August 7th 2025
Weapons
Future Council
Missing: Lucie Blackman (streaming on Netflix)
Make it Look Real (streaming on Netflix)
The variety this week couldn't be stronger. A gory comedic horror to make you tremble with fear while laughing, a feel-good Aussie doco of kids fighting for environmental change, and two excellent documentary streamers - how sex scenes are handled in movies, and a missing persons case.
 |
© Universal - an angry parent wants answers
in this funny, terrifying and very clever story. |
2.17 am and 17 children from the one class climb out of bed and walk off into the night. When teacher Justine Gandy fronts to class next morning, only one child, Alex (Cary Christopher) is at school. Distraught parents direct their anger at the teacher, claiming she, or even Alex, must know something. The local police are equally baffled. And so begins an intriguing and very clever deconstruction of the plot: in different segments, each with someone's name heading it up, we gradually discover what happened, sometimes winding back time and repeating a scene from a new perspective. This makes for great viewing; the fun of putting the pieces together like a jigsaw. Ultimately this is a comic horror, populated by a varied assortment of characters: the hated (and vodka swilling) Justine, a local cop and Justine's ex, Paul (Alden Ehrenreich), a concerned parent Archer (Josh Brolin), smarmy school principal, Andrew (Benedict Wong), a neighborhood junkie Anthony (Austin Abrams) and Alex's family, including the rather peculiar Aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan). Creggers talent is how he combines big creepy horror scares with intermittent moments of laugh-out loud comedy. Familiar tropes of reaching for door handles, thumps in the ceiling, and terrifying dreams work extremely effectively, with thoughtful camera angles and suitable soundtrack. Even scenes of ultra-gore retain a bizarre element of humour. The ultimate reveal of what really happened is not quite as intriguing as I might have hoped, but I was never less than entertained. In-depth analysis may unearth possible underlying themes - mass societal panic, the safety and manipulation of children, parental guilt, the use of humans as destructive weapons and more - but overall the film for me succeeds best as a vehicle to shock and entertain. A second viewing may reveal more - if I have the stomach for it!4 - highly recomended
Future Council
 |
© Rialto - kids confronting adults and suggesting
answers to the world's environmental problems |
After putting out a worldwide call from applicants, eco-warrior and director Gameau selects eight 11-year-olds, puts them in a big yellow bus and drives them around Europe. They visit various large corporations, among them Nestle, and the children waste no time in telling the CEOs how they could do their jobs better in terms of environmental damage. These kids are really articulate and passionate about protecting the planet for their own futures. This and their upbeat personalities make for good viewing. Although nothing in the message is new, it is encouraging and uplifting to see such enthusiasm and commitment from young people. Gameau, another environmental warrior, with his easy-going and likeable nature, adds to the watchability, and this is something you can definitely take the kids to, as seeing other kids involved is a great way to get the messages through.3.5- well recommended
Make it Look Real
Dir: Kate Blackmore
Length: 78 mins
Streaming on Netflix
 |
© Bonsai - hard at work rehearsing
a simulated sex scene |
Ever wondered about those steamy sex scenes in a movie? Are they really doing it? If not, how do they make it look so real? More importantly, how do the actors feel about the whole thing? Must be pretty awkward! Well, nowadays most films have an intimacy coordinator to smooth the process - find the actors' levels of comfortability, explain to them about protective patches and pouches to avoid skin to skin contact, and work with the director on how to angle scenes so they look like the real thing when in fact it is all simulated. This deeply fascinating documentary explores the world of intimacy coordinator Claire Warden, who, with her empathetic and no-nonsense manner puts everyone at ease. Actors Albert Mwangi, Sarah Roberts and Tom Davis work with director Kieran Darcy-Smith on a fictional film, as the group show just how three pivotal sex scenes in the film are created. It's a real eye-opener, and especially important for women in the #metoo era, as many female actors can now feel so much more comfortable knowing that they will not be exploited or forced out of their comfort zones. The doco eschews prurience, and goes for information and insight, especially into Claire's caring nature and the perceptions of the actors involved. 4 - highly recommended
Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case
Dir: Hiyoe Yamamoto
Length: 83 mins
Streaming on Netflix
 |
© Netflix - a father seeks answers to
his daughter's disappearance |
A young girls's dream to go on a working holiday in Japan. Every parent's nightmare when they hear their daughter has gone missing. This true-crime documentary looks at the case of missing British tourist Lucie Blackman and her father Tim's quest for answers and justice. Archival footage, reconstruction, interviews and more, reveal a clash of cultures in investigative approaches between Japan and Western countries, . It also exposes a dark underbelly to Japanese society, and the clubs where many foreign women work as hostesses, rendering themselves vulnerable to predators. While the ultimate details of what happened are shocking, the doco doesn't sensationalise, and is both cautionary and worthy watching.3.5- well recommended
