Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter ★★★ DRACULA will never die. There have been God knows how many films featuring variations of Bram Stoker’s original creation, some brilliant and many others not so much. The latest, Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter, is on the plus side of the blood sucker ledger […]

Captain’s log: There be vampires ahead

The Emu War ★★★ IF ONLY some more money had been thrown at The Emu War. This outrageously silly Australian comedy is at times flat-out hilarious but, sadly, won’t be seen by many. Its ultra-low budget means the film won’t get a cinema release and is going to be hard […]

History at its most twisted

When Evil Lurks ★★★★ IN 2017 writer/director Demián Rugna announced himself as a horror talent to watch with the release of Terrified. When Evil Lurks (2023) is another pearler from the Argentinian whose films combine the best of both horror aesthetics – a growing sense of dread and sudden, intense […]

Argentine horror Rotten to the core

Time Addicts (Monsterfest 2023) ★★½ AUSTRALIAN cinema does dumb criminals pretty well. One of the best is the 2003 release Getting Square which features an hilarious turn from David Wenham. Writer/director San Odlum’s Time Addicts doesn’t reach the same heights but is still fairly entertaining considering its low-budget aesthetic. Denise […]

Aussie horror goes back to the future

Trim Season (Monsterfest 2023) ★★ EVER heard of a weed witch? Neither have I. I’ll give the low-budget horror film Trim Season the benefit of the doubt and say the makers invented. But it’s still a pretty silly premise that barely manages to hold a feature length narrative together. A […]

Weed witch tale not high art

The Killer ★★★½ WHERE have David Fincher and Michael Fassbender been? The Killer is Fincher’s first film in three years and we didn’t hear a thing from Fassbender for four years. The director of modern classics Zodiac, Fight Club and Seven doesn’t actually make that many films so it’s always […]

Fincher’s Killer battles ego

Killers of the Flower Moon ★★★★ MARTIN Scorsese assembles his dream team for possibly the most important film of an illustrious career, Killers of the Flower Moon. In addition to long-time technical collaborators, editor Thelma Schoonmaker and composer Robbie Robertson, on screen we have Leonardo DiCaprio back for the sixth […]

Epic shines light on history’s dark chapter

The Burial ★★★ JAMIE Foxx almost always delivers an entertaining performance. His film choices haven’t always been of the same level which is probably why his career feels a little under-rated. Another example is the 2023 legal drama The Burial in which Foxx again dominates, all the more of an […]

Foxx still on a run

Oldboy ★★★★ PARK Chan-wook’s Oldboy was one of the films that started a new wave of fascination with South Korean cinema. The country has continued to produce some of the most audaciously entertaining films of the past two decades. Aside from its technical bravura, Oldboy (2003) also presents a nightmarish […]

Oldboy resets a modern template

Pet Semetary: Bloodlines ★★½ THE makers of Pet Sematary: Bloodlines are a cheeky bunch. The producer and scriptwriter call it a prequel to the Pet Sematary they made in 2019, ignoring the fact that film was a remake. They also claim they wanted to delve deeper into the mythology of […]

King adaptation wastes opportunity

Saw X ★★★ SAW X is apparently the best reviewed film of the franchise since the original, released almost 20 years ago in 2004. It’s a collection that I’ve dipped in and out of over the years – I watched the original again the other day – but have never […]

Latest Saw instalment a cut above

Ballerina ★★★ SOUTH Korean action thriller Ballerina is a frustrating watch. The first act, even of an action film, is meant to establish characters and narrative, but a half hour in I was none the wiser of exactly who main character Jang Ok-ju is and her motivations other than a […]

Ballerina busts some moves