September 6th

Juliet Naked
McQueen
The Merger
Wayne
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
You Were Never Really Here
Hearts Beat Loud

Really???!!! Seven new films reviewed today, and even more released. It all seems a little insane to me. We barely get time to digest what we've seen, mull over it and savour it, before we are racing off to see the next one. Well, that's how I feel about this over-abundance of new films. But, as always, there are several gems here, and the rest mostly reasonably worthy. If you're ever wondering why I rarely give lousy reviews, it's that I pre-select what I go off to preview. If a film sounds ghastly I ask the question - "why waste two hours of my life on that?" If I'm proven wrong and colleagues tell me it's wonderful, then I can catch it later. 

Juliet, Naked
Director: Jesse Peretz
Length: 98 min
Exclusive to Cinema Nova

© Roadshow - Rose Byrne and Ethan Hawke light up 
the screen as the rock star who isn't quite what we
imagine, and a woman who discovers this.

Annie (Rose Byrne) has lived for 15 years with college lecturer Duncan (Chris O'Dowd). Trouble is, Duncan is egocentric, boring and obsessively runs a fan website for a singer Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke) who made one record 25 years ago then disappeared. When a demo tape comes to light and Annie writes a scathing review on Duncan's site, the real Crowe makes contact with her, and unexpected connections ensue. This film is charming, warm, funny and has a big heart, as is often the case with stories adapted from Nick Hornby novels. Sure, there are predictable elements but the characters feel authentic, with Annie and Tucker delivering dialogue that is light, touching and funny, and actually feels like real, with both characters looking for a second chance in life. O'Dowd is a hoot as the pretentious academic/crazed fan, and the three leads elevate the story to something special. The soundtrack is a winner, as is the performance of Azhy Robertson, as the youngest of Tucker's  many kids. Some critics have been cruel, but I loved this.
4 - highly recommended!

McQueen

Director: Ian Bonhote
Length: 111 min

© Madman - genius
designer Alexander
McQueen

Lee Alexander McQueen was born in working class London, with family expectations that he'd become a tradie. He grew up to be one of the most influential artists and fashion designers of the early nineties until his tragic suicide in 2010. I'm not interested in the world of fashion per se, but this man's creative genius goes beyond the idea of fashion as clothing, to fashion as art statement. He uses the body as a base for his incredible sculptures. This wonderful doco uses rare footage of his life, interviews with family and friends to give an insight into the world of this energetic but troubled man, from his work with the houses of Givenchy, to Gucchi, as well as his own unique fashion label.  McQueen's inner demons and quirks led him to shock audiences with outrageous runway displays. The brilliance of the garments leaps off the screen and definitely should be seen on as large a screen as possible, while Michael Nyman's haunting music simply adds to the overall impact of the tragic genius.
4 - highly recommended!

The Merger
Director: Mark Grentell
Length: 98 min

©Umbrella - Bodgy Creek footy team 
enlists local refugees to swell 
the ranks.

Hot from its world premiere at MIFF, The Merger features truckloads of Aussie humour, country-town dagginess and good-hearted, not so subtle messages.  Screenwriter Damian Callinan, who toured this as a stage production, plays Troy Carrington, ex-footballer who is unpopular in the town of Bodgy Creek, because of his environmentalist views. When the failing local footy team, the Roosters, faces being merged, Troy is talked into coaching them. But they need more players and he recruits a group of local refugees to get into the action. This is a warm-hearted Aussie comedy, mixing archetypical Australian-ness with relevant themes of refugees, racism, (and of course a dollop of romance). For authenticity, part of the film was shot in Wagga, which has a strong refugee community. Comedy stalwart John Howard features as club president Bull Barlow, along with a winning turn by Rafferty Grierson, as Bull's precocious grandson, who wanders round in a chicken suit making a home video of Troy and the club's efforts. This is a winner, which should put a smile on everyone's face!
3.5 - well recommended!

