What will most likely draw audiences to The Lobster is its gimmick. The protagonist, David (Colin Farrell), is sent to a dreary hotel where he has forty-five days to select a life partner, or he will be turned into the animal of his choosing (a Lobster). The world that writers Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou…
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There are many aspects of London Road that are just plain weird. This musical-turned-film is based on the true events surrounding the serial murders of five female sex workers in 2006 by Steve Wright, taking interviews about the crimes verbatim and turning them into snazzy show-tunes. But perhaps what is most unique about London Road…
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One of the most complex and perilous issue facing Mexico-US relations in the twenty-first century are the treacherous drug cartels, corrupting every aspect of day-to-day life in border cities like Tijuana and Juarez, and the intricate infiltration of these cartels by FBI agents. This complicated issue is incredibly difficult to grasp, let alone to translate…
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In 1988, the musical landscape was forever changed when hip-hop group NWA (N****s With Attitude) hit the charts, radios and stages across the globe. A story whose telling is long overdue (as Ice Cube rightly points out, there are plenty of Elvis films out there), Straight Outta Compton charts the politically-charged history of one of…
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It’s a sad fact, but most Australians don’t want to watch Australian films. Many will claim that Aussie films are boring, dull and poorly made, and it’s easy to blame audiences for their lack of devotion to their local film industry. However, it’s more accurate to blame the industry itself for the films it makes….
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Over the past year, we’ve seen people in the entertainment industry draw attention to ageism directed towards actresses. And whether it’s Maggie Gyllehaal speaking out about being told she was ‘too old to play the lover of a man who was 55’ at 37 years old, or the writers of Inside Amy Schumer discussing their…
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Sherlock Holmes is one of the most prolific fictional characters ever created, with the numerous adaptations of Arthur Conan Doyle’s novels reaching audiences through the mediums of television, film, theatre, comics and even video games. In recent times the famous detective has been portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch in the popular BBC series Sherlock, Johnny Lee…
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Everyone knows that complex and empowering female characters are difficult to find in mainstream films. But there are some who have stood out and become the changing faces of feminism in cinema. In this regular column, Jade Bate looks at her favourite film heroines who are strong, empowering and kick ass. Before he was spewing…
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The Terminator franchise is one that both proves and disproves the rule that sequels are never as good as the original. There’s Evil Dead, Alien and Terminator in this rather particular category. The further this franchise lurches on, the more the cynics of the world are vindicated; sequels are a cash grab, nothing more. Given…
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Director Asif Kapadia (who brought us the acclaimed 2010 documentary Senna) has made another brutally honest documentary telling the turbulent and short life of Amy Winehouse. The story unfolds through the words of Winehouse herself through expertly edited home videos along with voiceovers and snippets from the people closest to her. I was more than…
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Inside Out, Disney Pixar’s latest film, follows the pre-pubescent years of young Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), a hockey-loving, family-orientated young girl whose life seems absolutely perfect – until her parents make her move with them from Minnesota to San Francisco. This sudden change prompts a swirl of uncontrollable emotions; those complex ones that are difficult to…
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For most of us, the closest we’ve been to Scientology is watching this video of Tom Cruise. If Cruise’s flaring nostrils and hysteric laugh didn’t have you going cross eyed at the new age “religion,” Alex Gibney’s new documentary will. Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief draws back the curtain that has hung…
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Big on the spectacle, low on the character development. This statement accurately summarises Jurassic World, the latest installment in the Jurassic Park franchise; a series which should have stopped with the Stephen Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster. The first film effectively combined rollicking dinosaur action with characters and a plot that the audience cared about (who can…
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Everyone knows that complex and empowering female characters are difficult to find in mainstream films. But there are some who have stood out and become the changing faces of feminism in cinema. In this regular column, Jade Bate looks at her favourite film heroines who are strong, empowering and kickass. Chinese cinema has had a…
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