Movie talk

Alexander Nanau’s sprawling investigative journalism exposé, Collective follows a team of reporters as they unearth a Romanian healthcare cover-up, sparking a national revolt for government accountability. Over two hours in length, Collective zig-zags through convoluted webs of fraudulent hospital tactics, gag orders, whistleblowers, and evasive corrupt officials — ultimately unearthing corruption rotting at Romania’s core.  Known among arthouse…

For Nyoka Hrabinsky, growing up in Queensland, Australia, “bush tucker” was a delicious part of everyday life. Of the native foods that have sustained Aboriginal communities for millennia, “wallaby was my favorite. Swamp turtle was my other favorite,” she says. A member of the Yidindji people, Hrabinsky grew up “on country”—in her community’s traditional land—watching…

In the corner of her house museum in Gori, Georgia, 77-year-old Nazi Stepanishvili sits at a meeting point of the religious and the revolutionary. To her right are images of the Georgian saints, crowned with golden haloes. To her left are portraits of Joseph Stalin, the Georgian-born autocrat who presided over the Soviet Union from…

The Pavillion Le Corbusier owes its existence to one pioneering woman, Heidi Weber. An interior designer, gallery owner, and patron of the arts, Weber commissioned Le Corbusier to create the perfect exhibition venue for her collection of Le Corbusier’s paintings, drawings, tapestries, sculptures, lithographs, and furniture. Le Corbusier designed the building as an architectural legacy…

To enjoy Smuggling Hendrix, a film that’s deeply rooted in the political tensions in Nicosia – the capital city of Cyprus – one doesn’t necessarily need to be abreast of the geopolitical conflicts surrounding the nation. The film’s smart writing by Marios Piperides, who directed his script, seamlessly feeds information to the viewer throughout the…

This car park is situated under the main campus of the University of Melbourne. Proposed in 1970 and constructed in 1971, the car park was created to cope with an increasing demand for parking by students and teachers.  Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThe design of the car park is vastly different…

Late night TV is no laughing matter these days. The standard Colbert/Kimmel/Fallon monologue overflows with partisanship, for starters. It’s hard to be hilarious when you’re stalking one side of the aisle. The laugh lines often come a distant second to the propaganda. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho Marathon Sometimes the hosts aren’t…

Located in the Chihuahuan Desert, the Gila National Forest is home to incredible views of the arid wilderness, desert wildlife, and a unique opportunity to see ancient rock art. The Dragonfly Trail, which is also located in the forest, is also renowned for its breathtaking scenery. However, the area is perhaps most known for the…

In the 1760s, as the Industrial Revolution began to spread throughout Great Britain, there became a greater need for the development of inland transport and trade routes. The United Kingdom became the first country to develop a nationwide canal network, which provided vital connections between cities. The development of the canals and running of the…

Even in a year when it seems like we’ve lost celebrities like never before, the passing of Sean Connery feels like a different matter altogether. He was one of those towering figures that felt indestructible, and he was a constant presence for decades. Had he never played the role of James Bond, Connery may or…

“With her power there’s no telling what he can do.” Lionsgate has finally launched the first full trailer for Chaos Walking, the long-delayed, epic new sci-fi action movie from Doug Liman, that has also undergone reshoots after originally being set to open in 2019. Based on a book, the sci-fi film is set in a…

Tucked away among the dusty rafters beneath the castle spire is a wooden doll that has a hold on Egeskov Castle and its occupants. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonNo one knows to whom the doll belonged, or how it came to be left in the dark attic of the imposing 16th-century…

A family struggles to make it in America in Minari, the latest from writer/director Lee Isaac Chung. You’ve probably been hearing about this one for a while. The drama about a Korean family moving to Arkansas to start a farm was the big hit out of Sundance, taking both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury…

★★★ Directed by #DanFriedkin Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonWritten by #JohnOrloff #MarkFergus #HawkOstby Starring #GuyPearce #ClaesBang #VickyKrieps Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’,,Film Review by ,,Hope Madden Who doesn’t like a story about swindling Nazis? There’s something festive in that notion, and Dan Friedkin’s…

Tony Glover, in the estimation of at least one esteemed critic, was one of the best harmonica players in all Minneapolis, where an impressive folk music scene had emerged by the 1960s. “I couldn’t play like Glover or anything and I didn’t try to. I played mostly like Woody Guthrie and that was about it,”…

Carga, a Spanish thriller set in Iraq, follows couple Marta and Juan (Tania Watson and Agustín Mateo) to an abandoned cigarette factory to uncover its secrets. It’s a simple yet ominous setup, and setting. With the couple venturing into the great unknown, director and co-writer, Yad Deen, does a marvellous job of building tension in…

Welcome to Commentary Commentary, where we sit and listen to filmmakers talk about their work, then share the most interesting parts. In this edition, Rob Hunter listens to Paul Schrader discuss his directorial debut, Blue Collar. Paul Schrader‘s been a part of the American movie scene since writing 1974’s The Yakuza, and he’s remained a compelling…

“Tell me where your grandmother came from and I can tell you how many kinds of pie you serve for Thanksgiving,” the food writer Clementine Paddleford surmised in her 1960 book, How America Eats. Around Boston, she wrote, “four kinds of pie were traditional for this feast occasion—mince, cranberry, pumpkin, and a kind called Marlborough,…

Jackie Chan and Liam Neeson have something in common. Both stars vowed to give up the action heroics as they entered their 60s. Neither one has stuck to the plan. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonChan’s latest, “Vanguard,” finds the action superstar taking baby steps toward his promise. He’s surrounded himself with…

The Lemp family is probably one of the most prestigious American families you’ve never heard of. The hard-working German immigrants made their fortune as beer brewers in 19th-century St. Louis alongside, and in competition with, the Anheuser-Busch family of Budweiser fame. However, despite their success, the Lemp family could not escape tragedy, as many died by…

Exile, filmmaker Visar Morina‘s sophomore effort, is what I’d call a truly deceiving film. Bear in mind that there aren’t mind-boggling twists here. For that matter, considering the minuscule drama or action in it, I wonder what the script of the film might have looked like. There were multiple instances when I felt chopping off…