The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Braving the cold for yet another midnight opening session of The Twilight Saga, Michael Calle wonders how the latest installment, Eclipse, only managed to get worse.

Calling all bloggers…

If you have a blog, upstart wants to hear from you. Get in touch with us at contact@upstart.net.au.

In the Green Zone

Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass have teamed up again. Michael Calle discusses Green Zone, the latest in a string of contemporary war films.

upcast: episode 1

upstart has learnt to speak! In episode one of upcast we talk sport with Ben Waterworth, learn about Chatroulette with Laura Carroll and talk Green Zone with Michael Calle.

Review: Crazy Heart

So what’s so special about Jeff Bridges? Dude, you can’t be serious, says James Madden in his review of the Oscar-nominated Crazy Heart.

Can anything “hurt” Avatar?

The 82nd Academy Awards are looming. The conspicuously underacknowledged Michael Calle previews what is shaping up to be a done-and-dusted Oscar night.

The long, hard road to disaster film utopia

It’s been a long hard road for Australian director John Hillcoat’s adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy classic post-apocalyptic novel ‘The Road’. Faced with multiple production setbacks and numerous release switch-ups, Hillcoat overcomes them all, turning in a refreshingly new take on the disaster film. Minus the disaster.

Not the best films of the decade — but close

The noughties was a memorable decade for film. Just think of such gems as Battlefield Earth, Glitter starring Mariah Carey, and Catwoman — none of which made Michael Calle’s list of the ten best films of the decade.

Avatar: Review

Avatar has literally added a new dimension to the cinema experience, according to upstart’s film critic Michael Calle.

Zombieland: Review

Zombies, roller coasters, a gun-toting Woody Harrelson and slow motion. Lots of slow motion. Our resident zombie expert Michael Calle takes a look at Ruben Fleischer’s directorial debut ‘Zombieland’ and considers the current state of the modern zombie film.

About upstart magazine

upstart is a project of La Trobe's Journalism, Media Studies and Cinema Studies programs. The site showcases the writing of emerging journalists, while providing a platform for new adventures in journalism.

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