Movie Reviews

The End of the Line
Vicki Taylor

The End of the Line is a feature-length documentary revealing how overfishing is pushing the world's fish stocks perilously close to collapse.  If that sounds worthy, yet a formula for grim viewing, think again.

From the opening frame - a vast expanse of ocean as far as the eye can see, sun-drenched and placidly gleaming - this movie is a journey of discovery and, ultimately, a deeply satisfying one.

Accidents Happen
Yasmin Vought
April 28, 2010

Andrew Lancaster’s Accidents Happen tells the tale of fifteen year old Billy Conway (Harrison Gilbertson), an immensely accident prone young man whose life turns around after he causes a fatal car “accident”. Geena Davis plays Billy’s depressed yet immensely strong willed mother, who is dealing with an unwanted divorce an alcoholic son and another son left brain dead after a horrific family accident. The concept of Accidents Happen is self explanatory really, but it is the dissection of how exactly the accidents happen that is the most interesting element of the overall story. The slow motion editing effects during the course of the accidents supports this narrative theme by creating an illusion of time which acts in highlighting the significance and intricacy of the particular moments.

The White Ribbon
Kate Shearston
March 30, 2010

The White Ribbon follows the children in a small German country town just prior to the beginning of WWI. Director Michael Haneke has said that he wanted to focus on the childhood of those who would grow up to become Nazi’s, and explore factors that may precondition people to adhere to extreme ideologies. The world that he presents is visually idyllic but subject to strict hierarchy, with children effectively powerless and subject to the extreme discipline  and minimal affection of their parents. The film’s narrator is an old man reflecting on his youthful experiences as a schoolteacher, and the series of disturbing events that upset the town.

Fish Tank
Kate Shearston
March 29, 2010

Fish Tank provides a view into the life of 15-year-old Mia (Katie Jarvis), living in a British housing estate with her mother and younger sister. Her life is far from idyllic- she truants from school, is bored and lonely, and spends most of her time wandering around picking fights. There is no evidence of friends other than one that is dispatched in the opening of the film. Dancing is Mia’s sole interest, and she sneaks away to an empty apartment for her only moments of relaxation. Her home life is fairly grim, with no apparent father, a disinterested mother, antagonistic sister and no privacy. Her mother is young but worn looking, and Mia and her sister are viewed mostly as an inconvenience, and seem to have been unplanned accidents. One morning Conor (Michael Fassbender), her mother’s new boyfriend, appears in the kitchen and Mia is antagonistic, but fascinated. His presence dramatically changes the dynamics of the household and jolts Mia from her routine.

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