Author Archives: david nerlich
Attack The Block
Ewokish chavs on bicycles save their corner of the world from something toothy and belligerent out of Ben10. Like many movies about wayward youth it resolves with the protagonists’ reintegration into society, but in doing so discounts any special vision
Attack The Block
Ewokish chavs on bicycles save their corner of the world from something toothy and belligerent out of Ben10. Like many movies about wayward youth it resolves with the protagonists’ reintegration into society, but in doing so discounts any special vision
Wake In Fright (1971)
A changing of the guard in Australian thespianism, featuring Jack Thompson in his first cinema role and Chips Rafferty in his last. It’s a great swan song by Rafferty, upsidedowning everything he’d done before. But Wake In Fright goes much
Wake In Fright (1971)
A changing of the guard in Australian thespianism, featuring Jack Thompson in his first cinema role and Chips Rafferty in his last. It’s a great swan song by Rafferty, upsidedowning everything he’d done before. But Wake In Fright goes much
Take Shelter
Michael Shannon’s cheer squad raises this film’s critical rating. No one seems to agree on what it’s about though. As far as I could tell whilst watching, it was a film about mental illness that demanded much patience of its
Take Shelter
Michael Shannon’s cheer squad raises this film’s critical rating. No one seems to agree on what it’s about though. As far as I could tell whilst watching, it was a film about mental illness that demanded much patience of its
Play Misty For Me (1971)
A great popcorn-munching, psycho-watching, knife-wielding suburban thriller that precedes and outclasses the bunny boiling Fatal Attraction – ’cause look, back in the day, who drove women crazier, Clint or Michael Douglas? There’s interesting debate to be had on whether it’s
Play Misty For Me (1971)
A great popcorn-munching, psycho-watching, knife-wielding suburban thriller that precedes and outclasses the bunny boiling Fatal Attraction – ’cause look, back in the day, who drove women crazier, Clint or Michael Douglas? There’s interesting debate to be had on whether it’s
Heaven’s Gate (1980)
The literally sprawling epic that made cinema history for all the wrong reasons, raping the coffers of United Artists so resoundingly it made directorial freedom look like a bad thing. Rightly pariahed for its indulgences and cavalier discipline, Heaven’s Gate
Heaven’s Gate (1980)
The literally sprawling epic that made cinema history for all the wrong reasons, raping the coffers of United Artists so resoundingly it made directorial freedom look like a bad thing. Rightly pariahed for its indulgences and cavalier discipline, Heaven’s Gate
The Avengers
The Marvel Avengers go supergroup with Joss Whedon at the mixing desk. Downey Jnr’s Iron Man dominates as Whedon gives him all the good lines. Notable for an epic fx-driven battle between the assembled Avengers and some grommet faced bad
The Avengers
The Marvel Avengers go supergroup with Joss Whedon at the mixing desk. Downey Jnr’s Iron Man dominates as Whedon gives him all the good lines. Notable for an epic fx-driven battle between the assembled Avengers and some grommet faced bad
Black Narcissus (1947)
One ought not to rebel against nature it seems, nor the nature of things. A gaggle of nuns embark on a girl’s own Heart of Darkness journey into the Himalayas but ‘something in the air’ undoes the itinerant sisters one
Black Narcissus (1947)
One ought not to rebel against nature it seems, nor the nature of things. A gaggle of nuns embark on a girl’s own Heart of Darkness journey into the Himalayas but ‘something in the air’ undoes the itinerant sisters one
Safe House
The trilogy of this, Training Day and Man on Fire (let’s overlook The Book of Eli) mounts a strong case for Denzel Washington being today’s front running hollywood BAMF and you didn’t even notice. Maybe a cage match with Vincent
Safe House
The trilogy of this, Training Day and Man on Fire (let’s overlook The Book of Eli) mounts a strong case for Denzel Washington being today’s front running hollywood BAMF and you didn’t even notice. Maybe a cage match with Vincent
Source Code
Up until it starts trying to justify it’s underlying science, Source Code looks for all the world like a classy, economical sci-fi thriller. But it’s unclear whether it’s us or the writers who never quite grasp what they’re talking about,
Source Code
Up until it starts trying to justify it’s underlying science, Source Code looks for all the world like a classy, economical sci-fi thriller. But it’s unclear whether it’s us or the writers who never quite grasp what they’re talking about,
Dark Shadows
Another inventive flourish from Depp, maybe a career-best performance from Eva Green, plus noticeably good cameo walk-ons from Pfeiffer, Bonham-Carter and Moretz all sadly fail to make this arch gothic panto add up to the sum of its parts.
