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The Woodsman

February 25, 2010
Film Reviews
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The Woodsman: The story of a (potentially) reformed child molester being re-located beside a school is never going to win over the mainstream. Not being content with that this further shuns audiences with its very slow pace and low-rent, no-frills style. The main characters are all are completely damaged, making them difficult to connect with, but adding shocking realism. On the happy side, the actors in this tear the house down with their performances – not lest Kevin Bacon, who gives us an unquestionable career highlight. His missus, Kyra Sedgwick, keeps the ball up in the air and Even Mos Def refuses to drop it, pulling out some top drawer action. The paedophilia theme means that this throws up some of the hardest scenes you’ll ever watch, especially the one on the park bench – if you don’t see that through your fingers you have no soul! Difficult one to watch, but it’s always good seeing a big hitter take on, and nail, such an ill-advised role.

Score: 5.5/10

The Wire

August 27, 2009
TV
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The Wire: summing this up in a paragraph is criminal, but I’ll give it a go. Written as, and plays out like, a rewarding volume of books. Most recurring characters are fully developed, believable, flawed, yet admirable in one way or another – watching their individual journeys over the seasons is brilliant. It peaks in Seasons 2 & 3, but don’t write off 1, 4 and 5 because they are still well above par! Upon finishing the last season you’ll literally feel a large void in your life. Having watched it twice round it’s the only show I’ve seen where things mentioned in Season 1 aren’t significant ’til further down the line – as late as season 5. If anything, it’s more rewarding on the 2nd viewing. Because you have to pay attention, it’s not for absolutely everyone, and it may take a few episodes to get you hooked, but is definitely one of the most rewarding and enjoyable things you’ll have the privilege of watching. It’s realistic, the acting’s great, storylines are epic, technically sound and the police methods are so real that actual gangsters watch the Wire to learn surveillance techniques. If you haven’t seen this yet, do yourself a favour and pick it up. I know for a fact that this will become known as one of the greatest TV shows ever made.

Score: 9.5/10

Be Kind, Rewind

July 27, 2009
Film Reviews
1 Comment

Be Kind, Rewind: was unsure about this one as I’m not Jack Black’s biggest fan and rappers-come-actors normally pull off botched performances at best. The film contains dangerous levels of nostalgia for the VHS format, and the big releases of that era. Despite appearances by the likes of Danny Glover and Sigourney Weaver it does well to retain an indie feel. Film buffs and movie makers would probably take a bit more from the story – also don’t think it’d be as appealing to those that grew up with DVDs. It’s not as deep, or strong, as Eternal Sunshine or Science of Sleep but it’s good fun to watch, and actually packs in more drama than you’d expect – just don’t take it too literally!

Score: 7/10