Driving home from the cinema reviews

Thoughts on the Safdies latest, starring Adam Sandler. Available on Netflix. Plus I recommend some other things that have been helping me get through the current bleak times and might help you too. Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining, meaningful or both.  Pint of Kilkenny - a very good, highly recommended film.  Stubby of Reschs - a good film an...

Welcome to the quarantined Driving home from the cinema reviews. Generally speaking these will focus on new to VOD or streaming choices. But I re-watched Peter Jackson's King Kong recently. And it's intriguing to ponder what works, and what doesn't, about that film. Also, each episode I'll recommend a few films/TV shows/podcasts/books that have been helping me through these weird times. Ratings Sy...

It's times like this we need an arty sorta horror film about a haunted dress. Or something. Peter Strickland is here with the goods.  Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining, meaningful or both.  Pint of Kilkenny - a very good, highly recommended film.  Stubby of Reschs - a good film and worth your time.  Schooner of Carlton Draught - Not great aye....

Leigh Whannell's take on the iconic Universal Monster is getting rave reviews and killing it at the box office. Doing so by considering the concept through a chilling, grounded lens and providing one of the tensest film experiences of recent times.  Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining, meaningful or both.  Pint of Kilkenny - a very good, highly...

The Cathy Yan directed, Margot Robbie starring BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN) continues a run of pretty well received films in the DCEU. Here's a few thoughts on the film, particularly the excellent performances and creative action. You can also hear me get distracted by some Australian wildlife on a couple of different occasions. Ratings System: Longneck of M...

Terrence Malick's latest incredible piece shows us not only that war is hell, but that even opening up yourself to the idea of war is hell. A really powerful film and a three hours that is an essential cinema going experience.  Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining, meaningful or both.  Pint of Kilkenny - a very good, highly recommended film.  Stu...

A review of Celine Sciamma's latest film, an incredible period romance that is amongst 2019's best films.  Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining, meaningful or both.  Pint of Kilkenny - a very good, highly recommended film.  Stubby of Reschs - a good film and worth your time.  Schooner of Carlton Draught - Not great aye. But perhaps an interesting...

Marty arrives on Netflix with this epic reworking of past gangster film hits. De Niro, Pacino and Pesci are all along for the ride. Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining, meaningful or both.  Pint of Kilkenny - a very good, highly recommended film.  Stubby of Reschs - a good film and worth your time.  Schooner of Carlton Draught - Not great aye. B...

The action franchise gets the reboot treatment in this fun flick. Directed by Elizabeth Banks with a very cool cast.  Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining, meaningful or both.  Pint of Kilkenny - a very good, highly recommended film.  Stubby of Reschs - a good film and worth your time.  Schooner of Carlton Draught - Not great aye. But perhaps an...

Director Mike Flanagan had a bloody tough balancing job with this one. For the most part it's an excellent achievement I reckon, with a few notable exceptions that I discuss here. Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining, meaningful or both.  Pint of Kilkenny - a very good, highly recommended film.  Stubby of Reschs - a good film and worth your time....

The latest film by Pedro Almodovar is a consideration of ageing and a rumination on work created long ago.  Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining, meaningful or both.  Pint of Kilkenny - a very good, highly recommended film.  Stubby of Reschs - a good film and worth your time.  Schooner of Carlton Draught - Not great aye. But perhaps an interestin...

I take a quick look at low budget local slasher THE FURIES.  Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining, meaningful or both.  Pint of Kilkenny - a very good, highly recommended film.  Stubby of Reschs - a good film and worth your time.  Schooner of Carlton Draught - Not great aye. But perhaps an interesting idea or two.  Schooner of Tooheys New - Shith...

Two films. One of em I really liked. One of em I didn't.  Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining, meaningful or both.  Pint of Kilkenny - a very good, highly recommended film.  Stubby of Reschs - a good film and worth your time.  Schooner of Carlton Draught - Not great aye. But perhaps an interesting idea or two.  Schooner of Tooheys New - Shithous...

