Australian Films To Look Out For In 2014

2014 was recently described by Inside Film as shaping up to be "one of the strongest years for Australian films." In anticipation of this, and considering my lack of posts recently, I thought to provide you all with a few more reasons as to why this claim can be made with summaries of the film's mentioned and their accompanying trailers (when available). 

1. Tracks
Director: John Curran, Cast: Mia Wasikowska and Adam Driver, Release Date/Completion Date: 10 October, 2013.

2. The Railway Man
Director: Jonathan Teplitzky, Cast: Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Jeremy Irvine, Stellan Skarsgard, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tanroh Ishida, Release Date/Completion Date: December 26, 2013

3. Wolf Creek 2
Director: Greg Mclean, Cast: John Jarratt, Ryan Corr, Shannon Ashlyn Release Date/Completion Date: 20 February 2014 

4. Felony
Director: Matthew Saville, Cast: Joel Edgerton, Melissa George, Tom Wilkinson, Jai Courtney Release Date/Completion Date: 2014

5. Canopy
Director: Aaron Wilson, Cast: KHAN CHITTENDEN, MO TZU-YI, Release Date/Completion Date: TBA, Trailer:

6. Kill Me Three Times
Director: Kriv Stenders, Cast: Simon Pegg, Sullivan Stapleton, Alice Braga, Release Date/Completion Date: 2014, 
Trailer: TBA

7. The Rover
Director: David Michôd, Cast: Robert Pattinson, Guy Pearce, Nash Edgerton, Release Date/Completion Date: 2013

8. Son of a Gun
Director: Julius Avery, Cast: Ewan McGregor, Alicia Vikander, Brenton Thwaites, Release Date/Completion Date: 2014, 
Trailer: TBA

9. I, Frankenstein
Director: Stuart Beattie, Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Miranda Otto, Release Date/Completion Date:  24 January 2014, 
Trailer: TBA

10. Predestination
Director: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig, Cast: Ethan Hawke, Noah Taylor, Christopher Kirby, Release Date/Completion Date: 2014, Trailer: TBA

11. Charlie’s Country
Director: Rolf de Heer, Cast: David Gulpilil, Release Date/Completion Date: May 11, 2013, Trailer: N/A

12. Fell 
Director: Kasimir Burgess, Cast: Matt Nable, Daniel Henshall, Release Date/Completion Date: 18 October 2013, 
Trailer: N/A

13. Now Add Honey
Director: Wayne Hope, Cast: Portia de Rossi, Lucy Fry, Angus Sampson, Release Date/Completion Date: 2014, Trailer: N/A 

14. Cut Snake
Director: Tony Ayres, Cast: Sullivan Stapleton, Ryan Kwanten, Rachael Taylor, Release Date/Completion Date: 2014, Trailer: N/A

15. The Dressmaker 
Director: Jocelyn Moorhouse, Cast: Kate Winslet and Judy Davis, Release Date/Completion Date: 2014, 
Trailer: N/A

16. Paper Planes
Director: Robert Connolly, Cast: TBA, Release Date/Completion Date: 2013/14, Trailer: N/A

17. Healing
Director: Craig Monahan, Cast: Hugo Weaving, Xavier Samuel, Robert Taylor, Release Date/Completion Date: N/A, Trailer: N/A

18. The Reckoning
Director: John V. Soto, Cast: Luke Hemsworth, Viva Bianca, Jonathan LaPaglia, Release Date/Completion Date: 2014, 
Trailer: N/A

19. The Menkoff Method
Director: David Parker, Cast: Noah Taylor, Robert Taylor, Catherine McClements, Release Date/Completion Date: 2014, Trailer: N/A

20. Backtrack
Director: Michael Petroni, Cast: N/A, Release Date/Completion Date: N/A, Trailer: N/A

21. The Babadook
Director: Jennifer Kent, Cast: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall, Release Date/Completion Date: 2013/14, Trailer: N/A

