Movie Review: Identity Thief


Movie poster with the subtitle "She's having the time of *his* life!"

Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman) gets a nice call confirming his name and other identifying information. The next thing he knows, a spa in Florida is reminding him of his appointment and his credit cards are maxed out. With his identity stolen, Sandy leaves his wife, kids and job to literally bring the thief to justice in Colorado. Keeping tabs on the other Sandy (Melissa McCarthy) and run-ins with bounty hunters is harder than he was expecting, and ultimately the cross-country trip is going …

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Movie Review: That Gal... Who was in that thing...


Movie Poster.

Actresses talk about their personal lives and dealing with a balance between family responsibilities and being a professional actor. This is a sequel to the critically acclaimed "That Guy... Who Was In That Thing". A movie which looks at the varying careers of working actors who never quite hit the big time. Despite the weirdly unfeminist title ("That Guy 2"), it's a beautiful look at the horrors of acting from a female perspective. It is a simple format - talking heads and archive…

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Movie Review: That Guy... Who Was in That Thing


A montage of actors.

Documentary about sixteen actors who detail their ups and downs as they struggle to forge careers in Hollywood. They've played cops, lawyers, bosses, best friends, psychopaths, politicians and everything in between. Now you'll know who they are. The best thing about me being a failed actor, is that I never have to wonder if I would have "made it". I wouldn't have. No one does. The best most people can hope for is for someone in the street to half-recognise you as the eponymous "guy... from …

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Movie Review: Bombshell


Three identikit blonde white women stare at the camera.

When Gretchen Carlson slaps Fox News founder Roger Ailes with a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment, not a soul could predict what would happen next. Her decision leads to Fox News correspondent Megyn Kelly coming forward with her own story, as well as multiple other women, inciting a movement that reverberates around the world. This is a grim film. No one deserves to be sexually assaulted or harassed. Toxic work environments need to be tackled and dismantled. But the protagonists - so the …

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Movie Review: In Time


Movie Poster - people hold guns

In a future where people stop ageing at 25, but are engineered to live only one more year, having the means to buy your way out of the situation is a shot at immortal youth. Here, Will Salas finds himself accused of murder and on the run with a hostage - a connection that becomes an important part of the way against the system. This is a wonderful piece of high concept sci-fi. Where time is literally money - and only one man can bring down the corrupt system. It is a beautifully realised…

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Movie Review: Palm Springs


Two people sat on pool floats, drinking beer.

When carefree Nyles and reluctant maid of honour Sarah have a chance encounter at a Palm Springs wedding, things get complicated as they are unable to escape the venue, themselves, or each other. It's almost impossible to review this movie without giving away the twists and turns that it takes. Just know that it is deeply funny in unexpected ways. It stars the cop from the TV sitcom and the mom from HIMYM (look, just accept that they play the same characters) and has a bunch of "Oh!…

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Movie Review: The Island


Movie poster.

A man living in a futuristic sterile colony begins to question his circumscribed existence when his friend is chosen to go to the Island, the last uncontaminated place on earth. Kazuo Ishiguro's novel "Never Let Me Go" is a profound meditation on the nature of love, and whether clones can ever be considered truly human. It asks us deep questions about medical ethics and our responsibilities towards our creations. Michael Bay's "The Island" has an identical plot, but substitutes the…

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Movie Review: The Magic Christian


A garish cartoon poster for The Magic Christian.

Sir Guy Grand (Peter Sellers), the richest man in the world, adopts a homeless boy, Youngman (Sir Ringo Starr). Together, they set out to prove that anyone, and anything, can be bought with money. I get that this is a seminal film. But it doesn't stop it being awful. London at the end of the Swinging Sixties looks like a grim and miserable place. The concrete is drab, the weather is miserable, and the comedy non-existent. This film - like many British films - is a loose collection of…

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Movie Review: But I'm A Cheerleader


A cheerleader.

Confident and opinionated, 17-year-old Megan is far too strong-willed for her unsupportive parents, who begin to worry she is a lesbian. Their solution is to send Megan to 'True Directions,' a "rehabilitation camp" run by homophobic counsellor Mary Brown. Soon Megan meets the equally defiant Graham, and the two form a fast friendship. Ironically, the more time Megan spends at the camp, the more she begins to question just how fixed her sexuality really is. Flicking my way through Amazon…

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Movie Review: Bill & Ted Face The Music


Bill and Ted movie poster.

Once told they'd save the universe during a time-traveling adventure, 2 would-be rockers from San Dimas, California find themselves as middle-aged dads still trying to crank out a hit song and fulfil their destiny. What is the nature of reality? What does it mean to grow old without ever realising your full potential? Can love survive the confines of marriage? What are the true limits of friendship? BATFTM doesn't attempt to answer any of these fundamental questions. This is a daft and…

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Movie Review: aTypical Wednesday


A movie poster which reads Fuck Therapy.

A young man embarks on an adventure with another patient at his therapist's office, who he visits every Wednesday. This is, probably, a feel-good movie. No, it's a buddy movie. Well, actually, it's a romantic comedy. Or, possibly, a satire on race-relations in America. Definitely a bleakly hilarious road-trip. J. Lee's debut as a movie direct has a scattergun approach which pays off handsomely. I found myself laughing the whole way through at its wit and absurdity. The movie packs an…

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Review: Edmond / Cyrano, Mon Amour


The shadow of Cyrano de Bergerac is projected onto a theatre curtain.

December 1897, Paris. Edmond Rostand is not yet thirty but already two children and a lot of anxieties. He has not written anything for two years. In desperation, he offers the great Constant Coquelin a new play, a heroic comedy, in verse, for the holidays. Only concern: it is not written yet. Ignoring the whims of actresses, the demands of his Corsican producers, the jealousy of his wife, the stories of his best friend's heart and the lack of enthusiasm of all those around him, Edmond…

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