In 1996 the original Independence Day set a new high in spaceship special effects and a new low in silly-ass American propaganda movie making. Its cartoonish tale of gung-ho Americans repelling an invasion by slimy aliens was dumb but tolerable sci- fi action fare. Even though it was a box office hit that film has taken 20 years to spawn
Read moreThe 2003 film Finding Nemo was a box office hit that mixed masterful animation and adorable characters to create an instant family favourite. Almost stealing the film from the title character was Nemo’s faithful and forgetful friend Dory who was voiced memorably by Ellen DeGeneres. Given that film’s success a sequel was inevitable and Disney Pixar has wisely focused on
Read moreWarcraft: The Beginning is the film adaptation of the hugely popular World of Warcraft video game. Adapting video games to the cinema screen is usually a very dubious proposition as the elements that allow the game to function often don’t translate into an entertaining or even coherent film narrative. This, sadly, is the case with Warcraft: The Beginning a film
Read moreThis week on ‘Built For Speed’ we take a look at the big school holiday movie release Finding Dory. We’ll also review computer game adaptation Warcraft: The Beginning. There’s plenty of fine music with new tracks from the likes of The Jayhawks and Palm Springs, classics from Leonard Cohen and The Descendents and more of our favourite tracks from the
Read moreThis week ‘Built For Speed’ takes a look at two sequels that have hit our cinemas: amphibian mayhem in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows and spookfest The Conjuring 2. There’s also plenty of fine music with new Aussie tunes, classics from across the decades and more favourite songs of the current millennium. Don’t forget our regular preview
Read moreQueen of the Desert has nothing to do with Priscilla, this is in fact Werner Hertzog’s latest film and recounts the life of a woman who might be termed the female Lawrence of Arabia, Gertrude Bell. Nicole Kidman stars as Bell, a spirited intellectual who recoils at the strictures placed on women in early 20th century England. A scholarly historian
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