films and cinemas

HOT: Gertrude Street Projection Festival, Gertrude St, Fitzroy

July 9, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Like High Street Northcote, Gertrude Street is a creative hub which runs an arts festival in partnership with residents of the street. The annual Gertrude St Projection Festival exhibits projection art onto shops, restaurants and pubs and this year artists had to interpret the theme of ‘dream’. On a wintery Thursday night some of my [...]

HOT: Lucky Country, Palace Como, 299 Toorak Rd, South Yarra

July 1, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

The theatrical distribution company Footprint Films is only releasing four Australian films this year: Samson and Delilah; My Year Without Sex; Lucky Country and Balibo. The first three films couldn’t be any different in location, tone and characterisation – yet a consistent theme is that they all speak to what it means to be Australian. [...]

HOT: Four of a Kind, Cinema Nova, 380 Lygon St, Carlton

June 26, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Four of a Kind is a rarity – an Australian film that features four richly-drawn female lead roles and a complex interwoven storyline that had me intrigued and engaged the whole time. The story starts with a police interview, where a police officer Gina (Leverne McDonnell) is questioning Anne (Louise Seversen), a rich surgeon’s wife, [...]

NOT: What Just Happened, Palace Kino, 45 Collins St, Melbourne

June 15, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

What Just Happened is another one of those moderately funny comedies that Robert De Niro seems to be churning out lately – except that this film isn’t even moderately funny. It’s not like sitting through its 100 minutes makes you think that life in the outside world is passing you by, but it’s not so [...]

HOT: Fanboys, ACMI Cinemas, Federation Square, Melbourne

June 14, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

One romantic night I serenaded RM with my rendition of “Star Trekkin’” “Star Trekkin’ across the universe, On the Starship Enterprise under Captain Kirk. Star Trekkin’ across the universe, Only going forward ’cause we can’t find reverse.” He looked at me in bewilderment – not only had he never heard of the song before (here [...]

HOT: Gomorrah, Cinema Nova, 380 Lygon St, Carlton

June 9, 2009 ⋅ 2 comments

Gomorrah has been termed the best mob movie since The Godfather, but I think with one difference. The Godfather, while based on reality, was clearly a work of fiction and the film had a sleek cinematic look to it. On the other hand, the jerky handheld documentary style camera work of Gomorrah and the very [...]

HOT: Sunshine Cleaning, Classic Cinema, 9 Gordon St, Elsternwick

June 3, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

It’s hardly a surprise that perenially sunny Amy Adams is the star of the movie called Sunshine Cleaning. But it’s not all singalongs and pastel cupcakes – the film is about a former high school cheerleader, now single mum Rose (Adams) who teams up with her flaky, dope-smoking sister Norah (Emily Blunt with a very [...]

HOT: Two Lovers, Cinema Nova, 380 Lygon St, Carlton

June 2, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

In Two Lovers, Joaquin Phoenix plays Leonrard, an awkward, lumpish and directionless bachelor who lives with his parents in Brooklyn. He falls in love with his wild, needy and self-centred neighbour Michelle, while on the other hand conforming to his familial duty to propose to Sandra, the stable daughter of his father’s business associate. I’ve [...]

HOT: Australia’s Top 100: Competition Session 3, St Kilda Film Festival, Palace George Cinemas, 135 Fitzroy St, St Kilda

May 28, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Another diverse collection of drama, action, animation and documentary short films. All interesting but overall not as strong as some of the films in Session 2. Of note was the cute plasticised animated style used in Mutt, a story about a farmer, his cow and his dog who just wants to play fetch, and the [...]

HOT: Australia’s Top 100: Competition Session 2, St Kilda Film Festival, Palace George Cinemas, 135 Fitzroy St, St Kilda

May 28, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

My pick from the five films on show in competition session 2 was the elegiac Trampoline. The story was about a little girl, a silent social outcast who harbours a dream to fly. Through her tentative friendship with the new kid at school, who also doesn’t quite fit in, she discovers that she really can [...]