Will Ferrell: Hollywood’s most overpaid starForbes has compiled a list of the 10 most overpaid actors in Hollywood. Coming in at number one is Will Ferrell, whose recent film, Land of the Lost, earned only $65 million on an estimated budget of $100 million.
Life / Culture / Movies
Callan to Breaker: a little of us in all Woodward
Edward Woodward, the man who played Callan and Breaker Morant, is dead. He should be honoured in Australia for playing a wronged anti-hero of the Boer war, writes Peter Craven.
Film review: Paranormal Activity — no frills fear
Paranormal Activity is a no frills camcorder-shot thriller that cost around US$11,000 to make. So far it’s pocketed more than US$100 million, with much more business to come. But is it any good? Luke Buckmaster checks it out.
Film review: 2012 — die-hard disaster porn
The plot may be clunky and the science very sketchy, but in strictly visual terms, 2012 is simply the most spectacular disaster picture ever made, says Luke Buckmaster. Full-blown cinematic sadism.
Video of the Day: Ambiguous film endings resolved
There’s nothing worse than a film with no closure. College Humour revisits some of cinema’s most ambiguous endings to tie up the loose ends.
Film review: A Christmas Carol
Luke Buckmaster looks at the latest retelling of Dickins’ classic A Christmas Carol, starring Jim Carrey (aided by a thick sheen of CGI profiling): one of the best big-screen versions yet, and easily one of the best-looking features of the year.
Risk makes it to the big screen
Remember Risk, that classic strategic childhood board game? Well, Sony has acquired the rights for a film version of the game. It may not have a clear narrative, but the game was created by a film maker.
Film review: This Is It
The documentary of Michael Jackson’s concert-that-never-was, This Is It might be smashing box office records around the world, but the film’s lack of commentary, insight and context will make it a struggle for most to sit through, says Luke Buckmaster. One for the fans.
Michael Moore’s Capitalism: the cage match
It’s bound to be one of the most controversial of the season’s cinematic offerings: Michael Moore’s Capitalism: a love story. But is it a muddied low-brow critique or the seminal turning point in the popular appreciation of a system past decay? You decide!
Mohammad: The Movie
A $150m English-language film about the Prophet Mohammad is going to begin shooting soon in Qatar. Just one problem: Islam strictly forbids visual depictions of him. So how do you make a biopic about a guy you can’t show?
Capitalism cage match: Jeff Sparrow
Michael Moore aims his new movie Capitalism: A Love Story simultaneously at the head and the heart. Therein lies its biggest problem, writes Jeff Sparrow.
Capitalism cage match: Chris Berg
Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story “takes aim” at the capitalist system, as a few dozen supportive reviewers have mindlessly written. But that’s a tough metaphor to uphold. It’s easy to aim when you don’t care what you hit.
Moore is interested in Big-C Capitalism. So after a few stories of families […]
False praise for that lunatic and bastard Bob Plasto
Filmmakers Leonard Lee and David Millikan recall what it was like working with the late Bob Plasto. Perhaps not as glowing as other reviews of the filmmaker.
Terminator for sale
The Terminator franchise is up for sale, following the bankruptcy of films’ producer Halcyon Holding Group. Sci-Fi director Joss Whedon has penned an amusing open letter offering $10,000 for the franchise, but it’s expected to go for at least $60m.
The 2009 AFI nominees
The nominees for the 2009 AFI Awards have been announced, and capping off a bumper year for Australian cinema, it’s an impressive list, says Luke Buckmaster.
Film review: Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story
Capitalism: A Love Story is not Michael Moore’s best film, says Luke Buckmaster, but it’s a solid addition to his body of work, and a vintage Moore exposé that fits his battlin’-for-the-small-guys shtick like a glove.
Michael Jackson’s This Is It: the reviews are in…
With the release of the much (over?) hyped doco of Michael Jackson’s final concert, This Is It, MTV has a roundup of some of the world’s most critical reviews. Is it a Thriller, or just plain Bad?
Film review: Into the Shadows
Luke Buckmaster reviews Into the Shadows: a dense and compelling documentary about the beleaguered state of the Australian film industry. Required viewing for those interested in the business side of Australian cinema.
Kids who watched Baby Einstein fail to discover E=mc2
So your kid watched Baby Einstein but still ended up as a tantrum throwing brat? After being threatened with a class-action lawsuit disputing their educational benefits, Disney has admitted defeat and is offering full refunds for Baby Einstein DVDs.
Film review: The Box
Luke Buckmaster reviews the latest flick from director Richard Kelly (Donny Darko), The Box: an experience simultaneously compelling, befuddling, audacious and frustratingly disjointed.
Film review: Astro Boy: new-fangled retro fun
Astro Boy defies the unbelievably low standards set by the cinematic forays of his retro toon colleagues in this new-fangled big screen reboot, says Luke Buckmaster.
Starsuckers: British tabloids caught in the act by filmmakers
The sewers of London’s tabloid newspapers are explored in a documentary film called Starsuckers Predictably, the silence of the tabloids has been deafening.
Things looking up at Pacific Film and Television Commission
Like the upheavals in the broader Australian film industry, Queensland’s Pacific Film and Television Commission has had a turbulent recent history — but industry insiders are cautiously optimistic.
Film review: The Final Destination
Luke Buckmaster reviews new 3D horror/slasher flick, The Final Destination: a diabolically fun no-brainer that makes for fast, lean and mean trashy entertainment.
Where the Wild Things Are: what the critics say
Film critics reactions to the highly anticipated film adaption of classic children’s book Where the Wild Things Are have been mixed. Luke Buckmaster wraps the reactions.
