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.
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.
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”.
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.
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.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to taste your favourite celebrity? Sink your teeth into their meat? Catch their STDs? Well, Brandon Cronenberg has. In fact, if I was David Cronenberg, I’d be a little worried.
The idea of the prodigal son returning home after an extended absence has been done a lot in movies. Because it’s so thematically rich though, unlike other plot cliché’s, it’s also been done well, memorably in movies like The Indian Runner, You Can Count on Me, No Looking Back and in Australia’s own (extremely worthy, early Russell Crowe vehicle) The Crossing.
Films that explore terrorist attacks on America as their central plot line aren’t exactly a rarity these days. Enter action-packed thriller Olympus Has Fallen, directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt.
For those interested in the interplay between politics and advertising – a theme that has never been more relevant than it is today – No is a must-see film. The then-radical tactics employed by both René’s team and the antagonistic “Yes” ticket hit close to home, given today’s day and age of big-budget political campaigns
This review contains vague spoilers. A grainy landscape sets the scene; from the first frame, the audience is aware of the bleak and harsh…