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This one was a last minute swap when I couldn’t face racing to Hoyts to be potentially disappointed by Robert Pattinson in the farcical, some say feminist western Damsel. That’s one of those films that can be a delight or a travesty and I didn’t feel like risking it. Dark River was a good choice. Directed by Clio Barnard it’s a dark and brooding tale of abuse as seen through the eyes of a survivor. Continue reading
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Upgrade is a slick and serviceable sci-fi that retreads the oft-used Frankenstein trope in a near future, with Melbourne convincingly masquerading as a futuristic USA. Continue reading
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I’m so glad I caught this heartbreakingly beautiful documentary about the late Dr. G. Yunupingu at the State Cinema in Hobart on its last day of screening. The story and the man alone is enough reason to see it yet you don’t have to be a fan of his music to enjoy it. It is made all the more rewarding by its respectful narrative and exquisite sound editing and cinematography. Continue reading
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The Room is a must-see Melbourne cinematic experience. Two cinemas are packed out at 11.30pm on a Saturday night and the audience is armed with plastic spoons. Beginning with a montage of dated ‘candy bar’ ads and images of frolicking puppies and kittens, the noise from the audience reaches a crescendo until the lights go down and a Cinema Nova employee exhorts everyone, in the words of The Room director Tommy Wiseau, “You can laugh, you can cry, you can express yourself, but please don’t hurt each other.” Continue reading
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I had a few micro naps in this well-meaning but ham-fisted Spanish thriller, screening as part of the Spanish Film Festival. The synopsis likened it to V for Vendetta, which was what convinced me to choose it. And yes it had political activists wearing masks to hide their identity but it felt like a film school version; with drama and action substituted with endless exposition, a convoluted plot and a score straight from a bad TV-movie. Continue reading
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This lyrical and literary rumination on masculinity is like diving deep under a wave with a long slow rising to the top amidst dim light and soundless pressure. Director Simon Baker allows Tim Winton’s story to slowly unfold and brings a bleak and beautiful landscape to the fore as an integral character. Continue reading
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Aki Kaurismäki masterfully tells a gentle fable that holds a profound and contemporary moral message. Continue reading
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What if you’re a decent man, with an affinity for children, and you are accused of being a paedophile? This is the dilemma that faces Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen) when a misinterpreted remark by a young pupil at the kindergarten where he teaches sparks a flawed investigation. Continue reading
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The Endless fulfilled the promise of its name and felt never-ending. Listed as a horror, it is more a muddled sci-fi, low on suspense and high on exposition. Continue reading
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C’est La Vie! is a wry and heartwarming French comedy about love, napkin twirling and the frustrations you feel when nothing goes quite as planned. Continue reading
