August 31 2017
Ali's Wedding
God's Own Country
Gifted
Girl's Trip
47 Metres Down

This week's films go from the sublime to the ridiculous. No doubt the sort of films I really go for show something about my basic nature; I certainly seem to enjoy dramatic movies far more than comedy (with a few notable exceptions). Nevertheless, it takes all sorts, and this week's selection should have something to offer for all tastes! 

Ali's Wedding
Director: Jeffrey Walker
Length: 110 min

© Madman - a romantic comedy that has crowd-pleaser

written all over it. 

Ali (Osamah Sami) is the son of a Melbourne Imam, Mahdi (Don Hany). He is also a victim of his parents' expectations and those of the broader Muslim community. Of course they want him to be a doctor! When he tells one reckless lie, Ali sets in train a catastrophic chain of events. Caught between his sense of family obligation and his heart, Ali grapples for the right thing to do. This is a true story based upon actor/writer Sami's award-winning book A Good Muslim Boy. It's a timely tale, told with much heart and good humour. Filmed in and around Coburg, it depicts the local Muslim community in an affectionate way that cuts through all the current hysteria, and makes audiences keenly aware of the difficulties young Muslims must face straddling two worlds and cultures. I find some of the characters a little too stereotyped, and it's barely credible that Ali would get away with some of the deceptions he perpetrates (though, as they say, truth is stranger than fiction!) Despite this there are some real strengths, especially Helena Swires as Dianne, the gal of Ali's heart, the recognisable and beautifully shot Melbourne settings, but above all the messages of tolerance and love, within families and broader society. 
3.5 - recommended!

Gods Own Country
Director: Francis Lee
Length: 104 min

© Rialto - searing emotional realism, as young farm
hands get up close and personal

John lives on  a rugged sheep farm in Yorkshire with his dour Grandma and his father, who has suffered a stroke. He works hard by day and escapes via boozing and casual sex with men at night. When a Romanian worker Georghe is hired to help out, the men get together, initially in an aggressive almost animalistic way, but soon the gentle European is helping John get in touch with feelings the taciturn young Yorkshire lad never knew existed. One can't help but draw comparisons with Brokeback Mountain, but this film is even more raw and confronting. The careful attention to detail of farm life and tending the animals is absolutely exquisite, and much of the emotion between the men is conveyed without dialogue. The film tells an important story of self-discovery, tenderness and redemption, themes which, regardless of sexual orientation, are universal. This is top-shelf film-making. 
4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended (as long as you're not a prude!) 

Gifted
Director: Marc Webb
Length: 101 min

© Roadshow - cute and smart!!

Films about child geniuses seem to have a head start, especially if the kid is cute! This little smarty is seven-year-old Mary, (McKenna Grace), whose mother suicided and who is being raised by her uncle Frank (Chris Evans). Frank is determined to give Mary as normal a life as possible, but when Mary's genius for mathematics comes to the attention of her  teachers, things get tricky. Trickier still when Mary's maternal grandmother (Lindsay Duncan) turns up and is determined to fight Frank for custody and the opportunity to allow Mary's prodigy gene to blossom. Although there is nothing ground-breaking in the film-making, there is plenty to enjoy: the young lead is simply adorable without being cloying, and Evans and Duncan feel real in their roles. The issues the film raises, of fraught family past, secrets and ensuing conflict, along with the question of what is best for the child, are all worth pondering. Add into the mix Octavia Spencer as Roberta, Frank's landlord, Jenny Slate as Bonnie, Mary's teacher, and you have an thoroughly entertaining, at times tear-inducing story. 
3 - recommended!

Girl's Trip
Director: Malcolm D Lee
Length: 122 min

© Universal - fun for some? Not me! 

