Archive for Film & DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming

Greenroom released the adrenaline filled, non-stop dancing, Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming on DVD November 29th, from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Synopsis:

Stomp the Yard

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It’s National Step Off time, and rivalries are running hot.  The Theta Nus have new pledge Chance Harris (Collins Pennie).  Chance is caught up in his own troubles, too caught up to stay focused on the competition.  He has problems with his dad, problems with his girl and problems with the local gangs.

This is the sequel to the US box office hit, Chance tries to find balance in his life while training, working and performing in a famous national televised dance event.  Stomp the Yard: Homecoming unites a powerful cast featuring Terrence J and Pooch Hall with a soundtrack packed with pulse-pounding tracks.

The cast also includes Terrence J ( #1 Rated ), Stephen tWitch Boss (TV’s “So You Think You Can Dance), Pooch Hall (The Game), Kiely Williams (The Cheetah Girls), Keith David (Death at a Funeral, The Princess and the Frog), Tika Sumpter (TVs “One Life to Live) and a featured appearance by Columbus Short (Stomp the Yard, Death at a Funeral).


This energetic dance film is centred on the countdown to a national step-off contest with the competition being very strong and full of talented dancers from all around the US. The story touches on family, relationships, street violence and the high-energy, thrill a minute dance routines that the stars make look effortless.

This video is being reviewed by Lulu, a 13 year old reviewer, since this deals with kids in a high school situation, we felt it was best represented by someone in that age group.

Lulu:

I felt the ending of this video was unexpected and worth sitting through the movie.  I had not seen the first movie, Stomp the Yard, however after watching this one, I would really like to see the first one as well. It is really exciting,  and you never really knew exactly what they were going to face.

The main character Chance, is trying to lead his life without any help, and that gets him and his friends into more trouble.

It’s exhilarating  and makes you think, I wanna dance like that, that’s awesome! It’s a great movie to watch with family or friends.  As its appropriate for both.  It’s like a drama dance movie, and everyone at some point wants to see one of those.  The plotline is very good,  throughout the whole movie, I didn’t at any point think it wasn’t interesting, or it was a dull part of the movie. Which you might do in other movies.

Chance, in my eyes, is trying too hard to handle all his problems by himself and that at some point, he’s going to hurt a lot of people, which he did in this movie.

All in all, it was a fantastic movie and I would recommend it to all teens, and families, as it is a great movie to sit and watch with your brothers, sisters and friends.

STOMP THE YARD:
HOMECOMING

Featuring Collins Pennie, Terrence J, Stephen “tWitch” Boss,
Kiely Williams, Pooch Hall, Tika Sumpter,

and a Featured Appearance by Columbus Short

Bonus Materials Include Deleted Scenes, a Behind-the-Scenes Featurette and Filmmaker Commentary

London, UK. 13/09/10 – The audience returns to the yard of Truth University on November 29th for the all new, explosive, high energy drama Stomp The Yard: Homecoming, courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

which takes viewers behind-the-scenes of this high-energy dance romp.  Filled with all new phenomenal, step- routines, Stomp the Yard: Homecoming will be available on DVD for RRP £12.99.

Directed by Rob Hardy (The Gospel), Stomp the Yard: Homecoming is from a story by Albert Leon and a screenplay by Albert Leon and Meena Payne. Columbus Short served as executive producer, with William Packer producing.

DVD  Bonus Features Include:

  • Deleted Scenes
  • Featurette: “Stomp on the Yard: Choreography”
  • Filmmaker and Cast Commentary

Stomp the Yard: Homecoming has a running time of 84 minutes and is rated 12.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

TITLE Stomp The Yard: Homecoming
Release Date 29 November, 2010
Format Retail DVD
RRP DVD: £12.99
Certificate 12
Genre Drama
Running Time 84 minutes (approx)

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RED

Red

Sometimes it’s great just to walk into a cinema with no prior knolwed of the film you’re going to see. I often do this. For every dreadful clunker like Ace Ventura, Pet Detective, you find gems like Michael Clayton or Oh Brother, Where art Thou? I could have waited an hour for the latest Harry Potter episode or taken a risk with the unknown factor, Red.

This proved to be an excellent choice with a stellar cast of veteran actors; Bruce Willis Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, and even Ernest Borgnine who isn’t dead after all.

Willis is a lonely, retired former CIA agent who sometimes tears up his pension cheques to get an excuse to talk to a pleasant girl in the call centre to whom he has taken a shine. One evening, just before Christmas, his past catches up with him as a team of assassins try to murder him.

In an effort to keep one step ahead of his pursuers, he teams up with the girl, a bunch of retired former colleagues and an old foe in order to find out who wants him dead and why.

