Film diary, with ratings and reviews
I write the occasional short film review to go with the book reviews, but mostly I just give "star" ratings.
- The Social Network
- w/ Camilla, Kristina, Madeleine @Odeon St Giles (Thursday 28 October 2010)
- Elegy
- w/ Camilla, Selma, Leon @Paddington Verona (Tuesday 24 March 2009)
- Easy Virtue
- w/ Camilla, Selma, Leon @Dendy Quays (Tuesday 24 February 2009)
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- w/ Camilla, Richard, Franc, Peter+Claire, Vera, Daphne @Newtown Dendy (Monday 19 January 2009)
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
- w/ Camilla, Amy, Alex, Lilian, Martin @Broadway (Saturday 24 May 2008)Surprisingly watchable, given that there's no plot, just a framework of cliches to hang action scenes and special effects on. I enjoyed the recreation of the 1950s United States more than the jungle/"archaeology" scenes, and as usual the fight scenes bored me.
- Mongol
- w/ Camilla @Cremorne Orpheum (Monday 19 May 2008)A retelling of the stories from the youth of Temujin (Genghis Khan). Not much plot, but the setting was nicely depicted - great landscapes! - and the fight and battle scenes weren't completely ritualised. Amazon
- White Planet
- w/ Camilla @Bondi Junction (Wednesday 29 August 2007)Great cinematography, but the narration left a lot to be desired. Amazon
- Lucky Miles
- w/ Richard,Sam,Adrienne @Newtown Dendy (Monday 20 August 2007)The Australian landscape is the main protagonist, in which a lost trio (Cambodian, Iraqi and Indonesian) generate some light-hearted comedy.
- The Curse of the Yellow Flower
- w/ Richard,Frank,Camilla @Broadway Hoyts (Friday 4 May 2007)
- The Lives of Others
- w/ Richard,Kristina+friend,Franc,DavidW @Academy Twin (Tuesday 17 April 2007)
- Pan's Labyrinth
- w/ Richard,Kristina @Academy Twin (Tuesday 6 February 2007)
- V for Vendetta
- w/ Camilla @tv (Monday 25 December 2006)
- Borat
- w/ Camilla @Westfield Chatswood (Saturday 16 December 2006)
- An Inconvenient Truth
- w/ Camilla,Richard,Franc,Jo+friend @Newtown Dendy (Friday 8 September 2006)
- Tristram Shandy
- w/ Camilla,Richard @Newtown Dendy (Monday 31 July 2006)
- Water
- w/ Kristina,Sam,Jo+Veronique @Netown Dendy (Wednesday 12 April 2006)Not as good as Earth, but still evocative and powerful. Amazon
- March of the Penguins
- w/ Camila @Mandarin Hoyts (Saturday 1 April 2006)Some great cinematography, but ruined by terrible narration with unnecessary anthropomorphisation. Amazon
- Proof
- w/ Kristina @Dendy Quay (Tuesday 28 March 2006)
- Syriana
- w/ Camilla, Amy, Dana @Westfield Chatswood (Saturday 11 March 2006)
- Good Night, and Good Luck
- w/ Camilla,Kristina,Matthew+Colene,Fred+Diane,Jo,Bruce,Sam @Dendy Newtown (Friday 13 January 2006)
- 2046
- w/ Camilla @Verona (Saturday 21 May 2005)
- House of Flying Daggers
- w/ Camilla, Franc, Sam @Broadway (Tuesday 1 March 2005)
- Hero
- w/ Camilla, Franc, Amy, Lilian+Francisco,Percy+Danuta @Chatswood (Sunday 14 November 2004)
- The Corporation
- w/ Camilla, Franc @Roseville (Friday 3 September 2004)A documentary history of the corporation and its role in society: nothing really new to me, but great footage. The focus drifted just a little after the intitial "analysis", but it was otherwise nicely packaged. Amazon
- Princess Mononoke
- w/ Camilla @Valhalla (Monday 23 August 2004)
- My Neighbor Totoro
- w/ Camilla @Valhalla (Wednesday 14 July 2004)
- Control Room
- w/ Camilla,Percy,Franc,Kristina+Dom,Sam @Valhalla (Tuesday 13 July 2004)A bit rough, and it jumped around too much, but it offered a novel view on an important topic (Al-Jazeera and the nature of media bias). Amazon
- Osama
- w/ Camilla @Cremorne (Saturday 22 May 2004)
- Love Actually
- w/ Camilla @Chatswood (Saturday 28 February 2004)
- Goodbye Lenin
- w/ Camilla @Roseville (Saturday 17 January 2004)
- Return of the King
- w/ Camilla, Ann @Chatswood Westfield (Tuesday 30 December 2003)Gandalf beats up Denethor, who is a drooling imbecile, but doesn't get to confront the Witch-King of Angmar at the gate of Minas Tirith. WTF!? There are too many patchy little battle scenes -- I'd have liked a longer, more coherent Battle of the Pelenor Fields, without the addition of stuff not in the book (everything to do with Osgiliath could have been omitted).
