- Monday, December 3
The cinema’s arch-cynic Wilder here outdoes even himself for excoriating, acidic satire. Exploring the media and it’s ability to ‘shape’ the news, this prescient film presents a true ‘media circus’, and features a truly toxic performance from Kirk Douglas, as a ruthless newspaper man determined to claw his way back to the top at any cost.
THE HUSTLER (Robert Rossen, 1961)
- Monday, December 10
Rossen’s bleak, hard-boiled monochrome portrait of pool-hall sharks, adapted from Walter Tevis’ novel, features stunning performances from Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, George C. Scott and a tragic Piper Laurie and is credited with introducing the term ‘born loser’ into the language – watch it and see why.
WAKE IN FRIGHT (Ted Kotcheff, 1971)
- Monday, December 17
To round out the year, we have a very exciting treat, in the form of this rarely seen classic of Australia cinema. Directed by Ted Kotcheff (whose eclectic CV includes ‘First Blood’ and’ Weekend At Bernie’s’), this is the story of a mild-mannered schoolteacher who arrives in the outback town of Bundanyabba, and runs afoul of the local brand of ‘hospitality’. Regarded as one of the greatest Australian films ever made, a home-grown equivalent of ‘Deliverance’.
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