Here's a worry for me - so many critics seem to be raving about this one, touting it as the best raunchy comedy in a long time. With a great cast, including Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett-Smith, I went with high hopes, but found myself barely cracking a smile. Not because it's crude and crass, (which worked really well for me in Bridesmaids) but because I found it ludicrously over the top, trying too hard to be the loudest, most raucous and most vulgar. Celebrating the black sisterhood, it follows four friends on a trip to New Orleans, where they over-indulge in everything and up the ante on grossness. Sure, the friendships themselves feel real, the womens' energy is impressive, but the cliches are overblown, and the balancing of sickly girly sentimentality with all the crudity left me cold. Oh well, perhaps I'm just not the demographic for this one!
2 - you've got better things to do with your time!

47 Metres Down
Director: Johannes Roberts
Length: 89 min

© Vendetta - "uh-oh - a shark is coming - don't
worry - it'll be fine!" 

Sisters Kate (Claire Holt) and Lisa (Mandy Moore) are on holiday in Mexico. Kate, the more reckless of the two, convinces Lisa to go on a "fun" adventure where they are lowered into the water to observe the great white sharks circling from the "safety" of a cage. Predictably, the winch breaks, the cage descends, and the oxygen supply runs low.  
Where do I begin on this one? It's almost a case of so bad it's good! The dialogue is the most idiotically banal I've heard in a long while, Matthew Modine is unsuitably cast as the boat's captain, and at times the visuals are so dark and murky one can hardly see what's happening. (That could be deliberate, but doesn't make for easy viewing.) The logistics of the plot are generally unbelievable and the final "twist" is a puzzlement. Despite all this, there were moments where I felt decidedly tense and totally claustrophobic. It's no Jaws, but if you like to hear terrified girls shriek, gasp and panic while great whites circle, this genre film could be for you!
2 - you've got better things to do with your time!

August 24 2017
Studio Ghibli Retrospective - ACMI
The King's Choice
Maudie
American Made
Killing Ground
The Lost City of Z

It's a bumper issue this week, with all manner of films, from art-house to horror. Four of the five films are based upon true stories, while the Studio Ghibli retrospective is a major treat for lovers of quality Japanese animation.

Celebrate Studio Ghibli
ACMI Cinemas - 24 August to 25 September 2017

© Madman/ACMI - My Neighbour Totoro is one of 

Studio Ghibli's earliest and most delightful animations

Spirited Away, Ponyo, Howl's Moving Castle, My Neighbour Totoro . . . the list goes on. 23 of the exquisitely executed films that have come out of the renowned Japanese animation studio will be screening at ACMI for a special season. If you haven't seen these wonderful films, then consider this an unmissable opportunity to catch up! Age is no barrier - the films deal so sensitively and insightfully with life's issues, that they are a treat for all ages. 
For information on dates, times and the films visit:
acmi.net.au/ghibli
4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended

The King's Choice
Director: Erik Poppe
Length: 130 min

© Palace - a little known part of Norway's history
is revealed in a tale both personal and political 

Fresh from the recent Scandinavian Film Festival, this little known (well, to me) story is of three fateful days in Norway's history. In April 1940 Germany gave Norway an ultimatum: surrender or die! The aging King Haakon (Jesper Christensen) is a monarch elected and loved by the people, and he takes his sense of duty very seriously. The agonising decision he makes will have ramifications for all of his country.
This is a film that requires careful attention to the complex political machinations and historical background, yet the compelling performance by Christensen as the King lends the film a depth of emotion that surprised me. He portrays the man as a deeply caring human being - for both his family and his country. The relationship between Haakon, his son Olav and his grandchildren is beautifully portrayed, and the danger in which his family finds themselves makes the film increasingly gripping. Complemented by beautiful cinematography, an excellent soundtrack and a tense, complex plot, this somewhat long film is worth the effort.  
4 - highly recommended!

