REVIEW: The Devil’s Double [2011]

“What happens if I say no?” An intriguing subject for sure, Lee Tamahori‘s new film takes us inside Saddam Hussein’s reign of terror like never before. Using the life story of Latif Yahia, The Devil’s Double shows the sort of hubris at the heart of this tyrant’s stranglehold over the Iraqi people. Constantly a threat for assassination, the use of fedais (doubles) was a prominent practice in order to remain safe and protect the kingdom. Not to be outdone, however, Hussein’s son Uday found he could have some fun by…

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Posterized Propaganda January 2012: The Top 10 Movie Posters of 2011

“Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover” is a proverb whose simple existence proves the fact impressionable souls will do so without fail. This monthly column focuses on the film industry’s willingness to capitalize on this truth, releasing one-sheets to serve as not representations of what audiences are to expect, but as propaganda to fill seats. Oftentimes they fail miserably. With January 2012 poster selection leaving a lot to be desired—dump month movies don’t appear to get the same marketing budget as critical darlings—we’ve decided to better spend our monthly…

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REVIEW: Red State [2011]

“Even the Nazis think this guy is nuckin’ futs” As if Kevin Smith wasn’t polarizing enough on his own, the venture making Cop Out for hire bought more ill-will and the risky endeavor of self-producing an original horror only allowed a new genre’s legion of fans to add to the backlash. It’s weird because I always thought Smith was pretty universally loved between his seminal debut Clerks and cult favorites Mallrats and Chasing Amy. My circle of friends would stop at nothing to see his latest work in the theatres…

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