Mad Max: Fury Road Movie Review
The set designs are awe inspiring and play as much of a character in the proceedings as top billed stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. The vehicles on display are also amazing and this side of the film has been ramped up to the point of disbelief. Car heads are in for a very good time. There are also a few surprises with casting that give you a chance to see known stars outside their comfort zone.
Themes of a post-apocalyptic wasteland are revisited but with enough of a twist to keep ...
Pitch Perfect 2 Movie Review
The oddly cadenced film suffers from a script that is very uneven and a directing style that didn’t help to stitch things together. First time full-length film director Elizabeth Banks (who also stars in the film) just doesn’t have the accumulated chops to add much to the mix.
When the film relies on storyline, it’s a bit of a mess but as a platform for one-liners, it is very funny. Rebel Wilson does the most with her joke riddled part and her over the top persona rivals the ...
Boychoir Movie Review
If the narrative sounds familiar that’s because it is. This same basic framework has been used over and over from Fame to Billy Elliot. Substitute the poor kid for a rich kid and you have Dead Poet's Society; substitute adults for the schoolboy and you have The Full Monty. Boychoir ticks off each obligatory plot point with metronomic predictability offering no new twists to a tired formula. Everything turns out exactly how you'd expect.
The film boasts an impressive cast list including ...
The Queensland Film Festival 2015
The announcement of these four films—spanning three continents and a range of styles, traditions, and subject matter—signals QFF’s commitment to quality and variety in cinema, according to Festival co-director John Edmond.
“There’s Jealousy, the latest work by a French master director; the highly anticipated The Duke of Burgundy; and Eight, a claustrophobic local effort shot in one bravura take.”
“We’re also thrilled to screen the The Forbidden Room, which imagines a ...
2015 Spanish Film Festival Competition
This year’s Spanish Film Festival program exclusive to Palace Cinemas around Australia boasts 38 features from across Spain, Latin-America, and beyond, as varied as the ceramic tiles on a Gaudi masterpiece. The Festival will open with Emilio Martínez-Lázaro’s SPANISH AFFAIR, which was seen by over two million people in the fortnight following its release in Spain. This comedic tale mischievously pokes fun at cultural differences as it tracks a young southerner who tenaciously seeks to ...
Avengers: Age of Ultron Movie Review
One of first film’s strongest points was the dynamics between the characters and how they riffed off each other. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man was given some great lines and everyone else had to up their game just to keep up. The new script is mysteriously bereft of most of those moments and sticks to a pacing of mostly action scenes patched together with momentary bits of dialogue. When the action does arrive however, it is dazzling.
The film also relies a bit too heavily ...
The Gunman Movie Review
Standing in for Neeson this time out is the now craggy faced Sean Penn, who looks like he spent considerable time in the gym while preparing for this role. He plays Jim Terrier, an overseas mercenary with a dark secret and a love interest in Annie played by Italian actress Jasmine Trinca. Through circumstance they become separated but the tie of love warrants a future reconnection.
There are more notable moments of interest amongst the cast members like Javier Bardem sporting normal look ...
Cinderella Movie Review
Her step-mother and sisters are evil beyond redemption and the prince is handsome and honourable beyond reproach. None of this is unexpected, of course - Disney is as Disney does and it's perfect little girl fodder, complete with doe-eyed innocence and glittery flouncy dresses. And it's all shot with an impossible beauty that can only be achieved on a perfectly lit studio set.
Nothing is a surprise - the goodies get their fairy tale ending and the baddies get their just desserts. It's ...
Furious 7 – Another Movie Review
Throughout the franchise each film has presented an automotive variant of an established genre. In order these have been: Point Break, buddy cop movie, crap movie, drug runner movie, heist movie, action blockbuster and with this last instalment, Mission Impossible. Furious7 is a long way from The Fast and the Furious, to be sure, but the transition has largely been successful due to the not inconsiderable charisma of Vin Diesel, the appeal of muscle cars and fast four pocket rockets, and ...
Fast & Furious 7 Movie Review
Actor Paul Walker’s passing back in the 2013 was a very sad moment and happened midway through the filming of F&F 7. It caused a number of delays while they rewrote the script. Walker was a very well established journeyman actor and was well liked by all who knew him. This plays out sombrely in the latest film as the series has always focused on a group dynamic and championed the virtues of being part of an extended family.
The filmmakers have done a good job of staying true to ...
