Hursto's five minute films: April 2020

Sunday, 26 April 2020

April 27th
Ex Machina - feature film - Foxtel & Netflix
Apocalypse Hitler - DOCPlay
The Crown - series Netflix

More sadness in the wake of the horrific police deaths on the Melbourne freeway. Some days it's hard to stay positive with the lockdown dragging on, but the figures are encouraging (fingers crossed) and there may be a few rays of hope. Good news that staying in (and watching films) is having a great effect on the dreaded "curve". For the first time I caught up with Zak Hepburn, ex-president of my film critics' group, AFCA, on the ABC morning brekky show - what a terrific reviewer he is. Check him out! Today I look at more from the big streaming players, and that's before I even get a run at ABC iview and SBS On Demand!!

Ex Machina
Director: Alex Garland
Length: 108 mins
2014
Netflix and Foxtel

spanning sci-fi, romance and ethical issues

Caleb (Domnhall Gleeson) is a smart young computer programmer invited to the private lair of artificial intelligence engineer Nathan (Oscar Isaac), to take part in an experiment. Caleb is asked to evaluate just how accurate are the human qualities of a new robot called Ava (Alicia Vikander). This terrific tale, part sci-fi, part romance, and part futuristic speculation, is definitely worth a revisit, and if you've never seen it, be prepared to be blown away. Tension remains high, with Isaac a wonderfully menacing presence, and Ava a beautiful robot who is much more than she seems. The sparseness of the settings augments the whole, while 2016's Oscar for Achievement in Special Effects is well-deserved.

Apocalypse The Rise of Hitler
Director: Isabelle Clarke
Length: 2 x 1 hour

Streaming on DOCPlay

Part of the TV series Apocalypse, is this 2 part, 2-hour doco on the rise of Hitler. Just when you think you've seen all the footage there ever is on this grim subject, here comes a fresh approach to the story, with incisive political commentary on the man, and the series of events that allowed him to come to power. Previously unseen (at least by me) shots of Hitler in his lederhosen, with rare footage of the inexorable rise of the Nazis from the early 1920s make this gripping doco a bit like a forensic investigation providing answers as to how such evil could be embraced by a seemingly intelligent nation.

The Crown
Three series - 10 episodes each
Netflix

OK, so you're not a monarchist. Neither am I. Doesn't matter! Put aside your prejudices and watch a series that is head and shoulders above so many others in terms, of scripting, acting, and production values. Oh, you've already seen it? Well I hadn't; it took me years to finally get around to it, and I am still only two-thirds of the way through the whole. But I was hooked from the get go, so marvellous is Claire Foy's performance as the young Queen. Every piece of dialogue is economical, and everything about the way this series has been crafted, from costumes, to settings, to the interweaving of relationships, is perfect. It's fascinating to see what life could be like for such privileged folk behind the public gaze, and it's not all skittles and gin and tonic! The responsibility, the pressure, the endless scrutiny can only be described as horrendous. This alone makes for compelling viewing, plus the history of Britain from WW2 until now cleverly interwoven. All in all this is addictive, stunning viewing. I can't wait to get into Series 3, with Olivia Colman taking the lead.

Wednesday, 15 April 2020

April 16th
Vivarium - Video on Demand from various platforms
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - feature film - Foxtel
Silence of the Lambs - feature film - Foxtel
American Graffiti- feature film - Foxtel

Video on Demand is a great way to see new releases, while cinemas remain closed. As well as one new release, I go all nostalgic, pointing readers in the direction of three of my absolute top films from years ago. All are so different - and so great!

Vivarium
Director: Lorcan Finnegan
Length: 97 mins

Available on VOD from April 16

Google Play, iTunes, Telstra, Fetch and Umbrella Entertainment

Foxtel on Demand from May 6

enjoy this suburban nightmare

Tom (Jessie Eisenberg) and Gemma (Imogen Poots) are a young couple in the market to buy a home. When weird real estate agent Martin, takes them to an estate called Yonder, they become stranded, unable to get out of the estate, where all houses look identical. They end up sleeping the night and the next day a baby is delivered in a box, with instructions to raise the boy, and get freedom. Years later, still stuck and with the child now grown into a threatening adult, life has become a waking nightmare. The director no doubt wants to create a horrific allegory of suburban life gone haywire, and he definitely achieves a nightmarish quality in this very weird film. The two leads bring strong credibility to their roles, and the minimalist settings enhance the creepiness. The unexpected twist at the end gave me the shudders. Fans of the genre should enjoy it.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Director: David Fincher
Length: 166 mins

2008

Foxtel

together in this fabulous film

Winner of 3 Oscars in 2009, this film, based upon a short story by F Scott Fitzgerald, is definitely worth the revisit. The story of a baby born looking like an old man, who then lives his life backwards, is so extraordinary, and yet totally moving, that it held my attention for every moment of the long runtime. Brad Pitt plays the title character, and his interpretation of the titular character at every age is simply masterful. Blanchett, as Daisy, the love of BB's life, is also a revelation. The award-winning make-up effects to capture these leads at all stages of life are nothing short of brilliant. But it's the moving emotional clout of the film that impresses just as much - it seems to grasp something ephemeral about the nature of life itself - the fleeting unforgettable moments that coalesce at exactly the right moment and the tragic realisation that nothing lasts.

