Rodrigo Santoro

News, Reviews & Features

Review: Project Power hits the right beats but offers nothing new

Movie Review | Luke Whiston | 26th August 2020

Netflix is an odd one isn't it. In order to operate they need to attract a certain amount of subscribers, so cast a wide net of shiny mid-budget fare with no pretension the films don't exist to reel in the dollars. It's pure returns-driven broad entertainment, designed to appeal to as many people as possible but that leaves little cultural footprint. Other studios do this, of course - it is a movie industry after all - but the frequency of ho hum numbers generated by Netflix does nothing for their reputation as a production line serving up gruel, and the next announcement always comes with a twinge of doubt. Anyway I just watched this new Netflix film called Project Power.

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Focus

Movie Review | Ali Gray | 25th February 2015

The romantic heist genre (or rom-con, if you will) feels like a pretty well worn sub-genre by this point: the conman, the mark, the honeytrap, the big job, the love that's worth more than diamonds, the poster tagline which insists on telling you whether the con is or isn't on - you know the score. Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo stole hearts among other things in The Thomas Crown Affair and every pale imitator since has been caught red-handed raiding the same emotional cookie jar (see also and forget immediately: Duplicity, starring Clive Owen and Julia Roberts). Focus sticks to that same formula religiously, but it's a delightful surprise to report that it hoodwinks you into having a great time, distracting you with hot bodies and slick plotting until you realise you've been entertained. Also it stole £13.50 out of your wallet.

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300: Rise Of An Empire

Movie Review | Becky Suter | 5th March 2014

"THIS! IS! SPARTA!" Or rather, "THIS! IS! THE! AEGEAN SEA!" as the next chapter of the pumped-up fight fest that was 300 moves the action to a fresh – and very wet – battlefield. Set during the same timeline of the suicidal Spartans' clash at the Hot Gates, director Noam Murro (with previous 300 helmer Zack Snyder producing) presents the slightly less-exciting but still fun Battle of Artemisium that takes place almost exclusively at sea. Caution: the first two rows may get wet.

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Rio

Movie Review | Rob | 4th April 2011

Those bloody Orange adverts have a knack of putting me right off the films they promote, making me judge them months before they're released. Just read my Gulliver's Travels review for proof (although it didn't help that that actually was complete arse). I was well-prepared to dislike Rio on the basis of that God-awful phone ad. Well, don't I feel like a fool...

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I Love You Phillip Morris

Movie Review | Rob | 18th March 2010

Oscar nominations for gay cowboys and a win for Sean Penn's gay politician; Hollywood loves homosexuals, as long as it's all kept clean. I Love You Phillip Morris gained massive plaudits at Sundance last year but struggled to find a US distributor comfortable with its somewhat graphic content.

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300

Movie Review | Ali | 24th March 2007

I used to think I had a penis until I saw 300. Once in a while, a movie comes along that's so extraordinarily butch, it makes even the most pumped-up gym-jockeys look like spaghetti-armed girls. 300 is so manly, if I was to re-write this article, it would take up the top 15 slots all by itself. If you step back and view 300 f...

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