Tag Archives: Drama

The Boy and the Heron (Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka, 君たちはどう生きるか) – Movie Review

Posted on by
5

TL;DR – A heartbreaking and devastating exploration of grief set to a beautiful backdrop and wacky characters.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to see this film.

Mahito walks through grass.

The Boy and the Heron Review –

When you look at the great animation studios of history, one name does tend to stand out, so much so that we wrote a whole article about The Beauty of Ghibli. For a long time, we thought that there would be no more films because creator Hayao Miyazaki had retired. However, it seems like Miyazaki-san does not like to take it easy, and it means that we get another of his movies, and who am I to disagree?

So to set the scene, Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki/ Luca Padovan) is a young boy during WW2 who is haunted by the day he watched as the hospital with his mother inside burned to the ground. He has not really had a chance to process this when his father Shoichi (Takuya Kimura/ Christian Bale) marries his late wife’s younger sister Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura/ Gemma Chan) and moves into her estate in the countryside, where a Grey Heron (Masaki Suda/ Robert Pattinson) pays a particular notice to the new arrival.  

Continue reading →

Doi Boy – Movie Review

Posted on by
1

TL;DR –  A difficult but also fascinating look at the pressures of Thai life through those who sit at the bottom of the hierarchy.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Doi Boy Review –

One of my goals this year was to hit one hundred films reviewed and expand the cinematic landscape I have explored. Well, we ticked off the one hundred films goal earlier this week, but the goal of increasing my cinema still marches on. Today, we look at our first film from Thailand that drops us into a world on the cusp of rapid change.

So to set the scene, Sorn (Awat Ratanapintha) is an ethnic Shan man who was a former Monk who was pressganged into the military. They had to escape from Myanmar because of the violence. In Thailand, all he wants is the best for himself and his girlfriend Bee (Panisara Rikulsurakan), but there are few opportunities for someone without the right documentation. One industry that did pay well was adult entertainment; that is how he and Korn (Noomsang) ended up working for Madame M (Teerawat Mulvilai) in Chiang Mai. A world of money but also a world of danger.

Continue reading →

Dome House Six – Movie Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – An interesting film that packs a bunch at the end but is a bit rough on our journey to get there.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was sent a screener of this film.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

URSA

Dome House Six Review –

I think one of the reasons I like exploring post-apocalyptic settings is not for the disasters themselves but for the ability to show the best and worst in people. It is the great amplifier of humanity, and good stories focus on this. Today, we look at an entry into the growing genre of the environmental apocalypse, where we have destroyed the Earth and how we go on after that.

So to set the scene, in the not-too-distant future, climate change has wreaked havoc on the Earth’s ecosphere, damaging the atmosphere with pollutants and just generally making it unliveable. Where there is a need, some corporations will fill it, and U.R.S.A. Corporation develops Dome House, a technology to isolate your home from the dangers outside. For those inside the domes, life is safe but also a monotonous routine from one day to the next. But outside, life is barely habitable. It is here where the lives of Sidney (Madyn Rae), Micah (Prem Sagar Krishnan), and Harvey (Jordan Abbey-Young) come crashing together. All while the calm tones of URSA (Charlotte Best) walk them through every aspect of their lives.

Continue reading →

Saltburn – Movie Review

Posted on by
7

TL;DR – A torrid and often shocking affair, but one you have trouble looking away from.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Warning – Contains scenes with prolonged flashing lights.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film

Oliver reflected in the table.

Saltburn Review –

There can be a multitude of emotions that can wash over you when the end credits roll. Disbelief, boredom, shock, sadness, horror, resignation, frustration, and even anger. However, never in my time reviewing films have I ever had this particular set of emotions permeating through my mind. A combination of revelation, horror, shock, and sheer amazement. It is this film that we explore today.

So to set the scene, it is 2006, and Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) has made it into Oxford, but he didn’t have wealthy parents. He got in on a scholarship, which immediately set him apart from everyone else there. He longs to be part of the group, and being friends with local heartthrob Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi) is the best way to do it. It is a tumultuous relationship, but when Oliver’s dad dies and he has nowhere to go over the summer, Felix invites him back to his family’s estate, Saltburn. A place where wealth is in excess and lives can be changed.  

Continue reading →

The Expanse: A Telltale Series – ARCHANGEL – Video Game Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – We take a look at the bonus episode from The Expanse: A Telltale Series featuring Chrisjen Avasarala  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for this game.

New York skyline.

The Expanse Review –

Earlier this year, we looked at a new Telltale-style game from Deck Nine that brought us back into the world of The Expanse. The Expanse: A Telltale Series explored the world of Camina Drummer (Cara Gee) before she joined the story that we know. It was a fun blast, bar that time, I accidentally got a crew member killed. You can read our full review of the game HERE. I knew there would be a bonus episode dropping at some point, but I didn’t know who it was going to focus on, and now it is here. I could not wait to give it a whirl.

So to set the scene, Undersecretary of Peace Operations Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo) has been sequestered away from the United Nations to the Secretary General’s bunker. The rest of the politicians are up on Luna, and this is a sort of safety net, or prison, depending on who you ask. But if you are alive, you can work to find a way forward, even if there are phone calls from Calisto to distract you. Because Mendez (Rogelio Ramos) is out there trying to take your job, and you will not let that snivelling excuse of pustule get his way.

