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SHOOT TO KILL

30/12/2016

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1988 | DIR. ROGER SPOTISWOOD | REVIEW BY GLENN COCHRANE. 

When actor Sidney Poitier stepped away from the spotlight in the late 70s and early 80s and turned his attention to directing, the world assumed that his days in front of the camera were over. After helming a series of moderately received comedies such as Stir Crazy and Hanky Panky, it seemed he forging a career path as a comedy director. And so when he bound back onto the big screen 10 years later in the hard-edged thriller Shoot To Kill (known as Deadly Pursuit outside of America), he brought with him the stoic bravado that audiences knew and loved.
CLICK TO READ FULL REVIEW. 
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BLACKBOARD JUNGLE

23/12/2016

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1955 | DIR. RICHARD BROOKS | REVIEW BY GLENN COCHRANE.

Classroom dramas are a dime a dozen, and lets face it, they’re mostly the same. We all know that classic story of an idealistic teacher sweeping in to nurture a mob of unruly students before proving them to be important contributors to society. The formula is tried and true, and the fact that there are countless interpretations of it proves that it is a crowd-pleasing trope. Some of the incarnations include To Sir, With Love, Dead Poets Society, Lean on Me, Stand and Deliver, Dangerous Minds and The Emperor’s Club.

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW. 

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ROADKILL 

23/12/2016

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1989 | DIR. BRUCE MCDONALD | REVIEW BY GLENN COCHRANE.

Bruce McDonald is a renegade of Canadian independent cinema. With his trademark look of cowboy hat and leather jacket (complimented by his rock-n-roll sensibility), he has earned himself a rock-star reputation spanning three-decades. Some of his recent films include the horror titles Hellions and Pontypool, and his experimental project The Tracey Fragments further showcases his disregard for rules. He has directed countless television series and sustained his career by hopping in and out of the mainstream system. The tragedy is that despite his prolific catalogue, audiences outside of Canada are oblivious to most of his work.

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL REVIEW. 

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LA LA LAND

13/12/2016

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2016 | DIR. DAMIEN CHAZELLE | REVIEW BY GLENN COCHRANE. 
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If Woody Allen, Robert Altman and Gene Kelly had co-directed a film it would look something like LA LA LAND, a new musical drama from WHIPLASH director Damien Chazelle.

Set against a contemporary Los Angeles backdrop, the film tells the story of two struggling entertainers who meet and fall in love. Emma Stone plays a striving actress who has become accustomed to rejection, while Ryan Gosling plays a
pretentious jazz musician with dreams of owning his own club. When their worlds collide it is an explosion of romance, music and dance, and promises a nostalgic trip to a forgotten genre.

The film opens with a stunning musical sequence set upon a freeway overpass. The camera glides from one car to another, up and over the roofs and alongside the windows as the passengers break free of the gridlock in an elaborate song & dance number that, from all appearances, is shot in one endless take. Its a phenomenal demonstration of cinematography and an example of competent filmmaking. Damien Chazelle also wrote the film and his vision was clearly strong. The romance he has created is anchored right at the epicentre of Hollywood's studio system, with the story doubling as a tongue-in-cheek critisism of an industry that chews people up and spits them out. "La La Land" in deed. 

Stone and Gosling share a wonderful chemistry, which has been developed across their previous two films together (Gangster Squad and Crazy Stupid Love), and their connection on screen is undeniable. And as if they weren't already accomplished actors, they've managed to execute the song & dance factor beautifully. They carry a level of distinction with them that recalls the legends of old Hollywood such as Gene Kelly and Judy Garland. Stone offers an particularly engaging performance that truly sets the film apart and gives it a strong emotional actor. Her ability emote such emotion so effortlessly elevates her above many of her contemporaries, and SHOULD put her in good stead for award accolades.

Where the film frays is in its modern city setting. The presence of smart-phones and other tech devises sully what is an otherwise splendid narrative. Of course I concede that there is amusement to be had by interrupting a bold musical sequence with the ring of a cell-phone, but those are laughs I would much rather suspend in favour of a totally cohesive atmosphere.

But alas... small qualms. LA LA LAND is lovely. It's a rare commodity amongst an all but dead form of storytelling. It's musical emphasis won't be for everyone, but I sure as hell am better for having seen it and I cannot wait to see it again.  
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RED DOG TRUE BLUE

12/12/2016

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2016 | DIR. KRIV STENDERS | REVIEW BY GLENN COCHRANE.

Whether or not lightening can strike twice is a question that the producers of Red Dog: True Blue are hoping to answer favourably, and in fact, the question is factored into the film itself. It is the prequel to Red Dog, one of the most successful Australian films of all time and that less-than-subtle question within the film may have been answered, however, the practical real-life answer remains to be seen.


CLICK HERE TO READ FULL REVIEW. 

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MAD MAX FURY ROAD: BLACK & CHROME

11/12/2016

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2016 | DIR. GEORGE MILLER | REVIEW BY GLENN COCHRANE. 

MAD MAX FURY ROAD is arguably one of the greatest action films of all time, let alone the past year. It came with a heavy weight of anticipation and managed to surpass everyone's expectations before going on to dominate at the Academy Awards.
Shortly after the film's home-entertainment release director George Miller announced that he was re-releasing the film in black & white – his preferred expression of film – and fans frothed at the mouth at the idea. And so it has arrived... the “Black & Chrome” edition, where all colour has been doused and a greater emphasis has been placed on the shadows and light. But does it work? No.

The theatrical cut of FURY ROAD is so vibrant and intense that the colour design makes up a huge part of the film's aesthetic. The story is enhanced by the fantastical assortment of multicolours, all of which bind the larger-than-life action together seamlessly. By extracting the colour Miller has subsequently driven a wedge between the story and the viewer. Having already seen the film as a kaleidoscopic fantasy, its impossible – at least for me – to divorce the theatrical version from ones mind.

Sure, there are moments throughout the film that look amazing in black and white; such as large sweeping wide shots and many of the static character-driven scenes, but where the majority of the film is comprised of high-octane ferocity the lack of colour does little more than irritate, like an itch buried so deep beneath the skin that you can't scratch it. My instinct was to revert to the theatrical cut.

I can appreciate what Miller was trying to do, and his own introduction on the newly released blu-ray offers insight and understanding to his reasons. He has a clear affinity for black and white cinema, and he wanted the film to feel classic and texturally nostalgic. He has treated the new version with a lot of passion, and tweaked the shades to reflect a chrome texture... but lets be honest... a similar effect could have been achieved with a simple adjustment of the viewer's television's settings, rather than forking out MORE money for yet ANOTHER bloody release.

So now I own the black & chrome version of FURY ROAD, but I highly doubt I will watch it again. Mad Max has come too far to regress this way.   

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OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY

8/12/2016

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2016 | DIR. WILL SPECK & JOSH GORDON | REVIEW BY GLENN COCHRANE.

It’s Christmas time and that means blowing the dust off those old Christmas movies, and if you’re a stickler like me then you’ll only ever watch them in December. As we pillage and plunder the regular selection of titles, it becomes obvious that for the most part we’re left with a cache of sugary feel-good movies that concentrate on family values, good will towards others, and jolly old Saint Nick. Of course, the traditional movies are invaluable 
and it wouldn’t be Christmas without them, however the unconventional ones are few and far between. Sure, we could list off a whole bunch of alternative titles, but for every five Polar Express-like titles there’s only one Bad Santa or The Night Before.
This year’s honorary inductee is Office Christmas Party...

Click here to read full review. 
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