Reviewed by GREG KING Documentary Director: Ray Argall. 1984 was a pivotal year for iconic Australian rock band Midnight Oil. Formed in the early 70s from Sydney’s vibrant north shore, Midnight Oil forged its reputation for energetic live shows in the pub rock scene, with front man Peter Garrett finishing their sets exhausted and bathed in sweat. The band defiantly forged its own path, refusing to play …
MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2016 REVIEWS
by GREG KING The Melbourne International Film Festival screens from July 28 through until August 14. There are some 300 features and documentaries screening, both local and international productions. The opening night film is The Death And Life Of Otto Bloom, starring Xavier Samuel, and the closing night film is David Mackenzie's contemporary western Hell Or High Water, starring Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine and Ben …
Read More about MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2016 REVIEWS
HIGHLY STRUNG
Reviewed by GREG KING Documentary Director: Scott Hicks. "A quartet is a private thing," says Stephen King, a member of the renowned Australian String Quartet. But in this documentary from director Scott Hicks (best known for his dramas like the AFI and Oscar winning Shine and Snow Falling On Cedars, and the bland Nicholas Sparks romance The Lucky One, etc) it is no longer private. The quartet is laid bare here …
THE WRECKING CREW
The Wrecking Crew Reviewed by GREG KING Documentary Director: Denny Tedesco. Music lovers have been well served recently with a number of superb documentaries. The prolific Alex Gibney gave us warts and all look at the rise of James Brown, the "hardest working man in show biz", and there was also the informative and insightful documentary about the tragic Amy Winehouse. There was Muscle Shoals, the hit …
AMY
Reviewed by GREG KING Documentary Director: Asif Kapadia. When she died at the young age of 27 in 2011, Grammy award winning British singer Amy Winehouse joined that small group of self destructive singers who also died an untimely death as their addictions got the better of them - Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain. This documentary is a revealing, warts and all look at the meteoric …
KEEP ON KEEPIN’ ON
Reviewed by GREG KING Documentary Director: Alan Hicks. One of the cinematic highlights of 2014 was the drama Whiplash, about the turbulent relationship between an aspiring jazz drummer and his volatile teacher who pushed his students to breaking point, and sometimes beyond. The marvelous documentary Keep On Keepin' On offers a marked contrast to that film, as it follows the wonderful friendship that develops …
