A Year Ago in Winter - Movie Poster

A Year Ago in Winter

4.0 Anne Murphy

A renowned artist must uncover a young dancer's secrets in order to truly capture her likeness for a commissioned work.

"A Year Ago in Winter" deftly explores themes of grief, guilt, and longing; as a meaning for suicide is sought by those left behind asking 'why?'. Troubling family relationships are delicately mined, and troubled souls are sensitively exposed. Various reactions, feelings and emotions, not healed by time, are faultlessly laid bare as winter approaches. However, the cold reality is that there's little sense to be made of the senseless.


Many Kisses Later - Movie Poster

Many Kisses Later

4.0 Anne Murphy

Follows the relationships of six couples between Christmas and Valentine's Day, exploring the various ways a former romantic partner or 'ex' can shape our lives.

"Many Kisses Later" is a capricious romantic comedy pastiche, more similar in style to English films of the genre than American offerings. The relationships are well observed, even if the ensemble of characters seems almost too congenial at times. As the storylines overlap and diverge, our attention is captivated, and laughter bellows forth with almost every scene. Effervescent and entertaining, don't wait until later, enjoy many kisses now.


The White Ribbon - Movie Poster

The White Ribbon

4.0 Anne Murphy

Strange events happen in a small village in the north of Germany during the years just before World War I, which seem to be ritual punishment.

"The White Ribbon" is visually mesmerising, artistically captured in black and white with a period detail that is meticulously reproduced, particularly in the costumes of the farming villagers. With its fascist undertones this film is a harrowing watch for all of its lengthy run time, and even then there is no reward of a conclusion or explanation. Austere, relentless, seething with hatred and cruelty, this is unforgiving viewing. The film evokes a sense of impending doom, with blue ribbon success.


The Last Station - Movie Poster

The Last Station

4.0 Anne Murphy

A historical drama that illustrates Russian author Leo Tolstoy's struggle to balance fame and wealth with his commitment to a life devoid of material things.

Anchored with a passionate but philosophically-conflicted relationship between a husband and wife, "The Last Station" is a sweeping period piece that manages not to overwhelm with historical trappings. The a story is engrossing where, given the subject, it could have been rather dour. The players resist melodrama; there's an almost capricious tone that makes this film a pleasure to watch. It's not revealing too much to say the last station is the end of line.


Bill Cunningham New York - Movie Poster

Bill Cunningham New York

4.0 Anne Murphy

A cinematic profile of the noted veteran New York City fashion photographer.

"Seek beauty, and you'll find it", says the subject of this captivating film biography. The documentary spans the lifelong career of a delightfully eccentric and passionately obsessive follower of fashion. The film-maker almost becomes a private detective following his subject, a lively photographic journalist who is dedicated to the singular pursuit of capturing the style of people out on the street. As unassuming as the photographer is, he is undeniably one of the who’s who of the New York fashion scene; the challenge is keeping up with him. Run-a-way success.


Jane Eyre - Movie Poster

Jane Eyre

4.0 Anne Murphy

A mousy governess who softens the heart of her employer soon discovers that he's hiding a terrible secret.

A film adaption of a literary classic is rarely considered as good the book but this one is superb. "Jane Eyre" is likely to captivate all, including the most avid readers among us. This effort is well cast, capturing a perfect balance of brooding passion and guarded vulnerability. The cinematography captures a gothic austerity on the screen that reflects the social confines and well mannered restraint of the times, balanced by a landscape of moody spellbinding moors. Passionate plain Jane.


Air Doll - Movie Poster

Air Doll

4.0 Anne Murphy

A life-size blow-up doll develops a soul and falls in love with a video store clerk.

Seen through the delightfully innocent eyes of a living doll, scenes are coloured with an appreciation for the everyday. We observe the realities and absurdities of modern day life where everything is eventually discarded and disposed of. "Air Doll" is laden with social comment about our lonely urban lifestyles and it prompts reflection along existential themes. It could have been rather heavy going but for the whimsical touch of the director, and there is as much magic as sadness in the messages. This 'doll' is a sweetie.


Fish Tank - Movie Poster

Fish Tank

4.0 Anne Murphy

Everything changes for 15 year old Mia when her mum brings home a new boyfriend.

