Mini Review - Twinless
Twinless (out Oct 23) is exceptional. A brilliant dark comedy about two young men who become friends... but their connection is based on a mountain of lies. There are moments of hilarious, insightful wit and there are moments where characters extricate themselves from tricky situations. A wild, riotous journey which won the Audience Award for dramatic features at the Sundance Film Festival. Grade: A.
Mini Review - Familiar Touch
Familiar Touch (out Oct 23) is a nicely told story about a woman who, suffering from early-stage dementia, moves into an assisted living centre. I don't think we're learning anything new (we've seen this type of story told before) but thanks to the lead performance of Kathleen Chalfant, you'll still be moved. Grade: B+.
Mini Review - The Mastermind
The Mastermind (out Oct 23) is the 1970s tale of an inept thief (Josh O'Connor) who attempts to steal works of art from a local gallery. Enjoyed the opening half but it peters out with a lacklustre finale (the character arc stalls). Grade: B-.
Mini Review - Ballad of a Small Player
Ballad of a Small Player (out Oct 16) is a disappointing drama about a thieving, compulsive gambler (Colin Farrell) who looks to turn is poor luck in the casinos of Macau. Perhaps it made more sense in the Lawrence Osborne's novel, but director Edward Berger (Conclave) has struggled to create a forward-moving narrative. Grade: C.
Mini Review - The Black Phone 2
The Black Phone 2 (out Oct 16) takes the franchise in a slightly different direction from the 2022 original. A few elements detract (predictable story, stiff dialogue) but when this film is good, it's VERY good. Admired the cinematography and use of graphic horror. Grade: B.
Mini Review - After the Hunt
After the Hunt (out Oct 16) is from Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino and is an engaging, debate-generating thriller centred on an alleged sexual assault which takes place at Yale University. The messaging could have been clearer, but it thrives as a character study with a great lead turn from Julia Roberts. Grade: B+.
Mini Review - Roofman
Roofman (out Oct 16) is centred on the story of Jeffrey Manchester who robbed roughly 50 fast food and department stores in the United States and, after being convicted, escaped from prison and hid in a Toys "R" Us store. I grew tired of the light-hearted “please-like-me” approach to Manchester (Channing Tatum). The film needed more Kirsten Dunst who is the much more interesting character as his newfound love interest. Grade: B-.
Mini Review - The Travellers
The Travellers (out Oct 9) is an Australian film about a young man who returns to his family home in rural Western Australian to help his ageing parents. It's a nice cast with worthy themes... but the screenplay is a massive let-down. Most subplots (e.g. two bullies starting a wine company) are weirdly constructed with little relevance. Grade: C+.