Based on Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 Japanese film Ikiru, which in itself was inspired by the 1886 Russian novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy, Oliver Hermanus’s Living is an understated take on one of life’s most complicated musings: What does it mean to truly live? It’s a big question, but in the hands…
When we spend so much time consuming global entertainment, it feels extra special to watch a beautifully told Australian story—a film that’s rich with nostalgia yet doesn’t shy away from truth. Of an Age is a stirring, gorgeously filmed queer romance, set in Melbourne during 1999. The movie follows 18-year-old amateur ballroom dancer Kol (Elias…
Similar to how Henry Cavill’s (re)appearance as Superman was all but confirmed prior to the release of Black Adam (and then, you know, leaked in its entirety through supposed bootleg footage), which in itself was viewed as a desperate ploy to drum up interest for the Dwayne Johnson-led superhero flick, there’s a similar air of…
Described as a “traumedy” and navigating a narrative I have no personal connection to – or even a right to comment on in all honesty – Molly McGlynn‘s Bloody Hell has the same footprints as a coming-of-age comedy, but laces such with a queer mentality and the potential dehumanising reality of when your body “rejects”…
The parallels between an invasive parasite and an unwanted pregnancy are navigated with intricate delicacy and subtle terror throughout Until Branches Bend, Sophie Jarvis‘s disturbing drama that offsets its small physicality with a growingly unnerving mentality. At the centre of both converging narratives is Robin (Grace Glowicki, incredible), a fruit packing plant line worker who…
Whilst there’s no doubt that Megan Stalter is a talented comedienne (“Hi Gay!”, anyone?), the type of social-media-sketch-performer-turned-feature-actress trajectory isn’t always a guaranteed translation for both their respective humour and an audience’s positive reaction. Thankfully, her starring role in Cora Bora is a more dramatic transition for the actress, displaying a more vulnerable, shaded, even…
Supernatural terror and deep-seated personal revelations come to light in the tonally unbalanced, but no less interesting Brooklyn 45. Written and directed by Ted Geoghegan, Brooklyn 45 gradually unravels over the course of its 90 minutes as it centres around a group of battle-hardened friends and their overdue rendezvous in a Brooklyn brownstone. Set between…
Even though one of the experts interviewed in Satan Wants You expresses that the 1980’s phenomenon known as “Satanic Panic” is seen as something of a joke through the eyes of today, there’s nothing particularly funny about the accusations that were being thrown around at the time. Perhaps it’s something of an absurdity when looking…
“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…
There’s a moment in the first half of Luke Gilford‘s exquisite looking drama National Anthem where 21-year-old construction worker Dylan (Charlie Plummer) seems perplexed that an outside group of queer rodeo performers and ranchers would find him interesting; “You haven’t met your people yet”, is the open, telling response from the captivating Sky (Eve Lindley),…
Only the Good Survive is the type of film that delights in the fact that it never follows the genre path you think it should. At one point the question is even asked if the story being relayed is “a horror or a comedy?”, and writer/director Dutch Southern, in the most nonsensical, unpredictable fashion, makes…
In the lead up to the Best Actress nominations at this year’s Oscars, Andrea Riseborough was not a name oft-thrown around. That’s not to say she didn’t deserve to be in the chatter, but after Cate Blanchett (Tár) and Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once) continued to trade winning speeches throughout each major precursor…
The murder of Emmett Till in 1955, Mississippi, still stands as one of America’s most shocking (and shameful) moments, even now almost 7 decades later. If you’re unaware – like myself going into this stirring drama – the 14-year-old Till (Jalyn Hall) was visiting family in Mississippi, the first time he had ever really been…
Given how meta and self-referential the Scream series has become, there’s something kind of brilliant in the familiar Ghostface vocal (again brought to sadistic life by Roger L. Jackson) exclaiming “Who gives a fuck about movies?” as he slices down on his latest victim prior to the Scream VI title card. The answer, it would…
There was a period between the mid-to-late 90’s and into the early 2010’s that filmmaking brothers Bobby and Peter Farrelly had something of a hold on the gross-out subsect of the comedy genre. After 1994’s Dumb & Dumber (which was actually directed by a solo Peter Farrelly) their films almost became something of an event,…
