Free Solo (2019) - Movie Review

Free solo rock climbing. It’s one of those ideas where literally everything involved sounds like a bad idea. It takes the typical vertigo rush of rock climbing as is, and removes any semblance that it’s even remotely a safe thing to be doing. One slip, one all-too-tired muscle giving way, one grip that isn’t as secure as you thought it was, and gravity sends you out of this life. I mean, yeah, most physical exercise seems daring to me because I’m a lazy bastard, but doing shit like this feels like it was put into people’s heads just to weed out those who are stupid enough to risk it. Or, at least, that’s what I thought, until seeing this.

He Named Me Malala (2015) - Movie Review

Previous comments that I have made on this blog may give the impression that I am anti-feminist. Well, that is true to a certain extent, in that I am very much against feminism as it exists today. It seems to be trying to push an idea that women are better than men is somehow better than the opposite stance… which it very much isn’t. Constantly making comments along the lines of all men are murderous rapists isn’t helping anyone, or do I need to bring up that #KillAllMen was an actual thing not that long ago? Hell, even people who have a legitimate point to make (Anita Sarkeesian) end up making it through questionable means; it’s like a rock band that wants to deliver a political message in their lyrics but can barely hold a note. As such, whenever someone like Malala comes along who actually seems to have the right approach to furthering equal rights between the sexes, even I find myself gaining hope in the entire movement as it stands right now. But there’s still that Shitty Political Rock Band angle to deal with; that message still has to be delivered in the right way.

Oddball (2015) - Movie Review

Even as someone who has a dog, I have never really understood the appeal of films starring dogs. Whether it’s the Underdog adaptation, the numerous Air Bud sequels, the numerous Beethoven sequels… actually, that’s another thing: I have never understood why these films spawn franchises that last for that damn long. Anyway, while it may be the archetype of the 'a child and their pet' subgenre, unless your name is Disney, chances are you won’t be able to bring anything new to the proceedings. As such, probably the only way that this could be done any more, and make it to the big screen no less, is if it was based on a true story. Thankfully, we have another entry in the stranger than fiction files where in south-western Victoria early last year, a sheepdog saved a colony of penguins from predators like wolves and foxes. Well, anything for something potentially interesting to come out of Australian cinema, I say, but how well did this story translate to film?