The Silence of the Lambs
Director: Jonathan Demme
Length: 118 mins

1991

Foxtel

serial killer film to die for!

Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture at the 1992 Oscars - what more can one say? FBI cadet Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is sent to interview serial killer Dr Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), to see if he can shed light on a current case, in which a murderer is flaying parts of the skin from his victims. The less said of the plot the better - suffice to say for me this is the ultimate in thriller/serial killer film-making. There is barely a spare moment in which the tension is not at maximum throttle, and the portrayal by Hopkins of "Hannibal the Cannibal" is something that, once seen, will never be forgotten. Director Demme maintains a delicate balance between horror and fascinating psychological study. It is a film of consummate mastery on every level.

American Graffiti
Director: George Lucas
Length: 110 mins

1973

Foxtel

before college back in the 60s.

Winner of a Golden Globe for Best Picture - Comedy or Musical back in the dim dark days of 1974, this is a delight for lovers of 60s nostalgia. It follows the last night of a group of undergrads in 1962, who are heading off to college the next day, and spend one last night together. In their town of Modesto, California, they cruise the strip in their Yank Tanks, chatting up girls, and getting into mild-mannered trouble. The film is crammed full with some of the best songs of the '60s, and the look and feel of the era is immortalised. A young Richard Dreyfuss shows what a fine actor he will become - and is strongly supported by young incarnations of Harrison Ford, Ronny Howard (yes, the now-famous director), along with some wonderful gals who embody the romantic interests of the era, with their hair, frocks, roller skates, and chewing gum. Paul le Mat as John, who drives round in a yellow hotrod '32 Deuce Coupe, is a worthy Golden Globe winner for an endearing performance. Finally, for lovers of American cars, the film is a total dream - think Ford Thunderbird, Chevy Sport Coupe, Chevy Impala, and a whole lot more. This is a happy film, a true panacea to the woes of the world (and the other sad and horrific films I've mentioned!)

Wednesday, 8 April 2020

April 9th
Dreams of a Life - DocPlay
Inside Bill's Brain: Decoding Bill Gates - Netflix 3 episode doco
Talented Mr Ripley - feature film - Foxtel
Fargo - feature film - Foxtel
Latest digital releases from Roadshow

What day is it??!! Keeping track under these lockdown conditions is doing my head in. But yes, it's Thursday, so movie review time. Just a handful of sweet (maybe), short recommendations this week. Plus a list of digital releases from Roadshow if you missed them in cinemas. Oh, and have a Happy Easter, Good Pesach - whatever you are or are not celebrating. And of course, stay safe - stay home!

Dreams of a Life
Docudrama showing on DocPlay
Dir: Carol Morley

This 2011 doco has been on my hit-list to see for a number of years. It tells an absolutely extraordinary story that starts in 2006 with the discovery of skeletal remains on a sofa in a London flat. The television is still on, food has a 2003 expiry date and wrapped Christmas presents are on the floor. Film-maker Carol Morley didn't want the life of the deceased, revealed to be Joyce Vincent, to go unnoticed, so she set out to find people who knew Joyce, in an attempt to fill in the gaps. There are interviews with many past lovers, friends who knew her but lost touch, someone who once recorded her singing in his studio - all people who Joyce had cut herself off from, and who are now anything from distraught to perplexed at the tragic end of a beautiful, bubbly woman who obviously had deep secrets and troubles. The doco is sad, intriguing, and a timely reminder to keep track of your friends, especially in these fraught times.

Inside Bill's Brain: Decoding Bill Gates
Documentary series on Netflix
Dir: Davis Guggenheim

For those who only know Bill Gates as billionaire founder of Microsoft, this fascinating series should show you another side of the genius now turned philanthropist. In a good-looking, cleverly-devised doco, the filmmaker cuts between many diverse aspects of BG's life - his childhood as a nerdy kid, constantly in his books, his early business ventures, and his current dedication to causes aimed to better the world. With wife Melinda, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is working on bringing sanitation and clean water to impoverished parts of the world, eradicating polio, and working on safe nuclear powered alternatives to fossil-fuels. Bill gives the director many candid interviews, and the insights into his personal life are equally as fascinating as his world-changing ventures, past and current. How inspiring that people of his intellect and humanity are working for the greater good. (Maybe he can find a cure for Covid-19??!!)

