Hursto's five minute films: December 2020

Wednesday, 23 December 2020

December 25th and best of . . . 2020

The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart

End of the Century - releasing Boxing Day

A Call to Spy - releasing Boxing Day

Hursto's BEST OF for 2020

Moonlight Cinema

What a year! But what a great year for wonderful films, despite so few of them having been on the big screen. A big thanks to all my readers, and all my good wishes for a safe and enjoyable holiday season, happy Christmas, a better 2021, and a vaccine to let us all get on with life (and back to the movies with a carefree heart)!

Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
Dir: Frank Marshall

Length: 111 mins

Showing on HBO and HBO max and various cinemas

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5tncybE7Wg

Another stunning music documentary, this one traces the history of the super-group who started off as three toothy teen lads singing superb harmony. Archival clips are great, commentary from other musos insightful, and last man standing Barry Gibb adds a real touch of sadness to the whole thing, as he reflects upon his life without his beloved brothers. Homage is paid to the film Saturday Night Fever, the soundtrack of which relaunched their careers after a lull. Amazingly these guys wrote more than 1000 songs, many for other people, and whether you are a fan or not, this is a most worthy film to catch.

4 - highly recommended

End of the Century
Dir: Lucio Castro

Length: 84 mins

Showing: Exclusive to Cinema Nova

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAlBU6IzDHM

Argentinian Ocho (Juan Barberini) is on holiday in Barcelona from New York. He hooks up for some spontaneous intense sex with Javi (Raymond Pujol), only to realise they met 20 years before, when they were both still not out with their sexuality. There is something beautiful and a little melancholy about this film, as it navigates past and present, and the possiblilities of what could have been, all in a very understated way. The two leads who anchor the story are spot-on authentic, and the tale of missed opportunities could apply to anyone of any sexual orientation. Settings are lovely, and the director takes his time with each scene, creating both place and mood. What really happened is always under a question mark, as the boundaries of alternate outcomes in life are gently blurred.

4 - highly recommended

A Call to Spy
Dir: Lydia Dean Pilcher

Length: 124 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbZgLKjrdnA

Based upon a true story, the film examines yet another aspect of World War 2 I didn't know about - the recruiting of women by Britain as spies, charged to sabotage and build resistance movements in France. Head of the branch Vera (Stana Katic) is Jewish, and recruits two unusual women for her operations: Virginia (Sarah Megan Thomas) has a wooden leg, while Noor (Radhika Adpe) is a Muslim pacifist. The three leads and their motivations are the most interesting aspect of the story, yet somehow, I would have liked a little more edge-of-your-seat excitement in what should be a very tense tale. Nevertheless it's great to see the focus upon women in a war story.

3 - recommended

. . . and now for Hursto's Best of 2020

In this totally bizarre year I've managed to watch around 240 films! Many have been sent vie the net from distributors, many come from the plethora of film festivals that were forced online this year, and others are from platforms such as Netflix, Docplay and Foxtel. Some have been reruns from the past, and just a handful were viewed on the big screen back in the good old days before we knew of the dreaded Covid 19. Wrangling them into my so-called top 10 was impossible (too many good ones!) so I've made some general lists and observations. It has certainly been the year of the documentary for me, and, interestingly, a number of them are music docos.

So . . . here goes (and in no particular order):

Top music documentaries:

American Utopia - filming of a concert that is both uplifting and inspiring featuring Dave Byrne of Talking Heads

Kinky Boots - vibrant, inclusive, filming of the Broadway musical

Aznavour by Charles - from the French Film Festival, an insightful look at the life of the iconic singer

This Ain't No Mouse Music (Docplay) - examination of many genres of American music from blues, to Cajun and more

Echo in the Canyon: a golden window of song in LA in the mid 1970s

Top non-music docos:

Fantastic Fungi: Mushrooms, moulds and mycelium - more important to life than you'd dream - stunning cinematography

For Sama: Heartbreaking documentation of the Syrian war

My Octopus Teacher (Netflix): Befriending an octopus - who'd have imagined - eye-opening, gorgeous looking doco

Unfit: The Psychology of Donald Trump: Say no more!

