Rev Dr Richard Leonard SJ, film critic for the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, has compiled a list suggesting some of the finest movies from the past four years to get sunk into.
The reasons the church continues to honour the Apostle of Ireland more than 1500 years after his death shine forth in the film “I Am Patrick” (CBN), a docudrama that will be screened in theatres on dates to be announced.
Director David SF Wilson’s passable Valiant Comics adaptation Bloodshot (Columbia) mostly avoids gore. But its protagonist’s drive for revenge, which is front and centre in Jeff Wadlow and Eric Heisserer’s script, is only partially made less problematic by twisty plot developments.
Emma (Focus) is a delightful screen version of Jane Austen’s classic novel, lovely to look at and abounding in gentle humour.
Not that the intended core audience of children is likely to notice, but many of the adults who take them will find that there’s something oddly mechanical and even maladroit about Sonic the Hedgehog (Paramount).
The South Korean feature Parasite (Neon) is a bit of a roller-coaster ride. The film begins as a sly comedy, then takes a surprising turn that leads on to a bloody, operatic climax laden with grim social commentary about class conflict.