He promised he’d be back, and it’s good to report that Arnold Schwarzenegger has returned to the Terminator franchise that made him a bona fide box office draw card looking little worse for wear. Thirty years ago James Cameron gave us an ambitious mix of sci-fi and action in the original Terminator movie about an…
A brief sexual encounter between Jay (Maika Monroe, from The Guest) and Hugh (Jake Weary) has terrifying consequences. An unwanted and malevolent presence begins following Jay everywhere and seems intent on killing her. The problem is that only she can see this mysterious and relentless boogeyman, and it can even change shape. Jay’s sister Kelly…
Based upon Gustave Flaubert’s literary classic and not to be confused with the recently released Gemma Bovery, this is the story of a young married woman desperate to escape the dullness of her provincial life. Madame Bovary is a straight drama, while Gemma Bovery was a comedic dramatic romantic reimagining, which drew inspiration from a…
An engaging script, a strong showing by two of the leads and good humour are hallmarks of this picture, which introduces us to a founding member of The Avengers’ universe. Marvel Comics first introduced Hank Pym/Ant-Man in 1962 in “Tales to Astonish #27” and the following year Pym appeared alongside The Avengers in the team’s…
If only I had more time to live my life? Perhaps the catch cry of many as the years go by and as regrets build. But what if that were, indeed, possible? In this provocative psychological science fiction thriller, director Tarsem Singh explores the consequences of living on for an eternity. Billionaire industrialist Damian Hale…
Nicole Kidman is noted for tackling a number of challenging roles and here is another; a needy woman on the precipice. Husband and wife, Matthew (Joseph Fiennes) and Catherine Parker (Kidman) have recently moved to the remote Australian desert town of Nathgari with their two teenage children. Their lives are flung into crisis when they…
The Mafia Only Kills in Summer was one of the big hits of the recent Italian Film Festival, and it now gains a limited cinema release. This is a quirky mix of coming of age tale, political satire and black comedy. The film is set against the backdrop of Palermo in the 70s and 80s,…
This French Chinese co-production is a beautiful and moving film, with a lot of heart and charm, and it has broad appeal. When her workaholic parents have to go on trips, young Ren Xing (Xin Yi Yang) is reluctantly left in the care of her estranged grandfather Zhu Zhigen (veteran Chinese actor Li Baotian, from…
Battle of Waterloo, by Kylie Coolwell, is a new Australian play. This is the Indigenous play that I have been waiting for. Ms Coolwell has written a work from the heart of an urban Indigenous community, in the contemporary world of the housing commission buildings of Waterloo, not far from Redfern, set in the thrilling…
Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren) is an elderly former refugee who, with the help of her tyro lawyer, takes on the intractable might of the Austrian Government in a protracted legal battle to regain possession of a valuable painting and family heirloom that was confiscated by the Nazis during WWII. The painting in question is Gustav…
