Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011) is a respectful documentary chronicling the life of Jiro Ono, the most famous sushi chef in Tokyo. For 75 of his 85 years, Jiro has been perfecting the art of making sushi – and the pursuit continues. He works from sunrise to well beyond sunset, tasting all the produce, meticulously…
Swedish director Ruben Östlund’s film Force Majeure (2014) marked his arrival as a filmmaker of note. Americans Nat Faxon and Jim Rash wrote the screenplay for The Descendants (2011) and directed The Way Way Back (2013). But it seems the European sensitivities of Östlund’s film have been a little lost in translation in Faxon and…
One of my favorite musical scenes in film is that long opening sequence at the beginning of the movie Once, where you can hear Glen Hansard playing guitar and singing while the camera tracks along the dark streets of Dublin before settling on the singer/songwriter busking in front of a storefront. Knowing that Hansard’s career…
Just where the line between sanity and madness lies is one of the questions in Bliss. Another concerns the true value of the contribution one makes in life. Everyone loves Harry Joy (Toby Truslove). The world revolves around the successful advertising man who runs his own agency. Then, on a sunny afternoon, when aged 39,…
Relationships and love are sorely tested and put to the sword in C’est la Vie, the searing world premiere drama from British playwright Stephanie Silver that director Thomas Ian Doyle and the cast put together with only 10 days of rehearsals. Each of the couples here has hit major roadblocks from which there may be…
Back when I was reviewing for Brisbane’s Spectrum radio show I created the “Scottie” Awards. They were based entirely on my taste in entertainment and collated basically as a tribute the people who gave me a lot of pleasure and whose work I admire. This year I have decided to revive this annual event. So…
A near death experience is revealed as an adventure story in MTC’s comedic drama Touching the Void, which kicks off its 2022 season. The vehicle is the wake in a Scottish pub for climber Joe (Joe Klocek). It is being orchestrated by his potty-mouthed sister Sarah (Lucy Durack). Attending are the two members of Joe’s party on the…
School holidays are once again upon us, and there are plenty of options for some family friendly films to enjoy with Harold and the Purple Crayon, the Australian film Runt, and the animated origin story of Transformers One. However, easily the best of the bunch is the superb animated The Wild Robot, which has been…
– Early Man – Only in cinemas from 29 March 2018 We have 5 double in-season passes thanks to StudioCanal. *(Tickets valid in Australia only)* Watch the trailer HERE Set at the dawn of time when prehistoric creatures roamed the earth, Early Man tells the story of courageous caveman Dug (Eddie Redmayne) and his sidekick…
In the shadow of the Disney World complex in Orlando, Florida, is a strip of motels catering to those on the fringes of society. One of these rather grim places is home to the subjects of Sean Baker’s The Florida Project. And while the film has been almost universally lauded, I have to say I…
