A Classic Horror Story ★★★ NETFLIX has become one of the cheapest sources of foreign horror films. Ok, many of them may be average; but there are plenty worthwhile including the 2021 Italian film A Classic Horror Story. Italian actress Matilda Lutz, who was so good in 2017’s Revenge, plays the […]

Meta additions to familiar approach

Roadhouse ★★½ SOMETIMES you just have to review a film purely from your personal perspective. I love the 1989 action drama Roadhouse for many reasons and have reviewed it previously. Doug Liman’s 2024 remake shares the name and the basic premise but it’s a different film from and for a […]

Roadhouse remake loses to original

Next Goal Wins ★★★ KIWI director Taika Waititi has attracted criticism from a few quarters of the internet lately. This seems to have flowed into criticism of his new film, sport-based comedy Next Goal Wins. Ignore those people; this is an entertaining family effort based on the true story of […]

Waititi’s latest far from an own goal

Magic ★★★½ MAGIC is one of those films that’s screaming out to be remade. This 1978 American psychological horror drama was directed by Richard Attenborough, written by William Goldman and featured Anthony Hopkins in the lead role. On its release the film wasn’t a critical or box office success but […]

Hopkins’ intense turn is magic

The Promised Land ★★★½ ONE of the hits of a very good 2023/24 Perth Film Festival was The Promised Land. This Danish film is set in 1755 and tells the story of a real person, former soldier Ludvig Kahlen, played by the always wonderful Mads Mikkelsen. Despite reaching officer ranks, Kahlen […]

Danish drama delivers on promise

Lesson Plan ★★ POLISH film Lesson Plan is a barely average action/drama. After a teacher tragically dies, his friend, who happens to be a former cop, takes over his old job in hopes of catching the people responsible for his murder. Damian promises the family he will investigate and ends […]

Little to learn from Lesson Plan

The Odessa File ★★★½ THRILLER The Odessa File, released in 1974, was another attempted star-making vehicle for Jon Voight. The American actor had made Midnight Cowboy and Deliverance but these were serious films. The Odessa File, based on a Frederick Forsyth best-selling novel, was overall more of an entertainment piece. […]

Lesser Forsyth adaptation still entertaining

Dune Part Two ★★★★½ WITH Dune, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, French/Canadian Denis Villeneuve had already stamped himself as one of the current best directors of science-fiction cinema. Dune Part Two seals this reputation, even surpassing the spectacular first instalment in some respects. This visual epic continues to tell the story within the […]

Dune saga on path to being one of the greats

Here Be Dragons ★★½ AUSTRALIAN writer/director Alastair Newton Brown’s debut feature is a promising first effort. Here Be Dragons was filmed in Serbia and tells the story of a war crimes investigator’s hunt for a Serbian war criminal. When we meet David Locke at the start of the film he […]

Promising debut by Oz director

Drive Away Dolls ★★½ WHILE I definitely don’t begrudge the Coen brothers delivering separate projects, they still do their best work together. Fargo, No Country for Old Men and Miller’s Crossing are genuine modern classics while the brothers’ more outright comedies are much revered. A year or so ago Joel […]

Coen brothers better together

The Passenger ★★½ LOW budget thriller The Passenger jumps out of the blocks with a compelling opening act. Our hero is kidnapped following a shocking incident at a fast food restaurant. But, rather than wanting a hostage, the kidnapper seems more interested in making his victim deal with the problems […]

Mixed ride with The Passenger

Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves ★★★ YOU don’t have to a fan of the Dungeons and Dragons game to enjoy the latest film version, Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves In fact you probably don’t even need to know it is based on a game. It’s an entertaining medieval […]

Pine shines in fantasy romp