Category Archives: Reviews

May 02

Marguerite (2016)

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An operatic performance of pride’s folly.

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April 28

Eddie the Eagle (2016)

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This is a wonderfully filmed true story about the enobling human values of perseverance and belief in one’s self.

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April 26

Burnt (2015)

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An engaging film that will leave you feeling well fed in a cinematic kind of way.

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April 22

Infinite (2016) (Short)

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Looks at a painful subject in a poetically beautiful way.

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April 20

Rams (2016)

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An immersive insight into life on an Icelandic farm told through sensitive cinematography and understated storytelling.

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April 17

Sherpa (2015)

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Beautifully filmed story of Sherpa life and their struggle for respect.

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April 14

Labyrinth of Lies (2014)

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An investigation into the tip of an iceberg that grew until it overwhelmed a nation.

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April 11

Salt (2010)

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If you can believe the things that Jolie does in this film, narrative is the least of your concerns in this very entertaining but logic-defying film.

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April 07

Eye in the Sky (2015)

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Eye in the Sky stands out as both a thoroughly gripping film and a consciousness raising experience.

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April 05

Crushed (2015)

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A daughter’s quest for the crushing truth is the binding metaphor of this story.

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March 31

Dirty Grandpa (2016)

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If you can ignore the inane smut you will find some laughs.

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March 28

The Witch (2015)

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Not your standard horror with floating sheets or flying broomstick-type special effects.

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March 21

A Bigger Splash (2015)

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Beautifully photographed Sicilian landscape dwarfs four small lives and the mess they create.

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March 17

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

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The ending transforms this film into an incoherent and unforgivable mess.

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March 14

The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015)

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A sweet self-narrated story of a butterfly emerging from a lonely, self-loathing teenage-hood.

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March 10

Hail, Caesar! (2016)

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This is an hilarious take on ‘the Hollywood dream’.

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March 06

The Lady in the Van (2015)

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A slow portrait of a fractious relationship between two misfits.

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March 02

Son of Saul (2015)

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In terms of cinematography, storytelling and emotional impact, this film is a modern masterpiece.

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February 29

Ex_Machina (2015)

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A chess game of guessing what is happening, who is manipulating who, and what is the real reason Caleb is there.

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February 27

The Daughter (2015)

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A metaphorical collision between a single ray of truth and the lie that connects two families.

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February 25

Testament of Youth (2015)

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A restrained portrait of war that depicts feminist and class dynamics in an emotionally and sexually constrained world.

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February 23

Grandma (2015)

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Grandmas are supposed to be helpful, bake cookies and give warm hugs, not swear, threaten, smoke dope, verbally and physically assault people, while conniving to raise money for an abortion.

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February 21

Dogville (2003)

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This allegorical meditation on the nature of evil and justice is as universal as the human condition.

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February 18

Brooklyn (2015)

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A beautifully photographed and finely acted historical drama.

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February 16

Trumbo (2015)

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the story of the 1950s right-wing purge of Hollywood

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February 13

Concussion (2015)

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The story of a modest hero who inconveniently discovers why so many pro footballers were dying and it shows the pressures that were mounted to silence him.

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February 11

Holding the Man (2015)

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Based on the 1995 memoir by revered gay rights activist Timothy Conigrave, the film version struggles to avoid soapy melodrama and corny humour.

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February 09

The Babadook (2014)

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An unusual hybrid of two closely related but different genres for which Australian filmmakers are acclaimed around the world: the horror and the psychological thriller.

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February 07

Looking for Grace (2015)

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Looking for Grace explores random destruction in a novel way by taking a simple plotline and splitting into separate narratives that converge with deadly force.

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February 05

Anomalisa (2015)

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Angst-ridden puppets disguise a lack of humanity, morality, or narrative purpose.

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February 03

The Gift (2015)

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We all fear false knowledge: the possibility that the person we know and love is really someone very different.

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February 01

45 Years (2015)

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While it is about life-cycles and memories and marriage, it is also a gendered probe into how differently men and women are emotionally constructed.

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January 29

Spotlight (2015)

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A David and Goliath style investigative drama where brave journalism exposes systemic corruption in the Catholic archdiocese of Boston.

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January 26

Steve Jobs (2015)

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An unexpectedly unflattering and melodramatic portrait of a tortured soul.

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January 24

Last Cab to Darwin (2015)

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This film can mess with your head about the complex issue of assisted dying, but it’s an Aussie gem well worth the effort.

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January 22

The Danish Girl (2015)

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Its like watching a newborn chick push its way through the shell of an egg: one faint crack becomes several and suddenly a new life form emerges, bewildered by the public gaze and nowhere to hide.

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January 21

Truth (2015)

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Its a gripping tale about the exhilaration of the hunt for big game and the carnage that follows if you pull the wrong lion’s tail.

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January 19

Youth (2015)

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The wit and wisdom of beautiful young people cuts through the homilies of elders to stop Youth from being a maudlin tale of loss.

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January 17

Suffragette (2015)

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A tale about brave protesting women and a suffragette who threw herself under the King’s horse.

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January 16

The Intern (2015)

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Do today’s audiences really want pre-feminist stories about wise old men that step in to prop up gorgeous and successful young career women…

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January 14

Room (2015)

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Brie Larson’s acting fixates on maternal dynamics at the cost of a convincing portrayal of captivity trauma.

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January 12

The Dressmaker (2015)

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The Dressmaker is a very funny and engaging Australian farce.

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January 10

The Revenant (2015)

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This film ticks all the top boxes for storytelling, casting, filming and action. It really is an epic.

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January 09

The Martian (2015)

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Science fiction or comedy, this is neither.

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January 09

Goodnight Mommy (2014)

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This is what the horror genre is all about: bringing us close to terror, then letting us down from the ceiling, calming us with logic to make our own lives feel better.

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January 08

Carol (2015)

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This is one Blanchett film that struggles to inspire.

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January 06

The Great Gatsby (2013)

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This is an outstanding modern adaptation of an all-time classic.

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January 03

Joy (2015)

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An entertaining but clichéd story of feminine triumphalism in the fabricated-value world of television commerce

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January 01

Thelma & Louise (1991)

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One of the most remembered stories of feminist struggle in modern times

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December 24

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

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A brave challenge to Hollywood’s idea of sexuality

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December 22

Lost in Translation (2010)

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A wonderfully crafted film, but unsettling in its ability to leave you yearning.

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December 22

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

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A cinematic triumph on its own merits or a beloved movie with a cult following?

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December 22

A Room in Rome (2010)

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A gem of a film that deserves more critical acclaim

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October 27

Philomena (2013)

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A story of a mother’s search for her son and the lack of compassion by religious institutions

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September 27

NEBRASKA (2013)

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A touching father and son road movie

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