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Movie Reviews
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Felix
11 Sep 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
Felix is a feel-good comedy drama that you will cherish for its fun, exuberant and sweet-natured tone. This delightful underdog story arrives in the wake of Spud and has been dubbed “Billy Elliott with Cape Jazz”. It’s wholeheartedly entertaining and difficult not to like, owing to a positively charming ensemble, a spirited story about a […]
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Critics DESTROY ‘Diana’ Movie, Following Premiere
06 Sep 2013 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
Within hours of the Princess Diana biopic premier screening, film critics have torn it apart with a string of merciless reviews.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Kick-Ass 2
04 Sep 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
Kick-Ass was unabashedly proud of its pick ‘n mix of genres and brew of violence, youth-centric flair and cult cool class – borrowing aspects from better action, crime and superhero films. Not all that much has changed in Kick-Ass 2, in fact, one of its main criticisms is that it’s more of the same.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Evil Dead
21 Aug 2013 by SPLING / 2 Comments
The new Evil Dead remake’s movie poster proudly proclaims: “The most terrifying film you will ever experience.”. While this bold statement does make you wonder, it’s actually not far from the truth.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Welcome to the Punch
14 Aug 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
Welcome to the Punch for lack of a better joke, lacks punch. While it’s slick and spectacular as a Michael Mann style crime thriller in the vein of Miami Vice, the story is overly complicated, the cast deliver Wednesday performances for thinly scripted characters and it’s just not distinct enough to separate itself from a […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Vehicle 19
07 Aug 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
Vehicle 19 is a crime thriller about an American tourist caught in a web of Johannesburg police corruption, starring The Fast and The Furious’s Paul Walker. It’s an ambitious film that tries to leverage its star, city and concept to great effect. Unfortunately, the end result is vapid, messy and ultimately unsatisfying.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Now You See Me
31 Jul 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
Movies and magic share the art of illusion. Making you believe something’s real is the end goal for both entertainment mediums, which can be a tricky balancing act in itself. Slick crime thriller Now You See Me walks this tightrope, drawing audiences in with its heady mix of intrigue and crime, in an attempt to […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: The Wolverine
24 Jul 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
The Wolverine is a standalone film, not because they’ve decided to pursue a Japanese thread to the popular comic book character, but because other films featuring Wolverine are too embarrassed to stand next to it. While peppered with iffy CGI and mixed reviews, Gavin Hood’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, is actually a better film than the […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: World War Z
17 Jul 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
World War Z is based on the novel by Max Brooks, who also wrote the straight-faced parody, The Zombie Survival Guide. While the novel relayed a series of first-hand accounts from post zombie apocalypse survivors, the film strings them all together into the first-hand experiences of family man and United Nations investigator, Gerry Lane.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: The Lone Ranger
10 Jul 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
Most people remember The Lone Ranger for: the noble gun-slinging heroics of John Reid, the camaraderie with Tonto, the lightning quick Silver and the classical Revolution theme. However, after watching the new film starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer, you’ll start doubting you ever saw the original TV series.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Despicable Me 2
03 Jul 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
They said it couldn’t be done. They were wrong. Who are ‘they’? Who cares… Despicable Me 2 is even better than the first one. When Steve Carell… erm, Gru was interviewed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, it seemed that they were A. trying to resuscitate a turkey with a desperate publicity stunt or B. had […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Man of Steel
26 Jun 2013 by SPLING / 1 Comment
For the meantime, Man of Steel will be the definitive Superman film. Zack Snyder (Watchmen) has crafted a visually spectacular superhero action epic, which honours its source material whilst attempting a valiant reinvention. A greater focus on Superman’s alien side, essentially turns Man of Steel into something you’d expect to see with Steven Spielberg’s name […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Spud 2: The Madness Continues
19 Jun 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
Spud 2: The Madness Continues is the much anticipated follow-up to Spud, based on the popular series of boarding school misadventures by John Van De Ruit. Another year has passed in the life of young John “Spud” Milton. He may have moved up the pecking order and landed a regular spot on the Crazy Eight, […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: After Earth
12 Jun 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
After Earth is an M. Night Shyamalan film. The director’s signature film is still The Sixth Sense and many would agree that his best years, while love-or-hate projects, surround this film. His most recent “blockbusters” have not lived up to his heyday with invisible, biological retaliation in The Happening and a wishy-washy animation to live-action […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Star Trek Into Darkness
05 Jun 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
Star Trek Into Darkness lives up to the hype. J.J. Abrams, in many ways a Steven Spielberg 2.0, has managed to do the near-impossible by securing pivotal roles in two of the biggest franchises in Star Trek and now Star Wars, with Star Wars VII in the pipeline. The director and producer is a forerunner […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: The Hangover Part III