22. The Little Death
Director: Josh Lawson, Cast: Bojana Novakovic, Lachy Hulme, Ben Lawson, Release Date/Completion Date: N/A, Trailer: N/A

23. The Stolen
Director: Niall Johnson, Cast: Graham McTavish, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Richard O'Brien, Release Date/Completion Date: 2013/14, Trailer: N/A

And one important film which was horribly missed in amongst the article being Zac Hilditch's feature directorial debut, These Final Hours. 
Director: Zak Hilditch, Cast: Jessica De Gouw, Sarah Snook, Nathan Phillips, Release Date/Completion Date: 2014, Trailer: N/A

Set your calendars ladies and gents. 2014 is going to be a wonderful ride!

Olympus Has Fallen

Action films are typically THE easiest film genre to predict. Hot guy with dark history + deep conflict that risks the existence of the world + lots of fighting and guns = solid gold.

When you throw in the White House and the United States president though, you're playing in a whole new ballpark. OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN has taken the standard action genre format and fine-tuned it to perfection. Audiences are riveted from the first 5 minutes and are entrenched for the remainder of the film with each minute serving up one amazing scene after another after another.

Olympus Has Fallen tells the story of former Secret Service agent Mike Banning who lost the career of his life after a serious accident involving the death of his boss' wife - the President of the United States. Move on 18 months and Banning now works for the Treasury Department within excruciating proximity to his former work place, The White House. At the same time, heat is rising between North and South Korea (aptly timed for the current political climate). A visit from the South Korean Prime Minister initiates the epic action that fulfills the remainder of the film which, as promised by the title, involves the invasion of the most secure building in the world.

The seamlessness of this film lies in Antoine Fuqua's direction and Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt's writing talents. A story set in a previously inaccessible location that audience imaginations could only describe the inner workings of, coupled with a careful consideration of the various subplots in the film, are truly effective. I can honestly say I have never been more attentive in a film before. Credit must also be given to Gerard Butler who carries this film like a champ with him appearing in almost every scene. I am also giving him credit for mastering his American accent (finally!). 

Olympus Has Fallen is out in all good cinemas and at MA15+, won't be one for the kiddies but I seriously recommend it for any of you who want to go to the movies for an experience, rather than just something to do in your spare time whilst you hang out on Twitter. 

Trance

Not since Inception has a single film managed to confuse the crap out of me until the very last frame. Now, Trance can claim that throne by throwing up one of the one most complicated storylines I have experienced in the cinema of late (except for Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 - that's still a mystery to me).

Trance tells the story of a young, troubled art auctioneer with a penchant for gambling who becomes involved with a £25million art theft that was planned to perfection until Simon suffers a knock on the head that misplaces his memory about where the valuable piece has been stashed. Slightly inconceivably, the crew involved with the heist decide to send Simon to a "random" hypnotherapist so that she might retrieve the memory that conceals the location of the painting. It's when Elizabeth, the hypnotherapist, involves herself within the gang's plans to sell the painting and split the profits that shit starts to get real. Before long, Elizabeth become more than just a Sherlock Holmes for Simon's thoughts. Soon, she sleeping with not one, but two of the cast involved in the discovery, Simon and Franck (the ringleader of the gang). The film continues with Elizabeth submitting both Simon and the gang to a number of exercises in order to release the memory from Simon's brain. It is not till towards the end however, that we discover the true story that is taking place with it being revealed that Elizabeth and Simon once knew eachother before Simon's accident. It is from here that the film takes a wrong turn down memory lane.

There are so many layers within this film to analyse. The biggest of which was the question, "if you could keep some memories over others, would you?" Boyle actualizes this concept through Simon's gambling addiction, arguably the catalyst for the whole film and the consequences that follow. By Simon involving himself in the gambling world, he takes a chance on his happiness everyday, the same gamble Elizabeth makes by deciding to erase Simon's memory - a decision she thinks will make her life better. The conclusion of the film sends out the message that there is a reason we should not mess with our memories for each one makes us who we are in the end and without them, we become empty vessels.

