November 7th:  BLOG EXTRA

More JIFF: Dark Diamond,  Our Father,  Monsieur Mayonnaise
Elle
The Accountant

  

JIFF (Jewish International Film Festival)  - ongoing - some recommendations

I managed to see several films and so far my Numero Uno pick is Monsieur Mayonnaise, the uplifting, fascinating, and totally enjoyable doco by Phillippe Mora, about his mother, Mirka, and father George, their family history and their escape from the Holocaust. Phillippe obviously had much fun with his film, injecting humour into a serious topic. He employs a multitude of media from paintings, graphic novels, film-making within a film, and historic narrative, to create a sense of a bygone era both in Europe and Melbourne. It is also a  warm and wonderful picture of two much-loved and talented people. 

Our Father: Nominated for 12 Ophir awards in Israel, this is an uncompromising and disturbing thriller about Ovadia, a nightclub bouncer, who is hopeful of becoming a father. Needing more money he chooses the wrong people to do some "extra work" for. The film's pace is relentless the acting excellent, and the narrative a salutary lesson. 

Dark Diamond: An engaging thriller about Pier, the black sheep of an Antwerp diamond dealing family. Inspired by revenge he inveigles his way into the family business, with terrible consequences. It should please lovers of a good heist film.  

JIFF, with its 68 new films, is wholeheartedly recommended!
Monsieur Mayonnaise plays on 20 Nov
Our Father plays on 13, 17 19 Nov
Dark Diamond plays on 18 Nov

For a full JIFF program, running until Nov 23, go to:
http://www.jiff.com.au

Elle
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Length: 130 min

© Sony - Huppert shines in her role. 

Huppert is at her ice-queen best as a woman who, in the opening scene, is raped by an intruder. She chooses to continue as if nothing has happened. As the story progresses and her character unfolds, we suspect she also is a bit of a psychopath, with a very murky past. In fact, all the characters seem off-kilter in their own ways. This is the sort of psychological thriller than has me enthralled throughout, with uniformly great acting (especially by Huppert) and a tense plot with twists and turns to keep the viewer on edge. 

4 - wholeheartedly recommended!
For a full review from Andrew Lee:
http://www.cinephilia.net.au/show_review.php?movieid=6123 

The Accountant
Director: Gavin O'Connor
Length: 128 min

© Warner Brothers

Ben Affleck is back, as an accountant with Asperger's Syndrome. His attention to detail makes him excellent at his job, and he does a lot of work for criminals. But when he takes a "straight job" with a robotics company  to track down some missing millions, things get muddied, and he finds himself  fighting for his life and the life of one of the company's employees (Anna Hendricks). Cinema goers who like the action genre seem to love it, critics not so much. I confess to being entertained, even though the film doesn't quite know if its thematic focus is Asperger's or high-level action (the sort which is always so implausible). The plot has some neat twists, set-ups and payoffs, and with a supporting cast of the likes of JJ Abrams and John Lithgow it makes for reasonable viewing.  

2.5 - Maybe! 
For a full review:
http://www.cinephilia.net.au/show_review.php?movieid=6124