Where the Crawdads Sing: a movie review by Alex First
July 22, 2022 by Alex First
A young woman whose life has been a series of letdowns faces the possibility of the death penalty after being charged with the first-degree murder of her former lover. Read more
Compartment No 6: a movie review by Alex First
July 11, 2022 by Alex First
We’re in Moscow in 1996. Read more
Sundown: a movie review by Alex First
July 8, 2022 by Alex First
An intelligent, slow-burn movie in which little appears to happen for a long time and much remains unsaid, thereafter the shocks come. Read more
Minions: The Rise of Gru – a movie review by Alex First
June 26, 2022 by Alex First
Minions: The Rise of Gru is an origin story and an ode to the music of the ‘70s. Read more
Elvis: a movie review by Alex First
June 22, 2022 by Alex First
Elvis lives. Well, not quite. But Baz Luhrmann has breathed new life into the legend and aura surrounding the consummate performer, the best-selling solo recording artist of all time. Read more
Top Gun: Maverick – a movie review by Alex First
May 22, 2022 by Alex First
Top Gun: Maverick is everything I wanted and more from a sequel 36 years on. Read more
The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson – a movie review by Alex First
May 4, 2022 by Alex First
Magnificently shot, The Drover’s Wife is a story of hardship concerning a woman living in the Australian bush trying her best to raise four young children. Read more
Downton Abbey: A New Era – a movie review by Alex First
April 28, 2022 by Alex First
Set in 1928, the matriarch of the Crawley family – The Dowager, Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith) – may be in failing health, but she has lost none of her bite. Read more
The Northman: a movie review by Alex First
April 20, 2022 by Alex First
Viking mythology gets a workout in Robert Eggers’ The Northman. Eggers is co-writer with Sjon (Lamb) and directs the bloodthirsty piece. Read more
Happening: a movie review by Alex First
April 13, 2022 by Alex First
Happening 90 mins: France in 1963 was a place where abortion was a dirty word. In short, it was illegal. Read more
Ambulance: a movie review by Alex First
April 6, 2022 by Alex First
Just a fairly typical day in the life of a paramedic. Hardly! Read more
Apr-28 8:30pm SBS-World Movies: Where Hands Touch
April 6, 2022 by J-Wire
Germany 1944. 15-year-old Leyna (Amandla Stenberg), daughter of a white German mother and a black father, lives in fear due to the colour of her skin. Read more
Six Minutes to Midnight – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz
April 7, 2021 by Roz Tarszisz
I often wonder if a story is old fashioned merely because it is set in the past. British film and television consistently produce fine dramas set in bygone eras and this one is no different.
Behind the South African Festival
May 10, 2020 by Henry Benjamin
Claire Jankelson and Di Singer are the directors of the South African Film Festival. Claire answers questions for J-Wire. Read more
Just Mercy: a movie review by James Bernardinelli
January 23, 2020 by James Berardinelli - Reelviews
Just Mercy is the kind of high-minded tale about social injustice that often opens around this time of the year. Read more
Bombshells: a movie review by James Bernardinelli
January 19, 2020 by James Berardinelli - Reelviews
As a dramatic re-creation of the events leading up to the July 2016 ouster of Fox News honcho Roger Ailes, Bombshell is effective cinema. Read more
1917: a movie review by James Bernardinelli
January 10, 2020 by James Berardinelli - Reelviews
When it comes to 20th-century wars, World War I, the so-called “Great War” or “War to End All Wars,” is poorly represented in motion pictures. Read more
Jojo Rabbit: a film review by James Berardinelli
December 25, 2019 by James Berardinelli - Reelviews
It’s not hard to understand how something like Jojo Rabbit might divide audiences. Comedies about Hitler, the Holocaust, and the Third Reich can be difficult to sell, even if there’s an underlying seriousness to the subject matter. Read more
The Other Story: screening at the Jewish International Film Festival
October 30, 2019 by Toni Susskind
The Other Story is an Israeli movie from director and co-writer Avi Nesher. It is a fascinating movie that juxtaposes relationships in the religious orthodox community, against secular relationships in modern-day Israel. Read more
Working Woman: a movie review by Toni Susskind
September 25, 2019 by Toni Susskind
Written by Michal Aviad, Working Women is a powerful movie that highlights gender exploitation, by turning the spotlight on sexual harassment in the office. Read more
An Unexpected Love – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz
July 2, 2019 by Roz Tarszisz
It seems that folks in Argentina have a fairly relaxed outlook on life. It certainly appears so in this charming romantic comedy from director/writer Juan Vera.
Tolkien – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz
June 13, 2019 by Roz Tarszisz
It is not necessary to have read The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien to view this offering from director Dome Karukoski (Tom of Finland). However, for aficionados of the books or movies, clues to the author’s ideas are strewn throughout the production and it is fun to take note of them.
Red Joan – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz
May 28, 2019 by Roz Tarszisz
Even though she has played everything from a spymaster to a queen, it’s hard to believe that Judi Dench can so expertly portray an ordinary elderly woman. But her character proves to be far more complex than she at first appears.
Pokemon Detective Pikachu – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz
May 9, 2019 by Roz Tarszisz
I quite like a fantasy adventure and know little about the craze for Pokemon that engulfed the world a few years back. It is a plus because I came to it with fresh eyes. It’s a minus because I didn’t like this offering very much.
Poms – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz
May 9, 2019 by Roz Tarszisz
Poms is in the tradition of The Fully Monty whereby a disparate bunch of people come together to reach a specific goal. The ladies here, and they are for the most part ladies, do keep their gear on but get to shake their tushies and strut their stuff, eventually.
Long Shot – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz
April 30, 2019 by Roz Tarszisz
“Unlikely but not impossible” states the poster advertising the unlikely pairing of Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen. That’s the point of course, but this is billed as a romantic comedy and it does deliver on both counts.
Gloria Bell – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz
April 25, 2019 by Roz Tarszisz
Having reviewed the original version of this film, Gloria, over five years ago, I wondered why director Sebastian Lelio shot it again. He says because Julianne Moore wanted to do it and that for him, it is a film about feelings – Gloria’s and our own.
Five Feet Apart – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz
March 21, 2019 by Roz Tarszisz
It’s hard being a teenager and even more so for one has a serious illness. There have been a few American films in recent years on this theme – Me and Earl and The Dying Girl, which was sweet and funny and The Fault in Our Stars, also charming and both just a little schmaltzy.
Sometimes Always Never – a film review by Roz Tarszisz
March 6, 2019 by Roz Tarszisz
It’s always good to learn something new, however obscure, and it’s not giving anything away to say that the film’s title refers to which buttons a man should do up on a three-piece suit – starting from the top.
On the Basis of Sex – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz
February 5, 2019 by Roz Tarszisz
One could be forgiven for thinking that the use of sex in a title meant a movie was about sex.