- Ararat
- w/ Camilla @Valhalla (Saturday 20 December 2003)
- Whale Rider
- w/ Camilla @Collaroy (Sunday 10 August 2003)
- Mr and Mrs Iyer
- w/ Camilla @Dendy Martin Place (Tuesday 5 August 2003)Some minor plot contrivances, but the central characters and their relationship are totally convincing. Amazon
- Bugs in 3D
- w/ Camilla @Darling Harbour IMAX (Sunday 3 August 2003)My first 3D film, and quite impressive visually! Not as good as Microcosmos, though.
- Travelling Birds (Winged Migration)
- w/ Camilla,Percy,Dana @Cremorne (Sunday 29 June 2003)Superb footage, but the commentary is weak.
- The Matrix Reloaded
- w/ Camilla @Chatswood (Saturday 14 June 2003)
- Alexandra's Project
- w/ Camilla @Dendy Martin Place (Friday 9 May 2003)
- Nowhere in Africa
- w/ Camilla @Dendy Newtown (Wednesday 9 April 2003)
- The Pianist
- w/ Camilla @Verona Paddington (Tuesday 11 March 2003)
- Talk to Her
- w/ Camilla @Verona Paddington (Saturday 1 March 2003)
- Satin Rouge
- w/ Camilla,Kristina @Valhalla (Tuesday 28 January 2003)
- Bowling For Columbine
- w/ Camilla @George St (Saturday 25 January 2003)
- The Two Towers
- w/ Camilla @Macquarie Centre (Saturday 11 January 2003)
- 11'09"01 September 11
- w/ Kristina,Anna+David,Kevin,Amelia+Greg @Dendy Quay (Wednesday 27 November 2002)Eleven eleven-minute films about September 11, by directors from different countries - a rather mixed bag. Review
- Kissing Jessica Stein
- w/ Amanda @Norton St (Monday 18 November 2002)
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding
- w/ Camilla @Westfield Chatswood (Saturday 9 November 2002)A romance that is mostly about the woman's family, a huge sprawling Greek family invested with all the ethnic stereotypes for comic effect. But it is funny, and surprisingly sympathetic, especially with the contrast of the man's "dry as toast" WASP parents.
- My Mother India
- w/ Camilla,Ben @Valhalla (Tuesday 5 November 2002)A powerful story of personal and group identity, narrated by a woman whose Australian mother married a Sikh and moved to India. Review
- Taking Sides
- w/ Camilla @Roseville (Sunday 27 October 2002)Conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler never joined the party, but he performed throughout the war. Was he complicit in Nazi crimes? Intellectually Taking Sides offers little original on the relationship between art and politics - and is in places overacted - but it's an entertaining and sometimes provoking film.
(My grandfather was involved with the de-Nazification after the war, and we have transcripts of him interrogating Furtwangler.)
- The Gleaners and I
- w/ Justine,Ben,Mileta,Mandy @Valhalla (Wednesday 18 September 2002)
- About a Boy
- w/ Richard,Mandy,Justine @Norton St (Saturday 31 August 2002)No real content, but funny and well-paced: as Justine put it, the kind of film one really enjoys but is slightly ashamed to have done so afterwards.
- Last Orders
- w/ Emma+Brendan,Bettina,Colin+Maree @Dendy Quay (Saturday 10 August 2002)
- The Piano Teacher
- w/ Mandy+Michael @Cremorne Orpheum (Sunday 28 July 2002)
- Bend it Like Beckham
- w/ Justine+Ben @Dendy Quay (Friday 19 July 2002)
- Italian for Beginners
- w/ Paddles,Sam+Jon,JoChee+friend @Norton St (Friday 28 June 2002)
- Beneath Clouds
- w/ Matthew @Newtown Dendy (Wednesday 19 June 2002)
- Sidewalks of New York
- w/ Natalie @Norton St (Tuesday 28 May 2002)
- Baise-Moi
- w/ Richard @Chauvel (Sunday 12 May 2002)Baise-Moi had just been banned when I went to see it - the police stopped screenings a session later - but it was much better than I expected. Not a great film, by any means, but it kept me watching and gave me some things to think about.