Top feature films:

1917: That (supposed) one take of the soldier traversing the WW1 battlefields is unforgettable

Motherless Brooklyn: Edward Norton as a private investigator with Tourette's syndrome gives a knock-out performance

Babyteeth: My top Aussie film - teen/family drama

La Belle Epoque: Daniel Auteuille in a whimsical French story of revisiting the past

Top Animation:

Swallows of Kabul with honorable mentions to Fritzi, a Revolutionary Tale (from the Children's Film Festival), and Shaun the Sheep - Farmageddon

And worth a mention . . .

House of Cardin (doco), Possessor (horror/sci-fi), Waves (family drama), Invisible Man (super scary), Leunig Fragments (doco)

Two stand-out films from my jury experience in the 33rd Panorama of European film:

Who Will be Eaten

Digger

Series streamed on various platforms:

Afterlife, Messiah, Succession, The Queen's Gambit, The Crown, Schitt's Creek, The Sommerdahl Murders

Moonlight Cinema

Website: www.moonlight.com.au

This wonderful (covid-safe thanks to many precautions) outdoor cinematic activity is off and running in most states, with Melbourne almost there. Visit the website for all the programming and details, and get on down to a patch of green to enjoy movies with friends and family.

Sydney: Centennial Park, until 4 April 2021

Brisbane: Roma Street Parkland, until 21 February 2021

Perth: Kings Park & Botanic Garden, until 4 April 2021

Adelaide: Botanic Park, until 14 February 2021

Melbourne: Royal Botanic Gardens, 7 January – 25 April 2021

Thursday, 17 December 2020

December 18th

Waves

Words on Bathroom Walls

Bill & Ted Face the Music

Interestingly, after Babyteeth last week, I've seen two more films dealing with teen troubles, and another well suited to teens of all ages. Stunning young actor Taylor Russell reveals her prodigious talent in two of today's films, and our old faves Bill and Ted make a welcome return to lift the spirits.

Waves
Dir: Trey Edward Shults

Length: 135 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhnNf9PDCUs

Tyler (Kelvin Harrison Jnr) is pushed by his Dad (Sterling K Brown) to excel in the school wrestling team, but a shoulder injury puts paid to those dreams. When Ty's gal Alexis (Alexa Demie) announces she's pregnant, he is unable to cope and his life spirals out of control. Subsequently his younger sister Emily (Taylor Russell) is befriended by Ty's fellow wrestling team member Luke (Lucas Hedge), and together they learn what it means to grow up in a hurry. I'm deliberately keeping plot points obscure, as some very heavy stuff goes down in this superb film, looking at the lives of a middle-class, aspirational black family, the extra challenges they face, and what happens when ill-considered actions destroy lives. A notable feature is the extremely impressive cinematography - beautiful and creative. The acting is uniformly strong. Strangely, it's a bit like two major stories combined into one, and I'm unsure if this is a strength or weakness, but overall a seriously impressive film.

4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended

Bill & Ted Face the Music
Dir: Dean Parisot

Length: 91 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gPGeAYo3yU

Hey dudes! They're back! The awesomely bodacious duo of Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) are visited by the ruler of the future who tells them they must write a song to save the universe before the entire space/time continuum unravels. So it's back to the trusty phone booth to travel through time, visiting their future selves, with an aim to steal the song from themselves. En route they gather a motley assortment of musos including Mozart, Louis Armstrong, Jimi Hendrix and more. Their feisty daughters are also devising schemes to save their beloved Dads. Surprisingly, this is a total Tardis-full of fun, with so much silliness, energy, nose-thumbing at sci-fi tropes, and of course the phrases we've grown to love like, "No way - yes way!" With an unexpectedly touching finale, totally suited to these troubled times, this could be just the light-hearted nonsense you need to lift you out of the Covid blues. Sure was for me.

