How crazy you might ask. Well, there are wanking zombies who put out fires with the climax of a circle jerk, an adjunct who climbs on top of a giant brain and self-immolates herself and Cate Blanchett with one of the worst faux German accents ever put to film. Oh, and the leader of Canada sports the type of ironic man bun that would put any barista to shame.

The seven leaders of the free world are presented as almost petulant children and it’s funny to see them act so juvenile and unprepared for the onslaught of weird about to descend upon their tightly-knit world. For reasons that are never fully explained, they start the summit under a gazebo all by themselves in the middle of an empty and mysterious German forest.

This was after they were taken to an archaeology dig where they had their picture taken while holding shovels and smiling with a two-thousand-year-old mummy with his penis tied around his neck in a box occupying centre stage. Weird falls way short as a descriptor. The running gag is that throughout all the insanity they still need to write their introductory speech, which ends up being about building a giant sundial. You know these are all the normal things that make up an entertaining and outrageous film.
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/UniversalPicturesAU/

How crazy you might ask. Well, there are wanking zombies who put out fires with the climax of a circle jerk, an adjunct who climbs on top of a giant brain and self-immolates herself and Cate Blanchett with one of the worst faux German accents ever put to film. Oh, and the leader of Canada sports the type of ironic man bun that would put any barista to shame.

The seven leaders of the free world are presented as almost petulant children and it’s funny to see them act so juvenile and unprepared for the onslaught of weird about to descend upon their tightly-knit world. For reasons that are never fully explained, they start the summit under a gazebo all by themselves in the middle of an empty and mysterious German forest.

This was after they were taken to an archaeology dig where they had their picture taken while holding shovels and smiling with a two-thousand-year-old mummy with his penis tied around his neck in a box occupying centre stage. Weird falls way short as a descriptor. The running gag is that throughout all the insanity they still need to write their introductory speech, which ends up being about building a giant sundial. You know these are all the normal things that make up an entertaining and outrageous film.
Rob Hudson

Rumours is currently screening at the Brisbane International Film Festival and will be released in Aussie cinemas December 5!
The Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) is a celebration of cinema as art, entertainment and industry, for everyone seeking bold and unforgettable experiences.

An annual event, held over 11 days from Thursday 24th October to Sunday 3rd November 2024 and spread across several wonderful locations in Brisbane.

This years festival will showcase over 40 feature films and 40 short films from home and abroad, filmmaker Q&As, industry and student events.

Rumors BIFF Session details
Palace Barracks
Saturday 26 October | 3:00PM

Dendy Portside
Friday 1 November | 6:15PM

New Farm Cinema
Friday 1 November | 5:00PM
www.biff.com.au

Antonio LeBlanc (Chon), a Korean adoptee raised in a small town in the Louisiana bayou, is married to the love of his life Kathy (Alicia Vikander) and step-dad to their beloved daughter Jessie.

Struggling to make a better life for his family, he must confront the ghosts of his past when he discovers that he could be deported from the only country he has ever called home.

Blue Bayou stars Justin Chon, Alicia Vikander, Mark O’Brien, Linh Dan Pham, Emory Cohen and will be in Australian cinemas November 18!

www.facebook.com/UniversalPicturesAU

The cast of The Danish Girl also features the outstanding talent of Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) as Gerda Wegener. Gerda is Elbe’s wife, fellow painter and long suffering supporter. Her level of support, selflessness and compassion for her husband is at the heart of the film.

With all of the pieces in place for an emotional cinema going experience, why then does the film leave the viewer feeling so detached? It’s shot beautifully, maybe too beautifully and what is essentially a tragic story looks so good. It might also be that the main players lifestyle as the arty almost carefree bohemian types leads to a bit of a disconnect.

It’s worth seeing for the acting performances alone but it leaves one wanting to feel more connected to the story and to feel more invested in their eventual outcome.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/UniversalPicturesAU

Starring Hollywood A-listers Alicia Vikander and James McAvoy, Submergence takes an intriguing look at obsession, duty, sacrifice and love.

Director Wim Wenders takes two diverse stories and dovetails them into a single tale with worldwide implications. Submergence will be released on DVD and Digital November 21!
www.defiant-ent.com

To enter this great competition just fill out the entry form below.

