Into the Deep ★★ APPARENTLY Into the Deep is the first shark film that Richard Dreyfuss has appeared in since Jaws in 1975. Why he chose after 50 years to appear in such a lacklustre effort is unclear. It may be due to the fact they let him make an […]
In too deep with Dreyfuss
A Complete Unknown ★★★★ WHETHER you’re a fan of Bob Dylan’s music or not, his impact on a generation of people can’t be denied. Watching the new biopic A Complete Unknown you realise the days of musicians who changed the world for the better are few and far between. Dylan, Springsteen, […]
Dylan biopic as much about music as man
The Island of Dr Moreau ★★★ I’VE been trying to find the infamous 1996 version of H.G. wells’ classic novel The Island of Dr Moreau. It’s almost impossible to get hold of and is apparently unavailable on any streaming service in Australia. Yes, I know there are other ways to […]
Waiting for Wells to be done well
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera ★★★ APPARENTLY there were plenty of people wanting a sequel to the action/thriller Den of Thieves. While I wasn’t one of them, a recent re-watch of the 2018 film reinforced that it was a pretty decent effort with lively characters and some good action set […]
The sequel you didn’t know you needed
Wolf Man ★★½ UNIVERSAL Studios’ attempt to create a cinematic universe based on its monster creations hasn’t gone to plan. The Mummy, released in 2017, was meant to kick off a series of films, creating a franchise the would culminate in an Avengers-like assembly climax. But, while it was a […]
Wolf Man lacks bite
The Killer ★★½ THE only people who thought it was a good idea to have John Woo remake his own film were John Woo and the producers of The Killer. The original, released in 1989, was amongst a run of visceral action films that first brought the Hong Kong director […]
Woo’s pigeons return for remake
The Long Kiss Goodnight ★★★½ IN 1994 Renny Harlin was well and truly considered bankable in Hollywood following the commercial successes of Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger. But then the Finnish director blew $90 million making pirate adventure Cutthroat Island and sent one of the studios almost broke. A year […]
Harlin and Davis make amends with prototype thriller
The Seed of the Sacred Fig ★★★½ THERE won’t be any premieres of The Seed of the Sacred Fig in Iran. Mohammad Rasoulof, writer and director of this much-praised political drama, fled his home country under threat of eight years in prison. Despite being previously arrested for spreading anti-government propaganda, […]
Prison threat can’t stop Iranian drama’s success
Dirty Angels ★★★ FRENCH actress Eva Green has a great time playing a hard-as-nails soldier in the American action thriller Dirty Angels. Green is one of the actresses who is always very watchable but never seems to choose, or get, that one great role that will take her to stardom. […]
Bond alumni reunite for action thriller
Firebrand ★★★½ JUDE Law has moved into that career period where he either takes the money for anything or concentrates on roles that really interest him. Thankfully he’s gone for the latter. Later this year we will see him playing a veteran cop trying to infiltrate a right wing terrorist […]
History according to Law
Stockholm Bloodbath ★★½ I WONDER what Danish audiences think of Stockholm Bloodbath. Swedish director Mikael Håfström’s 2023 historical drama portrays the Danes in 1520 as absolute murderous bastards and his own countrymen as squeaky clean. In fact his pulpy style of storytelling has the vicious Danish villains poking fun at […]