It may sound a strange thing to say in a creative medium fit-to-bursting with stories of redemption and hope but there are precious few authentic feel-good tales in modern cinema. Too often legitimately affecting narratives are over-burnished or emotionally overwrought to such a degree that they remain moving but Continue Reading
Movies
Liar liar pants on fire! Or is he? We find out in Luis and the Aliens
SNAPSHOT No-one believed Luis’s dad when he said he’d been attacked by an alien. And growing up with an obsessed Ufologist for a father hasn’t been easy for 12-year-old Luis, either. But then three crazy aliens crash their ship right in front of Luis, and finally, he’s got the Continue Reading
Weekend pop art: A pop culture A to Z by Otis Frampton
I remember fondly the days of learning my ABCs, when my kindergarten teacher Miss Allen and Sesame Street jointly taught me – contentions about how to pronounce the letter “Z” aside -how to go from the beginning to the end of the alphabet (love the song!) and how to Continue Reading
The hunt has evolved … all-new killing-happy The Predator
SNAPSHOT From the outer reaches of space to the small-town streets of suburbia, the hunt comes home. The universe’s most lethal hunters are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before, having genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species. When a boy accidentally triggers their return to Earth, only Continue Reading
Movie review: Incredibles 2
Sequels occupy an odd place in the pantheon of Hollywood films, often eagerly-anticipated and existentially-dreaded in equal measure. They are usually, though not always, a response to a film making a cratering impact on the pop culture firmament, and while the studios make them because cash registers will likely Continue Reading
Retro movie review: The Incredibles
Being a superhero is, for the most part, a grimly singular endeavour. Sure, Marvel’s crop of cinematically-popular fighters of evil and catastrophe such as Thor, Black Widow, Iron Man and the like come together when needed as The Avengers, and even Batman, Superman and a cameo-like Wonder Woman have Continue Reading
It takes an arachnid to crush a village: Lucas the Spider in “Giant Spider”
Lucas the Spider is a sweetheart. True in the latest adventure from creator/animator Joshua Slice, Lucas, who is voiced by Slice’s nephew, he upends the lives of some fair wooden folk who he charmingly calls in on in the kind of sing-songy way people in musicals are wont to Continue Reading
Movie review: Puzzle #SydFilmFest
Agnes (Kelly Macdonald) is lost. Not physically necessarily; in fact, as you watch her walk, automata-like, through her daily routine of housework, church meetings, religious observance, and even waking up where the sameness of waiting for the alarm to go off is a thing of exquisite drudgery in and Continue Reading
Movie review: A Season in France (Une saison en France) #SydFilmFest
One look at the poster for A Season in France (Une saison en France) might lead you to believe that this film, written and directed with great insight and empathy by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, is a feel-good triumph against considerable odds. It is anything but of course, with the understated nuanced narrative Continue Reading
“We’re all family here. No matter how small.” Dumbo live action teaser trailer
SNAPSHOT From Disney and visionary director Tim Burton, the all-new grand live-action adventure “Dumbo” expands on the beloved classic story where differences are celebrated, family is cherished and dreams take flight. Circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) enlists former star Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) and his children Milly (Nico Continue Reading