This is one of the best chase movies for quite some time. Don’t think too much about the plot. Just strap yourself in for a fast-moving rollercoaster ride punctuated by helpful animated postcards to let you know where the action is. Oh, and Helen Mirren looks great as she coolly holds off the villains with a huge machine gun.

Director:

Robert Schwentke

Writers:

Jon Hoeber (screenplay), Erich Hoeber (screenplay), and 2 more credits »

Stars:

Runtime: 111 minutes
Certificate: 12A

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Film Review: Clash of the Titans

Remakes of well-loved films are often misguided, pointless or unnecessary. Nobody, for example could improve on the original Wizard of Oz, Casablanca or High Noon. That’s not always, true, however. Some remakes build on the original work and bring it to a whole new audience.

I think that’s true of the new version of Clash of the Titans, currently doing the rounds in the cinemas. The story is simple. Mankind has annoyed the gods. Statues of Zeus have been overturned by these ancient Greek versions of Richard Dawkins. Hades is contracted to punish the humans who have dared to defy the gods, although he has an ulterior motive; he wants to supplant Zeus. It’s a bit like the relationship between Yahweh and Satan in the Old Testament book of Job.

Ray Harryhausen’s much loved original was a staple of Sunday afternoon television for many years. It was famous for it’s stop-go models as Perseus took on Medusa the gorgon and a whole host of fabulous creatures in order to save a Greek maiden from a fearsome sea monster.

Today we have computer general images to bring more terrifying monsters to the big screen. The modern Clash of the Titans even comes in 3D bringing a whole new dimension to Perseus’s attempts to kill Medusa without being turned to stone by her gaze. This Medusa really is scary. She caused quite a few cinema patrons to jump in their seats and spill their popcorn.

Full marks, then for this remake but I’m still not sure whether 3D is the next big thing or a passing gimmick. It’s certainly not worth a £2.50 premium. Time will tell.

David Kerr

Dircetor: Louis Leterrier

Run time: 106 minutes

Certificate: 12A

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DVD Review: Law Abiding Citizen

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The film opens with a very disturbing sequence. Engineer Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is enjoying a quiet evening at home with his wife and daughter when the commonplace domestic scene is interrupted by the sound of someone knocking. Thinking it’s a takeout delivery, Clyde  opens the door to two criminals and is hit over the head with a bat. The next thing he knows, he’s barely conscious, gagged, and bound, and is forced to watch as his wife is raped and killed. Then his young daughter is taken into another room for a similar treatment from Clarence Darby (Christian Stolte). 

The culprits are arrested by the police but the ambitious D.A. Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) makes a deal with the assassin Darby who accuses and gives evidence against his partner. He pleads guilty to a reduced count of third degree murder. Shelton is not happy. Rice agrees that both men are guilty but argues that the case isn’t airtight without the testimony, and if they lose, both men walk free. 

Ten years later, Darby’s partner is executed by lethal injection. Clyde abducts Darby and tortures him before killing him. Clyde is arrested without evidences and Rice seeks his confession. Rice soon realises that Clyde is not only seeking vengeance against the perpetrators but against the justice system that he feels has failed him. Throughout the film invites us to feel sympathy for Clyde even as his actions become more and more immoral. 

F. Gary Gray’s thriller works on an emotional level as the guilty meet gory ends although in the later part of the film credulity is stretched as the plot becomes more fantastical. A  mixture of disturbing violence and  guilty pleasure similar in ways to the old Death Wish films. 

Reviewed by Pat Harrington
SA:R (certificate #45572) | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Canada:18A (Alberta/Manitoba) | UK:18 | Ireland:18 (original rating) | Norway:15 | Finland:K-15 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | South Africa:16LV | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Ireland:16 (re-rating on appeal) | Malaysia:18PL | Hong Kong:IIB | Canada:18A (Ontario) (re-rating) | South Korea:15 | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Taiwan:R-18 | Denmark:15 | Austria:16 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | South Korea:18 (DVD rating)

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THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

