In Review
Welcome to In Review! Check out the latest reviews across film, TV, theatre and so much more…
MIFF 2024 Film Review - Abiding Nowhere
It’d be easy to label Abiding Nowhere as tranquil and meditative, as it certainly is, but I still see so much of Ming-liang’s earlier passion present in the form of this late-stage mellowness.
MIFF 2024 Film Review - I Saw the TV Glow
Director Jane Schoenbrun impresses with I Saw The TV Glow - a horror flick which is only half-scary but full heartbreaking.
MIFF 2024 Film Review - Blackout
Whilst applaudable in its attempt to meld lycanthropy with modern-day political concerns, Blackout is a poignant character study hampered by heavy-handed exposition which renders its bark worse than its bite.
Film Review - It Ends with Us
Colleen Hoover’s controversial smash hit novel, It Ends With Us, has just hit theatres in all its soapy Hallmark glory.
Film Review - Tótem
The second feature from Mexican director Lily Avilles, Tótem, is an incredibly assured and mature film that depicts the emotional intimacy and fragility of an extended family dealing with loss.
Scandinavian Film Fest 2024 Review - The Riot
The events that took place in the Stuljema mines in 1907 are as inspiring as they are fascinating; they deserve a great film adaptation, The Riot is not this.
Scandinavian Film Fest 2024 Review - The Tundra Within Me
The Tundra Within Me is an emotionally impactful, hopeful, and intriguing film, well worth seeing.
Scandinavian Film Fest 2024 Review - The Missile
In the cold, winter region of Lapland on December 28, 1984, a Soviet missile, at the time thought to be possibly nuclear, strayed over the Finnish border during a target test, landing beneath the ice of the frozen Lake Inari.
Film Review - Kinds of Kindness
Kinds of Kindness is a film that, while not without its immature and edgy side that seems cultivated purely to provoke, leaves you thinking long after the credits roll.
Film Review - The Bikeriders
The Bikeriders is a great nostalgia trip to an age of motorcycle riding that many have never experienced. But by its end, you’ll consider spending your EOFY money on a new bike—or at least a leather jacket.
Film Review - The Convert
The Convert wasn’t perfect but its visuals and depiction of the way of life for people in Aotearoa at the time will continue to leave its mark on me.
Film Review - The Promised Land
The Promised Land sheds light on a dark but important part of Denmark’s history. It is a superbly made film that is boasted by powerful performances and the strength of Mikkelsen’s screen presence.
Film Review - Inside Out 2
Inside Out 2 is another easy home run for Pixar, especially when it has a strong message that everyone can relate to.
German Film Fest 2024 Review - Foreign Language
Foreign Language seems to be the ultimate story of the girlhood experience.
German Film Fest 2024 Review - Not a Word
While the 87-minute-long film at times moves at a glacial pace, the stunning cinematography by Claire Mathon (Portrait of a Lady on Fire) and the eerie strings of Mahler's Symphony No. 5 fuel the rising tension and keep the audience engaged.
Fantastic Film Fest 2024 Review - The Deep Dark
The Deep Dark just doesn’t quite dig deep enough, uncovering a hole that's barely big enough to bury itself in.
Film Review - The Teachers’ Lounge
This is ultimately a film about power and rebellion, and it is within the interplay of the two subjects that it shines.
Film Review - The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan
There is a glimmer of hope with the upcoming Australian release of its sequel in June, The Three Musketeers: Milady, which may shed some light on the lacklustre narrative decisions in Part One, but as it stands D’Artagnan’s best is too fleeting, and settles itself far into the saturated market of generic blockbusters.
German Film Fest 2024 Review - From Hilde, With Love
If you’re into German language biographical films set in Berlin, offbeat heroines, and sobbing until your eyes are red then From Hilde, with Love is the film for you.
Film Review - Monster
Monster confronts viewers with an ambiguous ending, leaving us to decipher the truth of who really is the eponymous monster, but perhaps the objective truth is there are monsters in each and every one of us.