Phillip Bostwick

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: A Masterpiece

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 11:39:48 -0800

Based on the popular 1985 novel by German writer Patrick Suskind, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is quite possibly the most enchanting and audacious film you'll see this year. Put simply it is a masterpiece of overwhelming proportions that will leave you slack of jaw.

Why is it so outstanding? Well, visually speaking it's nothing short of an immaculate 18th Century painting brought to life in saturated motion picture form. ...

A date with Romola

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 09:25:56 -0800

Romola Garai gives me a rise in my loins whenever I think of her which seems to be a lot lately. She's talented, gorgeous and one of the hottest new things on the English film scene which explains why she's the star of two movies showing at cinemas right now; Amazing Grace and Angel. She agreed to a phone interview but I like to think of it as a preliminary date. ...

Educate and entertain in one fell swoop

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 20:26:28 -0800

Amazing Grace makes for the perfect Sunday night film. It's a high brow costume drama set in the 19th Century, a time when everyone spoke in ‘thus' and ‘whom' and is quietly entertaining but most importantly hugely educational.

Amazing Grace tells the story of William Wilberforce, an anti-slavery pioneer who fought relentlessly to change the minds of a society which accepted the practice of slavery and championed it as an economic necessity. ...

Knocked Up - Funniest Movie of the Year

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 14:28:38 -0800

From Judd Apatow the ingenious writer/director behind 40 Year-Old Virgin comes Knocked Up, the funniest movie of the year. Finally a talented group of Americans have learned how to take the mickey out of their own flawed culture and in the process tell it like it is in hilarious fashion. The message here is simple: Don't drink and bone.

Knocked up stars Seth Rogen (40 Year-Old Virgin) as the ultimate good-natured looser and Katherine Heigl (Grey's Anatomy) as a young desirable go-getter. ...

NZ Film Fest: Coming to a town near you soon

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 09:59:38 -0800

Kurt Cobain: About a Son (USA 2006)

Imagine a documentary about one of the most recognisable rock icons of the 20th Century that barely features his image at all? Welcome to the world of director AJ Schnack. In this film impressionist images take the place of Cobain's face as the man himself tells his life story courtesy of a collection of intimate interviews he did with trusted journalist and friend Michael Azerrad the year before his tragic death. ...

Starter for Ten: Funny, Smart, Very English

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:08:44 -0800

Starter for Ten is based on the semi-autobiographical novel of its screenwriter David Nicholls (Cold Feet, Rescue Me) and like its cast, is funny, smart and very English.

We meet our main character, Brian at the beginning of his first year at Bristol University, it's1985 and his chance to finally achieve a place on the TV game show ‘University Challenge.' Naturally, he's a bit of a geek and about to discover that campus requires more than just his smarts. ...

4 reasons why Fantastic Four's not so fantastic

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:05:28 -0800

Unless you're under the age of twelve or desperate to see Jessica Alba in lyrca then Fantastic 4: the Rise of the Silver Surfer will disappoint. This shouldn't come as a surprise given that the first F4 movie was small on critical praise, although it did bring in a whopping $330 million at the box office. No wonder they made a sequel. ...

Blades of Glory: Demented Hilarity

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 11:24:35 -0800

In the vein of Anchorman, Napolean Dynamite and Old School, Blades of Glory takes demented big screen hilarity to new heights. Here are a few lines of ridiculous comedy genius to warm you up:

Chazz (Ferrell): Mind-bottling isn't it?
Jimmy (Heder): Did you just say mind-bottling?
Chazz: Yeah, mind-bottling. ...

Paris, I love you

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 09:59:40 -0800

The idea of Paris, Je T'aime was proposed by Tristan Carne, a French TV director who wanted to bring together the best actors and directors from across the world in a film homage to the romantic city. Each of the 18 short films are set in a different part of Paris and tell a different tale of love.

Ambitious? Absolutely but the result is amazing. ...

Ocean's Thirteen: A sinking ship

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 12:14:53 -0800

Ocean's Thirteen is many things and not much at all, kind of like a neutered dog. He's playful, familiar and a pleasure to have around but sadly lacks balls. To put it plainly the last installment (hopefully) in the Oceans series is supremely cool but falls well short on substance stakes. Fluent, yes; groundbreaking, absolutely not.

Danny Ocean and Rusty Ryan round up the boys for their final, ridiculously far-fetched heist to revenge one of their own. ...