The Justice Of Bunny King (2021) - Movie Review

This one seems like a no-brainer: Get one of Australia’s best working actresses, and one of, if not the, best young New Zealand actress, and put them in a movie together. Besides both Essie Davis and Thomasin McKenzie being in some absolute winners this year already, they’ve been putting in a lot of strong work over the last few years. And this film adds another notch to their respective belts, to the point where this might be my single favourite Essie Davis performance yet. As the titular Bunny King, she is mama bear personified as a hard-done-by squeegee woman who just wants to go to her daughter’s birthday party. The sheer conviction she gives with this role is incredible, perfectly portraying someone trying to make the best out of a terrible situation. Well, several terrible situations that have piled on top of each other.

Nitram (2021) - Movie Review

I know I don’t usually put these in my reviews (and there’s definitely an argument to be made that I should do so more frequently), but given both the subject matter of this film and what I have to say about it, I feel it is necessary to put this here:

*TRIGGER WARNING*

Babyteeth (2020) - Movie Review

Aussie filmmaker Shannon Murphy is the latest director to make their initial step into the cinematic realm through a coming-of-age story. It’s also the latest of a thankfully-increasing number of female-focused stories in this sub-genre. Not that either of those descriptors really end up doing this work justice. One of the side effects of watching so many bloody movies is that, naturally, you’ll come across a lot of story ideas and techniques being repeated. Not out of deliberate mimicry (most of the time, at least), but because there are only so many ways to tell these kinds of stories. Enter this film, which leaves just about every other coming-of-age film in the dust.

True History Of The Kelly Gang (2019) - Movie Review

After bringing Shakespeare to the big screen with Macbeth, and delivering a much-maligned but still admirable attempt at video game adaptation with Assassin’s Creed, director Justin Kurzel has reunited with screenwriter Shaun Grant to once again step into Australia’s dark history to bring us a film about the quintessential Aussie legend: The outlaw Ned Kelly. The two have already proven their salt as a team with Snowtown, and Shaun Grant’s writing did a great service to the cultural hiding featured in Jasper Jones, and true to form, their efforts here make for a powerful piece of cinema.

The Babadook (2014) - Movie Review

Today’s film almost seems like the ultimate underdog story: A filmmaking debut from an Australian director/writer partially funded by Kickstarter and given a wide release in both Australia and the U.S. to massive critical hype. This is the kind of production that gives me serious pride in my country and what its creative minds can accomplish, as well as some faith in my own creative ambitions knowing that others have paved the way. However, much like films, a great story only means as much as what results from it. As such, it’s time to engage in some more horror for the holidays.