On Screen

Smart reviews for the visually obsessed. On Screen features film reviews and festival coverage, spotlighting cinematic craft, storytelling and standout performances.

  • Review: ‘Home’ relies on funny characters to alleviate predictable story (Includes first-hand account)

    The world (and apparently the universe) is full of people who don’t fit in and are, therefore, excluded and/or ignored by their peers. It seems like no matter how many are there to say it’s okay to be different, there are dozens more shouting the opposite. But not being like everyone else can have its advantages too. In Home, an alien’s specialness is what eventually elevates him to hero status.

  • Review: ‘Tracers’ uses parkour to enhance the film’s appeal (Includes first-hand account)

    There seem to be increasingly fewer ideas to keep chase and heist movies fresh. The elaborate planning of Ocean’s Eleven and high-speed pursuits through crowded city streets are becoming clichéd and uninspired. However by incorporating new physical disciplines, a conventional plot can be raised to new, more energetic levels. Tracers uses parkour to enhance its otherwise traditional narrative.

  • Review: ‘Backcountry’ uses nature’s monster to provide its scares (Includes first-hand account)

    Mother Nature and wild animals can be as unpredictable as they are deadly. Confronting either without experience or the right equipment is more than ill-advised — it’s dangerous. The Boy Scouts’ motto is “always be prepared” for good reason; because anything less can be a death sentence. A couple discovers just how treacherous the wild can be in Backcountry.

  • Review: ‘The Gunman’ follows the beaten path rather than carve its own (Includes first-hand account)

    “Someone is trying to kill me and I need to find out who it is.” This sentence generally leads to gunfights, bloodshed and a pile of bodies that includes at least one of the speaker’s associates. So it is with this subgenre of the action movie, which has its own conventions and list of recurring actors that includes Liam Neeson, Jason Statham, Bruce Willis and Matt Damon. The Gunman stars Sean Penn as its moving target and doesn’t venture far from the tried-and-true formula.

  • Review: ‘Insurgent’ doesn’t stand alone, but it’s on solid ground (Includes first-hand account)

    There are certain themes films based on young adult novels have in common with the main one being the concept of a “chosen one.” The idea of being inherently and irreplaceably special is presented with rising frequency. No longer is success reliant on the efforts and importance of a group, but rather the sacrifices and triumphs of a single individual. This notion was hinted at in Divergent, though the protagonist was not the only one of her kind. In Insurgent, the whisper increases in volume until there’s no doubt the future of their civilisation rests on her shoulders alone.

  • Review: ‘The Cobbler’ isn’t the only one having an identity crisis (Includes first-hand account)

    The proverb says, “Don’t judge a person until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” This is of course a metaphor about not making assumptions about people and not a word-for-word prescription to walk in someone else’s footwear. “You can tell a lot about a person just by looking at their shoes,” is another saying that draws a correlation between style, maintenance and personality. The Cobbler takes a more literal approach to these adages as he’s magically transformed into the shoes’ owner when he mends their soles.

  • Review: Jack O’Connell continues trend of skillful silence in ‘71’ (Includes first-hand account)

    The chaos and confusion experienced in a mob causes people to make ill-advised decisions that can result in harm to themselves or others. Getting carried away in the situation or restricting one’s focus to a single detail can have equally damaging consequences. But some of these responses often seem uncontrollable in the heat of the moment. In ’71, a soldier performing crowd control becomes lost in enemy territory.

  • Review: ‘Cinderella’ recreates magic of animated classic (Includes first-hand account)

    Disney has a long history of adapting classic fairy tales and popular legends for the screen, though their versions usually exclude the bloody elements previously woven into these narratives. Still, these animated renderings are the fundamental editions of these stories for many children. Now the studio is branching out, reimagining these tales for a live-action format that retains the original magic that endeared people for a lifetime. The latest retelling of Cinderella captures all the enchantment of the animated film while making the fantasy more real for audiences.

  • Review: ‘The Price We Pay’ fails to uncomplicate costs of tax avoidance (Includes first-hand account)

    Globalization and the state of the economy continues to be a hot topic of analysis, accusations, recommendations and predictions. Recovery after the recent worldwide financial crisis has looked different in most countries as governments sought appropriate ways to bolster their markets and support their citizens; expectedly, some have been more successful than others. But most democratic nations are built around the concept of a welfare state in which taxes are used to support publicly funded programs and infrastructure that protect and promote the well-being of its citizens. The Price We Pay provides an in-depth exploration of how companies are avoiding their “fair” contribution to this system and the consequences of their actions, particularly on the middle class.

  • Review: ‘The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ learns from the past (Includes first-hand account)

    Older characters in movies are generally seen in supporting roles, restricted to the sidelines as their younger counterparts have all the fun. But as some of cinema’s greatest and most likable actors age, filmmakers are seizing the opportunity to tell stories that appeal to a more mature demographic. In recent years, there have been a number of films featuring aged actors who are not afraid to call attention to their years of experience. However The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel sets itself apart by centring on a somewhat more realistic though still entertaining view of retirement that doesn’t involve guns or espionage.

  • Review: Neill Blomkamp’s ‘Chappie’ still has some major glitches (Includes first-hand account)

    Artificial intelligence in its current and imagined states is a rich system in which to speculate and postulate the future of technological advancement via science fiction narratives. In most cases the proposal includes world domination and/or destruction, reflecting an inherent human fear of mechanization. But fewer storytellers attempt to guess what integration might look like. In Chappie, writer/director Neill Blomkamp tells the tale of a robot who can learn to be human.

  • Review: ‘The Intruders’ left something behind (Includes first-hand account)

    Uprooting one’s life to move to a new home, or especially a new town, can be distressing. The unfamiliar can easily become frightening and/or appear threatening. Anxieties are amplified and everything appears alien or suspect. Compound that with existing mental health issues and you get the terror experienced by the young woman at the centre of The Intruders.