BRUCE DAVEY

THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN (2020)
Starring Mel Gibson, Sean Penn, Natalie Dormer, Ioan Gruffudd, Jeremy Irvine, Brendan Patricks, Adam Fergus, Jennifer Ehle, Brian Fortune and Aidan McArdle. Directed by Farhad Safinia.

The compilation of the Oxford English Dictionary began in 1857 and was one of the most ambitious, and revolutionary projects ever undertaken. Professor James Murray took on the challenge of creating the most comprehensive dictionary ever compiled, but knew that it would take him and his team over a century to compile all known definitions. However, by “crowd sourcing” the work, that is, by enlisting definitions from people all over the world, the dictionary could be compiled in mere decades.

As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor Murray, discovered that one man, Dr. W.C. Minor (Sean Penn), had submitted more than ten thousand words. When the committee insisted on honoring him, a shocking truth came to light: Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was a convicted murderer and being held at an asylum for the criminally insane.

REVIEWS The Professor and the Madman - Mel Gibson's dictionary origin story a dry read

2:22 (2018)
Starring Michiel Huisman, Teresa Palmer, Sam Reid, John Waters, Richard Davies, Maeve Dermody, Kerry Armstrong, Simone Kessell, Remy Hii and Jessica Clarke. Directed by Paul Currie.

Dylan Branson's life is permanently derailed when an ominous pattern of events repeats itself in exactly the same manner every day, ending at precisely 2:22pm. When he falls for Sarah (Palmer), a beautiful woman whose life is threatened by these strange events, Dylan must solve the mystery of 2:22 to preserve a love whose second chance has finally come.

REVIEWS 2:22 - Mind-bending metaphysical mumbo-jumbo

HACKSAW RIDGE (2016)
Starring Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Rachel Griffiths, Richard Roxburgh, Hugo Weaving, Ryan Corr and Firass Dirani. Directed by Mel Gibson.

The extraordinary true story of conscientious objector Desmond Doss who, in Okinawa during the bloodiest battle of WWII, saved 75 men without firing a gun. Believing that the War was just but killing was nevertheless wrong, he was the only American soldier in WWII to fight on the front lines without a weapon.

REVIEWS Hacksaw Ridge - A forgettable film about an extraordinary hero