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DVD review: Clone Hunter

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Often, sci-fi and low budget indie productions go together about as well as chocolate and onions. The high budget demands on special effects eventually hamper the entire story. Clone Hunter is indeed  [ ... ]


What to make of the ending to Inception?

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So far, my favorite film this year is Christopher Nolanís Inception. Not only does it deliver all the action and thrills expected of a big budget summer blockbuster, but it has inspired endl [ ... ]


DVD Review: The White Ribbon

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The White Ribbon is a drama starring Christian Freidl, Ulrich Turkl and Burghart Klaussner. Directed by Michael Haneke.

There is something wrong here. In a seemingly quaint German village pre-WW1, [ ... ]


DVD Review: Shutter Island

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The film begins on an ominous note. Eerie strings play as the film fades to white. Soon, a ship appears out of the fog. Cut to a gumshoe, looking and speaking as if he has stepped straight out of a [ ... ]


CINEMA REVIEWS
What to make of the ending to Inception? PDF Print E-mail
Written by Trent Daniel   
Monday, 02 August 2010 15:03

ImageSo far, my favorite film this year is Christopher Nolanís Inception. Not only does it deliver all the action and thrills expected of a big budget summer blockbuster, but it has inspired endless debate among my friends and others who have seen it. It also officially moves Christopher Nolan near the head of an elite class of directors working today whose films I will definitely go see if their name is attached.

Case in point: my fiancÈ and I were in line at a sporting goods store. While the clerk was ringing up my t-shirts, my fiancÈ casually mentioned we had just seen the movie. Instantly, we started to enthusiastically recount memorable scenes: the floating figures in the hotel, the raid on the ice station and, of course, the ending.

For those who have not yet seen Inception (and what are you waiting for? It clearly deserves to be seen on the big screen), the plot is as follows:

Dominic Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is one rare type of thief- as he has the unique skill of being able to steal valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious of his victim during his or her dream state. Cobbís skill makes him valued among corporate giants trying to get one up on each other, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him his wife and child. Cobb is offered a last chance at redemption. He can be reunited with what remains of his family if he can pull off the never before tried feat of inception-meaning not to steal an idea from their target, but to plant one.

Spoiler alert!

(I would say donít read any further if you havenít seen it, but I know that is a moot point. Anyway, still see it if you get the chance.)


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Last Updated on Monday, 06 December 2010 19:49
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Film Review: Inglorious Basterds PDF Print E-mail
Written by Trent Daniel   
Monday, 31 August 2009 11:49
In deciding to tackle my first attempt at a review of a film still in the theatre, I chose one that is over the top, violent, in many ways ridiculous, yet still easily one of the best films of the year: Quentin Tarantinoís Inglorious Basterds.

For readers already aware of the film, Iíll go ahead and address the elephant in the room. Yes, in Tarantinoís satire/homage to World War II action films (in particular, two great ones: [[Where Eagles Dare]] and [[The Dirty Dozen]]), he does change the ending to the war. No, it did not happen this way, but so what? In this world, the one created by the film, it could happen. Tarantinoís film can get away with this, for it never once betrays its main purpose, which is to tell an entertaining story. It is not a ìmessageî film, like Judgment at Nuremburg or the oh so serious Mississippi Burning (not to get too off track, but precisely because Mississippi Burning always intended to be a message film, its proven altering of facts surrounding its story, as well as its cartoonish villains, makes it much more offensive than Basterds).


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Last Updated on Wednesday, 02 September 2009 11:37
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Planet B-Boy PDF Print E-mail
Written by Elena Stevenson   
Monday, 05 May 2008 12:48

ImageA good documentary, while engrossing, can be a bit of a downer. Planet B-Boy, the first by director Benson Lee, is a rare find within its genre. You get a close-up view of a subculture, but also an uplifting testament to the human spirit. You might even call it “feel-good.”

Planet B-Boy documents an international breakdancing competition. For the mainstream, that form went out with parachute pants. But a few grand masters—including Ken Swift and Thomas Hergenrother—give a brief history and explain how this expressive, athletic dance form blossomed in different countries, and now has a large fan base. Rival groups of “B-Boys” and “B-Girls” will challenge one another to “battles” filled with gravity-defying choreography and lightning-quick footwork. At formal competitions, the B-Boy crews add costumes, music, and thematic elements with layers of political and cultural symbolism. The biggest of these is “Battle of the Year,” where the best crew from each country competes with 22 other nations. The B-Boyers encounter a melee of ethnicities while sharing rehearsal space and primitive dorms.

 

 

 

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Last Updated on Tuesday, 27 May 2008 10:48
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