Mary and Max - Movie Poster

Mary and Max

3.5 Anne Murphy

A tale of friendship between two unlikely pen pals.

This meticulously constructed claymation is a mostly sombre film for older audiences. The characters and their surrounds are faultlessly observed, giving rise to frequent humorous moments, lifting the tone from what may have otherwise been despairingly gloomy. The predominantly monochromatic landscape serves to reinforce the serious nature of the themes of loneliness and mental illness. The movie is so finely balanced that ultimately the desperate is also oddly endearing.


La Nostra Vita - Movie Poster

La Nostra Vita

3.5 Anne Murphy

When tragedy befalls a construction worker he leans on his boss to give him his own site to supervise.

"La Nostra Vita" shows a slice of life for a hard working and honest man in present day Italy. Everyday struggles to navigate dilemmas involving ethics, family and friends a system where corruption is rife and how difficult it can be to do the right thing. Filmed with a hand held camera, the choppiness of the screen images highlight the topical edginess of the story-line. The audience is propelled from moment to moment as the odds stack up against the lead good-guy. Astute, perceptive film making.


Shaolin - Movie Poster

Shaolin

3.5 Anne Murphy

China is plunged into strife as feuding warlords try to expand their power with war.

It's a simple plot that's brought to life in this epic-scaled production. The magnificent courtyards and halls of the Shaolin temple play a starring role. Add sweeping rural landscapes of China to the on-screen splendour and the characters end up as extras. There are no crouching tigers but there are astonishing displays of aerial and on-the-ground martial arts. The well executed and bloody action scenes are furiously fought, not hampered by one side being mostly monks. Even Buddhist principles need defending.


The Look - Movie Poster

The Look

3.5 Anne Murphy

A biographical study of legendary actress Charlotte Rampling.

It is interesting to imagine different actors starring in their own documentaries, and few would enchant and enthral like the central figure of "The Look". This documentary is produced in chapters, each a conversation with one of her collaborators. The result is as an intimate portrait of an enigmatic actor and a career that spans more than 40 years. Her intelligent musings about aging, love and death provide insight into a life lived on the big screen. This unconventional woman is worth a look.


Dogtooth - Movie Poster

Dogtooth

3.5 Anne Murphy

A controlling sadistic man and his wife keep their three teenage children locked away from the world.

"Dogtooth" is disturbing viewing, as the stunted emotional development of the family becomes apparent. The mood is restrained as day after languid day of simple games are played out with the violent elements gradually emerging and escalating. The infantile mind games endured by the children are harrowing to watch. Their seclusion is not explained but the anguish and increasing desperation of the characters is readily understood. Distressing for audiences, and certainly not recommended for dentists.


Little White Lies - Movie Poster

Little White Lies

3.5 Anne Murphy

Despite suffering a traumatic accident, a group of friends go ahead with their annual beach vacation.

"Little White Lies" is an entertaining mix of comedy and drama. The film follows the cracks that appear as little pretences are revealed, straining the relationships among a group of long-time friends. It drifts along with a vacation atmosphere and a song-after-song soundtrack. You will probably wish you were a part of the tight-knit group by the seaside. Deep connections and human foibles are explored and exposed by the extraordinary French ensemble cast. Most enjoyable, and that's no lie.


I Am Love - Movie Poster

I Am Love

3.5 Anne Murphy

A tragic love story set at the turn of the millennium in Milan.

The screen images are aesthetically composed and structured with an eye for the pleasing in this most stylish of movies. Sadly, the hand-held camera swirls to a point of disorientation at times. Fortunately the movie is grounded by the compelling performances of the cast. "I Am Love" throbs with tempestuous passion that becomes overwrought. Lust runs amok, building to a frantic conclusion as the film is lifted to its climax by the operatic score; and the viewer left exhausted by the experience. Love it.


Women Without Men - Movie Poster

Women Without Men

3.5 Anne Murphy

Against the tumultuous backdrop of Iran's 1953 CIA-backed coup d'état, the destinies of four women converge in a beautiful orchard garden, where they find independence, solace and companionship.

The cinematography is extraordinary, creating a compelling story on the screen. The camera wanders and picks up magical images, mostly of women who would wish to live their lives differently. Each woman's tale is told with insight and appreciation for the individual; a feminist narrative with a political backdrop. Interest is held as the movie weaves through time and dream sequences, even as the plot lacks a little depth. There are men with the women, they're all but incidental.


