Image via consequenceofsound.net
This autobiographical meditation on trauma, fame and rehab, written by actor Shia LaBeouf and directed by documentarian Alma Har’el, is surprisingly gentle and engaging. Continue reading
Honey Boy (2019)
StandardThe Invisible Man (2020)
Standard
Image via http://www.thechronicle.com.au
This psychological thriller compellingly portrays the reality of toxic relationships and doesn’t let up from start to end. Continue reading
Military Wives (2019)
Standard
Image via http://www.spaldingtoday.co.uk
My comfort food is mashed potato and gravy, which is not a bad analogy for (Full Monty (1997)) Peter Cattaneo’s choir-based feel-good movie. It’s warm and predictable with just enough flavour to keep it interesting. The beats are predictable, the ending assured, the tissues needed, but the performances of leads Sharon Horgan and Kristin Scott Thomas elevate it to something more. Continue reading
The Extraordinary (Hors Normes) (2019)
Standard
Image via http://www.affrenchfilmfestival.org
I wasn’t expecting to love this feature, by writer directors Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano, so much. Their huge hit The Intouchables (2011) achieved all the right notes of feel-good, odd couple drama with a social subtext and rarely overplayed its hand. It felt like an elegant and understated Hollywood pic though and it is unsurprising that it was re-made in 2017 as The Upside (which I can’t bear to watch). I was expecting the same with The Extraordinary and so was unprepared for its social and emotional depth and understated authenticity. Continue reading
National Theatre Live: Fleabag (2019)
Standard
Image via http://www.maketheswitch.com.au
Having just watched Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Crashing (2016) (available on Netflix), I am now a big fan of her vulnerable, heartfelt comedy. The two seasons of her TV show Fleabag (2016-17) are on my to-watch-list, delayed only by the need to purchase them. It seemed apt to see the one person show that began Fleabag’s story and thank goodness for Cinema Nova for screening National Theatre live versions of hit shows, including this one. Continue reading
The Translators (Les Traducteurs) (2019)
Standard
Image via http://www.palacefilms.com.au
I like the resurgence of clever whodunnits, particularly the ones that are character-driven and unpredictable. With The Translators, director Régis Roinsard takes an unlikely but compelling story and fills it with dense narrative, quirky characters and some truly unexpected plot twists. Continue reading
Jinpa (2018)
Standard
Image via miff.com.au
Pema Tseden’s gorgeous and enigmatic Tibetan road movie has the bleached understatement of Sergio Leone and the lush intimacy of (producer) Wong Kar Wai.