- The Last Kiss
- w/ Natalie @Dendy Quay (Friday 26 April 2002)
- Gosford Park
- w/ Jane+Jimbob,Mark+Marion @Cremorne Orpheum (Friday 5 April 2002)
- Kandahar
- w/ Richard, Fred+Diane @Valhalla (Saturday 30 March 2002)A film about Afghanistan, but most of the characters are Westerners (or Westernised Afghans)...
- The Circle
- w/ Carole @Dendy Quay (Monday 25 March 2002)A cycliclly linked series of stories of women in Tehran, on the edge of the law.
- Mulholland Drive
- w/ Emma, Graham @Dendy Quay (Saturday 16 March 2002)
- Rabbit Proof Fence
- w/ Mandy,Mark,Marion @Newtown Dendy (Monday 4 March 2002)We never get very close to the characters and this is really more a documentary than a movie - and with some of the overdramatisation that documentaries are so prone to. A memorable film nonetheless, and there's some amazing scenery.
- In the Bedroom
- w/ Emma+Brendan,Bettina,Graham @Academy Twin (Saturday 26 January 2002)This one didn't really know what it was - a slow study of a couple's grief at the death of their son and its effects on their relationship, or (for the last third or so) a suspense thriller. Some great acting, though.
- Divided We Fall
- w/ Jocelyn @Valhalla (Wednesday 23 January 2002)
- Long Night's Journey Into Day
- w/ Ronni @Valhalla (Saturday 19 January 2002)
- The Closet
- w/ Janine @Dendy Quay (Sunday 30 December 2001)
- Amelie
- w/ Richard @Dendy Quay (Thursday 27 December 2001)
- Lord of the Rings
- w/ Emma+Brendan @Macquarie Centre (Wednesday 26 December 2001)Not a bad adaptation at all - the big changes were mostly sensible, the casting and characterisation were pretty good, and the visuals really impressed. There was, however, some totally unnecessary Hollywood nonsense: the battle scenes were overdone (especially the martial arts between Gandalf and Saruman and the CGI orcs in Moria), the underwater sequence near the end was pointless, and so forth.
- Vengo
- w/ Jocelyn @Valhalla (Friday 21 December 2001)A flamenco musical without much of a plot - a few episodes in a family feud that would only get a couple of pages in one of the Icelandic sagas.
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
- w/ Mandy @Hoyts Broadway (Saturday 15 December 2001)A faithful adaptation of the book - and, like that, good fun but nothing to get excited over.
- Monsoon Wedding
- w/ Mandy @Dendy Opera Quays (Friday 14 December 2001)A wedding in New Delhi - not that much happens, but the people and the little things hold us spellbound.
- The Man Who Sued God
- w/ Alison @Hoyts Westfield Chatswood (Wednesday 7 November 2001)
- Lantana
- w/ Emma @Hoyts Westfield Chatswood (Saturday 27 October 2001)
- La Ville Est Tranquille
- w/ Richard @Valhalla (Tuesday 23 October 2001)A dark set of Marseille stories that touch in unexpected ways, La Ville Est Tranquille maintains a surprisingly compelling cheerfullness.
- Atlantis
- w/ Anna+David,Mel,Alison,et al. @George St (Friday 19 October 2001)
- Blackboards
- w/ Marion @Dendy Martin Place (Wednesday 26 September 2001)Two teachers are wandering the Kurdistan mountains, looking for pupils...