Love and Other Drugs - Movie Poster

Love and Other Drugs

3.5 Anne Murphy

Maggie is an alluring free spirit who won't let anyone - or anything - tie her down.

"Love and Other Drugs" is a love story that hams it up and attempts to pass as a rom-com. There’s a super dose of romance as the themes of love, relationships and commitment are played out with enough depth to dissolve any hard-hearted genre cynicism. There are some annoyingly superficial and muddled moments offsetting the serious underlying themes of illness and the drug industry with levity. Watching this mixed up but enjoyable offering you're stirred rather shaken. Humming; "Jump up, bubble up, what's in store?".


The Women on the 6th Floor - Movie Poster

The Women on the 6th Floor

3.5 Anne Murphy

In 1960s Paris, a conservative couple's lives are turned upside down by two Spanish maids.

The character roles are straight jacketed by class stereotypes, both the salt-of-the-earth maids and their fuss-pot employers. The movie comes close to being patronising and mightn't have worked in a current day setting, however audiences can smile nostalgically at what is a charming and humorous class-comedy set in a previous century. "Women on the 6th Floor" is best not viewed from a social political perspective, but rather enjoyed for its gentle humour and captivating plot. Hope that the women upstairs never come down to earth.


The Trotsky - Movie Poster

The Trotsky

3.5 Anne Murphy

Leon Bronstein is not your average Montreal West high school student.

"The Trotsky" delivers everything we love from the best Canadian films, an indie tone, clever adolescent characters and a quirky story-line. The movie asks if it is apathy or boredom that leaves high-schoolers without motivation or political interest. A likeable revolutionary geek awakens students from their indifference. He battles family issues and perceived fascism. The action is funny as the players rally to their socialist causes and budding romances with passion. Chuckling audiences might be encouraged to come out of the political Siberia and join a movement.


Little Deaths - Movie Poster

Little Deaths

3.5 Anne Murphy

Composed of disturbingly sensual and terrifying short narratives, unified by the twin themes of sex and death.

Stories that usually only live in one's imagination emerge on to the screen. The quality production has a dreamlike quality. The narrative is more creative, more hedonistic, and a little more hysterical than everyday ordinary reality; needless to say it is more enjoyable too. There is more suggested than consummated on the screen, and risqué elements are implied rather than explicit. "Little Deaths" is deftly handled so the libidinous tone doesn't sink to lewd. Good Australian film making lives a little.


I'm Still Here - Movie Poster

I'm Still Here

3.5 Anne Murphy

A documentary on Joaquin Phoenix's transition from the acting world to a career as an aspiring rapper.

A documentary that gives the both the subject and the director writing credits, is perhaps not a documentary. "I'm Still Here" is as audacious as it is reckless, or perhaps a better description for the film and its star is wrecked. We see an actor seemingly discard his script and don his vulnerability, wearing it on the outside, unkempt and tormented. The Hollywood industry laughs and so does the public, at a stumbling mumbling freak. The point, no doubt, is to see who has the last laugh.


Snowtown - Movie Poster

Snowtown

3.5 Anne Murphy

A look at the life of serial killer John Bunting.

The world looks like a more sinister place after watching "Snowtown". The story, which recounts real events, is chilling and shows life as you wish it wasn't. The setting is a colourless and unsettling suburban landscape, all the more terrifying for its ordinariness. It's sometimes hard to tell the relationships between the characters, not that it's possible to care for any of them. The dramatic build is slow and we squirm at what's coming and, unsurprisingly, the audience becomes enmeshed in scenes so sickening that they're almost unwatchable. Snowtown is no town to be.


The Burning Plain - Movie Poster

The Burning Plain

3.5 Anne Murphy

The past and the present have a curious way of affecting one another as several people separated by time and space are about to discover.

This gripping tale is revealed as slowly as a building storm while tension builds. The movie is laden with foreboding, even if you anticipate the outcome before it's played out. The threads involving various characters weave together to reveal the anguish filled origins of the story. "Burning Plain" is moody and filled with loss and remorse, filmed against scenic backdrops that create realism and tension. The plains burn with a slow fuse to create an unforgettable movie.