Tag Archives: Cinema

The Best Australian and New Zealand Cinema in 2024

Posted on by
1

It was a fantastic year for Australian and New Zealand Cinema, with each film I saw knocking it out of the park. Some works held up a mirror to society, those that explored Indigenous voices, and those that brought the action to a new level.

This list will look more at the locally made Australian and New Zealand productions/co-productions and not just films filmed in those countries.

Our Highly Commended Films in 2024 are: Better Man, The Convert, Force of Nature, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, Nugget is Dead & Runt

Our Highly Commended TV in 2024 are: Buried, Nautilus & Population 11

Continue reading →

The Works of 2024 That Emotionally Wrecked Us

Posted on by
3

As I have gotten older, I am not afraid of having a good old-fashioned ugly cry in the cinemas when the time calls for it, and hell, I probably got emotional just writing this list (Spoiler: I did). Sometimes, they are tears of grief or tears of joy, and even still, sometimes, they are tears of anger. 

Emotion is a core part of the cinema experience. If you can’t get us to respond emotionally to your characters and/or the situation, I am sorry you failed to make a great film.

Our Highly Commended Films in 2024 are: A Quiet Place: Day One, The Beekeeper, How to Make Gravy, Robot Dreams, Thelma & Turtles All the Way Down

Our Highly Commended TV in 2024 are: Agatha All Along, Earth Abides, The Penguin, Shōgun & Star Trek: Prodigy

Continue reading →

The Best Australian and New Zealand Cinema in 2023

Posted on by
2

This year, with the slight shift in how we format the awards, we added in a touch more flexibility. While that is mainly in the backend, I did want to take the opportunity to expand one of the awards we covered during this period.

It was a fantastic year for Australian and New Zealand Cinema, with each film I saw knocking it out of the park. There were intimate documentaries, films that held up a mirror to society, and those that brought the action to a new level.

This list will look more at the locally made Australian and New Zealand productions/co-productions and not just films filmed in those countries.

Our Highly Commended in 2023 are Bring Him to Me, The Portable Door & True Spirit
Our Best Australian/New Zealand TV in 2023 are The Artful Dodger, Aunty Donna’s Coffee Café, Deadloch, & NCIS: Sydney



So, without further ado, these are the best of Australian and New Zealand Cinema in 2023. Be warned that there will be significant spoilers for the films in question.

The Nominees Are –

Continue reading →

Tension That Kept You On The Edge Of Your Seat In 2023!

Posted on by
2

Well, we have looked at Emotion and swung wildly across the spectrum to Fun, and now we are completing that trifecta by looking at Tension. Tension is one of the most challenging facets of filmmaking because it requires the script, direction, acting, and editing to all work in tandem to evoke the perfect pace. If just one part of that group misses, then an essential part of the film falls apart.

In 2023, we continued to see some excellent use of tension to build mystery, to be the harbinger of the coming dread, or even to tick the clock of inevitability.   

Our Highly Commended in 2023 are Five Nights at Freddy’s, Killers of the Flower Moon, Knock at the Cabin, M3GAN, The Nun II & Saltburn
Our Best TV Tension in 2023 are Deadloch: Season 1, Doctor Who: 2023 Specials, The Last of Us: Season 1, Poker Face: Season 1 & Silo: Season 1

So, without further ado, these moments of tension kept us on the edge of our seats in 2023. Be warned that there may be slight spoilers ahead for the films in question.

And the Nominees are –

Continue reading →

Mapping The Troll Trek in Troll – Map-It

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – We map the route the Troll took in Troll

The destruction of a house.

Mapping Troll –

Earlier today, we watched a genuinely delightful Kaiju film from Norway about a Troll being woken from its slumber and making its way down to the capital. We enjoyed the film, and you can read our full review HERE.

One of the things the film did so well was giving you an understanding of the geography involved with the travels, and after watching, I wondered – did that work in real life? You may think that is an odd question, but as a map in the future will show, that is not always the case.  

However, everything lines up here (even topographically if interested). With that in mind, I thought I would have a little fun and map it out for you. Of course, whenever I make a map of Scandinavia, I always forget about the fjords before I start, which is probably for the best because they would probably scare me off. Also, there are some spoilers for Troll, so view it at your own risk.   

Continue reading →

Explore It – Out For A Day In Brisbane

Posted on by
1

TL;DR – Today I got out of the house and just went for a walk for the first time since March

Article –

Since March, life has been a state of being at home twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, unless you had some specific event to go to. After a while, that starts to put a drain on your mental fortitude. Also, the lack of exercise plus stress eating has not helped either. Well, yesterday I had the day off and given the good situation that Queensland was in (when I left my door that morning, but we will get into that later) I thought it was time to get out of the house and go for a wander. So I packed my bag with hand sanitiser and a mask, left after peak hour, as recommended, and started my walk.    

Continue reading →