This week on ‘Built For Speed’ we review the film that caused a sensation in Melbourne this week when its director Quentin Tarantino and its stars Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell made an appearance at a screening, The Hateful Eight. We also take a look at a star-studded film that explores the origins of the GFC, The Big Short. There’ll
Read moreThe Big Short sounds like the title of a caper comedy and in a sense it is although the caper is a particularly dubious one, the multi-billion dollar exploitation of a dysfunctional and seemingly corrupt financial system by greedy unscrupulous bond traders that led to the GFC and the financial devastation of millions of working people in 2008. Directed by
Read moreAlong with The Danish Girl and The Duke Of Burgundy, the moody, sensitive, Carol continues an intriguing theme in 2015/16 cinema of introspective dramas examining gender and sexual identity. In doing so it provides an impressive showcase for the talents of leads Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara and enigmatic director Todd Haynes. The film tells of a forbidden and fraught
Read moreThe 5th Wave, which is based on the first book in a trilogy by Rick Yancey, is yet another post-apocalyptic teen lit/ sci-fi/ action/ fantasy/ romance. Next to Marvel Comics adaptations this genre is fast becoming the most mind-numbingly familiar fixture in our cinemas. While succumbing to many of the teen-lit clichés, The Fifth Wave has a least a few
Read moreThe appeal of the Charlie Brown comic strips and cartoons lies in their clever mix of childhood innocence and adult neurosis and their honest encapsulations of life in suburbia. Consequently, most of us can relate to Charlie Brown’s life of disappointment and humiliation and see among his friends and nemeses wonderfully accurate depictions of the people we know. The latest Charlie
Read moreIt’s staggering to think that, in early 20th century Britain, women were still denied the right to vote. In response to this, a protest movement, known as the Suffragettes, emerged which saw women engaging in activism, protest and even public insurrection as they sought to overturn what they saw as a denial of human rights. Suffragette, starring Carey Mulligan and
Read more