March 26th
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - feature film on Foxtel and Amazon Prime
ACORN TV - streaming service
The Stranger - series on Netflix
Paddington 2 - film on Foxtel
ACMI at home - curated films from Melbourne's home of discerning cinema

I feel as if I'm part of some strange apocalyptic film, and remain more in disbelief each day. Folks - heed the warnings, get the knowledge and follow advice from experts (like Norman Swan of the ABC), and above all please keep yourselves safe out there. When you need to chill out, what better way than to indulge yourselves in films and top-shelf TV series. Again this week I bring you a few ideas - a new streaming service, films and series on pay TV and a great new service from our wonderful ACMI. 
(Again, apologies for formatting - pulling stuff out of my archives presents extreme reformatting challenges in this program!)  

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Director: Quentin Tarantino

Length: 160 min
2019

© Sony - Pitt and di Caprio are superb together

Revisionist history and a love song to the end of Hollywood's golden era seems to be the focus of this splendidly entertaining sprawling tale, a mix of fact and fiction, set in Hollywood in 1969. Rick Dalton (Leonardo di Caprio) is a bit of a has-been, once a famous TV star but never huge in movies. His long-time stunt double Cliff (Brad Pitt) seems to be the only friend left in his life. But Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and husband Roman Polanski have moved in next door, firing Rick's hopes of reigniting his career. To go into the intricacies and details of every character would possibly spoil this film. It's a movie experience to be savoured, as it rambles its way around the many interwoven lives, including those of the Manson family of hippies hanging out on a run-down ranch, once a movie set. There are some incredibly memorable scenes; a precocious 8-year-old child-actor propping up Rick's crumbling self-esteem, Al Pacino as a crazed spaghetti western producer, Cliff's extraordinary (and significant, plot-wise!) dog salivating over an impending meal, the atmosphere of cool people and fast cars in the winding roads of the Hollywood hills, and best of all the denouement - something that never happened - which rewrites history, and is a violent, typically Tarantino-esque finale that will repel some people, and delight others. The 60s sound track is absolutely stunning, and the overall evocation of the era, with its signage, cars, hippie vibe and Hollywood glam, is inspired and flawless. Much has been written about this film, mostly positive, while the usual nay-sayers have criticisms of some of the representations of real-life characters like Bruce Lee, even Sharon Tate. All I can say is I loved it!
4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended!

Acorn TV

Recognise a young Richard Roxburgh
and Susie Porter from the
excellent Aussie series,
East of Everything?  

For those who haven't yet heard of Acorn TV, here's the low-down. This is a streaming service offering world-class TV from Britain and beyond, featuring many of your favorite series, plus new additions every week. Complete series of shows like Foyle's War, George Gently and the Indian Doctor are there. Add in comedies like Cold Feet and The Delivery Man. Fans of crime thrillers can binge on the likes of Jack Irish, Collision and Injustice. Favorites like Broadchurch, Midsomer Murders, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and Doc Martin are available, along with much, much more. Every week, new shows and seasons are added, and stay tuned for new exclusives to turn up. 
This is great news for fans who love to binge this style of TV, but even better news is this special offer. The normal 7-day trial period has been extended to a 30-day trial period. All you do is sign up at  https://au.acorn.tv using the special code ‘ACORNTVAU30’.
I will be checking out some of the shows that call to me (preparing for square eyes) and giving you a few personal recommendations over the next however long we need to be cooped up. I've started watching London Kills, a detective drama, with the sort of solid acting we expect from BBC dramas. So far it's got me in.  

The Stranger

8 episode Netflix Series

Richard Armitage is a stand out in the lead role

Harlan Coben is a popular mystery/thriller writer. This adaptation of his book is the story of Adam (Richard Armitage) who is approached by a young woman who tells him about a secret Adam's wife has been keeping from him. When Adam confronts his wife she goes missing. The stranger continues to approach various people, either revealing secrets she claims they need to know, or demanding money not to expose those secrets. Throw in a tangled web of plot lines, from teens having a weird silent disco in the forest with one of them critically injured, a decapitated alpaca, stolen football club money, lies, deception and hidden family connections and you have a real potboiler. I found myself compulsively watching it, but being very disappointed with the major "reveal" at the end. This is often the case with both novels and series of this nature. A couple of standout performances mark the series - Armitage in the lead role, and Siobhan Finneran as the detective leading the hunt for Adam's wife.

Paddington 2

Dir: Paul King
Length: 105 min
2017

Studio Canal - Paddington is charming and irrepressible-
fun for kids and grown-ups alike

Some of you may come with preconceptions and wonder why I've given "unmissable" to this apparent kids film. Well, think again! This absolutely charming and irresistible film sets out to do what it intends, and more! Our furry friend (voiced by Ben Wishaw) is living happily in London with the Brown family (Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins plus kids), when he is unjustly accused of a crime and ends up in the clink. I shan't tell you much more of the fabulous plot, but you need to know that some top Brit actors are here. Brendan Gleeson is perfect as Knuckles the aggro prison cook, Julie Walters, as always, is splendid, along with Joanna Lumley in a fun cameo. Hugh Grant almost steals the show in one of his best camped-up roles in ages, as the villain, The plot is heartwarming yet tense, balancing Paddington's endless positivity with the challenges he now faces, and giving the audience thrills and laughs galore with whacky prison goings on, chases involving trains, a sideshow with a mystery treasure, the Brown family doing a Da Vinci Code style investigation, and a villain who is the master of impersonation and disguise. There are countless references to famous films, fabulous one-liners for both kids and adults, and a level of both humour and true emotion that I haven't experienced for a long while. Add fabulous London sets, and mind-boggling good incorporation of a CGI bear into the real world, this movie is:
5 - unmissable!

Great news from ACMI

One from the archives - Roman Holiday

Australian Centre for the Moving Image has announced an exciting new program of film offerings and workshops. I reprint excerpts from their press release: 

Virtual Cinémathèque

ACMI  have decided to launch our own Virtual Cinémathèque. Every Tuesday we'll release details of our weekly Virtual Cinémathèque via ACMI & Melbourne Cinémathèque social media. We’ll do our best to choose from freely available and accessible platforms - and for those of you who want to recreate the communal experience of watching as a collective - there is a free program called Metastream that allows you to invite your friends to watch at the same time, from your respective homes.

Info: https://www.acmi.net.au/events/melbourne-cinematheque/

Free streaming with friends: https://getmetastream.com/

ACMI at Home:

We recommend the best of ACMI to experience at home. Each week we're sharing our curatorial insight into different films, artworks, TV series or videogames, as well as where you can find them online. A perfect way to spend all those hours at home. First up is one from our archives – our 2015 film season ROMA! The Screen Life of the Eternal City.

Info: https://www.acmi.net.au/ideas/read/acmi-at-home-roma-retrospective/

Running Free: online workshops for the screen industries

We’re partnering with Media Mentors to create twice-weekly micro skills workshops for the screen industries (and keen movie lovers) that people can view on ACMI’s YouTube channel. Workshop leaders will be available on Twitter for conversation via hashtag after the workshops are uploaded at 10am every Wed and Fri.