Movies

The Grey

Powerhouse brothers Ridley and Tony Scott have teamed together for this boys-own survival yarn – and it’s an absolute cracker. Trusting the action to gritty realist director Joe Carahan (Narc) may have been risky, but it paid off in spades, and The Grey is easily up there with any top-of-the-pack wilderness adventures you could name (Deliverance, Touching the Void). Liam Neeson leads a small team of roughneck oil rig workers, stranded after a plane crash through the icy Alaskan tundra, and pursued by vicious and hungry wolves. What distinguishes this above even those other great survival epics is not the jaw dropping action and genuinely terrifying scenes, but the slower paced moments delving into the hearts and souls of the men. They don’t always behave well, and we get a glimpse of the worst of human nature as well as their truly inspiring but desperately nihilistic valor. All to little avail however, the brutal arctic conditions are unforgiving and by half time, most of the men are dog food. And the rest? Do stick around till the end of the credit roll. CTC at Dendy Newtown from Feb 16.

Thanks to Icon Films, we have 10 double in season passes to give away. Email info@ciaomagazine.com.au with your contact details, telling us where you picked up your Ciao.

Shame

Michael Fassbender is a brave man. Most hot young actors on the cusp of superstardom would probably have shied away from a role that required an erection for most of its running time. But despite the absurdly misleading rating, there’s nary a glimpse of THAT! Former concept artist, Steve McQueen, has directed Fassbender before and here he gives his handsome lead actor almost as much grief as he did in the powerful and very harrowing Hunger. Fassbender is Brandon, an outwardly successful corporate jock with the requisite Manhattan high-rise pad and a never-ending string of beautiful women on call. But he’s also a sex-addict. The unexpected arrival of his sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) in a startling scene, which may partially explain the censor’s panic, leads to a downward spiral in Brandon’s life. His fate is signaled early enough, and it’s fairly predictable. But it is the gorgeous Sissy– who earlier on makes her brother (and us) cry with a hauntingly beautiful rendition of New York, New York – who breaks our heart. R18+ at Palace Norton St from Feb 9

Thanks to transmission Films, we have 10 double in season passes to give away. Email info@ciaomagazine.com.au with your contact details, telling us where you picked up your Ciao.

THE BEST OF THE REST

Martha Marcy May Marlene

Elizabeth Olsen (yep, sister to the twins) is Martha, a lost soul who finds that life in a hippie commune has its downsides. That’s putting it mildly... A creepy thriller whose quiet, understated horror brings us into the same uncomfortable terrain as Michael Haneke’s Funny Games. MA15+ at Palace Norton St on now

Any Questions For Ben

If there was any justice in the world, Rob Stitch’s warm, funny and pacey rom-com about an ad-man (Josh Lawson) with a crisis of conscience (now there’s a novel idea!), would end all the doom and gloom talk about the Oz film industry. It should pack ‘em in, but will it? Can the witty Working Dog boys beat the whiffy charmer Red Dog? Woof! M15+ from Feb 9.

Chronicle

Ok, so you’re the type who never ventures beyond the art-house? Which means you are going to miss one of the most original and interesting low budget indies ever! And it’s funded by Rupert! If I had the superpowers Josh Trank gives one of his teenage geek loners in Seattle, I’d force you into a multiplex. M15+ on now