THE NEW BOY Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Warwick Thornton Stars: Cate Blanchett, Deborah Mailman, Wayne Blair, Aswan Reid. This is the third film from indigenous filmmaker Warrick Thornton following Samson & Delilah and the award-winning Sweet Country. The New Boy opened the Sydney Film Festival and has now gained a theatrical release. And although the film deals with indigenous issues it is nowhere …
THREE SUMMERS
Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Ben Elton Stars: Robert Sheehan, Rebecca Breeds, John Waters, Michael Caton, Magda Szubanski, Deborah Mailman, Jacqueline McKenzie, Kelton Pell, Kate Box, Amay Jain, Peter Rosethorn, Christian Van Vuren, Nick Boshier, Caroline Brazier. This amiable crowd-pleasing comedy is set against the backdrop of the fictitious annual Westival Folk Music Festival in Western Australia. …
A FEW LESS MEN
Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Mark Lamprell Stars: Xavier Samuel, Kris Marshall, Kevin Bishop, Ryan Corr, Shane Jacobson, Lynette Curran, Darren Gilshenan, Deborah Mailman, Sacha Horler, James Helm, Jeremy Sims. 2011’s comedy A Few Best Men was a surprise hit with audiences, although it was largely dismissed by critics. And now we get this largely unnecessary sequel that no-one really asked …
ODDBALL
Oddball Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Stuart McDonald Stars: Shane Jacobson, Sarah Snook, Alan Tudyk, Coco Jack Gillies, Deborah Mailman, Frank Woodley, Terry Camilleri, Richard Davies, Dave Lawson, Tegan Higginbotham. As local films like Storm Boy, Babe, Happy Feet and Red Dog have shown, the formula for making a successful family friendly film seems pretty simple. All you need is a cute, mischievous …
PAPER PLANES
Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Robert Connolly Stars: Sam Worthington, Ed Oxenbould, Deborah Mailman, David Wenham, Peter Rowsthorn, Nicholas Bakopoulos-Cooke, Ena Imai, Terry Norris. The idea of a film about a paper plane competition may not sound the most riveting prospect, but this gentle, family friendly locally made comedy/drama is actually a crowd pleaser that holds plenty of appeal. Paper Planes offers a …
RABBIT PROOF FENCE
Rabbit Proof Fence Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Phillip Noyce Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Deborah Mailman, Everlyn Sampri, Tianna Sansbury, Laura Monaghan, David Gulpilil, Garry MacDonald. After several big budget Hollywood thrillers (Patriot Games, The Bone Collector, etc), Phillip Noyce returns home for this rather small scale but very topical film exploring one of the more controversial chapters of …