Brief History of a Family (2024 Melbourne International Film Festival) ★★★½ THERE are essentially two types of filmgoers – those who prefer that conventions are adhered to and those who don’t. The Chinese psychological drama Brief History of a Family requires the latter. In his feature directorial debut Lin Jianjie, who also […]

Chinese puzzle requires connection of dots


Inside (2024 Melbourne International Film Festival) ★★★½ FILMS set in prisons have come in many different forms. They can vary as widely as The Shawshank Redemption and Scum, but rarely are they boring. Australia’s best entry to the sub-genre is probably John Hillcoat’s Ghosts of the Civil Dead, released in […]

Prison-set drama offers strong debuts


Message from the King ★★★ ACTION thriller Message from the King is another reminder of the talent that was Chadwick Bozeman. The charismatic American actor died a few years ago and is best remembered for his role in Marvel’s Black Panther. In 2016’s Message from the King, Bozeman plays Jacob King who […]

Bozeman charisma lifts actioner



The Boys in the Boat ★★½ IF ONLY George Clooney could transfer his on-screen charisma to films he just directs. The American has made several films, none of which have registered highly with critics and audiences. It’s not the material he chooses, but rather the care that’s taken with it. […]

Not enough oars in Clooney’s boat


The Strangers: Chapter 1 ★★½ FINLAND’S most famous film director had a string of hits in the 1990’s including Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger. Renny Harlin also made a massive flop during the same period called Cutthroat Island. The 2000s haven’t been too kind to Harlin with the odd film […]

New strangers not as welcome


The Substitute ★★½ THE 1996 American film The Substitute is a ridiculous action thriller that pits ex-marines turned mercenaries against a bunch of drug-runners who are using a Miami high school as cover. Lead actor Tom Berenger has managed to cling on to an entire career based on one performance  – […]

Berenger fails to teach a thing or two



The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan ★★★★ The Three Musketeers: Milady ★★★½ IF YOU’RE one of those boring people who constantly claims ‘they don’t make movies like they used to’, check out the latest film version of Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers. Director Martin Bourboulon actually splits the epic adventure across two […]

New musketeers’ version is one for all


Boy Kills World ★★★ IT’S not often that you say the best things about an action film don’t include the action. But that’s the case with the action comedy Boy Kills World. The debut feature from young German director Moritz Mohr stars Bill Skarsgård as Boy, a deaf mute seeking vengeance […]

Boy Kills World a narrator’s dream


Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes ★★★ THE Planet of the Apes film franchise may have run its race. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the fourth of the recent reboots and 14th instalment overall. In terms of spectacle it’s fine, but the story meanders along a […]

Too much aping of original



Twisters ★★★ THE new action/disaster film Twisters is billed as a ‘stand-alone sequel’ to 1996’s Twister. It’s actually a remake, but you can trade off the original’s success and describe it as something else because it has different characters and a slightly different story. Either way, 2024’s Twisters is an […]

Twist and shout


The Toxic Avenger ★★★½ The Toxic Avenger Part II ★★ The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie ★★★ Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV ★★½ WITH a new version on the horizon, it’s time to look at the 1984 original The Toxic Avenger. In fact, let’s have […]

Kaufman and his Avenger still the splatter kings


The Exorcists ★½ HOW many demonic possessions does it take to make a good film? That’s not intended to be a joke question, although now I’ve written it I’m not so sure. The answer should be one, of course. Certainly not the number in low budget horror film The Exorcists. The […]

You’re possessed and you’re possessed and…