A dystopian future is a solid foundation of any interesting film. Bleak surroundings and despicable characters comprise these future worlds and their stories explore the very raw and basic instincts of man. Australian export The Rover is no exception and the results are pretty solid. The talented Guy Pearce turns in an intense, fully believable performance here and Robert Pattinson isn’t half bad in an unconventional role.
Ravenous Written by Ted Griffin Directed by Antonia Bird USA, 1999 Ravenous is a film that is deceitful above all things. Almost from the outset, and certainly from the trailers, it portrays itself as a horror comedy in the vein of perhaps Evil Dead II or Cabin Fever. However, as the film comes together, the viewer quickly begins to see …
Hateship Loveship Written by Mark Jude Poirier Directed by Liza Johnson USA, 2013 Alice Munro is one of the finest living fiction writers, consistently able to create tight stories with hidden depths about uniquely aching and awkward characters. A few years ago, Sarah Polley adapted one of her stories from the collection Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, …
Christopher Nolan has earned carte blanche by dint of not just vision and execution but depth; he always buries material under the surface. Are you watching closely?
Jack Irish doesn’t just have an incredibly banal, writerly name (it could easily be Reginald Fakename), he has a completely bland existence of the sort that feels carbon-copied from any of dozens of mystery novels, films, and television shows. Jack has it all: a dead wife, a dark past, a former legal career that has transformed into work as a private eye, and rugged good looks that suggest he has seen some things he’d rather forget. Jack Irish: Dead Point is the third time Guy Pearce has played the character (he previously appeared in Jack Irish: Bad Debts and Jack Irish: Black Tide, all based on the series of novels by Peter Temple), and he is completely wasted in the role. Irish doesn’t really emote; he mostly walks through the by-the-numbers plotting as if waiting for the end credits to arrive.
Director Antonia Bird’s Ravenous is a bizarre amalgamation of humor and horror that explores cannibalism with warped nuance. The strangely cacophonous score builds up tension as craven outcasts face a glutinous and depraved attacker whose strength seems fortified by his consumption of human flesh. Set during America’s westward expansion, the metaphor of humanity’s insatiable appetite for power is plain to see but its execution indulges in such eccentricities that it is still a gruesome pleasure to behold.
If you flashback to the early 00’s, there was still a sense of excitement and anticipation at the announcement of Ridley Scott working on a new project. This was a visionary director who’s expansive, ambitious and heart capturing visual eye had given the world of cinema such wonders as Alien and Blade Runner, masterpieces of …
Drake Doremus’s latest film, Breathe In, is a taut, emotional drama, starring Guy Pearce as a middle-aged high school music teacher who has never abandoned his dream of becoming a full-time musician. His character, Keith, is living in a state of continual but indifferent regret; despite having a loving wife (Amy Ryan), highly-achieving daughter (Mackenzie Davis) and beautiful house in upstate New York, he yearns for the exciting bohemian lifestyle of his youth, of which only his passion for music remains. The domestic inertia is broken when the family accept an English exchange student into their home, the 18-year-old piano prodigy, Sophie (Felicity Jones), who rekindles Keith’s romantic nostalgia and forces him to revaluate his responsibilities to his family and himself.
Iron Man 3 Directed by Shane Black Written by Drew Pearce & Shane Black USA, 2013 Fun has become a slightly forgotten commodity in the summer blockbuster, with many studios and filmmakers now inspired by the efforts of directors like Christopher Nolan to be as grim as possible. The modern superhero often has to be …
Lawless Written by Nick Cave Directed by John Hillcoat USA, 2012 Director John Hillcoat and musician Nick Cave have collaborated numerous times since the late 1980s, from Cave having starred in Ghosts… of the Civil Dead to composing Hillcoat’s adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. Lawless marks their second collaboration involving Cave as screenwriter, following …
Lawless Written by Nick Cave Directed by John Hillcoat USA, 2012 Director John Hillcoat and musician Nick Cave have collaborated numerous times since the late 1980s, from Cave having starred in Ghosts… of the Civil Dead to composing Hillcoat’s adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. Lawless marks their second collaboration involving Cave as screenwriter, following …
L.A. Confidential Directed by Curtis Hanson Written by Curtis Hanson and Brian Helgeland U.S.A., 1997 There can be such a thing as a fantastic ensemble piece in hindsight. Granted, the idea comes across as a little unorthodox since any film, provide the casting is right and the subsequent careers of the actors flourish, can look …
Prometheus Written by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof Directed by Ridley Scott USA, 2012 This review contains no explicit narrative spoilers. Prometheus is a hugely disappointing film on several levels. The first is in regards to its director Ridley Scott, never the most consistent filmmaker but one with an especially underwhelming track record since 2003’s …
Lockout Directed by James Mather and Stephen St. Leger Written by Stephen St. Leger and James Mather France, 2012 Luc Besson is one of the most prolific, hard working individuals in the film industry today. His talents range from writing, producing to directing. While his dexterity may be enough for a host of people to …
Throughout the month of December, TV Editor Kate Kulzick and Film Editor Ricky D will review classic Christmas adaptions, posting a total of 13 each, one a day, until the 25th of December. The catch: They will swap roles as Rick will take on reviews of classic television Christmas specials and Kate will take on …
Dimension Films, The Weinstein Company, and 2929 Productions present The Road, a film by John Hillcoat. Based upon the acclaimed novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy and adapted by Joe Penhall, The Road stars Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee with notable names in supporting performances given by Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce, and Charlize …