Image via deluxevideoonline.org
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
Upgrade
StandardTag Archives: Australia
Gurrumul (2017)
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Image via http://www.theaustralian.com.au
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
Breath (2017)
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Image by Nic Duncan via http://www.embankmentfilms.com
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
Barry Jones: In Search of Lost Time – a Film Story (2017)
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Image from The Great Dictator via filmforum.org
Two hours with Barry Jones is not enough. As the credits rolled, I felt tears prick my eyes as if a dear friend was leaving; I didn’t want this warm, engaging conversation to end. If you live in Melbourne, make sure you catch this at the Cinema Nova before it disappears.
They’re a Weird Mob (1966)
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Image via http://www.bfi.org.uk
Like a time capsule of white Australian society in the 50s, They’re a Weird Mob shows the challenges faced by immigrants in a culture that will give anyone go, as long as they’re a good bloke. Continue reading
Sweet Country (2017)
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Image via http://www.if.com.au
I like Warwick Thornton’s vision. It is an uncomfortable one for a non-Indigenous person like myself but his film should be obligatory viewing for all of us. Continue reading
Hotel Coolgardie (2016)
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Image via http://www.nordicfilmfest.org
A fitting film to review during White Ribbon Week, Hotel Coolgardie is a low budget but beautifully realised documentary about the brutal and misogynistic culture that proudly exists in outback Australian mining towns. Continue reading
Ali’s Wedding (2017)
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Image via miff.com.au
If you’re only going to see one romcom this year, make it this one. Set within a Melbourne Muslim community, it tells the story of Ali (Osamah Sami) who is in love with the ‘wrong’ girl. Continue reading
Virtual Reality: Inside Manus (2017)
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Image via miff.com.au
Three men who have been held in detention on Manus Island tell their stories in an affecting graphic novel style of virtual reality. Continue reading
Dark City (1998)
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Image via http://www.avclub.com
What a ride! Dark City is like a glorious pastiche of sci-fi; the production design is Blade Runner if it was set in Adelaide, the villains are Nosferatu goth boy band wannabees and the hero is a 90s Humphrey Bogart if he wandered into The Matrix. Continue reading
