“Friends are the family you choose” – a hackneyed statement that has adorned many a greeting card and social media post. However, like any passé adage that has been recited to an inch of its life, it bears some truth – there is nothing quite as meaningful as finding a good friend, since they offer…
Tag: drama
Meet Wally Sparks (1997)
As a culture, we are predisposed to enjoying some of the less intellectual sides of society, which mainly manifests in the form of the entertainment we consume. This obviously doesn’t apply to everyone, but I’d argue we all have our self-professed “guilty pleasures” that we tend to keep concealed from prying eyes. The most common…
The Only Son (1936)
As is the case with many incredibly influential and prolific filmmakers, choosing a standout in the career of Yasujirō Ozu’s storied career is not always easy, even if certain films tend to be discussed more often than others. Some people present the argument that The Only Son (Japanese: 一人息子) is his greatest work, as well…
The Room (2003)
There is a difference between a bad film and an uninteresting film. An uninteresting film is just a run-of-the-mill, mediocre, crappy effort at making money. They usually end up being boring and unmemorable, and they get produced several times a year. A bad film is a film just so bad, it actually is damn entertaining…
Maleficent (2014)
Let me first say this – regardless of this review, I am just happy to see Angelina Jolie back on the screen after a shocking four-year absence. She is a talented actress, and I am happy she actually made a more family-oriented film. Now onto the review. It is difficult to criticize this film without…
Wake in Fright (1971)
What can I say about a film that has become so legendary, it is often considered the definitive Ozploitation film, and one of the bedrocks of the Australian New Wave movement. Not much, but trying is all the fun, isn’t it? At the outset, this film is shown to take place in a barren, dry…
The Normal Heart (2014)
The journey to get Larry Kramer’s masterpiece The Normal Heart from stage to screen has been a decades-long battle, and finally it appears as a painfully honest and emotional film. When I heard Ryan Murphy would be directing this, I instantly thought “Oh yay, more overacting and hammy performances”, but I will admit that this…
Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)
I don’t want to undermine their efforts or talents, but you won’t very easily get me to watch an independent Australian drama. It is not because they are untalented or unremarkable or just plain bad, it is just the sensibilities of a lot of independent Australian filmmakers call for a lack of limit or boundaries…
Hobo With a Shotgun (2011)
Very seldom does one find a film so absolutely obscure and strange that they feel a combination of shock, amazement and sheer damn excitement. Hobo With a Shotgun is just that. A brilliant film that is so shocking and odd, it would be wrong to call it anything other than an experience. First of all,…
Out of the Furnace (2013)
Christian Bale may not be my favourite actor, but I do highly respect his work ethic and how he’s balanced blockbusters with more indie fare. Last year, he had two films – the brilliant American Hustle, where he transformed himself and got a well-deserved Best Actor nomination, and the disappointingly bland Out of the Furnace,…
The Postmodern Pelican 