Boy - Movie Poster

Boy

2.5 Tom Jones

Set on a rural farm in New Zealand in 1984, Boy, is the story of an 11 year old with a vivid imagination coming face to face with life's realities.

This coming of age tale is sweet at heart and the unpretentious portrayal of Boy's story is endearing. The comedic moments and the uniquely Maori dialogue make this film. However, the one-incident-after-another plot wears a bit thin at times and leaves a few too many loose threads. Is Boy the man? Nah bro'!


Breach - Movie Poster

Breach

4.0 Anthony Macali

A young FBI agent is assigned to observe the more senior Robert Hanssen, suspected of selling secrets to the Soviet Union in the biggest security breach in US history.

Join the investigation as you watch the screen closely, looking for clues and scrutinising every move. It's a real joy uncovering and unravelling the secrets of the case. The motives behind the characters are portrayed clearly in a story that holds true. This tense espionage drama breached all expectations.


Brighton Rock - Movie Poster

Brighton Rock

3.0 Anne Murphy

Charts the headlong fall of Pinkie, a razor-wielding disadvantaged teenager with a death wish.

"Brighton Rock" is a moody and suspenseful thriller, set by a gaudy seaside carnival. A serving girl looking for love gets entangled with a criminal establishing the central tension between good and evil. The movie is dark but the chilling tone becomes hard to hold as the odd scene teeters on a melodramatic precipice... almost, but not quite, compromising its otherwise ruthless edge. An unmistakably English veneer of tea-shop gentility is cracked by hardened characters and gripping action. Callous at its core. Brighton rocks unrelentingly.


Broken Embraces - Movie Poster

Broken Embraces

5.0 Anne Murphy

Harry Caine, a blind writer, reaches this moment in time when he has to heal his wounds from 14 years back.

A film-maker has made a film where the central character is a film-maker; hence a movie is created within this movie. "Broken Embraces" is a multi-layered exploration of love, passion and deception. A tantalising production, stylish to the point of being stylised, this is truly sophisticated viewing. A elaborate timeline is used to deconstruct the typical sequence of events. Questioning where a tale begins or ends, the editor is empowered to determine the story. Embrace with enthusiasm.


Burning Man - Movie Poster

Burning Man

4.5 Anne Murphy

An English chef with a restaurant on Bondi Beach is trying to put his life and his relationship with his son back on track.

"Burning Man" is a pastiche of scenes that don't follow a sequential time-line but nonetheless build into a sorrowful narrative. Forget chronological sequencing, this is a compelling portrayal of grief, a time when events don't evolve in a linear sequence, and emotion reigns. It's just in time for the audience that the jigsaw of memories piece together and the emotional impact of the story is felt, packing a punch. Tears will quench the flames.


Bus Palladium - Movie Poster

Bus Palladium

3.0 Anne Murphy

It's the 80's and the boys have formed a band, now all they need is the big time.

Five childhood friends form a rock band as young men, put them on a tour bus, and we're watching the movie equivalent of rock 'n' roll heaven. The stereotypical band members are troubled by nothing more than the usual sex and drugs and making music together, their travails accompanied by an authentic soundtrack that recreates the feel of the era. The boys are as likable as "Bus Palladium" is enjoyable. Get a ticket and get on the bus.


Café de Flore - Movie Poster

Café de Flore

4.0 Anne Murphy

A love story between a man and woman, and a love story set four decades earlier between a mother and her son.

"Café de Flore" has two distinct threads that are separated in time and interwoven into one movie like a dream within a dream. The story is one of love and obsession and it is told with a sense of unease that builds along with anticipation about what might transpire. This movie is as engrossing as it is puzzling, with content so emotional you can't help but be drawn in and watch entranced. Book a table.


Cairo Time - Movie Poster

Cairo Time

3.0 Anne Murphy

A romantic drama about a brief, unexpected love affair that catches two people off-guard.

Cairo creates a magnificent backdrop for this movie, the mood is exotic and the scenery is breathtaking. The pace in the summer heat is languid, and the already heavy atmosphere is laden with meaningful glances. Without meaning to give anything away, the previous sentences provide a full plot description, as not very much happens. "Cairo Time" is well produced and almost serves better as a travel documentary than a romantic drama, as charming as the love story is. Slow, subtle and lingering, it might stay around for a time.


