Reviews
"The Miseducation of Cameron Post" (2018) Review
There's a moment in the trailer of Alfonso Cuarón's "Gravity" where Sandra Bullock's astronaut is cast off the space station and sent hurtling into the void. Tumbling, clutching vacant space; that lack of an anchor is the perfect metaphor for the director and co-writer Desiree Akhavan's "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" a disturbing vision of life behind the lines of gay conversion therapy.
"You Were Never Really Here" (2017) Review
Scottish filmmaker Lynne Ramsay elevates the vigilante tropes of "You Were Never Really Here" into a sensory experience dripping with the haunting psychological cost of death. Dizzying pulsating soundscapes seamlessly edited around fleeting glimpses into disturbing events and a subversive vision of vengeance; Ramsay and star Joaquin Phoenix have delivered something that refuses to be forgotten.
"King Cohen" (2018) Review
Anotherfilmnerd looks on in awe as a veritable cavalcade of cinematic titans pay tribute to a legend.
"I Feel Pretty" (2018) Review
Anotherfilmnerd feels like he’s stepped into an episode of ‘The Twilight Zone’ watching the latest film featuring comedienne Amy Schumer.
Graffiti Elsewhere: "MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE - Fallout" & "Living Universe" Reviews
Each month, for those Graffiti readers unsure of where else they can find my reviews, I'll be collecting them into a single post. This is so that you can catch up without having to scroll through a series of #OneHeatMinute Live adverts and updates about my newborn son to find where else I've been published.
Sydney Film Festival 2018 Film Diary Part 1 - "The Blood of Wolves," "Holiday" and "West of Sunshine"
To give you a flavour of 2018 Sydney Film Festival, I'm going to be compiling 'capsule' sized reviews of every film that I caught. The only exceptions to this will be those films that have a guaranteed an Australian cinematic release, in which case you may see a capsule review that forms the bedrock for a more extensive analysis of the movie.
"STEVE MARTIN & MARTIN SHORT: AN EVENING YOU WILL FORGET FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE" Review
Anotherfilmnerd watches two of the Three Amigos strut their stuff, and thanks his lucky stars Chevy Chase was nowhere in sight.
"Hereditary" (2018) Review
Anotherfilmnerd looks at a film so bleak, even Lars von Trier would probably find it a bit much.
Graffiti Elsewhere: "Mystery Road: The Series" "Brother's Nest" and "1%" Reviews
Each month, for those Graffiti readers unsure of where else they can find my reviews, I'll be collecting them into a single post. This is so that you can catch up without having to scroll through a series of #OneHeatMinute Live adverts and making uncomfortable choices between great movies to find where else I've been published.
Arrested Development : Fateful Consequences a.k.a the Season 4 Remix TV Review
Anotherfilmnerd looks at the “remix” of “Arrested Development” Season Four… a re-edit that simultaneously improves on the original cut while magnifying its flaws.
Two Jessicas: Molly’s Game (2017) and Miss Sloane (2016) Review
“Molly’s Game” is a stranger than fiction story that’s hamstrung by the artifice of Sorkin’s formal craft; and there’s no doubt that it’s the lesser Jessica. “Miss Sloane is a fictional political thriller told with dynamism and craft.
To Consume and Be Consumed: “IT” (2017) & “Raw”’ (2016)
“IT” opens with the cold dusty den of Bill’s bedroom. The rain is pouring and while the town of Derry seeks refuge, there’s an ominous atmosphere right from the outset that there’s something lurking in the edges of this warm and cosy world. Julie Ducournau’s “Raw” begins on a quaint deserted country road, framing the sporadic passing traffic from a position on the side of the road where you’d imagine a speed camera to be lurking. A car comes into frame, and just as it reaches the centre, something suddenly darts into the centre of the road. The car swerves and crashes hard into a tree, killing the occupants. This was clearly no accident.
"Red Sparrow" (2018) Review
Tradecraft for a female spy has the dark reality of being required to use sex as a weapon, or at least a distraction to penetrate (no pun intended) the guard of a foe. Francis Lawrence’s “Red Sparrow,” a crisply shot, contemporary spy thriller tackles the harsh sexual and psychological manipulation require to be a successful espionage asset.
Graffiti Elsewhere: "Gurrumul" (2018) and "Breath" (2018) Reviews
Each month, for those Graffiti readers unsure of where else they can find my reviews, I'll be collecting them into a single post. This is so that you can catch up without having to scroll through a series of "Friday Night Lights" appreciation tweets and #OneHeatMinute episode notifications to find where else I've been published.
“Murder on the Orient Express” (2017) Review
Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express” is a top shelf whodunnit played out with crisp pace and crackles, thanks to a cache of intentionally opaque performances from a prestige cast including Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Olivia Colman, Daisy Ridley and Josh Gad. Branagh has orchestrated the perfect actor/director vehicle for himself that finds the perfect tone between prestige and pulp cinema.
Asgardians, Hulks and Space Bears, Oh My: "Thor: Ragnarok" and "Brigsby Bear" Reviewed
Waititi takes the characters in “Thor: Ragnarok” and makes them act in precisely the way he feels it’s worth his time in this sandbox. “Brigsby Bear” is literally about a guy taking the show that defined his young life (and ended on a cliff-hanger) and giving it the ending that he feels it deserved.
"Black Panther" 2018 Review
“Black Panther” is an avalanche, a nexus for underrepresented voices to be thrust into the throne. The superhero genre grew up a decade ago, with the arrival of “Iron Man” and “The Dark Knight”; and since then it’s rarely elevated out of an escapist arrested development.
18-52: The Good, The Bad and the Allegory - “The Shape of Water” (2017) and “Bright” (2017) Review
“The Shape of Water” is a sumptuous ode to movies, to love and to monsters, or as Del Toro calls them, our “patron saints of imperfection.” “Bright” is not a good film
Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond - Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton (2017) Review
Jim & Andy is an experience that left me reeling. Carrey may have a touch of madness, but there’s no doubt that’s the burden of great genius.
18-52: Calm Like a Bomb - “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (2017) & Dave Chappelle: Equanimity & The Bird Revelation (TV Movie) Review
Welcome to 18-52, a weekly review column that tackles two current releases on your cinema screen and in your stream. This week “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (2017) & Dave Chappelle: Equanimity & The Bird Revelation (2018)