Dracula Untold is not about the suave count chomping on necks in present day America or Britain as old time Hammer Horror fans might hope. Instead it takes the original story of Vlad the Impaler – a 15th century Transylvanian Prince whose reputation for cruelty toward his enemies partially inspired the vampire legend – and turns it into a moderately
Read moreIn the last decade a few films have used a distinctive approach to re-invigorate what was an ailing supernatural horror genre. Paranormal Activity whipped up some decent scares with nerve jangling use of the found footage aesthetic while Aussie director James Wan’s box office hit The Conjuring effectively employed a no-frills 1970’s film making style as well as a respectful
Read moreMark Heyman, who wrote the script for Black Swan, seems fascinated with emotionally damaged people desperately trying to cope with or conceal personal disappointments, family trauma and the wounds of their past. He has collaborated with writer/ director Craig Johnson and producers the Duplass brothers, who produced the wonderfully melancholic romantic fantasy Safety Not Guaranteed to give us the unsettling,
Read moreIn 1997 Quentin Tarantino capped a remarkable decade-defining trio of films (that included Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction) with Jackie Brown his superb adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s novel Rum Punch. Perfect casting and indelible performances, particularly from Pam Grier and Tarantino’s muse Samuel L. Jackson, made Jackie Brown an intoxicatingly funny, moving, tense and romantic film. Understandably, a prequel to
Read moreThe Little Death (the title refers to a French euphemism for orgasm) is a quirky, mostly endearing but not always hilarious Aussie comedy written and directed by and starring Josh Lawson. Through a collection of vignettes that vary from odd to disturbing the film explores the taboo world of sexual fetishes. Lawson plays typical quirky Aussie 30-something nice guy Paul
Read moreThe Equalizer is yet another film which revels in a mass-murdering vigilante’s psychopathic behaviour then tries to justify that behaviour by giving it a patina of paternalistic righteousness and by suggesting it’s all necessary to clean up the mean streets. In other words it’s offensive right-wing clap trap. Based loosely on the 1980’s TV show which starred Edward Woodward as
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