Maudie
Director: Aisling Walsh
Length: 115 min

© Transmission - Ethan Hawke and Sally Hawkins
form an unlikely couple living an extraordinary
life in snowy Nova Scotia

This is the true story of Maud Lewis, who was born in 1905 in Nova Scotia. She suffered childhood rheumatoid arthritis which progressively crippled her body, but somehow she managed to wield a paintbrush and become one of Canada's much-loved folk artists. The film takes up where Maud answers an ad to be a housekeeper to a grumpy, taciturn recluse, Everett (Ethan Hawke). The privations of their simple life together, the slow blossoming of an unlikely love, and Maud's progressive dedication to her art, despite her growing infirmity, is lovingly portrayed in this sublime film. Maudie has already won several awards, and I believe it has Oscar written all over it, especially for Hawkins' career-best performance. This deeply touching sweet film is almost note-perfect in every regard.
4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended

American Made
Director: Doug Liman
Length: 115 min

© Universal - one of Cruise's best performances in ages
in this  highly entertaining story of America's involvement 
in all manner of no-good!

Terrifically entertaining from go to whoa, American Made is the true story of TWA pilot Barry Seal (Tom Cruise), who was co-opted to work for the CIA in the 1980s, and from there went on to become one of America's wealthiest men. Although supposedly working for the "good guys" (the CIA!), Barry was soon intricately involved in running guns and drugs, transporting soldiers training to fight in Central America, and finally became a key player in both Pablo Escobar's Medillin cartel, and the Iran-Contra affair. I've never been a huge Tom Cruise fan, but he's at his best in this role as the energetic, cocky but somehow likeable Seal. Liman's approach to his subject matter is just right - laid-back and light, action-packed, tense at times, funny, and with a rousing soundtrack. This is the best of the mainstream Hollywood style, and as an expose of the hypocritical duplicitous side of US government, it's a winner!  
4 - highly recommended!

Killing Ground
Director: Damien Power
Length: 90 min

© Mushroom Films - fear and survival rule in this

disturbing Aussie horror film

To celebrate New Year in romantic isolation, Sam (Harriet Dyer) and Ian (Ian Smith) go camping in the woods. But things turn ugly when they discover their neighbour's tent abandoned, and find a lost toddler wandering alone. Reviewing this sort of film gives me great angst - for those who love the horror/thriller genre no doubt it will be a pleasing addition to the collection. As a genre film, Killing Ground does all the right things - builds the tension, delivers plenty of killing (as promised by the title), and gives viewers a cathartic ending. The cinematographer's keen eye employs the Aussie bush with terrifying effect (as in many films of this nature). Aaron Pederson, as a pathologically cold killer, and Aaron Glenane as his equally sadistic sidekick, both play their parts to a tee and there is a fleeting reference to past slaughter of Aborigines at the campsite,  as if implying evil has infected the place . . . but there is something so heartless and nasty about the film's content that I find myself wondering why movie-makers' bother to "celebrate" such murderousness. 
3 - only recommended as a well-made genre film for horror fans, but NOT recommended for others! 

The Lost City of Z
Director: James Gray
Length: 140 min

© Studio Canal - jungles and explorers make for
a good old fashioned story.

This cracking yarn is the true story of Percy Fawcett, (Charlie Hunnam) a British soldier turned explorer who is sent off by the Royal Geographical Society in 1905 to map the Amazonian jungle in Bolivia.  With his trusty aide-de-camp Henry Costin (Robert Pattinson), he discovers what he believes is evidence of a lost civilisation deep in the jungle. He is initially ridiculed by the stuffy RGS, but eventually makes further expeditions, convinced he can find the proof. This is an engaging story of a man's dedication to a quest, but it also examines his internal conflict between ambition and his love for wife Nina (impressively played by Sienna Miller) and his three children. Shot in the deepest jungles of Columbia, the film feels old-fashioned in its style, but also very authentic, with disease, snakes and cannibals looming large. Although the adventure never quite soars to the heights it could have, the story is impressive and the cinematography quite beautiful. 
3.5 - recommended! 

August 20 2017
Logan Lucky
Madame

The overload of films releasing, along with the endless festivals, sometimes makes it hard to catch up with them all in time for a Thursday review. This week I give you two (of the many more!) that have just hit the cinemas. Neither is deep and meaningful, nor are they groundbreaking movie-making, but both are a jolly good entertainment in their own right.  

Logan Lucky
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Length: 119 min

© Roadshow - much fun is to be had with the 

unlucky (bogan!) Logan family. 