Competition will be drawn 19 November 2018, winners will be notified by mail.

The new Laura Croft (Alicia Vikander) looks like she spent many hours in the gym and as such presents a much more muscular hero than the one that came before. This allows more close ups during the now more convincing physical altercations. Not unlike the transitions made available by Daniel Craig when he became the new Bond all those year ago.

The film still over relies on driving the action scenes with computer generated special effects but the hand to hand combat moments are more visceral than before. The solving puzzle aspect is really only hinted at. This is also an origin story so future films might get the mix more balanced.

There are moments of genuine emotional connection with the on screen actions and actors but unfortunately they are often submerged in a film that struggles to keep the view engaged during its more than ample 118 minute running time. Other reboots have takes a few tries to hit the mark so there is always hope next time around.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/TombRaiderMovie

Determined to forge her own path, she refuses to take the reins of her father’s global empire just as staunchly as she rejects the idea that he’s truly gone. Advised to face the facts and move forward after seven years without him, even Lara can’t understand what drives her to finally solve the puzzle of his mysterious death.

Going explicitly against his final wishes, she leaves everything she knows behind in search of her dad’s last-known destination: a fabled tomb on a mythical island that might be somewhere off the coast of Japan. But her mission will not be an easy one; just reaching the island will be extremely treacherous.

Suddenly, the stakes couldn’t be higher for Lara, who—against the odds and armed with only her sharp mind, blind faith and inherently stubborn spirit—must learn to push herself beyond her limits as she journeys into the unknown. If she survives this perilous adventure, it could be the making of her, earning her the name tomb raider.

TOMB RAIDER is directed by Roar Uthaug and stars Oscar winner Alicia Vikander in the lead role, Dominic West, Walton Goggins and Daniel Wu.

TOMB RAIDER releases in Australian cinemas on March 15, 2018.
www.facebook.com/TombRaiderMovie

In the years following World War I, lighthouse keeper Tom Sherbourne and his wife Isabel begin their life together on a remote island off the coast of Western Australia. As the only inhabitants of Janus Rock, the couple live a quiet life, blissfully in love and sheltered from the rest of the world. Then one day, a mysterious rowboat washes ashore carrying a dead man and a crying baby girl. Reeling from a recent loss, Tom and Isabel decide to raise the child as their own, setting off a chain of decisions – some impetuous, others wrenching – that unravel with shattering consequences.

From acclaimed director Derek Cianfrance (The Place Beyond the Pines, Blue Valentine), Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander star in The Light Between Oceans, a beautiful, heartbreaking and ultimately redemptive story of love and sacrifice based on the bestselling Australian novel by M.L. Stedman.

www.thelightbetweenoceans.com.au

Competition will be drawn 02 November 2016, winners will be notified by mail.

As an action piece, it gets the job done but as a proper Jason Bourne movie, it’s quite the disappointing experience. Gone are almost all the clever ways Bourne can extract himself from trouble and in their place are just Teflon walks in the park. Moments where no real menace can really stick.

He gets out of almost every jam with just brawn and no brain. Julia Stilles is very much underutilized as well and sadly exits early and takes with her the only character that links Bourne to a friendlier past. In the place of proper story telling are a series of spectacular action sequences that not only strain the law of physics to their breaking point but also tend to wear the viewer out. Pokemon Go

If this edition reignites the franchise that will be a good thing because Matt Damon fills this role splendidly when given something to really sink his teeth into. Next time out let’s hope for far more intrigue and much less outlandish action.

Rob Hudson
www.jasonbournemovie.com.au

The cast of The Danish Girl also features the outstanding talent of Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) as Gerda Wegener. Gerda is Elbe’s wife, fellow painter and long suffering supporter. Her level of support, selflessness and compassion for her husband is at the heart of the film.

With all of the pieces in place for an emotional cinema going experience, why then does the film leave the viewer feeling so detached? It’s shot beautifully, maybe too beautifully and what is essentially a tragic story looks so good. It might also be that the main players lifestyle as the arty almost carefree bohemian types leads to a bit of a disconnect.

It’s worth seeing for the acting performances alone but it leaves one wanting to feel more connected to the story and to feel more invested in their eventual outcome.

Rob Hudson
www.thedanishgirl.com.au