Spike Lee has to be one of the most influential filmmakers of the past 30 years. From the incendiary Do the Right Thing (1989) to the slick Inside Man (2006), his movies have marked a generation. So when a new Spike Lee “joint” comes along, you better pay attention. The great news is that, after…
A hip gangster has to get down and get dirty in Superfly. This stylish 21st century remake of the 1972 film of the same name comes from a man who’s noted for music videos for the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna. He goes by the name Director X (born Julien Lutz). When Director X…
On Chesil Beach introduces elements of theatre into a period drama about the relationship between two sensitive high-achievers. It’s summer 1962, and England is still a year away from the huge social changes of the Swinging Sixties. Florence Ponting (Saoirse Ronan) and Edward Mayhew (Billy Howle), are a couple in their early twenties. Florence is…
I like a good spy movie; but The Spy Who Dumped Me isn’t a great spy movie. It is however a decent comedy exploring the dynamics of female bonding, and that makes it worth seeing. Director Susanna Fogel and her writing partner David Iserson have crafted a rollicking tale that taps into (without ever subverting)…
Carla Simón’s autobiographical feature debut, Summer 1993, is an evocative depiction of family lost and found. In (predictably) the summer of 1993, following the death of her parents, six-year old Frida (Laia Artigas) leaves bustling Barcelona for the Catalan provinces to live with her aunt (Bruna Cusí) and uncle (David Verdaguer). Country life is a…
– Submergence – Only in cinemas from 16 August 2018 We have 10 double in-season passes thanks to The Backlot Films. *(Tickets valid in Australia only)* Watch the trailer HERE From legendary director Wim Wenders and starring Alicia Vikander and James McAvoy, this is the story of two people who meet by chance at a…
The old saying goes that behind every great man stands a great woman. But what if the woman is doing a lot more than just “standing” there? What does a “supporter” deliver to a celebrity? And what should that “supporter” expect in return? Swedish director Björn Runge explores these questions in his thoughtful drama, The…
Most film franchises seem to run out of inspiration before too long, but the Mission Impossible series seems to have gone from strength to strength. The Brad Bird-helmed Ghost Protocol was arguably the strongest film to date. Rogue Nation took the series in a slightly different direction under the direction of Christopher McQuarrie (Oscar winning…
Many comics seem to be insecure, unhappy, lonely. They turn to comedy as a way of dealing with their emotional pain, and they often use humour as a defence mechanism. And this the plight of the heroine in Funny Cow. This unapologetically bleak tale follows a damaged woman trying to make it in the male-dominated…
RBG is easily the best documentary to hit our screens so far this year. This insightful, inspiring and surprisingly entertaining documentary takes a look at the life and work of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a long serving and influential justice of the US Supreme Court. At the age of 84 she’s still full of energy, conviction…
