Looking for Eric - Movie Poster

Looking for Eric

4.0 Anne Murphy

Eric, a postman whose life is descending in to crisis, receives some life coaching from Eric Cantona.

For the most part, the tone of "Looking for Eric" has a steady down beat of realism as individuals within a loosely connected family tackle emotional issues including loss and depression. The cast extends beyond family to encompass important relationships with friends, heroes, and deadbeats. The plot is refreshingly unpredictable with a triumphant, if somewhat incongruent, conclusion tacked on. All is forgiven as the credits roll... the audience feels good and Eric may have found what he was looking for.


Van Diemen's Land - Movie Poster

Van Diemen's Land

2.5 Anthony Macali

The true story of Alexander Pearce, Australia's most notorious convict. In 1822, Pearce and seven fellow convicts escaped from Macquarie Harbour.

"Van Diemen's Land" plays like a horror/slasher film. The format is very simple: convicts sit by the fire hiding fears they're the next to be killed, and then proceed to walk through the forest (in the most captivating moments of the film), before one is inevitably bludgeoned to death for food. If we were able to associate more with the characters' hunger and desperation, it may have had a greater impact, but in the end it's just simple and barbaric.


Anvil! The Story of Anvil - Movie Poster

Anvil! The Story of Anvil

4.0 Anne Murphy

At 14, best friends Robb Reiner and Lips made a pact to rock together forever.

This compelling rockumentary shows the travails of best friends still together in a heavy metal band after 30 years and 13 albums. "Anvil" infuses the reality of playing to empty stadiums with the dream of what might be possible with the right record label. At the start the audience can't help but laugh at these aging, bumbling, rock dudes living the ordinary life. However, as their story unfolds the central figures are revealed as funny, despairing, humble, passionate and dogged dreamers. The spirit triumphs and the sniggering stops.


Balibo - Movie Poster

Balibo

4.0 Anthony Macali

War correspondent Roger East and the young Jose Ramos-Horta travel to East Timor to investigate the murders of the Balibo Five in 1975.

"Balibo" is a deeply engrossing true story that will instil anger and distress. The film unfolds in many flashbacks, inspiring a common curiosity and sense of duty with reporter Roger East, who is diligent in his quest for the truth. To its credit, the narrative focuses on facts and details, avoiding opportunities to exploit the many emotional elements and presenting a fairly unbiased account. The power of its confessions will strike at the hearts of all Australians.


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.


Taking Woodstock - Movie Poster

Taking Woodstock

2.0 Anthony Macali

A man working at his parents' motel in the Catskills inadvertently sets in motion the generation-defining concert in the summer of 1969.

"Taking Woodstock" presents a curious perspective of the legendary festival, whose sheer logistics provide more interest than anything else. The story centres on Elliot, as we watch him break free from his parents to co-ordinate a festival for thousands of hippies. While the film captures the culture of the time, it unfortunately shuns the music, meaning most will come away feeling less than "high". Take away the bright colours, and you have a dull film.


The September Issue - Movie Poster

The September Issue

3.5 Courtney Slevison

A documentary chronicling Vogue Editor-in-chief Anna Wintour's preparations for the highly anticipated 2008 fall-fashion issue.

"The September Issue" is an engrossing look at the world of high fashion, with renowned ice queen Anna Wintour at its centre. As the issue begins to come together five months before its release, what makes this doco so entertaining is observing the inter-office bickering and Wintour's minions quivering under her inscrutable eye. Unexpectedly intriguing, this film is interesting viewing that anyone, despite their level of interest in fashion, can appreciate.


Tyson - Movie Poster

Tyson

4.0 Wendy Slevison

A mixture of original interviews and archival footage sheds light on the life of Mike Tyson.

This documentary is an extraordinary account of the life of Mike Tyson, told entirely by Tyson himself. No topic is off-limits, and Tyson had no say over what footage made the final cut. It is an astonishingly honest insight into a man often seen as simply a brute. He is surprisingly humble, astute, compassionate and endearingly unsophisticated. The boy from Brooklyn - child criminal, brilliant boxer, convicted rapist, recovering addict - hides nothing, takes responsibility for everything, and unexpectedly inspires admiration, empathy and emotion.


Cheri - Movie Poster

Cheri

3.5 Anne Murphy

The son of a courtesan retreats into a fantasy world after being forced to end his relationship with the older woman who educated him in the ways of love.

Visually impressive with sumptuous settings and costumes, this movie indulges with viewing pleasure. The characters are free of social mores in a gilded era. The central theme is love spanning a generational divide. A fading beauty contrasted with a beatified youth. Despite the setting and the situation, the pace is indolent, without the exuberance of emotional highs or troughs of despair. "Cheri" manages to be glorious, even if wistfully restrained.


Blessed - Movie Poster

Blessed

3.5 Anne Murphy

Seven lost children wander the night streets while their mothers await their return home.

"Blessed" pulls no punches as it explores a day in several corrugated relationships between mothers and their children. Melbourne is the gritty urban setting, effectively underscored by a pulsing soundtrack. For a film so set on portraying realism, it is surprising that some of the intertwined storylines stretch credibility beyond the boundary of believable. This is counterbalanced by a couple of stand-out performances that could wrench a still-beating heart right of your chest. Dead-beat, down-beat, cursed, cursing and blessed.


Winged Creatures - Movie Poster

Winged Creatures

2.0 Anne Murphy

A group of strangers form a unique relationship with each other after surviving a random shooting.

Normality is shattered by a horrific event and the characters fall apart in ways that beggar belief. Truth is reportedly stranger than fiction, and in this instance the clumsy storylines drawn out of the central trauma have little semblance to possible truth. PTSD reactions should be left to psychologists not scriptwriters. This is as downbeat a movie as you're ever likely to see, and all the more irksome for the condescending portrayals of the working class characters. Fly away.


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.


Coco avant Chanel - Movie Poster

Coco avant Chanel

2.5 Anne Murphy

The story of Coco Chanel's rise from obscure beginnings to the heights of the fashion world.

"Coco avant Chanel" is an elaborate, elegant production with stylish backdrops and sweeping scenes of the French countryside. The trouble is the movie doesn't have depth beyond the pleasing visual ambiance. In fact it is a little unforgivable that this bio-pic is uninteresting enough to bore in parts, given the allure and achievements of the central character. Lacking 'oh-la-la' this coco is served unfashionably lukewarm.


Two Lovers - Movie Poster

Two Lovers

4.0 Anne Murphy

A Brooklyn-set romantic drama about a bachelor torn between the family friend his parents wish he would marry and his beautiful but volatile new neighbour.

This is an impressive movie, with compelling portrayals of fragile, damaged personalities that draw the viewer into the vortex of their various relationship complexities. The film maker is a deft story teller, balancing hope with hopelessness while casting a compassionate eye over the foibles, the addictions and the all too human yearnings of the characters. Moody night time NYC landscapes are traversed as assuredly as the turmoils of the lovers. Love to love.


Sunshine Cleaning - Movie Poster

Sunshine Cleaning

4.0 Anne Murphy

In order to raise the tuition to send her young son to private school, a mum starts an unusual business, a biohazard removal/crime scene clean-up service, with her unreliable sister.

This is an endearing movie in a low key 'indie' style. A beguiling cast portray a dysfunctional family facing their everyday relationship challenges. The comedy is so heartfelt that laughs catch on the way up, almost mutating into sobs, before rising as smiles. The tone is as mirthful as it is melancholic, despite the dark storylines. "Sunshine Cleaning" is the perfect antidote for messy everyday lives.