Renny Harlin was one of the great action directors of the late 80s and early 90s, with films like Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger and The Long Kiss Goodnight to his credit. But lately he seems reduced to directing second-rate formulaic action films like The Misfits and episodes of various TV series. And now he’s helming…
Mad About the Boy has been released to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of Noel Coward’s death. This well-researched, revealing and entertaining documentary profiles Coward, the debonair “quintessential” English man and prolific writer, songwriter, actor and film director known for his quick wit and flamboyant style. The film celebrates Coward’s prodigious life and career; and…
Fremont is the fourth feature from Iranian born filmmaker Babak Jalali. This low-budget, low-key indie drama follows Donya (played by newcomer Anaita Wali Zada), an Afghan refugee who has relocated to the town of Fremont in California. She used to work as a translator for the US military in Afghanistan before the withdrawal of troops….
Abigail is a gory hybrid of crime drama, horror and comedy with a black streak of humour. And it proves to be one of the guilty pleasures of the year. A disparate group of six people are assembled to carry out a kidnapping. The man organising the kidnapping is Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito). The team consists…
British singer Amy Winehouse found success through her songs and won numerous Grammy Awards in her brief career. She was a talented musician who succumbed to her demons and vices, and suffered from depression, addiction and even mental illness. She died from alcohol poisoning in 2011 at the height of her success. She was just…
Almost wordless, Robot Dreams is an unexpected delight. This quite charming animated film that captures the spirit of those silent films of yesteryear. It becomes a touching ode to friendship, connection, the pain of loss, and the need to move on in life. It’s not surprising that the film was nominated for an Oscar. The…
Wim Wenders’ (Paris, Texas) new film Perfect Days is a gently paced minimalist drama from the revered German filmmaker. Set in Japan, it reveals his great appreciation for Japan, its culture and traditions. A German/Japanese co-production Perfect Days was nominated for an Oscar, becoming the first Japanese-language film not directed by a Japanese filmmaker to…
Every year when I get my hands on the Melbourne International Film Festival program and start selecting my films, the first strand I pore through is Night Shift, which contains some bizarre horror and cinematic oddities. And the offbeat Late Night With the Devil (MIFF ’23) offers a fresh take on the tired found-footage genre….
Dev Patel makes his directorial debut with Monkey Man, a gritty, graphically violent, and brutal revenge thriller. The film follows the adventures of an enigmatic and taciturn character known only as “Kid”, who fights against the corruption and social injustice rife in contemporary India. Patel also plays the anonymous antihero, a kid who grew up…
Two teenage boys from Dakar in Senegal dream of moving to Europe to pursue a music career in Io Capitano. This harrowing drama is from Italian filmmaker Matteo Garrone, who in 2008 gave us the hard-hitting Mafia drama Gomorrah. Written by Garrone, Massimo Gaudiosio, Massimo Checcherini and Andrea Tagliaferri, the film has been largely inspired…
