The Rough Cut team are here to help you compile the must-sees of the Sydney Film Festival, which have unveiled their biggest program yet.
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The LEGO Movie 2 Wants You To Break The Cycle
Samuel Harris tracks back to his own childhood LEGO obsession to untangle the clever commentary that lies beneath the innocuous optimism of The LEGO Movie’s sequel.
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This Is It, We’re Finally Leaving Neverland
Matilda Dorman reflects upon the revived abuse allegations against Michael Jackson in 2019’s two-parter documentary, Leaving Neverland — through a personal comparison to the 2009 concert film This Is It.
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Thank You For The Music: Coming Of Age in Muriel’s Wedding
P.J Hogan’s 1994 cult classic might just be the most honest Australian coming-of-age film ever made.
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Cinemascopes: Taurus
Luxuriate in earthly delights, but stay grounded this season.
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The Halphabet: 26 Vital Parts of Hal Ashby
Eliza Janssen alphabetises the ‘shaggy humanism’ of Hal Ashby, in light of a release of a documentary on the prolific American director.
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Cinemascopes: Aries
Channel Aries’ headstrong energy this season.
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Making Bigotry A Thing of The Past
Why is Hollywood so obsessed with looking backwards, rather than addressing today’s injustices?
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Moving and Shaking: Embracing the Uncertainty of Teen Sexuality in Giant Little Ones
Michael Sun investigates the state of teen queer cinema after the feel-good optimism of Love, Simon.
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Video Essay: ‘Last Year At Marienbad’ and The Doobie Brother’s ‘What A Fool Believes’ Are About The Same Thing
Eliza Janssen finds an unlikely connection between Alain Resnais’ 1961 arthouse drama and a 70s yacht-rock single.
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A Cat Jumps Out From The Darkness: In Defence of Jump Scares
Why hasn’t the jump scare graduated to the same respectability as the horror genre?
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Oscars 2019 Round Table: A Group Chat
The Rough Cut team bring to you an unconventional chat ahead of the 2019 Academy Awards, bantering predictions, conflicts as critics, and Oscar campaigns.
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What Moves You: Distance in Kogonada’s Columbus
Claire White looks back at the architecture of human connection in Kogonada’s contemplative 2017 drama.
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Vox Lux and the Eerie Imprint of Celebrity Culture
This Natalie Portman-led portrait of a pop idol’s genesis is haunting in its depiction of trauma and mass media in the 21st century.
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Architecture as Comedy: Jacques Tati’s exactingly funny Mon Oncle
Tati grants us a world of extraordinary precision, one that can be compared and fused with ours, like two pieces of tracing paper.
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Video Essay: Partition and Division in Mikey and Nicky
Ivana Brehas examines the split world of Elaine May’s 1976 classic.
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