The Logan family are a bunch of West Virginian rednecks, noted for their bad luck. Jimmy (Channing Tatum) has just been fired, brother Clyde (Adam Driver) lost his arm in Iraq, and sister Mellie (Riley Keogh) works in a low paid hairdressing job. Determined to turn things around they decide to execute a daring robbery at the nearby Charlotte Speedway on the day of a big Nascar race. To help with logistical details they need Joe Bang (Daniel Craig) - but he's serving time in jail! There is a lot to like in this whacky comedy featuring likable everyday characters who are not really criminals at heart. With dry humorous dialogue, zany plot points like sink holes under the Speedway and breaking people into jail, this film works a treat. There's some good car-racing sequences, an energetic soundtrack, and a superb comic performance from Daniel Craig, who is so far from his Bond stereotype as to be almost unrecognisable!  This good-natured, easy-going caper is unpretentious and a delightfully fresh take on the heist genre. 
4 - highly recommended! 

Madame
Director: Amanda Sthers
Length: 91 min

© Studio Canal - I disagree with those
 who bagged the film!  I got major 
enjoyment from it!

Seems some folks are being very unkind to this romantic class comedy, starring Toni Collette as Anne, the snobbish younger wife of ageing Bob (Harvey Keitel). The wealthy couple are temporarily residing in Paris, and when a dinner party requires an extra person, Anne orders their Spanish maid Maria (Rossy de Palma) to fill the gap. Masquerading as a mysterious royal personage, Maria draws the attention of Irish art dealer David Smiley, and the ensuing romance flabbergasts and infuriates Anne. Yes, there are some trite stereotypes, and possibly a number of unbelievable happenings. Indeed the film is trying to make fairly blatant commentary on the scruples and attitudes of the upper classes, but despite any faults I got intense enjoyment out of this amusing and touching story. Collette and Keitel play very well off each other, but the standout performance comes from de Rossy, a most unusual looking woman (an Almodovar favorite), whose Maria is full of so much joy in life, she makes the malcontented wealthy look like a bunch of totally dysfunctional idiots! There are several obvious themes about physical appearance, deception, and money not buying happiness, but the unexpected ending will have you pondering and wondering who, if anyone, in the film is a person of true integrity.  
3.5 - recommended! 

August 10 2017
Atomic Blonde
The Big Sick
Wind River
Indian Film Festival

I've played catch up with a couple of films that released last week: The Big Sick (hate that title!!) and Atomic Blonde. Both are recommendable, but my fave for the week is Wind River. 

Wind River
Director: Taylor Sheridan
Length: 107 min

© Icon - superbly crafted, suspenseful and
disturbing story of modern America's wild frontier

Cory (Jeremy Renner) is a local game tracker who is coming to terms with the death of his own daughter. When he discovers the body of a girl out in the frozen winter wilderness of Wyoming, he is enlisted by Rookie FBI agent Jane (Elizabeth Olsen) to help in the case. The world they are drawn into is one of male violence and shocking disregard of Native American women. Sheridan scripted Sicario and Hell or High Water - both dealing with dysfunction in Mexico and small town USA. In this film he looks at the brutality of both men and nature in the wild frontier country, where the true inhabitants, the Native Americans, have lost their way. The film is stunningly shot, conveying the both the harshness and beauty of nature, and the acting by all is spot-on, with Renner and Olsen a strong teaming. This is top-notch film-making with a strong narrative, made even better by a hauntingly powerful soundtrack from the Nick Cave/Warren Ellis team.   
4 - highly recommended! 

Atomic Blonde
Director: David Leitch
Length: 115 min

© Universal - a smorgasbord of sexiness, violence and 

spy vs spy goings on!

