Man on a Ledge - Movie Poster

Man on a Ledge

4.0 Tom Jones

As a police psychologist works to talk down an ex-con who is threatening to jump from a Manhattan hotel rooftop, the biggest diamond heist ever committed is in motion.

Any film that starts with a car chase in a cemetery is bound to be good. "Man on Ledge" is packed with non-stop drama, suspense, action and characters. There are so many players in this game, each with their own rising stakes, and the way the multiple stories unfold simultaneously, with not a minute of screen time wasted, is incredibly smart and highly entertaining. Don’t let the title deceive you, the plot is a lot thicker and will keep you on the ledge of your seat.


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.


Mao's Last Dancer - Movie Poster

Mao's Last Dancer

4.0 Wendy Slevison

Based on the autobiography by Li Cunxin, who was plucked from a poor Chinese village by Madame Mao's cultural delegates and taken to Beijing to study ballet.

This movie tells an extraordinary tale of passion, sacrifice and political tug-of-war, centred in Communist China and the United States in the late 70's. With all the elements of a grand saga, this story of a modest and unassuming young man discovering his love and talent for ballet is both absorbing and incredibly moving. His fight for choice, at immense personal cost, is inspiring and unfortunately still very relevant in much of the world today.


Martha Marcy May Marlene - Movie Poster

Martha Marcy May Marlene

4.0 Anne Murphy

Haunted by painful memories and increasing paranoia, a damaged woman struggles to re-assimilate with her family after fleeing an abusive cult.

The fragile bonds of family come under scrutiny in this psychological thriller, and makes for tense viewing from the opening scenes right until the second it finishes. The film is dark and taut as memories are seamlessly threaded with the present. The film-maker is deft, using the past to explain today and develop a sense of impending threat in the audience. While watching it becomes harder to breathe as the story unfolds. Mal-adjusted mentality methodically manipulated.


Micmacs - Movie Poster

Micmacs

4.0 Anne Murphy

A man and his friends come up with an original plan to destroy two big weapons manufacturers.

The campaign against some big bad guys that's mounted by a group of comical misfits is as inventive as it is enchanting, largely due to the truly marvellous production design. "Micmacs" is a visual feast, and the resourceful inventions created from recycled junk are captivating, all of which covers for a plot that's a little thin. Part fairy-tale, part comic book, this movie is zany, whimsical and totally engaging. Ponder the underlying social comment about arms use later and enjoy the quirky on-screen antics today.


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.


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.


My Year Without Sex - Movie Poster

My Year Without Sex

4.0 Wendy Slevison

An understated look at love and life in middle-class Australian suburbia.

Watching this film feels a bit like peering in your neighbours' window and secretly watching them go about their lives. What you see is familiar in its detail, insightful in its observations, and at times confronting in its honesty. It boldly broaches the big questions, as well as the little everyday ones. Tenderly crafted, and featuring stellar performances, "My Year Without Sex" is an affirmation of the trials and tribulations of love, relationships, family and yes, sex.


Never Let Me Go - Movie Poster

Never Let Me Go

4.0 Anne Murphy

As children, Ruth, Kathy and Tommy, spend their childhood at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school.

"Never Let Me Go" is a cinematic experience easy to be engrossed in, set late last century in a melancholic countryside dreamed up in storybooks. At its heart the tale is a haunting love story, but its soul holds grim secrets from the realms of sci-fi, and is told from an emotionally undeveloped point of view so restrained the audience may feel more manipulated than the characters. The plot dilemmas will fuel sober dinner-party conversations, destined to hold on.


Outrage - Movie Poster

Outrage

4.0 Anne Murphy

An indictment of closeted politicians who lobby for anti-gay legislation in the U.S.

This is a fascinating consciousness-raising documentary presented through interviews and film clips. The movie is a compelling compilation of vignettes that are on public record. The filmmaker relentlessly exposes the hypocrisy of closeted politicians who vote against the civil rights of the gay and lesbian community. In doing so, the constituencies whose prejudices are pandered to are also shamed. The ethical quagmire isn't navigated with a strictly even hand but with a sense of injustice and anger. The situation is indeed outrageous.


Peepli Live - Movie Poster

Peepli Live

4.0 Andrew O'Dea

In the village of Peepli, two poor farmers face losing their land over an unpaid government loan.

With a running joke about suicide at its core, "Peepli Live" is an eccentric film that will make you laugh but also delivers a potent message. Buoyed by a witty script, the production values are grand, and the unknown ensemble cast are brilliantly authentic and often hilarious in their individual roles. Funny yet ultimately sobering, it examines India's rural class struggle while the director uses comedy as a vehicle to firmly skewer those who exploit the situation; from corrupt government officials to the depravity of the media and the levels to which they often stoop – certainly no joke.


Potiche - Movie Poster

Potiche

4.0 Anne Murphy

When her husband is taken hostage by his striking employees, a trophy wife takes the reins of the family business and proves to be a remarkably effective leader.

The 70's are perfectly recreated with all of the colour and fashion to bring on pangs of nostalgia. The social attitudes are missed less. "Potiche" is a light-hearted movie loaded with social comment, looking at the role of women in the workplace, and the incumbent responsibilities of fatherhood. Focused on individual choices and growth, there's no haranguing, and the delivery is affable, warm, and comic. A gold medal for the trophy wife.


Project Nim - Movie Poster

Project Nim

4.0 Wendy Slevison

The story of Nim, a chimpanzee who was the subject of a 1970s experiment to see if an ape could learn to communicate with language if raised like a human child.

This is a brilliant telling of a harrowing and complex tale. Initially captivating due to the very cute subject, the mood soon shifts as we learn more about the arrogant and shameless exploitation of this remarkable animal, with no regard for any consequences. As Nim grows and becomes unmanageable due to his size and strength, he is cruelly discarded. You could hear a pin drop in the cinema as the audience absorbed his appalling plight. "F" for the Project; "A" for this film.


Quantum of Solace - Movie Poster

Quantum of Solace

4.0 Anthony Macali

Seeking revenge for the death of his love, secret agent James Bond sets out to stop an environmentalist from taking control of a country's water supply.

"Quantum of Solace" continues the story of a re-invented Bond and sustaines him brilliantly. The film speeds to life in its CG-adverse approach, parenting action that is gritty, real and constant. What really shines is the comparable emotional conflict of 007, rebelling from his seasoned superiors and contending with the revenge that consumes him. This is still quintessential Bond, revamped, reenergized and welcome solace for an equally stirring future.


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.