Cannes Film Festival Review: Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point

“Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point” is a quiet gem of a film, although it runs about twenty minutes too long for what it is. However, Taormina’s affection for the material and capturing the minutiae of family life is evident, and that clear care makes for a rewarding experience, despite the length. Audiences will get the most out of it if they expect a slow, gentle, observation-based character study. The ensemble is a testament to the talent of these lesser-known actors, with particularly strong performances from Maria Dizzia and newcomer Matilda Fleming, playing a mother and teen daughter at odds.

Everything I Watched in March Ranked Best to Worst

It’s April 1st. which (probably) means its far too late to publish my ‘Top 10 Movies of 2021’. So, I present you with this: The Best and Worst of Everything I watched in March. (Although I might need to caveat my click-baity title: unlike other critics, I don’t tend to watch something If I think…

‘Promising Young Woman’ and the Fallacy of the “Nice Guy”

In Promising Young Woman, Writer/Director Fennell uses the familiar character type of Ryan (sweet, funny, unthreatening boyfriend), to argue that ‘nice guys’ who are complicit in the sexual harassment perpetrated by their friends, are not nice guys at all. A nice guy, like Ryan, would never take advantage of a woman. But if his friends are doing it? He might just look away. What’s the consequence of complicity here? In Promising Young Woman, the consequence for Nina, and by extension, Cassie, is devastating.

Love, Looks & Loneliness In FLEABAG Season Two

Unless you live under a pop-culture rock, it is unlikely that you haven’t heard of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the writer, actress and brainchild behind Fleabag. Fleabag, is an Edinburgh Fringe Festival one-woman-show turned award winning television show, about the life of a messy, tragic and darkly hilarious antiheroine named Fleabag (played by Waller-Bridge).

Birds of Prey: A Fierce Assertion of the Female Gaze in a Male-Dominated Genre

Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020), doubles as both a fun action movie, and a fierce assertion of the female gaze in the male-dominated superhero genre. This article was originally posted on Blitz UNSW Viewers will know Harley Quinn from David Ayer’s appallingly bad Suicide Squad (2016), in…

‘52 Films By Women’ Challenge: What Is It, and Why Do We Need It?

I first discovered the #52FilmsByWomen challenge on Twitter in 2018. As a feminist, a movie critic, and a female director, this challenge sat at the intersection between many of my passions, and I was instantly keen to learn more. The challenge, started in 2015 by Los Angeles’ Women in Film, is simple: watch one film…

Film Inquiry Presents: Best Oscar Nominees That Won Nothing

This article was originally published on Film Inquiry and was written by Emily Wheeler, Tynan Yanaga, Jake Tropila, Jacqui Griffin, and Jo Bradley. As we take a breath and revel in those glorious Parasite wins, it’s perhaps wise to remember why this awards season felt so good. Normally we don’t get that satisfying of an ending, one…

Video: My Top Ten Films of 2018

Today I’m setting a new record. Every year, I write about my top ten films of the year and I typically don’t get my article posted until maybe January or even February. I’m ashamed to admit that today is the day I finally post my countdown of the best movies of 2018. Yes, it’s 9…

Korean Film Festival Ends On A High Note

Last Saturday night marked the close of the Sydney run of the Korean Film Festival in Australia with Another Child, the directorial debut of veteran Korean actor Kim Yoon-Seok, who also stars in the film. The moving drama chronicles the families of two teenage girls, whose lives become irrevocably intertwined when the father of one…

Hear for You Film Festival Encourages Deaf Teenagers to Embrace Filmmaking

This year marks the 3rd annual ‘Hear for You’ national film festival, a festival designed to get deaf or hard of hearing teenagers involved in filmmaking in a supportive environment. The festival had its national premiere at the Golden Age Cinema and Bar in Sydney, a boutique Art Deco cinema which provided an intimate and…