Tag: Film Review

THE READER (STORY ANALYSIS)THE READER (STORY ANALYSIS)

The Reader

The Reader is a 2008 historical drama film directed by Stephen Daldry and written by David Hare, based on the 1995 German novel of the same name by Bernhard Schlink. The movie starred Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes and was nominated for several other major awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture. However, the story does not really stand up to scrutiny as we will endeavour to explain in our following analysis.

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THE AVENGERS (MOVIE REVIEW)THE AVENGERS (MOVIE REVIEW)

The Avengers

With the Disney+ streaming platform being available worldwide since February this year, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (“MCU”) movies can be found in one convenient place. Power of Pop has been a staunch supporter of the MCU since the release of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk (which is not available on Disney+) in 2008. Thus, we continue our look back at the MCU with probably its most significant movie, 2012’s The Avengers.

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IRON MAN 2 (MOVIE REVIEW)IRON MAN 2 (MOVIE REVIEW)

Iron Man 2

With the Disney+ streaming platform being available worldwide since February this year, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (“MCU”) movies can be found in one convenient place. Power of Pop has been a staunch supporter of the MCU since the release of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk (which is NOT available on Disney+ due to distribution issues) in 2008. Thus, we continue our look back at the MCU with Iron Man 2, which was released in 2010.

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A SUN (MOVIE REVIEW)A SUN (MOVIE REVIEW)

A Sun

A Sun is a 2019 award-winning Taiwanese drama film that is now streaming on Netflix. Directed and co-written by Chung Mong-hong, A Sun received 11 nominations at the 56th Golden Horse Awards, winning Best Feature Film and Best Director for Chung. The film was also selected as Taiwan’s entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, making the shortlist of fifteen films.

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THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT’S WOMAN (MOVIE ANALYSIS)THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT’S WOMAN (MOVIE ANALYSIS)

The French Lieutenant's Woman (Analysis)

The French Lieutenant’s Woman is a 1981 British romantic drama film directed by Karel Reisz and based on the 1969 novel of the same name by John Fowles. The original novel is best known for its metafictional approach of featuring multiple endings. While no such approach exists in this film adaptation, there are other metafictional elements that we will discuss below.

SPOILERS

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OUTSIDE THE WIRE (ANALYSIS)OUTSIDE THE WIRE (ANALYSIS)

Outside the Wire

Outside the Wire is a 2021 scifi war thriller streaming on Netflix. The film is set in 2036 and stars Anthony Mackie (who also serves as a producer on the film) as an android officer who works with a drone pilot (Damson Idris) to stop a global catastrophe. Our short take on Outside the Wire is that it is possessed of both an interesting premise and a strong underlying message but certain narrative choices turn the third act into a unsatisfying cliché.

Please note that there are spoilers in our analysis of Outside the Wire that follows.

[SPOILERS]

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SYNCHRONIC (MOVIE REVIEW)SYNCHRONIC (MOVIE REVIEW)

Synchronic poster

Synchronic is an American science fiction horror drama directed and produced by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead and written by Benson. It stars Jamie Dornan and Anthony Mackie. The film has been touted by many critics as one of the best scifi movies of 2020. Benson and Moorhead have a good reputation as cutting-edge indie scifi directors with previous well-received movies like Spring and The Endless. The duo are also working together on the upcoming Disney+/Marvel Studios streaming Moon Knight series.

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SHIRLEY (MOVIE REVIEW)SHIRLEY (MOVIE REVIEW)

Shirley

Shirley is a biographical drama that was released in 2020. The film is based on a book by Susan Scarf Merrell, a fictionalised account of an episode in the life of horror writer Shirley Jackson (played by the excellent Elizabeth Moss) in the late forties/early fifties. The setting revolves around the time Jackson was writing her novel, Hangsaman.

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SOUL (MOVIE REVIEW)SOUL (MOVIE REVIEW)

Soul Movie Review

Soul is a 2020 Pixar animated movie directed by Pete Doctor and co-directed by Kemp Powers. Doctor is best known for directing the well-received Up and Inside Out. The premise of Soul involves a middle school music teacher named Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx), who dies just before his big break as a jazz musician, but attempts to return to life with the aid of an ‘infant’ soul (voiced by Tina Fey).

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BELLE (2013) – MOVIE REVIEWBELLE (2013) – MOVIE REVIEW

Belle movie poster

Belle is a historical drama set in late 18th century England. The movie is directed by Amma Asante and stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw in the title role. The character of Dido Elizabeth Belle Lindsay is based on a real life person but most of the plot in Belle is fictionalised. In fact, the screenplay – written by Misan Sagay – was primarily based on a painting which portrayed the real life Lindsay and her cousin, Lady Elizabeth Murray (Sarah Gadon).

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