Review: True History of the Kelly Gang (2020) – Two Lies Don’t Make A Truth

Ned Kelly to many was the last scream of a dying breed, an outlaw in a country quickly becoming civilised by industrialisation. The incoming train system connecting people and opportunities like never before. His actions, however, are largely unrecorded, shrouded in mystery and conjecture. The question became, was he doing the right thing for those …

Review: Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2020) – Freedom of Expression

Portrait of a Lady on Fire is an exercise in dramatic irony run rampant. Not only is it an open and loving same-sex love story cloistered in a period setting but it is also a tale about isolation and how it encourages expression and the freedom to say and do what you want. The moments …

Review: The Call of the Wild (2020) – Get Off My Plain

Jack London's 1903 novel, The Call of the Wild, might have the same skeletal structure as Chris Sanders adaptation of the same name but the tonal difference and story changes ensure that this version, the 4th adaptation of London's novel is a product of its era, a more forgiving beast that seems in awe of …

Review: Sonic The Hedgehog (2020) – All Fun and Games

Of all the 90s video game titles that could be chosen to adapt into movie franchises, I wouldn't have expected Sonic. Not only does the linear, storyless platformer not scream potential but there really isn't a massive market for Sonic games anymore. Since he burst onto screens in 1991, Sonic's star has fizzled despite some …

Review: The Lighthouse (2020) – Masculinity & Other Forms of Madness

The secrets and lies that permeate every shot of Robert Eggers' The Lighthouse, a manic depressive exercise in toxic masculinity and other physically damaging psychological nightmares, seem commonplace for a conventional story. Throw them in with a world that seems not to be ruled by any kind of normality, where time doesn't adhere to understanding …

Review: Emma (2020) – A Modern Matchmaker

In the age of Tinder and blind dates, the whole premise of Emma seems rather quaint but this Emma is more modern than those that preceded her, not because she finds her prospective matches on Plenty of Fish or Match.com but because this Emma's mentality isn't solely wrapped up in class like is so often …

Review: Dark Waters (2020) – A Chemical Solution

In the 1960s reports began to surface that smoking was bad for our health, a revelation that seemed to be the first nail in the coffin for the smoking industry. Today, people are still smoking and an industry that relies on new customers finds even more nefarious ways to convince people to smoke, or vape, …

Review: Dolittle (2020) – What?

Any film that actively confuses you must be at least considered to be special. Dolittle is not that film. Although it does inspire confusion it is never for a positive reason such as a bold choice, a great but frustrating performance or even a lively song choice. Dolittle is upsettingly derivative in how it doesn't …

Review: Birds Of Prey (2020) – Toxic Relationships

While it is easy to point at Suicide Squad and look at what didn't work but one almost universally accepted point of discussion was the impressive performance by Margot Robbie. Her version of Harley Quinn proved to be one of the emotional focal points of a film sorely lacking in characters to root for. This …

Review: A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood (2020) – A Helping Hand

Marielle Heller made waves last year with the Melissa McCarthy feature Can You Ever Forgive Me? It was a film that was brazenly selfish, amusingly so, with a cast of misanthropes and misfits failing to see the world around them due to their own deficiencies. Her follow-up, A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood is oddly …