Well the festivities are over and it's time to knuckle down and start watching and reviewing. We're heading into what's known as the awards season, so many of the top contenders are releasing and jockeying for recognition. There's a swag of absolutely top notch films coming out over the next few weeks, so let's get started. 


The Revenant
Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu
Length: 156 mins


In the American wilderness in the early 1800s, fur-trapper Hugh Glass (Leonardo Di Caprio) survives an attack by Indians, then a near-death mauling by a bear, only to be left for dead by members of his own hunting party. This is a tense, visceral, immersive cinema experience, not for the faint-hearted! The cinematography featuring a near pristine wilderness is inspirational, and it's real - no digital recreations here (except for the bear scene). You'll also be inspired by di Caprio's gut-churning performance, as he painfully grunts, groans, and crawls his way through the horrific events that befall him. He is driven on by the need to survive, a near spiritual connection to his dead wife, and revenge against the man who betrayed him, Fitzgerald (another unrecognisable Tom Hardy performance). Given that the film is actually based on an incredible true tale, it is a searing insight into the power of survival, and what humans are capable of when stripped to the bare bones of determination. This is epic film-making at its best.

Unmissable (if you have the stomach for it)!

For a full review from Bernard Hemingway:

http://www.cinephilia.net.au/show_review.php?movieid=5933


Sherlock: The Abominable Bride
Director: Douglas Mackinnon
Length: 90 mins


If you've been a fan of the TV series with the talented Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes, you won't want to miss this feature length episode, which has already screened as a one-off  in various cinemas world-wide, but should be sourceable on pay networks. In this ep, the modern day Sherlock goes on a drug-induced trip into the past where he grapples with a seemingly impossible case of a woman, dressed as a bride, who blows her brains out then returns the following night to murder her husband. Acting all round is top-notch, scripting and plot are super-smart, the period settings are fun, and Holmes is, as ever, my favourite clever Dick!  

Definitely worth tracking down!

Stay tuned for reviews of:
Carol
Room
The Big Short
The Danish Girl - all wonderful, and all releasing during the month of January!