Reviews

Given how important a person’s online presence (or persona, even) is in this age of social media, and that “influencer” is now apparently so prime that it can be considered a career, it’s not surprising that such a topic is readily explored in other forms of media.  In the case of Alex Haughey‘s Under the…

There’s something rather ironic in Paul King‘s Wonka being deliciously, inoffensively sweet, given that the character at its core has done plenty to unnerve (however slightly) young audiences across the near six decades of his existence. As written by Roald Dahl in 1964’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and then brought to life by the…

Making his feature-length debut, director Simon Ross proves a capable genre helmer with The Portrait, which, initially, expresses its terror through the artwork that sits in the attic (where else?) of the expansive mansion that serves as the film’s lead location. Why it proves unsettling to the film’s tortured heroine, Sofia (Natalia Córdova-Buckley, committed to…

Whilst the breakdown of a marriage and the impending custody battle that will take place as to whose time favours the child in question has been a reliable staple for cinematic drama over the years – most recently displayed in Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story and perhaps most famously in 1979’s Kramer vs. Kramer – queer cinema has taken a…

Though prolific action director John Woo has maintained a steady hand behind the camera for decades now, it’s been 20 years since he helmed an American production; the last standing as the largely-forgotten Ben Affleck sci-fi leaning Paycheck. Returning stateside with a mentality that feels far removed from the oft-outlandish, budget-aplenty genre films he was…

Whilst films set around Christmas more often than not romanticise the holiday, there are still the occasional offerings that bathe in a downtrodden light that, for many, hits a far more realistic note.  In the case of Christmess, writer/director Heath Davis perhaps leans a little too heavily into the downward spiral of his main character,…

There was something darkly, deliciously special about the way writer/director Emma Seligman and actress Rachel Sennott announced themselves with 2020’s Shiva Baby.  A claustrophobic black comedy that indulged in a spiralling, horrific temperament, their collaboration set a certain precedent for the boundary-pushing, topical humour that’s furthered in Bottoms, a wild, oft-violent, sexually liberated high-school comedy that honours John Hughes as much…

Outside of New Zealand it’s highly likely that the political clash at the centre of Hamish Bennett and Paul Middleditch‘s Uproar is one that’s never been heard of. Set in 1981, the ultimately uplifting, oft-powerful coming-of-age dramedy centres around the controversy that arose from the South African rugby team touring New Zealand at the time.  A cultural reckoning was born…

Aiming to exist on the same surface as Death Wish, with a little Robert Rodriguez-like gore on hand to really enhance its nasty spirit, The Retaliators is a bloody revenge flick that doesn’t quite land on even footing, but proves for fine genre escapism for those that have the stomach and appreciation. After a violent,…

Despite the grandeur of some of its large scale battle sequences and reliable talent across the board, there’s a disjointedness to Ridley Scott‘s Napoleon that renders it shockingly inept at times and, overall, rather underwhelming. Hailed as one of the greatest military leaders and strategists in history, the Napoleon depicted here (as portrayed by Joaquin…

As someone who’s childless and pushing a certain age bracket, on the surface it would seem as if the Trolls films shouldn’t necessarily appeal to me.  But within their candy-coated, unicorn fever dream-like aesthetic are surprisingly well-aimed jokes of maturity and, as an unashamed pop music enthusiast, a far-too-enjoyable soundtrack.  Children will absolutely lap this…

The thematics of power and the consequences of privilege Emerald Fennell explored in 2020’s confronting Promising Young Woman are exacerbated in her wicked follow-up, Saltburn, which feels as if The Great Gatsby and The Talented Mr. Ripley were invited to participate in an orgy with Bret Easton Ellis and the cast of Euphoria in a…

Similar to how Robert Rodriguez expanded his faux trailer Machete into a feature-length exploitation action movie following its positive reception ahead of his and Quentin Tarantino’s joint B-movie double feature Grindhouse (2007), Eli Roth has finally made good on his mock trailer and turned in Thanksgiving, a self-aware slasher that embraces its R-rated bad taste…

If you’ve read any (or all) of the Hunger Games novels or seen the films then you’re likely to have a specific view on one Coriolanus Snow.  But the presidential position (and villainous temperament) the character held in the original trilogy of novels, and later quartet of films as played by Donald Sutherland, is far…

It’s a Wonderful Knife tells the story of Winnie Carruthers (Jane Widdop), a socially withdrawn teenager whose life has gone down a less than wonderful path. In the freewheeling, happy-go-lucky mountain town of Angel Falls, she manages to stop the Angel Killer, who had just gone on a massive killing spree, including the death of…

