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Barbie Film Review: Is Life In Plastic Fantastic?

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Runtime: 114mins | Director: Greta Gerwig | Rating: 4 Stars You’ve likely seen Barbie already, are planning to, or perhaps even celebrated OppenBarbie - the most anticipated day of cinema in recent history. In fact, Barbie had the biggest opening weekend ever by a female director, and combined with Oppenheimer, the biggest opening weekend since Avengers: Endgame. Either way, it can’t be denied that Barbie is taking the world by storm.  So, what’s all the fuss about?  In the near two-hour outing, Gerwig tells the story of Barbie and Ken who are living seemingly perfect lives in Barbie Land. When Barbie starts having uncharacteristically negative thoughts though, she is tasked with visiting the real world to resolve them. Upon arrival, Barbie and Ken soon discover the wonders and pitfalls of living amongst humans and their ensuing complexities.  As I sit here typing, nodding my head to Dance The Night on repeat, the infectious lead single from Barbie’s soundtrack, I’m struck by just how
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Is Jordan Peele's Latest Outing Worth Skipping? Nope

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Runtime: 130mins | Director: Jordan Peele | Rating: 4.5 Stars In all honesty, I’m not sure where to begin with a review of Jordan Peele’s Nope, simply because there is so much to say about it. What I can say with certainty though, is that Peele is rapidly cementing himself as one of the finest auteurs with skin in the game. Nope tells the story of OJ Harwood, a man who trains horses for use in Hollywood films along with his sister, Emerald. After their father dies through a freak accident, things only go from bad to worse when they notice a mysterious cloud above their ranch that doesn’t move. They soon enlist the help of technologically savvy, Angel, to help document the phenomenon for the world to see. As with Get Out in particular, Peele’s debut outing, Nope treads the incredibly fine and difficult line of weaving seamlessly between horror and comedy. One moment you’re laughing a Keke Palmer’s incredibly charismatic performance as Esmerelda, and the next you’re listening to the har
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Midsommar Review: An Ethereal, Psychedelic Nightmare

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Runtime: 147mins |  Director: Ari Aster |  Rating: 5 Stars Jump-scares, characters wandering about at night (often in atmospheric lightning) and bizarre, supernatural creatures. These are, more or less, the tropes we have come to associate with the horror genre. Of course, there is nothing wrong with these formulaic things – when done well – but they are becoming a bit unoriginal and obvious. After all, the whole point of a horror film is to scare you, and being able to guess what is going to happen as soon as the music quietens or someone looks in a mirror defeats that. However, we seem to be entering a horror renaissance where talented directors such as Jordan Peele and Ari Aster are being bolder in their nightmarish creations and are challenging the status quo. Following the tragic death of her family, Dani (Florence Pugh) joins her boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor), and his friends on a trip to Sweden in the hope it will strengthen their relationship. At first, the quain
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Booksmart Review – A Wilde Ride!

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Runtime: 105mins | Director: Olivia Wilde | Rating: 5 Stars The coming of age genre is one almost everyone is familiar with. Typically, kids in high school don’t know what to do once they leave college, they fear their friendships will never be the same, and they regret not trying to kiss the guy or girl of their dreams. It’s all very familiar. Booksmart doesn’t redefine the genre in any way, instead, it embraces the classic tropes and builds upon them elevating it to a height only a few other coming of age films have reached. This is a testament to Wilde’s directing ability and vision. So, what’s Booksmart actually about? Molly and Amy (Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever) are two self-confessed nerds who are about to graduate from high-school. Throughout their time there all they have done is focus on their grades to secure the best possible futures for themselves. After they discover that the other kids who partied, misbehaved and generally d
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Review - The Gaucho Film Club: Pulp Fiction

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Location: Gaucho – Charlotte Street | Price: £50pp | Rating: 4.5 Stars “Hamburgers! The cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast.” Well, on the 2 nd of February, that truly was the cornerstone of my breakfast as I attended Gaucho’s screening of Pulp Fiction as a belated birthday present. For those who aren’t familiar with it, Gaucho is a fantastic Argentinian steak house and also my favourite restaurant. So, when I heard they had established a ‘Film Club’ where they screen a film and serve you the food that appears on the screen in real-time, you can only imagine my excitement. Especially when I was told it was Pulp Fiction , one of my Top 5 films. On paper, this is my idea of heaven. But because I had such high expectations, I was cautious of disappointment. I can tell you now that it exceeded all my expectations, bar a few small issues. So, without further ado – here’s what we were served! Big Kahuna Burger – ‘Classic Cheeseburger Served with Vodka Lemon
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