Production value on this film is impeccable and typically unique of Boyle's direction. Many of you will enjoy the pace and tone of this film which will keep you on the edge right to the very end and have you thinking beyond your exiting of the cinema.

Social Media Predictions 2013

I stumbled across one of Slideshare's most downloaded presentations the other day which just so happened to be an awesome collective of the world's most respected marketers and their opinions on where social is expected to head for 2013. With the document ranging across 18 different slides and covering 3 separate topics, I decided to consolidate some of the schools of thought being considered into this blog post with the option for everyone to read the extended interview in the embedded document too. So, for all you social media nerds out there, here we go:

2013 Predictions Overview

1. Anita Campbell - @smallbiztrends - Founder, Small Business Trends
1. Social Media Channel Primed to Grow: Google+
2. Advice For Brand-Customer Connectivity: Identify the players behind your team.
2. Ann Handley - @marketingprofs - Chief Content Ocer, MarketingProfs
1. Social Media Channel Primed to Grow: LinkedIn.
2. Social Media Behavior You Would Like to See More Of: B2B companies embracing social media tools and platforms.
3. And Less Of: Social Spam.
3. Gaurav Mishra - @Gauravonomics - Asia VP of Insights, Innovation & Social, MSLGROUP/ Publicis Groupe
1. Social Media Channel Primed to Grow: Facebook (older social media platforms)
2. Advice For Brand-Customer Connectivity: Create social products and platforms that solve a problem or connect around a shared purpose.
4. Geo Livingston - @geoiving - Author & Marketing Specialist
1. Advice For Brand-Customer Connectivity: Cultivating online and offline relationships.
2. Social Media Behavior You Would Like to See More Of: Organic linking and sourcing of information.
3. And Less Of: Slamming of brands online.
5. Lee Hopkins - @leehopkins - HopkinsFounder & Social Media Strategist, Better Communication Results
1. Advice For Brand-Customer Connectivity: Consistent communication of values, insights, discoveries and experiences of organisations over time.
2. Social Media Behavior You Would Like to See More Of: Businesses taking social seriously.
6. Lee Odden - @leeodden - CEO & Author, TopRankOnline Marketing
1. Social Media Channel Primed to Grow: Pinterest, Google+, YouTube.
2. Social Media Behavior You Would Like to See Less Of: #followfriday; hashtag spam; hashtags use outside of its effective platform (ie. Facebook, cafe blackboards)
7. Michael Brito - @Britopian - Senior VP of Social Business Planning, Edelman
1. Advice For Brand-Customer Connectivity: Be human. Use your employees.
2. Social Media Behavior You Would Like to See More Of: Relevant creative and real time content creation
3. And Less Of: Overally branded content.
8. Paul Gillin - @pgillin - Social Media Trainer, Consultant & Author, Profitecture
1. Social Media Channel Primed to Grow: Myspace, Instagram, Google+
2. Most Overrated Social Media Metric: Fan and follower numbers. 
3. Most Underrated Social Media Metric: Engagement metrics (sharing, comments, likes etc).
9. Philip Sheldrake - @Sheldrake - Managing Partner, Euler Partners
1. Social Media Behavior You Would Like to See More Of: Active Listening
2. And Less Of: Flawed metric design.
3. Most Overrated Social Media Metric: Output metrics uncorrelated to outcome metrics. 
4. Most Underrated Social Media Metric: Metrics uniquely designed for your company.
10. Ray Wang - @rwang0 - Principal Analyst & CEO, Constellation Research
1. Social Media Channel Primed to Grow: Pinterest and private social networks. 
2. Advice For Brand-Customer Connectivity: Authenticity. 
3. Social Media Behavior You Would Like to See More Of: Relevancy
4. Most Overrated Social Media Metric: Share of voice.
5. Most Underrated Social Media Metric: Interactions.
11. Rohit Bhargava - @rohitbhargava - Founder & Author, Influential Marketing Group
1. Social Media Channel Primed to Grow: Slideshare and LinkedIn
2. Advice For Brand-Customer Connectivity: Being human. 
12. Shel Israel - @shelisrael - Author & Consultant
1. Social Media Channel Primed to Grow: The idea of social in general. 
2. Social Media Behavior You Would Like to See More Of: Conversational interactions.
3. And Less Of: Incivility (ED: "hear, hear")
4. Most Overrated Social Media Metric: Likes.
13. Toby Bloomberg - @TobyDiva - Director Social Media Integration at Cox Media Group Digital & Strategy Team
1. Social Media Channel Primed to Grow: Pinterest, Tumblr. 
2. Most Overrated Social Media Metric: Fan and follower numbers.  
3. Most Underrated Social Media Metric: Quantitative analysis of your fans’ comments.
14. Valeria Maltoni - @ConversationAge - Author & Senior Director of Strategy, Empathy Lab
1. Social Media Channel Primed to Grow: Google+
2. Social Media Behavior You Would Like to See More Of: More active role in value exchange.