Dark Shadows
Another inventive flourish from Depp, maybe a career-best performance from Eva Green, plus noticeably good cameo walk-ons from Pfeiffer, Bonham-Carter and Moretz all sadly fail to make this arch gothic panto add up to the sum of its parts.
Margin Call
Still wondering where all the money went? A lot of it was never really there. And then there weren’t enough chairs when the music stopped. It’s a story that deserves half a dozen tellings and probably the first movie I’ve
Margin Call
Still wondering where all the money went? A lot of it was never really there. And then there weren’t enough chairs when the music stopped. It’s a story that deserves half a dozen tellings and probably the first movie I’ve
The Artist
Despite Jean Dujardin being a virtuoso charmer and perfectly cast, the falling star of the silent screen he plays here is a disagreeable prima donna – ungrateful, self pitying and sinfully proud. There are inspired strokes of visual invention, but
The Artist
Despite Jean Dujardin being a virtuoso charmer and perfectly cast, the falling star of the silent screen he plays here is a disagreeable prima donna – ungrateful, self pitying and sinfully proud. There are inspired strokes of visual invention, but
Woman in the Fifth
This glacial American-in-Paris mystery noir mounts some captivating intrigues then walks away without a single payoff. What happened?
Woman in the Fifth
This glacial American-in-Paris mystery noir mounts some captivating intrigues then walks away without a single payoff. What happened?
Goon
This thing threatens so much near-greatness its not immediately clear what’s holding it back. Sean William Scott (yes, Stifler) is barely recognisable, holds the lead spot effortlessly and earns a career reboot with help from a semi stellar indiewood cast
Goon
This thing threatens so much near-greatness its not immediately clear what’s holding it back. Sean William Scott (yes, Stifler) is barely recognisable, holds the lead spot effortlessly and earns a career reboot with help from a semi stellar indiewood cast
The Raid
Somewhere in Jakarta, a bunch of rookie SWAT cops find they’ve bitten off more than they can chew in attacking an apartment block full of murderous crims. It shouldn’t have been hard to make that work, but a smart, efficient,
The Raid
Somewhere in Jakarta, a bunch of rookie SWAT cops find they’ve bitten off more than they can chew in attacking an apartment block full of murderous crims. It shouldn’t have been hard to make that work, but a smart, efficient,
The Hunger Games
This best selling US tweeny book franchise gets a lot less love than Harry Potter did. Other than the cast there’s little to distinguish it from a sci-fi channel production. Nevertheless, the Survivor/Big Brother/Battle Royale template proves an enduring recipe
The Hunger Games
This best selling US tweeny book franchise gets a lot less love than Harry Potter did. Other than the cast there’s little to distinguish it from a sci-fi channel production. Nevertheless, the Survivor/Big Brother/Battle Royale template proves an enduring recipe
This Must Be the Place
It would be nice if every movie was as different from every other movie as this one is, but in a different way. Then… wait a minute… it’s a road movie. It just took a while to get onto the
This Must Be the Place
It would be nice if every movie was as different from every other movie as this one is, but in a different way. Then… wait a minute… it’s a road movie. It just took a while to get onto the
A Dangerous Method
A fine production of a story that seems like it should have had far more to say. A great deal is touched upon but little is explored beyond Sabina Spielrein’s interest in spanking. Spielrein is Jung’s first patient and it’s
A Dangerous Method
A fine production of a story that seems like it should have had far more to say. A great deal is touched upon but little is explored beyond Sabina Spielrein’s interest in spanking. Spielrein is Jung’s first patient and it’s
The Dark Knight Rises
Don’t know what all the fuss was about, seems like pretty decent entertainment to me. That’s what I thought two hours in. But the last long hour sees the darkness groan and splinter under the weight of it’s ambitions. It
The Dark Knight Rises
Don’t know what all the fuss was about, seems like pretty decent entertainment to me. That’s what I thought two hours in. But the last long hour sees the darkness groan and splinter under the weight of it’s ambitions. It
Carnage
Middle class pretences of civility take a beating as parents debate the correct thing to do after their kids have a violent altercation. Predictably, despite all intentions to the contrary, the parents’ altercation is far more grim. Amusing, but beyond a
Carnage
Middle class pretences of civility take a beating as parents debate the correct thing to do after their kids have a violent altercation. Predictably, despite all intentions to the contrary, the parents’ altercation is far more grim. Amusing, but beyond a