Water for Elephants
[ Hits:1749 ]
Review: Water for Elephants is a ridiculous title. Although it makes more sense when you realise that it's a crossover of two cinematic achievements of the 20th century... namely Titanic and Dumbo. Titanic in the way that this epic romance drama has been constructed, and Dumbo in the subject matter, story and special effects. Lavish, historic sets filled with extras in accurate costume and circus animals form the backdrop to this swirling romance about a young man, who happens to jump a circus train, be...
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Izulu Lami
[ 2008 ] [ Hits:1005 ]
Review: Izulu Lami is a South African film with a focus on street kids in Durban. The film encounters several themes surrounding children in South Africa including: a local fallacy that Aids can be cured by sleeping with a virgin, the problems with glue-sniffing street kids and petty crime. These contentious issues could easily recreate another City of God scenario in the slums of Durban, however the film's approach has been compared with Slumdog Millionaire. Although, it's unfair to even contrast Izulu...
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Disgrace
[ 2008 ] [ Hits:961 ]
Review: Disgrace is a film adaptation of J.M.Coetzee's novel of the same title, which won such prestigious awards as the Booker Prize and Nobel Prize in Literature. The film is directed by Steve Jacobs, written by Anna Maria Monticelli and stars the indomitable John Malkovich. Disgrace has been the centre of much debate in South Africa, primarily caused by the ANC labeling it as "too pessimistic" a view of South Africa. International audiences and literature authorities have praised it for its brutal ho...
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The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
[ 2008 ] [ Hits:628 ]
Review: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas has a compelling premise that sets this story apart from other Holocaust stories. The only comparison would be to imagine Life is Beautiful without Roberto Benigni’s charm and jest. The story is told through the eyes of Bruno, an 8-year-old German boy during the Second World War. His Aryan eyes and dark brown hair show the hypocrisy of this harrowing tale. Originally, author John Boyne set out to write a children’s story, which found favour with adults too. The...
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Tornado and the Kalahari Whisperer
[ 2009 ] [ Hits:611 ]
Review: Tornado and the Kalahari Horse Whisperer is a film by Regardt van der Bergh, who directed Hansie and Faith Like Potatoes. If you’ve seen either of these movies, you will soon realise that this movie also embodies a rich true story with spiritual themes relating to Christianity. Tornado is a beautiful blue blood white Arabian horse with a predisposition for self-mutilation, and the Kalahari Horse Whisperer is a wise man named “Burrie”, who comes across like a hybrid of Jack Palance from Cit...
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The Social Network
[ 2010 ] [ Hits:566 ]
Review: The Social Network is a timely story about the founders of Facebook and their legal disputes on the back of unprecedented viral Internet growth and accidental billionaires. Whatever your take on the social online platform, The Social Network movie seems to have everyone hitting 'Like'… If you’re connected to the Internet, chances are that you rely on Facebook as entertainment, a networking tool, a virtual grapevine or local news feed. The Social Network points out the social platform's add...
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Invictus
[ 2009 ] [ Hits:535 ]
Review: Invictus is a film that attempts to capture the Zeitgeist of the New South Africa in its infancy. It's based on the book, Playing the Enemy by John Carlin and stars Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar, with Clint Eastwood behind the camera. Eastwood has delivered some beauties in his time... from tough guy spaghetti Western performances to directing stirring war epics like Letters from Iwo Jima to movies about an exciting time in South African history. Having work...
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The Kings Speech
[ Hits:534 ]
Review: The British royal family have had their fair share of embarrassments through the ages: Richard III's bloody coronation, Queen Victoria's "wicked uncles", rumours that Prince Albert Victor was in fact Jack the Ripper, Prince Charles, his ears, Camilla Parker Bowles... the list continues. One such national embarrassment was The Duke of York, whose futile military exploits inspired this song..."Oh, the grand old Duke of York,He had ten thousand men; He marched them up to the top of the hill, And he...
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Master Harold... and the Boys
[ Hits:527 ]
Review: Master Harold... and the Boys is an adaptation of Athol Fugard's acclaimed stage play about a young boy wrestling with his convictions when it comes to his father and his caretaker in 1950s South Africa. The era, known for its discriminatory racist government policies, separated South Africans and created barriers preventing black South Africans from enjoying equality and the same level of privileges as their white counterparts. This tense atmosphere fuels the drama of Master Harold... and the B...
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A Serious Man
[ 2009 ] [ Hits:512 ]
Review: The Coen brothers have made some pretty crazy films over the years... focusing on dark comedy, adventure and more recently delving into the uncharacteristic domain of drama and thriller in their Oscar-winning, No Country for Old Men. Now as accurate as that Oscar contender adaptation was, I felt the Ethan and Joel Coen were on an Oscar mission rather than delving into a passion project. After all, how often do dark comedy crime adventures win Oscars? A Serious Man is another departure from their...
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