Oppenheimer: intriguing character study / legal drama on the use and misuse of power
Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer” (2023) Aside from all the Hollywood fanfare fluff surrounding its release, Christopher
Author: nausika
Hollywood tries to squeeze blood out of the stone that is “Kong: Skull Island”
Jordan Vogt-Roberts, “Kong: Skull Island” (2017) An example of how post-2000 Hollywood is squeezing as
Australian and New Zealand Films
Storm Boy: a film of unusual friendships and the cycle of life
Henri Safran, “Storm Boy” (1976) A moody and melancholy film, ostensibly about a lonely boy
Bram Stoker’s Dracula: a lavish and surreal film skirting over social issues in Western society now and in the 1890s
Francis Ford Coppola, “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992) A visually lavish and often surreal presentation, Francis
The Miseducation of Cameron Post: a sketchy work on psychological abuse and repression in a gay conversion centre
Desiree Akhavan, “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” (2018) Set in 1993, this coming-of-age drama follows
French and French-language Films
Un Beau Matin: a realist meditation on mortality, memory, loss and the love and beauty that endure
Mia Hansen-Løve, “Un Beau Matin” / “One Fine Morning” (2022) One fine morning in Paris
British Films | North American Films
SPECTRE: behind a gritty and stylish front, old Bondian stereotypes return
Sam Mendes, “SPECTRE” (2015) As James Bond films go, “Spectre” looks gritty and stylishly in
French and French-language Films
Saint Omer: dry legal drama on dysfunctional parent-child relationships and the struggles of migrants in an alien culture
Alice Diop, “Saint Omer” (2022) At first presenting as a dry courtroom drama cum psychological
Renfield: camp horror comedy suffers from co-dependency on too much CGI splatter violence
Chris McKay, “Renfield” (2023) A cheerfully cheesy vehicle for Nicolas Cage to finally fulfil his
Infinity Pool: character study satire on the decline of Western culture and values
Brandon Cronenberg, “Infinity Pool” (2023) Take away the extreme violence, the scenes of sleazy sex