Māori and gothic horror are major tick boxes for me, particularly when I see an image like the one above.
Continue readingMārama (2025)
StandardSpecies (Sanguine) (2026)
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This was such a contrast to AnyMart (2026) which hid its horror shocks behind a whole lot of scene development. Species – or Blood as its original title translates – hits you with it in the first act and is delightfully gory and darkly comedic.
Continue readingThe Sun Never Sets (2026)
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I don’t know who Joe Swanberg is, but he was there at the screening and the audience seemed to think he was something pretty special. It seems he hasn’t had a film out for about six years, and in the past has moved around different genres and was a leader in mumblecore.
Continue readingRehearsals for a Revolution (2026)
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It felt like I was entering the same kind of world as Past Future Continuous but with a much more authentic pay off.
Continue readingSchool for Defectors (2026)
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Well, this one snuck up on me. It feels like a pretty standard documentary, set in one of a handful of schools in South Korea that are set up specifically for the children of defectors from North Korea.
Continue readingFacing the Numbers (2026)
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How do you go beyond shocking statistics that people seem to have become immune to?
Continue readingGuided by Horses (2026)
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I’m on day 15 of the Melbourne Film Festival and probably film number 50 and so it’s a rarity to watch one that feels rejuvenating.
Continue readingAnyMart (チルド) (2026)
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Yes, the synopsis for this debut film by Yusuke Iwasaki film in the festival program said it was a darkly comedic horror but for some reason that hadn’t really sunk in.
Continue readingYesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep (البارح العين ما نامت) (2026)
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What a debut feature! Rakan Mayasi has crafted a film about a little known culture (in my country) that feels like scripted drama but was made collaboratively with Bedouin communities and the film’s many non-actors.
Continue readingWho Are You, Polly Magoo? (1966)
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It’s hard to know how to appreciate films that are so much of their time. This film by William Klein, who is more often known as a fashion photographer, was made in the 60s as a satire of the fashion industry.
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