This week on ‘Built For Speed’ we take a look at two new Australian films, the cinema adaptation of the Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries in ‘Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears’ and Leigh Whannell’s reimagining of HG Wells ‘The Invisible Man’. There’ll be many fine tunes with new tracks from Archers of Loaf and the Strokes, new Aussie indie
Read moreRidley Scott’s Alien is rightly regarded as a classic fusion of sci-fi and horror. Not surprisingly this film has led to countless imitations. While taking inspiration from a masterpiece is understandable, imitation jeopardises a film’s individuality and overall impact. This is the case with the latest Alien-inspired sci fi thriller Underwater. From its story of a working-class crew in a
Read moreAd Astra is almost a great sci fi film. With a physical beauty reminiscent of Gravity and 2001: A Space Odyssey, weighty themes such as the fragility of life on earth and the fundamentally destructive nature of human beings, it’s an aesthetically striking and at times thought-provoking film. Unfortunately, the film rests on a dull father-and-son reconciliation story that fails
Read moreConceptually inventive but poorly executed, the clunky, ridiculous post-apocalyptic steam-punk, sci-fi adventure Mortal Engines is one of the least convincing sci-fi epics of recent years. The film, which is based on Phillip Reeve’s popular novels, is set in a post-nuclear holocaust future where Earth’s surface has been bombarded by a doomsday weapon and turned into a scarred semi-desert. While some
Read moreA Wrinkle in Time is the long-awaited cinema adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s1962 children’s sci fi fantasy novel. As director Ava DuVernay emphasised in a pre-movie address, the film is aimed at tweens and focused on their interests and concerns: identity confusion, bullies, first romance, the desire to see magic enter their dull suburban lives and the belief that their personal
Read moreStephen Spielberg’s Ready Player One is an enormous nerdgasm, a sprawling big screen video game stuffed with retro pop culture references and teen geek heroes. Based on the 2011 Ernest Cline novel, the film is a love letter to gamer culture which means some are going to adore it while others may find it alienating and headache-inducing. The film propels
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