June 24th
Buckley's Chance
Three Summers
Cranston Academy: Monster Zone
Films (and of course friends and the garden) remain my main salvation in this crazy world, that just seems to be lurching from one disaster to another. Three new ones today: two are good fodder for the school holiday audience, one for the littlies and one for the teens. There's humour (and a couple of tears); we all surely need a laugh!
Buckley's Chance
Dir: Tim Brown
Length: 95 mins
 |
© Transmission - Nighy meets Aussie outback -
a winning combo |
Young teen Ridley (Milan Burch) is mourning the death of his father, an Aussie who fled years before to America, estranged from his father. A year later, Ridley and his mother Gloria (Victoria Hill) head from New York to the Aussie outback, to spend some time with said grandfather Spencer (Bill Nighy). Spencer's efforts to connect with his grandson are a challenge, and then the wilful lad manages to get himself lost in the outback, with only a camcorder and a dingo for company. While there is a modicum of predictability in this plot, the film is fiercely heart-warming and uplifting. It's great to see indigenous actor Kelton Pell as Jules, the farm hand, and Nighy, while he never quite nails the Aussie accent, is near perfect as the seemingly unemotional grandpa, who is, of course, harboring a lot of baggage from the past. The outback scenery is splendid. All in all this is an entertainment that should please family members of all ages.3.5 - well recommended
Three Summers
Dir: Sandra Kogut
Length: 94 mins
 |
© Potential - Brazilian dramedy -
with a great central performance |
Mada (Regina Case) is employed by a wealthy Brazilian family to take care of their every need. She oversees the household staff, tends to the family's every whim, all the while keeping an eye out for any opportunity that should come her way. She inveigles her boss Edgar into helping her set up a food kiosk, but when Edgar is carted away for being involved in money laundering. Mada must live off her wits and reinvent her life. The film walks a fine line between comedy and drama, with the concept of compassion front and centre (compassion displayed by the poor, not the oblivious rich!) Mada's care for the aging grandpa in the family is pivotal to the plot outcome, and is delightfully portrayed. Brazilians who know more about corruption in that country will probably relate to the plot intricacies of this film more than I do, but what strikes me is the brilliant performance from Case, who plays a kind woman relentlessly cheerful and manically purposeful. 3.5 - well recommended
Cranston Academy: Monster Zone
Dir: Leopoldo Aguilar
Length: 85 mins
 |
| © Rialto - good fun for the school hols |
Awkward science nerd Danny (Jamie Bell) is accepted into the elite Cranston Academy, where he must struggle for recognition. He befriends Aussie kid Liz (Ruby Rose), but when they decide to repair the Academy's broken nuclear reactor, they inadvertently open the portal to a fifth dimension. The first monster they encounter is taco-eating, Mexican accented Mothman, half moth, half human, but the other inhabitants of the dimension are not nearly as friendly. Danny, Liz and Mothman must race against time to save the entire staff of the Academy. While derivative of Monsters Inc, and predictable in its plot points and outcome, this should nevertheless be a lot of fun for the small fry, with its colorful characters, just-scary-enough critters, daggy humour, and vibrant animation (from a Mexican studio). 3 - recommended
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