A charming Australian comedy about a serious subject, H is for Happiness is a surprising gem. Set in the West Australian coastal town of Albany, this is a feel-good film for all ages. Writer Lisa Hoppe adapted My Life as an Alphabet by Barry Jonsberg for the screenplay. The film tells the story of a…
Think back to all that was good about the 1950s (consider the fashion, architecture and styling … and if you can’t because you have either forgotten or weren’t yet born, then simply Google it). That is how Judy (Nikki Shiels) and Johnny (Toby Truslove) have decided to live their lives in the Australian premiere of Home,…
Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn makes the most of her starring role in Birds of Prey. She’s undoubtedly the bright star in a fantasy that has much going for it until it loses its way. Birds of Prey is, indeed, a twisted tale, as told by Harley herself. Harleen Quinzel is a former psychiatrist who…
A feel-good road trip, The Peanut Butter Falcon concerns a couple of outcasts who take to each other like ducks to water. A down-on-his-luck fisherman and a young man bent on achieving an impossible dream make their way down the waterways of a mythical American South. At a loose end since the death his brother,…
What to make of this zany, satirical ride? I was pondering that through much of The Feather in the Web, which makes its Victorian debut. I was shocked, challenged and amused at what I saw as a psychedelic mind trip, involving a deeply troubled girl, Kimberly (Michelle Brasier), who acts and reacts differently to most….
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…