"Fish Tank" is a coming of age movie set on a rundown English council estate. The characters are filled with equal measures of frustration, anger, longing and alcohol, without means to release the pressure. The decaying situation is played out with a credibility that leaves the audience unsurprised at the outcomes but gripped by the tension. With nowhere to go but down, the mood is deliberately oppressive. The tank is grimy, and breathing underwater almost impossible, but even so we glimpse gold on the scales of these fish.


Terri - Movie Poster

Terri

4.0 Anne Murphy

A teenage loner, who wears pyjamas to school, is befriended by the slightly oddball Vice Principal.

Perhaps the only thing more difficult than being a high-school teenager is being a teenage misfit at high school. "Terri" is an unexpectedly endearing movie, thanks to the understated but oversized performance of the protagonist and the big hearted, if crazed, turn by the Vice Principal. The honesty embedded into the portrayals of all of the characters contributes to making this disarming film an original gem. The director's eye allows for scenes as bruising as they are amusing without trading sensitivity for laughs. Go Terri.


Cedar Rapids - Movie Poster

Cedar Rapids

4.0 Anne Murphy

Tim Lippe has no idea what he's in for when he's sent to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to represent his company at an annual insurance convention.

"Cedar Rapids" is a surprising and heart-stealing comedy, thanks mostly to the nuanced portrayal of the central character, as a naive and amiable man. This hearty movie is rude and rambunctious while managing to be emotionally earnest. In line with the indie tradition the result is disarming despite the morally dubious convention setting. Movie goers will take away a genial glow even as what happens in Cedar Rapids stays in Cedar Rapids…


You'll Miss Me - Movie Poster

You'll Miss Me

4.0 Anne Murphy

The lives of six people converge briefly at an airport, where arrivals and departures are the norm.

"You'll Miss Me" is composed of a delightful series of vignettes that deftly intersect and overlap, exploring loves lost and found. The movie delves into the emotions of people with vastly different lives, the laughs laced with feelings. The production has a warm hearted feel, perhaps only possible because it's French - it's certainly not as theatrical as the English ensemble pieces it is so reminiscent of. Try not to miss this one.


The Hedgehog - Movie Poster

The Hedgehog

4.0 Anne Murphy

Paloma is a serious, but deeply bored 11 year old, who decides to kill herself on her twelfth birthday.

"The Hedgehog" is a melancholic and elegantly understated character study, artistically crafted and entrancing. The film's direction is deft, uncovering a very moving exploration of the human condition beneath a simple tale. The story is focused on three intelligently drawn characters with rich inner lives in which they insulate themselves from the world outside. The performances of the lead roles are without fault, balancing humorous, absurd, and enigmatic characteristics. We see both the prickles on the outside and the warm hearted inside of a hedgehog.


Monsters - Movie Poster

Monsters

4.0 Anne Murphy

Six years after Earth has suffered an alien invasion a cynical journalist agrees to escort a shaken American tourist through an infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the US border.

Just when movie-goers have been lulled into thinking we've seen it all before, along comes a creative take on science fiction earth invasion that defies genre classification. Part adventure in a spectacular South American setting, it's the impending threat of romance blossoming, not the foreboding menace of the creatures, that provides most interest. The monsters are inventively depicted, and scary enough, but not as central as the title suggests.


Quiet Chaos - Movie Poster

Quiet Chaos

4.0 Anne Murphy

A look at the strange bereavement behavior of an Italian executive.

The portrayal of loss in this film evokes W.H. Auden's poem that opens with the line "Stop all the clocks...". Everything is changed and pared back to essentials by an unexpected death. The everyday world continues on around the slowing of the central characters, drawing empathetic viewers into this well told tale. The movie is a subdued but sure-footed meditation on grieving as lives and priorities are reassessed. More contemplative than chaotic, and recommended for its heartfelt quiet.


Julie & Julia - Movie Poster

Julie & Julia

4.0 Anne Murphy

Julia Child's story of her start in the cooking profession is intertwined with blogger Julie Powell's 2002 challenge to cook all the recipes in Child's first book.

Two storylines are baked together, although about 50 years separate them, and the result is delicious. Scenes effortlessly transport the viewer in and out of the lives and kitchens of Julie and Julia, capturing a shared passion for cooking. The characters are wonderful, warm, and loving; their relationships golden roasted and close to perfect. This movie is appetizingly presented and readily devoured. As both Julie and Julia would have said... bon appetit!