From the man that brought you Trainspotting we have another gritty, intense depiction of debauchery, excessive drug and alcohol intake and the deterioration of the mind courtesy of the abuse of those substances. Climb aboard the rollercoaster and see if you can deduce what’s really going on in this mind-melding trip. Bruce Robertson ( James…
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And we’re back. It’s the sort of feeling you get the minute The Hunger Games: Catching Fire hits the screen, throwing you right back into Suzanne Collins’ hypnotising dystopic world of Panem, this time in a film helmed by Francis Lawrence (no relation to the film’s star). The sequel to the international hit film The…
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It’s been a few years since the last Jackass film; the hit and miss formula of ridiculous public stunts, aimed to shock and confuse bystanders is incredibly fun to watch at times, which is why the brand has always been entertaining. Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa threads this formula throughout an actual narrative, much like one…
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One of the great things about Brisbane International Film Festival is not only the celebration of new films and innovations but also the celebration of old ones. Six Degrees of Separation is almost incidentally nostalgic of New York, the 90s and the fantasy of socialites. Though there’s been enough time to get informed, it’s obvious…
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Viewers going in to see this documentary were warned that it was going to be grizzly. But none were prepared for the disturbing images this film produced. Most of which were re-enactments and fantasies, but they were all horrific and true. The Act of Killing focuses on a group of retired gangsters in Indonesia. In…
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You know when you watch a film, and when someone asks you to describe what you just watched you’re completely lost for words? Ari Folman’s The Congress is one of those films. It’s a psychedelic rabbit hole that you’ll tumble down with increasing velocity, leaving logic and reason behind for an experience like no other. Robin Wright stars…
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There have been mixed reviews for Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore’s latest masterpiece. His name is perhaps not extensively known in Australia, but some may remember his film Baarìa, a beautiful piece from 2009. The Best Offer may just be his best to date, showcasing his talents as both a director and a writer, casting insight to the mind…
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Poor Camille Claudel. The famous artist would create a lasting legacy of sculptures and drawings that are still important and relevant today. But she was also one tortured artist. Camille Claudel 1915 attempts to capture all of these emotions and feelings. It’s also a French biopic that is a claustrophobic chronicle of three days in her sad life. Claudel…
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The horror genre has always been filled with a lot of rubbish. Audiences will pay to see anything if they think it will scare them, regardless of the quality. This has led to the success of many sub-par horror films in recent years. However, there has been one director quietly championing the return of proper,…
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As an adaptation of Lloyd Jones’ award winning novel of the same name, Andrew Adamson has taken this story and breathed a visually rich and emotionally moving story to life on the big screen. On the island of Bougainville it’s idyllic, with white sandy beaches and crystal blue water, palm trees that are as tall…
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Armageddon Expo – when you hear the name, what does it conjure up in your mind? The book of revelation will tell you it’s the end of the world between good and evil. Going to this festival you will see it is full of characters that are portrayed as good and evil as well as…
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Have you ever wished that you could go back in time to stop yourself from saying something stupid? Or to return to a moment when you should have kissed someone but didn’t? Of course you have. One of the great frustrations of life is that you cannot re-live moments that have passed. But what if you…
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The plot of the recently released Runner, Runner centres around Richie Furst (played by Justin Timberlake), a Princeton student who loses all of his tuition money on Midnight Black, an online poker site run by Ivan Block (played by Ben Affleck) who then ends up working for him, moves swiftly from the get-go, but begins to pace…
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I’ve started writing this review mere minutes after seeing the film. There was even more hyperbole than what the end product suggests. I have left the cinema with an uncontrollable sense of awe. Even hours and days later, I can’t escape what I witnessed. In spite of the emotionally engaging and thrilling sequences that leave…
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Woody Allen’s directorial output has been decidedly uneven, particularly within the last decade. While highlights of the decade have included the thrilling Match Point (2005) and the joyous gem Midnight in Paris (2011), Allen has also underwhelmed us with films like You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010) and To Rome with Love (2012). This is understandable given the sheer frequency of…
