I don’t expect much from a midnight horror screening at the Melbourne Film Festival, but I want something with a good level of scariness that isn’t too ridiculous in its narrative arc.
Continue readingImposters (2026)
StandardTag Archives: 3.5 stars
The Blood Countess (Die Blutgräfin) (2026)
Standard
What a hoot! I knew this was going to be a little bit absurdist and a lot camp and I thoroughly enjoyed every stylish and silly moment.
Continue readingThe Sun Never Sets (2026)
Standard
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 readingFacing the Numbers (2026)
Standard
How do you go beyond shocking statistics that people seem to have become immune to?
Continue readingAnyMart (チルド) (2026)
Standard
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 readingBig Girls Don’t Cry (2026)
Standard
Seeing the Australian premiere of Paloma Schneideman’s first feature film meant the audience was keyed up for a good time, laughing at every joke.
Continue readingRoya (2026)
Standard
I felt duty bound to see this film by Mahnaz Mohammadi, supporting the sisterhood by going to see a film that said from the outset that it was about a woman being tortured in an Iranian prison.
Continue readingOne in a Million (2026)
Standard
This well balanced and nonjudgemental documentary captures a rare thing. Following a Syrian family precariously fleeing Turkey in 2015, the filmmakers follow 11 year-old Israa and her family over a period of 10 years.
Continue readingHow to Divorce During the War (Skyrybos Karo Metu)(2025)
Standard
I kept thinking of other films while I was watching Andrius Blazevicius’s poignant and sometimes dispassionate look at performative activism and interpersonal relationships.
Continue readingSheep in the Box (箱の中の羊)(2026)
Standard
This is one of those gentle Kore-eda films, evoking existential thought as well as whimsy.
Continue reading
