Leigh Paatsch
True story the world needed to hear
REVIEW: IT has been way too long since Australian cinema made a movie the world wanted to see — but Lion, with its roar power, is it.
A desperate $175 million flop
REVIEW: It’s doubtful the film chief behind Monster Trucks — who was pitched the idea by his four year old son — will ever work in showbiz again.
Portman is mesmerising as Jackie Kennedy
REVIEW: Natalie Portman’s incredible portrayal of Jackie Kennedy in the aftermath of her husband’s assassination is one for the books.
Odd, unfashionably sentimental drama
REVIEW: Not even a stellar cast can do much to lift the sinking feeling that descends upon most scenes in Collateral Beauty like a fog infused with sleeping gas.
Groundhog Day with an indie twist
REVIEW: For a film about a day in the life of a bus driver, Paterson transforms the markedly mundane into the truly magical.
The best teen movie in years
REVIEW: Highly confident yet deeply insecure, relentlessly cynical but hopelessly romantic – The Edge of Seventeen is a welcome mess of contradictions.
Passengers has twist after twist
MOVIE REVIEW: If you enjoyed Gravity and The Martian, then the intriguing plot line of Passengers should have you hooked.
Another video game to film flop
MOVIE REVIEW: Unwitting Assassin’s Creed players may watch the movie of the same name out of brand loyalty. Until word gets out, at least.
True Blue’s not Red Dog but so what
FILM REVIEW: True Blue comes up slightly short in every department when compared to its irresistible predecessor, yet there is no real shame in that.
Sing’s for lovers of TV talent shows
MOVIE REVIEW: Animated film Sing starts a bit slow, is lightweight and runs too long, but any child who loves their TV talent shows won’t care.
Allied’s more than Pitt and Cotillard
MOVIE REVIEW: The obvious spark Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard share on spy movie Allied never quite catches alight, but it doesn’t really matter.
Franco’s feckless F-bombs not funny
FILM REVIEW: Feel-good Christmas comedies don’t come quite so feel-nauseous as Why Him? Plus, there is 111 minutes of James Franco swearing.
Acting keeps this true story riveting
MOVIE REVIEW: The calibre of the lead performances, particularly by David Oyelowo, keep interest levels up in true story A United Kingdom.
Rogue One reveals Star Wars’ dark side
REVIEW: Fans can expect a great deal from the first stand-alone instalment in the epic saga — just don’t hold out for a conventional Star Wars storyline.
The Ryan Gosling film you can’t miss
FILM REVIEW: Ryan Gosling’s new film La La Land is the best movie this year according to our film critic Leigh Paatsch, who rarely gives five stars.
Aniston left to flounder in Xmas movie
FILM REVIEW: Office Christmas Party has a top-notch cast including Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman. But they’re let down by a sketchy script.
Disney’s Moana is a crowd pleaser
FILM REVIEW: Moana is an intelligently scripted and accessible fare blessed with spellbinding marine visuals and esoteric earworms aplenty.
This film is highly recommended
FILM REVIEW: “I cannot recommend Queen Of Katwe highly enough. It is hard to think of a film in 2016 that has not been better cast.”
This week's movie releases
What to see at the movies right now
CAN’T decide what movie to see this week? National movie reviewer Leigh Paatsch has every current release covered to make your choice easier.
