Category Archives: Reviews

FILM REVIEW: Ang Lee’s ‘Life of Pi’

Posted on December 20, 2012 by admin

By Ray Bennett Ang Lee’s extraordinary film “Life of Pi” is a shaggy tiger story with the best computer generated images and most delicately effective 3D yet achieved in a mainstream film. The tale of an Indian boy’s adventures at … Continue reading →

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FILM REVIEW: Brad Pitt in ‘Killing Them Softly’

Posted on December 16, 2012 by admin

By Ray Bennett Andrew Dominik’s “Killing Them Softly”, starring Brad Pitt, is a crime picture with punks, hoodlums, and hit-men but it’s really about banking and the callous, ruinous way Wall Street cowboys go about their selfish business. J.C. Chandor’s … Continue reading →

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When Ziggy Stardust came to Detroit City

Posted on December 2, 2012 by admin

By Ray Bennett One of the very good things about working at The Windsor Star in the early 1970s was that I was able to see some of the greatest entertainers perform across the river in Detroit City. One of them … Continue reading →

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‘Dallas’ star Larry Hagman dies at 81

Posted on November 24, 2012 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Larry Hagman, who has died aged 81, was one of the great TV villains. He became a household name thanks to “Dallas” but when the show aired a short-run summer series in 1978, not many … Continue reading →

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THEATRE REVIEW: Nick Payne’s ‘Constellations’

Posted on November 18, 2012 by admin

By Ray Bennett The infinite variety of chance and choice is the subject of Nick Payne’s funny and touching 70-minute play “Constellations” at the Duke of York’s Theatre in which Sally Hawkins and Rafe Spall spin considerable enchantment. The chance … Continue reading →

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MUSIC REVIEW: The LSO: A Life in Film at the Barbican

Posted on October 12, 2012 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – The London Symphony Orchestra celebrated its 70-plus years making music for movies with a sold-out concert at Barbican Hall on April 4 that ended with an enthusiastic standing ovation. The warm response was sparked not … Continue reading →

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TIFF FILM REVIEW: Ben Affleck’s ‘Argo’

Posted on September 15, 2012 by admin

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – For anyone with a memory, it’s hard to think of the CIA as the good guys but they are in Ben Affleck’s gripping thriller “Argo”, which tells of the retrieval from Tehran of a group … Continue reading →

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TIFF FILM REVIEW: Juan Antonio Bayona’s ‘The Impossible’

Posted on September 12, 2012 by admin

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – Based on a true story about a Spanish family caught up in the ferocious 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, “The Impossible” is terrifying and moving with best-ever performances by stars Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor.

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TIFF FILM REVIEW: Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘The Master’

Posted on September 11, 2012 by admin

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – Paul Thomas Anderson’s complex and accomplished film “The Master” addresses the conflict between the puritan and hedonist traditions of the United States as it adjusts to its new potential and place in the world after … Continue reading →

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TIFF FILM REVIEW: Neil Jordan’s ‘Byzantium’

Posted on September 11, 2012 by admin

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – It’s brave of Irish film director Neil Jordan to take on a fresh vampire story given how crowded the market is for the undead but in “Byzantium” he has turned out a good old fashioned … Continue reading →

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