And If We All Lived Together? puts a human face to that demographic we’re always hearing about on the news: the ageing population. This French film is the story of five lifelong friends who decide that the best way to deal with old age is to all move in together. When the lady-loving bachelor Claude…
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With a title like A Happy Event (or Un hereux événement, its original French name), one might expect this film to be a cheery little comedy that neatly tied clichés and cuteness with a bow. However, once the story of Barbara (Louise Bourgoin) and Nico (Pio Marmaï) progresses, it becomes increasingly clear that there is…
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The Way begins by introducing us to Tom (Martin Sheen), a Californian ophthalmologist who has an uneasy relationship with his son, Daniel (Emilio Estevez). Only minutes in, Tom gets a call from France and learns that Daniel has been killed in an accident. He flies to St. Jean, where Daniel’s body is being kept, and discovers…
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The Skin I Live In is a provocative film. While some people will find elements of it titillating, others will no doubt find it extreme and even grotesque. It is a difficult film, a suspense-filled drama that is initially shrouded in many layers of ambiguity. The dramatic build-up does reach a serious climax, as all…
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Café de Flore is a labour of love by writer/director Jean-Marc Valee (C.R.A.Z.Y). It is an account of two very different love stories – tales separated by different characters, countries and time periods. In spite of all this, an overarching feeling of loss, an intense rawness and a bittersweet tension link the two parts together….
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Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) and his father Thomas (Tom Hanks) have always searched for answers in the city of New York, following clues and making discoveries together. For Thomas, there was a special purpose to these activities: they encouraged Oskar to challenge himself and meet new people. Then, out of nowhere, comes ‘The Worst Day’:…
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Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Picture at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, Like Crazy is an emotional film about the impact of first love and the challenges that couples face in order to stay together. The film follows a British college student (Felicity Jones) and her American classmate (Anton Yelchin) who begin a passionate…
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Weekend is the story of Russell (Tom Cullen) and the two days he spends with Glen (Chris New), a man he brings home from a London gay bar one night. During their short time together, Russell and Glen learn a lot about each other’s sexuality, experiences with coming out and past relationships. While their ideas…
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This year’s winner of the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture- Drama, The Descendants is the story of Matt King (George Clooney), a lawyer whose extended family inherited large amounts of land on Hawaii from their ancestors. His wife, Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) has just been in a boating accident that has left her in coma. As King…
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Australian cinema in 2011 was dominated by Snowtown; the controversial cinematic depiction of the ‘Bodies in the Barrel’ case that is known as Australia’s worst and most infamous serial killings. Having only recently viewed the film, all I can say is that it’s the most disturbing film I have ever seen… and I’ve seen some…
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If you’re looking for a film to scare yourself out of ever having kids you’ve found it. Tilda Swinton plays Eva, a woman struggling to raise the sullen son she isn’t sure she wanted. Played by Rock Duer, Jasper Newell and eventually Ezra Miller, Kevin is an increasingly menacing presence in a family that is…
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Drive tells the story of a moonlighting misfit, who by day is a stunt driver and part-time mechanic and by night plays the accessory and getaway driver to the odd crime. Starring Hollywood heartthrob, Ryan Gosling, the young actor plays another left-field and at times difficult character. He is a loner and a man of…
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