- Bridget Jones's Diary
- w/ Janine @Broadway Hoyts (Tuesday 4 September 2001)
- The Pledge
- w/ Emma+Brendan @Cremorne Orpheum (Friday 31 August 2001)
- The Land of the Wandering Spirits
- w/ Richard+Alisen @Reading Market City (Saturday 11 August 2001)
- One Hundred Steps
- w/ Matthew @Verona (Sunday 29 July 2001)
- When Brendan Met Trudy
- w/ Mandy, Richard @Dendy Martin Place (Wednesday 18 July 2001)
- Facing the Music
- w/ Richard, Pat @Valhalla (Tuesday 10 July 2001)
- State and Main
- w/ Mandy, Mark @Dendy Opera Quays (Sunday 1 July 2001)
- Moulin Rouge
- w/ Emma, Bettina @Hoyts Westfield Chatswood (Friday 1 June 2001)
- Quills
- w/ Jocelyn @Reading Market City (Monday 21 May 2001)
- Croupier
- w/ Mandy @Dendy Opera Quays (Friday 4 May 2001)
- In the Mood for Love
- w/ Sam @Dendy Opera Quays (Friday 13 April 2001)
- The Taste of Others
- w/ Sam @Norton St (Sunday 1 April 2001)
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- w/ Sam @Roxy Paramatta (Wednesday 28 March 2001)
- 2001 A Space Odyssey
- w/ Colin, Maree @Verona (Tuesday 20 March 2001)
- Bread and Tulips
- w/ Sam @Dendy Martin Place (Wednesday 7 March 2001)
- Chocolat
- w/ Sam @Norton St (Thursday 1 February 2001)
- Princess Mononoke
- w/ Anna, David, et al. @Cremorne Orpheum (Tuesday 13 February 2001)
- Harry He is Here to Help
- w/ Mandy, Michael, Anna, David @Dendy Opera Quays (Tuesday 6 February 2001)
- Cast Away
- w/ Sam @Village Paramatta (Tuesday 23 January 2001)A extraordinary performance by Tom Hanks. My only minor grip is the last bit should have been cut (or left out).
- Cunamulla
- w/ Sam @Valhalla (Tuesday 16 January 2001)
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- w/ Anna, David, et al. (Tuesday 9 January 2001)
- Himalaya
- w/ Sam (Wednesday 27 December 2000)
- Unbreakable
- w/ Sam (Tuesday 5 December 2000)
- The Emperor and the Assassin
- w/ Sam (Saturday 28 October 2000)
- Titus
- w/ Sam (Monday 25 September 2000)
- High Fidelity
- w/ Sam (Saturday 9 September 2000)
- A Pornographic Affair
- w/ Sam (Friday 4 August 2000)
- Emporte Moi
- w/ Mandy, Tasha (Saturday 29 July 2000)
- Buena Vista Social Club
- w/ Sam (Saturday 22 July 2000)
- The Filth and the Fury
- w/ Sam @Dendy Newtown (Sunday 2 July 2000)
- Keeping the Faith
- w/ Sam (Sunday 18 June 2000)
- Erin Brockovich
- w/ Sam (Saturday 27 May 2000)
- Mansfield Park
- w/ Sam et al. (Saturday 29 April 2000)
- Topsy Turvy
- w/ Sam @Paddington (Saturday 22 April 2000)
- All About My Mother
- w/ Mandy, Sam, Guy, Adam @Dendy Opera Quays (Tuesday 28 March 2000)
- Being John Malkovich
- w/ Richard, Jaye, Sam @Dendy Opera Quays (Tuesday 7 March 2000)
- Earth
- w/ Cassy (Saturday 20 November 1999)
- Election
- w/ ? (Tuesday 19 October 1999)
- McLibel
- w/ Kristina @Chauvel (Tuesday 28 September 1999)
- Southpark
- w/ Anna, David, et al. (Tuesday 20 July 1999)
- Passion
- w/ Jenny, Richard, Robyn, Matthew (Friday 9 July 1999)A fascinating if limited study of the life of composer Percy Grainger. Minor and very "arty" S&M scenes resulted in Passion being given a R-rating.
