The Day I Was Not Born - Movie Poster

The Day I Was Not Born

4.0 Anne Murphy

During a stopover in Buenos Aires, Maria recognises a nursery rhyme being sung in Spanish.

The storyline of "The Day I Was Not Born" is original and disquieting. Hefty political themes are narrated through a personal lens of family and identity, and the Buenos Aries setting is perfect in capturing a city with an atmospheric sense of the recent past - it looks both foreign and familiar, balancing the disoriented characters. Sensitively told with an assured minimalism, the movie is understated and the acting is restrained, creating compelling viewing. A tale of dislocation that carries both wounds and warmth.


Knight and Day - Movie Poster

Knight and Day

4.0 Anne Murphy

June Havens finds her everyday life tangled with that of a secret agent who has realised he isn't supposed to survive his latest mission.

"Knight and Day" is as much video game in style as it is action movie, and it's pure high-energy entertainment. While they have fun and resist taking themselves too seriously, the big name leads are compelling with their on-screen chemistry. The pace doesn't let up, with exhilarating chase after chase. There's a captivating mix of comedy, romance and an upbeat soundtrack in this fabulous Hollywood fare that holds attention throughout. Fun viewing day or night.


Every Little Step - Movie Poster

Every Little Step

4.0 Anne Murphy

Follows the plight of real-life dancers as they struggle through auditions for the Broadway revival of "A Chorus Line".

This documentary is eminently worthy of a big screen season. Dancers take centre stage and give their all to showcase their talents, competing for an elusive 'call-back'. Their performances are determined and gritty. The audience can't forget the production is real, with dreams, tears and joy laid bare as auditions progress. "Every Little Step" is exhilarating to watch with life imitating art imitating life. Broadway that's better than Broadway.


Give Up Tomorrow - Movie Poster

Give Up Tomorrow

4.0 Anne Murphy

When a teenager from a political family in the Philippines is accused of a double murder, the country's entire judicial system is put to the test after years of alleged corruption.

This story is one of such a jaw-dropping miscarriage of justice that it instils outrage. "Give Up Tomorrow" documents 12 years of a murder case with sufficient information and detail to convince even the most hardened sceptic of a gross wrongdoing. The production quality is patchy, even grainy at times, but the story is compelling and impossible to watch without tears. Get through today and you can give up tomorrow.


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.


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.


The Skin I Live In - Movie Poster

The Skin I Live In

4.0 Anne Murphy

A brilliant plastic surgeon, haunted by past tragedies, creates a type of synthetic skin.

The narrative of "The Skin I Live In" is as intriguing as it is twisted, central to the plot is a contemporary and perverse Frankenstein character. This is an ethically challenging story of an obsessive patriarch, sinister gender control is stirred with psychological intrigue to create a morally unsettling but memorable movie. The nightmarish elements are balanced by the visually sophisticated and vibrant tone presented on screen. Your skin may crawl, but an imprint is left getting right under the skin.


The Tall Man - Movie Poster

The Tall Man

4.0 Anne Murphy

A documentary, set on Palm Island where on the day Cameron Doomadgee was arrested for swearing at a policeman and was found dead in a watch-house cell forty-five minutes later.

"The Tall Man" is a documentary that persuasively recreates a death in custody one statement at a time through interviews and first person accounts. As each witness account is carefully scrutinised, a grim and unsettling story emerges. Trials and inquests are revisited and accounts unravel. We may not be able to determine exactly what happened on that one night in 2004, but we can definitely draw our own conclusions. Short on truth.


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…