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Showing posts from October, 2019

Gemini Man (2019) - Review

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I'm not sure if there's a right way to begin a review of ' Gemini Man ' - the latest Ang Lee-directed, Will Smith-starring sci-fi blockbuster out in cinemas. The most intriguing twist in the film has rather naturally been spoiled on every posted, trailer and plot synopsis for the film - that being that Will Smith is hunted down by an assassin who is in fact his younger self in clone form - and beyond that, there's not really too much to say. As much as this has been sold as an Ang Lee / Will Smith film, ' Gemini Man ' doesn't really show-off the talents of either its director or its lead star, and ultimately feels like a paint-by-numbers action thriller with a surprising caliber of talent behind it. ' Gemini Man ' sees Will Smith as a generic, retired assassin, who quickly realises that he might have uncovered some kind of secret, and thus works with generic love interest / action heroine / exposition-dumper Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Bened

Joker (2019) - Review

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To say that those who made ' Joker ' had the best of intentions feels like a somewhat disingenuous statement given exactly who made this film. Its director Todd Phillips previously directed such classic comedies as ' The Hangover ' trilogies and ' Due Date ', and when people stopped laughing at his films, he decided to go for an Oscar and make a serious awards-bait comic book superhero spin-off film. His ambitions for awards glory led him to attain Joaquin Phoenix , renowned for his interests in art-house cinema and lack thereof in mainstream, as well as getting Martin Scorsese's name in the credits - no doubt as a means of silencing the claims that ' Joker ' is trying to be like Scorsese's own filmography (see ' Taxi Driver ', ' The King of Comedy ', etc.). Phoenix wants to take the Oscar-worthy role of the Joker of course - Heath Ledger posthumously received a Best Supporting Actor award for his role as the clown prince of cr