The decidedly quirky drama-musical Music marks the directorial debut of Sia. She also co-wrote the screenplay (with Dallas Clayton), based on her own short story, and penned the songs that feature prominently. Music (Maddie Ziegler) is on the autism spectrum and never parts from her headphones. She constantly listens to – you guessed it –…
Two lost souls go on an unexpected journey together in Adrian Ortega’s ultra-low-budget Australian film Cerulean Blue. Alex (Jack Michel) is as introverted as they come. He’s also a germophobe who disinfects at every opportunity. In fact, he goes out of his way to avoid others unless absolutely necessary – which includes turning his back…
Blended families can be problematic. So it is when Minna (the voice of Robyn Dempsey) becomes sister to Jenny (Emma Jenkins). Minna’s dad John (Tom Hale) and Jenny’s mum Helene (Karen Ardiff) are engaged. Minna has a great relationship with her father … and her adorable hamster Viggo Mortensen. Jenny is a lot harder work….
A well-meaning but slight portrait of war-time suffering, Summerland felt manufactured to me. Despite its subject matter, I thought it lacked gravitas and authenticity. We’re in Kent in south-eastern England during the Blitz of 1940-41. Alice Lamb (Gemma Arterton) is an avid researcher and writer. She analyses folklore. Her small community regards her as harsh…
A deeply traumatic beginning gives way to emotionally wrought second and third acts in Kornél Mundruczó’s drama Pieces of a Woman. From a well-to-do family, Martha (Vanessa Kirby) is in a relationship with a rough and ready working class man, Sean (Shia LaBeouf). They both excitedly await the birth of their first child. Martha opts…
Well, that was a year! With everything that went on in 2020, movies proved both a comfort and a hope for better times. The big story of the year was the rise of streaming as a genuine alternative to (and in some cases, a replacement for) traditional cinemas. Those changes played out elsewhere, and we…
The ancient and modern worlds collide in the special effects action blockbuster Monster Hunter. Based on a video game series of the same name, the plot – such that it is – is basically inconsequential. It’s merely an excuse for non-stop fighting and a legion of monsters to test and retest the limits of human…
The idea that the collective is stronger than the individual underpins The Croods 2: A New Age. This is of course the sequel to the successful animated film The Croods (2013). The story picks up when young Guy (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) is left to fend for himself. His loved ones’ last words to him…
I can’t think of an actress who has epitomised class, style and magnetism more than the late, great Audrey Hepburn (1929 – 1993). The documentary Audrey charts her life’s course. Notwithstanding remarkable and well-deserved success, there was also much pain and sadness. She was just a young girl when her parents split and war broke…
The Nightingale (2018) rewrote the rules around brutal representations of Australia’s colonial past. Now The Furnace follows in its footsteps, albeit less successfully. In remote Western Australia circa 1897, a young Afghani cameleer, Hanif (Ahmed Malek), is determined to escape the outback and return home. Hanif has witnessed a white man murder his mentor. Now…
