My Old Ass in an Enriching Gift of a Coming-of-Age Tale
“I’ll show you what you're worth (that's what I'm gonna do) If you let me inside your world.” - Canadian folk poet Justin Bieber Elliott (Maisy Stella) is about to turn eighteen and in tw…
Reviews
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Daaaaaalí is a Glorious Oddity from Quentin Dupieux
Quentin Dupieux understands there is no such thing as Salvador Dalí. Once the mad Catalan decided he was going to become a walking paradox making grandiose statements about himself in the third person…
Michael Angarano's Sacramento is a Rough Gem of a Road Trip Dramatic Comedy
Sacramento screens at the Sydney Underground Film Festival on 14 & 15 September. Tickets are available here. “I don’t know if I listened to everything you said, but I heard free childcare and I’m…
Speak No Evil is an Invitation Best Refused
There is a danger inherent in remaking any film. Comparisons to the original are destined to be considered especially if the movie is not an adaptation of a literary source. James Watkins under the Bl…
Thelma is a Hilarious, Charming, and Huge-Hearted Triumph
“What would Tom Cruise do?” That is the question ninety-three-year-old Thelma Post (June Squibb) asks herself when she falls victim to a phone phishing scam. Thelma’s day-to-day routine post her rela…
Cottontail Makes for Touching but Fleeting Family Drama
Cottontail begins in motion, springing onto the screen almost as if by accident. Only a captive octopus and an establishing shot of a Tokyo residential block punctuate this string of opening frames sh…
Kneecap is the Craic – It’s Brave, Bold, Ridiculous, and Relentless
“Every word of Irish spoken is a bullet fired for freedom.” Fuck up it is! Rich Peppiatt’s hyper-kinetic Kneecap is A Hard Day’s Night for the North of Ireland and the hip hop generation. A little bi…
MIFF24 - Made in England is a Perfect Love Letter to the Films of Powell and Pressburger
Martin Scorsese, like Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, has never made a sequel to any of his films. Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger comes close, however, as it fits into a s…
MIFF: I Saw the TV Glow is Pure Original Art in its Deepest Form
They can’t hurt you if you don’t think about them. Jane Schoenbrun is interested in the power of screens. Their debut featureWe’re All Going to the World’s Fair is a coming-of-age narrative where iso…
MIFF24: Scala!!! is an Unbelievable Yet Poignant Trip Back to the Lost Cinema
The screen's soaked with beer, the whole place shakes when the tubes run, the sound system's crap...but, we love it! - Mark Moore Scala!!! Or, the Incredibly Strange Rise and Fall of the Worl…
MIFF24: Bookworm is a Charming and Magical Family-Friendly Adventure
Ant Timpson’s blooming lovely Bookworm converts the most cynical of hearts and makes them believe in magic. A rare film that speaks to kids and adults with sincerity and without condescension. Idiosy…
MIFF24: Gaucho Gaucho is Visually Splendid and Not Much Else
Directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw (The Truffle Hunters), Gaucho Gaucho concerns a specific type of “cowboy” from South America; skilled, brave, and unruly horsemen. Legends of local folklo…