Bridget Moore
Nitram Review
NITRAM is a tough film to watch. It’s excellent. Possibly too excellent. I think if I wasn’t Australian, if I didn’t remember the 1996 Port Arthur Massacre, it would be just a brilliant true-crime film. But I do, and so there’s an element of misery I bring into the cinema with me. The Port Arthur Massacre ended with 35 people dead, and 23 people injured. It led to a complete overhaul of Australia’...
Coming Home in the Dark Review
COMING HOME IN THE DARK is the first feature length film from emerging director James Ashcroft. It’s mostly based on a short story by Owen Marshall. The film is deeply set in New Zealand. From the landscape to the accents, there’s a real feeling of location throughout. The film tells the story of a family on a road trip through beautiful New Zealand. Hoagie (Erik Thomson) and Jill (Miriama McDowe...
Candyman Review
CANDYMAN is phenomenal. It’s confronting. Bloody, creative. It’s a wonderful mix of horror, melodrama, and comedy. I’m used to horror being either a fun, schlocky kill fest. Or a cerebral tale, filled with symbolism, and ultimately a social commentary. CANDYMAN is both. Now, CANDYMAN had some big shoes to fill. The original ‘Candyman’, released in 1992, is one of my favourite horror films. I wat...
The Toll Review
THE TOLL is a gloriously bizarre little film. It’s probably best described as a Welsh Western. Well, it is set in West Wales, so that tracks. A bit like Fargo, a bit like Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. It’s so strange, so madcap, and so amazing… In summary: it’s hilarious, but in that way you’re also kind of scared about what comes next. Annes Elwy (Little Women, The Hidden) plays Catrin. S...
The Justice of Bunny King Review
THE JUSTICE OF BUNNY KING opens with Essie Davis standing on the side of the road, windscreen squeegee in hand. From the moment ‘What’s Up’ by 4 Non-Blondes started playing, I knew this was the sort of film that would tear my heart out of my chest. And I knew it would make me cackle with laughter. Sometimes things are so cliché, they transcend being an obvious choice, and begin to feel more like ...
In The Heights Review
I just love IN THE HEIGHTS. Right from the beginning, I was hooked! That opening number, ‘In the Heights’? It’s a whirlwind of a song. We meet Usnavi (our hero, played by Anthony Ramos), most of the people in the neighbourhood, and of course, Washington Heights itself. The real star of IN THE HEIGHTS is Washington Heights. It’s a Latino American neighbourhood in New York City. And always under thr...
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It Review
THE CONJURING 3: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT continues the story of Ed and Lorraine Warren, the stars of the Conjuring extended universe. Once again, they’re investigating the paranormal, fighting demons, and enjoying the happiest marriage I’ve ever seen on screen. This one is based on the Trial of Arne Johnson. This real life guy really did kill someone. And he really did blame it on demonic possessi...
My Name Is Gulpilil Review
David Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu is a proud Yolngu Aboriginal man, coming from Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory. He’s an actor, singer, dancer, painter, story teller, writer… You’ve definitely seen him in something. From ‘Walk About’, to ‘Storm Boy’, to ‘Crocodile Dundee’, to ‘Rabbit Proof Fence’, and ‘The Tracker’… Gulpilil is synonymous with quality Australian film. For fifty years...
Two of Us Review
TWO OF US is a French film about true love, never giving up, and deciding, ‘to hell with what my children think’… Nina and Madeleine have a love story for the ages. Together for decades, they now live on the top floor of an apartment block. Different apartments, for appearances’ sake, but the doors are never locked. For all intents and purposes, they live and love together. But their ...
I Blame Society Review
I’m frankly obsessed with this film. I’ve watched it four times. Each time I notice something new to love. As such, it’s hard to write a review that isn’t just a blow by blow account of what happens. Or a long list of all my favourite lines, many of which wouldn’t make much sense without the context. ‘I’m a murderer, not some frenzied spree killer!’ I quote, cackling, to a group of people who have...
Land Review
LAND is very beautiful, very slow, and very sad. Eddee Mathis is a woman who has lost everything. She’s played by veteran actress and first time film director, Robin Wright. We have no idea what terrible thing has happened to her. But it was bad enough that she’s leaving her entire life behind. Eddee’s bought a lonely cabin in the mountains of Wyoming. Honestly, ‘cabin’ is a strong word. It’s fall...
Six Minutes to Midnight Review
SIX MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT is a good, old fashioned, British spy thriller. I’m talking secret meetings, murder, double crosses, enemy agents, ticking countdowns: the whole lot. All set in a beautiful English coastal town, just on the edge of autumn. It is so much fun. It’s August, 1939. In a few day’s time, Germany will invade Poland. Britain will declare war on Nazi Germany. The world will be ...