Image via miff.com.au
A nostalgic trip to the 90s, Strange Days reminds us of a time when we thought that Y2K would end the world. Continue reading
Strange Days (1995)
StandardTag Archives: USA
Lucky (2017)
Standard
Image via miff.com.au
This is essentially a one-hander for nonogenarian Harry Dean Stanton who beautifully captures the fragility and complexities of old age. Continue reading
Wonderstruck (2017)
Standard
Image via miff.com.au
This arthouse Todd Haynes adaptation of Brian Selznick’s graphic and text novel looks lovely but lacks the pace and complexity to keep its readership engaged. Continue reading
The Void (2016)
Standard
Image via miff.com.au
Watching The Void, when tentacles started to come out of a dead woman’s face, I knew it was time for me to leave. #MIFF2017 Continue reading
The Beguiled (2017)
Standard
Image via http://www.buzzfeed.com (Ben Rothstein/Focus Features)
Sophia Coppola has given us a slow burn remake of the 1971 The Beguiled with less male swagger and more female resilience. Although it is hard to like many of the characters, there is a subtle depth to their motivations and sometimes shocking choices. Continue reading
Wonder Woman (2017)
Standard
Image via http://www.hollywoodreporter.com
This groundbreaking superhero movie says a lot about the agency of women in what it contains and what it omits. My eyes welled with unshed tears of pride every time Diana (Gal Gadot) unleashed her fury and my heart sank at her high heeled boots and impractical, ‘designed for the male gaze’ outfit. Continue reading
Despicable Me 3 (2017)
Standard
Image via collider.com
Gru is my favourite villain. And now there’s the breakdancing Balthazar Bratt, who comes in at number two. And number three is Gru’s twin brother Dru, who’s like a more optimistic Gru with a blonde wig. Sequels are usually something to endure but this third installment of the Despicable Me franchise was almost as good as the first and definitely more entertaining than the second. Continue reading
The Girl on the Train (2016)
Standard
Image via http://www.sbs.com.au
The book or the film, the film or the book? Like fellow literary bestseller and psychological thriller Gone Girl, I had read the book before seeing this US film adaptation of Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train. Although the book is always better, when it’s a story that relies heavily on mystery and suspense, knowing the ending significantly affects enjoyment of the film. The subsequent lack of curiosity about what is going to happen also leaves too much time to notice differences. Continue reading
From Nowhere (2016)
Standard
Image via http://www.hollywoodreporter.com
I knew nothing about this film when I bought a ticket. Screening as part of the American Essentials Film Festival, it suited my schedule and its story about undocumented teens at a US high school trying to make a future sounded interesting. What completely surprised me was to find out, during the closing credits, that it was directed by Matthew Newton. Yes, that Matthew Newton. He’s not my favourite person but he did a remarkably good job at showing the vulnerabilities of people whose human rights are threatened. Continue reading
Mulholland Drive (2001)
Standard
Image via http://www.cinecatic.com
I remember being confounded by this film 15 or so years ago. The American Essentials Film Festival was a chance to revisit this David Lynch classic as part of a larger retrospective. It still stands up as a beautifully atmospheric and cleverly crafted film, both echoing and subverting traditional cinematic storytelling. Continue reading
fillums 