With cinema opportunities at an absolute minimum, I took the chance to catch one of the year's biggest worldwide hits - the visually arresting Chinese sci-fi film THE WANDERING EARTH.  Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining, meaningful or both.  Pint of Kilkenny - a very good, highly recommended film.  Stubby of Reschs - a good film and worth your...

Aussie film SLAM is currently doing the festival rounds. I dig into its portrayal of identity and racism, plus the plot, performances and technical richness.  Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining, meaningful or both.  Pint of Kilkenny - a very good, highly recommended film.  Stubby of Reschs - a good film and worth your time.  Schooner of Carlton...

I can't recall the last Marvel film I had as little anticipation for as this one. I was expecting loads of multiverse (which I don't love) and we all have a little Spidey fatigue. But this was really delightful and operated at a different scale to most Marvel films.  Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining, meaningful or both.  Pint of Kilkenny - a...

Claire Denis makes her English language debut with a cerebral, challenging sci-fi film starring Robert Pattinson. Not the easiest film to ease myself back in with to be honest. Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining, meaningful or both.  Pint of Kilkenny - a very good, highly recommended film.  Stubby of Reschs - a good film and worth your time.  S...

My recent burst of energy in posting long since recorded episodes continues unabated. JOHN WICK 3 is rad. Will go close to being the best action film of the year and is also the weakest in the franchise. Interesting to consider the way they film stretches the Wick mythology and if it works.  Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining, meaningful or bot...

I've gotten into this bad habit of recording episodes and never taking the 10 minutes it takes me to post them. So here's a review of AVENGERS ENDGAME I recorded maybe a week after it came out. The biggest behemoth of the year. It's an interesting film to ponder in terms of what it's attempting to do (or at least wrap up). But it's perhaps not all that interesting a film. Although I quite liked it...

Horror maestro Jordan Peele returns with his follow up to GET OUT. It's rad.  Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining, meaningful or both.  Pint of Kilkenny - a very good, highly recommended film.  Stubby of Reschs - a good film and worth your time.  Schooner of Carlton Draught - Not great aye. But perhaps an interesting idea or two.  Schooner of To...

Melanie Laurent's latest feature is a measured drama, on the road with two people thrown together by crime.  Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining, meaningful or both.  Pint of Kilkenny - a very good, highly recommended film.  Stubby of Reschs - a good film and worth your time.  Schooner of Carlton Draught - Not great aye. But perhaps an interesti...

A wrestling comedy-drama with loads of lessons but thankfully not too much schmaltz. This one gets a lot right.  Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining, meaningful or both.  Pint of Kilkenny - a very good, highly recommended film.  Stubby of Reschs - a good film and worth your time.  Schooner of Carlton Draught - Not great aye. But perhaps an inter...

This episode I take a look at Brady Corbet and Natalie Portman's VOX LUX. It's the most interesting film to think about and talk about I've seen in a long time. Hopefully that comes through in this episode.  Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining, meaningful or both.  Pint of Kilkenny - a very good, highly recommended film.  Stubby of Reschs - a go...

A doco about a wild rock climb, but also a whole lot more. Including the first great film of 2019. Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining, meaningful or both.  Pint of Kilkenny - a very good, highly recommended film.  Stubby of Reschs - a good film and worth your time.  Schooner of Carlton Draught - Not great aye. But perhaps an interesting idea or...

This episode is a little different. I run through a bunch of recent(ish) releases that I haven't chatted about before. The films and time-stamps are: 1.15 - CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME 4.05 - BUMBLEBEE 8.19 - RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET 11.15 THE FAVOURITE 14.35 - AQUAMAN 19.55 - CREED 2 22.45 - INTO THE SPIDERVERSE Ratings System: Longneck of Melbourne Bitter - an excellent film. Sublimely entertaining...