2017 las vegas massacre

The first words that come to mind when describing the best Australian films of 2017 are “new talent”. Of the 10 titles ranked below – comprising, in my opinion, the year’s greatest homegrown achievements in cinema – five are from first-time feature film-makers, giving this year’s list a kick of freshness and spark. Another description could be “creepy”. This year has been widely considered a vintage year for horror films worldwide. Not wanting to feel alone, possibly in the dark with a psycho killer stomping around outside, Australian film-makers appear to have received the memo, putting forward a bunch of squeamishly effective scary movies. Eligibility for this list is mostly determined by release date according to local theatrical distribution. So, for example, Sweet Country, which premiered locally at this year’s Adelaide film festival, will appear on next year’s list as it arrives in cinemas 25 January. One title, … [Read more...] about From Mountain’s majesty to Lion’s roar: the best Australian films of 2017

Is it a crime documentary? A satire of prurient crime documentaries? A drama? A piece of avant garde theatre? Casting JonBenét is all of these, and a brilliant original in multiple dimensions. The raw material of the unsolved 1996 murder of six-year-old US child pageant beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey is twisted and turned to fit dozens of different conspiracy theories. Australian director Kitty Green repeats the trick she used in her excellent 2015 short The Face of Ukraine: Casting Oksana Baiul – holding auditions for a drama that may or may not exist. Various hopefuls try out to play JonBenét, her parents, her brother, the police chief and a sinister paedophile. Their auditions are occasionally played for laughs: we don’t know why, but one police chief wannabe explains his whipping tactics for rough sex in great detail. Those auditioning to play the brother try hitting a watermelon as hard as they can, unleashing their inner psychopaths. Mostly, the … [Read more...] about Casting JonBenét review – magnificent provocation to the very notion of truth

David Wenham’s feature-length directorial debut was conceived as a semi-improvisational experiment, shot in seven days from a script workshopped in three. The quick turnaround time undoubtedly informed the energy of the film, which ebbs and flows with the élan of its actors – particularly lead stars Emily Barclay and Benedict Samuel, who play strangers sharing a night on the town in Sydney. Was Wenham settling a late-night bet, from a mate daring him to whip up a film in a fortnight? The circumstances around Ellipsis’ cash-strapped and expeditious shoot are ultimately immaterial. Whether it took two weeks to make or three, or 20, or 50, the result is delightful: a high-spirited and humane dramedy with a sparkling joie de vivre and an infectious passion for people and their idiosyncrasies. The central relationship is sort of romantic but mostly platonic, with Viv (Barclay) making it clear to Jasper (Samuel) early in the piece that she is engaged and soon to … [Read more...] about Ellipsis review – David Wenham’s delightful debut sparkles with Sydney and joie de vivre

“I wonder how many people died in the making of that film,” quips my white-knuckled neighbour as the lights come on in the Sydney Opera House concert hall after the world premiere of Mountain, a screening accompanied by sweeping live orchestration that will tour Australia in August. I saw only one body bag flash across the screen in this masterful documentary – a cinematic and musical collaboration between the director of Sherpa, Jennifer Peedom, and Richard Tognetti’s Australian Chamber Orchestra. But from the opening shot of a spreadeagled (and, astonishingly, smiling) Alex Honnold, hundreds of metres up Mexico’s El Sendero Luminoso without a rope, the stomach rarely leaves the mouth. Where Sherpa – Peedom’s Bafta award-nominated 2015 documentary – was a critique of the Everest industry in which local guides take disproportionate risks for wealthy and thrill-seeking foreigners, Mountain is an unashamed tribute to the western adventurers … [Read more...] about Mountain review: a sublime rush of adrenaline and orchestral beauty from the director of Sherpa

SARAH Harding and Chad Johnson might not be the surprise romance of Celebrity Big Brother 2017 after all. Evicted housemates Jordan Davies and Brandi Glanville have been spotted on a romantic date night in London together and looked very cosy indeed as they canoodled in the street. Gorgeous Real Housewives MILF Brandi dressed up in leather trousers, a black top and heels for the romantic dinner date with Ex On The Beach star Jordan. They made a pretty good couple as Jordan also dressed in black - a leather jacket and jeans. They headed to Gilgamesh restaurant in Camden, London, for an intimate evening together, walking hand in hand and looking very comfortable with each other. They then chatted outside the restaurant, appearing relaxed as they both leaned against a wall, continuing the conversation from dinner.And the stars appeared to share a snog between chatting outside the restaurant - a sign they really could be pursuing a new romance. Jordan seems to lean into Brandi as they … [Read more...] about CBB’s Jordan Davies and Brandi Glanville look close as they’re seen snuggling up together on a date in London after being booted off the show