Beautiful Kate - Movie Poster

Beautiful Kate

4.5 Wendy Slevison

A writer is asked to return to the family home, to say goodbye to his father who is dying.

There is so much in this stunning film that is beautiful. The performances from the male leads are superb, and it's the direction and script, from a first-time feature director, that make it possible. The cinematography perfectly captures the beauty and isolation of the homestead where the story takes place; and the music score does what the best do - enhance, while not overtaking. "Beautiful Kate" is a memorable and significant contribution to Australian film-making and viewing.


The King's Speech - Movie Poster

The King's Speech

4.5 Anthony Macali

The story of King George VI of Britain, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it.

"The King's Speech" is a masterful example of the classic transformation film, as it follows the stammering son of King George V while he learns and grows to overcome his adversity. The period is beautifully shot and detailed, capturing the new wave of the wireless and the impending prospect of war, elevating the sense of pressure and suspense. To sympathise with a King, with his gilded and lavish lifestyle on show, is an impressive accomplishment. A speech worthy of attention.


The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Movie Poster

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

4.5 Anthony Macali

The true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who suffers a stroke and has to live with an almost totally paralyzed body; only his left eye isn't paralyzed.

"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is both a beautifully inspiring and tragic story. With clever use of the medium, the director throws us into the perspective of our unfortunate patient. Elle's cynical outlook provides more laughs than sympathy, as he serves his imprisonment and takes the opportunity to seek closure and follow his dreams - such a task our able-bodied selves often find too difficult. A wonderful film, and a celebration of life.


The Wrestler - Movie Poster

The Wrestler

4.5 Anthony Macali

A drama centered on retired professional wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson as he makes his way through the independent circuit.

In a movie about wrestling, it's only fitting that the acting in this film is superb. "The Wrestler" explores what a human being is capable of, and then what they do. It's this no holds barred honesty that makes this film spectacular. As the camera follows Randy "The Ram" onto the stage of his life, he bears all to his fans, and the audience, in a wonderfully poignant performance. If wrestling is all about acting, then this film is the teaching manual.


Welcome - Movie Poster

Welcome

4.5 Anne Murphy

Bilal, a 17 year old Kurdish boy from Iraq sets off to England to see his love who lives there.

"Welcome" is an authentic exploration of a divisive social issue of our time. The device of narrowing the focus from exiles and asylum seekers to one man allows sensitivity to infiltrate the story, and attitudes of caring emerge from unlikely sources. The movie is grounded with a heartbreaking love story at the core. Strong performances hold the production together, keeping it from showing undue concern in a bleeding heart fashion. Always welcome are extraordinary, powerfully emotional, and well directed films about unwelcome immigrants.


Shame - Movie Poster

Shame

4.5 Tom Jones

In New York City, a man's carefully cultivated private life, which allows him to indulge his sexual addiction, is disrupted when his sister arrives unannounced for an indefinite stay.

It's ironic, a movie with a one-worded title conjures up so many more. To name but just a few, "Shame" is explicit, dark, confronting, honest and in every essence of the word, brilliant. Everything, absolutely everything, about the central character and his lifestyle is exposed, and yet at the same time the audience is denied a lot of context surrounding who, what and why for the film's entirety. However this conflict, along with everything else, simply works. In one word... shameless.


Up in the Air - Movie Poster

Up in the Air

4.5 Anne Murphy

With a job that has him traveling around the country firing people, Ryan Bingham leads an empty life out of a suitcase, until his company does the unexpected: ground him.

A movie for the times, "Up in the Air" is topical and astutely observed. Social satire doesn't get delivered more incisively than this perfectly balanced movie. Just when a character approaches caricature the comedic effect is turned back and some of life's big questions are plausibly presented. We respond with a collective sigh, not to mention the odd tear. Let "Up in the Air" bring you back to earth.


I've Loved You So Long - Movie Poster

I've Loved You So Long

4.5 Wendy Slevison

This powerful story explores the tentative relationship between two sisters who barely know each other, as a shell-shocked Juliette arrives to live with her younger sister Lea, after being away for 15 years.