Social Media Predictions for 2013 from Dell Social Media

Oscar Nominations 2013

In the lead up to the nomination announcements for the 85th Academy Awards, I thought I would predict which films would be most likely to be nominated for this year's round. 

A few of these I haven't seen so far but I'm sure will be a part of the massive 10-strong Best Picture category so forgive my ignorance on details if they're lacking. These films are my shortlist with the *'s representing films I'm not so sure would be included in the nominee considerations but which I have put in anyway. 

1. Argo
2. Django Unchained
3. Flight
4. The Grey*
5. Hitchcock
6. The Hobbit*
7. The Intouchables
8. Killing Them Softly*
9. Lawless
10. Les Miserables
11. Life of Pi
12. Lincoln
13. The Master
14. Moonrise Kingdom
15. On The Road*
16. The Paperboy*
17. Quartet
18. Savages*
19. The Sessions
20. Zero Dark Thirty

And here is my top 10:

1. Argo - "My little story is the only thing between a gun and your head"
Nominated for 5 Golden Globes. Another 19 wins & 27 nominations 

Your rating: 

  -/10 

Ratings: 8.2/10 from 54,311 users   Metascore: 86/100
Reviews: 273 user | 421 critic | 45 from Metacritic.com

It's been a slow road for Ben Affleck in trying to make a serious name for himself since that stupendous flop of a movie, Gigi. Before Argo, there was The Town and the short film, Gimme Shelter, noteable mentions but nothing that gave him any acclaim. Now, Argo puts him at the forefront of the new Hollywood - edgy, realistic films that tackle contemporary issues with a new twist. Argo tells the story of how the CIA devised a plan to extradite 6 American hostages from Iran after the US embassy was seized in 1979. The plan? To create a fake movie set in Iran and smuggles the hostages out with the film crew after wrap. From the trailer, the film has the same gritty texture I enjoyed so much in The Town and this time around, I think Affleck has got his story much more sewn together. Releasing this film in this particular era of our society will help the film's chances of being nominated, with recent stories like this continuously coming out of the Middle East affecting America. The film-within-a-film is always a hit with the Academy as well so it'll be interesting to see how far Affleck can go with this. 

