History
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, ...
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...
The Promised Land Review
Based on the 2020 novel The Captain and Ann Barbara, itself loosely based on historical events, The Promised Land brings the stoic and frequently brutal 1755 Nordic frontier to Aussie cinemas from June 20. Directed by Nikolaj Arcel with gorgeous cinematography by Rasmus Videbaek, starring a stone cold Mads Mikkelsen (Rogue One) as Ludvig Kahlen and Amanda Collin (Raised by Wolves) as Ann Barbara. ...
Before Dawn Review
Inspired by historical war diaries, Jordan Prince-Wright’s West Australian film Before Dawn transports audiences to the harsh trenches of the Somme and beyond, 1916. Starring Levi Millar (Pan, A Wrinkle in Time) as Jim Collins, Travis Jeffrey (Danger Close, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes) as Thomas and Myles Pollard (The Turning, Drift) as Sgt Beaufort, Before Dawn swings hard and fast. Landing...
Napoleon Review
For anyone not following cinema news over the last year, Napoleon is the latest film by Sir Ridley Scott (Gladiator, The Dualists), starring Joaquin Phoenix, (Joker, 8mm) as the titular emperor and Vanessa Kirby (The Crown) as Empress Josephine. Written by David Scarpa (All the Money in the World), the theatrical version of this sprawling eighteenth century epic follows Bonaparte’s journey as lowl...
Oppenheimer Review
The second half of “Barbenheimer” is upon us. Rounding out the cinematic event that has everyone talking, Universal Studios releases Christopher Nolan’s (The Dark Knight) latest blockbuster – Oppenheimer. Based on the true story of J. Robert Oppenheimer – Father of the Atomic Bomb. Oppenheimer tells the true story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a brilliant American theoretical physicist who...
Babylon Review
Like the elephant in the opening scene that relaxes its sphincter and covers one of its handlers in liquid filth, Damien Chazelle puckers up and explodes all over his audience for three hours in Babylon, a love/hate letter to debaucherous early Hollywood that’s as ambitious as it is unbalanced. This polarising epic is drawing 5-star reviews from some and 1-star from others, seemingly depending on ...
Emily Review
My love for this movie “resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary”, to quote Emily Brontë’s most famous work Wuthering Heights. Emily, directed by Andrew Dominik, spins us a creative interpretation of the titular author’s short life and the deeply personal motivations behind her most famous work. Emily, portrayed by Emma Mackey (Maeve in Sex Education) ...
The Woman King Review
In cinemas from this week, The Woman King stars Viola Davis (The Suicide Squad) as General Nanisca, John Boyega (Star Wars The Force Awakens) as King Ghezo, Thuso Mbedu (The Underground Railroad) as Nawi and Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel) as Izogie. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Old Guard) and written by Dana Stevens, The Woman King takes the historically murky backdrop of 1823 Dahomey, W...
Elvis Review
Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer whose music and influence made him an icon of the 20th Century. From 1956, when he sold 10 million singles for the RCA company in twelve months, until his untimely death in 1977 at the age of 42, Elvis was a global star. His effect on new music waned in the later 1960s, however his fame and his influence were intact until he died. He was dubbed The King o...
The United States vs. Billie Holiday Review
How much did I love THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY? Well, I went right on down to my library and checked out the book it’s based on. How much did everyone else love it? I’m not even joking: the cinema burst into applause as the final credits rolled. THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY is not your usual biography film. It’s actually based on a chapter of ‘Chasing the Scream: The First and ...