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TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT - REVIEW

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Michael Bay returns to direct yet another Transformers sequel as the popular yet also critically reviled franchise again promises a darker, more emotional film packed with big, bombastic action scenes and a post-apocalyptic setting. Transformers: The Last Knight opens on a perplexing note as we're thrown into a full-on battle involving the 12 Knights of the Round Table including Merlin the Wizard (not kidding): a Stanley Tucci in full Monty Python mode. As it turns out, Merlin's magical powers were lent to him by early Transformers who allowed him to unleash dragons and such. Somehow, this has an impact on present day where Transformers are outlawed because they are blamed for reducing parts of Chicago to dust. Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) is given a talisman by a dying Transformer Knight and he becomes the titular "last knight" as he is supposedly chosen to help defeat evil. With Optimus Prime busy floating in space and talking to octopus-haired robot villaine

CHAPLIN - REVIEW

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Back in 1992, Richard Attenborough directed Chaplin , a biopic of Charlie Chaplin chronicling the auteur's childhood and rise to fame starring Robert Downey Jr. in the titular role. The film was partly based on Charlie Chaplin's autobiography but we get the feeling that Attenborough probably thought Mr Chaplin was being tight-lipped about parts of his life in it hence why the movie's framing device is Anthony Hopkins' fictional biographer interviewing an older Chaplin further. Very early on, it becomes apparent that, despite him not being British, Robert Downey Jr. was the ideal choice to portray the comedian. The actor being not only physically close to how Chaplin looked but delivering a layered, convincing performance throughout. Attenborough appears to make a conscious decision to not recreate Chaplin's films instead focusing on the man himself and showing clips from the actual classics right at the end. The film gives us a lot of information on who Chapl

NOAH - REVIEW

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Darren Aronofsky may have sadly skipped on making The Wolverine some years ago but he is back, this time with a blockbuster Bible movie of all things and after the success of Black Swan , this could have either backfired wildly or made a huge impact. Noah , though, rests somewhere in between. On the one hand, here is one of the best Bible-themed movies of the past 20 years with Russell Crowe proving to be the perfect choice for Noah and Aronofsky bringing an otherworldly feel to the whole thing. On the other hand, the film runs out of steam somewhat once the much talked-about flood actually happens. Story-telling wise, this movie really finds the right tone, going for a swords and sorcery-style fantasy approach rather than a this-all-really-happened type of preachiness and earnestness. You've got angel rock monsters, Anthony Hopkins as Methuselah showing off the odd wizard-like powers and... um, did I mention the rock monsters? The film's first half is batshit insane an