2. Django Unchained - "Gentlemen. You had my curiosity. Now you have my attention."
Nominated for 5 Golden Globes. Another 11 wins & 12 nominations
Your rating: 

  -/10 

Ratings: 8.8/10 from 28,323 users   Metascore: 80/100
Reviews: 170 user | 117 critic | 40 from Metacritic.com

After a 3-year hiatus, Quentin Tarantino returns with yet another spine-chillingly gruesome and violent cinematic assault on the senses in the form of Django Unchained. This time around, he's taking on the Western genre with Jamie Foxx playing a slave who is hired by everyone's favourite Nazi (Christoph Waltz), as a bounty hunter. However, Foxx isn't interested in being manhandled for long as he navigates himself and his new boss towards plantation boss, Calvin Candie (played by Leonardio Di Caprio) who has Foxx's wife. Though notoriously sidelined by the Academy year after year, I believe Tarantino has a real chance this year, having taken on the nation's price genre and added his special style of insanity with a few stars to blinker those too prude to watch. He'll have to get over his obsession with violence though to ensure the story is more than just blood, guts and tears. 

3. Hitchcock - "I'm just a man hiding in the corner with a camera. Watching."
Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 nominations

Your rating:

  -/10 

Ratings: 7.3/10 from 2,475 users   Metascore: 56/100
Reviews: 34 user | 145 critic | 38 from Metacritic.com

Its the film movie freaks have been dying to see for as long as anyone can remember. The man who sparked a revival in the cinema and reminded us all what it means to go to the movies. Alfred Hitchcock was a god among men and a pain in the ass amongst his peers. Anyone who's ever taken a Film History unit will know this. But above it all, he made brilliant movies. The film that bears his name explores the life of this great filmmaker at a time defined by one of his greatest creation - Psycho. Many know the film but not the process behind its creation, the dramas and tragedies involved in Hitchock's life at the time that he had to overcome in order for us to hear those piercing screams coming from Janet Leigh's mouth. Its a film the Academy will love for its appreciation of an era long gone, a filmmaker non-existent in modern society, and a style of filmmaking that disappeared years ago. 

4. Lawless - "It is not the violence that sets men apart. It is the distance he is prepared to go." 
1 win & 3 nominations

Your rating:

  -/10 

Ratings: 7.3/10 from 52,594 users   Metascore: 58/100
Reviews: 182 user | 255 critic | 38 from Metacritic.com

I was fortunate to actually get to watch Lawless as opposed to the trailers of the previous nominations I've mentioned and I have to claim, this film is a contender. Not just for the strong American values and history the Academy love so much, but for the high-end production values and a direction which brings this true story to fruition in a way many fail to achieve. The film follows 3 brothers who participate in the black market trade of alcohol during the prohibition era of 1920-1933. As expected, threats and violence ensue leading to an epic shootout, the likes of which have not been seen since Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. One Best Actor nomination is sure to be cemented for at least one of the cast, my hopes being on Tom Hardy who has shown again and again that he has a range and talent that far outshines many of his English cohorts. 

5. Les Miserables - "Life has killed a dream, I dreamed."
Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 14 wins & 44 nominations
Your rating: 

  -/10 

Ratings: 8.2/10 from 27,916 users   Metascore: 63/100
Reviews: 266 user | 100 critic | 40 from Metacritic.com

As much as I don't want to admit this film amongst my other nominess, I know full well that this epic will be included amongst the clan this year. Production value alone is what sets this film apart with a great attention to detail easily setting Les Mis apart from its opponents. For me, the film just did not capture story in a way I hoped it would. I know its a tricky narrative to navigate, given the book contains 1500 pages and the musical lasts for 3.5 hours itself; but I was sincerely hoping the cinematic version would have achieved the emotion that is rife within this story with a subtly defined by cinema. Alas, I feel this is not the case but I know that's an opinion and and not an educated assessment. For that, I know Les Mis will be in the nominees and has a great chance of taking out the main gong. 

6. Life of Pi - "The next part of the story you'll find hard to believe."
Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 11 wins & 25 nominations
Your rating: 

  -/10 

Ratings: 8.3/10 from 53,858 users   Metascore: 79/100
Reviews: 345 user | 302 critic | 44 from Metacritic.com

Ang Lee's highly anticipated return to cinema yet again sets him up to be a major upset amongst the Best Director nominees at this year's Academy awards. Life of Pi was said to be the book that could never be adapted for film and yet, Lee has managed to take its impossible subject matter and turn it into a masterpiece. Life of Pi follows the story of a young man cast away at sea with the most unusual of fellow survivors - a Bengal tiger, a zebra, a hyena and an orangutan. The main pull of this film other than its story though is its amazing cinematography, captured beautifully by Claudio Miranda, a stunning visuality of a story that previously had only ever been seen in the mind's of the readers of the book. 

