Amy Scott’s recent documentary celebrating the life and work of the late director Hal Ashby, simply called Hal, may have slipped by without you noticing. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018 and received a limited release late last year. Scott must be commended for making a tender and celebratory ode to an … Continue reading Peace and Love: The Wonderful Films of Hal Ashby
What would you do with half a million bucks? Maybe buy a nice house, purchase some hot wheels, or perhaps take the family away on a luxurious cruise? Would you spend it on a movie about aliens? Yes, you would?...okay, good to know and thanks for dropping by, Roger Corman. It’s not a small amount … Continue reading Midnight Movies, Part 2 – Shooting Up Into A Liquid Sky
As Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) reminded us, America in the 1950s could be an uncomfortable and unpleasant time. Not yet fully recovered from the physical horrors of World War II and deep into the psychological terror that was spread about Communism and the threat of nuclear war, this was … Continue reading Saturday Afternoon Movies, Part 7 – Hell and High Water (1954 Samuel Fuller)
There has always been an appetite for provocative subject matter in movies. Whether that comes principally from the will of the audience or the will of the creator is a matter of debate. When I say provocative subject matter, I mean anything that intentionally veers from the mainstream path and entices the viewer into challenging … Continue reading Midnight Movies, Part 1 – The Acid Adventures of El Topo
I was very privileged to have experienced the CinefestOZ Film Festival down in the beautiful Margaret River region in South West Australia recently. It is a neatly-styled, homegrown festival with a community feel and a strong focus on Indigenous film-making. It mainly showcases Australian films, but with a tinge of international influence from the likes … Continue reading Review Special: 2019 CinefestOz Film Festival, Western Australia
Ophelia (2018, IFC Films) Directed by Claire McCarthy. Screenplay by Semi Chellas. Featuring Daisy Ridley, Naomi Watts, Clive Owen and George MacKay. Ophelia is a retelling of the classic Shakespearean romantic tragedy Hamlet from the perspective of Ophelia, one of the most iconic tragic female figures in literature. But this is a retelling of her … Continue reading The Two Reviews: Ophelia and Midsommar
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019, Sony Pictures) Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Timothy Olyphant, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern and Al Pacino. Narrated by Kurt Russell. SPOILER ALERT: Please note that some of the film's plot is discussed in detail below. Once Upon … Continue reading The One Review: Once Upon A Time in Hollywood (2019 Quentin Tarantino)
With the promise of control of the X-Men Universe reverting back to Marvel, it is interesting to look back on the roller-coaster of quality and influence that is the X-Men movies. It has been almost 20 years since Bryan Singer made X-Men (2000) and as a result made superhero movies fashionable and profitable again. The … Continue reading Saturday Afternoon Movies, Part 4 – Push (2009 Paul McGuigan)
This film is a recording of a live concert of the iconic rock band The Cure at Hyde Park, London in July 2018 - the anniversary of their first live performance 40 years earlier. It is directed by Tim Pope, a long-time collaborator with The Cure and a producer of nearly all of their music … Continue reading Review Special: The Cure Anniversary – 1978-2018 – Live in Hyde Park London
On a rainy Saturday afternoon what do you do if you want to watch something like Blade Runner but with a little more gore and, if possible, a British setting? The answer to that question is easy. You watch Split Second (1992). Have you ever seen those Photoshop images of what London would look like … Continue reading Saturday Afternoon Movies, Part 3 – Split Second (1992) and Deep Rising (1998)
Momentary Cinema 