Author Archives: Mark Lavercombe

Animal Kingdom

Michod’s film is also very carefully and deliberately constructed and filmed. His direction is measured, and he seems content for a quiet menace to develop that means his audience experiences the bleakness and negativity of his creation. No artifice or flashy ‘look-at-me’ moments detract from his milieu.
Rating: 4.5 starsHoopla Factor: 4.0 stars


I’m surprised that Animal Kingdom has received as warm a welcome as it has from audiences, though I’m glad. It’s shaping up to be quite a strong year for Aussie films. I just wish I could share everyone else’s enthusiasm for this one.
Rating: 4.0 starsHoopla Factor: 1.5 stars Continue reading Animal Kingdom→

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The Secret in Their Eyes

The Secret in Their Eyes might remain somewhat elusive for foreign audiences who won’t have directly witnessed those troubles. This is something of a shame; while an explanatory voiceover certainly would have diminished the film’s effect, a more complete understanding of the era could well enhance it.
Rating: 4.5 starsHoopla Factor: 4 stars Continue reading The Secret in Their Eyes→

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The Stoning of Soraya M.

That any culture could practise such savage and barbaric acts must dismay the more moderate of its members, and the greater human society as a whole. Highly recommended, although with the caveat that if depictions of realistic and brutal violence turn your stomach, skip the candy bar.
Rating: 4 starsHoopla Factor: 1 stars


The Stoning of Soraya M. is a stunning indictment of a practice that extends far beyond that one event. Considering that enduring a film like this is such hard work, however, it’s hard to profess that it is a ‘must see’ feature.
Rating: 4 starsHoopla Factor: 2 stars Continue reading The Stoning of Soraya M.→

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I Love You Too

One could be forgiven for assuming Dinklage’s presence is more about easy laughs, when in fact it is his character Charlie that provides much of the emotional heart of the film. Charlie’s relationship with Jim is comfortable and just seems to make sense, and their effect on each other’s lives is all the more believable for it.
Rating: 3.0 starsHoopla Factor: 3.5 stars Continue reading I Love You Too→

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Beneath Hill 60

The claustrophobia of being at war in such confined spaces is amplified by the danger of imminent discovery by Germans tunnelling in the opposite direction, or from collapse and suffocation under piles of dirt and rubble. The film succeeds in conveying this tension incredibly well.
Rating: 3.5 starsHoopla Factor: 3.5 stars


Brendan Cowell again puts in a great performance. I suppose he doesn’t have quite the chiselled jaw for Hollywood, but then again Sam Worthington hasn’t yet made any particularly noteworthy impression with his chin in American films yet.
Rating: 4.5 starsHoopla Factor: 4.5 stars Continue reading Beneath Hill 60→

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Date Night

Of course, Date Night is never going to be the film that teaches its audience about life, the universe and everything, but it is a refreshing change to have a comedy steer clear of the gross-out, cheaper material and aim for something higher, whether it truly succeeds or not.
Rating: 3.5 starsHoopla Factor: 3.5 stars


Part of the charm of Date Night is watching Phil and Claire trying to work out exactly what it is they’re missing in their relationship. Seeing them out to dinner in a restaurant, heaping scorn on the other couples whilst secretly feeling that something is missing from their own relationship is as tragic as it is funny.
Rating: 3.5 starsHoopla Factor: 4.0 stars Continue reading Date Night→

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The Bounty Hunter

‘Twists’ are meant to keep the audience wondering whether the two leads will get their act together and fall back in love, but aren’t actually ‘twisty’ at all. All of which wouldn’t be so devastating to the film’s chance of succeeding were Aniston and Butler to share the slightest hint of chemistry.
Rating: 1.5 starsHoopla Factor: 2.0 stars Continue reading The Bounty Hunter→

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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

It is the filmmaker’s task to make an engaging and entertaining film. I have not read Stieg Larsson’s ‘Millenium’ trilogy, and thus cannot comment on the success of this conversion to the screen; however, as a film in its own right, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is very good indeed.
Rating: 4 starsHoopla Factor: 4 stars Continue reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo→

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