January 5th 2023
The Fabelmans
Highway to Hellas (stream for free on youtube) )
The Beatles: Made on Merseyside (streaming on Docplay)
Sidney (streaming on Apple TV+)
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a #@%! (digital download)
Blonde (streaming on Netflix)
PS: A few random series recommendations
Happy 2023, dear movie lovers! It's time again to get into the year's releases, and as we build up to awards season once more, we find many excellent films in our cinemas, and on streaming platforms. And following up from my list of top films from last year, you can see me do a bit of speed reviewing here:
The Fabelmans
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Length: 150 mins
 |
© StudioCanal - the genesis of
a lifelong passion |
Young Sammy Fabelman (Mateo Zoryan) is taken to the movies by his parents Burt (Paul Dano) and Mitzi (Michelle Williams). The boy is both enthralled and traumatized by a scene involving a train crash, and decides to recreate it with a model train set at home. The next logical step is to film the crash, and from there a Pandora's Box is opened. Sammy devotes himself to making home movies, each one progressively more passionate and creative. And as he grows up Sammy (now played by Gabriel LaBelle) knows this is the career he was made for, and goes hell-for-leather to get employment with a major studio. Meantime he observes Burt's and Mitzi's increasingly fraught relationship, as he gets to know them as people, rather than his parents. This brilliant film, entertaining and insightful, is basically Spielberg's story of his own young life, and journey to film-making. It is a poignantly honest portrayal of an outsider, picked on for being Jewish, unswerving in his life goal, and heartbroken by his parents' divorce. Every performance is a winner, and every character engaging, with extra nods to Uncle Boris (Judd Hirsh) and Benny (Seth Rogen). The film already has a list of awards and nominations as long as your arm, and is probably a must-see for anyone wanting to understand how a creative person can use the sadnesses and joys in their life, to create great art. 4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended
Highway to Hellas
Dir: Aron Lehman
Length: 88 mins
 |
Ludicrous and hilarious - the German stereotype
comes up against the Greeks |
Jorg Geissner is sent by his German bank employers to the fictional Greek island of Paladiki to check on security for a loan. There the local Greeks are asked to prove they actually have the securities they have claimed: a power plant and a hospital. Smooth-talking German-Greek Panos (Adam Bousdoukos) and his local pals set out to both befriend and deceive Geissner. Yes there are plenty of questionable stereotypes here: ultra-efficient, anal-retentive Germans, and lazy, mischievous, double-crossing Greeks, but ultimately this is a story that is both heartwarming and genuinely funny. And yes, I guess it is fairly predictable, but with gorgeous Greek scenery, and plenty of recognisable likeable characters (I know this style of Greeks from my many visits to the country), not to mention transformative arcs for many of the characters, how can you go wrong with a delightful freebie like this? 4 - highly recommended
The Beatles: Made on Merseyside
Dir: Alan Byron
Length: 87 mins
 |
© Docplay - wonderful history
of a band and an era |
Before I get into the review, I want to remind you that if you are a hard-core fan of documentaries, you cannot go past an extremely affordable subscription to Docplay. During lockdown, I alerted you to several highly recommendable docos from the platform, and now here is another that Beatles fans will not want to miss. This one starts with post-war Liverpool, and how the grimy city became a powerhouse for emerging bands and a vibrant music scene known as the Mersey Sound. The very early days of The Beatles is documented, from their days in other bands with differing members, and as they went from playing skiffle, to RnB, and eventually creating their own iconic sound. We trace their journey from school bands, to gigs in Hamburg, back to The Cavern in Liverpool, and finally to the phenomenon that took the world by storm: Beatlemania. Insightful interviews with Pete Best, (the pre-Ringo drummer), and other (now aging) musos who were part of the scene then, combined with terrific archival footage make this an exciting and entertaining doco.4 - highly recommended
Sidney
Dir: Reginald Hudlin
Length: 111 mins
 |
© Apple TV+ - the life of an iconic actor
who helped change things for his people |
It's just about one year to the day since Sidney Poitier died. His amazing life is revealed in this magnificent documentary, which starts with a little baby, given US citizenship when he was prematurely born to Bahamian parents visiting Florida. Upon his return to the USA at age 15, Poitier soon became aware of the unhappy facts of racism, and, after some menial jobs, eventually joined the American Negro Theatre. His film career after that is history, as is his tireless work in the battle for racial equality. The doco is replete with interviews with Sidney at all stages of his life, along with commentary from the likes of Oprah, Spike Lee, Halle Berry, Morgan Freeman and Lenny Kravitz, as well as Poitier's daughters. The social and political upheavals during his long life are the backdrop for the chronicling of Poitier's stellar acting career, and the film clips make one want to go back and revisit the great actor's filmography. 4 - highly recommended
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a #@%!
Dir: Nathan Price
Length: 97 mins
Available on digital download from January 9th
 |
© Universal - once we accept we will all
die one day, we can take a different
approach to choosing what to stress over! |
For those who have read the wildly polpular self-help book of the same name, here comes the movie version. It's not easy to turn life-advice books into film, but this one takes a fair swipe at it, by filling the screen with creative, zappy visuals designed to stress the points that the book's author Mark Manson is making. There is a bit too much of Manson's talking head, however he is a force to be reckoned with, along with his brutal honesty, his endless swearing and his hardline philosophy on how to handle life. I actually found myself making notes of his many kernels of advice, so that certainly speaks to the actual content of the film being interesting, even if perhaps it should have been left in book form! Ultimately Manson says the endless pursuit of happiness actually brings us down, and accepting disappointment, along with carefully choosing what to give a F - - - about, could be the solution. 3 - recommended
Blonde
Dir: Andrew Dominik
Length: 167 mins
Streaming on Netflix
 |
© Netflix - such a talent - such a
tragic life - such a performance from
ana de Armas |
No need to tell you what the plot of this very long biopic is about - a recreation of the life of a Hollywood goddess, from Norma Jeane through to Marilyn Monroe. Some critics have given the thumbs down to this film, claiming it only further objectifies MM, and shows her in a one-dimensional light. Certainly Dominik focuses upon the negative and very depressing aspects of the poor woman's life, but thanks to a stellar performance from Ana de Armas, Marilyn comes to life in such a way that you feel you are actually watching the real person. And not just the public image of a screen idol, but also the tormented inner soul of a misunderstood, tormented woman, abused by men, and feeling she must constantly live up to the image the world has of her. Adrien Brody and Bobby Cannavale as husbands Arthur Miller and Joe DiMaggio are also excellent, and the decision to shoot many scenes in black and white really adds to the tragedy of the story. My biggest criticism however would be that it is too long. 3.5 - well recommended
A few random series recommendations:
I don't propose to get into reviewing series, but I have been captured over the last few weeks by some impressive and enjoyable series:
The Bear - daily stress in a frantic Chicago fast-food diner along with the back-stories of the employees (Apple TV+)
White Lotus - black comedy about rich psychologically dysfunctional people at fancy resorts (Foxtel)
Live to Lead: 6 episodes, half-hour interviews with world changing people (Netflix)
