Films And Cinemas

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HOT: The Prophet (Un prophete)

By Jetsetting Joyce ⋅ February 19, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

I had no idea what to expect from The Prophet (Un prophete) – I only knew that the French film that had received lots of praise, including a Best Foreign Film Oscar nomination. “Oh no” I thought as I bit into my choc top and the blood splattered on screen, “It’s going to be two [...]

HOT: The Road

By Yalin ⋅ January 22, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

What distinguishes The Road (based on Cormac McCarthy‘s novel) from other post-apocalyptic films is John Hillcoat’s focus on the realistic issues that humanity would face in such a situation, raising questions on the ideals of humanity and human nature. What part of humanity do we expect to last in a situation where the world is [...]

HOT: Up in the Air

By Jetsetting Joyce ⋅ January 15, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

Up in the Air does the almost impossible – it makes redundancy humorous. Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a corporate downsizing gun-for-hire who flies around the country firing employees for bosses who are too cowardly to do the dirty work themselves. He’s a smooth operator, full of pretend concern and oft-repeated platitudes but with just [...]

NOT: It’s Complicated

By Yalin ⋅ January 13, 2010 ⋅ One comment

I am a little confused with Meyers’ latest. It’s blessed with great acting from Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, but the overall feeling is fake and almost irritating. I am a little confused with It’s Complicated, Nancy Meyers’ latest film. It’s blessed with great acting from Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, [...]

HOT: The Men Who Stare at Goats

By Yalin ⋅ December 26, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

If someone told you that the US military had approved a special unit to train psychic soldiers in the 80s and tested their effectiveness on goats, would you believe them? Grant Heslov’s feature, The Men Who Stare at Goats, cautions the viewer at first sight by warning that more of the film than what we [...]

NOT: The Lovely Bones

By Yalin ⋅ December 25, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Jackson’s latest outing The Lovely Bones is definitely not an epic film, which has been his forte. By contrast, it is a decidedly small drama with an ensemble cast that’s as good as it gets. On top of that, Jackson’s signature is obvious in the editing, the attention to detail and the special effects. However, [...]

HOT: Nowhere Boy

By Jetsetting Joyce ⋅ December 18, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Poor John Lennon. Nowhere Boy is an engaging biopic directed by conceptual artist Sam Taylor-Wood about the turbulent teenage years of the Beatles’ life in post-war Liverpool. From age five he’s brought up by his strict and stern Aunt Mimi and kindly Uncle George and then he discovers that after all these years his mother [...]

HOT: In Search of Beethoven

By Jetsetting Joyce ⋅ December 16, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Who would have thought that a documentary about Beethoven would be so popular? We tried to get tickets to sold-out sessions of In Search of Beethoven twice before we finally managed to get seats. First things first – I am a great admirer of Beethoven. I love his passionate wildness, the musical innovations he developed [...]

NOT: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Cinema Nova, 380 Lygon St, Carlton

By Jetsetting Joyce ⋅ November 27, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Before you all gasp at my audacity in giving a NOT to Heath Ledger’s final work, let me preface my review by saying that visually, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is very imaginative and enjoyable. All the actors, including Heath, looked like they were having a lot of fun making this fantastical roller-coaster of a [...]

NOT: Antichrist

By Jetsetting Joyce ⋅ November 26, 2009 ⋅ One comment

Lars von Trier’s latest film Antichrist has been dividing viewers ever since its debut at Cannes this year. Some seasoned critics at Cannes walked out, outraged by the genital mutilation presented in squeamish detail, yet Charlotte Gainsbourg won the best actress award at the same festival. With its reputation of graphic violence, initially I wasn’t [...]