Drama
Wicked Part 1 Review
I’ve heard it said that movies come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn, and Wicked (Part 1). From the director that brought us In The Heights and the masterpiece that was Step Up 3D, Jon M. Chu, comes the much anticipated silver screen adaptation of the beloved musical of the same name. While part of the success of In The Heights comes from the raw and realistic slant to...
Gladiator II Review
Ridley Scott marks his return to Ancient Rome with Gladiator II – twenty four years after the release of his Oscar-winning Gladiator (2000). With a plot following directly on from the 2000 epic, Scott provides a sequel aiming to captivate a new generation of moviegoers – while hoping to live up to the high standards set by its predecessor. Having rewatched Gladiator in preparation for ...
Saturday Night Review
Directed by Jason Reitman, Saturday Night is a high energy and manic paced film. Perfectly capturing backstage chaos, 90 minutes before the premier of a show that nobody believes in. Everybody except producer Lorne Michaels, played by Gabe LaBelle (The Fablemans), and the clock is ticking. Saturday Night Live is an institution. Even if comedy is not your thing or you were born thirty years later, ...
He Ain’t Heavy Review
Writer and Director David Vincent Smith’s directorial debut He Ain’t Heavy is an intimate and brutal depiction of addiction and domestic violence. But, the film triumphs by playing it straight and taking no prisoners. While peeling back layers of psychological trauma and dysfunction. Some spoilers will follow. Shot in Gosnells, Western Australia. The setting, vibe and locations are instantly recog...
Comandante Review
Pierfrancesco Favino (Nostalgia, The Traitor) stars in writer-director Edoardo De Angelis’ (Indivisible, The Voice of Hope) Comandante. A dramatic account of events in the Atlantic sea during World War II. Titular Italian submarine Comandante Cappellini sinks the Belgian ship Kabalo, and Cappellini’s commander Salvatore Todaro disobeys standing orders and rescues the Kabalo’s crew. Com...
Joker: Folie à Deux Review
Joker: Folie à Deux is one of the most anticipated films this year, given how excellent the first film was. Todd Phillips’ Joker (2019) was a gritty character study that changed how people thought about what a comic book movie could be. With this film introducing Joker’s partner in crime – Harley Quinn, DC fans have very high expectations for this sequel. One of the most talked-a...
The Critic Review
Star-studded and stuffed with promise, The Critic should be a recipe for an engaging and delicious murder mystery but unfortunately its debut has been met with some pertinent critique of its own. Loosely based Curtain Call, a novel by Anthony Quinn, and directed by Anand Tucker, The Critic stars Sir Ian McKellen as Jimmy Erskine, a cruel queer critique of theatre, based at the Daily Chronicle, and...
Runt Review
Runt is the wholesome and heartwarming family flick that we need right now. Adapted from Craig Silvey’s beloved children’s story of the same name, Runt is directed by John Sheedy and he brings the same classic family-friendly atmosphere and sense of hope as in the original novel. Set in Upson Downs, the fictional country town suffering mid-drought inhabited by a bevy of kooky characters, and in p...
Kid Snow Review
Tent boxing seems like a myth only shared by crusty older publicans hanging onto their third frosted pint in the back bar – romantic tales of Australiana machismo that evoke the smell of sweat and red dirt. Director Paul Goldman breathes fresh life into these outback ballads with Kid Snow. Telling the story of a tragic Irish boxing family who switch from legitimate ring boxing to running a...
Last Summer Review
L’été dernier (Last Summer) plays on some trite French cinema cliches to produce a delicate but ultimately boring look into a twisted French family. Based on the 2019 Danish film Queen of Hearts, Catherine Breillat created a more erotically charged version that followed the same storyline – a middle-aged woman has a taboo affair with her husband’s teenage son from his first marriage. T...
Sleeping Dogs Review
In Adam Cooper’s directorial debut Sleeping Dogs, Russell Crowe (Gladiator, Virtuosity) plays Roy. A retired Washington county homicide detective. Based on the novel The Book of Mirrors with screenplay co-written by Cooper. Roy is vulnerable and grizzled, battling Alzheimer’s disease and recovering from an experimental procedure to stimulate regrowth of neural pathways. This part of the narr...
Ka Whawhai Tonu Review
Struggle without End. Director Mike Jonathan (Cinematographer, The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari) recreates the historic battle of Ōrākau Pā, Aotearoa,1864. Where local Maori tribes unite in a last stand against Colonial forces’ ongoing confiscation of land, desecration and general campaign of violent disrespect. Ka Whawhai Tonu is predictably grim in its presentation of Maori strength and s...