REVIEW: Restrepo

RestrepoDirector: Sebastian Junger and Tim HetheringtonYear: 2010Plot Summary: Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington's year dug in with the Second Platoon in one of Afghanistan's most strategically crucial valleys reveals extraordinary insight into the surreal combination of back breaking labor, deadly firefights, and camaraderie as the soldiers painfully push back the Taliban.Winner of this year's...

By Daniel Sarath with 1 comment

REVIEW: Monsters

MonstersDirector: Gareth EdwardsYear: 2010Plot Summary: Six years after Earth has suffered an alien invasion a cynical journalist agrees to escort a shaken American tourist through an infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the US border.Monsters has been causing some giant waves within the film industry. Made on only £500,000, shot by only two people and pieced together by a minuscule crew, it's...

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REVIEW: The Hurt Locker

The Hurt LockerDirector: Kathryn BigelowYear: 2009Plot Summary: When renegade Sergeant James takes command of a highly trained bomb disposal unit, he frequently risks the lives of himself and those around him with his suicidal methods and a complete disregard to danger.It's the season for film awards with the Golden Globe nominations announced this week and the Oscars looming closer and closer....

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REVIEW: 300

300Director: Zack SnyderYear: 2007Plot Summary: In the midst of the Persian-Greco war, Spartan King Leonidas leads his army of 300 soldiers into battle against the invading Persian army during the Battle of Thermopylae. Although I hated his adaptation of Watchmen with a strong passion, I was convinced by a friend to watch Zack Snyder's acclaimed 300 a few weeks ago. Adapted from the graphic novel...

By Daniel Sarath with 1 comment

EDITORIAL: Analysing the Golden Globe nominations

The Golden Globes leave me disappointed year after year.While the Oscars, though admittedly not perfect, have had a fairly good history of choosing nominees who truly deserve to be recognised, the Golden Globes instead seem to get it all wro...

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REVIEW: Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me GoDirector: Mark RomanekYear: 2010Plot Summary: Ruth, Kathy and Tommy, spend their childhood at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. As they grow into young adults, they find that they have to come to terms with the strength of the love they feel for each other, while preparing themselves for the haunting reality that awaits them.One of the most anticipated releases of the year...

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REVIEW: The Diving Bell And The Butterfly

The Diving Bell And The ButterflyDirector: Julian SchnabelYear: 2007Plot Summary: The true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who suffers a stroke and has to live with an almost totally paralyzed body.To simply call The Diving Bell And The Butterfly masterpiece of film-making would be an injustice because, in fact, Julian Schnabel has crafted one of mankind's greatest works of art with his...

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REVIEW: Somewhere

SomewhereDirector: Sofia CoppolaYear: 2010Plot Summary: A hard living Hollywood star is forced to re-examine his life when his 11 year old daughter turns up on his doorstep.Sofia Coppola's movie is one that causes a strange response in the viewer; it is both wonderful and disappointing at exactly the same time. After all, it's hard to deny that Somewhere is a work of high-art that confirms Coppola...

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REVIEW: Badlands

BadlandsDirector: Terrence MalickYear: 1973Plot Summary: Young lovers, Kit and Holly, go on a killing spree across towards the Badlands of Montana.Malick's first debut remains one of cinema's finest moments almost 40 years after its release charting the road trip that Kit Carruthers, a young garbage collector, and his girlfriend, Holly Sargis, take towards the Badlands of Montana after killing Holly's...

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REVIEW: Public Enemies

Public EnemiesDirector: Michael MannYear: 2009Plot Summary: The Feds try to take down famous American criminal John Dillinger during a booming crime wave of the 1930s.It all seems like a recipe for greatness. Combining the story of America's most notorious criminal, John Dillinger, with the direction of Michael Mann and the performances of Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard, Public Enemies...

By Daniel Sarath with 1 comment