7. Lincoln - "Today, we will vote."
Nominated for 7 Golden Globes. Another 14 wins & 43 nominations
Your rating: 

  -/10 

Ratings: 8.1/10 from 26,635 users   Metascore: 86/100
Reviews: 285 user | 201 critic | 42 from Metacritic.com

Yet another great American story, Abraham Lincoln and the abolition of the slave trade still resides in the nation's memory as the biggest gamechanger in the history of the world. In a time rife with civil war, President Abraham Lincoln chose to change the course of his country against all odds... and won. Its the film that America has been waiting to see for years and now finally, Steven Spielberg has brought it to light. Daniel Day-Lewis shines again in the title role and many audience members will appreciate the extreme level of dedication he adopted to capturing the essence of this great historical figure just so. 

8. Moonrise Kingdom - "Jiminy Cricket, he flew the coop." 
Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 11 wins & 29 nominations
Your rating: 

  -/10 

Ratings: 7.9/10 from 78,794 users   Metascore: 84/100
Reviews: 258 user | 363 critic | 43 from Metacritic.com

If there's one filmmaker I can't stand more than Woody Allen, its Wes Anderson. Doesn't matter the cast, doesn't matter the story, I just don't like his style. That said, I know Moonrise Kingdom will be considered for the Best Picture nominees for the following reasons. First of all that this is Anderson's first picture since The Fantastic Mr Fox. I can see the Academy trying to collect the great director's of our time once again as they did back in 2009 to have a real showdown amongst the great. Secondly, the film is set in New England and again, American virtues are rife amongst this solid tale of young love and adventure (Huckleberry Finn springs to mind as inspiration). Whilst I may not be enamoured by Moonrise, I'm sure the Academy will and this will be included in Thursday's announcement.  

9. Quartet - "Fancy a little 'rumpy-pumpy'?... Qu'est ce que c'est 'rumpy-pumpy'?"
Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination
Your rating: 

  -/10 

Ratings: 6.7/10 from 767 users   Metascore: 56/100
Reviews: 23 user | 46 critic | 8 from Metacritic.com

I'm not one to give first-time director's much credit but considering the strength of cast, story and location that this film had, Dustin Hoffman has a strong chance of having this film nominated. There were parts of the film that amplified his inexperiences as a director (yes, even at the tender age of 75, you can still be inexperienced), but the remainder was a pleasant story, with amazing moments of comic timing mixed in with reflective gestures on life, love and liberty - all in the name of old age. This may or may not be a strong choice for a nomination but I think the Academy may look fondly on it. 

10. Zero Dark Thirty - "There's a 60% probability he's there...It's 100%, I know certainty freaks you guys out but its 100."
Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 21 wins & 29 nominations

Your rating:

  -/10 

Ratings: 7.5/10 from 8,874 users   Metascore: 95/100
Reviews: 70 user | 90 critic | 34 from Metacritic.com

After her major success as a filmmaker in 2009 with The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow returns to her favourite subject matter with Zero Dark Thirty, an action-thriller centred around one of America's greatest military triumphs - the capture of Osama Bin Laden. For some, it was an emotional end to a journey gone too long. For others, it was just the start of a whole new war. Bigelow artfully explores this amazing story through Jessica Chastain's character, Maya, the human link to an otherwise objective and hard-edged tale of men fighting in a foreign land to capture the evil master. This film will definitely be a contender for Best Picture. If its not, I expect the Academy will likely to be stoned. A film with such power and representation of one of the greatest moments in American history cannot go unnoticed.