Nominated for eight Oscars, David Lynch’s 1980 dramatic biographical film The Elephant Man – featuring Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft and John Gielgud – remains seared into my consciousness. Now a clever and creative group of writers and composers (Marc Lucchesi, Sarah Nandagopan and Jayan Nandagopan) has taken the story’s essence, twisted it and turned…
Energy, heart, joy and fun are the ingredients of the latest circus to hit town. This year, more than any other in recent memory, has been the year of the circus, and we are only at the half-way point! Show after show has showcased (pardon the pun) feats of athleticism, dexterity, strength and endurance. Some…
– The Big Short – Only in cinemas from 14 January 2016 www.thebigshort.com.au ParamountPicturesAU @ParamountAU @ParamountAU #TheBigShort We have 5 prize packs including double in-season passes and merchandise thanks to Paramount Pictures Australia. *(Tickets valid in Australia only)* Watch the trailer HERE When four outsiders saw what the big banks, media and government refused…
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…
At 79 years old, Mavis Staples is an R&B institution who has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame, but she’s not sitting back on her laurels in a rocking chair at the living legends nursing home. She’s produced four fine studio album just in this…
Although I’ve seen a considerable number of episodes of the television series Star Trek at a young age, I’ve never felt like a real Trekkie. It fascinated me, but not to such an extent that I’d greet everyone in my daily life using a Vulcan salute. When the next generation Star Trek episodes started (with…
Justice or revenge? If someone close to you was murdered, what would you want and what would happen if you didn’t get what you wanted? That conundrum is at the heart of this thriller. I like a good police whodunit, an involving mystery that entangles you until the final frames. You might think you have…
Scream (2022-style) is a slasher movie that deals with other slasher movies and fans of slasher movies. Being familiar with the series that dates back to 1996 would undoubtedly aid understanding, but it’s not mandatory. I, for instance, hadn’t seen the four Scream films before this one and yet followed the story line. Ghostface is…
The tense Holocaust drama Farewell, Mr Haffmann concerns a Jewish jeweller in France caught up in the maelstrom as the Nazis spread their tentacles. It is May 1941 and Joseph Haffmann (Daniel Auteuil) runs a small jewellery shop. He’s noted for his fine craftsmanship. Haffmann sees the situation in occupied Paris worsening and understands the…
Urgent help needed – officer down. That’s the meaning behind the title of Triple 9, a gritty crime thriller directed by Australian John Hillcoat (The Road). Set in Atlanta, Georgia the film concerns a cadre of criminals conspiring with crooked cops (as portrayed by the likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor and Anthony Mackie) to rob a…
