Sept 19th
Pig - showing in cinemas in non-lockdown places - put it on your list!
Possum Wars (streaming on DocPlay)
The Children in the Picture - various cinemas and online venues
I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story - (streaming on Foxtel)
The Limehouse Golem (streaming on Netflix)
Don't forget: Indian FF - continues FREE until September 27th
I'm going soft as lockdown drags on - I'm very reluctant to stick the boots into many films (those I don't like, I don't bother reviewing!) So everything here comes recommended; each film serving its own purpose, in a time where we need either light distraction, old-fashioned entertainment, or where the serious films just add to our wealth of introspection, and amazement that the world is such a fraught place!
Pig
Dir: Michael Sarnoski
Length: 92 mins
Currently showing in non-lockdown states
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i-_CRKdh4Y  |
© Violence, melancholy, a pig and Nic -
what a combo! |
Rob (Nicolas Cage) lives alone in a rundown shack in the Oregon wilderness. His only companion is his beloved pig, who helps him hunt for truffles which he sells to Amir (Alex Wolff), a smooth city slicker supplying Portland upper-end restaurants. When the pig is kidnapped, Rob heads into the city to try to get her back. When he revisits the world he had left behind, we are thrust into the underbelly of the restaurant trade with its pretentiousness and ruthlessness. There is way more depth to this story than the surface narrative would imply, and much of it comes from Cage's unexpectedly nuanced but tour-de-force performance. He portrays the essence of loss as his character grieves for his missing porcine friend and a lost wife. So much of the film (except the sudden eruptions of violence) encapsulates a deep melancholy, allowing us to ponder what really matters in life, all underscored with evocative cinematography and of course this Cage performance that is something to behold, understated and so different from his often bombastic roles. 4 - highly recommended
Dir: Bruce Permezel
Length: 57 mins
Streaming on DocPlay
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJkmFOcr8gI  |
| © DocPlay - 360 degree Films - aaargh! |
They are either "soooo cute" or a nightmare. As a gardener, I find them a total nightmare, as they munch their way through roses and camelias, and leave their smelly calling cards all over the ground. This doco examines the arguments from both sides, focusing in particular on the Carlton Gardens, where possum-huggers defy local laws to feed the critters, and the century old elm trees are facing imminent death thanks to constant defoliation. With terrific night photography, lots of excellent in-roof detective work, and impassioned pleas from both sides this is a good watch. Again I urge all doco lovers to take up a subscription to DocPlay. One of the best collection of docs on planet Earth! 4 - highly recommended
The Children in the Pictures
Length: 84 mins
Dir: Akhim Dev, Simon Nasht
Theatrical and virtual screenings throughout Sept and October
 |
© - a team of truly dedicated
detectives and researchers
|
National Child Protection Week has just passed, and it heralds the release of a confronting new documentary dealing with Argos, a Qld-based investigative team that goes undercover to infiltrate pedophile sites on the Dark Web, and to rescue children from horrific abuse. Breathe a little easy, as any actual pictures are not shown; rather this examines how the Dark Web has facilitated an explosion in online material, and how the 100% effort of a dedicated group of people has brought down many criminal networks worldwide. While the extent of the abuse is horrific, making the film disturbing, ultimately it is the extraordinary devotion of the team that can only inspire. This could almost have been two films, as it goes on to look at how, with social media proliferating, many young people are getting themselves into vulnerable situations by generating salacious online content themselves, and becoming vulnerable to predatory adults masquerading as youngsters.4 - highly recommended
I am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story
Length: 86 mins
Dir: Dave la Mattina; Chad N. Walker
Streaming on Foxtel
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFTCUF853H0  |
| © Foxtel - gotta love the yella fella! |
From 1969, when children's show Sesame Street hit TV screens worldwide, Caroll Spinney played Big Bird, almost up until his death in 2019. This fabulous doco looks at the career of the yellow-feathered one, interweaving Spinney's story with that of Sesame Street, and how the show, and BB's starring role, evolved over the years. (Spinney also plays Elmo.) You don't need to be a kid to get great pleasure from this much-nominated doco, which, while interesting from a technical puppeteering point-of-view, is ultimately a celebration of a life lived in giving joy to others. Where Spinney stops and Big Bird starts is a moot point, but the puppet goes on to this day enchanting kids everywhere.4 - highly recommended
Note: For any parents of littlies concerned about how to explain all things Covid, YouTube has a great series using Big Bird and Elmo, plus a couple of CNN resident medicos, to explain the whole thing clearly and cleverly.
The Limehouse Golem
Length: 109 mins
Dir: Juan Carlos Medina
Streaming on Netflix
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCJp8-MebGY  |
| © Netflix - Nighy on the hunt for a murderer |
In 1890s London, a series of grisly murders comes to light. The elusive killer is dubbed the Limehouse Golem, after a Jewish folktale character. Detective Kildare (Bill Nighy) is assigned to the case which takes him to the rough-and-tumble music hall world of London, where he meets actress Lizzie Cree (Olivia Cooke), whose deceased husband becomes a prime suspect. This film is a great romp, with an engaging, tense and convoluted plot, chock-full of colorful characters, red herrings, and evocatively filmed music-hall interiors and gloomy narrow streets typical of the era. Nighy is always a delight to watch, and he is handsomely supported by Cooke, as well as a star turn from Eddie Marsan as the theatre manager, and Douglas Booth as Leno, who spends most of his on-stage time masquerading as a girl. With overtones of a Ripper-esque London, but with its own unique plot, this is a diverting watch; time well spent.4 - highly recommended
Indian Film Festival
Extended FREE online until September 27th
I'm still boring you by reiterating that this terrific festival is still going - FREE ONLINE. So yet again I encourage you to check out the program and make the most of it while lockdown drags on.
