A decent set up gives way to quite a convoluted storyline in Insidious: The Last Key, the fourth instalment of the supernatural horror franchise co-created by Leigh Whannell. He has also served as screenwriter for the quartet. It started back in 2010 and the central figure is a psychic, Dr Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye). Where…
A compelling piece with a realistic feel, Menashe is shot almost entirely in Yiddish (there are a few lines of English). Set within a Hasidic community in Brooklyn, Menashe follows a kind but hapless grocery store clerk named Menashe (Menashe Lustig). He’s trying to maintain custody of his son Rieven (Ruben Niborski) after his wife…
Sitting there watching Fifty Shades Freed, the final instalment in the Shades of Grey trilogy, I could only think, “Lame, tame and who to blame?” So very little happens … for so much of the film. Yes, the characters have sex – most of it conventional and a few turns in the red room – but that,…
I have no idea why a director of Clint Eastwood’s standing would associate himself with such a poor quality movie as The 15:17 to Paris. Maybe because it features three heroes who play themselves? But let’s face it, they’re not actors and this isn’t a documentary. I’m talking about Anthony Sadler; National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos; and US…
A whip smart script, pacey dialogue and a couple of stellar performances distinguish this pulsating drama. Molly’s Game is based on the true story of Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain), an Olympic-level skier who was forced to abandon her sport after a devastating injury. With law school on hold, Molly takes a job that introduces her…
The DNA of Michael Mann’s 1995 classic Heat runs through the gritty crime drama, Den of Thieves. Los Angeles is the bank robbery capital of the US, with one committed every 48 minutes on average. Merriman (Pablo Schreiber) leads a highly organised and efficient gang of robbers. A former special ops soldier, Merriman uses his training and skills to…
You need to know two things about Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread. First, this is one of the most exquisitely produced and intelligent films you’ll ever see. Second, a key plot element is, well, bonkers. You’ll need to wrap your head around those apparently conflicting ideas to fully appreciate this film. Anderson is of course known…
Sweet Country is the sophomore feature film from indigenous filmmaker Warwick Thornton, best known for his award-winning 2009 drama Samson and Delilah. Although this is only his second feature film, he’s been busy with short films, television projects and documentaries like We Don’t Need A Map, which premiered at the Sydney International Film Festival in…
Diminutive 88-year old filmmaker Agnes Varda (The Gleaners and I) returns to the screen with the whimsical road-trip documentary Faces Places; her first feature film in nine years. Here she teams up with 33-year old French visual artist and film director who goes by simply JR. He’s known for his large scale photographic murals, and…
Who would have thought that one of the biggest – and tawdriest – sports scandals of the 20th Century could play out as Greek tragedy? But Australian director Craig Gillespie (The Finest Hours) manages that – and a lot more – with I, Tonya. This ingeniously devised film delves into the life of Tonya Harding,…