ONE advantage of never having read Stieg Larsson’s bestseller means that Swedish director Niels Arden Oplev’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo came as a complete surprise. It didn’t seem to have a lot going for it as it was made in Sweden, the home of long drawn-out gloomy cinema. It was also subtitled and lasted for over two and a half hours. Still, Ulster was in the middle of a wild late March ice-storm so an afternoon in a nice, warm dry cinema seemed to have a lot going for it.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has wowed audiences all over the world. This dark thriller opens as journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) is sent down for three months in prison when a magazine scoop he wrote on a big businessman goes up in smoke. He was set up as his sources refused to back up his story once it was published.
In the meantime he is hired by another businessman to investigate the disappearance and suspected murder of his 16-year-old niece Hannah some forty years back. This man’s rich and powerful family is riven with strife and petty jealousies. Two senior members of the family were activists in the Swedish Nazi party. One had even been commended by Hitler himself. The journalist’s job was to discover if any member of the family had murdered Hannah. As his journalistic career was in tatters he accepted the job.
The undoubted star of this unexpected international box-office sensation is Noomi Rapace who gives a rivetting performance in the role of Lisbeth Salander; the girl with the dragon tattoo. Lisbeth is an eye-catching cyberpunk straight out of one of William Gibson’s novels. She is haunted by a troubled past and her interaction with other people seems to suggest she has Asperger’s Syndrome.
An accomplished computer hacker, Lisbeth follows the journalist’s investigations and finds herself joing forces with him to find out what happened to the missing girl. According to press reports the director of Seven and Zodiac, David Fincher is planning an American remake starring Natalie Portman. Niels Arden Oplev’s memorable effort is much more of a dark and twisted murder mystery than either of Fincher’s masterpieces. He really will have to pull out all the stops to keep up with it. For those who can’t wait you would do well to get hold of the DVD of what is bound to become a cult classic.

Reviewed by David Kerr

Cast:

  • Michael Nyqvist as Mikael Blomkvist
  • Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander
  • Sven-Bertil Taube as Henrik Vanger
  • Peter Haber as Martin Vanger
  • Marika Lagercrantz as Cecilia Vanger
  • Lena Endre as Erika Berger – Blomqvist’s colleague and long-time lover
  • Björn Granath as Police Inspector Morell
  • Ingvar Hirdwall as Dirch Frode – Henrik’s lawyer
  • Peter Andersson as Bjurman – Lisbeth’s legal guardian
  • Michalis Koutsogiannakis as Dragan – Lisbeth’s boss
  • Ewa Fröling as Harriet Vanger
  • Gunnel Lindblom as Isabella Vanger
  • Gösta Bredefeldt as Harald Vanger
  • Stefan Sauk as Hans-Erik Wennerström
  • Jacob Ericksson as Christer Malm
  • Sofia Ledarp as Malin Eriksson
  • David Dencik as Janne
Certification:
Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | France:-12 | Finland:K-15 | Switzerland:18 (canton of Bern) | Spain:18 | Italy:VM14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Portugal:M/16 (Qualidade) | Germany:16 | UK:18 | Argentina:16 | Chile:TE | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R16 | Ireland:18 | Japan:R15+ | Denmark:15 | Brazil:16 (re rating) | Brazil:18 (original rating)

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Film & DVD Review: This is England

This is England

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I remember the hype about this film; if I recall lots of hand wringing…was it meant to be edgy? Cutting edge? Challenging? Celebrating racism?! Boy, O boy – partly autobiographical i.e. not written by a middle-class student or sixth-former! Wooden acting, stereotypical characters – lots of warnings on Film Four following each commercial break -yes the language was “bad” but NOTHING about this film was gritty, subtle, multi-dimensional, worrying, questioning, thought-provoking…I can’t get over the auto-biographical slant – otherwise it was a film I would have expected to be made by middle-class folk who have never lived on a “sink-estate” about working-class characters they’ve never met and about politics they haven’t got a clue about or any sense of how those politics might take hold of the dispossessed. Just one cliché after another. It got a bit “edgier” towards the end – all I can say is, thank God I didn’t waste my money at the flics. As for the end – little Shaun (by the way what was the paedophile thing going on – or does paedophilia only occur if the GIRL is young! Where were the Film Four warnings about this? I digress!) – the end: “symbolic” – the Cross of  St.George flag tossed in to the sea – was there a flag so maligned by its own nation’s artists me wonders? Is it not possible to write a film script/play/novel that deals with working-class politics (non –“left”) that uncovers truths beyond the cliché? Any producers out there, I’m yer man! I could do a better job and I’d put my pen where my mouth is!!!  So – not impressed…doubly not impressed because against the backdrop of the Falkland’s war (and therefore of relevance NOW with Afghanistan/Iraq) and with the rise of “far-right” politics (could these politics be dealt with so lazily in this modern technological age?) this film should REALLY have hit home – got me deep down and provoked a multitude of thoughts – not just these negative ones. I guess the only thing to say about the film (was it really so raved about?) – is that the political-skinhead didn’t have a homosexual affair (see how many times THAT one happens) or discover he was – in fact – an ethnic minority or his granddad was Jewish. I’m not suggesting any of these things work, are subtle or even help the cause of all of us rubbing-along on this tiny isle. It’s simply that when it comes to any artistic offering on the “far-right” we never get something “focussed” just looked at “askance” with the eyes and intellect of a schoolboy. Well it got me typing at least…The French made a great film about racial tension called “La Haine” – I still recall that years after watching – it had an effect. It lodged inside me. This film will be forgotten (by me) come morning. O, and as a musician – the clumsy inclusion of piano notes and strings at times was…No I’m lost for words – cue violin and piano to end review!

