In Bob We Trust unapologetically positions Father Bob Maguire as an icon of goodness, an old man with an infectious good humour, idiosyncratic charm and, above all, a deep respect and love for humanity. Defined by his generosity in the community and his outspokenness in the media, this documentary chronicles Bob’s battle to try and…
“Times have changed.” So says Zero Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham) to Young Writer (Jude Law) as he luxuriates in the baths of the Grand Budapest Hotel. Except luxury is now in short supply; once a thriving symbol of opulence, the Grand Budapest Hotel is no longer so grand (and it’s not even in Budapest; the…
Any Day Now tells a powerful story. Based on the real-life case of a gay couple in the ‘70s who fought for legal guardianship of a mentally handicapped boy, this is an important story that demands to be told. Unfortunately, while the story itself is moving, Any Day Now fails to distinguish itself as a…
I should love Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. It’s about a game show impresario who is, according to his own supremely questionable accounts, a CIA assassin. Said alleged assassin is played with trademark jerky charm by the inimitable Sam Rockwell and the screenplay is from the legendary Charlie Kaufman. In short: exactly my kind of…
I’ve recently written a couple reviews for films screening at the Brisbane Queer Film Festival for Cheated Hearts. Victim(1961), one of the first films to feature a gay hero and a considered examination of the sociopolitical realities of homosexuality in the era. Free Fall, a recent German film with a fairly conventional coming out narrative…
It would seem to be a betrayal to discuss in any detail the plot of What Richard Did; specifically to explain what, exactly, Richard (Jack Reynor) did would do the film a disservice. It is sufficient to say this is a deeply-felt, emotionally-complex drama concerning Richard – handsome, charismatic teenage rugby star – and leave…
The consensus on Divergent, the latest piece of young adult literature to be rendered onto the big screen, is that it’s a watered-down Hunger Games ripoff (often accompanied by an uninspired pun on the title and the film’s lack of originality, and an underlying assumption that art directed at teenage girls is inherently inferior). I’m…
G.B.F. – “gay best friend” – is essentially a queer Mean Girls. Like that film, it exists in an exaggerated candy-coloured high school reality, our world emphatically underlined with a pink highlighter. It’s defined by rigid cliques spouting made-up slang, ruled over by picture-perfect teenage girls. The story centres on how a gay teenager’s inadvertent…
A truly excellent long movie is a wonderful thing. Some of my favourite films time stretch over more than three hours – Once Upon a Time in America, Lawrence of Arabia, Short Cuts – with the runtimes allowing for extensive character development (much like television). More significantly, long movies have the opportunity to create –…
My fondness for episodic television reviews – both writing and reading them – has waned sharply over the last year or so. The appeal of this form of criticism is undeniable: liked an episode of television? Hated an episode of television? Jump online and read what <insert critic x> thinks of it! Share your thoughts…
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