by Ian Cochrane | Aug 10, 2018 | Oceania, Utopia
Not just for petrol heads, this is the story of an iconic annual two-day race through Central Australia – ‘God’s Country’ – the 460km off-road Outback ordeal from Alice Springs south to the town of Finke and back. Gruelling and dangerous it certainly...
by Ian Cochrane | Aug 6, 2018 | Americas, Utopia
Director Gus Van Sant has created a poignant portrait, warts and all – the true story of the American cartoon-satirist, the late John Callahan. The characters are a diverse lot – some dregs, all diamonds – the performances touching, the direction skilled and straight...
by Ian Cochrane | Aug 6, 2018 | Europe, Utopia
A quirky film with a capital ‘Q’ set in the surreal scenery of Iceland, where an Amazonian middle-aged choir-mistress takes on the terrain, politicians and the captains of heavy industry, with a long bow and circular saw. The acting is genuine, the cause...
by Ian Cochrane | Aug 6, 2018 | Asia, Utopia
A potent story with powerful performances from child actors. This is a desperate portrayal of survival, and a test for humanity, peering through a shattered looking glass into a world of abject existence – all set in the busy bleakness of Beirut slums. There is...
by Ian Cochrane | Aug 6, 2018 | Americas, Europe, Utopia
The adventures of a young English woman reassessing her life after a 15yo relationship treading water, all wrapped in a quirky, crazy plot, driven by ridiculous coincidence. The writing is clever, the direction inspired and the acting superb – the chemistry between...
by Ian Cochrane | Jun 24, 2018 | Oceania, Utopia
‘Trick of the Light’ is Australian writer Laura Elvery’s debut collection of short stories, a journey once begun, difficult to put down. Elvery is the mistress of the mundane and the quirks that live within, the reader led down winding paths loaded...
