Julius Robert Oppenheimer was an exceedingly complex man and one many see as both a saint and a sinner. He was instrumental in putting the brain trust together for the Manhattan Project, The collection of minds that developed the first atomic bomb. When it was used twice to bomb the Japanese in Hiroshima and Nagasaki it divided both the world and scientific communities.

Oppenheimer the pragmatist saw the bomb as necessary due to the race for its completion between America and Nazi Germany but as a humanist, he was conflicted. He didn’t trust the government’s implementation of the technology and always struggled with the balance between technological advancements and their use and abuse by humanity.

Christopher Nolan tells a powerful tale about a complicated man who was both rewarded and condemned for his genius. He was a man who felt great guilt about his part in inventing the atomic bomb and its subsequent use as a political tool by the world’s governments. He felt deeply for humanity and struggled under being seen as the destroyer of worlds.
Rob Hudson
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The film is incredible tense and from the first frame you feel the rising level of impending doom. Even for those that have little knowledge of the actual events of the disaster, the film fills you with that dark sense of foreboding. It frames the climbers (accurately or not) as a group of driven people with little regard for their own safety or the tons of rubbish that modern day mountain climbing leaves behind.

The film is big in almost every way, a big cast, a big adventure and a big mountain. With such a large and note worthy cast, you are only really given a brief insight into each character and the film’s structure is very much based on an ensemble approach. This gives the proceedings a forward momentum that isn’t distracted by too much individual examination. As events unfold you are given little respite from the horrors about to unfold.

There will be few if any films this year that will provide an experience as intense as Everest. There is an almost constant struggle in your mind while watching this film as to why anyone would risk so much to get to the top of Everest and by the time the film’s main protagonists actually reach the summit, you are so worn out from the tension it become increasingly difficult to fathom the appeal. Entertaining yes and mostly riveting but the draw of climbing peaks that massive remains elusive.

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The story throws a lot your way and it relies quite a bit on the viewer’s past knowledge of the Terminator film series and its liberal take on time travel. Most of the plot twists originate from that ethos and they are at times hard to follow. It also features a progression of special effects as the early reels show simpler CGI while the later reels try their best to blow your mind with what’s now possible with zeros and ones.

The new cast play better with Arnie than they do with each other as the two new leads, Emilia Clarke (taking time away from her dragons) as Sarah Connor and Jason Clarke as John Connor have very little on-screen chemistry. The big guy gets all the good lines here but they are still a bit hit or miss. Technology both on-screen and implied is still the film’s star.

As a sampler of past points of interest in the Terminator series, Terminator Genisys is a nice way to reminisce as you get to revisit the original Arnie version, the liquid metal version and the later film’s mind tease of past and futures colliding. As a stand-alone experience it’s less successful. It’s still fun but just not a memorable as previous endeavours.

Rob Hudson
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Setting The Aftermath in this time frame colours the story to a degree but it under-utilises the emotional turmoil of the time to tell a somewhat conventional love story. It is set in the dead of winter and the stark white of the snow underlines the coldness between its main players.

Rachael Morgan (Keira Knightley) is reunited with her husband Lewis (Jason Clarke), a high commander and part of the occupational forces in Germany. Their relationship is one of dysfunction and distance. There was a family tragedy that permanently changed their lives and the distance between them is great.

When the handsome German, Stephen Lubert (Alexander Skarsgård) is forced to give his house over to the couple, the pieces are in place for a love triangle. Sadly the film does little with this premise. You get to see Knightley emote and transition from a cold person who lacks empathy to feeling again and Clarke gets to have his own personal journey but Skarsgård is given little to do. There are some moments of interest but few lasting ones.

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It also rewards fans of the original film with moments like a delicious bait and switch scene that was as self-referential as it was fun. The actors are given slow burn roles and in particular Jason Clarke’s turn from sensible family man to shrunken eyed loon is a hoot. The transition of daughter, Ellie (Jeté Laurence) is also arresting.

For those with a good working knowledge of the basic storyline, via both Stephen King’s book and the original film, there are few major changes in that respect. If it is isn’t broken, don’t fix it. The gore is held to a minimum as well, so when it does arrive it has way more impact.

Pet Sematary sets a tone and pace that is properly creepy, not a blood spattered endurance test. It’s entertaining and not overly threatening and can form the basis of a great fright night, but be forewarned, afterwards you will never see your house pet quite the same again.

Rob Hudson
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When tragedy strikes, Louis turns to his unusual neighbour, Jud Crandall (John Lithgow), setting off a perilous chain reaction that unleashes an unfathomable evil with horrific consequences.

“If you want to make a truly terrifying movie, you have to go back to the master of horror himself, Stephen King’
Dennis Widmyer & Kevin Kölsch, Directors

Starring Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz and John Lithgow, Pet Sematary is in Australian cinemas April 4!
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When tragedy strikes, Louis turns to his unusual neighbor, Jud Crandall (John Lithgow), setting off a perilous chain reaction that unleashes an unfathomable evil with horrific consequences.

The World Premiere of PET SEMATARY, directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer, will close the 2019 South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Festival.

Pet Sematary starts Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz and John Lithgow, and is in Australian Cinemas April 4.

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When tragedy strikes, Louis turns to his unusual neighbor, Jud Crandall (John Lithgow), setting off a perilous chain reaction that unleashes an unfathomable evil with horrific consequences.

Pet Semitary is in Australian Cinemas April 4, 2019!
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It’s even more impressive with the main focus on a subject as emotionally self-contained as astronaut Neil Armstrong. Actor Ryan Gosling is very accomplished at saying much with just his eyes and that talent is put to full use here. Armstrong’s stoic nature was a partial product of the tragedy of losing a daughter to cancer at the age of two.

These astronauts were surrounded by death and attempting to accomplish something that was never done before in human history, visiting another planet. And as advanced as our world is now with its technology heavy bent, back in the sixties, it was anything but that. You have more technology in your smart phone today than they had in their entire space craft. Theirs was a bravery of the highest order.

There is an almost complete absence in the modern day of events that inspire one to dream. Art will alway inspire and will last the ages but anything in the world of politics or business will fade away in time. These space missions were a rare instance of things coming out of the world of politics that were actually inspiring to the masses. These inspirational events are sadly missed.

Rob Hudson
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On the heels of their six-time Academy Award®-winning smash, La La Land, Oscar®-winning director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling reteam for Universal Pictures’ First Man, the riveting story behind the first manned mission to the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the decade leading to the historic Apollo 11 flight.  A visceral and intimate account told from Armstrong’s perspective, based on the book by James R. Hansen, the film explores the triumphs and the cost—on Armstrong, his family, his colleagues and the nation itself—of one of the most dangerous missions in history.

Written by Academy Award® winner Josh Singer (Spotlight, The Post), the epic drama of leading under the pressure of grace and tragedy is produced by Wyck Godfrey & Marty Bowen (The Twilight Saga, The Fault in Our Stars) through their Temple Hill Entertainment banner, alongside Isaac Klausner (Love, Simon) and Chazelle.  Steven Spielberg, Adam Merims and Singer executive produce, while DreamWorks Pictures co-finances the film.

First Man is in Australian Cinemas October 11!
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