Filmmaker & Playwright, Bokkie Robertson, Talks about the Different Ways to Tell a Story

“I have a lot of opinions about things that film could learn from theatre and things that theatre could learn from film. And one of my opinions is that, oftentimes, the character in theatre is incredible. It is so far and beyond anything you see in film, but the structure and storytelling of theatre can sometimes be lacking.

I’m such a story person I’m such a structured person. If you’re wanting theatre that tells you a story, that takes you on a journey, that has a payoff at the end; come to this play.”

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…

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…

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…

BOOKSMART: The Best Film of the Year

I’ve never laughed so much as I did when I saw Booksmart for the first time.  I’ve since seen it four times since, and each re-watch confirms its spot as my favourite film of 2019. On the night before high school graduation, Class President Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and her best friend Amy (Kaitlyn Denver) are faced with…

Glasgow Film Festival 2019 Documentaries: LAST BREATH & ARE YOU PROUD?

My first day at Glasgow Film Festival was a thrill. I attended two world premieres, both with post-show Q&A’s with the cast and directors in what looks to be a great start to what looks to be an exciting weekend. I started the festival with Are You Proud?, a documentary chronicling the history of the LGBTQ+ rights movement in the…

Isle of Dogs: Too Much Quirk, Not Enough Substance

Wes Anderson, king of quirk, has long been gathering a liege of dedicated cinephiles who drool over his every film. And, I confess, I am one of his long-time fans. Especially considering the incredibly high expectations set by his previous film, 2014’s multi-Oscar winning The Grand Budapest Hotel. However, if you go into the cinema…