Film Review: Snitch (2013)

Film Review: Snitch (2013)

I think everyone who saw The Scorpion King way back in 2002 was a little surprised that The Rock didn’t get himself an Oscar nomination. Of course, it may have been because the judges didn’t know what his actual name was at the time or perhaps they just didn’t appreciate the cheesiness. These days, he is more commonly known as Dwayne Johnson [...]

Film Review: The Call (2013)

Film Review: The Call (2013)

The premise is simple: Jordan (Halle Berry) is a veteran 911 call operator who has suffered emotionally on the job after a call she was on lead to the kidnapping and brutal murder of a young girl.

Film Review: Tabu (2012)

Film Review: Tabu (2012)

Filming contemporary films in black and white, and without dialogue, can invoke feelings of nostalgia for a bygone era. Or, alternatively, they can be alienating. Tabu, a Portuguese film directed by Miguel Gomes and written by Gomes and Mariana Ricardo, takes that risk, with mixed results.

Film Review: Broken (2012)

Film Review: Broken (2012)

11-year-old Skunk (Eloise Laurence) witnesses a senseless, brutal attack on one of her neighbours which kickstarts series of events that change the lives of three middle-class families forever.

Film Review: Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)

Film Review: Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)

With a name like Into Darkness, one may be expecting more elements of evil and anarchy. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of rampant destruction aboard the latest Star Trek vehicle, but darkness does not seem to be the proper definition. The words “Into Darkness” could really be replaced by the words “sacrificial” and “loyalty”.

Film Review: The Place Beyond the Pines (2013)

Film Review: The Place Beyond the Pines (2013)

Decisions, the possibility of unforeseen, and devastating consequences resonating long after they are made, are the focus of director Derek Cianfrance’s new film The Place Beyond the Pines, written by Cianfrance, Ben Coccio and Darius Marder.

Indian Film Festival of Melbourne: Despite The Gods (2012)

Indian Film Festival of Melbourne: Despite The Gods (2012)

The end result of this was Despite The Gods, an absorbing document of Lynch’s experience overseeing a rare collaboration between the American and Indian filmmaking worlds.

Film Review: Spring Breakers (2013)

Film Review: Spring Breakers (2013)

Spring Breakers deftly blends stylistic direction with critical, at times comic, insights into excessive youthful gratification. As the movie progresses the film becomes increasingly implausible, but it remains engaging because of its ability to undermine expectations.