It wasn’t so long ago that the Marvel machine was something of an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.  Each film seemed to pull record-breaking numbers upon its opening weekend and, more often than not, were winners across the board with critics; at least enough to be deemed “Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes, which has become…

As far as savvy sex-working women go, the character driving the bulk of The Big Dog‘s emotional and psychological torture isn’t the most traditional.  Pretty Woman this isn’t, with the financial dominatrix side of sexual services being explored here (Findom, for those in the know) in Dane McCusker‘s intriguing black dramedy that delights in the…

Like his previous works that celebrate their fantastical, absurdist nature with a certain gravitas, Yorgos Lanthimos grounds Poor Things, an undeniably wild, oft-offensive, sexually liberated black comedy, with a stirring sense of emotion and topical commentary. In 19th century London – or what such a time period looks like within Lanthimos’ vivid imagination – the…

Within the opening minutes of May December, small-town mother Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore) is throwing a community BBQ with all the social niceties we come to see over the future 113 minutes she shrewdly projects.  In hoping she has enough food to feed the masses, she opens the refrigerator and questions if she has enough…

Whenever a horror film does well at the box office, the internet as a collective (or, more specifically, Twitter, sorry, X) likes to announce that “horror is back!”  But the truth is, it never really went anywhere.  Sure, like most genres it has its ups and downs in terms of general interest and monetary returns,…

Inspired by Hotel Coolgardie, Pete Gleeson’s shock 2016 documentary about two female Finnish backpackers and their work experience at a predominantly male-frequented pub, The Royal Hotel similarly shines a light on the the disturbing, toxic nature that can spawn from a small, isolated town that exploits Australia’s “drinking culture” mentality. An ironic title that will…

As someone who lost their father at a young age, and therefore never had the conversation regarding my sexuality (and all that could possibly entail), the thought process throughout and inability to hold back my emotions during All of Us Strangers was palpable. Adapted by writer/director Andrew Haigh (Looking: The Movie) from Japanese author Taichi…

Though she’s known for her dramatic work primarily on television’s Grey’s Anatomy and Killing Eve, Sandra Oh enthusiasts are all too aware that the actress has a serious talent for the comedic flare; The Princess Diaries, anyone? But even still, the absolute let-loose mentality the actress adheres to for Quiz Lady is another level entirely,…

Gorgeous but unsatisfying, Pedro Almodóvar‘s campy telenovela Strange Way of Life is a sexy short feature that proves the ultimate tease as it doesn’t entirely deliver on the sex appeal of its leads and then climaxes before we’ve even moved on from foreplay. Said leads are Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal, playing two perfectly-tailored cowboys…

With the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements featured prominently, as well as the overall intertwined arc of the COVID-19 pandemic, Black White and the Greys is a film that eerily encapsulates the emotional push-and-pull we universally experienced. A relatable, at-times uncomfortable drama, Black White and the Greys is a collaboration between Marchelle Thurman and…

*Trigger warning: This review discusses eating disorders* The satirical possibilities present within Jessica Hausner‘s dramatic Club Zero are ripe.  The execution, however, is undercooked; ironic, considering the topic at the core of this truly odd and oft dangerous film. At an elite private school, the enigmatic Miss Novak (Mia Wasikowska) has arrived to teach a…

Given that Jim Weir and Jack Clark‘s frighteningly uncomfortable Birdeater is an Australian chiller set in the outback (at least for the majority of its running time), audiences are justified in thinking it could fall in line with other brutality-in-the-bush titles like Picnic at Hanging Rock or even Wolf Creek.  The more accurate comparison though…

Throughout Victim‘s 14 minute running time, the tension laid forth by writer/director Robin Summons is near-unbearable as it traces a radicalised teenager and his increasingly concerned mother. Offspring favourite Kat Stewart brings a sweet yet stern nature to the role of Chrissy, a single mother whose seeming one wish is to have a collected dinner…

“Before we continue I’d like to apologize to anyone who might be upset or offended by what you saw before the break. It’s not every day you see a demonic possession on live television.” Not the most typical sentence you’d expect to hear from a late night host, but such is the statement made by…

Having dealt with a duo of alien invasions for his Occupation films, it makes sense that Australian filmmaker Luke Sparke would want to look at something a little more grounded for his next cinematic feat.  Whilst still working with an exaggerated mentality, Bring Him To Me is a crime thriller that bathes in a smaller,…