Calvary, which follows the wonderfully acerbic The Guard as the second in a planned trilogy of films about Ireland from director John Michael McDonagh, is one of the strangest, cleverest and most thought-provoking films so far this year. The film grips us from its opening confession booth scene in which weary, disillusioned priest Father James Lavelle (Brendan Gleeson) hears an
Read moreThe documentary The Last Impresario, which was written and directed by Miranda Otto’s sister Gracie, – chronicles the career of theatre and film producer Michael White. If that name isn’t familiar to you, don’t worry as this film trades on the idea that White is the most famous person we’ve never heard of. Consequently, the film takes great pleasure in
Read moreIMAX documentary, Penguins 3D is really a typical 40-minute David Attenborough TV doco just on a bigger screen and in 3D. The Attenborough imprimatur is always a mark of quality, though and this penguin expose maintains his high standards. The film takes us to the extremely remote Southern Ocean Island of South Georgia where vast colonies of king penguins, sometimes
Read moreAdam Sandler’s irritating and embarrassingly juvenile comedies represent some of recent cinema’s lowest points. The few bright lights in his dismal oeuvre have usually co-starred Drew Barrymore whose screwball comic talents and considerable charm have, in films like The Wedding Singer and Fifty First Dates, managed to neutralise Sandler’s whiny obnoxiousness. The two are paired again in Blended a film
Read moreAttractively shot atmospheric thriller The Two Faces of January owes a considerable debt to films of the past. It’s filled with Hitchcockian paranoia and Bernard Herman-esque music, it takes place in a European setting reminiscent of Agatha Christie film adaptations and like The Talented Mr Ripley, it sees a strange and ambitious young man invade the lives of attractive and
Read moreThis week on Built For Speed we take a look at two of this year’s most provocative films: Irish religious drama Calvary and Australian documentary All This Mayhem which reveals the tumultuous lives of Aussie skateboard champs Tas and Ben Pappas. Also, with Bastille coming up this Monday, we take a look at our favourite French films and we play
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