Boyhood was a very good film, but it was bloated. Last Flag Flying, by the same director, Richard Linklater, isn’t as good. Like Boyhood, it’s also distended, but still has its moments. Three buddies who served in Vietnam together reunite after decades for one express purpose. In 2003, soft-spoken family man Larry “Doc” Shepherd (Steve…
Kelly Rimmer’s Before I Let You Go hooked me with its story of two sisters and one impossible choice – it was one of those books that once you get to a certain point, you have to keep on reading. And it’s also one of those books that makes you think about what you would…
Desire, loss and madness are in the spotlight in the Australian premiere of Right Now. This comedic drama asks the question: what’s real and what is imagined? Quebecois playwright Catherine-Anne Toupin wrote the play, and Chris Campbell translated it from the French. Alice (Christina O’Neill) is a beautiful young woman. She’s been married for three…
The title is quite a mouthful, but The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a delightful British crowd-pleaser that combines the impact of war with true love. Based on the bestselling novel of the same name, the film tells the story of Juliet Ashton (Lily James), a free-spirited, successful writer living in post-WWII…
Pastels, heels and red wine are the order for I Feel Pretty, the new feel-good comedy from comedic It Girl, Amy Schumer. Schumer stars as Renee, a regular girl stuck in a nothing job. She lives in a bland apartment, with self-esteem to match. She’s emotionally propped up by her gal pals Vivien (Aidy Bryant)…
Exiting the cinema having watched Super Troopers 2, I was stuck with a dilemma. How to describe a movie that’s so woefully bad, it should never have been made? Honestly, I can’t recall having seen the original from 2001. Perhaps if I had, I may have known to stay away from any sequel, no matter…
“It was great to be able to go off and start making films because, all of a sudden the challenge was greater, and the emotional punch was greater,” says British filmmaker Mike Newell, who has just released his latest film, a lush adaptation of the best-selling novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society….
Cloverfield was a unique film. Lots of fans were looking forward to a sequel to this amusing found footage monster film. The sequel 10 Cloverfield Lane came 8 years later. It didn’t feel like this film had anything to do with the initial film. Till the end of the movie. It’s clear this one was…
Young Jewish comedian Michael Shafar relates stories about his life as they pertain to his girlfriend of nine years, Amanda, and his parents. They include a particularly lame “dad joke” that keeps haunting him and various body parts of his that his mother has kept. His grandmother also isn’t spared his opprobrium – all these…
On stage in her cabaret show 39 Forever, Amity Dry is funny and empowered. It’s hard to believe that back in 2003 this versatile performer shot to prominence in the first season of The Block. Now on a fun girls’ night out (with a few new age sensitive guys in tow), Amity charms us with…
