Reviewed by GREG KING Director: John Lasseter Stars: voices of: Owen Wilson, Michael Caine, Eddie Izzard, Emily Mortimer, Larry the Cable Guy, John Turturro. For 25 years Pixar have been making superb animated films, beginning with short films and moving into features with Toy Story, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, etc, which were all hugely successful.… Continue Reading »
CANE TOADS: THE CONQUEST
Reviewed by GREG KING Documentary Director: Mark Lewis. This fascinating, informative, slightly irreverent, thoroughly entertaining and engaging documentary is a belated follow up to Mark Lewis’s 1988 documentary Cane Toads: An Unnatural History. Using archival footage, Lewis briefly retraces the history of this poisonous pest, which was originally introduced into Australia from Puerto Rica in… Continue Reading »
CONVICTION
Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Tony Goldwyn Stars: Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Melissa Leo, Minnie Driver, Juliette Lewis, Peter Gallagher, Ari Graynor. Hilary Swank was obviously on the lookout for more Oscar bait when she chose Conviction as her next film project. Part courtroom drama, part prison film, Conviction is based on a true story… Continue Reading »
CERTIFIED COPY
Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Abbas Kiarostami Stars: Juliette Binoche, William Shimell. The films of Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami (Shirin, Taste Of Cherry, etc) are something of an acquired taste, given his droll sense of humour and leisurely pacing. One of his key themes has always been the influence of the real world on art… Continue Reading »
CRASH
Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Paul Haggis Stars: Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillipe, Larenz Tate, William Fichtner, Jennifer Esposito. In the same vein as Altman’s Short Cuts and Paul Thomas Anderson’s overrated Magnolia, Crash is a sprawling film, featuring multi-layered and parallel narratives,… Continue Reading »
CLOSER
Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Mike Nichols Stars: Jude Law, Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Natalie Portman. In some of his best films, Oscar winning director Mike Nichols has often been drawn to explorations of sex and disintegrating relationships (Carnal Knowledge, The Graduate, etc). His films often feature crackling dialogue, biting humour, barbed exchanges, rich performances,… Continue Reading »