Set in the aftermath of WWII, Phoenix is a slow burn noir-like psychological thriller about identity, survival, obsesion and betrayal. It bears some similarity to the Hitchcock classic Vertigo as well as Brian De Palma’s Obsession. Disfigured Jewish concentration camp survivor Nelly Lanz (Nina Hoss, recently seen in A Most Wanted Man) has undergone plastic…
The Christmas-New Year period in Australia is absolutely the best time to see movies. Now only is it usually hot (so spending some quality time in air-conditioned comfort makes a lot of sense) but with many people on holidays, there’s plenty of time to pick out what you want to see. Add to that the…
Outside of the first two films in Edgar Wright’s so-called Cornetto Trilogy, Simon Pegg’s film career has probably seen more misses than hits. He recently redeemed his reputation with roles in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and the romantic comedy Man Up, although the latter’s success was due more to the superb chemistry he shared with…
American author David Foster Wallace may not exactly be a household name, but his reputation as a serious writer was cemented in 1996 with the publication of his critically acclaimed 1079 page tome Infinite Jest. Wallace embarked on a whirlwind five-day publicity tour of the Midwest to promote the book. He was accompanied on the…
JJ Abrams (Mission: Impossible III, Star Trek) is the man of the moment and he deserves all the recognition he will get. The visionary director (and co-screenwriter, in this case with Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt) has achieved what we all hoped he could with the reboot, or perhaps that should read refocus, of the…
A turgid, moody snore fest is in store for those who venture out to see Angelina Jolie’s second film as a writer and third as director (fourth if you count the documentary A Place in Time). She also happens to star in it (and produces it) alongside her husband Brad Pitt, but even two actors…
The Night Before is not your typical feel good Christmas Eve fable. Rather this R-rated comedy is an anti-Christmas movie and with its anarchic streak of humour is more in the same tone as the black comedy Bad Santa. However, this is also this year’s Christmas turkey, and what an unappealing and tasteless serving it…
– Carol – Only in cinemas from 14 January 2016 We have 10 double in-season passes thanks to Transmission Films. *(Tickets valid in Australia only)* Watch the trailer HERE Winner Best Actor – Rooney Mara – Cannes Film Festival 2015. Based on Patricia Highsmith’s novella The Price of Salt. Set in 1950s New York,…
The low budget crowd pleasing underdog story Rocky won the Oscar for Best Film in 1977, made a star out of Sylvester Stallone, and spawned a number of sequels of varying quality. This seventh film in the long running franchise is the first to be written by someone other than Stallone himself. He felt that…
Looking for a love story with a difference? I found that in Alex Brunkhorst’s novel, The Gilded Life of Matilda Duplaine. It’s described as a modern-day Gatsby with hints of Daphne Du Maurier. I wouldn’t go so far as the Du Maurier – it didn’t have that gothic gloom underpinning the mystery – but it…
