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movie review
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Battleship (2012)
02 May 2012 by SPLING / No Comments
Transformers was essentially a 20 minute advert for the collectible figurines, which went on to become a series of Michael Bay blockbusters. While merchandise is probably the main reason George Lucas gave Star Wars a 3D overhaul. Just when you thought Hollywood had milked the “toy” department dry… Hasbro smashes a mini champagne bottle on Battleship, a popular table top game and now $200 million […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: The Avengers (2012)
25 Apr 2012 by SPLING / 2 Comments
The most anticipated superhero movie of the year is here! Marvel’s The Avengers has received plenty of hype ahead of its release and the bottom line is that it won’t disappoint… much. This superheroes-on-steroids spectacle manages to do the near-impossible, containing several of the world’s biggest superheroes and Hollywood egos in one literal blockbuster.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: The Grey (2011)
18 Apr 2012 by SPLING / 6 Comments
If you’ve never survived a plane crash only to be pursued by a pack of bloodthirsty wolves whilst bracing a bitter Alaskan blizzard, tired, afraid and hungry… you need to see The Grey. It may not be as informative as Man vs. Wild with Bear Grylls, but it’s fascinating in a White Fang meets Alive kind of way.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: The Hunger Games (2012)
11 Apr 2012 by SPLING / No Comments
The Hunger Games is old hat. We’ve seen our fair share of films involving a group of children, forced to do combat in a confined area in a kill-or-be-killed situation. Suzanne Collins has just commericialised the format made famous by William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, writing a novel that has enough human interest and viral appeal to capture a […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Wrath of the Titans (2012)
28 Mar 2012 by SPLING / No Comments
Clash of the Titans was disappointing. The action-adventure relied too heavily on visual effects, offering a tired video game script, wooden performances and substandard post-production 3D in the face of much anticipation. Yet as tarnished as it was, the blockbuster made enough money at the box office to warrant a sequel. It’s no secret, Greek […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: 21 Jump Street (2012)
21 Mar 2012 by SPLING / No Comments
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are not a match made in buddy cop heaven. Hill, best known for comedy, got a tip of the hat when he received an Oscar nomination for his role in Moneyball, while Channing Tatum’s range is best encapsulated by boxing legend Muhammed Ali’s mantra: float like a butterfly (romance) and sting like […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: John Carter (2012)
14 Mar 2012 by SPLING / 1 Comment
A bearded man with extraordinary powers, savior of a planet, died and buried in a tomb only to rise again with the initials J.C. The life of Jesus Christ inspired the character of John Carter and Edgar Rice Burroughs inspired hundreds of writers and film-makers with the Barsoom series of science-fiction novels, which have been adapted into the film, John Carter of Mars.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
07 Mar 2012 by SPLING / No Comments
If a nice cup of tea, a dry scone and a fascinating game of chess against one of those electronic Kasparov chessboards sounds like a great night in… Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is your movie. Slow-moving, dull, dreary and stoney-faced – this Cold War club for stiff cigar room suits makes the dense two hour plod as inviting as […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)
29 Feb 2012 by SPLING / No Comments
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a miracle. Why? There’s no other way you could explain it being nominated for a Best Picture at the 84th Academy Awards. Grant 2012 hasn’t been the strongest year for Hollywood with only a handful of truly excellent films, but let’s call it what it is… extremely long & incredibly […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: War Horse (2011)
22 Feb 2012 by SPLING / No Comments
Stephen Spielberg loves a good war drama and it shows, having directed Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List, Empire of the Sunand Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. All of these epic dramas were set in and around World War II, which is just one reason the Best Picture nominated War Horse is so different…
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Material (2012)
15 Feb 2012 by SPLING / No Comments
Material is one of the smartest, most heartwarming movies to originate from South Africa, telling the story of a young Muslim man whose love for stand-up comedy leads to conflict when his father expects him to take over the family business. You will love it!
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Safe House (2012)
08 Feb 2012 by SPLING / No Comments
Safe House is one helluva ride! Man-on-the-run movies have always been popular. They carry the thrill of the chase, the drama of a man wrongfully accused, the natural ebb-and-flow of a road trip movie and the narrative equivalent of an ant, a magnifying glass and a hot day.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Man on a Ledge (2012)
01 Feb 2012 by SPLING / No Comments
Man on a Ledge stars Sam Worthington, whose robotic acting is best forgotten in blockbusters such as Avatar, Clash of the Titans and best remembered in Terminator: Salvation, where he was actually part cyborg. As you can imagine with any movie where the lead character wants to commit robot suicide off a high-rise building – expectations were low…
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SPL!NG Movie Review: The Skin I Live In (2011)
25 Jan 2012 by SPLING / No Comments
Skin… everyone’s got one, except that guy dangling from the tree in Predator. The word has developed a stigma and a deviant curiosity in Hollywood: Mysterious Skin, Skinwalkers, ‘skin flicks’ – and it would be rash to think The Skin I Live In, a film that nabbed a spot in Quentin Tarantino’s Top Ten Films of 2011, could cure that little niggling […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
18 Jan 2012 by SPLING / No Comments
David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo… didn’t they adapt the Millenium trilogy just two years ago? Why didn’t they cast Noomi Rapace, the ‘Girl’ from the original? Is it a faithful adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s novel? There’s an 8 minute movie trailer?
