Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (2016)
Ang Lee, known for his recent use of emotive VFX (Life of Pi), has again delivered an aesthetically engaging and emotionally driven film with Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.
The Fencer (2015)
Part underdog sports story, part post-war resistance narrative, The Fencer finds resistance in the smallest thrusts and parries.
Expanding the Potterverse in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a fun-spirited, nimble adventure when it’s not committing some of the sins of universe-expanding.
Arrival’s Ambition is Undone by its Simplistic Screenplay
Denis Villeneuve’s optimistic sci-fi ambitions are undermined by a trite, often clichéd screenplay.
Nocturnal Animals Peels Back Layers of Fiction and Reality
It’s safe to say that Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals was one of my most anticipated films of 2016. It did not disappoint.
Elle (2016)
Elle, Paul Verhoeven’s latest, inserts trashy rape-revenge tropes into polite French melodrama with provocative results.
The Light Between Oceans is Too Polite for its Own Good
Derek Cianfrance treats this maudlin melodrama with too much restraint for it to truly connect.
Doctor Strange (2016)
Don’t be fooled by the smoke and mirrors – beneath Doctor Strange’s shiny coat of paint is a vanilla origin story.
I, Daniel Blake (2016)
This year’s Palme d’Or winner illuminates the injustice of English welfare with slender rays of humour and humanity.
Spear (2015)
A uniquely indigenous contribution to Australian art cinema.
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