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Honeymoon – Review

Declining to note that honeymooning at an isolated cabin in the woods - “we’re gonna have the whole place to ourselves” - is asking for trouble, Honeymoon soon passes its table-setting cliché and...
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The Babadook – Review

Even for the occasional horror fan, The Babadook feels far too full of the usual clichés: a troubled child, a distressed (bereaved) mother and - what’s that? A haunted house? Writer and director Jennifer...
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A Most Wanted Man – Review

Go into A Most Wanted Man expecting the familiar tone and pace of fellow John le Carré adaptation Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and you won’t be disappointed. Corbijn’s direction is a little more gruff and...
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Lucy – Review

Visually overflowing, and just about as ludicrous as it is "clever", Luc Besson's latest relies so heavily on pseudo-intellectualism that its outer world quickly falls away to pseudo-reality. Though...
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The Congress – Review

The Congress looks at the state of modern Hollywood - actresses battling ageism, the cannibalising presence of CGI and mo-cap – and reflects back a metafictional gem. Folman’s adapted script is cynical...
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Joe – Review

Adapted from the late Larry Brown’s novel of the same name, Joe commands exceedingly tight performances within a morally bereft universe. All aspects point to open-ended nihilism, as Joe’s modern wasteland...
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Boyhood – Review

Richard Linklater’s expertise - or at least his largest triumphs - has been in the capturing of rapidly burning candles. By comparison, Boyhood (a project filmed over twelve years) is a great fire; burning...
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Welcome to New York – EIFF Review

"Do you know who I am?" Devereux grunts, towel falling to the floor. Depardieu's outright sociopathic turn as George Devereux - the reported simulacrum to 2011's presumed French presidential candidate,...
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Life After Beth – EIFF Review

Writer-director Jeff Baena's directorial and feature debut, Life After Beth, is equal parts tender satire and physical zom-com. Plaza and DeHaan deliver thoroughly accomplished performances, seamlessly...
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Cold in July – EIFF Review

Adapted for screen from John Lansdale's novel of the same name, Cold in July retains its free-flowing pulp heritage, with violence and retribution galore. What sets Mickle's latest apart, however, is just...