Reviews

Uncategorized Blake Howard Uncategorized Blake Howard

Sydney Film Festival 2018 Film Diary Part 1 - "The Blood of Wolves," "Holiday" and "West of Sunshine"

To give you a flavour of 2018 Sydney Film Festival, I'm going to be compiling 'capsule' sized reviews of every film that I caught. The only exceptions to this will be those films that have a guaranteed an Australian cinematic release, in which case you may see a capsule review that forms the bedrock for a more extensive analysis of the movie.

Read More
Uncategorized Blake Howard Uncategorized Blake Howard

"Red Sparrow" (2018) Review

Tradecraft for a female spy has the dark reality of being required to use sex as a weapon, or at least a distraction to penetrate (no pun intended) the guard of a foe. Francis Lawrence’s “Red Sparrow,” a crisply shot, contemporary spy thriller tackles the harsh sexual and psychological manipulation require to be a successful espionage asset.

Read More
Uncategorized Blake Howard Uncategorized Blake Howard

“Murder on the Orient Express” (2017) Review

Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express” is a top shelf whodunnit played out with crisp pace and crackles, thanks to a cache of intentionally opaque performances from a prestige cast including Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Olivia Colman, Daisy Ridley and Josh Gad. Branagh has orchestrated the perfect actor/director vehicle for himself that finds the perfect tone between prestige and pulp cinema.

Read More
Uncategorized Blake Howard Uncategorized Blake Howard

"Black Panther" 2018 Review

“Black Panther” is an avalanche, a nexus for underrepresented voices to be thrust into the throne. The superhero genre grew up a decade ago, with the arrival of “Iron Man” and “The Dark Knight”; and since then it’s rarely elevated out of an escapist arrested development.

Read More
Uncategorized Blake Howard Uncategorized Blake Howard

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (2017) Review

“The Last Jedi” is absolutely the “Star Wars” film we deserved and didn’t expect. The prequels, stand alone “story” films and even the animated series considered canon are a frustratingly repetitious and revisionist cycle. “The Last Jedi” is not a crude predictable entry to the series; Rian Johnson has delivered a luminous spark that’s left the future of the franchise looking bright.

Read More
Uncategorized Blake Howard Uncategorized Blake Howard

“The Untamed” (2017) Review

“The Untamed” is a collision of Stanley Kubrick’s style and Pedro Almodovar’s contemporary social melodrama. The Kubrickian influences manifest in dizzying atmospherics, sensory deprivation and crashing waves of alien worlds weaved into the sound design. The Almodovar flair comes in the watching of this powder keg of intertwined relationships.

Read More