Film Reviews
Sweet Country
Thursday, January 25th, 2018 Film Reviews,Sweet Country is Warwick Thornton’s contribution to the Australia Day debate. It’s an issue that returns every year with growing force as left-wing moralism locks horns with the forces of right-wing populism. The polarisation is particularly disturbing in light of a recent survey that revealed 56% of the population couldn’t care less whether Australia Day […]
The Shape of Water
Saturday, January 20th, 2018 Film Reviews,With the passing of time it’s possible to look back on any period with nostalgia. Stephan Elliott proves the point in Swinging Safari, a time capsule of the 1970s that’s advertised as a comedy, but may be the greatest Australian horror film since Wake in Fright. It’s more common for moviemakers to feel nostalgia for […]
The Post
Friday, January 12th, 2018 Film Reviews,Steven Spielberg is to the cinema as Volvo is to the world of automobiles. Everyone recognises that a Volvo is an excellent, well-made car. It’s safe, reliable, high quality… but it will never get your pulse racing. With Spielberg we can be confident that each new feature will be a quality product. He’s too experienced, […]
All the Money in the World
Friday, January 5th, 2018 Film Reviews,Everything has a price. That’s the philosophy of life put forward by J.Paul Getty – not simply the richest man in the world in 1973, but allegedly the richest man that had ever lived. Getty applied the same principle when he sought to beat down the ransom demands of the gangsters who had kidnapped his […]
Downsizing & Call Me By Your Name
Saturday, December 30th, 2017 Film Reviews,Last week saw a drought of reviewable films but Boxing Day always brings the deluge. The two most attractive, for me at least, are Alexander Payne’s Downsizing, and Call Me By Your Name by talented Italian director, Luca Guadagnino. The former might be called a comedy of ideas, the second is an unconventional, deeply intimate […]
2017: My Year in the Cinema
Saturday, December 23rd, 2017 Film Reviews,Cinema is like painting. Every year it’s said to be in terminal decline but new talents keep emerging and attendance records keep climbing. It could be argued that with both painting and film the greatest success is enjoyed by the most spectacular and gimmicky of products, but has it ever been any different? Public taste […]
The Florida Project
Friday, December 15th, 2017 Film Reviews,Jean Baudrillard – not long ago the most fashionable French philosopher in the English-speaking world – once suggested that the purpose of Disneyland was to make Americans believe the rest of the United States was not Disneyland. He phrased it a little differently, but the gist of his argument was that life in America had […]
Wonder Wheel
Friday, December 8th, 2017 Film Reviews,“Oh God!” says Kate Winslet, towards the end of Wonder Wheel, “Spare me the bad drama!” Alas, by then it’s too late. We’ve just endured one hour and 40 minutes of dialogue so wooden and scenes so hopelessly stagey, no actor could survive such a catastrophe. It’s been a long time since I went into […]
The Disaster Artist
Saturday, December 2nd, 2017 Film Reviews,Tommy Wiseau was not your standard Hollywood male lead. With long black hair, an accent that sounded like Count Dracula, and about six studded belts, he looked like an aging refugee from a heavy metal band. In his mind, however, Tommy was right up there with Brad Pitt and Leo DiCaprio. He was horrified to […]
Goodbye Christopher Robin & The Teacher
Friday, November 24th, 2017 Film Reviews,Two films released this week look at the damage that may be inflicted on children by parents and teacher. Goodbye Christopher Robin shows us how A.A.Milne virtually destroyed his son’s life by making him the hero of the best-selling Winnie the Pooh stories. The Teacher, set in Bratislawa in 1983, is a much darker affair, […]