A little knowledge of that period of Formula 1 does however enhance some of the film’s emotional impact as the sport at that time was incredibly dangerous and killed its drivers with a gruesome regularity. This knowledge puts what is a sporting event into the realm of a real life or death battle.

The film’s main protagonists couldn’t have been any different as well. The British playboy driver James Hunt (played with an impressive verve by Chris Hemsworth) was a live fast and stuff the consequences alpha male type who ran head long into the world of Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl). Lauda was an exacting Austrian who was precise, organized and made his approach to sport a very calculated one. He also had none of Hunt’s innate charm.

The two locked into a titanic battle for that year’s driver’s championship and in a case of real life being far more unbelievable than anything the Hollywood scribes could make up endured incredible hardships. As a sports film, Rush is top notch but as a study of human nature and our ultimate capabilities, it is almost overwhelming.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/UniversalPicturesAU

From two-time Academy Award® winning director Ron Howard and the team behind the worldwide success The Beatles: Eight Days a Week, comes a documentary celebrating the life of the beloved opera star Luciano Pavarotti.

PAVAROTTI is an in-depth, no holds barred look at the life, career and lasting legacy of the musical icon who sold over 100 million records in his lifetime. Dubbed “The People’s Tenor”, Pavarotti was the rare combination of personality, genius and celebrity. He used his prodigious gifts to spread the gospel of opera as entertainment, and something to be enjoyed by all music lovers.

Through the sheer force of his talent, Pavarotti commanded the great stages of the world, and captured the hearts of audiences everywhere. Featuring rare interviews with his family and colleagues, and never-before-seen footage, PAVAROTTI goes beyond the iconic public figure to reveal the man himself.

PAVAROTTI: In cinemas OCTOBER 24!
www.madmanfilms.com.au

To enter this great competition simply fallout the form below. Please note – these tickets are for a specific event only and can not be exchanged or refunded. The winners will need to be available on October 17 at 6:30pm in Brisbane to be able to attend this event at Event Cinemas Indooroopilly.

Pavarotti Competition

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Competition will be drawn 13 October 2019, winners will be notified by email.

Solo of course refers to Han Solo, he of roughish charm and one liners. In early chapters, Harrison Ford made the role his own and now Alden Ehrenreich (Hail, Caesar! & Beautiful Creatures) gets the chance to put his own stamp on the role. Unfortunately his character is the least developed in the film and the roughish charm inherent in Ford’s take is mostly missing. When Ehrenreich as Solo claims he is an outlaw, it’s a stretch to believe as per the actions that have come before.

That being said, the film, like some in the cannon, places action over character development and in this department, Solo has no trouble entertaining the troops. The film uses a surprisingly under lit first reel and dark tone before expanding the palette in both colour, light and story.

Taken as a chapter in an ever expanding book, Solo fills in a few gaps and through a few key surprises sets up some interesting story telling opportunities. It’s a solid work from a very consistent director, Ron Howard, it does make one wonder though if the supposed irreverence of the early directors take on the film would have produced something a little more transcendent.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/StarWarsAUNZ

The latest edition skips the third Brown book, The Lost Symbol and drops Harvard University professor Robert Langdon (Hanks) into the usual world of intrigue. Conspiracies play a more reduced role this time and the film plays out with more action and less intrigue. The action is largely set in Venice, which is an excellent choice as it’s one of the world’s most unique looking cities.

The casting is not the film’s strongest suit as Hanks and lead actress Felicity Jones as his caregiver Dr. Sienna Brooks don’t have an overabundance of on-screen chemistry. Ben Foster as the big baddie is underutilized as well. The rest of the cast including Irrfan Khan and Omar Sy put in workman like performances.

In a crowded field of globe trotting super sleuths and action heroes, the Da Vinci Code films rely on the enticement of a good global conspiracy. Unfortunately in this latest film edition of one of Brown’s novels, it just doesn’t capitalize enough on the series’ most obvious appeal.

Rob Hudson
www.sonypictures.com

In the early years, The Beatles cut their teeth playing an insane number of live gigs (highlighted by their time in Germany) but once they became known worldwide, did not play live that often. Eventually they stopped playing live altogether and became a studio only band. This was before the reform to play benefits industry caught on, so even that didn’t bring them back together again.

Howard’s film focuses on their last great flurry of live gigs and liberally uses live footage from that period (cleaned up to a pristine standard) as well as recent interviews with both Paul, Ringo and others. The camaraderie of the four mop tops comes through with great effect and it looks like they did a pretty good job of dealing with the immense interest in their every utterance.

Of special note during the film’s current theatrical run is the screening of the complete Shea Stadium concert as a coda to the film and this is not to be missed. It shows just how crazy the crowds actually were and how engaging the band was on stage (especially John Lennon’s sense of absurdist humour). The filmmakers have done an amazing job of restoration and the sound and vision is outstanding. Catch the film now during it very limited run.

Rob Hudson
www.thebeatleseightdaysaweek.com

The Beatles: Eight Days A Week The Touring Years is based on the first part of The Beatles’ career (1962-1966) – the period in which they toured and captured the world’s acclaim. Ron Howard’s film will explore how John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr came together to become this extraordinary phenomenon, “The Beatles.”

It will explore their inner workings – how they made decisions, created their music and built their collective career together – all the while exploring The Beatles’ extraordinary and unique musical gifts and their remarkable, complementary personalities. The film will focus on the time period from the early Beatles’ journey in the days of The Cavern Club in Liverpool to their last concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco in 1966.

To enter this great competition just fill in the entry form below. Please note – these tickets are for a specific screening only and can not be exchanged or refunded. The winners will need to be available on Friday September 16 at 6:30pm in Brisbane to be able to attend this screening at the Palace Barracks Cinema.

Competition will be drawn 11 September 2016, winners will be notified by email.

Based on the novel of the same name (author Nathaniel Philbrick’s 2000 non-fiction book), this template in a lesser director’s hands could have lead to a very processional outing. Howard’s film suffers from none of that limitation. The movie is a rousing edge of your seat ride that has a look and feel that takes you right into the heart of the tale of that great white monster, Moby Dick.

Chris Hemsworth leaves the fantasy world behind this time and delivers a very powerful performance (including a method actor’s incredible weight loss regime to add authenticity to a stranded at sea storyline). The set design is also outstanding (the only thing missing is a blast of salty sea air).

There are films based on true stories that never really ignite the imagination, this is not one of those missteps. It’s a big bold tale that is told with assurance by a director with a touch for the epic statement. This is cinema that is easy to get lost in and should not be missed.

Rob Hudson
www.intheheartoftheseamovie.com