-curated Tokyo Drifters: 100 Years Of Nikkatsu series continues on Saturday with a rare big screen showing of Seijun Suzuki's Branded To Kill! Yep, it's the movie that got Suzuki fired from the studio as an unruly maverick and essentially saw him blackballed from the industry for a decade! And we've got it on 35mm!Brought on late in the game to rewrite and direct a routine low-budget Nikkatsu gangster flick, the out-of-favour Seijun Suzuki took advantage of this last-minute for-hire job to cram seemingly every one of his anarchic impulses and far-out visual ideas into a single ninety-minute stretch -- which promptly got him fired for "making movies that make no sense and no money" and effectively blacklisted...

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Who Gave That Man A Giraffe? First Teaser For THE HANGOVER PART III Arrives.

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 11:00 AM PST

There's really not much point in saying anything about this. By this stage of the game you are already fully aware of whether you have any interest in another Hangover movie from Todd Phillips et al. All there really is to do is point out that it's coming, the principal cast are all back, and the first teaser has arrived. Check it below....

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Review: THE WE AND THE I Represents A Weak Fart Of Michel Gondry's Imagination

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 10:01 AM PST

What's the time limit for mourning a bad film from one of today's most innovative filmmakers? Until their next feature? Forever? I want to discuss Michel Gondry's latest effort, The We and the I, a shockingly horrendous film that strips away every bit of this man's gifted imagination.  Shot almost entirely on a bus, the French New Wave-influenced The We and the I revolves around inner-city kids in New York on their ride home from school. On a bus. One by one, they get dropped off (as people do after getting on a bus), and talk, banter, and bicker about everything teenagers with hormones talk, banter, and bicker about. "Sounds like a great film!" said arthouse smarty pants everywhere. Then one learns Michel Gondry...

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Bang, Bang. Sofia Vergara's Wardrobe Dominates New MACHETE KILLS Poster.

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 09:45 AM PST

There's no denying one thing: Robert Rodriguez understands his audience. Or hge at least understands what audience he wants to attract. Case in point, the new character poster from Machete Kills featuring Sofia Vergara as Lady Desdemona. Prepare for the epic return of Danny Trejo as the ultimate badass in Robert Rodriguez's highly anticipated MACHETE KILLS.  Recruited by the government for a mission which would be impossible for any mortal man, Machete must take down a madman revolutionary and an eccentric billionaire arms dealer who has hatched a plan to spread war and anarchy across the planet. Entertainment Weekly debuted this latest slice of insanity from the upcoming film starring Michelle Rodriguez, Sofia Vergara, Amber Heard, Charlie Sheen, Lady Gaga, Antonio Banderas, Jessica Alba, Vanessa...

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The Boston Underground Film Festival Embraces The Day Of The Dead With The Help Of Robot Hand

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 09:00 AM PST

It's an obvious pairing for those who know the Boston Underground Film Festival and the work of director Brian Lonano under his Robot Hand moniker, but that makes it no less appealing. Lonano is one of our absolute favorite masters of lo-fi craziness, which is why he was hired by a festival specializing in exactly this sort of craziness to create their festival bumper. Check it out below....

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SXSW 2013 Preview: Midnight, 24BPS, SXGlobal, and Festival Faves

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 08:30 AM PST

We're back with part three of our SXSW Preview Series. We took a look at the Headliners and Competition slates on Tuesday and yesterday we previewed the Narrative Spotlight, Documentary Spotlight, and Visions programs. Today we finish off the catalog with a tour through the Midnight, 24 Beats Per Second, SX Global, and Festival Faves. Here is a selection of the films from those sections. We'll be back tomorrow with our top picks. Midnight CHEAP THRILLS Pat Healy, Ethan Embry, Sara Paxton, David Koechner, and Amanda Fuller star in E.L. Katz's thriller about an offer that's too good to be true. YOU'RE NEXT Oh boy! Oh boy! After a way-too-long wait of almost eighteen months, Lionsgate is finally ready to bring Adam Wingard's home...

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First Shots From RABIES Duo's BIG BAD WOLVES

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 08:00 AM PST

It was just yesterday that Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado's sophomore feature Big Bad Wolves - the follow up to acclaimed Israeli horror Rabies - was announced as a world premiere at the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival. And today we have the first trio of stills from the picture to share. Here's how Tribeca describes the film:A vigilante cop and a vengeful father capture and interrogate an accused serial killer. Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado's brutal follow-up to Rabies (TFF 2011) examines a horror that most would not want to imagine: what would you do if someone hurt the one you loved most? A revenge thriller with teeth, Big Bad Wolves delivers on its raw tension and operatic drama.Check out the first images in the...

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Review: TRIAL OF THE ROAD Is A Brilliant Absurdist Condemnation

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 07:00 AM PST

Welcome back to my ongoing coverage of the Melbourne Cinematheque's fantastic program for 2013. Here, I will be reviewing the first film each season (month). This month I took a look at Trial of the Road (1971), the first of the films from Russian director Aleksey German. For the month of February I introduced one of Keisuke Kinoshita's works which can be found here. I hope you saw at least something from this series! Running from March 6-20, Aleksey German's retrospective of shocking and eye opening films that centre on the condemnation of the censored past of the Soviet Union display an uncanny filmmaking ability unlike anything at the time. Mixing hyper-surrealism and undefined characters that can never be identified as good or bad, all...

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Review: BEYOND THE HILLS Goes Way Beyond Being Just Another Movie About Exorcism

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 06:00 AM PST

Christian Mungiu, the leading figure of Romanian New Wave, strikes again with Beyond the Hills. Just like his Palme d'Or winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, which elevated a rather unpleasant subject matter (illegal abortion) into a dizzying, tension-filled masterpiece, here he manages to make something greater out of an exorcism-gone-horribly-wrong story based on a true event. Mungiu again proves to be a gifted storyteller and a great tension builder. He is also masterful at presenting nuanced human interactions. The film takes place in a small remote Romanian monastery in the hills. A young nun named Voichita (Cosmina Stratan) reunites with her childhood friend Alina (Cristina Flutur) from their orphanage days after a long separation. Alina, emotionally stunted of the two, having been...

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POLTERGEIST Remake Will Be Directed By MONSTER HOUSE's Gil Kenan

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 05:30 AM PST

Obviously, the first logical reaction to the news that director Gil Kenan (Monster House, City of Embers) will be directing the Poltergeist remake is, "Aww man! They're still planning to remake Poltergeist?" And yeah, shortly after, you may ask yourself again, "Why are they working on a remake of Poltergeist?" or "What are they actually hoping to improve upon from the original?" But, after you've gotten all of that out of your system, let's have a tip-of-the-hat for what's actually a pretty bold, inspired selection for a director!Those who have seen Monster House already know that Kenan is not only visually inventive, but also knows how to make spooky material appropriate for kids without dumbing it down, or more importantly, sacrificing any of the spookiness....

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