Mankind’s eternal search for the fountain of youth has seen Hollywood explore more than one scenario where immortality is a reality, always at some morally reprehensible dystopic expense. Films such as Elysium,The Island, Transcendence or more recently Chappie have approached the idea from different angles with great success. Whether director Tarsem Singh’s (The Fall, Immortals,…
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‘Dia de Muertos’ aka Day of the Dead has always been a great theme for films to work with, particularly animated ones. Director Jorge Gutierrez has taken the opportunity to inject the Mexican tradition’s vibrancy into The Book of Life, generating a sense of wonderment through stunning visuals and lively characters. The film’s plot revolves…
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Every once in a while a phrase or acronym surfaces which unjustly gives legs to a social stereotype. In The Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) Director Ari Sandel applies his tongue in cheek approach to some of the more serious social undercurrents that continue to plague ‘young people’ working out their place in the world, resulting in a film…
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Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Bob and Linda have a life, one that doesn’t always revolve around their kids or the burger shop. Like all busy parents they need some ‘us time’ and “Adventures in Chinchilla-sitting” explores their kooky, cute relationship whilst setting the stage for the kind of shenanigans that children get to…
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Bob’s penchant for not backing down on ‘the principle of the thing’ no matter how inane rears its head in “Lil Hard Dad”. The difference this time around is Gene, who usually doesn’t pay much attention to his father’s impassioned irrelevant causes, decides to jump on board the insane train. The result a rare moment where Bob’s…
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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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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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In it’s eight year, the Possible Worlds Film Festival has broadened its focus, premiering ten films from the United States in addition to the usual Canadian cinematic experiences offered to Australia. Within the ten Canadian films on the programme sits exploitative drama Diego Star, a probing look at social justice directed by up and comer, Frédérick Pelletier. The Diego…
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The Numbers Station is a government conspiracy based thriller, revolving around a concept which should have been an easy sell for Danish Director Kasper Barfoed. Unfortunately, ambiguous story telling and poor character development leave this film with only a few redeeming features, which are so subtle, you could blink and miss them. Emerson (John Cusack) is a burnt…
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