September 28 2017
Battle of the Sexes
Italian Film Festival: Tenderness
The Dancer

If you haven't caught any of the Italian Film Festival yet, here's a strong recommendation from me. There's also molto entertainment in the tennis/women's lib/coming out story of Billie Jean King vs Bobby Riggs, as well as a tale of rivalry and dance in Paris at the end of the 19th century. 

Battle of the Sexes
Director: Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris
Length: 121 min

© Fox -  Emma Stone and Steve Carrel are 
perfect foils for each other in this highly
entertaining film. 

"Women belong in the bedroom and kitchen, in that order." So said the 1939 Wimbledon champion Bobby Riggs back in the early 1970s, when, at age 55, he challenged 29-year-old Billy Jean King to a play-off, after thrashing Women's Champion Margaret Court. That historic match is the basis of this film, but it deals with so much more, and you don't have to be a tennis fan to love the film. Emma Stone is perfectly cast as King, a feminist who is also coming to terms with her own sexual orientation. Steve Carrell embodies all the braggadoccio of the obnoxious (yet very funny) Riggs. In an era when women's liberation was burgeoning, the old men of lawn tennis associations still sneered at women, so King's passion for the cause really opened a new chapter in women's professional tennis. This playoff is beautifully handled, with Bill Pullman excellent support as the chauvinistic tournament promoter Jack Kramer. Add Alan Cummings as the team's couturier and Andrea Riseborough as Marilyn, Billy Jean's first female love interest, and you have a richly entertaining film that not only encapsulates a special time in sporting history, but also a turning point for gay rights.    
4 - highly recommended!

Italian Film Festival - ongoing
Tenderness
Director: Gianni Amelio

Catch this wonderful film at Palace Como or Palace Westgarth, Friday 6 October, or Palace Balwyn Saturday 7 October

© Palace - new neighbors are much loved by
an old man, whose entrenched life will be changed

Ageing widower and retired lawyer Lorenzo (Renato Carpentieri) is a caring grandfather, but is estranged from his adult children. Despite his cynical approach to life, he becomes close to his new neighbors Michela, Fabio and their two children. When tragedy strikes, Lorenzo's daughter Elena (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) is driven to reach out to her father. This is the sort of film-making I live for - precise observation of the realities of life, intelligently scripted, believable, and beautifully acted by every cast member. Nice also to see our own Greta Scacchi back on screen. This relationship drama has true heart and deep intensity and thoroughly deserves its many awards in Italy.  
4.5 wholeheartedly recommended!

The Dancer

Director: Stephanie di Giusto
Length: 108 min

© Palace - whirling and swirling in gay Paris!

Mid-west gal Marie Louise Fuller (Soko)  travels from mid-west USA to Paris in the Belle Epoche, where she takes the French name Loie and becomes the toast of the town in French cabarets, performing an impressive swirling dance involving metres of silk and long rods attached to her arms. This strange biopic showcases some extraordinary dancing but failed to engage me with its characters. Loie's odd relationship with rival Isadora Duncan (Lily Rose Depp) is also important to the plot, but somehow I never got a real insight into any of the characters and ended up finding it all somewhat forgettable.      
2.5 - maybe