The third British Film Festival screens at Palace Cinemas around Australia from October 28, and according to festival director Kim Petralis, the growth of the festival in three short years has been quite staggering. When the festival started off in 2013 they had a humble 123 sessions nationally. This year, Petralis says that they are…
The movie Living contemplates the rhetorical question “You call that living?”. We’re in London in the 1950s and the respect Mr Williams (Bill Nighy) heads up Public Works at County Hall. He and his staff travel to work each day by train – although not in the same carriage – dressed to the nines (bowler…
A superb, creative staging of the Greek tragedy Medea, knowledge of the story before entering the theatre would be a distinct advantage. To say I was excited by what I saw is an understatement. I was ecstatic. Medea: Out of the Mouths of Babes is one of the most remarkable productions I have had the privilege…
What if space travel had evolved to such an extent that man had landed on Mars and you had inadvertently been left on the red planet with next to no chance of survival? That is the premise at the heart of this action adventure science fiction film, directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Black…
French auteur Claire Denis (White Material) often explores fragile relationships in her films, looking at the tension between her characters and the corrosive effects of the lack of trust. Her latest film Both Sides of the Blade (known as Fire in some territories) explores a romantic triangle that spirals out of control and the emotional…
This March a brand new event will be bringing folk music to the inner western suburbs of Sydney and it looks pretty exciting. The brand new Summer Hill Folk Festival is set to take place at the Summer Hill Church on Saturday 5th March. The line-up for the festival is impressive, bringing together some of…
Risque business? Unfunny business? Long gone are the days when Vince Vaughn used to make energetic and enjoyable comedies. But recently the aggressive motor mouthed comic actor has recently made a number of largely unfunny, mediocre and embarrassingly dull comedies of late, with films like The Dilemma, Fred Claus, The Watch and Delivery Man to…
First love erupts into a fight for Country in Whitefella Yella Tree. Teen indigenous Australians from different clans meet to exchange information. Ty (Joseph Althouse) of the River mob is tall, wiry, reflective and intelligent. Neddy (Danny Howard) of the Mountain mob is slightly shorter and sturdier, a livewire who darts about. They meet beneath…
Documentaries about actors tend to follow a well-worn path. And they often end up being more interested in glorifying their subjects than analysing them. But those charges can’t be levelled at Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, who provide a compelling look at the life and legacy of Christopher Reeve in Super/Man. Reeve, of course, was…
A compelling spiritual horror thriller, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It continues the Warrens’ journey into the occult, with arguably the most complex case yet. Based on fact, it tells the tale of a young man facing the death penalty after an horrific murder. His defence? That he was possessed by the devil….
