12 January 2018. THE DEATH AND LIFE OF OTTO BLOOM **** Australia has a fine culture of exceptional films. As in this fascinating tale of a dazed young man found by the police and brought to a clinic. His strange story – that of a man who goes through time in reverse, from the future […]
FILM: Court – the story of a victim of India’s legal system
12 May 2017. COURT *** (vo Indian and English) The arbitrary and frustrating procedure of India’s court system is the theme of this film which at times borders on the tragicomedy. And the underlying feel is a play on the old adage, “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer…”, or rather, the habitual […]
Film: The Founder – from failed salesman to the Golden Arches – the McDonald’s story
30 December 2016. THE FOUNDER ***1/2 Everyone knows the McDonald’s name, the mass-produced, fast food hamburgers that have conquered the world, for better or for worse. The original idea came from two McDonald brothers in California who were proud of their innovative success. That was in the mid-1950s, and it was like a “symphony in hamburger […]
Film: Hell or high water – a tragic, wise, tale of two reckless bank robbers
7 October 2016. HELL OR HIGH WATER (Comancheria) **** This gripping road movie opposing two reckless bank-robbing brothers (the intense duo of Chris Pine and Ben Foster) and a crusty Texas sheriff (the always brilliant Jeff Bridges) is directed, of all people, by a Scottish Brit. David Mackenzie is an expert at such atmospheric films as […]
Film: Woody Allen at his best – tinsel town in the 1930s
13 May 2016. CAFE SOCIETY **** Is there a yearning in the corner of Woody Allen’s heart? In fact, don’t we all have a secret longing buried deep in our hearts? That’s the magic of Woody’s genius, when he gets it just right. He touches our emotions, connecting with each of us, with a lightness, […]
Film: Trumbo – the man who wrote household name movies under an alias
29 April 2016. TRUMBO ***1/2 You’ve probably never heard of Dalton Trumbo. Frankly, neither had I. But that’s because for many years he was one of Hollywood’s hidden gems of a screenwriter. Because of his political beliefs – being a Communist – he was blacklisted from writing for the major studios, and in fact incarcerated […]
Film: Demolition – of a man’s blocked emotions and his inability to love
22 April 2016. DEMOLITION ***1/2 The title is unfortunate, for it may keep people away, thinking it’s just another Schwarzenegger destruction blockbuster. It is nothing of the sort. It is rather an introspective, modern tale of a man’s blocked emotions and his inability to love. Jake Gyllenhaal once again gives a fascinating, Oscar-worthy performance (remember […]
Film: Brooklyn – a love story about a girl who emigrates alone
15 March 2016. BROOKLYN **** A fine romantic film is a rarity, and here is such a pearl. Underlying the romance is the more meaty tale of a young girl emigrating alone to America from her home in Ireland in the early 1950s, with all the turmoil that such a move entails: the fears of a […]
Film: Hail Caesar! The latest from the Coen brothers
19 February 2016. HAIL CAESAR! **1/2 Oh dear, I was so looking forward to another great Coen brothers film after seeing the hilarious trailer. But unfortunately it was not to be. Like Woody Allen, the super-talented brothers can’t win ’em all… and this has none of the coherence or brilliance of O’ Brother, Where Art Thou?, […]
The latest Star Wars film set to break records
18 December 2015. The latest Star Wars movie is set to break records. The seventh film in the series has already made more than US$ 100 million in advance sales. It’s a great film that deserves to do well. STAR WARS – THE FORCE AWAKENS **** Director JJ. Abrams has done an excellent job in revitalising […]