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Jack Smit's 2019 Wipe | The Journal

The mid-season finale of season 2, and our little tribute to Charlie Brooker’s Screenwipe as he isn’t doing a new year in review programme this yea…
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First Take Classics: Barbarella- it was OK in the 60s apparently

Well, this one has been sat in the archives for a while. Almost a year in fact- and because this one is definitely of it’s time, finding images tha…
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First Take: The Irishman- the G.O.A.T is back in business

SYNOPSIS: A mob hitman recalls his possible involvement with the slaying of Jimmy Hoffa. So here we go. Martin Scorsese is back with his first film…
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Projection Room: Secrets of a Haunting- Passing The Torch

Back in May, the UCLan film production project came to a satisfying conclusion following the 4 star review of what had become known as The Hauntin…
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The Journal | 3D in 30 Minutes

The industry has had a long history of using gimmicks to drive that ticket price upwards. This month, Jack takes 50 years of innovation and crams it …
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First Take: Invictus- the original rugby miracle

SYNOPSIS: Nelson Mandela, in his first term as President of South African, initiates a unique venture to unite the Apartheid-torn land: enlist the …
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State of Play 2019 | The Journal

It’s a proper exhibition special this month. With the end of the year approaching, Jack looks at how the big 3, and some of the independents have f…
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Projection Room: Interactive movies- the future or a fad

And now for a little review/Projection Room hybrid- quite a while back, through one of the many event cinema strands that’s offered through my loc…
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First Take: Children of Men- dystopian ideals meet the mind of Alfonso Cuaron

SYNOPSIS: In 2027, in a chaotic world in which women have become somehow infertile, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnan…
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Polishing The Crown Jewels | The Journal

It was only a matter of time. The Queen’s Corgi. A $20million animated film, made in Belgium. It was awful. Naturally I had a lot to say about it.�…
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Forget History, This is Bullsmit | The Journal

In the season premiere of The Journal, it’s time to go deep  into last year’s shambolic Robin Hood.
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First Take: Good Boys- thank god high school wasn’t that full on

SYNOPSIS: Three 6 th  grade boys ditch school and embark on an epic journey while carrying accidentally stolen drugs, being hunted by teenage girls, an…
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First Take: Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood- Tarantino goes full Godard, making films about films

SYNOPSIS: A faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood…
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First Take Classics: Pulp Fiction- and you will know my name is the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon thee...

SYNOPSIS: The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and rede…
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First Take Classics: Reservoir Dogs- once upon a time in cinema history...

SYNOPSIS: When a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant. With h…
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First Take: Paranorman- stop motion and horror are a surprisingly good mix

As we are still on the long summer break, here’s a classic review from the archives. SYNOPSIS: A misunderstood boy takes on ghosts, zombies and grown…
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First Take: Yesterday- just 3 people watched this film in their biggest screen...

SYNOPSIS: A struggling musician realises he’s the only person on Earth who can remember The Beatles after waking up in an alternate timeline where th…
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The Journal, Episode 13 | A Director’s Cut: Farewell, Red Walled Studio

To celebrate the launch of the podcast, here’s an extended cut of the March Journal with 15 minutes of never before seen footage.
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First Take: Spider-Man: Far From Home- the end, or the beginning?

Spoiler free as usual.  Because birthday marathon rules are in play. SYNOPSIS: Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man must step up to ta…
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First Take: The Queen’s Corgi- one is not amused

SYNOPSIS: The British monarch’s favourite dog gets lost from the palace and finds himself at a dog fight club. He then begins his long journey to fin…
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Keeping the Indie Flame Alight | The Journal

This month, Jack dons his ‘lecturer tie’ once again to take a look in to some of the cinemas that he wrote about for his dissertation- which helped h…
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First Take: Murder Mystery- a good warmup for a marathon

SYNOPSIS: A New York cop and his wife go on a European vacation to reinvigorate the spark in their marriage, but end up getting framed and on the run…
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First Take: Toy Story 4- Pixar bring the noise, or should that be the trash?

Spoiler free as usual . Because obviously, SYNOPSIS: When a new toy called “Forky” joins Woody and the gang, a road trip alongside old and new friends …
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First Take: Men In Black International- can someone give that guy his hammer back?

SYNOPSIS: The Men in Black have always protected the Earth from the scum of the universe. In this new adventure, they tackle their biggest threat to …
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First Take: X-Men Dark Phoenix- is this what Fox call a Civil War?

Spoiler free as usual . Because this is likely the last time we’ll be writing about a Fox branded Marvel film. SYNOPSIS: Jean Grey begins to develop in…
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First Take: The Haunting- in the night. In the dark. In the Media Factory.

SYNOPSIS: Based on the Shirley Jackson novel, 4 strangers are coaxed into the mysterious Hill House for a sleep deprivation experiment. However, all…
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First Take: Rocketman- the other, and *better* big musical biopic about a British star

SYNOPSIS: A musical fantasy about the fantastical human story of Elton John’s breakthrough years. The musical biopic has become a big moneyspinner for…
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Projection Room: Secrets of a Haunting- The Home Stretch

With the premiere of the film production team’s version of The Haunting just a couple of nights away, it’s been difficult to milk the content cow …
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First Take: Detective Pikachu- guess you really do have to catch them all

SYNOPSIS: In a world where people collect Pokémon to do battle, a boy comes across an intelligent talking Pikachu who seeks to be a detective. Video g…
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First Take: Booksmart- this ain’t how us Brits finish high school

SYNOPSIS: On the eve of their high school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends realize they should have worked less and played more. …
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The Journal, Episode 10 | Welcome Home

After a long 2 months of dissertation writing, Jack returns to The Journal with a little update on how all of that stuff has gone.
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First Take: Eighth Grade- the student has become the teacher

SYNOPSIS: An introverted teenage girl tries to survive the last week of her disastrous eighth grade year before leaving to start high school. It’s bee…
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First Take: Avengers: Endgame- some people move on, but not us.

Spoiler free as usual.  Because we’re not spoiling the Endgame here for our American readers. SYNOPSIS:  After the devastating events of  Avengers: Infi…
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First Take: Shazam- so we’re talking about the *other* Captain Marvel now.

SYNOPSIS: We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s case, by shouting out one word - SHAZAM!…
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First Take: How To Train Your Dragon 3- they skipped the whole university process?

SYNOPSIS: When Hiccup discovers Toothless isn’t the only Night Fury, he must seek “The Hidden World”, a secret Dragon Utopia before a hired tyrant na…
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First Take: Instant Family- adding chaos isn’t an ideal option

SYNOPSIS: A couple find themselves in over their heads when they foster three children. Usually I enjoy reviewing comedies. But lately Hollywood seems…
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