Phil Jeng Kane
Phil has written for magazines, corporate videos, online ads, and even an app. He writes with one eye on the future, one eye on the past and a third eye on the Lotto numbers. His social bits are here.
The Little Death Review
Josh Lawson writes, directs and acts in THE LITTLE DEATH. The title, as if you didn’t know, refers to La petite mort, the term our French cousins use when they need a euphemism for orgasm. Lawson has described his film as a dark comedy and its main subject is sex. Or so it seems at first. The intertwined storylines focus on the sexual experimentation of five middle-class couples, four of whom live...
The Skeleton Twins Review
The Skeleton Twins are Maggie and Milo, a sister and brother who lost their beloved father years ago and have a distant relationship with their mother. In their childhood and adolescence the twins were close, but eventually drifted apart. Milo (Bill Hader) went to live in Los Angeles to pursue an acting career; Maggie (Kristen Wiig) is living in a small town in upstate New York with her husband La...
Wish I Was Here
Actor, writer, producer, director Zach Braff ‘s new movie has arrived. WISH I WAS HERE is a dramedy about a thirtyish, unsuccessful actor who has to pull his life and family together when his father is diagnosed with cancer. Mr Braff and his movies tend to polarise audiences and critics. Perhaps it’s audiences that love his films and critics who don’t, sadly there are no authoritative university ...
The Equalizer Review
The Equalizer was a 1980s US television hit starring British actor Edward Woodward. It ran for four seasons and had the simple premise that Robert McCall, an ex-spy who once worked for a CIA-type agency, now helped people in trouble. In those pre-Internet times, he could be reached through his classified ad. in the newspaper: “Odds against you? Need help? Call the Equalizer. 212 555 4200.&#...
Felony Review
Sydney, Australia. Three detectives are drawn into a hit-and-run case which seems straight forward at first, but soon proves to be a cover up. A child on his paper round is knocked off his bicycle in the early morning and falls into a coma. He fights to survive as the detectives investigate. The three detectives represent different stages of a police career. Tom Wilkinson is Carl Sumner. The oldes...
Predestination
Time travel is a movie staple. Time travel films come in many flavours, such as Safety Not Guaranteed, Kate and Leopold, Time After Time, Groundhog Day, Peggy Sue Got Married and Midnight In Paris to name a half dozen. These are user-friendly examples of the form wherein travellers cross timelines and experience personal growth. Most time travel stories however are science fiction and tend to be u...
A Most Wanted Man Review
Hamburg is often called Germany’s gateway to the world. The port city is famous for its culture, history and red light district; it’s also known for the Hagenbeck Zoo which was the first in the world to dispense with cages and for being the city where The Beatles honed their chops. Unfortunately, Hamburg is also known as the city that Mohamed Atta, one of the 9/11 ringleaders, used as his base of ...
These Final Hours Review
THESE FINAL HOURS is the new independent Australian feature that was invited to screen in the prestigious Director’s Fortnight at Cannes. Now it released in Australian cinemas for our consideration. The film portrays the last day on Earth. Perth, Western Australia will be the final place to burn in the aftermath of a meteor strike. The film begins with a montage that informs the audience that Pert...
Palo Alto
PALO ALTO screened at the Revelation Perth International Film Festival in July. It will return as part of Luna Cinemas’ regular program on Thursday August 17. PALO ALTO is a loosely plotted coming-of-age story that follows April (Emma Roberts) and Teddy (Jack Kilmer) as they navigate their way through middle-class teenage life in Palo Alto, California. April and Teddy know each other from school a...
To Be Takei
TO BE TAKEI screened as part of the Revelation Perth International Film Festival in July, 2014. George Takei is known the world over for playing Mr Sulu in the original STAR TREK series (1966-69). The groundbreaking sci-fi show became a franchise that is now approaching its fiftieth year. The actors from the original series are pop cultural icons. George Takei is this and more again. He is 77 and...
Calvary
Father James Lavelle is the priest of a small town in County Sligo. One day while taking confession, a man tells Lavelle of how he was raped by a priest numerous times from the age of 11. The Father’s attempts to deal with him are futile because the man isn’t looking for absolution from his sins, rather he is there to make a statement. No one cared about his plight during his childhood or since. H...
Lawrence and Holloman
Lawrence and Holloman screened in the Revelation Perth International Film Festival in July 2014. Holloman is a loner who works in a department store. He looks after an ailing mother, but otherwise has no-one in his life. He has become despondent about the state of his existence and is having suicidal fantasies. He has a gun and is about to use it on himself when he is diverted from his mission by ...