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…
Category: Film
‘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…
Attention Musicians & Filmmakers: Don’t Miss Out On This Music Video Festival
In amongst the many short film festivals around Australia, it can feel like the music video genre gets lost in the mix. But instead of being condemned to a Saturday morning of Rage re-runs, one Sydney festival is dedicated to showcasing new Australian music videos. CLIPPED Music Video Festival is an annual one-day event that…
Melodrama & The Remake: The Cinematic Influence Of Sirk On Fassbinder
All art inspires other art. By telling stories, filmmakers impact people all across the world, and encourage them to tell their own stories. Such is the case with Douglas Sirk, whose 1950s melodramas have inspired many contemporary filmmakers to experiment with the melodramatic form in their own filmmaking practice. Sirk’s 1955 All That Heaven Allows inspired and informed the…
Scribbles of Stage and Screen 