Film Blerg: Frances Ha (2013)
At turns exuberant, witty and poignant, Frances Ha is a refreshing take on the quarter-life crisis, and one can only look forward to Baumbach and Gerwig’s next joint venture.
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Film Review: The World is Funny (2012)
One of the most notable elements of the film, is its aside from the well-told political tension of the region; opting in favour to sway away from politics and instead pull focus on the every day and social interactions of Israel and its people. The World is Funny is not only a terrific Israeli film, but also a universal and intrinsically humanistic one.
Film Review: Pain and Gain (2013)
Pain and Gain isn’t an action-packed comedy, it’s offensive, boring and way too drawn out. Failing to be entertaining on the most basic of levels, around the halfway mark you’re wondering how it could possibly continue. Whether the encompassing parody is deliberate or not it is very unsettling.
MIFF 2013: A Quiet Place In The Country (1968)
Screening alongside classics like Dario Argento’s Deep Red (a masterpiece, and still arguably the high point of the genre) and Tenebrae, as well as Lucio Fulci’s seminal early work Don’t Torture A Duckling, are more obscure items like The Pyjama Case (set in Sydney of all places and starring Ray Milland) and A Quiet Place In The Country.
Film Review: The Bling Ring (2013)
Ever sympathetic to historical baddies and outcasts, Coppola uses the opportunity to shine a light back on us, and the sick obsessive behaviours of western civilisation.
Film Review: Now You See Me (2013)
We’re all familiar with how heist movies work, since Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s franchise broke down every step of the heist to show how clever…
Film Review: Cosmic Psychos: Blokes You Can Trust (2013)
The Cosmic Psychos are a Melbourne pub-rock-punk band that formed back in the 80s. Three genuine Aussie blokes who were most definitely in the…
MIFF 2013: Harmony Lessons (2013)
Ultimately this haunting Darwinian tale of violence and morality is a social commentary on the normality of violence and crime in the region. One can only hope the extreme brutalisation against children from the police force is an exaggeration of current times in Kazakhstan, rather than a reality.
MIFF 2013: Death For Sale (2011)
The audience knows where the film is headed long before it gets there, very much like watching a trail slowly derail. As the title indicates, Death For Sale doesn’t provide any happy endings. These men are a product of their society, which unfortunately doesn’t elevate them to fulfil any kind of potential.
MIFF 2013: The Weight of Elephants (2013)
Beautifully filmed by Sophia Olsson, with a clear Scandinavian influence, the aesthetics might obscure the story a little at times but this is a minor trifle. Adrian’s life is anything but straightforward (I’ll say it again; it’s just very bleak) and so the plot can be forgiven for swaying every now and then.