Oliver Stone’s latest film Savages follows in the tradition of Scarface and Blow by using the drug industry as a metaphor for America’s aspirational culture. Unfortunately this film has neither the originality nor the charismatic central characters of those films. Taylor kitsch and Aaron Johnson play two low profile but highly successful California marijuana dealers who live in an unusual
Read moreAfter our excursion into hip-hop last week we’re back to more guitar based music with indie classics new and old including the likes of Red Kross, Pond and Unida. We also focus on some fine Aussie artists such as Paul Kelly. On the movie front we’ll be taking a look at Woody Allen’s latest To Rome With Love and the
Read moreSafety Not Guaranteed is a quirky mix of indie rom-com and sci-if that inhabits a similar universe to Napoleon Dynamite. The film has one of the more unusual premises in cinema this year as Seattle Magazine intern Darius (Aubrey Plaza), sleazy reporter Jeff (Jake Johnson) and shy intern Arnau (Karan Soni) investigate a strange guy named Kenneth (Mark Duplass) who
Read moreFor those who grew up in the 1970’s but were too young to have first-hand recollection of the Vietnam war, the Iran hostage crisis that began in 1979 was the first time we had witnessed America have its nose bloodied. The events at the US embassy, where Iranian revolutionaries took 52 embassy staff hostage, occupied the news for over a
Read moreYes it’s number four and not much has changed in the Paranormal world. This film uses the same gimmick as the first three instalments: supposed found footage – this time recorded on laptop computers – reveals progressively more sinister events occurring in a suburban home. Doors open by themselves, there’s lots of strange noises and creepy children appear from nowhere.
Read moreIf you like what you hear on Built For Speed you can also listen to Nick, along with three other Melbourne film critics Greg King, Dave Griffiths and Adam Ross, reviewing films on “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly film show podcast”. Just click the link below: http://www.thegoodthebadtheugly.podbean.com/ You can also read Nick’s reviews on the “Australian Cinema Goers Network” Facebook
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