We had high expectations going in to see The Descendants & we surely were not disappointed. What a wonderful film. Filled with all those moments that are funny, heartwarming, sad and, well, funny this film has an original story (this trailer pretty much tells you the premise of it) but it is not just the story but the characters, the relationships (& how these develop over the course of the film) & the perfectly cast crew that make this film a strong & memorable one. George Clooney is fantastic in it. As is Shailene Woodley who perfectly plays his eldest daughter. As is that guy from the first Scream (Matthew Lillard). As is pretty much everyone else in the film… and the incredible Hawaiian setting. Alexander Payne, love it, you’ve done good. Four and a half stars.

Visually arresting with laugh-out-loud moments, Submarine, the directorial debut for Richard Ayoade is an absolute gem of a film.

Craig Roberts is perfect as Oliver Tate who falls in love with a classmate and also sets out to fix his mum and dad’s marriage. Each character is perfectly cast & forms a fine ensemble to tell this common story of adolescent love, problems & worries in the most engaging, funny and refreshing way.

Off beat, wry and fun (with a gorgeous performance from Noah Taylor as Dad) this visually sublime film hit a great note in the tone & we absolutely loved it. Four and a half stars.

Whether through his directing, acting, screen writing, producing or all of the above, George Clooney always has the ability to bring to, & tell, us a political story in laymans term. Well, put them into more decipherable terms for the not-so-politically-minded like us anyway. Take Syriana (written & directed by Stephen Gaghan) for instance. Executively produced & acted in by George Clooney, this incredible geopolitical thriller still easily sits in our top 5 films of all time.

The Ides of March may not be positioned here but it is still a pretty damn great film.
If you didn’t know, George Clooney directed it, produced it, acted in it & hell, co-wrote the screenplay too (based on a play called Farragut North).

It is set in the ‘crucial’ Ohio in the lead up to the American Presidential election. As each character, ‘married to the campaign’, works towards this top job- anything goes, including ideals. As the campaigning goes on through the movie, we witness increasing pressure on all characters &, slowly revealed are, the dodgy dealings and betrayal that, sadly, seems to be a normal part of politics. Oh yay, thanks George Clooney for reminding us of this. No, just kidding, we loved this intense political thriller (& we know from Drive that the Dish- oops, I mean Ryan Gosling- does ‘intense’ well!) and we give it four and a half stars (the extra half comes from the mere fact that George Clooney & the all star cast turned something political which is, for us, as dull as Brussels sprouts into something incredible).

We were never one for motor car racing. So the name Ayrton Senna registered little & the desire to watch this doco about the Brazilian Formula 1 racing driver, widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all times, was fairly minimal.

There is something though about getting a glimpse into the life of a prominent figure in our generation no matter what their field. & the fact that he was a bit of a dish didn’t hurt either.

Stitching together never before seen footage, this doco takes us on a journey through Senna’s career, following his struggle on track with his french nemesis Alain Prost & off the track with the heavily political sport, & through his 3 F1 world championship wins. Humble yet with fiery determination, his spirit, passion & love for racing and his spiritual relationship with the sport not only brings tears to the eyes but inspires & captures the heart.

Although the doco itself, with its little narration, assumed we knew more about both Senna & F1 than we do, it was still great because, well, we can fill in the gaps with Wikipedia can’t we! Senna, the doco, three and a half stars. Senna, the star himself, a big incredible five.

16 year old killing machine. need we say more. 4 and a half stars.