3.5 - well recommended

Words on Bathroom Walls
Dir: Thor Freudenthal

Length: 100 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E1-RnpOe8Q

Adam (Charlie Plummer) is a smart young teen who also happens to be schizophrenic. He is accepted into a new school, but only on the proviso he takes an experimental medication to keep his paranoid episodes under control. When he befriends clever Maya (Taylor Russell), he learns that he doesn't need to be defined by his illness. Although the arc of the teen romance is nicely handled, there's nothing ground-breaking here, but what is brilliantly captured by the director is a visual sense of what it could feel like to be constantly seeing images of people (they seem like other selves within Adam), and hearing the conflicting voices telling him what to do. There's a terrific turn by Andy Garcia as a compassionate priest, and a wonderful speech delivered by Adam that really enables people to empathise with his challenges in life. Russell and Plummer are wonderful together, and the film shines a compassionate light into a dark, often misunderstood place.

4 - highly recommended

Wednesday, 9 December 2020

December 10th

Kinky Boots

Possessor

Corpus Christi

Tenet

Let Him Go

Hope Gap

This week we've got it all. Two brain-frying sci-fi films, a powerful drama of possible redemption in a religious context, two family dramas of very different natures, and one uplifting, roof-raising joyous musical featuring drag queens and their boots.

Kinky Boots The Musical
Dir: Jerry Mitchell, Brett Sullivan

Length: 135 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jnECAOdhvs

You may remember the film Kinky Boots (2005), with our own Joel Edgerton, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Lola, who helped turn around an ailing shoes factory by designing boots for the large feet of drag queens. Seven years later it was turned into a Broadway musical with scripting by Harvey Fierstein (of La Cage au Folles fame), and songs written by the renowned Cyndi Lauper. Now the story comes to our big screens, in all its joyousness. This is one of the best filmed live-stage musicals I've seen, with camera angles just right for optimum audience engagement. There is plenty of fun, top choreography, and a serious underlying theme about acceptance. The script moves along at a great pace, with a plethora of wonderfully tuneful songs, all with intelligent lyrics and stunningly rendered by the cast. Matt Henry is a revelation as Lola, with a perfect balance of empathy, flamboyance and wit, not to mention his arrestingly powerful stage presence. A film to be delighted by!

4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended

Possessor
Dir: Brandon Cronenberg

Length: 103 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyRkoL45JGk

Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough) is an elite assassin with a difference - her handlers use brain implant technology, to make Vos's mind takes over the bodies of others. In this way she can get close to high profile targets and do the hit. But when she possesses the body of Colin Tate (Christopher Abbott), her power over his mind is not what it should be, and a battle that threatens to obliterate her ensues. Like father like son: Brandon inherits father David Cronenberg's penchant for classy, intelligent horror, and here he has made a stunning movie that blends both high-tech futurism with stomach-churning violence and body horror. There's also a strong subplot related to the fact that Vos is a recently separated mother. The cinematography is impressive, capturing difficult concepts with powerful visuals. Those viewers who aren't squeamish are in for a thought-provoking and thrilling story with relentless tension, and top performances from the two leads (with great support from Jennifer Jason Leigh and Sean Bean.) One of the best sci-fi films you'll see in a long while.

4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended

Corpus Christi
Dir: Jan Komasa

Length: 115 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFFvje2A2vE

Daniel (Bartosz Bielenia) has been in juvenile detention where he has "found religion". Sent to work in a sawmill, he knows he wants to become a priest but is not allowed. Through a series of coincidences at a parish church where the priest is on leave, Daniel dresses in the garb and masquerades as the replacement, taking confessions and holding masses. His unorthodox ways make him both a big hit and a threat to tradition within the congregation. As Poland's Oscar nomination for Best International Feature, this is a worthy contender. Bielenia's central role is performed with passion and a total embracing of the ambiguity of his situation - his genuine faith and modern approach make him a worthy "priest" to the locals, and his determination to heal a bitter rift within the community sits firmly with Christian principles. But Daniel's past, along with his mortal desires, make priesthood unattainable, so the question becomes, what will give him the redemption he deserves? This is subtle and powerful film-making, with serious issues at the core.

