Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Anthony Hayes Stars: Zac Efron, Anthony Hayes, Susie Porter A survival story, Gold is set in the bleak and desolate and inhospitable desert in a not-too-distant dystopian future. This dark and visceral tale of greed, obsession, murder and madness comes from Anthony Hayes, an actor who has experience in directing films with dramas such as Ten Empty to his credit. Hayes co-wrote the sparse and stripped back script with his partner Polly Smyth (a costume designer who has written her first script). An unnamed man (played by Zac Continue reading
LIMBO
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Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Ben Sharrock Stars: Amir El-Masry, Vikash Bhai, Ola Orebiyi, Sidse Knudsen, Kenneth Collard. Writer/director Ben Sharrock draws upon his own experiences of living in Syria and working with refugees in Algeria to shape this bittersweet drama exploring the loss of identity and self often felt by refugees waiting in limbo for their situation to change. The film centres around Omar (Egyptian actor Amir el Masry, from The Night Manager, etc), a Syrian musician and refugee stuck on a bleak, sparsely Continue reading
KING RICHARD
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Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green Stars: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Tony Goldwyn, Jon Bernthal, Dylan McDermott, Kevin Dunn. No, this is not another adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s historical dramas about a tragically doomed historical figure, although the central character here is just as flawed and complex as any created by the playwright. Written by first time feature writer Zach Baylin, King Richard is part underdog sports drama and part biopic that follows a familiar formula and trajectory. It throws Continue reading
THE 355
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Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Simon Kingberg Stars: Jessica Chastain, Diane Kruger, Penelope Cruz, Lupita Nyong'o, Bingbing Fan, Sebastian Stan, Edgar Ramirez, Jason Flemyng, Pablo Scola, John Douglas Thomas. Mission: Bland? A healthy suspension of disbelief is required for this female centric globetrotting action spy thriller that delivers a high body count and plenty of twists and turns. It will remind many of the recent superior female centric action film Gunpowder Milkshake. The 355 centres around a mysterious technical Continue reading
LICORICE PIZZA
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Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Stars: Cooper Hoffman, Alana Haim, Bradley Cooper, Sean Penn, Benny Safdie, Maya Rudolph, John Michael Higgins, John C Reilly, Tom Waits, Will Angarola, Milo Herschlag, Skyler Gisondo, Christine Ebersole, Joseph Cross. The new film from auteur Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood, etc) is a coming-of-age comedy/romance set in a sun-drenched Los Angeles circa 1973 and steeped in the music and pop cultural icons of the 70s. The film has been loosely based on the life and exploits of Continue reading
