DVD Review: Spione (Masters of Cinema)
Fritz Lang was the leading light of German expressionist cinema. His most successful period of film making was in Germany under the Weimar Republic. During this period he made such classics as Metropolis, M and Dr.Mabuse the Gambler. His pioneering vision has influenced many who followed and he continued making films after he’d emigrated to …
Incoming: Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy
Social media and cinema merge in this adaptation of a Twitter stream consisting of 410 consecutive tweets. A beautifully crafted coming-of-age story following the often absurdly comic as well as emotional trials and tribulations of an unknown teenage girl Mary. As high school student Mary prepares to graduate, she is faced with the prospect of …
DVD Review: The Girl Who Knew Too Much
During the ’60s and ’70s a weird and wonderfully strange type of film began do dominate Italian cinema. Giallo films are epitomised by a certain strangeness and a mix of crime, mystery, exploitation and horror elements. Suspiria is the finest example of the sub-genre and Dario Argento its chief exponent. Along with Suspiria, some of …
Film Review: The Imitation Game
Some stories will always prove troublesome to translate to the big screen. Alan Turing’s tale is as strange as it is , and despite being one of the most important people in this nation’s history, his life was shrouded in mystery. Hi role during the war was only revealed decades after his death. A posthumous …
Incoming: Diplomacy
On the night of 24 to 25 August 1944 The fate of Paris is in the hands of General Von Choltitz, Governor of Greater Paris, which is preparing on the orders of Hitler, to blow up the capital. Coming from a long line of Prussian military general has never hesitated when he had to obey orders. This …
DVD Review: Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla
It has been a strong couple of years in Australian and New Zealand for horror films. The Antipodeans are currently leading the world in producing innovative and quality genre pictures. The Babadook, What We Do In The Shadows and Housebound have all demonstrated a shrewd appreciation for the more intelligent aspects of horror, with Wolf …
Incoming: We are the Giant
In We are the Giant ordinary citizens face the same moral questions that have defined revolutionary leaders across the ages, from Jefferson to Che to Mandela. With remarkable access, the film takes its audience inside the lives of six extraordinary people who grapple with the agonizing and universal dilemmas at the heart of all struggles …
Incoming: Life Itself
Acclaimed director Steve James (Hoop Dreams) and executive producers Martin Scorsese (The Departed) and Steven Zaillian (Moneyball) present Life Itself, a documentary film that recounts the inspiring and entertaining life of world-renowned film critic and social commentator Roger Ebert – a story that is by turns personal, funny, painful, and transcendent. Based on his bestselling …
DVD Review: The Promised Land
Capitalism and poverty have been tackled through the mediums of literature and film in many different ways over the years. The most famous writers to broach the subject are Charles Dickens and Emile Zola, but there are countless examples from Eastern Europe as well (Fyodor Dostoevsky immediately springs to mind). Władysław Rejment won the Nobel …
Film Review: Nightcrawler
Patrick Bateman is probably the most famous sociopath to grace the big screen. Masterfully played by Christian Bale, his total contempt, hatred or disregard for other people was only matched by his ultra self-confidence and oily charm. Hannibal Lecter is partial to people, but only if they’re served with some fava beans and a big Amarone. Lou Bloom, …