"I've Loved You So Long" is a raw, sparse film about human pain that is at times difficult to watch, and yet mesmerising. As Juliette slowly but uncompromisingly opens and embraces her new life, we rejoice as she finally begins to reclaim power from the oppressive secrets of her past. With an exquisitely stripped-down performance from the lead actress, this magnetic, emotionally wrenching film is very highly recommended.


The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Movie Poster

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

4.5 Anthony Macali

Journalist Mikael is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for forty years by Lisbeth, a young computer hacker.

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is a classic whodunit set in Sweden and is genuinely captivating from start to finish. A rich set of characters drive the story, each with their own motives, and at times, sinister agendas. Our young heroine is the most impressive in a striking and memorable performance. Just be warned, the film is long, and there are some particularly disturbing scenes, but they all play their part in the arresting plot. Can't wait to see the girl again.


Undertow - Movie Poster

Undertow

4.5 Anne Murphy

An unusual ghost story set on the Peruvian seaside; a married fisherman struggles to reconcile his devotion to his male lover within his town's rigid traditions.

"Undertow" is a touching study of love and devotion amid a devout community. Life is good in the lethargic fishing village where the pace is languid and everything moves slowly, except the gossip. Even so, there are no villains in this tender tale. The congenial characters are so authentic it's almost impossible not to like them, even with the betrayal implicit in the central love triangle. Very moving, with a haunting undertow.


Mongol - Movie Poster

Mongol

4.5 Luke Bartter

The story recounts the early life of Genghis Khan who was a slave before going on to conquer half the world.

Epic in its scope, "Mongol" details the feuds and hardships Genghis Khan had to overcome in becoming a feared conqueror. Not an accurate historical account, but with great performances, music and cinematography, it's easy to forgive any liberties taken in the story. Replete with rousing battles and satisfying drama, even people who don't like subtitles should see Mongol. Violent, spectacular and moving. Highly recommended.


The Counterfeiters - Movie Poster

The Counterfeiters

4.5 Andrew O'Dea

The Counterfeiters is the true story of the largest counterfeiting operation in history, set up by the Nazis in 1936.

"The Counterfeiters" presents a completely different sort of holocaust story. Saloman Sorowitz is captured and forced into a concentration camp to produce fake banknotes for the Nazi's. It challenges us through Saloman's quandary by raising provocative moral dilemmas. The movie doesn't impose a right or wrong, instead the viewer is subtly invited to ascertain their own beliefs. This brilliant film is surely no fraud, it's near enough a masterpiece.


Milk - Movie Poster

Milk

4.0 Wendy Slevison

The story of California's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk, a San Francisco supervisor who was assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone by San Francisco Supervisor Dan White.

Harvey Milk was an ordinary man filled with courage and the conviction to create change, who became a modern-day hero. Chronicling the last eight years of the activist's life, as he fights tirelessly for gay rights, the film vividly revives the radical period of the 70's. The convincing and sensitive portrayal by the lead actor, combined with an equally compelling supporting cast, makes this biopic both inspiring and moving. Highly recommended.


Beginners - Movie Poster

Beginners

4.0 Wendy Slevison

A man receives revelations from his elderly father: he has terminal cancer, and a young male lover.

"Beginners" is a poignant, tenderly-crafted portrait of a man's evolving relationship with his father, and the impact it has on other relationships in his life. The writer/director has told his unusual, autobiographical tale in a warm, quirky and original style, skilfully mixing the joys and sorrows in a way that is never over-sentimental or clichéd. The film is ultimately a celebration of life, love and hope. It shows us that in our experiences of love - finding it, and then holding on to it - we are all, at times, beginners.


The Other Side - Movie Poster

The Other Side

4.0 Anne Murphy

A drag queen returns, bereft, to the village and family he left 17 years ago.

The film has a rhythmic heartbeat as it traverses the delicate territories of love lost and dreams unfulfilled. It is possible to come home and still be on the other side, the other side of understanding and the other side of reconciliation. The landscape of relationship is tenderly navigated and the unrequited yearning of each character is faultlessly depicted. Watching "The Other Side" is like being subjected to open heart surgery with deft and precise incisions that lay bare the most vulnerable of places.