Camp Victory, Afghanistan, 2010. Directed by Carol Dysinger. SYNOPSIS: The true story of the American Exit Strategy in Afghanistan, compiled from 300 hours of footage shot over the course of three years. Little-known documentary director Carol Dysinger has achieved an admirable feat with her film Camp Victory, Afghanistan. Not so much the production itself but […]

Lock Up (Spanish: Cruzando el límite), 2010. Directed by Xavi Giménez. Starring Marcel Borràs, Carlos Cuevas, Adolfo Fernández and Cristina Dilla. SYNOPSIS: A troubled teen is admitted to a high-security rehabilitation centre in an attempt to curb his dangerously wayward behaviour. What a week it has been for the common folk of England. A week […]

Captain America: The First Avenger, 2011. Directed by Joe Johnston. Starring Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Stanley Tucci, Hayley Atwell, Dominic Cooper, Sebastian Stan and Toby Jones. SYNOPSIS: During World War II, Steve Rogers is turned into the heroic super-soldier Captain America. In a summer schedule which has been jam-packed full of sequels, […]

Super 8, 2011. Written and Directed by J.J. Abrams. Starring Kyle Chandler, Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Riley Griffiths, Noah Emmerich and Glynn Turman. SYNOPSIS: A group of young filmmakers witness a spectacular event that changes their lives forever. THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS… Before we started, let’s get one thing straight. There is no ‘new’ […]

Wreckage, 2010. Directed by John Mallory Asher. Starring Aaron Paul, Justin Allen, Scoot McNairy, Kelly Kruger and Mike Erwin. SYNOPSIS: A group of teenagers find themselves stranded in a scrapyard after their car breaks down, where an escaped convict begins to hunt them one by one. When I received the screener with the title emblazoned […]

Beyond the Border, 2011. Directed by Richard Holm. Starring André Sjöberg, Bjørn Sundquist and Antti Reini. SYNOPSIS: When two young Swedish soldiers abandon their checkpoint and venture into enemy territory, a rebellious Lieutenant plans an unofficial rescue operation deep behind enemy lines. World War Two remains a rich source of inspiration to be mined again […]

Rise of the Planet of the Apes, 2011. Directed by Rupert Wyatt. Starring James Franco, John Lithgow, Andy Serkis, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, Tyler Labine and Freida Pinto. SYNOPSIS: A cure for Alzheimer’s Disease is tested on a chimpanzee, who develops advanced mental abilities and leads a revolution against his human masters. Rise of the […]

The Castle, 1997. Directed by Rob Sitch. Michael Caton, Anne Tenney, Stephen Curry, Anthony Simcoe, Sophie Lee and Wayne Hope. SYNOPSIS: An eccentric family fight for their home when the government seize their property for an airport expansion. Voted Australia’s “favourite film”, The Castle is a simple, short comedy about one man’s fight to stand […]

Unstoppable, 2010. Directed by Tony Scott. Starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Ethan Suplee and Kevin Dunn. SYNOPSIS: A veteran engineer and young conductor attempt to avert a disaster by stopping an out-of-control freight train from derailing in a densely-populated area. Some directors like to hook up, again and again, with certain actors. They […]

The Two Deaths of Quincas Wateryell , 2010. Directed by Sérgio Machado. Starring Milton Gonçalves, Mariana Ximenes and Marieta Severo. SYNOPSIS: Friends of the recently deceased Quincas take his body on one final tour of his favourite spots around Bahia in Brazil. We get superhero reboots and bombastic blockbusters every summer. But is that what […]