29 May 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
The Hangover Part III is a somewhat entertaining mash-up of The Hangover and Due Date. We’ve come to expect a certain level of debauchery and funny in a series that started like a casino on fire and The Hangover Part III disappoints… that’s right, disappoints.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Fast & Furious 6
22 May 2013 by SPLING / 1 Comment
Fast cars, leggy women, big guns, money and loads of piston-pumping action is the stuff of the Fast & Furious. Six movies in and it’s like they’re just starting their engines as the flags go down and the winner takes all. Although to be fair, the road has had some twists, veering into new territory […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Bullet To The Head
15 May 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
Bullet to the Head is a long-awaited match-up of Hollywood veterans, Walter Hill and Sylvester Stallone. Walter Hill directed Arnold Schwarzenegger in Red Heat and Bruce Willis in Last Man Standing, so it was only fitting that he complete The Expendables 2 triumvirate with Sylvester Stallone in Bullet to the Head.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Dead Man Down
08 May 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
The original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo duo, Niels Arden Oplev and Noomi Rapace, have teamed up again for Dead Man Down. While another revenge-fueled crime thriller in the style of Guy Ritchie and Jo Nesbo, Dead Man Down has more artistic appeal in the vein of Killing Them Softly. The mix of gangster […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Iron Man 3
01 May 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
Iron Man surpassed expectations, while Iron Man 2 hovered below them. Just when we thought the Iron Man saga needed a bit of oil, The Avengers knocked any signs of rust off the rocket-powered Tin Man with Robert Downey Jr. stealing the show once again (with the Hulk’s permission). So the excitement around the May […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Trance
24 Apr 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
“You’re back in the room.” What happens when are our eyes are closed and our subconscious has the run of the place is a mystery in itself. Whether we’re dreaming, hypnotized or in a state of deep relaxation – we seem to be vulnerable to the power of suggestion by the voices around us. Trance […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Oblivion
17 Apr 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
Tom Cruise has now done three science fiction films: Minority Report, War of the Worlds and Oblivion. The first two under blockbuster juggernaut, Steven Spielberg, were well-received with Philip K. Dick adaptation Minority Report winning approval from critics and audiences alike, with War of the Worlds making a less convincing case.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: G.I. Joe – Retaliation
10 Apr 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra was a cheesy all-out action CGI overload that borrowed from a number of better movies and embarrassed a number of actors in the process. Yet, that didn’t stop them from making a sequel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation. HOO-HA!
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Seven Psychopaths
03 Apr 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
Armed with an intriguing title and oozing suave cool, Seven Psychopaths is destined for cult status. What movie starring Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson and Christopher Walken wouldn’t achieve some level of notoriety? Throw in some dark Tarantino style crime comedy and you’ve got yourself a locked-and-loaded shotgun ready to blow your head off… […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Hitchcock
27 Mar 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
Alfred Hitchcock, Hitch or The Master of Suspense was and is a cultural icon. Described as “genius” and regarded as one of the most influential film directors of all-time, saying the man was not without fault is an understatement. In Hitchcock, based on the book, Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho, we’re given a […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Identity Thief
20 Mar 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
We’ve all wished we were someone else at some stage, dreaming of a better life only to come back to the crushing realisation that we’re stuck with ourselves. That doesn’t stop us from assuming other people’s identities, but there are constraints. If they happen to be famous, we tend to end up in insane asylums […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Sleeper’s Wake
13 Mar 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
Crime haunts us in South Africa. We live on the edge in order to stay one step ahead of what seems to be an unofficial tax for living in such a beautiful country. Being grateful that we’re alive (and insured) are how we get by, yet the toll of the trauma and stress remains a […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Fanie Fourie’s Lobola
06 Mar 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
Fanie Fourie’s Lobola is better than you think. The title and movie poster conjure up what you’d imagine to be a crass, over-the-top comedy, leaning on stereotypes with a side order of cheeky romance. Thankfully, it’s not.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: The Last Stand
27 Feb 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
“I’ll be back.” Love or hate him, Arnold Schwarzenegger has managed to become: Mr. Universe, a Hollywood icon, husband to a Kennedy and Governor of California. He set out to become extraordinary and has achieved all of his lofty goals by the age of 65. He wasn’t lying when he said those famous words… while […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: A Good Day to Die Hard
20 Feb 2013 by SPLING / No Comments
“Bruce Willis is Dead!” It’s the title of a Brothers Streep song, but judging from his last (and possibly last ever) Die Hard performance – he’s ready to leave the terrorist-infested building. In an ironic and unintentional move, Willis reprises his role in The Sixth Sense by being dead from the get-go. There’s only so […]
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