Rams (2020) - Movie Review

Why do films need to be remade? Well, for the most part, they don’t. It’s largely done either to cash-in on the memorability of the original, or to further the idea that watching foreign films with subtitles is too much to ask of an average filmgoer (because nothing says ‘we respect our audience’ more than assuming they don’t know how to read), and even before they became so ridiculously ubiquitous in the modern era, this is a framework that has been around in the mainstream for decades. But then there are the rare examples of films with a purpose in reviving an older production, one that might highlight the poignancy of the original still ringing true in a different time, a different culture, a different context. And in the case of this recent Aussie effort, it might be one of the most necessary in our history.

Wayne (2018) - Movie Review

The plot (such as it is): In the seaside town of Wollongong, New South Wales, Wayne Gardner went halves in buying a run-down motorcycle. This simple purchase started a string of races and championships that would take young Wayne from Australia to a trail-blazing career across Europe. From his close friends to his deepest rivals, we are shown how this Aussie kid became a national icon, not just in sports but in Aussie culture at large.

Swinging Safari (2018) - Movie Review

The plot: In 1970’s Australia, on a beach-side cul-de-sac, a 200-ton whale has beached itself. As budding filmmaker Jeff (Atticus Robb) and his young friends marvel at what has just happened, their parents begin to make their own lives even more complicated by engaging in a swinger’s party. While Jeff keeps himself occupied with his home movies and trying to keep on the right side of the adults in the neighbourhood, he is forced to learn certain lessons about his home, his culture, his sexuality and his place in the world.

Last Cab To Darwin (2015) - Movie Review

Ruben Guthrie (2015) - Movie Review

I can pretty vividly remember the first time I tasted alcohol; it was at my grandmother’s house when I was about 6 or 7. My uncle was drinking beer and he asked if I wanted to try it. Being the curious kid that I was, I accepted and took a very small sip… and given how I wasn’t even at the stage of being able to eat tomato sauce without gagging, chances were good that I wasn’t going to like it. Cut to several years later and I consider myself to be a social drinker, and by that I mean I drink about as often as I socially interact with people. I rarely drink as a result. I have gotten sloshed before, but I try and keep it to a minimum mostly due to costs, wanting to avoid as many Foster's jokes as possible when talking with friends overseas (Seriously, I've lived here my whole life and I haven't seen one can of it for sale) and the fact that I lack social grace even when sober. Still, it’s hard to ignore that a substantial element of Australian culture is swimming in all things fermented and carbonated, something that’s existent in most nations. So, what happens when someone takes a step back and looks at just how alcohol affects our social climate? Well, you get today’s film.