John Wick, the ultra-violent 2014 action flick that starred Keanu Reeves as a cool, taciturn, ruthlessly efficient and seemingly invincible assassin, was something of a guilty pleasure and a surprise hit at the box office. So now we get this sequel, which once again takes us into this shadowy world of assassins and their strange…
The contrast between the haves and have-nots is starkly evident in The Viceroy’s House, a historical drama based on fact. When the English wanted out of India, the country was deeply divided along religious and cultural lines. Indians were literally killing each other and the man tasked with orchestrating a smooth handover was the highly regarded Louis…
On 22 January 2008 one of Australia’s brightest shining lights in the entertainment business was snuffed out far too prematurely. A subsequent Oscar winner, the actor, director, musician, photographer, artist and chess guru Heath Ledger passed away at the age of 28. Medical reports indicated his death was accidental, the result of the abuse of prescribed medications. He…
Captivating imagery and insights into a brilliant but troubled mind come from one of Australia’s foremost contemporary artists and is wife of 27 years in this evocative documentary. Brett Whiteley is an Australian cultural icon. Nearly a quarter century after his death, you could argue there has never been anyone in the history of Australian art quite…
Right off the bat, here are three reasons you should see Alien: Covenant: Ridley Scott is back. The xenomorphs are back. If you’ve seen Prometheus, it will finally make sense. Yes, Ridley Scott is once more in the director’s chair to take us back into the dark, unforgiving world of the Alien franchise. The result is, thankfully,…
Silly in the extreme, Amy Schumer fans will, no doubt, continue to rejoice in her irreverent humour in Snatched. Schumer’s high water mark was unquestionably Trainwreck. I am now genuinely fearful that from hereon in all we will see her in is second-rate material that attempts to cash in on that movie’s announcement to the world that…
Who would have thought that one of the more perceptive observations on race in America would come via a comedy-horror movie? And while Get Out is a world away from well-meaning documentaries on the same topic, it probably has more to say and does so more deftly. Get Out is the brainchild of Jordan Peele,…
Along with Roger Donaldson’s 1977 political thriller Sleeping Dogs (which introduced us to Sam Neill), Geoff Murphy’s fast paced 1981 road movie Goodbye Pork Pie was one of the seminal films in putting New Zealand on the map and establishing the country’s modern film industry. Up until then the bulk of New Zealand productions were…
Many of us have pondered the meaning of life … whether we are here for a reason. The dogs featured in A Dog’s Purpose are asking the same questions. From director Lasse Hallström (The Hundred Foot Journey) comes the heartwarming story of one devoted dog – Bailey (the voice of Josh Gad). He finds the meaning…
With overtures of Schindler’s List, The Zookeeper’s Wife is based upon fact. It is the true story of gentiles who put everything on the line to save hundreds of Jews from annihilation during the Holocaust. Warsaw in Poland in 1939 was a very, very dangerous place to be. It was where Antonina Żabińska (Jessica Chastain) and her…