Continue reading →

Killers of the Flower Moon – Movie Review

Posted on by
6

TL;DR – A stunning work of art that captivated me for its entire runtime.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no end-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to see this film.

The sisters take a photo.

Killers of the Flower Moon Review –

There are some films where you know where you will land when the credits roll, but others still sit with you and reverberate through your brain over the coming days. Today, we look at just such a film that powered through my soul, with performances that were almost once in a generation.

So to set the scene, The Osage Nation had been forced from their homelands by the United States, but as luck or fate would have it, they found oil and became wealthy in this new land. Like any mineral found in human history, there was a rush to the county for those looking for work and making it rich. One such person was Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio), who moved to the area to work with his uncle, William King Hale (Robert De Niro). Here, his uncle subtlety suggests that he marries a local Osage lady because there is a chance that oil headrights could end up with them, which he does with Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone). But what if you could help those progressions of headrights towards you with some targeted deaths?

Continue reading →

The Rooster – Movie Review

Posted on by
6

TL;DR – A powerful meditation on the intersection of masculinity and loneliness.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to see this film

Warning – This film contains scenes that may cause distress.

Gum trees creak overhead.

The Rooster Review –

Loneliness and masculinity are two intersecting topics that are important to explore, but I rarely see it done well. I think it is challenging to have honest conversations about this topic when we still live in a world where mental health is seen as a taboo topic. Whatever the case, I am glad that the film we are exploring today is taking the time to jump into this topic.

So to set the scene, we open with Dan (Phoenix Raei), who is tormented by the same dream every night. He lives alone in a forested rural region of Victoria and is one of the town’s only police officers. His is a quiet life, only punctuated by the struggle to feed the rooster each morning who only wants to attack Dan. However, this peaceful life is ripped asunder when his friend Steve’s (Rhys Mitchell) body is found. This is a fulcrum moment, leaving Dan unable to cope with the world. But as he tries to drink his sorrows away, he discovers a Hermit (Hugo Weaving) living alone in the forest who might be a kindred spirit with a ping-pong table.  

Continue reading →

Bring Him to Me – Movie Review

Posted on by
6

TL;DR – An oddly tense film about bringing a man to his coming fate.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to see this film.

A masked man with a gun.

Bring Him to Me Review –

One of the perks of being a film reviewer in Australia is watching Aussie films make it to the big screen. Even more so when they have filmed the movie around where you live, and you get to play the game ‘Wait, I know that bridge’. Well, today we get to review that hits both these marks as it galivants pair towards danger.

So to set the scene, we open in on a robbery in progress, where a money cleaner (Sam Neill) is very put out by having his night ruined. Even more so when they threaten his son (Zac Garred). The next day, the Driver (Barry Pepper) is called by his Boss (Rachel Griffiths) because everything went wrong the night before. Something has to have caused it, so the Driver needs to pick up one of the other members of the robbery, The Kid (Jamie Costa), who stuffed it up and, as the title implies, bring him to her.  

Continue reading →

Uproar – Movie Review

Posted on by
5

TL;DR – An emotional punch to the face as it explores the power of finding your identity.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to see this film

A sign that says "Justice for Black South Africa, Justice for Brown New Zealand would be nice to!"

Uproar Review –

At the time of writing, we are in the middle of the Brisbane International Film Festival or, more affectionately, BIFF. So many films were on offer that you needed to sort through all the entries before being paralysed by indecision. For me this year, I decided to prioritise Aussie and Kiwi films, and with that in mind, you will see a couple of these entries over the coming days. Our first entry from BIFF explores the need to find your identity and how that shapes us as people.

So to set the scene, it is 1981, and the South African Rugby Team, the Springbok, are currently touring New Zealand. Given an intentionally racist Apartheid political system that still runs South Africa, this tour is quite controversial, and there are protests everywhere the team plays. It is within this world that Josh Waaka (Julian Dennison) is trying to find his voice. He is surviving High School by hiding in the library each lunchtime, but he is not thriving at any level. Much of his out-of-school time is spent on odd jobs helping his mother Shirley (Minnie Driver) and the family survive and assisting his brother Jamie (James Rolleston) in his physical therapy recovery from an accident. But as these protests cause a reckoning in the country, they also force Josh to reflect on his own identity.  

Continue reading →

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar – Movie Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – A fascinating literary turducken that captivates you.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that viewed this film.

A writers writing room.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar Review –

In the last week, we have looked at first The Rat Catcherand thenPoison, two fascinating adaptations of Roald Dahl’s short stories by Wes Anderson. It was at this point that I discovered that they were from a group of four that were released, and I had missed the first two. Well, that can not do, so we got back to the start with The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, which may have given some critical context for the ones that followed.

So to set the scene, we open with ‘a writer’ (Ralph Fiennes) explaining their process of getting ready to write when he introduces us to Henry Sugar (Benedict Cumberbatch). Henry is a rich man and one of the many useless rich people floating around like seaweed in the world. But Henry liked to bet. So, on one wet and dreary day, he drifted through a grand house till he came across a peculiar book in the library, A Report on Imdad Khan: The Man Who Sees Without His Eyes by Dr. Z.Z. Chatterjee, dated December 1935, Calcutta. Henry was immediately engrossed with the tale.  

Continue reading →