Melbourne International Film Festival 2005
Mixed with musical numbers which provide great amusement and serious thought, The American Ruling Class is a strange mixture of success and failure. It should be rewarded highly for the musical number 'Nickel and Dime' and the revealing interviews with Baker and several others, but penalised for its casting failures. Lapham is a strange figure as the host and narrator, and never quite seems comfortable, and the final musical credits lose the plot. Worth watching? Only just.
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Review by Mark Lavercombe Hoopla Factor:
The best aspect of Brothers is that it never becomes gratuitous. Every time the narrative reaches a dramatic peak, the film takes only a moment to suggest what is imminent, and then skips forward to the moments after. This could be considered cheating in other situations, but here such a technique perfectly compliments this powerful tale of repression, guilt, agony and loss.
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Review by Stuart Wilson Hoopla Factor:
Two university students Vit and Filip managed to convince thousands of Czechs in 2003 that a huge 'hypermarket' was going to have the grand opening sale to end all sales. The only catch was that the hypermarket didn't exist. Through a massive advertising campaign and some very clever media manipulation the two created a buzz based on nothing.
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Review by Stuart Wilson Hoopla Factor:
Their success and then failure lead to the ousting of the Californian Governor, the destruction of Arthur Anderson accounting firm, and their contributions helped George W. Bush gain power in 2000. The biggest impact of all - on the little guys who lost everything - will be felt for decades.
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Review by Mark Lavercombe Hoopla Factor:
There are some wonderfully larger than life yet reasonably true exaggerations - cheerleading girls presented as nothing more than legs and breasts, the jocks' cars enormous juggernauts of the road.
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Review by Stuart Wilson Hoopla Factor:
Style is no substitute for meaning. Hawaii, Oslo goes where other films have gone before but only vaguely succeeds in uncovering the bare bones of a thin concept. There was no underlying push towards something greater than the some of its parts.
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Review by Stuart Wilson Hoopla Factor:
It's just such a pity that our questions are never really answered. I desperately wanted this film to have a big finish, but unfortunately we were greeted with nothing of the sort. This is particularly frustrating as the final act is drawn out for such a long time. Innocence requires a lot of patience, and to be honest wasn't thrilling enough for me to recommend.
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Review by Stuart Wilson Hoopla Factor:
The balance between showing us the many stories, but not falling into cloying sentimentality, is beautifully managed by the directors as this could easily have become a soppy tale. Not once did this line get crossed. Instead, we are treated to the humour of these athletes, their amusement at tales of sexual conquest and their determination to succeed in their sport.
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Review by Mark Lavercombe Hoopla Factor:
Pretty Persuasion really challenged me, and by the time it had finished I had no idea whatsoever of the writer's position on the issues presented. There were many moments where not only did the characters turn around and contradict themselves, but the film itself did exactly the same thing. This made for a wonderfully confronting cinematic experience.
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Review by Stuart Wilson Hoopla Factor:
Sadly, the promise of the first stanza fades a little in the journey, as distractions mount up, and the focus is lost. Should Louise be doing what she is doing? Is it an abuse of the vastly younger Feinstadt? Do the trials of Louise's life mean we feel less strongly about the moral import of her actions, or is she somehow excused? Only partially addressed, this forms the most disappointing aspect of this film.
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Review by Mark Lavercombe Hoopla Factor:
I thought that I was in for a low-budget horror movie when I entered the theatre at the 2005 Melbourne International Film Festival but Wolf Creek was anything but. Not once did I have to force myself to be gentler in my critique - this looks like a big-budget movie, and virtually stabs, mauls and garrottes the overwhelming majority of teen horror flicks out there.
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Review by Stuart Wilson Hoopla Factor:
Melbourne International Film Festival 2005 - Official Site
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