- The Phantom Menace
- w/ Anna, et al. (Tuesday 22 June 1999)
- The Matrix
- w/ Anna, et al. (Friday 16 April 1999)
- Shakespeare in Love
- w/ (Tuesday 9 March 1999)
- Enemy of the State
- w/ (Tuesday 2 February 1999)
- Artemisia
- w/ Kristina (Saturday 8 August 1998)
- Sweet Hereafter
- w/ Anna+David (Monday 27 July 1998)
- The Thief
- w/ Cathy (Tuesday 16 June 1998)
- Object of my Affection
- w/ Emma, et al. (Tuesday 19 May 1998)
- Wilde
- w/ Kristina, Lena, Carole+Michael (Tuesday 20 January 1998)
- Topless Women Talk About Their Lives
- w/ Emma, AnneP (Thursday 1 January 1998)
- From Hell to Hell
- w/ Kristina+parents (Saturday 15 November 1997)
- Doing Time for Patsy Kline
- w/ Emma (Friday 7 November 1997)
- Kiss or Kill
- w/ Cathy et al. (Tuesday 21 October 1997)
- Smilla's Feeling for Snow
- w/ (Tuesday 16 September 1997)
- Chasing Amy
- w/ Carole (Tuesday 9 September 1997)
- Brassed Off
- w/ Carole, Guy (Thursday 21 August 1997)
- The Well
- w/ Kristina, Cathy, et al. (Wednesday 13 August 1997)
- Prisoners of the Mountains
- w/ Rita @Dendy Martin Place (Sunday 20 July 1997)
- Larry Flynt
- w/ Kristina @Verona (Monday 24 February 1997)
- The Crucible
- w/ Carole+Michael (Tuesday 18 February 1997)
- Twelfth Night
- w/ Carole+Michael, Dhog, Fred (Tuesday 4 February 1997)
- Emma
- w/ Carole+Michael @Roseville (Friday 31 January 1997)
- Ridicule
- w/ Cathy, Juliet (Tuesday 28 January 1997)
- Romeo and Juliet
- w/ Kristina, Cathy (Wednesday 1 January 1997)
- The Pillow Book
- w/ Carole+Michael, Dhog (Monday 16 December 1996)
- Jude
- w/ Kristina (Monday 2 December 1996)
- Cold Comfort Farm
- w/ Dhog, Michael+Carole (Tuesday 6 August 1996)
- What I Have Written
- w/ Kristina (Friday 2 August 1996)
- Fargo
- w/ Dhog, Miku, Carole (Friday 19 July 1996)
- Richard III
- w/ Pat, Dhog, Kristina @Paddington (Friday 12 July 1996)
- Flirting With Disaster
- w/ Cathy, Kristina @Academy Twin (Monday 24 June 1996)
- Othello
- w/ Cathy (Thursday 30 May 1996)
- Shanghai Triad
- w/ Dhog, JenJen, Giles, Richard (Tuesday 7 May 1996)
- Cosi
- w/ Dhog, Carole+Michael, Avril, Helen @Stanmore (Wednesday 24 April 1996)
- Mighty Aphrodite
- w/ Dhog, Michael, Bernard (Monday 15 April 1996)
- Vanya on 42nd St; The Usual Suspects
- w/ Cathy (Sunday 7 April 1996)
- Antonia's Line
- w/ Carole+Michael, Dhog, Pat (Monday 1 April 1996)
- Twleve Monkeys
- w/ Fred (Tuesday 19 March 1996)
- Persuasion
- w/ Cathy @Verona (Sunday 17 March 1996)
- Sense and Sensibility
- w/ Carole+Michael @Stanmore (Sunday 25 February 1996)
- Land and Freedom
- w/ Cathy (Tuesday 19 December 1995)
- Carrington
- w/ Ruth (Saturday 9 December 1995)
- The Madness of King George
- w/ Carole+Michael (Tuesday 28 November 1995)
- Amateur
- w/ (Tuesday 12 September 1995)
- Cronos
- w/ Dhog, Geoff, Juz, Carole+Michael @Valhalla (Thursday 7 September 1995)
- The Conformist
- w/ Carole (Tuesday 29 August 1995)
- Burnt by the Sun
- w/ Cathy (Tuesday 22 August 1995)
- Dr Strangeglove
- w/ Dhog, John @Valhalla (Monday 14 August 1995)
- Death and the Maiden
- w/ Carole (Tuesday 1 August 1995)
- Heavenly Creatures
- w/ Dhog, Neil, Tim, DM (Tuesday 21 February 1995)
- Shallow Grave
- w/ Juz, Dhog, Megan (Tuesday 7 February 1995)
- Pulp Fiction
- w/ Carole+Michael+John (Monday 19 December 1994)
- Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
- w/ Ruth, Julia (Tuesday 6 December 1994)
- Four Weddings and a Funeral
- w/ (Sunday 24 July 1994)
- Raining Stones
- w/ Carole et al. (Wednesday 6 April 1994)
- Schindler's List
- w/ (Tuesday 29 March 1994)
- Farewell My Concubine
- w/ (Tuesday 15 February 1994)
- Like Water for Chocolate
- w/ Cathy (Sunday 23 January 1994)