Wes Anderson films are now their own subgenre, an excursion into a pastel coloured diorama world filled with quirky neurotic oddballs who are often doggedly noble or gleefully sadistic. While we can appreciate Anderson for carving out a distinctive piece of the cinematic universe, his tendency to avoid anything resembling a coherent or meaningful narrative, to pile absurdity on top
Read moreThe John Wick films set an unusual new standard in cinema violence; they were brutal yet choreographed like a dance routine and completely ignored most laws of physics and any sense of realism. They took the’ indestructible human fighting machine’ trope to previously unknown levels of silliness with outrageous scenes of Keanu Reeves’ Wick singlehandedly pulverising armies of goons. Ludicrous
Read moreSince the charming original 1984 movie first gave us young Daniel LaRusso’s (Ralph Macchio) crane kicking exploits, The Karate Kid franchise has become a pop cultural phenomenon. Mixing Rocky-style underdog triumph, a relatable battle against bullying, teen romance and the unforgettable character of Pat Morita’s wise, venerable, testicle kicking Mr Miyagi, it has become one of Hollywood’s most beloved Gen
Read moreKorean/ Canadian writer/director Celine Song seduced audiences with her subtle but heartbreaking story of inescapable childhood attachments and unrequited romance in her 2023 debut film Past Lives. Her first Hollywood film, Materialists, doesn’t quite deliver on the expectations Past Lives raised but still gives what could have been a standard romantic comedy/ drama a little more depth and class than
Read moreAustralian filmmakers Danny and Michael Phillipou conjured dark magic with their sensationally unsettling and intense debut horror feature Talk To Me. That film’s success led to them being hailed as the new horror wunderkinds and understandably created feverish anticipation for their follow-up feature, Bring Her Back. While it’s likely that the confrontingly violent and gory Bring Her Back will please
Read moreBeating Hearts sounds like the name of a self-important album from the 80’s and the vibrant but overlong and clichéd French romantic crime drama Beating Hearts (or L’amour Ouf) feels like the movie equivalent of such an album. The film traces the 12-year romance of delinquent thug Clothaire (played by François Civil as an adult and Malik Frikah as a
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