Fargo
Film on Foxtel
1996
Dir: Coen Brothers

Frances McDormand is unforgettable as
pregnant policewoman Marge Gunderson

With an Oscar for Best Actress and Best Screenplay, (and a gazillion other nominations) this golden oldie stands the test of time a treat. In snowbound Minnesota, klutzy car dealer Jerry Lundegaard (William Macy) plots a kidnapping of his wife, to extract money from his rich father-in-law. All goes horribly wrong when the hired thugs (Peter Stormare and Steve Buscemi) kill a cop, and the highly pregnant Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) gets involved. Everything about the film is immaculate - the dry dialogue, the low-key humour, occasional laugh-out loud moments, but best of all is the tenacious but compassionate, no-nonsense Marge who is one of moviedom's great characters. Even if you've seen it, enjoy it again. You won't be disappointed.

The Talented Mr Ripley
Film on Foxtel
1999
Dir: Anthony Minghella

Three "instant" friends - can such
idyllic times last?

Another much nominated blast from the past, this totally entertaining movie has star power, a great plot (from Patricia Highsmith's novel) , and brilliant settings, stunningly shot. Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) is a bit of an aspiring nobody, who, through accidental circumstances, is asked to go to Italy to bring home Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law), the wayward son of a rich man. Pretending to be Dickie's old college pal, Tom tags along with the sun-drenched decadent lifestyle of Dickie and his girlfriend Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow). But what seems idyllic, soon turns ugly, and Tom becomes more caught up in pretence than ever. This is true old-fashioned enjoyable story-telling, with the three leads just superb, and the added bonus of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Cate Blanchett in lesser roles. Again, a most worthy re-watch.

Roadshow announces digital release of blockbusters
Roadshow has just announced some of its more popular recent films, along with several that could not be released in cinemas due to the pandemic, are now available to buy or rent on digital release. Some of my top films are among these: Joker, The Gentlemen, Just Mercy, Motherless Brooklyn and Richard Jewell. (Use the arrows on the right of my site to find past reviews.)
To find out more: https://roadshow.com.au/title-categories/rent-or-buy-movies
So, the recent own-your-own (or rent) offerings are:

NEW TO OWN RELEASES	Available on
JOKER	Now
HUSTLERS	Now
THE GOOD LIAR	Now
GO!	27/03/2020
MIDWAY	27/03/2020
BIRDS OF PREY & THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN	28/03/2020
JUST MERCY	28/03/2020
MISS FISHER AND THE CRYPT OF TEARS	30/03/2020
THE GENTLEMEN	31/03/2020
RICHARD JEWELL	01/04/2020
MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN	01/04/2020
THE WAY BACK	15/04/2020

Wednesday, 1 April 2020

April 2nd
DocPlay
Pick of the Litter - streaming on DocPlay
The Nightingale - Foxtel
Wallace and Gromit - Curse of the Were Rabbit - Foxtel

Well readers, here we go again. I won't go into more detail on how distressed I am at the state of the world. It's beyond tragic. I'm sure you're getting umpteen recommendations from various sources on what to watch. As you know I'm fishing out a few of my old faves that are now on various streaming services. This week I'm trying for a more lighthearted approach, with two of my recommendations being great for grown-ups and younger ones. However I can't resist recommending, for those of you brave enough, The Nightingale, which won so many awards in the Australian Film Critics Association awards recently. Plus of course, for lovers of fine documentaries, DocPlay is the streaming service to get on to. KEEP SAFE!! STAY ON YOUR COUCH AND KEEP WATCHING

DocPlay

For lovers of quality documentary, go no further than this wonderful streaming service from Madman Films, developed in conjunction with Screen Australia. There are so many brilliant docos here we wouldn't get through them after a year of lockdown! To list too much is silly - but just to pique your interest, here's a a miniscule taster:

Academy award winning/nominated docos: I am not your Negro, Man on Wire, Searching for Sugarman, 20ft from Stardom

Heartwarming docos: Pick of the Litter (reviewed below), Iris, I am Big bird

TV Series: Walking the Americas. Great British Castles, Kitchen Cabinet, First Australians

War history: Apocalypse: The rise of Hitler, Monsieur Mayonaise

Top Mystery and Crime: The Family; Biggie & Tupac; Dreams of a Life

Animals: Blackfish; The Wonder of Marsupials;

PLUS:

Docos on: surfing, environmental, music biographies, fashion, sport, health, 80s music, Australian stories, AND SO MUCH MORE.

I adore a good doco. If you do head straight to https://www.docplay.com and subscribe.

Pick of the Litter

Dir: Don Hardy Jnr, Dana Nachman

Length: 81 min

© Madman - how cute can it get?