Camino - Movie Poster

Camino

3.0 Anne Murphy

Inspired by real events, a young Spanish girl is gracious in accepting her imminent death from an aggressive cancer while she is preoccupied with daydreams about a boy from theatre group.

This extraordinary film is both a pleasure to watch, and yet difficult viewing; most disquieting is the way in which the religiously devout are overtly mocked for their piety and fervent belief. Camino is a well crafted movie; particularly notable are the fantasy dream sequences used to escape dark realities and pursue faith in love; an emotional drama overpowering in its intensity.


Canteen - Movie Poster

Canteen

2.0 Anne Murphy

The events in a night, from dusk to dawn, at a roadside kebab caravan, Kantina.

People come and go throughout the night, what brings them to the canteen is a mystery - most don't drop in for the food. What does happen is a confusion of events and characters. Greek speakers in the audience will chuckle more than the non-Greek speakers, as the subtitles seem to lose something in translation. As the canteen's patrons muddled along throughout the disjointed storyline, it's no surprise the production quality suffered the same fate and was inconsistent from scene to scene. You'll be left hungry after visiting "Canteen".


Capitalism: A Love Story - Movie Poster

Capitalism: A Love Story

4.0 Anthony Macali

An examination into disastrous impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans.

"Capitalism: A Love Story" is a compelling perspective of America's social system, often highlighting its evil... at times literally. The greed driving some institutions is sickening (and legal), as the film covers the history of the American government's economic reform that perpetrated the great financial crisis. Amongst the criticism and hard facts are some genuine heart-felt moments, which work well to destroy any notions of opportunistic America, and inspire the lower and middle classes to fight those controlling all the money and the world.


Caramel - Movie Poster

Caramel

3.5 Anthony Macali

A romantic comedy centered on the daily lives of five Lebanese women living in Beirut.

It appears chick-flicks can transcend world boundaries. "Caramel" is time spent with friends - five women working in a salon, all trying to remove the issues in their lives. Such real-life problems we can relate to; from lust, romance, age, to daunting marriages. With genuine affection from the director's touch, we actually care about these characters, and enjoy their company, all the while adversely sympathising with them in the arduous scenes. This film is a refreshing sweet of cultural insight and winsome friends.


Carlos - Movie Poster

Carlos

2.0 Anne Murphy

A TV mini-series, chronicling the exploits of Carlos the Jackal, edited and cut for showing as a movie.

Carlos is an interesting figure to discover more about. He comes across as an opportunistic mercenary rather than a terrorist dedicated to a cause, and what's apparent is the ego of a man who considered himself a revolutionary. Part history and part reconstruction, the use of news footage provides a documentary sense of realism. A small screen budget is evident in the uneven set quality, lighting, and the use of a hand held camera; it's all a bit bumpy. Complex politics make surprisingly tedious viewing.


Carnage - Movie Poster

Carnage

3.0 Anne Murphy

Two sets of parents convene a cordial meeting after their sons are involved in a fight, as their time together progresses, increasingly childish behaviour throws the afternoon into chaos.

Set in one room, "Carnage" is an intimate but dark comedy of manners and, as it turns out, manners that serve only as a thin veneer of refinement when a war of words erupts. A fly-on-the-wall experience is provided and audiences will come away glad not to be like the jousting individuals and couples on the screen, but wanting only to gossip about them. The strong cast avoid both sophistication and annihilation.


Catfish - Movie Poster

Catfish

4.5 Anthony Macali

Filmmakers Ariel and Henry document a story involving Ariel's brother, Nev, a 24-year-old photographer, and Abby, an 8-year-old girl contacts Nev via Facebook.

Never has a film captured the simple day-to-day tidings of social networks as well as "Catfish". Through pure happenstance, the film monitors a new relationship form, brilliantly blending the interaction of modern media in a series of clever montages. As characters delve deeper the tension builds, gradually creating a sense of dread as we ponder what could only amount to be a frightening conclusion. This documentary will astound everyone online and confirm the fears of many others.