I, Daniel Blake (2016)
This year’s Palme d’Or winner illuminates the injustice of English welfare with slender rays of humour and humanity.
#Tay4Hottest100 and the Advantages of a Restricted Democracy
In a couple weeks, Queensland heads to the polls to elect their State Government for the next few years. In the interests of preserving my mental health, I’ve avoided following the campaign too carefully. But as far as I can ascertain, it boils down to a choice between two decidedly unpalatable potential premiers: Campbell Newman,…
The Top 20 Films of 2014
Here are the top 20 films from 2014! I’ve decided to stick to films that received an Australian theatrical or home entertainment release in the 2014 calendar year or films that screened at an Australian festival but haven’t yet been picked up for 2015 release. This means that 2015 films that I have seen (like,…
BAPFF Double Feature: To Take a Wife (2004) and Gett, the Trial of Viviane Amsalem (2014)
The recent Golden Globe nominations had their fair share of surprises – Quvehzhané Wallis for Annie? Robert Duvall, really? – but perhaps its most interesting raft of nominees is found in the Best Foreign Language Film category. Alongside favourites like Ida and Force Majeure, Israeli drama Gett, the Trial of Viviane Amsalem muscled out serious…
Two Days, One Night (2014)
Featuring the best performance of the year so far, the Sydney Film Prize-winning Two Days, One Night is a tale of injustice and persistence whose simplicity belies its emotional and political poignancy. The latest from two-time Palme d’Or winners Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne hews closely to their social realist/humanist template. It follows their trademark stripped-back…
Melbourne International Film Festival: Movie Roundup (Part 1 of 2)
Over at the 500 Club, Jesse Thompson and myself took a look at some films screening at the Melbourne International Film Festival on Saturday the 2nd of August. My lineup for the day included Norte, the End of History; Eastern Boys; Two Days, One Night; Goodbye to Language and Afflicted. Read the roundup at The…
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