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REVIEW: What Men Want a charming, vivacious remake with a twist

This amusing take on What Women Want, the Mel Gibson rom-com made almost 20 years ago, switches genders and the race of our lead. It absolutely pays off, with powerhouse Taraji P. Henson stealing the movie and showing she’s one of the most versatile actresses working. Henson — known for her fierce turn on FOX…
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REVIEW: Serenity is a beautiful, intricate mess

Revenge thriller Serenity is a sun-soaked, picturesque film that relishes in diving into the seedy underbelly of its characters. No one is as they seem in this well-acted, taut thriller, and trying to figure out where the next bit of intrigue is going to come from is part of the fun. But it’s also part…
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REVIEW: Glass a intricately-plotted, satisfying conclusion to Shyamalan’s trilogy

This follow-up to M. Night Shyamalan’s super-hero homage Unbreakable rolls Split into the mix to come up with this colourful trilogy conclusion. It follows hero and train wreck survivor David Dunn, his arch-nemesis, the frail-boned Elijah Price, and 24-personality women-abductor Kevin Crumb as they’re all sent for treatment at a psychiatric facility. As Dunn and…
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REVIEW: Basis Of Sex a basic Ginsburg biopic with beautiful performances

Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic, On The Basis Of Sex, is a stellar crowd-pleaser with winning performances. Though it doesn’t offer anything new to discerning filmgoers, the chance to see Felicity Jones own the screen is worth the admission alone. Jones — an Oscar nominee for The Theory Of Everything and the star of Star Wars…
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REVIEW: Destroyer is one of the top five films of the millennium

Parker & the Picture Shows By Jordan Parker Nicole Kidman’s crooked, crumbling demeanour in new crime drama Destroyer is so visceral — so moving — that she releases herself upon the world like never before. As run-down, tortured detective Erin Bell, the only thing that haunts Kidman’s character more than her past is her inability…
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REVIEW: The Favourite a savage illumination of royal betrayal

This 18th century film about a queen who manipulates the emotions and loyalty of two female subjects is one of the most savagely funny films of the year. Queen Anne, rendered ill, counts on Lady Sarah to help govern the country and make decisions. But their relationship is fractured when young servant Abigail comes on…
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REVIEW: Replicas copies all the sci-fi before it

Keanu Reeves vehicle Replicas is the first outright terrible film of 2019. It is so bad, in fact, that it fails to capitalize on any of the new-found good will Reeves had bought back with the John Wick series. He isn’t acting here: Reeves is a cardboard cut-out of a scientist who must replicate his…
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REVIEW: Aquaman the second-best DC flick, but that’s a low bar

Aquaman is one of the most visually breathtaking, entertaining films of the year. But it’s also the most cheesy, B-movie style actioner, and requires an almost inhuman suspension of disbelief. From the knowing winks, a constantly-shirtless hero in Jason Momoa, and one-liners even worse than dad jokes, Aquaman isn’t subtle by any stretch. But it…
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REVIEW: Cranston & Hart are dynamic in average remake

Another year, another remake of a classic foreign film. This time, it’s The Intouchables, a French film that ranks as one of my unequivocal favourites. For myself, that film was untouchable, and yet here we are, with The Upside, a hijinks-laden flick about a quadriplegic and his ex-con caretaker. The original, from directors Olivier Nakache…
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REVIEW: Ben Is Back, but Julia Roberts will be the reason you stay

From the moment recovering addict Ben comes home for Christmas, his family home is thrown into disarray. Mastering the chaos is his assertive mother Holly (Julia Roberts), who goes head-to-head with her hard-line husband to give Ben a reprieve from his Sober Living facility, if only for Christmas day. The whole family worries about Ben’s…