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Couple In A Hole – LFF Review

Dickie and Higgins are a study in contrasts, giving versatile performances which convey distinctions in two people’s response to a traumatic experience. Dickie’s is a particularly impressive turn, her...
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Don’t Grow Up – LFF Review

A strong premise and some stunning locations make for some intriguing moments but ultimately don't add up to much in Don't Grow Up. With its stock characters and an abundance of awkward dialogue,...
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Red Leaves – LFF Review

Featuring a stoic central performance from Eshetu, Red Leaves is an effective if slightly slow-moving examination of a patriarchy in decline. Eshetu (as the elderly Meseganio) absolutely nails his...
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Censored Voices – LFF Review

Like Joshua Oppenheimer's astounding The Look of Silence, Censored Voices turns the lens of history onto the victors of a conflict they perceive as a righteous one - however not quite to the same level of...
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Electricity – LFF Review

Bryn Higgins’ aesthetically challenging representation of disability brings with it the constant physical and emotional toll of struggling to maintain a passable level of control through everyday...
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Son of a Gun – LFF Review

There are few logical explanations for Son of a Gun. The most probable is that writer/director Avery is getting paid by the cliché, each one more laughable and obvious than the last. It’s a shame because...
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A Little Chaos – LFF Review

‘Landscape gardener charms all she meets with fresh approaches to shrubbery’ is a synopsis that will set few pulses racing. Rickman’s first directorial effort since 1997, however, is a solid piece of...
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Foxcatcher – LFF Review

Foxcatcher is a fascinating study of dedication, loneliness and power. In many ways it’s a tonally opposite companion to Whiplash. Sadly, it’s also nowhere near as good. Fry and Futterman’s script...
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Fury – LFF Review

Within the crowded canon of war films, few capture the horrors of combat with such authenticity and bombast as Fury. The pertinent violence and chaos that punctuates throughout supplies the film with a...
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The Salvation – LFF Review

The Salvation launches into action with a tense and life-changing encounter for Jon (Mikkelsen) and his family. Unfortunately, from there the plot becomes increasingly ludicrous and lightweight. The...
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Mommy – LFF Review

Most filmmakers can only dream of having made five features and winning the Jury Prize at Cannes by the age of 25. Most filmmakers aren’t Xavier Dolan. With Mommy he shows off his frighteningly assured...
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Whiplash – LFF Review

At the heart of Whiplash lies an uncomfortable truth, relentlessly hammered home with the force of a thousand drumbeats. To be truly great at anything you need to work till you bleed, work until you hate...