Christopher Abbott

Film Review: On the Count of Three navigates the fragility of mental health with a bleak sense of humour

A buddy comedy centred around a suicide pact isn’t exactly going to be the easiest sell (or the most pleasant viewing experience), and coming out on the other side of a global pandemic where mental health issues surged certainly doesn’t help matters either, but here we are with On the Count of Three, an at-times…

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Blu-Ray Review: Possessor blends the psychological and visceral effects of proposed technological voyeurism

Opening with one of the most violently stunning set pieces witnessed in cinema in recent memory, Possessor suggests something of a techno-thriller is to follow in the 100-or-so minutes.  But, almost to be expected given it has the Cronenberg name attached to it, the rug is more than swept out from underneath us as the…

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Melbourne International Film Festival Review: Black Bear is a chaotic, relentless experience grounded by a mesmerising Aubrey Plaza

There are some films you just can’t quite pick. As much as Lawrence Michael Levine‘s Black Bear stays relatively true to its basic plot logline – “A filmmaker at a creative impasse seeks solace from her tumultuous past at a rural retreat, only to find that the woods summon her inner demons in intense and…

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Sydney Film Festival Review: Piercing (USA, 2018) is a sadistic screwball macabre comedy with two fantastic lead performances

Before I start this review, it has to be said that this writer has a sick and depraved sense of humour. So stepping in to watch this sadistic horror/comedy film Piercing for Sydney Film Festival 2018, my expectations were sky-high. The feature has been adapted from a novel by acclaimed author Ryu Murakami, who is…

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