comedy

EARLY MAN: Aardman Animation's Worst Effort To Date
EARLY MAN: Aardman Animation’s Worst Effort To Date

For a studio whose storytelling style and command of visuals is so wonderfully inventive, in Early Man they’ve opted for the laziest, most obvious narrative trajectory imaginable, without even a winning sense of humour to back that up.

PARADISE: Unfortunately, It’s Anything But
PARADISE: Unfortunately, It’s Anything But

Diablo Cody’s directorial debut was made back in 2013, yet got buried so deep it’s easy to not know it even existed. After watching Paradise, it became clear why it never got a proper release five years ago.

THE BABYSITTER: Highly-Stylized Horror Fun
THE BABYSITTER: Highly-Stylized Horror Fun

The Babysitter is perfectly trashy popcorn entertainment, with a distinctive, highly-stylized vision and self-satirizing bite; a lesson in embracing genre conventions rather than falling victim to them.

SWINGING SAFARI: Australia's First 2018 Movie Misfire
SWINGING SAFARI: Australia’s First 2018 Movie Misfire

Only two weeks into 2018, Swinging Safari is Australia’s worst film of the year thus far with its muddled need to elevate the material.

PADDINGTON 2: A Warm, Furry Hug of a Movie
PADDINGTON 2: A Warm, Furry Hug Of A Movie

Paddington 2 is the rare sequel that is better than the original, filled with a good natured warmth that will delight children and parents alike.

ALMOST PARIS: A Story of Redemption We’ve Seen Before
ALMOST PARIS: A Story of Redemption We’ve Seen Before

Despite an admittedly heartwarming message about not putting a price tag on ways to make others happy, there is very little to take away from Almost Paris. You’ve seen this one before, albeit better.

PHANTOM THREAD: Stylish, Sumptuous & Quietly Kinky
PHANTOM THREAD: Stylish, Sumptuous & Quietly Kinky

Upon first viewing, Phantom Thread is utterly irresistible, but the dense themes and examinations of inter-character relationships means that it is the rare Anderson effort that will only be upgraded to masterpiece status once it has fully been processed after multiple viewings.

The Nominated Film You May Have Missed: DEAD POETS SOCIETY
The Nominated Film You May Have Missed: DEAD POETS SOCIETY

In our latest entry of The Nominated Film You May Have Missed series, we discuss the 1989 Robin Williams drama Dead Poets Society.

WORLD OF TOMORROW 2: Loses The Interstellar, Keeps The Stellar
WORLD OF TOMORROW 2: Loses The Interstellar, Keeps The Stellar

A sequel to an earlier short, Don Hertzfeldt’s World of Tomorrow 2 has just as much ambition as its predecessor, with astounding animation, voice acting, and an overall worldview of existential pessimism.

BETTER WATCH OUT: Jingle Hell
BETTER WATCH OUT: Jingle Hell

Though occasionally unsurprising, Better Watch out is a strong alternative to the regular holiday viewing because of the nasty genre thrills it delivers whilst being wickedly funny.

The Beginner's Guide: Alexander Payne, Director
The Beginner’s Guide: Alexander Payne, Director

Alexander Payne’s films are diverse yet also share similar directorial trademarks, including the focus on middle-aged, neurotic protagonists, loss of a loved one, existential crises, and more; here is a rundown of his more than two decades in the industry.

PITCH PERFECT 3: Off-Key Threequel
PITCH PERFECT 3: Off-Key Threequel

Should future encores of Pitch Perfect take the stage, we can only hope they have a little more verve and imagination than this one.

GREMLINS: Christmas Gifts Gone Awry
GREMLINS: Christmas Gifts Gone Awry

Gremlins, an ’80s holiday classic, comes mainly from two influences: old-fashioned sci-fi/horror and the Looney Tunes.

ENTANGLEMENT: A Wholly Original, Expectation-Subverting Gem
ENTANGLEMENT: A Wholly Original, Expectation-Subverting Gem

With a story full of surprising twists and turns, a canvas of dazzling onscreen visuals, and a career-best performance from Middleditch, Entanglement succeeds on several tiers.

FERDINAND: A Mechanical, Bull Story
FERDINAND: A Mechanical, Bull Story

There’s a sense of shallowness to Ferdinand, a film so generic and formulaic that it’s hard not to be cynical about its construction.