Last night, thanks to the lovely people at SeeFilmFirst, I went to see a free preview of Harry Brown starring Michael Caine. Harry Brown is an unremittingly violent film. Utterly devoid of sympathetic characters, it offers a terrifying glimpse into the fear, violence and sadism on an unnamed council estate. Every scene is wired with tension - nervous tension which often culminates in bloody violence. This is not a thought provoking film. It does not "raise serious issues". It simply exists …
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Just seen 500 Days of Summer - a perfectly adequate Rom Com. On the walk back, Liz and I were discussing getting divorced. For tax reasons. Neither of us could think of any tax advantages for divorced couples, but it lead us down an interesting conversational route. A fairly standard ploy in movies (and real life) is the couple who wish to marry so one of them can stay in the country. Think Green Card or The Proposal. The "authorities" investigate to ensure that the marriage in sincere. D…
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A long time ago... Ten years ago, I posted on usenet that I'd watched a bootleg of The Phantom Menace. I discovered the post recently and it got me thinking about how little progress has been made in the digital download arena. The actual resolution of the bootleg Picture the scene, it's my first year at university and, like any good geek, I am obsessed with Star Wars - Episode I. So much so that I help run a fan site, ThePhantomMenace.co.uk. The guys on my corridor are similarly hungry f…
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