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Film & DVD Review: Sons of Anarchy Season 1

ADRENALIZED DRAMA FROM THE CREATOR OF THE SHIELD

Info and background:

Sons of Anarchy draws you into the gritty world of a renegade motorcycle gang who unofficially preside over a community in northern California. Created by Kurt Sutter (The Shield) and packed with hard-hitting action.

Sons of Anarchy: Season 1 is available to own on DVD from 22 February 2010 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

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This series by the creator of The Shield, is as riveting as the earlier series (the Shield).  It  stars Mark Boone Junior (Batman Begins, Get Carter), Katey Sagal (Married With Children), Charlie Hunnam (Children of Men, Green Street) and Ron Perlman (Hellboy).

Ron Perlman is ace in his role as Clay Morrow, the headstrong leader of the Sons of Anarchy, by his side, an equally bloody-minded Katey Sagal as Gemma, his wife. Sagal who is perfect for the part as mother of the revolt.  Together they fight to protect the gang, and retain control of the town by any means; corruption, violence and bribery, and hell, whats a  little racketeering and gun running thrown in for good measure.

Season one is a hellish drama about family relationships, questionable values,hard living and harder decisions.  This season introduces us to Jax, the vice president of the Sons, and Gemma’s son.  With the birth of his first son, and revelations from John the revelator, his father, Jax begins to question loyalty and the direction the biker gang is headed in.

Season one draws you in, slams you up against a wall and keeps your adrenalin flowing throughout the season. It hooks you and keeps you coming back.  Typical grief from a cocky ATF hag, but some surprising alliances with the local law enforcement.  The parts are well cast with this gritty ensemble, some weeks you are nodding along with them or shedding the occasional tear, and other times you just want to give them a good slap, as this ragtag bunch of outlaws grows on you.   Definitely a great build up to bring you back for Season 2, and choice tunes each week included in the soundtrack, my favorite being John the Revelator. Check out Henry Rollins in season 2.

Sons of Anarchy: Season 1 DVD Details:

Release date:     22 February 2010

Cert:                    15 (TBC)

Episode Breakdown:

Pilot

  1. Seeds
  2. Fun Town
  3. Patch Over
  4. Giving Back
  5. AK-51
  6. Old Bones
  7. The Pull
  8. Hell Followed
  9. Better Half
  10. Capybara
  11. The Sleep of Babies
  12. The Revelator
  • Over an hour of DVD extras including more than 40 minutes of previously unaired scenes

Reviewed by Rosdaughr

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Film & DVD Review: Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland graphic

“In any fairy-tale land there is good and bad. What I liked about Underland is that everything is slightly off, even the good people. That, to me, is something different.” ~ Tim Burton, Director

REVIEW

The Mad Hatter

This film is amazing, outstanding. Very well-played by the actors. I also thought that the 3D graphics were astonishing. If I got the chance I would re-watch it all day. An amazing performance from Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Anne Hathway as well as the others. I think Depp did a very convincing Scottish accent, and really took the ‘Hatter’ mercury thing into account. I would recommend this to all ages!

It has similarities to the animated film, but is very different to this and other versions.  Compared to the other versions, this is the best.  Tim Burton was definitely the right Director for this job because he has a bizarre (but insightful)  view of the world and mode of thinking. That inspired, somewhat skewed view of the world really helps this movie stand out from the other versions and is perfect for the story. All in all this movie was ace!

Reviewed by Evyan

The Red Queen

INFO:

