Concrete Playground

The new program for The Moonlight Cinema kicks off with Sam Taylor Wood’s John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy. This beautifully constructed film steps behind the legend to reveal a young man torn between two mothers. Another masterful biopic sees the delightful Audrey Tatuou seamlessly embodying the modest beginnings of the fashion icon in Coco Avant Chanel, while Emily Blunt transforms the dour Queen Victoria into a beautiful and vibrant vision in Jean-Marc Vallee’s The Young Victoria.

Other new releases include Spike Jonze’s much-anticipated adaptation of the childhood classic Where The Wild Things Are, James Cameron’s virtual odyssey Avatar, as well as Wes Anderson’s take on Roald Dahl’s wonderful Fantastic Mr. Fox. For all the closet Twi-hards out there both Twilight and the sequel New Moon are screening, while on the other end of the literary spectrum are Peter Jackson’s ghostly Lovely Bones and Guy Ritchie digging into London’s crime roots with Sherlock Holmes.


Australian cinema will also shine in the moonlight with screenings of Scott Hick’s look at single fatherhood The Boys Are Back (starring Clive Owen), Jane Campion’s portrait of romantic poet par excellence John Keats in Bright Star and Bruce Beresford’s graceful Mao’s Last Dancer. Geoffrey Rush and Australian Idol winner Jessica Mauboy will bust a move as well in Rachel Perkin’s youthful romp around Broome in the summer of 1969, Bran Nue Dae.


For those seeking a blast from the past, the timeless Breakfast at Tiffany’s is on offer, as well as Monty Python’s The Life of Brian, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Top Gun, Pulp Fiction and even The Godfather. More recent classics screening include Christopher Nolan’s superlative The Dark Knight, Danny Boyle’s Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire and Hayao Miyazaki’s fantastical fable Ponyo.

There are many more films besides, so be sure to check out the full program before packing your picnic basket and staking out your cinematic spot under the stars.

By Alice Tynan