Reviewed by GREG KING Directors: Ainsley Gardiner and Briar Grace-Smith Stars Tanea Heke, Rachel House, Briar Grace-Smith, Mihi Te Rauhi Daniels, Tioreore Melbourne, Hariata Moriarty, Kayahna Patrick Wiliam, Te Raukura Gray. This New Zealand drama deals with themes of family, culture, tradition, history, connection to land, identity, memory, and the impact of colonialism on the indigenous population, all of which should also resonate strongly with Australian audiences. The film is based on the 1992 novel written by Patricia Grace, which spanned several Continue reading
KING OTTO
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Reviewed by GREG KING Documentary Director: Christopher Andre Marks. Some of the best sports documentaries include Leon Gast’s Oscar winning 1997 film When We Were Kings, which told of the famous 1974 Rumble in the Jungle, the heavyweight championship bout between Ali and George Foreman held in Zaire; 2010’s Senna, and the Oscar winning 2018 film Free Solo. While Christopher Andre Marks’ documentary King Otto is a fascinating underdog story it is not quite in the same league as those mentioned above. The film tells of how the Greek soccer team, rank Continue reading
DELIVER US FROM EVIL
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Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Won-Chang Hong Stars: Jung-Min Hwang, Jung-Jae Lee, Jeong-Min Park. Not to be confused with the so-so 2014 supernatural themed thriller starring Eric Bana, Deliver Us From Evil is a pedal to the metal frenetic and violent hard boiled action thriller from Korean director Won-Chang Hong (who wrote films like The Yellow Sea, etc) that delivers plenty of action and will delight fans of this genre. Korean action cinema seems to have a more violent, kinetic and fast paced and energetic approach to its key set pieces than Hollywood, Continue reading
MINAMATA
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Reviewed by GREG KING Stars: Johnny Depp, Minami, Jun Kunimura, Bill Nighy,, Katherine Jenkins, Akiko Iwase, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ryo Kase. Based on a true story this drama about industrial pollution and the environmental damage caused by giant chemical companies and their greed, corruption and malfeasance who refuse to accept responsibility or take action puts Minamata in the same wheelhouse as films like Erin Brokovich and Dark Waters, although it is nowhere near as provocative or compelling. Minamata is a small waterfront town in Japan. For fifteen years, since Continue reading
A QUIET PLACE PART II
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Reviewed by GREG KING Director: John Krasinski Stars: Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Cillian Murphy, Djimon Hounsou, John Krasinski. Released in 2018 A Quiet Place was a superior mix of sci-fi and horror that marked a solid feature film directorial debut for John Krasinski (best known for his role in the tv sitcom The Office). Krasinski gave us an unusual but solid premise, and A Quiet Place proved to be a surprise hit at the box office. Not surprisingly a sequel was produced, but this highly anticipated film found its release delayed by the COVID Continue reading
