Birdman flies high at the Film Independent Spirit Award nominations

Birdman flies high at the Film Independent Spirit Award nominations

Michael Keaton drama leads pack with six nominations at awards increasingly seen as sound indicator of Oscars success Winging it … Michael Keaton in Birdman. Photograph: Atsushi Nishijima/AP Alejandro Inarritu’s Birdman, starring Michael Keaton as a former star of...
Why won’t we watch Australian films?

Why won’t we watch Australian films?

Getting local audiences to see local films at the cinema has become almost impossible this year. Is it the filmmakers who are at fault, or the audiences? “This label ‘Australian film’, I don’t know. I think we need to drop that and just make...
The Long Arc: The Challenge of TV Series Endings

The Long Arc: The Challenge of TV Series Endings

I’ve spent quite a bit of time watching and recapping the CW series Gossip Girl; especially early on, the show had a surprising amount of hidden depth. However, while watching the past few episodes of the series, two thoughts were on my mind. The first was that...
Hollywood vs the novel

Hollywood vs the novel

How film can bring new life to a well-loved story When books are made into films the rewards can be lucrative, though the writer must let go A still from The Fault In Our Stars, based on John Green’s book. It made the successful leap from page to big screen....