Oz Perkins Longlegs is a Perpetual Nightmare Machine
Well, you're slim and you're weak You've got the teeth of the hydra upon you.” The opening quote of Osgood Perkins’ Longlegs coming from the not so arcane texts of Marc Bolan’s glam pop…
Nadine Whitney
Kinds of Kindness: Yorgos Lanthimos is Cruel to be Kind
Yorgos Lanthimos has stated that “All of my films are problematic.” Even his collaborations with Tony McNamara which are imminently more ‘audience friendly’ and Oscar garnering than his earlier work r…
The Bikeriders: Jeff Nichols’ Portrait of a Counterculture to Counterculture in the American Midwest On and Off the Road
In the early 1960s a young photography student named Danny Lyon found himself with a motorcycle club in Chicago. Originally planning to just document their activities he ended up, for a period, a full…
Whale Rider is a Story of Courage that Stands the Test of Time
Niki Caro’s delicately laced film of belief, bravery, and true leadership honours the importance of Rangatira (Chiefs) in Māori self-determination while negotiating the inherent limitations of patriar…
The Promised Land (Bastarden) is a Slice of Denmark’s Best
There is hard edged cynicism inside the romantic sweep of Nikolaj Arcel’s Bastarden known in English as The Promised Land. Both titles are apt for the 18th Century set epic. The film wears the skin of…
Is Inside Out 2 Pixar's Anxiety Meltdown?
Inside Out 2 has no space to be what it is – an acceptable Pixar film which expends most of its charm and energy in the first third of the film and then dips drastically before rallying again. It’s no…
Sydney Film Festival: Kid Snow Director Paul Goldman on the Allure of a Boxing Drama
Subscribe to The Curb podcast via RSS feed, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio or Google Podcasts. Download the episode directly here. The boxing film subgenre gets an esteemed new entry in the fo…
Life is a bit tipsy. Loren Taylor on her debut feature The Moon is Upside Down
Thanks to Sydney Film Festival for providing the Curb with the opportunity to speak with Loren. Ozu famously had a character say, “Isn’t life disappointing?” through a fixed and sad smile at the end…
In the Room Where He Waits is One of the Best Australian Debut Features Around
The James Hotel in Brisbane looks a lot like any other mid budget hotel. It has no personality. It’s clean and anonymous. There’s nothing essentially wrong with it except Tobin Wade (Daniel Monks) can…
Richard Linklater's Hit Man is Cheeky, Hot, and a Hell of a Ride
Richard Linklater and Glen Powell’s Hit Man is witty, sexy, and side-splittingly funny. Although it must be said that the first conceit that anyone could find Glen Powell even in repressed academic Ga…
Sydney Film Festival: In Vitro Directors Will Howarth and Tom McKeith On Their Grounded Sci-Fi Film
Subscribe to The Curb podcast via RSS feed, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio or Google Podcasts. Download the episode directly here. In Vitro is the highly anticipated follow-up from Will Howart…
The Weight of Love: David Vincent Smith on He Ain’t Heavy
I genuinely don’t like to call “Australian shot feature film of the year” in June – but after seeing David Vincent Smith’s blazing debut feature, He Ain’t Heavy I am not sure I can imagine something t…