The genius, the arrogance and the madness of Spanish artist Salvador Dali (played by Ben Kingsley) is front and centre in Daliland. Mary Harron’s (American Psycho) film presents a picture of a 70-year-old man obsessed with sexual creativity, but who doesn’t actually have sex. Dali deeply loves his volatile wife, Gala (Barbara Sukowa), who controls…
Director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell began the Insidious franchise in 2010. The first Insidious featured Patrick Wilson as Josh Lambert, Rose Byrne as his wife Renai, Ty Simpkins as their son Dalton and Lin Shaye as the medium Elise Rainier. It concerned a family looking to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose…
Think of the hijinks in Crazy Rich Asians, Bridesmaids and The Hangover and you go some way to understanding why Joy Ride will be a fan favourite. There are laughs, silliness and good times aplenty. As five-year-olds, Audrey and Lolo meet by chance in 1998 at a New York park. Born in Asia, Audrey –…
An indigenous lad (Aswan Reid) reshapes the lives of those living at a remote monastery in 1940s Australia in Warwick Thornton’s The New Boy. The outback facility serves as a mission for Aboriginal children. It’s run by a feisty, renegade nun, Sister Eileen (Cate Blanchett). At the time only men could operate missions. But the…
It would be easy to dismiss this charming crowd-pleasing little film as a Gallic variation of the Oscar winning Driving Miss Daisy. But this French drama, which screened during the recent Alliance Francaise French Film Festival, is so much more. Madeleine Keller (played by veteran singer and actress Line Renaud, recently seen in Call My…
The high-octane ride that is Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is again directed by Christopher McQuarrie. He wrote the screenplay with Erik Jendresen. It is the seventh movie in the franchise and is the longest yet at 2 hours 43 minutes. Spectacular stunts, car chases, a runaway train heading for destruction, humour and…
If Indiana Jones was a rock star instead of a movie character, the Dial of Destiny – the latest and last movie in the franchise – would be his farewell tour. The chops are still there, but the cracks are showing and the pace is a bit off. The ageing headliner is perhaps upstaged by…
The small, feel-good movie, Red, White & Brass was inspired by events surrounding Tongan locals in New Zealand at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Like most Tongans in New Zealand, Maka (John-Paul Foliaki) is mighty excited that the Rugby World Cup is about to arrive on his doorstep. Ticket sales are soon to open for…
From the trailer, you’d think No Hard Feelings was another Judd Apatow-movie clone full of raunchy comedy. But director Gene Stupnitsky and his writing partner John Phillips obviously didn’t get the memo. Because they’re crafted a slyly intelligent comedy with some actual heart. Stupnitsky’s most recent feature film was Good Boys (2019), which hit a…
Nicole Holofcener’s comedic drama You Hurt My Feelings asks whether it’s okay to lie if you’re trying to protect a loved one. Beth (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Don (Tobias Menzies) are a ridiculously loved-up middle-aged couple. Beth is the author of a moderately successful memoir, struggling to find a publisher for her first novel. She also…
