It is inevitably very awkward for an expensive, Hollywood film to resemble a soap opera. As much as inappropriately long close ups, predictable plot lines and hideous acting all have their place in this bizarre world of ours, suffice it to say that they should be found only on daytime television and on weeknights between…
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After three not particularly impressive months of winter, the most glorious time in the Australian seasonal calendar is again making itself known. The ominous mornings of impending, thermostatic doom have replaced winter’s feeble attempts at the cold and the miserable. The sun, not merely content with its steadily increasing presence, has increased in severity –…
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James Franco is a man of many faces. As Harry Osborn (Spiderman, 2002), his troubled visage was one of wealth, confusion and later, festering anger. His portrayal of Aron Ralston in 127 Hours (2010) betrayed a succession of emotions and thoughts ranging from hedonist, ‘ouch! It appears my arm is trapped!’, to acceptance. In Milk…
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Today’s bourgeoisie indeed has much to lament. The smoothie that contemporary culture has become, in which others’ ideas are combined, recombined or merely embellished, prevents and denies any real opportunity for true originality. It is unfortunate, but culture predates our pitiful existences by many millennia. Whether one is optimistic or otherwise, this blender is very,…
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Murder, as a cinematic experience, is something to which the film watching collective no longer particularly objects to. Snuff films aside, today on-screen murder orchestrated to varying degrees of gore and sadism is tolerated, even enjoyed. It excites, thrills and grants access to an activity that the majority of society will hopefully never engage with,…
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Bangarang n Caribbean (chiefly Jamaican) 1. Rubbish; miscellaneous items. Now rare 2. Commotion or uproar; a disturbance; a loud argument – Oxford English Dictionary, 2012 Bangarang is indeed a marvellous word. Owing much to an onomatopoeic appearance, to the unfamiliar ear it seems capable of almost infinite expression and unbounded use. One can use…
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Humans are usually credited for their work in films, as are dogs, cats and even the odd celebrity chimpanzee. Chickens, on the other hand, are afforded no such luxury. The uncountable scores of poultry that have appeared uncompensated must certainly reach a staggering figure. Unfortunately, the most attention generally afforded to them in film relates…
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Somewhat unsurprisingly, Marilyn Monroe in a dress is a sight to behold – but Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis look better. These two gents, when dressed in the garb normally reserved for women, manage to completely outfox Hollywood’s supposed epitome of sex appeal. Such a comparison comes to us, of course, from the shenanigans that…
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Max Weber (1864-1920), the sociologist extraordinaire who was not in any way affiliated with a certain brand of barbecue, was once responsible for many astute social observations. Over the years, as he steadily gained a heavy arsenal of such reflections, he built up a formidable reputation as one of the founding fathers of sociology. Of…
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Crying as an action of public self-dissection is invariably and perfectly exquisite. Be it subtle, spontaneous or blatantly narcissistic, its capacity to represent the diverse array of sentiment that it can is, quite frankly, incredible. Crying is introspective, histrionic and wholly fascinating. Almost nothing can beat the effortless allure of a tear sliding down a…
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Being a detective is supposedly synonymous with danger, glamour, devilishly handsome individuals and immeasurable intrigue. It may be a dangerous line to walk, but there is more than sufficient compensation available to those who choose to walk it. Taking this into consideration, why it is that anyone would consider the profession of a pet detective…
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Winter brings with it many opportunities for sequestering oneself in basements, drinking red wine and absorbing vast quantities of French cinema. Chance such as this also presents itself in tandem with the prospect of justifying introverted and potentially anti-social behavior. Indeed, who needs friends with the likes of Louis Malle, François Truffaut and Juliette Binoche…
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Ours is a strange world indeed when Shane Warne, Taylor Momsen and Robert Falcon Scott can all have something in common. All are, in one way or another, role models. These figures are however nothing more than a degustation menu of expected inspiring figures. Selected from just three zones of achievement valuable to society –…
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Humanity as a collective has lauded a whole range of inventions throughout its existence, some for no reason at all. The wheel admittedly has proved itself to be utterly indispensible, as has modern medicine, cutlery and welding. The other side of the figurative coin, represented by such blatant banalities as apple corers, sock puppets and…
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