4 - highly recommended

Tenet
Dir: Christopher Nolan

Length: 150 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3pk_TBkihU

Memento, Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk, several Batman films, and now Tenet, the much anticipated film of the year - all are from the directorial hand of Nolan, almost worshipped for his creative plots and ability to blend blockbuster elements with intelligent movie-making. There's no denying the creativity of this concept, which (surprise!) deals with time travel, except this time some people and things go forward in time while others go backwards (known as inversion), much in a military style exercise to prevent (guess what?) total annihilation of the world. Characters include arms dealer and ultimate master-mind baddie, Sator, (Kenneth Branagh sporting an immaculate Russian accent) and his oppressed wife, art dealer, Kat (Elizabeth Debicki). The unnamed Protagonist (John David Washington) is a CIA agent hired by the organisation Tenet, while Neil (Robert Pattinson) is the Protagonist's handler. Throw in time inversion turnstiles and mysterious algorithms, and you have a recipe to do my head in, which films of this nature usually do to me. Suffice to say, I am not the person to tell you whether to go see this; die-hard Nolan fans and time-travel junkies will probably love it. I know there is a great concept here, but fail to understand the subtleties, and the very Americanised gung-ho battle scenes leave me underwhelmed.

3 - recommended (maybe?)

Let Him Go
Dir: Thomas Bezucha

Length: 113 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE8pwEF-3TI

Retired Sheriff George Blackledge (Kevin Costner) and wife Margaret (Diane Lane) drive to Dakota to track down their grandson, child of their son who has died in a horse accident. The boy has been whisked away by his mother and new husband, Donnie Weboy, and the grandparents are concerned about his welfare. When they finally find the Weboy clan, living in the back of beyond and headed up by tyrannical matriarch Blanche (Lesley Manville), they know why they are worried. It's great to see Costner and Lane back in meaty roles, and this slow-burn thriller showcases their talents, especially in portraying authentically the nuances of a long marriage. Empathy is built up for the couple and their concern, as well as for their oppressed daughter-in-law. The tension builds unrelentingly as they close in on Weboy territory, but when the film changes from subtle tension to more overt confrontation, it lets itself sneak into less credible territory. Nevertheless, this is compelling story-telling, set in the 1960s, a time when family values seemed to matter.

4 - highly recommended

Hope Gap
Dir: William Nicholson

Length: 100 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAP1fA-bp5k

Grace (Annette Bening) and husband Edward (Bill Nighy) have rubbed along together for 29 years. When their son Jamie (Josh O'Connor) comes home for the weekend, Edward announces he is leaving; he's found love with another woman. Can Grace ever accept this, let alone move on with her life? This well-acted, rather depressing story, is a low-key examination of something many couples will relate to: expectation. Edward's new love accepts him for what he is; Grace has always wanted something he can't give. And poor old Jamie, despite being an adult, is nevertheless caught up in the middle. Bening plays a fairly unlikable character, and yet both she and Nighy bring an authenticity to their roles, and the story takes an even-handed approach that doesn't apportion blame, but more compassion for both sides. If you feel like wallowing in an affecting marital drama, this is one for you.

3.5 - well recommended

Wednesday, 2 December 2020

December 3rd

Babyteeth

Mystery of DB Cooper

A Christmas Gift from Bob

Trouble with Being Born

Lassie Come Home

Japanese Film Festival - Dec 4-13

Cinema going seems to be getting back in full swing, and there are more films out there than I can keep up with. So today we have four new releases, one that has been out a while and just cleaned up at the AACTA awards, and another FREE online festival.

Babyteeth

Dir: Shannon Murphy

Length: 118 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=M6E8gPmz7n4

Milla (Eliza Scanlen) is seriously ill and undergoing chemotherapy. When she brings drug addict Moses (Toby Wallace) home to meet her parents, they are horrified. Psychiatrist father Henry (Ben Mendelsohn) and neurotic mother Anna (Essie Davis) gradually soften, as they see the positive effect Moses has on Milla. This beautifully crafted, bittersweet coming of age film is a tragi-comedy with a difference. It has just swept the pool at the AACTA awards and I can see why. What could be a familiar story of a sick teen and first love has been scripted with originality and a totally credible sensibility. Every performance is spot on. Davis and Mendelsohn haven't been this good in years, and the performances of the two teens are a revelation.

