Monika Keri

The much anticipated film is finally getting released in Australia. Along with it comes a lot of controversy and hype. At this point, it is safe to assume everyone has heard of the story. Anastasia Steele is an innocent university student, who gets sent by her roommate to conduct an interview with the successful and mysteries Christian Grey. Their interest in each other is immediate and thus begin...

On its opening weekend in the US, American Sniper has surpassed expectations by breaking a record and becoming the most successful movie opening for Clint Eastwood.  So does it live up to the hype? American Sniper is based on a book by Chris Kyle. The film adaptation takes a look at the life of Chris during his time in Iraq between 1999 and 2009. When we meet him, he is in the middle of making a d...

Unbroken, the much talked about film helmed by Angelina Jolie, is hitting Australian cinemas this week. This is the true story (based on a book) of Louis “Louie” Zamperini and his survival in a Japanese prison camp. In the beginning, we get to see a young rebellious Zamperini always being defiant and in trouble. Under the guide of his brother, he channels his energy into running which resulted in ...

As someone who has studied art history, I was intrigue and looking forward to seeing Mr Turner. A film which focuses on the life of the greatly revered eccentric British painter, J.M.W Turner. Instead of making a story spanning his entire life, the film makers chose to depict his last 25 years of living. There are two things that will immediately become apparent to viewers; first are the constant ...

Paddington Bear was hugely popular during its heyday on television, and has had a massive loyal following ever since the bear made his debut in a 1950s book. So it’s understandable that the announcement of a new Paddington movie left a lot of fans feeling anxious. This film introduces us to a marmalade loving bear family in Peru. After a devastating earthquake destroys his home in the rainforest, ...

Exodus: Gods and Kings has finally arrived on Australian shores with much hype and controversy over the lead actors. I’ll address the controversy later on, but first lets get into the film. Exodus is director Ridley Scott’s story of Moses (Christian Bale) and his figurative Egyptian brother, Pharaoh Ramses (Joel Edgerton). This version of Moses is sceptical of religion and God. He also doesn’t rea...

Possibly the most anticipated film adaptation of a novel has finally arrived. Gone Girl is a thrilling who-done-it story which captivated readers worldwide, propelling it to be one of the bestselling books in recent times.  So does the movie version do the book any justice? Gone Girl begins in Missouri, where Nick (Ben Affleck) is discussing his wedding anniversary with his bartender twin sister, ...

Before Hunger Games and the Divergent novels, there was a book published in 1993 called “The Giver” by Lois Lowry. During the twenty years, it has received a lot of complaints and criticism, to the point where people have tried to have it removed from school reading lists and libraries.  Perhaps that’s the reason it took so long for Hollywood to make a film adaptation. “The Giver” takes place in a...

After a long hiatus, the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” are back. This time with the help of Micheal Bay and the guys best known for producing some of the biggest horror movies this past decade. The film follows April O’Neil (Megan Fox), a television reporter in New York City who has been relegated to cover ridiculous and laughable stories. Like most reporters, she wants to sink her teeth in...

Here we have another novel turned into a movie, this time with the help of Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and Juliet Blake. The film introduces us to a family of cooks from Mumbai, who are looking for a new life after losing their establishment and a family member. Initially settling in England, they decide to move to South of France without having any idea as to where to settle. While driving ar...

After the success horror genre had last year, it should come as no surprise that studios are now trying to emulate that accomplishment. Enter “Deliver us from Evil”. This film introduces us to no nonsense tough New York cops Ralph Sarchie (Eric Bana) and his partner Butler (Joel McHale). The two of them begin an investigation of a series of disturbing and bizarre violent crimes involving former so...

There have been some outstanding Australian films that have been created over the last few years, some of which were created by Rolf de Heer himself. His new film sees him reunite and collaborate with his friend and actor, David Gulpilil from The Tracker and Ten Canoes.  This time bringing us Charlie’s Country. The film introduces us to Charlie (David Gulpilil) who is living in a remote community ...