Movies

  Life is not a kind master on many levels. But perhaps it takes its greatest toll on the close relationships which define us and give us a sense of time and place and belonging, no matter how hard we fight to keep them fresh and vital. Nick and Meg Continue Reading

  So the Oscars-worthy rush of movies is over for the most part, and you could be forgiven for wondering if there are be any movies even remotely that good still in the offing. Well, thankfully there are with a rich bounty of both mainstream and indie movies coming our Continue Reading

  “Le vent se lève! … il faut tenter de vivre!” (“The wind is rising! We must try to live!”) The Wind Rises is as close as a movie can come to being a masterpiece. The reputedly final feature film from master animator Hayao Miyazaki (Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away, Continue Reading

  It’s not often you walk away from an awards ceremony, whether it’s the Grammys, the Golden Globes or the local sports club’s annual pats on the back, and think to yourself “Damn, that was fun!” Yes you wanted to know who won, and that’s why you sat through the Continue Reading

  “They wuz robbed!” It’s a cry you hear echo throughout the crowded corridors of the zeitgeist every time the nominations for an awards show are announced. Everyone has their own firm opinion on who should and shouldn’t have received a nod, and the anguished cries only amplify come the Continue Reading

  Great is the weight on any actor’s shoulders when they are required to carry almost an entire film on their thespian shoulders. But Mia Wasikowska (Stoker, Jane Eyre) is more than up to the challenge, bringing an enduringly strong yet restrained presence to the role of Robyn Davidson, who, Continue Reading

  Right so it’s time for bed time stories again. And you’d rather be attacked by a herd of ravenous zombies or watch one of those 3am informercials for brooms that also double as fat-free burrito ovens than read another sickly sweet book of politically correct fairytales. Well fear not Continue Reading

  Nebraska is a remarkable movie. Not least because director Alexander Payne (About Schmidt, Sideways) chose to film his exploration of a father (Woody Grant played by veteran actor Bruce Dern in fine form) and a son (David Grant, rendered with exasperated poignancy by Will Forte) finding a meeting point Continue Reading

  C. O. G. is a curiously lifeless film. It’s a particularly odd outcome when you consider it is based on one of noted essayist David Sedaris’ boisterously witty and incisive biographical pieces, which sparkle with verve and a thousand and one ideas and opinions. With material that emotionally and Continue Reading