4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended

The Mystery of D.B. Cooper
Dir: John Dower

Length: 85 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD1wCfQoLQI

In 1971 a passenger plane was hijacked after leaving Portland airport. The mysterious man demanded money and a parachute, and actually leapt from the plane at 10,000 feet, never to be seen again. In this intriguing doco, several people are interviewed, all claiming emphatically that they know who the perpetrator was (their uncle, husband, even a trans-gender woman), but to this day nothing has ever been proven. Using interviews, reenactments, and archival footage, this case, almost now the stuff of mythology, is carefully examined, leaving the audience entertained, puzzled, but none the wiser.

3.5 - well recommended

A Christmas Gift from Bob
Dir: Charles Martin Smith

Length: 92 mins

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/470448694

After the success of A Street Cat Named Bob comes this follow-up, based on the true story of busker James Bowen (Luke Treadaway). Living in supported housing and on a methadone program, James rescued a stray cat Bob (played by his furry self) and both became street celebrities. In this sequel, James' life is turned upside down when animal welfare threaten to remove Bob from his care. Despite a level of sentimentality, this is apt Christmas fare, teaching the lessons of compassion and kindness, and shedding a light upon the truly challenging conditions in which homeless and/or underemployed people must live. Cat lovers will adore Bob, and I challenge even the hardest hearts not to be touched by this sweet, if at times overly schmaltzy, story.

3 - recommended

The Trouble with Being Born

Dir: Sandra Wollner

Length: 94 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykWO1FhqTfo&t=45s

Elli (Lena Watson) is an android girl built by a father (Dominik Warta) possibly as a replica of his daughter, long missing. Together they reminisce on happy days in the past, and of "mama". One day Elli goes wandering and is picked up by a new owner who has the android reprogrammed to resemble someone missing in her life, this time a male. This controversial Austrian film caused a major stir and was dropped by the Melbourne International Film Festival due to overtones of pedophilia in the relationship between Elli and her "papa". The decision enraged many notable film critics, as festivals are assumed to carry no censorship requirements. Leaving possible moral debates aside, this is an impressive and challenging film, raising many issues of identity and gender, and the most disturbing one of humans using AI and creating near human replicas for their own questionable purposes.

3.5 - well recommended

Lassie Come Home

Dir: Hanno Olderdissen

Length: 96 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jReKCnVyTBM

Who doesn't love a dog story, especially when it's a modern remake of something as perennial as Lassie. This German film (dubbed for Australian audiences) is more sentimental and formulaic than the German remake of Heidi, but the requisite elements are there - determined kids, a loving grandpa, a travelling circus, and of course, a super-smart dog. Famed German actor Matthias Habich shines as Count von Sprengel, whose glassblowing factory is going under, and Bella Bading as his granddaughter Priscilla is a standout. The sentiment is a bit thick when it comes to the way young Florian relates to his beloved pet, but again, like our feline friend Bob, it manages to tug the heartstrings.

3 - recommended

Japanese Film Festival 4-13 Dec

https://japanesefilmfestival.net/

The 2020 Festival, presented by The Japan Foundation Sydney, will screen over 25 films including features, documentaries, as well as stop motion and animated shorts for audiences across Australia and New Zealand to enjoy online. Each film will be available to stream for free for 24 hours.

Check out the full streaming schedule at:

watch.jff.jpf.go.jp/page/australia.

Tsukiji Wonderland : a fish fanatic's fantasy, this terrific doco looks at the world's largest seafood market, its workings, its people, the traditions and the absolute dedication to the product they handle. Although a long film, it has a compelling fascination, and is such an insight into the way Japanese relate to seafood in their lives. Wonderful sequences featuring the meticulous preparation of various delectable dishes will have you salivating.

One Night: A strong and at times disturbing family drama tells of a fateful night 15 years prior, when a family was shattered by the actions of their mother, who returns all these years later. Very modern in its style, well acted and tense.

The "Norman" animations: Takeshi Yashiro is an award-winning stop motion animator. Here's a great opportunity to take time with the kids and watch three of his films featuring Norman the Snowman. Sweet, beautiful, and very innovatively animated.

What's not to love about this festival?!