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SONS OF THE DESERT - REVIEW

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Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy star in Sons Of The Desert , a 1933 feature that's often quoted as being one of the legendary duo's best comedies. The plot sees the two friends, who are also next door neighbours, having to announce to their wives that they are planning to go to some convention related to the Freemasons-style organisation they're somehow a part of, whether they are given permission or not. Of course, the ladies aren't impressed and Hardy is promptly forbidden to go. This leads him to fake an illness and get Laurel to hire a doctor (or veterinarian, rather) to prescribe a stress-free holiday to Honolulu so both pals can sneak off to Chicago for the convention and make it back without their wives knowing. Unfortunately, the plan backfires when the boat that was meant to bring them home from Honolulu sinks, much to their spouses' chagrin. Laurel and Hardy are then forced to improvise by hiding out in the attic overnight. While this may not be one of

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL - REVIEW

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Before Disney decided to remake all of its classic animated films in a big way, the studios turned to theme park rides for inspiration (as you do) and picked one of their oldest and most popular to adapt into a big budget feature film. And so we got Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl . The 2003 supernatural swashbuckler would, of course, become a significant success and spawn several sequels but we really didn't know what to expect from this first instalment. The pirate genre hadn't exactly been a hit in a while, if ever, so this was a risk for Disney. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Gore Verbinski, The Curse Of The Black Pearl was by no means a cheap, small scale project but the risk paid off in the end. The plot sees Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), the daughter of a wealthy Governor, help rescue young shipwrecked pirate Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) during a sail. She finds a golden medallion around his neck and decides to keep it. Ye

MASCOTS - REVIEW

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10 years after his last feature film For Your Consideration , Christopher Guest is finally back with a new zany mockumentary, this time for Netflix. Packed with some of his regular cast members, Mascots follows the build-up to a contest where the "best" mascots battle it out. This is a such an obviously funny concept that the jokes write themselves so it's not exactly a big risk for the filmmaker as Mascots is essentially Best In Show crossed with Waiting For Guffman . Guest even reprises his role from the latter as camp musical director Corky St. Clair in an amusing cameo. With the likes of Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, Bob Balaban, Ed Begley Jr, Fred Willard and others, this is familiar territory for sure so don't expect too many big surprises. That said, it's hard to make a bad film when this many funny people are in it so Mascots is just as enjoyable as you'd expect with plenty of goofy lines and gags to keep you entertained throughout. Seeing all t

CHILDREN OF THE CORN - REVIEW

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There are plenty of Stephen King movie adaptations out there, enough to fill a small country, and this is one of them.  Children Of The Corn was released in 1984 and was based on one of the legendary horror writer's short stories. Linda Hamilton and Peter Horton play a couple who struggle to make their way back to civilisation after driving into an already dying child on a road near a cornfield. As it turns out, they have entered a town completely populated by kids who not only killed off every adult around brutally but who are part of some bizarre corn-themed religious cult. When poor old Vicky (Hamilton) is kidnapped, it's up to Burt (Horton) and a couple of younger kids to save her from being another human sacrifice. The film starts off on a gory note as we see the creepy children turn a diner into a bloodbath in what is the start of their grown-up eradication. After that, the film slows down quite a bit and we spend some time following Vicky and Burt wandering around

JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK - REVIEW

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Tom Cruise returns with  Jack Reacher: Never Go Back , the first sequel to 2012's successful action thriller Jack Reacher based on a series of novels by Lee Child. A much less flashy franchise than the Mission: Impossible series, the Jack Reacher films aim for a darker, grittier take on the genre more akin to an episode of 24 than a bombastic blockbuster. While lower key than some of Cruise's other vehicles, the first film did include some stand-out elements like the deliciously tense Bullitt -style car chase, the inspired casting choice of Werner Herzog as the intimidating main villain, a particularly brutal fist-fight and an instantly compelling plot. Most sequels tend to go bigger and sillier but Never Go Back takes a page out of the Bourne movies and keeps things relatively restrained. From the mostly star-free cast to the character-centric approach, this is, against all odds, a significantly less over-the-top film than its predecessor. Which is not to say it's

DOCTOR STRANGE - REVIEW

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After stealing the Summer earlier this year with Captain America: Civil War, Marvel are back with a somewhat more experimental project as another classic character's origin story is crossed off the list. Benedict Cumberbatch takes on the role of Doctor Strange , the Master of the Mystic Arts. This was always going to be a challenge for Marvel as adding what is essentially a wizard to a vast superhero universe could go either way. Fans might call it jumping the shark, liken it to Harry Potter and dismiss it entirely. But for comic-book readers, Doctor Strange is a pretty important character who has always been closely linked to most of the heroes we've come to know and love in the movies so introducing him to the Avengers ' universe was a no-brainer and an exciting prospect. Dr. Stephen Strange is portrayed as a charming, very talented and extremely intelligent neurosurgeon whose vanity and arrogance almost kills him. After a devastating car crash, Strange's hands

SONG FOR MISS PEREGRINE

Yes, Miss Peregrine has a song now. Enjoy. Song For Miss Peregrine by TheRetroCritic

MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN - REVIEW

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Tim Burton returns with Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children , a new movie based on Ransom Riggs' popular Young Adult novel. The plot, which involves monsters, bizarre teenagers, suburbia and time travel certainly seemed like an ideal vehicle for the director. Asa Butterfield is Jake, an ordinary suburban kid who, one night, finds his grandfather (played by Terrence Stamp) dying with both his eyes missing. Following the path outlined by the late old man's bedtime stories, Jake travels to Wales with his father where, supposedly, he would find the school for oddball children he'd heard so much about. Initially disappointed by what he finds, he eventually stumbles upon one of the students who leads him to the school which happens to be purposely stuck in a time loop. Jake meets the rest of the pupils including an invisible boy, a girl who can float, a kid who spits out bees and a super-strong little girl, among others. It's easy to see why Burton would be k

DR. STRANGE (THE LOOKING GLASS)

What if Dr. Strange had a song? Which movie should I write a song about next? Dr. Strange (The Looking Glass) by TheRetroCritic

HE'S THE HOBBIT (SMALLER THAN A RABBIT)

Because it had to be done. He's The Hobbit (Smaller Than A Rabbit) by TheRetroCritic