July 22, 2010 | New Film | by Xavier Toby |

Australia has been criticized for only doing two types of films well: the quirky comedy such as Strictly Ballroom, Priscilla or Crocodile Dundee, and the hardened drama that centres around crime such as Two Hands, Noise and Lantana. Animal Kingdom firmly sits in the second category and while lacking the humour of those mentioned, it makes up for it with some shockingly bleak scenes. Read more

January 26, 2010 | New Film | by Xavier Toby |

This is not an enjoyable film, but it is excellent. Immediately after watching Samson and Delilah, I thought it was awful. Exactly because I thought it was awful, a week later I’m convinced it’s brilliant. There are many different types of films. Some are immensely entertaining, but immediately forgettable. Like Avatar. Others stick with you, no matter how much you wish they wouldn’t, because they show you a truth about the world that you wish wasn’t so spot on. Samson and Delilah is based around the real-life experiences of director Warwick Thornton and present a part of Australia that most people, myself included, suspected existed, but really wish it didn’t. Now, what the hell do we do about it?

January 14, 2010 | New Film | by Xavier Toby |

For a small country so close to Australia, so many of us know way too little about East Timor. Balibo makes it clear that the small nation was invaded by the Indonesians over thirty years ago, while Australia let it happen. This well paced, passionately acted portrayal of the events centres around the death of five young Australian journalists. Experienced Australian journalist Roger East tries to find out what happened to them, with the help of Jose Ramos Horta, who is still a pertinent figure in East Timorese politics. Anthony Lapaglia gives a spirited performance as East, who at one point comments, “Thousand of little brown people die; nobody back home (in Australia) is going to care. But five Australian journalists are killed and that’s front page news.” Which helps explain why their deaths were kept covered up for three decades. [read about more Australian pop culture at The Colour]

June 24, 2009 | New Film | by Xavier Toby |

An Australian film that focuses on the hardships suffered by a typical lower-class family. I can feel you cringe, but there’s no need. This isn’t another clanger that relies on clichés and lame jokes, that portrays average Australians as simple and backward. Here are intelligent, warm, loving people struggling with a series of hardships with individuality, honesty and strength. Read more

January 8, 2009 | New Film | by Xavier Toby |

Much more than just another surf movie, this is the previously untold story of surfing. Before four Australians and two South Africans arrived in Hawaii with the goal of starting a world surfing circuit, surfing was simply a hobby. These six had the idea of making it a full time profession and since surfing is now a multi-billion dollar industry, it is safe to say they succeeded. While they revolutionised the sport with new equipment, moves, style and an enthusiasm that bordered on lunacy, not everyone was happy with the exposure. Read more

December 15, 2008 | New Film | by Xavier Toby |

A couple on the run from the police are forced to take refuge with a rich agoraphobic man in country Australia. Frequent visits to the property from local police, a visibly unhinged male lead, and questions from the past keep more than enough tension and twists coming during this surprisingly good film. In recent decades, too many Australian films have been preoccupied with exploiting a perceived and often clichéd Australian aesthetic. With Restraint, the Australian film industry proves it has the acting, writing and directing talent to produce a taut and compelling thriller on a par with the bigger budgets and names coming out of Hollywood. The tension is cleverly teased out from several angles, using the mental illness of the captive, sexual innuendo and the class divide between those on the run and the well-educated man they have taken prisoner. By placing the criminals at the centre of the action and questioning the past of the captive, the film also leaves the audience unsure where to place their empathy, creating further tension and interest, as well as playing with the regular villain-hero dynamic.

December 15, 2008 | New Film | by Xavier Toby |

When a son returns home to a sleepy South Australian town for the Christening of his half-sister, he finds his brother suffering from depression and his father and stepmother struggling to cope. This picture isn’t hilarious, action-packed, or at all revolutionary. But is a brilliantly told story of how the lauded traits among males can have disastrous consequences. It is typically Australian, with heavy drinking, barbecues and a ‘she’ll be right’ attitude. But when things aren’t fine, the characters are forced to develop, pushing the piece into compelling and layered narrative territory. Instead of simply painting the typical male, that male is taken, twisted and bent through struggle and conflict to show that underneath the clichéd shell, there is a real human inside everyone.

November 26, 2008 | New Film | by Xavier Toby |

Back at a time when the Australian film industry rivalled Iceland’s for inactivity, the first Australian films to hit American and British drive-ins featured some weird plots indeed. Split into three parts, covering sex, slasher and smash and crash, Not Quite Hollywood focuses on Australian exploitation films. It is argued that without these films, Australia might not have a film industry at all. Read more

August 20, 2008 | New Film | by Xavier Toby |

A farmer that goes weeks without speaking to anyone comes across a traumatised woman who’s unable to speak English. He takes her in, caring for her despite the consequences. Instead of being worried about fitting into a particular genre, Unfinished Sky is instead a gripping story, wonderfully acted and intelligently shot. Initial scenes illustrate the loneliness, repetition and silence of the farmer’s life, along with the beauty and emptiness of the Australian landscape. The story develops quickly with enough twists to keep even the most jaded viewer intrigued. Read more

April 14, 2008 | New Film | by Xavier Toby |

Drug addicted angels prostituting themselves, alcoholic angels, angels who work in soup kitchens, all trapped in purgatory. Read more

March 26, 2008 | New Film | by Xavier Toby |

I don’t know what’s going on with me. My two favourite films of the last six months are about a bloke who can only move one eye and a suburban Australian family with an autistic son. I used to like action. Read more