Midway is a gripping, visually spectacular – if, at times, melodramatic – recreation of events leading up to the pivotal Battle of Midway that turned the tide against the Japanese in World War II. The film, based on real-life events, tells the story of the leaders and soldiers who used their instincts, fortitude and bravery…
She was an idealist who got in way over her head and paid the price. Inspired by fact, this is the story of American actress Jean Seberg, a rising star and darling of the French New Wave. She believed in just causes and wasn’t afraid to put her name to them, but she should have…
Comedies featuring strong women can be funny and risqué like Bridesmaids or patchy and disappointing such as Like a Boss. Best friends forever Mia (Tiffany Haddish) and Mel (Rose Byrne) are both happily single. They live together and one even puts toothpaste on the other’s toothbrush. They run their own small cosmetics company – a…
An intense and claustrophobic alien creature feature that fails to reach any great heights, Underwater takes its sweet time to bite. More than 10 kilometres below the ocean’s surface, something has awakened. The crew of the Kepler mining operation understood there would be hardships on their mission. Thirty days confined to the narrow corridors and…
A sad and angry man is rescued by a most unlikely source in the moving A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood. For more than three decades (1968 to 2001) Fred Rogers was the most beloved figure on US television. He imparted words of kindness and wisdom to millions of children on PBS’ long-running program Mister…
It’s been a while between drinks (Bad Boys II came out in 2003, five years after the original), but Will Smith and Martin Lawrence still have unmistakable chemistry. With a high-octane script, plenty of action, and no shortage of good humour, Bad Boys for Life is an unexpected winner. Unexpected because I approached it with…
Energetic, colourful and captivating, this is up there with the very best productions of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CATS and I have had the good fortune to see several of them. A massive cast of 87 (plus an alternative 13 “kitten” chorus) and a 16-piece orchestra breathe new life into a show that was first staged in…
Talk about disgraceful conduct and an attitude of entitlement when it comes to being a man calling the shots among women trying to make a name for themselves and get ahead in their careers. That is the story of Fox News chief Roger Ailes (John Lithgow), as told in some gory detail in Bombshell. The…
A transparent, highly predictable script underpins a sweet-natured coming of age tale pitched at younger teens. Fifteen-year-old Jack Hooper (William Lodder) and his widowed mother Christie (Frances O’Connor) move to a small town in Western Australia a few years after the death of his father/her husband. She opens a fruit and vegetable shop and he…
An epic and intense tale of bravery in the lead up to and during the First World War, War Horse focuses on the trials and tribulations of a chestnut animal named Joey and on those who come into contact with him. When it was first performed on stage, in London in October 2007, War Horse…
