July 16th 2026
The Odyssey
Tycho! Beyond the Baton - one only screening - Sat 18th
In the Hand of Dante (streaming on Netflix)
Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (streaming on MUBI)
Dead Again (streaming on Netflix)
A huge release this week: Christopher Nolan's three-hour version of Homer's Odyssey. And it's a winner! Actors playing dual roles feature in two of the Netflix streamers. Those who remember the variety shows in the early days of TV should catch the doco on Tommy Tycho, while lovers of alternative arthouse films may enjoy the latest MUBI offering.
The Odyssey
Dir: Christopher Nolan
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© Universal - Odysseus hears words of
wisdom from the goddess Athena |
Military commander and king, Odysseus (Matt Damon) leaves his island home in Ithaca to wage war and lay siege to rival city Troy. Returning home is no easy feat, as he encounters monstrous challenges along the way. His loyal wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) waits 20 years for his homecoming, all the while fending off suitors aiming to seize the throne. The challenge of turning such an epic story, full of gods, monsters, battle, blood and grief, into a coherent film has been superbly achieved by director Nolan. He has seamlessly blended Greek legend and mythology with heart-stopping action as well as deep psychological introspection and a hero's journey. The audience thrills and cowers as Odysseus and his men battle the Cyclops, cannibal giants, the six-headed sea monster Scylla, souls of the dead, and the enchantress Circe who turns them into swine. These are only some of the daunting adventures which are part of an interwoven tapestry that moves around in time and place. Odysseus, holed up for seven years on his return journey with the goddess Calypso (Charlize Theron), gradually regains his memory and we see these memories played out in epic scenes, interspersed with the dastardly plotting back in the palace. The suitors to Penelope endlessly feast and threaten the life of Odysseus' son Telemachus (Tom Holland). Chief among them, is viperous, duplicitous Antinous (Robert Pattinson). Behind all this fast-paced, mythological action is another deeper thread, one we can relate to in today's world; that of one man's quest, followed by longing for home, and then soul-searching as to the ethics of what he has set in train through his war-mongering: not only vast destruction but the loss of his men and years of his life. Casting is impressive (although lacking Greeks!), with Damon striking the perfect balance of heroism and self-doubt. Editing of the unforgettable action scenes is genius, while Ludwig Goransson's pounding score builds the tension to a near unbearable climax in one of the film's later scenes. To create a three-hour movie that not only thrills, but gives us universal truths, is a feat Nolan has admirably achieved.4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended
Tycho! Beyond the Baton
Dir: Stephan Wellink
Length: 95 mins
(part of Melbourne Documentary FF, July 18, one screening only @ Cinema Nova)
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© Inkwell Films - Tommy in action.
Maestro extraordinaire. |
Fresh from the Jewish International Film Festival, 2025, here's a surprisingly impressive documentary about a well-known man you may vaguely know, but not know! Tommy Tycho became Channel 7's first musical director in the 1950s, then for six decades led orchestras, composed, backed world-famous artists and, notably, arranged the version on our national anthem that we sing today. Through archival footage and interviews with notable performers and musicians, we learn of Tommy's traumatic background, beginning in Hungary, where as a five-year-old he begged to learn piano. Then he amazingly survived the Holocaust, and headed to an adventurous and intriguing life in exotic lands, finally emigrating to Australia. The film really gets to the heart of this talented and kind man who was possibly never given the appreciation he really deserved for his contribution to our musical culture. Not to mention his ability to straddle all musical genres from light to classical. A must-see for music lovers. 4 - wholeheartedly recommended
In the Hand of Dante
Dir: Julian Schnabel
Length: 110 mins
Streaming on Netflix - 2018
 |
© Netflix - Martin Scorsese lurks behind
a huge beard in this odd tale of modern crime
and literary history |
New York author Nick Tosches (Oscar Isaac) is recruited by a group of mobsters who have got their hands on an old manuscript, purportedly a handwritten version of The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. Nick is tasked with verifying the authenticity of the work. That's the plot thread in the present day. In the past, Dante himself (Oscar Isaac) is wandering around medieval Italy, agonising over his own spirituality and spouting lines from the book he is attempting to laboriously write. There is much to enjoy in this film, and plenty to dislike. What's to enjoy is the stellar cast starting with Isaac in his dual role, with another dual timezone role from Gal Gadot as Gemma, Dante's wife, as well as Giulietta, secretary and love interest to Nick. Then we have Al Pacino, uncle to the young Nick, a questionable man who teaches the small boy his first lessons in amorality. John Malkovitch is a mobster who is at once evil yet sophisticatedly knowledgable in the art world. Gerard Butler is Louie, a NY hitman, and he also plays Pope Boniface. (Butler and Malkovitch are terrific.) Then we have the iconic Martin Scorsese as Isaiah, a wise man, mentor to Dante, and sporting an impossibly huge beard. Add Mr Muscles, Jason Momoa for good measure and the cast is awesome. But . . . the whole film somehow overreaches, attempting to be ultra-violent, and at the same time philosophical and quasi-spiritual. The constant quoting of lines from Dante's writings become tedious, and something about the attempt to draw a parallel between the present characters and the past ones falls short. Nevertheless, I found myself enjoying the acting, along with the stylised switching from black and white to color, depending upon the era, and overall, I was mildly entertained. Ultimately, it's possibly a pretentious crock, but you decide for yourself. 2.5 - maybe
Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo
Dir: Diego Cespedes
Length: 109 mins
Streaming on MUBI - 2025
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© MUBI - lovely sympathetic performances
in an allegory of the AIDS era |
The Cannes Film Festival award Un Certain Regard highlights innovative and unusual film-making. Last year this Chilean film won, and certainly it is unusual, yet hauntingly lovely. Set in a remote desert mining town in 1982 it is the story of orphaned 11-year-old Lidia (Tamara Cortes) who lives with a family of tranvestis or transvestites, who are used, but reviled, by the local miners. Lidia's adoptive "mother" Flamingo (Matias Catalan) is suffering from AIDS, which the locals refer to as the plague. With its magic realism and allegorical approach to its subject matter, this is a powerful exploration of resilience, love and adoptive family as a basis for overcoming fear, homophobia and general prejudice. Young Cortes' performance as Lidia is superb, while the director's compassionate approach to the characters draws us in emotionally.4 - highly recommended
Dead Again
Dir: Kenneth Branagh
Length: 107 mins
Streaming on Netflix - 1991
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© Paramount/ Netflix - two icons of Brit cinema
in early career peformances |
Fancy a bit of light, old-fashioned mystery and fun? Well, here's an oldie but a goodie from the vault, and (as in Dante) featuring the same actors in dual roles. In 1990s LA, private detective Mike Church (Kenneth Branagh) is called to an orphanage where a mute woman (Emma Thompson) with amnesia and suffering nightmares has mysteriously turned up. In attempting to discover her identity, Mike names her Grace and takes her to a hypnotist, Franklyn Madsen (Derek Jacobi). Gradually recovering her voice, Grace talks animatedly of a glamorous couple back in the mid 1940s, wealthy musician Roman Strauss and his wife Margaret (both played by Branagh and Thompson). Strauss had been convicted of murdering Margaret. No more said! The plot becomes progressively convoluted as the film progresses, but the whole thing is entertainment plus. And seeing a young Branagh in his second directorial role and acting opposite his then wife is a delight, with Jacobi being a delicous screen presence. Funny that I watched two similarly themes films in the one week, but compared to Dante, this one is way more fun.3.5 - well recommended