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Margin Call (2011)
11 Jan 2012 by SPLING / No Comments
The award-winning documentary Inside Job drilled down into what caused the 2008 financial crisis by consulting some of the finest financial experts. Margin Call creates a fictionalised account of the most critical 24 hour period of the meltdown, featuring some of Hollywood’s most respected actors.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: The Ides of March (2011)
04 Jan 2012 by SPLING / No Comments
It’s no secret, 2011 was a dismal year for Hollywood. The movie machine is running out of ideas, David Lynch has turned to music, budgets are being screwed tight and we’re getting a spill of bankable franchise sequels and unnecessary adaptations. Although one actor seems to have risen out of the ashes…
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SPL!NG Movie Review: The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
21 Dec 2011 by SPLING / No Comments
The nostalgic The Adventures of Tintin animation series by Herge gave Belgium another famous fictional personality other than Poirot, one whose agenda often involved political conspiracy and espionage. The graphic novels have entertained their readers, delivering a soft James Bond meets Poirot type character in elaborate situations with freedom of imagination.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: SUPER (2011)
14 Dec 2011 by SPLING / No Comments
Rainn Wilson is Frank, an ordinary guy with no superpowers who decides to kick crime in the ass. Sounds a lot like Defendor and Kick-Ass right? If this movie were a person, it’d be Kevin Bacon, which isn’t surprising because there’s only one degree of separation. You could say it’s the Taxi Driver of superhero movies… just don’t call […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Moneyball (2011)
07 Dec 2011 by SPLING / No Comments
You’ve heard of Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson but who the hell is Billy Beane? Moneyball turns this unsung hero into a household name. The general manager for Oakland Athletics modernised the business of baseball in the 2002 season by using key statistics to draft overlooked yet valuable players. This is his story.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Real Steel (2011)
30 Nov 2011 by SPLING / No Comments
If you can adapt a theme park ride into a billion dollar blockbuster franchise about a drunken pirate holidaying in the Caribbean, you can adapt just about anything. That’s how we got Real Steel, a film that producers will vehemently defend against anyone claiming it’s an adaptation of the iconic tabletop boxing game, Rock ‘Em, […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
23 Nov 2011 by SPLING / 1 Comment
Paranormal Activity 3 continues the low budget horror series created by Oren Peli. The new chapter is a prequel, taking us back to the ’80s, where we learn where, how and why Katie’s haunting started. Critically-acclaimed Catfish filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman direct what could very well be the best Paranormal Activity yet.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Straw Dogs (2011)
16 Nov 2011 by SPLING / No Comments
The original Straw Dogs, directed by the legendary Sam Peckinpah and starring Dustin Hoffman is a controversial classic, notorious for its brutal “pleasure rape” scene, ultra-violence and previously banned video release status. Hoffman said he only did it for the money and from the outset, it seems that the new Straw Dogs adaptation remake may have had a similar motive.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: 50/50 (2011)
09 Nov 2011 by SPLING / No Comments
Laughter is the best medicine, but cancer and comedy don’t mix – unless your name’s Mike Birbiglia or you’re watching 50/50. Disambiguation: we’re reviewing 50/50, the comedy-drama about a 27-year-old guy struggling to beat the odds after being diagnosed with cancer and not 50|50, the hard-hitting 27-year-old nature conservation show. There is a difference.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: In Time (2011)
02 Nov 2011 by SPLING / No Comments
Time is money. This driving mantra for Western culture is turned into In Time, a full-blown science-fiction action-thriller from the mind of Andrew Niccol (The Truman Show, Gattaca). While In Time has a sharp young cast, a visionary writer-director and an intriguing premise – it’s not worth your time or money.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Skeem (2011)
26 Oct 2011 by SPLING / No Comments
The caper film is one of the most difficult to pull off, but when executed in style – delivers sheer exhilaration as though you are a part of the action, committing the crime yourself as witnessed in movies like The Italian Job, Ocean’s Eleven, The Sting, Catch Me If You Can and Inception… so how does Skeem measure up?
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Fright Night [3D] (2011)
19 Oct 2011 by SPLING / 1 Comment
Fright Night [3D] is a comedy-horror movie remake of Tom Holland’s 1985 cult classic. You know the VHS rental cover that used to scare the marbles out of you at the video store as a kid, the one with the massive vampire face laughing over a haunted mansion… ja, that one.
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SPL!NG Movie Review: The Three Musketeers [3D] (2011)
12 Oct 2011 by SPLING / No Comments
“All for one, one for all.” The same catchphrase that united Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting in song has returned as The Three Musketeers swash their buckles once again. They were okay when Charlie Sheen could pull off a moustache, they weren’t too bad in The Man with the Iron Mask, however, this may just be their most flaccid outing […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: Take Me Home Tonight (2011)
05 Oct 2011 by SPLING / No Comments
Take Me Home Tonight is an ’80s style comedy romance starring Topher Grace, Teresa Palmer, Dan Fogler and a low-key Anna Faris… rare. Topher Grace, best known for his lead role in That ’70s Show, does what he does best… playing the nice guy who doesn’t want to finish last. He’s a good-looking man-boy, so […]
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SPL!NG Movie Review: The Change-Up (2011)
28 Sep 2011 by SPLING / No Comments
Have you ever wished you could be someone else for a day, a week, a lifetime? The Change-Up will give you a couple of good reasons to stop doing that in the body-swap movie to rule them all… starring Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds. This is not a Disney movie folks, in fact, it’s what the Farrelly brothers were […]
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