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Now screening at IMAX Darling Harbour in Sydney, Hidden Universe 3D sets quite a few milestones for the Australian film industry. Most notably, the shortform IMAX production marks the first time an IMAX 3D film has been produced and directed by an Australian team. It was suitable, therefore, to premiere the film in a special screening at…
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While electronic music is doing supremely well in Australia at the moment, we can’t say that it’s always been this way. We can only dream of regularly having warehouse parties and living up to techno hotspots Paris and Berlin. With links to the underground and drug scene, it’s no surprise that the mysterious depths of…
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What do you get when you mash up a classic buddy cop duo film with some sci-fi supernatural elements and the director of a comic book spin-off film? You get R.I.P.D. which is basically like Men In Black, Ghostbusters and aforementioned director’s comic film Red but sadly doesn’t come anywhere near the quality of any of those. When I saw the…
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Now screening at IMAX Darling Harbour in Sydney, Hidden Universe 3D sets quite a few milestones for the Australian film industry. Most notably, the shortform IMAX production marks the first time an IMAX 3D film has been produced and directed by an Australian team. It was suitable, therefore, to premiere the film in a special…
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Director David Twohy is back with another installment in the Riddick franchise and just in case you’d forgotten who the movie was all about; the title is a handy reminder. Riddick has a bit to live up to, considering its predecessors and the fact that big action blockbusters are all the rage at the moment. Vin Diesel once again dons his black…
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Taking a slice of “Bourne Identity”, South Korean director Ryoo Seung-wan attempts to make an action-packed spy film reflecting upon the emotional connections denied to those who live as secret agents. Welcome to The Berlin File. In a hotel in Berlin, North Korean spy Pyo Jong-seong (Ha Jung-woo) is brokering an arms deal with a Russian broker and…
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Whatcha Wearin’? is a movie that was shown as part of KOFFIA 2013. This movie dealt with more mature themes, which made it really stand out to couples and very close best friends. The opening to the movie was interesting, fun and engaging. The organizers of KOFFIA set the night as “pajama night’ where the idea was…
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We’ve all witnessed it, whether on the news at an extreme scale, in our schools or workplaces, and may have been a victim or an instigator at some point. Bullying is a social sticking point, something that floats in and out of our peripheral vision, whether we acknowledge it or not. Director Shin Su-Won pulls the matter…
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Film-makers who operate in the area of short films have the unenviable task of captivating their audience in a very short period of time. There’s no time for the film to find its feet or grow on the audience; it must make its impression quickly and precisely. It is particularly impressive when a short film…
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Earlier this year, while at SXSW, Larry sat down with the cast and crew of the 2013 reboot of Evil Dead. Here’s the chat we had with one of Larry’s personal heroes, Bruce Campbell (producer and star of the original film) and fellow producer Rob Tapert. Here’s what went down as we talk about CGI,…
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Upon the trailer’s release, those who aren’t familiar with Cassandra Clare’s novels – the source material – immediately began comparing The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones to Twilight and Harry Potter. While the Harald Zwart-directed film is a worthwhile addition to the tween fantasy genre, it fails in more ways than one and is unlikely to impress anyone over the…
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In 1950s upstate New York in the small fictional town of Hammond, a group of 15 year old girls band together under the weight of post-war culture which aims to crush them with its sexist, oppressive ideals. Mostly hailing from broken homes where abuse and violence are the norm, these spirited young women form a…
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The closing night screening of Drinking Buddies as part of the Possible Worlds Film Festival was aptly capped off with pre-drinks (thanks to sponsors 4 Pines and Wild Turkey) and the announcement of the best American and Canadian film winners, as voted by this year’s jury. Passionately put by our presenter, it’s about fighting to bring back the social…
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If Evil Dead (the original 80s version not the dodgy remake), met the Supernatural brothers in an alleyway and they got into a fight, this film would most likely emerge, dusting itself off, out of the aftermath. (aka David Wong) horror comedy is chock-a-block full of dark slapstick humour, freakishly mind boggling scenes and enough gristly gore to make one’s stomach…
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The surprisingly provocative nature of fruit is explored in The Fruit Hunters adapted from Adam Gollner’s book of the same title. This tantalising documentary delves into the history and cultivation of nature’s candy and the passionate characters that search the globe for the most elusive varieties. Through a combination of CGI effects, historical re-enactments and cultivator/preservationist narratives, director Yung…
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