From Walt Disney Pictures and visionary director TIM BURTON comes an epic 3D fantasy adventure “ALICE IN WONDERLAND,” a magical and imaginative twist on some of the most beloved stories of all time. JOHNNY DEPP (“Pirates of the Caribbean” films, “Public Enemies”) stars as the Mad Hatter, and MIA WASIKOWSKA (“Amelia”) as 19-year-old Alice, who returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl, reuniting with her childhood friends: the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and of course, the Mad Hatter. “ALICE IN WONDERLAND” will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™, RealD 3D and IMAX® 3D. The film has been rated PG by the MPAA Ratings Board. RealD 3D is the new generation of entertainment, with crisp, bright, ultra-realistic images so lifelike you feel like you’ve stepped inside the movie. RealD 3D adds depth that puts you in the thick of the action, whether you’re joining favorite characters in a new world or dodging objects that seem to fly into the theatre. RealD pioneered today’s digital 3D and is the world’s most widely used 3D cinema technology with over 9,500 screens under contract and 5,000 screens installed in 48 countries. And unlike the old days of paper glasses, RealD 3D glasses look like sunglasses, are recyclable and designed to comfortably fit on all moviegoers, and easily over prescription glasses (www.RealD.com). Along with the film’s nationwide release in conventional theatres, “ALICE IN WONDERLAND” will be released in IMAX® theatres, digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® through proprietary IMAX DMR® technology. With crystal clear images, laser-aligned digital sound and maximized field of view, IMAX provides the world’s most immersive movie experience. Capturing the wonder of Lewis Carroll’s beloved “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” (1865) and “Through the Looking-Glass” (1871) with stunning, avant-garde visuals and the most charismatic characters in literary history, “ALICE IN WONDERLAND” comes to the big screen around the world in Spring 2010.

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Film & DVD Review: A Perfect Getaway

The Perfect Getaway DVD cover

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A Perfect Getaway is based in the present in Hawaii. There are three different couples.  All three are on one of the five Hawaiian Islands.  Local juicy gossip is that on an island nearby a murder has been committed by a man and a woman traveling together. 

Two of the vacationing couples become friends and start camping together. Both couples believe that the other couple may be the murderers and avoid them. When the third creepier couple are then found guilty of the murder the two couples are much relieved. 

But later there is a twist in the tale… 

I had to re-watch A Perfect Getaway, as at a point it gets confusing – none the less, if I didn’t re-watch it I wouldn’t have noticed some of the details that I did.  It is very thrilling and at the end, I thought it had a great storyline and the twist was really unexpected. The characters are very well played by the actors and I would give this movie 5 stars! 


Review by Lulu Fandango

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Film & DVD Reviews: The Time Traveler’s Wife

Time Traveler's Wife DVD cover

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Okay – this is a good film, sentimental yes but not too sentimental – there is a happy ending – well sort of…would I urge you to see the film/buy the DVD – yes. Now that that’s out the way – and in counter-culture style – let me say that the interesting things from this film are: Time Travel! (Its mechanics and possibilities) and Survival of the Spirit/Soul/Personality.

Much to my wife’s annoyance I kept on asking questions about the nature of the time travel in the film and its plausibility – these were rebutted with “there is no time travel gene” and “it’s fiction!”. She’s right of course. But I wonder if in the book (which I haven’t read) there is a deeper explanation of the nature of time travel as depicted (and its gene!) – after all, all pieces of art need their internal integrity don’t they! There has to be legitimate continuity. If anyone has read the book and has thoughts on this – please link up. You see, Henry, the main character seemed to be able to travel backwards and forwards in time (but only within the boundaries of his physical life – though within this restriction he could travel beyond his “natural” physical span. Telling more would give away too much detail). The time traveler’s  – should I write “traveller’s” here? – wife is the constant where as her (future) husband melts into and out of her life from when she is a little girl. Some great ideas develop…and (again without giving the plot away) he CONTINUES to play a part in her life – as if in someway he has a perpetual multi-bodied existence(s). And it is at this point that I can’t help but consider that the time travel consists of body AND mind and whereas the body may stop – perhaps the mind could travel beyond mundane experience. I suppose it was too much to expect the film to get into existential questions beyond the already disquieting (compulsive) disappearances and naked reappearances of Henry. But I do know that the theory of time travel currently only allows for travel into the future and then back to where and when the travel began! So you could travel on a Monday and go into next year (or a thousand years) but you’d always come back to that Monday at the earliest!!! I must be a pain to watch a film with.
It’s a romantic, effecting film BUT the time travel is the poignant part. If we love someone now – might we love them before we knew them? When they were very young? That should get a few thoughts spinning. Also – if Henry hadn’t appeared to the six-year old Claire, would their love have matured as adults? Is love a continuum, as time appears to be to us?
If the mind IS un-physical or even partly so – what’s to say that that WE might not have the ability to loose ourselves into eternity – just that we’d lack the body and physical senses to convey that experience!
I’ve seen a few films recently that have time as a theme – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (surprisingly good) being one – time is something we perceive as well as experience and it may not be as constant or as fixed as we’d like to think. The Time Traveler’s Wife has made me re-engage my thoughts on time and our responsibility towards our use of it.

Reviewed by Tim Bragg

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