The opening scrawl of Mohit Ramchandani‘s Dreamer states the horrifying statistic that there are 40 million people enslaved around the world today, and that this is more than any other time in history. Each of those people had a dream and a destiny, and it’s Dreamer that highlights just one of those stories. Now, given…
In the early 2000’s the premise of The Donor Party probably would’ve flown, and most likely would have secured a healthy box office too, but in 2023, there’s something incredibly backwards – and, dare I say, predatory – about Thom Harp‘s comedy that clearly wants to display some type of positive message about the unconventionality…
If X was Ti West‘s homage to classic 70’s horror effort The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, then Pearl could almost be aligned with The Wizard of Oz, just with, you know, a lot more blood and dry-humping scarecrows. The fact that X was an initial singular success story was enough of a win for independent horror…
You have to hand it to Michael B. Jordan for even attempting to take on a project like Creed III as his directorial debut. Considering it’s the third film in a proven franchise – itself an offshoot from a six-strong film series – and it’s coming off the back of offerings from both Ryan Coogler…
Informing us that the film is based on fact more than fiction, Daughter has a certain familiarity about it when it initially begins, horrifying us with the imagery of a woman being bludgeoned by an unknown assailant. It’s a suitable start for Corey Deshon‘s horror-leaning effort that successfully navigates mostly a singular location, a small…
The plot for Aftersun is one that we have seen countless times before in one form or another: Adult reflects on a childhood trip with a parent that was often laced with memorable experiences. It’s how writer/director Charlotte Wells chooses to frame such a story though – almost like a faded memory – that transforms…
Whilst I can see the charm that audiences fell for regarding the original Fisherman’s Friends, a 2019 “feel-good” true story dramedy about the unlikely musical success of the titular Cornish fishermen, who signed with Universal Records and garnered a Top 10 placing album with their sea shanty renditions, none of that is remotely present in…
When the cat’s away, the mice will play. But what happens if the cat doesn’t come home? Such is the question posed by directing duo Will Merrick and Nicholas D. Johnson in Missing, a spiritual sequel to 2018’s technologically-inclined thriller Searching; which, wouldn’t you know it, happened to be edited by Merrick and Johnson, both…
They often say that truth can be stranger than fiction, and in the case of Cocaine Bear, the truth is wild, high, very bloody, darkly funny, and doesn’t play well with others. Of course, this is only an “inspired by” truth, the type of truth that gets gloriously twisted for the sake of bombastic entertainment. …
You’ve really got to hand it to writer/director Craig Boreham for embracing queer eroticism and all that entails in Lonesome, a movie that revels in filth but is at its most uncomfortable when it simply lets its lead characters exist. Casey (Josh Lavery) is the embodiment of the titular state, a cowboy who has escaped…
Based on Miriam Toews‘s 2018 novel of the same name, Women Talking is a complicated, multi-faceted look at religion and the complexity of abuse response. The easiest thing to ask someone – specifically a woman – when they mention abuse within a relationship is why they haven’t left. It’s an outside perspective that is never…
After an incredibly disjointed Phase Four, all eyes are indeed on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (or Quantumania, as we will be noting for short throughout this review) to see how this particular threequel will set a precedent for the forthcoming Phase Five of the continued Marvel Cinematic Universe. If this is anything to go…
Given the shared enormity that was living through the pandemic at its seeming peak throughout 2020 and 2021, it’s a surprise that few films have actually addressed it in a manner that’s relatable for audiences. Whilst films are an escape, it’s a reality that can’t forever be ignored, and co-writer/director/star Jesús Lloveras manages to infuse…
Despite its enchanting title, there’s not a lot to love about She Is Love, an experimental drama from writer/director Jamie Adams. Adhering to a spontaneity that Adams bestowed upon her cast, She Is Love has potential in its premise and lead trio – Haley Bennett, Sam Riley and Marisa Abela – but there’s ultimately only…
Authenticity and artificiality battle with equal gusto throughout A Bit of Light, a filmic adaptation of Rebecca Callard‘s award-winning stage production. The theatrical origins are difficult to entirely dismiss throughout Stephen Moyer‘s drama though, with the True Blood alum not always proving steady in his narrative navigation. Anna Paquin – coincidentally Moyer’s wife in real-life…
