June 17th
My Zoe
Valerie Taylor: Playing With Sharks
From the Vine
Occupation Rainfall
Here we go again with three new films on the big screen, and one available on BluRay and streaming. Thematically, these are all so diverse, there is surely something here for everyone.
My Zoe
Dir: July Delpy
Length: 100 mins
 |
© Kismet - personal drama meets quasi-scifi
in this intriguing story |
Isabelle (Julie Delpy) is a divorced mother juggling the half-time custody of her child Zoe (Sophia Ally), her job in a genetics lab, and endless disputes with her embittered ex-husband James (Richard Armitage). When tragedy strikes, Isabelle takes a radical course of action, approaching fertility specialist Thomas Fischer (Daniel Bruhl) in the hope he will conduct a radical illegal experiment. Delpy has always written first-class dialogue (think back to the films Before Sunrise, Before sunset, Before Midnight). Here again she nails the dialogue depicting the fraught situation between her and her ex. The depth of love she has for her child is beautifully captured, as is her grief when things go wrong. Where I am bothered however, is that the film feels like two quite discrete movies - one is a taut domestic drama, while the other half veers off into quasi science-fiction territory, with possibly too little basis in science and too many moral questions to make it credible. Nevertheless, I found myself absorbed throughout, and Delpy always brings something worthwhile to her films.3.5 - well recommended
From the Vine
Dir: Sean Cisterna
Length: 97 mins
 |
| © Rialto - sweet, heartwarming fare |
Marco (Joe Pantoliano) has had enough of his executive job in Toronto and decides to quit and return to his origins in the Italian town of Acerenza, in Basilicata, a region in southern Italy. Reclaiming the familial property, he employs locals to help to reinvigorate the old vineyard and make the local wine again. Initially his wife Marina (Wendy Crewson) and daughter Laura (Paula Brancati) stay behind, but when they finally join him life takes an unexpected turn for them all. This is predictable fare, but it is enjoyable viewing, with absolutely splendiferous scenery and cinematography. Underneath the beauty and sweetness, there are the deeper themes of the importance of tradition and regional employment. Pantoliano (from The Sopranos) is terrific, as is Marco Leonardi as Luca, the local cop and Marco's childhood friend. In these grim times films like this are a welcome relief (despite distressing me at the prospect of maybe never going to Europe again!)3 - recommended
Valerie Taylor: Playing with Sharks
Short cinematic run then going to Disney +
Dir: Sally Aitken
Length: 95 mins
 |
© Madman - a life lived
among the oceanic depths |
The name Valerie Taylor is probably known to generations of Aussies, especially those with an interest in spear-fishing, scuba-diving, marine conservation, or sharks.In her early twenties, Valerie was a champion at scuba-diving and spear fishing, one of few women in the field. After meeting her husband Ron Taylor, she decided killing animals was a no-go, and both started championing the cause of endangered marine environments, particularly sharks, filming them and generally getting up close and personal with the feared fish. The pair were even called upon by Spielberg to film some of the most memorable sequences in Jaws. This is a fascinating doco, at times almost alarming in the many archival footage scenes of the Taylors and their underwater escapades. Still alive and diving, Valerie is an inspiring character to spend screen time with, and what you see may well change your attitude towards sharks.3.5 - well recommended
Occupation Rainfall
Dir: Luke Sparke
Length: 128 mins
BluRay, DVD and Digital streaming on Google Play and Apple TV,
 |
© Umbrella - boom, bang - is this the end of
Earth as we know it? |
Two years after aliens have invaded Earth, wreaking devastation, Aussies mount a concerted effort to fight back and save the planet. As you know, this is not really my genre of movie, but if you like big loud special effects, endless gun battles, explosions, and more derivative alien characters than you can shake a stick at (rejects from Star Wars?), this could be just the thing you need for your blockbuster fix. I can't decide if the film is so bad it's good, or so good it's an Aussie coup for the industry, but regardless, one can't help but admire the ambition in producing a big film so not what we are used to from our Aussie film industry. Special effects are excellent, and while at times there is much predictability in the plot, the film somehow strikes an unsettling chord in these troubling times of humans battling seemingly insurmountable forces, refugees proliferating and a dystopian future. Some of the characters are actually quite memorable - think Garry the bug-eyed, warm-hearted, highly articulate alien, who has defected to the human side. Good also to see a kick-ass woman front and centre among the testosterone-driven blokes.3 - recommended
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