A Man Called Otto, which stars Tom Hanks, is the Hollywood remake of the Swedish comedy/ drama A Man Called Ove, a film I haven’t seen. Hanks plays Otto Anderson who, as the films byline tells us, is ‘the grumpiest man in the world’. Bitter and contemptuous of just about everyone he meets, he spends his days stalking the grounds
Read moreThere have been numerous film adaptations of Italian author Carlo Collodi’s 1883 Pinocchio story but the most famous is the 1940 Disney animated film. That movie is apparently a favourite of a number of renowned directors including Steven Spielberg who used its ‘wish upon a star’ theme over the closing credits of Close Encounters and essentially remade it as AI:
Read moreBaz Luhrmann is one of the least subtle directors of recent times. Perhaps only Michael Bay and Oliver Stone in the 90’s top him for obviousness and outrageousness. Having Baz direct a film about Elvis Presley who, at least in the latter part of his life, was known for excess and an extravagant lifestyle, promised to be a sensory assault.
Read moreFred Rogers, the host of the American children’s educational TV show Mr Rogers’ Neighbourhood (amongst others) is a much-loved pop cultural icon in the US but isn’t particularly well known to Australian audiences. After seeing the film, A Beautiful Day in The Neighbourhood, which stars Tom Hanks as Mr Rogers and is based on real events in Roger’s life, viewers
Read moreThe Toy Story movies have been some of the crowning achievements of modern family film-making. All of them have been wonderful animated fantasy adventures that are cleverer, more inventive, funnier and more moving than most Hollywood live action films. It’s one franchise that deserves a multitude of sequels. Toy Story 4 continues the impressive standard of the previous films although
Read moreSteven Spielberg’s The Post is part of that cinematic sub-genre, the investigative journalism film, an auspicious club that contains Spotlight, Zodiac and at its pinnacle, Alan J Pakula’s Watergate classic, All The Presidents Men. The Post almost seems like an attempt at a prequel to that film as it details the explosive story of the Washington Post’s quest in 1971
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