On the eve of the collapse of the Berlin Wall, MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) is despatched to the city to assassinate a double agent and to retrieve a stolen list of operatives in the Soviet Union. The story is based upon a graphic novel, and if you like spy thriller/action flicks this could well be for you. I personally am always at a loss to follow these convoluted (and not always believable) plots, but the film still has some good stuff going for it. The stunningly sexy, incredibly talented Theron is a joy to watch - for once a female operative is as violent and bad-ass as any Jason Bourne type, and the set action pieces, in which she annihilates those who cross her, make for high-energy entertainment, despite copious amounts of spurting blood and bone-crunching. The fine cast assembled to play various other spies and shady characters includes Toby Jones, James McAvoy, and Eddie Marsan, and the Berlin settings are suitably gritty and authentic. And, of course, there's a beaut twist at the end!
3.5 - recommended! 

The Big Sick
Director: Michael Showalter
Length: 120 min

© Roadshow - a sweet, intelligent funny love

story, that's actually true!

Kumail Nanjiana is a Pakistani-born comedian. In this intelligent, funny true story he plays himself, a beloved son of parents who expect him to follow tradition and make an arranged marriage. (They also expect him to become a lawyer, not a stand-up comic.) When he starts dating an American girl, Emily (Zoe Kazan), trouble is afoot. He lies to his parents, avoids meeting Emily's family, and goes through internal agonising. However when Emily is diagnosed with a mysterious illness and put in an induced coma, Kumail is forced to decide what really matters to him in life. What starts out as light-weight, mildly amusing fare soon veers into somewhat different territory, tackling themes of cultural difference and inter-racial issues. The scripting feels fresh and real (well, it is!), and with great supporting performances from Holly Hunter and Ray Romano as Emily's parents, there's a lot to enjoy in this one. 
4 - highly recommended! 

Indian Film Festival
At various Hoyts cinemas around Melbourne
August 10-22
Yep, another film festival rolls off the presses, and this one is always a fabulous mix of Bollywood glamour and glitz, mixed with a serious dose of what they call "Beyond Bollywood" and documentaries. 
The only film I've managed to preview is Poorna, the remarkable true story of a 13-year-old village girl who summitted Mount Everest. Has to be seen to be believed. 
For information on locations, times, films and ticketing go to:
www.iffm.com.au

August 3 2017
The Trip to Spain
A Ghost Story

This week's films are as different as chalk and cheese! One flippant, clever and funny, with great travel and food, the other a deep reflection upon the very meaning (or lack thereof) of human existence. Other releases this week, Atomic Blonde and The Big Sick will  be reviewed a little later.

The Trip to Spain
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Length: 115 min

© Madman - witty, whacky repartee, lovely Spanish

scenery and mouth-watering food - need more?

Reviewing humour is a risky business - one gals' laughs might be another's ho-hum, but I chortled consistently throughout this latest in the Trip series. After touring Scotland and Italy in the first two films, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon head off to Spain to indulge in gastronomic delights and reflect upon their own lives, not to mention perform endless imitations of celebrities ranging from Mick Jagger to Sean Connery, David Bowie and of course a Michael Caine re-run! The verbal jousting is relentless, as the men's egos fence constantly, but underneath each reveals a level of vulnerability that makes me relate to them as more than mere comic presences. I had a great time with this film, and look forward to their next adventure!
3.5 - recommended! 

A Ghost Story
Director: David Lowery
Length: 93 min

© Madman - surreal, contemplative, melancholy, 
philosophical - strange yet compelling

Touted as a meditation on love, loss and time, this is one of the most unusual films I've seen in a long while. A young couple, very much in love, (Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara) live in an old house where he happily creates music, but she is restless to move elsewhere. When he is suddenly killed, she grieves, while he becomes a classic ghost, (think bed sheet with cut-out eye-holes) haunting the house and observing his lost love from the dividing wall of death. At first I wasn't sure if this film was pretentiously philosophical, or an inspired reflection upon the impermanence of all things. Ultimately I'll go with the latter. It moves at an unbelievably slow pace, and yet the whole manages to conjure up the absolute sadness at the futility of life. It also manages to impressively capture the nature of grief, of memories, of history within houses, and of human striving to be remembered after death. Long after I've left the cinema, I find myself cogitating upon its vast themes, and feeling some deep existential sadness, so I guess the film-maker got his message through.
3.5 - recommended!