Giles Hardie

If you’re reading this, you’re probably too old for Minions. That’s the sad reality of the spin-off from the Despicable Me franchise. The banana-loving Minions have been granted centre stage for a film – a prequel in fact – of their own, and the result is far more kids-only than either of those featuring Gru. There is always […]

In 2012 Seth MacFarlane gave us Ted, the tale of a pot smoking, foul-mouthed, womanising teddy bear still best friends (or thunderbuddies) with Johnny (Mark Wahlberg) who brought him to life with a childhood wish. It was very funny. Genuinely hysterical. In 2014 Seth MacFarlane gave us A Million Ways To Die In The West, the tale […]

So it turns out that Jurassic World, the movie, proves to be the inferior Jurassic World. Yes, the year’s biggest cinema giant is easily dwarfed – by its own spin-off game. In fact its flaws become clear when broken down to bricks. Most will be familiar with the LEGO console games that have recreated the […]

Just … wow. If you have ever wondered how Scientology gets people. This film shows you. If you have ever wondered how Scientology keeps people. This film shows you. If you have ever wondered how Scientology damages, harms, abuses and tortures people (and children)… This film shows you. Basically if you have any questions about […]

Let the film debate begin! Possible topics: When is the right time to use a star wipe? Should an ambitious stage mother let her child audition for Roman Polanski? What are the artistic merits of shooting a film in 4:3? What order do I play the Star Wars films in when I show them to […]

Entourage the movie is fun. Entourage the movie is crazy. Entourage the movie is packed full of foul-mouthed celebrity cameos. But, most of all, Entourage the movie is a bigger budgeted, longer duration, higher profile episode of Entourage the TV series. SO. Here’s the trick. If you didn’t like the series, this is not the movie for you. If you DID like the series, […]

There is no doubting the impact of the story behind Woman in Gold. At the turn of the century, Maria Altmann, a Jewish Austrian who had fled her home on the eve of World War II, pursued legal action both in Austria and in her new home the United States, seeking the return of the artwork […]

As it launches onto and off the biggest screens around the world, there are essentially three things being said about Mad Max: Fury Road: 1. It is excellent. True. Very true. So very true. 2. It is completely insane. True. Very true and very insane. So very bonkers. 3. There’s a theory doing the rounds […]

We always talk about the films that you can take your kids to and still enjoy yourself. A Royal Night Out is the film you can take your parents to and still have a whale of a time. Sarah Gadon and Bel Powley play Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, the former of whom you now know better as […]

While the ever-expanding blockbuster culture of the 21st century throws up much in the way of justification for bemoaning the doom of the small-to-medium independent film, there is at least one glorious fibre optic lining. The rapid progression of digital effects technology that has gone hand-in-cyborg-claw with these mega-movies has opened up a gateway for brilliant, […]

Why be a film critic if you don’t like films? I have been prompted this week by Avengers: Age of Ultron to pull out this, my most trusted, dusted and probably over-used soapbox and once again attempt to decipher a mystery that burns within me. Unlike the frustrated journalists of the middle of last century […]

Sometimes, simple is still the best, and Unfriended is, at least on the surface, just that: a film told in real time and entirely through the perspective of one girl’s laptop computer screen. How she perceives one night. One freaking terrifying night. The film opens as Blaire Lily takes a meander through some disturbing YouTube videos and […]

Could this be the year where the world sees ten titles claim the title of billion dollar films? With Fast & Furious 7 racing to become the fastest film ever to join the billion box office club, achieving in 17 days what the final Harry Potter film, the first Avengers film and Avatar had previously done […]

It’s almost reassuring in 2015 to still be able to walk out of a cinema and ask aloud and with feeling: How on Earth did that get made? Perhaps in 1985, The Gunman would have made sense. Or at least its existence might have. In any era the plot wouldn’t make sense to a village […]

You had one job. One. Sure, you paid four billion dollars for the Star Wars universe with an eye to making new films, sequels and spin-offs. And we were ok with that. Yes “ok”. Not insanely or blindly excited … yet. We have been burned too often for that. So when we flock to cinemas […]

Ahhh… DVD and Blu-ray special features. So good. So fascinating. So detailed. I love special features. But I never watch special features. Sure, I still get really upset if a disc – or legal download – doesn’t offer them but seriously though, going through special features is like watching the news on SBS. A lot […]

Warning: Old man reviewing young teenager film ahead. Contains John Hughes comparisons and may carry bah humbug views. Welcome to The DUFF, which is not, as might be feared, a too early biopic of Hilary Duff. Rather it is the adaptation of a successful book for young adults about a high school girl with two […]

If a film review’s purpose is to inform you whether a movie delivers on its promise, then covering Disney’s live action Cinderella remake is the simplest and happiest of tasks for a critic. Quite simply this Cinderella delivers EXACTLY what it promises. Perfectly. Beautifully. Magically. The only question you need ask is this: ‘Do I want to see a […]

Enough is enough. No more easy passes for filmmakers who succeed in finding a fascinating real life story. Well done on the research and contract signing and all that, but the thing is, we’d also like you to deliver a good film. For it would be easy to recommend Big Eyes based on its extraordinary […]

There is something wonderful about the concept of these films. For that is what The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby was conceived as – and released to festivals worldwide including Sydney and Melbourne – two separate films: Him and Her. Now we have a third: Them. The conceit was two movies, set over the same time period, each dealing with one side […]

This week Manny Lewis hits Australian cinemas, and to paraphrase a former Prime Minister, it will have as much impact as being struck by a wet lettuce leaf. It’s also just about as funny. The feature from Carl Barron, who can statistically claim to be Australia’s most popular comedian thanks to a hugely successful stand-up […]