It's won many audience awards. How could something so full of cute puppies fail to be appealing, but the doco also tells an important story - how pups are trained to be guide dogs for the blind. We follow a litter of five for two years - the so-called "P" litter - Patriot, Potomac, Primrose, Poppet and Phil. Each is fostered out to a private family or individual, and then, depending on the dog's perceived strengths, it will go on to be a breeder, get further training, or have a "change of career". I'm not a huge "doggy person", but I found myself charmed, and barracking for certain dogs to make the grade. The film is also testament to the love and patience of the trainers, but one thing seemed lacking for me - the in-depth specifics of how the dogs are taught to respond to the various, and often very complex, commands. I got a level of insight, but not as much as I would have liked. Nevertheless, this is a must-see for dog-lovers, as well as an informative and delightful entertainment for all.

The Nightingale
Dir: Jennifer Kent

Length: 136 min

Clare (Aisling Franciosi) is a young Irish convict woman in Van Diemen's Land in 1825. She is servant to Lt Hawkins (Sam Claflin), an arrogant violent man in charge of a rag-tag bunch of British military. Among the soldiers is the equally brutish Ruse (Damon Herriman). Clare keeps asking for her freedom, having served her time. Instead of getting freedom, a most heinous crime is perpetrated upon her and her family. Hell-bent upon revenge, she teams up with Aboriginal tracker Billy (Baykali Ganambarr) and together they trek through the Tasmanian wilderness on the trail of those who have brutalised both of them, gradually turning hatred of each other into a shared quest and something even deeper. This remarkable film may be set in days long gone, but it is as raw and relevant today as ever. It is about violence - towards women and Indigenous people, and the entitled attitudes of power-hungry men. This is one of the most difficult films to watch; director Kent decided consciously not to steer away from the brutal realities of the time, and it is done in a way that makes it most distressing yet impossible to look away from. Franciosi is a revelation - as the initially subservient convict with the voice of a nightingale, (she does her own singing) yet the determination of a hawk, she dominates the screen. Ganambarr is equally mesmerising as Billy, whose real name is Mangana, meaning a black bird, and the symbolism and mystical associations with this are beautiful. Claflin and Herriman could make you hate men forever, and in fact many of the males in this film are vile. Much consultation was done in the film's making with local Indigenous people, who approved all that is depicted, and the scenes of the confrontations between colonisers and the first peoples are absolutely chilling. Among all the disturbing moments, there are some scenes that move one to tears with their compassion, but overall the tears I shed were of fury for a world, still thriving today, where the strong feel it is their right to oppress the weak. This is probably the best (and most distressing) film I saw last year; it is brilliant. (It comes with a warning for those unable to tolerate screen violence.)

Wallace & Gromit - the Curse of
the Were Rabbit
Dir: Nick Park and Steve Box
Length: 85 min

Lovable lads fighting the veggie-
eating pests

The locals of a small town somewhere in England eagerly await the annual Giant Vegetable Competition. They all employ the services of “Anti-Pesto”, a company set up by inventor Wallace and his faithful canine pal Gromit, aimed at disposing humanely of the countless rabbits that threaten the veggies. But alas! When a huge, ravenous were-rabbit begins to demolish the beloved gardens, the whole town is at a loss as to what to do.

My challenge is to convince you of what a wonderful film this is and just how much old-fashioned fun you’ll get out of watching it. For newcomers, Wallace & Gromit were “claymation” characters first created for a short film more than 16 years ago. The figures are painstakingly moulded out of a sort of plasticine over a metal skeleton. Then each infinitesimal movement and gesture is created and filmed; sometimes a whole day is needed simply to create 3 seconds of footage! Hence this film was five years in the making. To marvel at the creative wizardry is just one part of the magic of this film – the other is its incredible charm, wit and clever plot. Wallace's set-up he has invented to get himself and Gromit up and breakfasted in the morning is hilarious. Writer/director Park is extremely fond of puns and visual gags – there's simply no end of them. Park also creates a gloriously English feel to the film, beginning with the archetypal Wallace with his predilection for cheese and crackers, knitted vests and his little Austin A30 van. Gromit, a true Pommie chum of few words (being a dog) has so many thoughts and emotions conveyed simply by subtle movements of his clay features. The host of added characters, all clay creations, are totally believable. Each character seems to have its own little quirks and peculiarities that are so true to human nature. Foremost among them are Lady Tottington (voiced by Helena Bonham Carter), a true upper crust lady of the manor, and her would-be suitor and cad Victor Quartermaine (voiced by Ralph Fiennes). The plethora of eccentric townsfolk, giant vegetables, quaint garden sheds and garden gnomes are a monumental feat of construction for the modelling team. The film gets an extra dimension when it draws on recognisable horror-genre tropes. Seeing if one can recognise all the films that are given a nod is great fun. Put aside any prejudices you may have that this is just for kids (in fact tiny ones may well be scared) and you’ll be rewarded with a wonderfully entertaining movie experience! I had a smile on my dial from beginning to end!