Adam Sandler’s irritating and embarrassingly juvenile comedies represent some of recent cinema’s lowest points. The few bright lights in his dismal oeuvre have usually co-starred Drew Barrymore whose screwball comic talents and considerable charm have, in films like The Wedding Singer and Fifty First Dates, managed to neutralise Sandler’s whiny obnoxiousness. The two are paired again in Blended a film
Read moreAttractively shot atmospheric thriller The Two Faces of January owes a considerable debt to films of the past. It’s filled with Hitchcockian paranoia and Bernard Herman-esque music, it takes place in a European setting reminiscent of Agatha Christie film adaptations and like The Talented Mr Ripley, it sees a strange and ambitious young man invade the lives of attractive and
Read moreThis week on Built For Speed we take a look at two of this year’s most provocative films: Irish religious drama Calvary and Australian documentary All This Mayhem which reveals the tumultuous lives of Aussie skateboard champs Tas and Ben Pappas. Also, with Bastille coming up this Monday, we take a look at our favourite French films and we play
Read moreThis week on Built For Speed we take a look at the big screen adaptation of hit stage musical Jersey Boys, a film directed by Clint Eastwood which recounts the career of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Also, just in time for the school holidays we have a look at the latest IMAX documentary Penguins 3D. We also can’t ignore
Read moreIt’s easy to be cynical about a film like The Fault in Our Stars, a story of teen romance and terminal illness that updates Love Story for the smart phone generation. Yes, it’s often clichéd and emotionally manipulative but largely due a strong central performance from Shailene Woodley, the film holds together and offers at least a few moments of
Read moreDirector Hany Abu-Assad’s latest film Omar portrays the saddening and desperate conflict in the West Bank in a believable manner that thankfully doesn’t ignore basic humanity of people on both sides. Omar (Adam Bakri) is a young baker who has recently joined the Palestinian resistance forces with his childhood friends the hard-headed Tarek (Iyad Hoorani) and the meek Amjad (Samer
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