Wayne
Director: Jeremy Sims
Length: 97 min

© Transmission - the larrikin from 
"the 'gong" dominated motor 
cycle racing

Wayne Gardner was born in the working class NSW town of Wollongong. Never much for school, he hung out riding dirt bikes and getting a taste for speed and adventure. After buying his first trail bike for $5, there was no looking back. The young boy went from strength to strength, riding in motorcycle races, and ending up the first Aussie to win the World Motorcycle Grand Prix.  I love a good doco about a battler who becomes a legend - and this sure fits the bill.  You don't need to have much interest in motorcycle racing to get a lot out of this film, but if you love the sound, fury and daredevilry of the sport, you'll have a major ball. With many interviews of Wayne today, along with his old arch-rivals, his girlfriend Donna and a heap of excellent archival footage, the film successfully balances the present with the past, and showcases the legacy this bloke has left for his beloved sport. Good-old fashioned love and devotion also feature in the high-profile role girlfriend Donna played, back in the golden age of the sport.
3.5 - well recommended!

The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Director: Desiree Akhavan
Length: 91 min

© Rialto - three teens forced into "gay 

conversion therapy" find friendship

Cameron Post (Chloe Grace Moretz) is orphaned at an early age and sent to live with guardians. The narrative starts in her late teens with her at the school prom, being discovered in the back seat of a car with another girl. Her ultra-conservative guardians send her off to a facility called God's Promise, where "sinful" young folk are forced to undergo gay conversion therapy. Though set in the 1990s, it is somewhat timely, as the ghastly practice of trying to "convert" gay youngsters is alive and well, especially in the American bible-bashing belt. The kids are bombarded with bible platitudes, Christian rock music, and self-loathing indoctrination from the camps' leaders, Reverend Rick, himself a "gay convert" and his sister Dr Marsh, creepily played by Jennifer Ehle. The youngsters manage, despite everything to make friendships and find ways to make life bearable. The film is gentle, keeps a modicum of low-key humour,  while the three lead performances of Moretz,  Sasha Lane and Forrest Goodluck are especially strong. The dramatic narrative never really hits great heights, yet there is something uplifting about it all, certainly enough for the film to win the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.
3.5 - well recommended!

You Were Never Really Here
Director: Lyn Ramsay
Length: 89 min

© Umbrella - Phoenix at his best as a
taciturn rescuer of trafficked girls

Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) is ex-Iraqi military, ex-FBI and now a hired gun used mainly for missions to rescue abducted and trafficked girls. The man is an enigma - psychologically tormented with constant suicidal thoughts. We see flashbacks to his own brutalised youth. When he finds perpetrators of heinous crimes he in turn punishes them viciously using a ball hammer. But with his elderly mother he is gentle and loving. Joe is hired by a senator to find his missing daughter Nina (Ekaterina Samsonov). What ensues could be the salvation of both these lonely individuals. I know not everyone likes this genre of film, but it is not a typical hitman film - it's not really about the violence, but about the effects of a life of trauma, and whether humanity can be retained. Phoenix is at his best (Cannes winner of Best Actor), playing the saddest guy I've seen on screen in a long while.The overall production of the film is edgy, tense, beautifully shot and edited, with a driving, almost Morricone-esque soundtrack.  
4 - highly recommended!

Hearts Beat Loud
Director: Jeremy Sims
Length: 97 min
Exclusive to: Classic Elsternwick, Lido Hawthorn, Sun Yarraville

© Sony- father and daughter decide to make
a bit of music together in this sweet-hearted, 
low-key film 

Frank Fisher (Nick Offerman) has decided to close his old-fashioned vinyl record shop. His daughter Sam (Kiersey Clemons) is leaving for college soon so Frank encourages a few more music jam sessions between them, as a way to stay connected. What emerges from the home studio recordings they make is more than anyone expects. Hopeful musicians should really get something good out of this one. It is very humble in its approach - not a lot happens and it is mostly about the song-writing process (albeit presented in a pretty cursory glossed-over fashion), and about the connection between a widowed father and his beloved talented daughter. It's the sort of film one can pick fault with, but it has so much heart and sweetness to it, plus lovely performances from Clemons and Offerman, that I'm cutting it some slack. Add Toni Collette into the mix as the landlady of the shop, and you've got an amiable, entertaining way to pass time in the cinema.
3 - recommended!