April 16th
Vivarium - Video on Demand from various platforms
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - feature film - Foxtel
Silence of the Lambs - feature film - Foxtel
American Graffiti- feature film - Foxtel

Video on Demand is a great way to see new releases, while cinemas remain closed. As well as one new release, I go all nostalgic, pointing readers in the direction of three of my absolute top films from years ago. All are so different - and so great!

Vivarium
Director: Lorcan Finnegan
Length: 97 mins

Available on VOD from April 16

Google Play, iTunes, Telstra, Fetch and Umbrella Entertainment

Foxtel on Demand from May 6

© Umbrella - fans of creepy sci-fi/horror could well

enjoy this suburban nightmare

Tom (Jessie Eisenberg) and Gemma (Imogen Poots) are a young couple in the market to buy a home. When weird real estate agent Martin, takes them to an estate called Yonder, they become stranded, unable to get out of the estate, where all houses look identical. They end up sleeping the night and the next day a baby is delivered in a box, with instructions to raise the boy, and get freedom. Years later, still stuck and with the child now grown into a threatening adult, life has become a waking nightmare. The director no doubt wants to create a horrific allegory of suburban life gone haywire, and he definitely achieves a nightmarish quality in this very weird film. The two leads bring strong credibility to their roles, and the minimalist settings enhance the creepiness. The unexpected twist at the end gave me the shudders. Fans of the genre should enjoy it. 

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Director: David Fincher
Length: 166 mins

2008

Foxtel

© Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt are wonderful

together in this fabulous film

Winner of 3 Oscars in 2009, this film, based upon a short story by F Scott Fitzgerald, is definitely worth the revisit. The story of a baby born looking like an old man, who then lives his life backwards, is so extraordinary, and yet totally moving, that it held my attention for every moment of the long runtime. Brad Pitt plays the title character, and his interpretation of the titular character at every age is simply masterful. Blanchett, as Daisy, the love of BB's life, is also a revelation. The award-winning make-up effects to capture these leads at all stages of life are nothing short of brilliant. But it's the moving emotional clout of the film that impresses just as much - it seems to grasp something ephemeral about the nature of life itself - the fleeting unforgettable moments that coalesce at exactly the right moment and the tragic realisation that nothing lasts. 

The Silence of the Lambs
Director: Jonathan Demme
Length: 118 mins

1991

Foxtel

© Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins -

serial killer film to die for!

Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture at the 1992 Oscars - what more can one say? FBI cadet Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is sent to interview serial killer Dr Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), to see if he can shed light on a current case, in which a murderer is flaying parts of the skin from his victims. The less said of the plot the better - suffice to say for me this is the ultimate in thriller/serial killer film-making. There is barely a spare moment in which the tension is not at maximum throttle, and the portrayal by Hopkins of "Hannibal the Cannibal" is something that, once seen, will never be forgotten. Director Demme maintains a delicate balance between horror and fascinating psychological study. It is a film of consummate mastery on every level. 

American Graffiti
Director: George Lucas 
Length: 110 mins

1973

Foxtel

© Boys on the town - last night of freedom

 before college back in the 60s. 

Winner of a Golden Globe for Best Picture - Comedy or Musical back in the dim dark days of 1974, this is a delight for lovers of 60s nostalgia. It follows the last night of a group of undergrads in 1962, who are heading off to college the next day, and spend one last night together. In their town of Modesto, California, they cruise the strip in their Yank Tanks, chatting up girls, and getting into mild-mannered trouble. The film is crammed full with some of the best songs of the '60s, and the look and feel of the era is immortalised. A young Richard Dreyfuss shows what a fine actor he will become - and is strongly supported by young incarnations of Harrison Ford, Ronny Howard (yes, the now-famous director), along with some wonderful gals who embody the romantic interests of the era, with their hair, frocks, roller skates, and chewing gum. Paul le Mat as John, who drives round in a yellow hotrod '32 Deuce Coupe, is a worthy Golden Globe winner for an endearing performance. Finally, for lovers of American cars, the film is a total dream - think Ford Thunderbird, Chevy Sport Coupe, Chevy Impala, and a whole lot more. This is a happy film, a true panacea to the woes of the world (and the other sad and horrific films I've mentioned!)