The Boy and the Heron is written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. At the beginning of the film, Mahito loses his Mum in a drastic fire. A year after this, he and his father move from Tokyo to the countryside to live with his new stepmother, Natsuko, who is pregnant. Mahito isn’t…
Raging Grace tells the story of Joy (Maxene Eigenmann), an undocumented Filipina woman who takes a job working for Katherine (Leanne Best), a woman of extreme wealth. Katherine asks Joy to care for her terminally-ill, elderly uncle who remains in bed locked into a terrible coma. To Joy, this position seems like a dream come true….
My Animal tells the story of Heather (Bobbi Salvor Menuez), a teenage girl who yearns to play for her local hockey team. However, in this male-dominated town, she is kept at bay simply because she ‘isn’t a boy’. Things begin to change for Heather though when she meets Jonny (Amandla Stenberg), an attractive figure skater who…
Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, Monster begins with the story of Minato (Soya Kurokawa), a young man who lives with his mother. Having lost his father as a young child, Minato begins behaving oddly, claiming that his brain has been switched with a pig. Confused and frightened for her son, Minato’s mother assumes that this is caused by…
An Iranian woman and her daughter hope for a new life while in an Australian women’s shelter. Noora Niasari’s Shayda is a story about escaping fear and finding new beginnings. It is also a story about finding strength and confidence to buld that new life. Shayda is Australia’s submission for Best Foreign Feature consideration. Shayda…
Directed by Todd Haynes, May December tells the story of Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman), an actress tasked with researching the subject of her next film. For her latest role, Elizabeth has been tasked with bringing Gracie Atherton (Julianne Moore) to life onscreen, a woman who notoriously romanced Joe, a young Jr. High boy while she was an…
It’s been a long time since we’ve unleashed Woo with the box office. For many years, John Woo was action’s greatest hero. Known for his penchant for bullets, blood (and doves), the director has a certain sense of pageantry about his films that have always made him unique and adored. In fact, titles such as The…
In some ways, it’s hard to believe that Eddie Murphy has never made a holiday film. One of comedy’s greatest icons, one would expect that some form of holiday hijinx would exist in his repertoire. (Even Arnold Schwarzenegger has Jingle All the Way on his IMDb page.) Nevertheless, Candy Cane Lane marks Murphy’s first foray into Christmas cheer as…
“Next time is next time. Now is now.” Those who have read many of my reviews will know that I have a special affinity for Ecclesiastes, a wisdom book in the Hebrew Scriptures. That book tells of the Teacher’s (aka Qoheleth) search for meaning in life. Films are never “about” Ecclesiastes, but several manage to…
Written and directed by Liz Whitmere, Cold is a powerful film that uses frigid temperatures to speak into the loneliest aspects of mental health. Although the concept seems almost otherworldly, Whitmere keeps the film grounded. Backed by powerful performances by Scrofano and Baek, Cold simply feels honest. And that’s what makes it most chilling. Cold tells the story of Jane (Melanie…
