November 3rd: Releasing   
The Light Between Oceans
Hacksaw Ridge

EXTRA - my catch up -  4 more films
Hell or High Water
Equity
Neon Demon
Joe Cinque's Consolation

Talk about film addiction. Not only have I been previewing new releases but also desperately trying to catch up with many I've missed in my absence.  So, here's a couple that are releasing this week, and another four that have either just released or are near the end of their run. My top picks? Hacksaw Ridge and Equity. Catch 'em if you can!! 

The Light Between Oceans
Director: Derek Cianfriance
Length: 133 min

©EOne - Fassbender and Vikander  - the perfect couple? 

This visually stunning film is based upon ML Stedman's novel, set in a lighthouse off the coast of Western Australia. Tom (Michael Fassbender), the lighthouse keeper, and wife Isobel (Alicia Vikander) rescue a baby washed up in a rowboat. The decisions they make around that discovery will have heart-wrenching implications for them, as well as the baby's mother. (Rachel Weisz).  
With plenty of home-grown talent in the supporting roles, I'm not sure why we have three overseas actors playing the leads, but they certainly look good! As does the cinematography, which is among some of the most beautiful I've seen of late. But I'm puzzled that I didn't cry more than I did. Perhaps the  tear-jerker card was played too relentlessly, and that detracted from the emotional effect, making me see it ultimately as a mega-melodrama.  

3 -  Recommended! (if only for the romance and the beauty)
For a full review:
http://www.cinephilia.net.au


Hacksaw Ridge
Director: Mel Gibson
Length: 138 min

©Icon

As I write, this excellent film has just been nominated for 13 AACTA awards. (That's like the Aussie Oscars for those who don't know.) Yet another film based upon a true story, it tells of Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), a young man with strong religious principles who wanted to serve his country (America) in WWII, but refused to handle a gun. He signed up as a medic, and the sheer selflessness and bravery he displayed in the battle of Hacksaw Ridge at Okinawa beggar belief. A US/Australian co-production, this is a compelling war film. It is to Gibson's credit that he has used so many fine Australian actors in the roles. Among them are Theresa Palmer as Doss's girlfriend, Hugo Weaving his drunken ex-World War I father, Rachel Griffiths his mother and Sam Worthington an army colleague. All are very impressive, as is Yankee Vince Vaughan as Doss's sergeant. The film comes with a warning for the squeamish - this is truly bloody stuff. But don't let that put you off, as this is a multi-layered film, with plenty of war action alongside thoughtful themes of pacifism, bravery, bullying, and friendship. Whatever we may think of Mel's politics, he has done one ultra-fine job of directing. 

4.5 - Wholeheartedly recommended!
For a full review:
http://www.cinephilia.net.au


Hell or High Water
Director: David Mackenzie
Length: 102 min

© Madman

How can you not enjoy a film starring Jeff Bridges? He plays Marcus, a good-natured, slow moving sheriff about to retire, but not until he catches two bank robbers. Brothers Tanner (Ben Foster) and Toby (Chris Pine) are robbing banks like there's no tomorrow (but they do have a good reason for their nefarious activities!) It's a pleasing enough story, which gradually reveals the characters and their motivations, with the relationships all nicely drawn. Behind the droll humour, there's a melancholy feel to the film, with the sense that a small town way of life is dying out, all underscored effectively by the broody soundtrack from Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. It doesn't break new ground, but what it does, it does really well.

3.5 - Recommended!
For a full review from Bernard Hemingway:
http://www.cinephilia.net.au/show_review.php?movieid=6122

Equity
Director: Meera Menon
Length: 100 min
Exclusive to Cinema Nova

Equity is about women who work in the world of high finance - stockbroking and investment banking - a world of competition, ambition, and getting ahead in a cut-throat world. This is a superbly crafted tense drama, with a top cast, and taut direction. Anna Gunn (who played Walt's wife in Breaking Bad) is a stand-out as Naomi Bishop, a  banker, who faces serious personal and work crises when one of her projects is undermined by a colleague. You may have to be quick to catch this fine film, before its season ends. 


4 - Wholeheartedly recommended!
For a full review:
http://www.cinephilia.net.au/show_review.php?movieid=6105


The Neon Demon
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Length: 118 min
Exclusive to Cinema Nova

If you saw Drive or Only God Forgives you'll know that Refn is not a director to everyone's taste, but he certainly is one to be noticed. Here he tackles the world of high fashion, in the story of 16-year-old Jess (an angelic looking Elle Fanning) who heads to Hollywood to become a model.  Her seeming innocence and virginal appeal seem to attract all types - predatory men, older jealous models and hopeful lovers. The film looks lush, stylised and vibrant, but in typical Refn style is violent, shocking and disturbing. It is sensational and voyeuristic, at the same time underscoring the brutality and shallowness of the world of fashion.  


3.5 - Recommended (if you can handle it)!
For a full review:
http://www.cinephilia.net.au/show_review.php?movieid=6118


Joe Cinque's Consolation
Director: Sotiris Donoukis
Length: 102 min

Based upon a true case, as told in Helen Garner's book of the same name, JCC is a truly shocking story of  the fraught and ultimately tragic relationship between Joe (Jerome Meyer)  and Anu (Maggie Naouri), his Indian girlfriend. As the film progresses, we become aware that something is terribly wrong with Anu mentally - her body self-image is distorted and she believes she has a terminal illness that has somehow been caused by Joe. With the help of her friend  Madhavi, she hatches a devastating plan. Other university friends are somehow onlookers to Anu's paranoid schemes, yet they all seem too apathetic or self-absorbed to take a moral stand and speak out, when they see what could happen. What starts out as a seemingly bland narrative becomes progressively tense, raising many vexatious issues by the film's conclusion. 

3.5 - Recommended!
For a full review:
http://www.cinephilia.net.au/show_review.php?movieid=6113