Category: Reviews
You Better Take Cover: Men at Work Down Under
There was once a time when many Australians believed that the 1981 song Down Under by Men at Work should be the national anthem. Come to think of it, they probably still do. Which is why I’m quite sure that You Better Take Cover, Harry Hayes’ new documentary account of the song’s history, is likely…
Taika Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople
What is it about the New Zealanders? There is a consistent effortlessness in the cinematic output of this small nation that I can’t help but admire. While Australian filmmakers often find themselves (either deliberately or unconsciously) producing works that strive for international acceptance, New Zealanders seem entirely indifferent to such things. And so it is…
Ben Wheatley directs J. G. Ballard’s “High-Rise”: Why movies should move
This is a very simple rule, and, as with most simple rules, we must allow for a great many exceptions. But the rule still has merit. Movies are better when they move. That’s why Joon-ho Bong’s Snowpiercer is better than Ben Wheatley’s new movie High-Rise. Well, one reason, anyway. One very simple reason. The stories…
Jeff Nichols’ Midnight Special: The Mysterious and Ineffable
How many movies does it take to establish a pattern? Jeff Nichols, who I have previously placed on my Mt. Rushmore of directors currently in their 30s, has just released his fourth feature film. The first and third – Shotgun Stories and Mud – are realistically grounded and physically violent stories of men searching their…
Reviewing The Clan: Two Sunny Afternoons, One Chaotic Mess
I’m sure if I thought about it for a little while I could come up with plenty of examples of movies which used a non-original pop song, in its entirety, as a piece of its soundtrack. It’s not terribly common because most directors would rather edit to their own rhythms and not that of an…