Wakefield is a long, drawn-out rendering of a short story. It shows one man’s descent into madness and how he becomes a voyeur of his own family. The film is a dramatic one and while the central idea seems original enough, it’s something that was better in the written format than in a full-length, feature film.... Continue Reading
Tag Archives: Two Stars
Netflix Review: Death Note (USA, 2017) has good intentions, but fails in the process
Whitewashing! Americanized! Lack of ethnicity! Yeah, I’m gonna talk about that in great detail, just to make that clear. Anyway, a lot of negative buzz has been going around this project due the things mentioned above and it definitely is a valid argument since the source material is distinctly Japanese. So to retroactively set the story in another location would potentially leave a lot of things lost in translation, so to speak.... Continue Reading
Film Review: An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power (USA, 2017) might have been saved by Donald Trump
Donald Trump could have saved An Inconvenient Sequel. If Al Gore is the John Wayne of climate activism, as directors Bonni Cohen and John Shenk would have you believe, then Trump is Lee Marvin (AKA Bad M.F). This time it’s personal, as they say. As it turns out, we get very little Truth To Power, and a whole lot of what we already know.... Continue Reading
Sydney Film Festival Review: Song to Song (USA, 2017) is a soulless endurance test with no plot or point
A song is as song except when it’s a Terrence Malick film. The famous director’s latest experimental offering is an absolute waste in that it is all show and no substance. It weaves together cameos from famous A-list creatives and a cast of Hollywood’s finest actors and then it does nothing. Absolutely nothing. For 129 minutes. And not even in that funny Seinfeld brand of nothingness, because at least that sitcom was actually something.... Continue Reading
Film Review: All Eyez on Me (USA, 2017) is not the biopic Tupac Shakur deserves
In the years leading up to release, slipping out of John Singleton’s reliable hands and finding a way to Benny Boom didn’t inspire much confidence in All Eyez On Me, the long-gestating biopic of seminal emcee Tupac Shakur. Long before Straight Outta Compton chewed up the box office charts, those inside and outside of the hip-hop community have been placing a great deal of pressure on this film and whoever would end up charge – understandably high (perhaps unrealistic) expectations that come with doing justice to one of the most beloved and important recording artists of our time. ... Continue Reading
TV Review: Fear the Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 3 “TEOTWAWKI” sheds more light on Broke Jaw Ranch
Last week’s odd decision to kill off the show’s strongest and most interesting character in a very off-hand fashion was a bold move. Fear the Walking Dead’s writing team has to date proven to be inconsistent, impatient and unable to squeeze the horror-survival for all the juicy potential it has, but there have been moments of great strength. ... Continue Reading
Sydney Film Festival Review: Maliglutit (Canada 2016) is made with skill, but proves a sporadically stirring thriller
There is certainly something splendid somewhere within Maliglutit, the first collaboration between directors Zacharias Kunuk and Natar Ungallaq, unfortunately, it is all but concealed. The distinguished pair have taken on the task of adapting classic material, and despite the endeavour of imbuing the film with idealism and vigour, Maliglutit can never amount to anything significantly engaging unlike its inspiration. Plodding is not a term that should be associated with a revenge fable, yet, the tonal decision for a quieter and slow-burning thriller provides a disadvantage the film can never overcome. Sprinkled throughout, we see glimpses of the film’s potential, yet, they are only brief. And despite the best of intentions, Maliglutit grapples to rise to anything remotely captivating.... Continue Reading
Film Review: Baywatch (MA15+) (USA, 2017) is campy fun, but wipes out on the comedy wave early on
Ever since the first trailer was released, Baywatch has always been self-aware. The wind in a golden-blondes hair as she runs down the beach (obviously in slow motion) in the iconic red bathing suit is an image the new reboot has embraced, but it doesn’t fare well in a feature length film.... Continue Reading
Film Review: Wilson (USA, 2017) lacks both pattern and personality
After showcasing his worth as a filmmaker to keep an eye on with 2014’s The Skeleton Twins, Craig Johnson sadly suffers a sophomore slump with Wilson, an episodic dramedy that proves to be too far removed from Johnson’s directorial capabilities.... Continue Reading
Film Review: Don’t Tell (Australia, 2017) doesn’t serve its source material justice
May I set the scene? On a farm in Queensland, 22-year- old Lyndall (Sara West) is talking to lawyer Stephen Roche (Aden Young) about her willingness to face the might of the Anglican Church in court over the abuse she suffered in boarding school. She asks about Bob Myers (Jack Thompson), the barrister who would represent her in court. With a thousand-yard squint, Stephen lists the barrister’s many qualities, pauses, then calls him a prick. One person at the back of the theatre laughs. Apparently, they didn’t see it coming.... Continue Reading
