The career of Mel Gibson, a former A-lister, has faltered due to off-screen indiscretions. He now seems to appear in a number of B-grade movies. And it’s unlikely that his latest film, On the Line – a claustrophobic thriller mainly set in one location – will resurrect his stalled career. Gibson plays Elvis Cooney, an…
In 2019, award winning nature photographer Vincent Munier set out to try and capture vision of the rare snow leopard in its natural habitat. There are fewer than 7,000 snow leopards in the world today and they mostly live in the most remote regions of the Himalayas, and rarely venture below 3,500 feet. Munier was…
The deeply personal coming-of-age tale Armageddon Time is loosely based on director James Gray’s own childhood experiences. And while the film explores many themes that have been typical of his canon, this one builds a strong emotional response from the audience. Gray’s counterpart here is Paul Graf (newcomer Banks Repeta) an eleven-year-old who is just…
The gay romantic comedy Bros is very funny and has broad mainstream appeal as it follows the formula of those classic rom-coms like When Harry Met Sally. Bobby Leiber (Billy Eichner) hosts a podcast called “the Eleventh Brick at Stonewall” that explores queer history and issues of importance for the gay community. He is also…
Australian filmmakers seem to be fascinated with true crime stories – films like Snowtown, Chopper, Nitram and the TV series Underbelly have all explored violence and the psychology of criminals. Based on the true story of the largest undercover police operation in Australia’s history, The Stranger is an extremely bleak and disturbing drama that’s also…
The Humans is an adaptation of the 2016 Tony award winning drama written by Tony award winning playwright Stephen Karam. The film reworks many of the familiar tropes of the dysfunctional family gathering sub-genre – a favourite theme of many productions, such as Tracy Letts’ August Osage County. Karam makes his feature film directorial debut…
Food, sex and art are three of the key ingredients in Flux Gourmet. This is the latest bizarre cinematic concoction from British director Peter Strickland, who’s based in Hungary. This black comedy is an absurdist satire of the contemporary art world with its provocateurs, sycophantic backers and receptive audiences and the creative process itself. Over…
True Things is the sophomore feature for director Harry Wootliff, following 2018’s Only You. Kate (played by Ruth Wilson, who also produced the film alongside Jude Law) is a self-destructive woman in her early thirties who works as a clerk in a government welfare office. She is insecure, lonely, and a little bored with her…
French auteur Claire Denis (White Material) often explores fragile relationships in her films, looking at the tension between her characters and the corrosive effects of the lack of trust. Her latest film Both Sides of the Blade (known as Fire in some territories) explores a romantic triangle that spirals out of control and the emotional…
Blaze is a confronting coming-of-age drama. It deals with themes of the emotional and physical effects of trauma, including sexual violence, and is not an easy film to sit through. Blaze (Julia Savage) is a 12-year-old schoolgirl who witnesses the brutal rape and murder of Hannah (Yael Stone) in a laneway. As a result, she…
