September 14th 2023
Last Film Show
A Haunting in Venice
Scrapper
Climate Changers (Q&A Sept 17th)
And . . . Don't miss your last chance to catch Goddess at ACMI!
Another great week for new releases. I review three excellent narrative films. Plus there's an important Q&A (with screening) on Prof Flannery's attempts to find leadership in the battle against climate change, and don't miss the last weeks of the Goddess exhibition.
The Last Film Show
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| © - Rialto - a homage to film and childhood dreams |
Samay (Bhavin Rabari) is a young Indian village boy. When his father Bapuji (Dipen Raval) takes him to a movie at the Galaxy cinema in the local town, he falls headlong in love with film. He becomes fascinated by light, how it reflects, radiates, and transforms. Together with the young friends in his gang, Samay starts creating imaginary films. He skips school and befriends the Galaxy projectionist Fazal (Bhavesh Shrimali) who allows him to stay in the booth in exchange for the wonderful lunches Samay's mother (Richa Meena) has cooked. Samay's obsession with film grows, but eventually progress catches up with the old fashioned cinema and its film projection. This charming film has a lot of wins and nominations to its name, and justifiably so. It celebrates a simpler time, when children, like Samay, who had nothing, were able to create magic out of old junk. How Samay creates his own amateur projection is nothing short of wizardry. But mostly the film celebrates film itself ; a bit like Cinema Paradiso or A Projected Odyssey, it extols the joy of 35 mm film, while revelling in film history with plenty of scenes paying homage to the art. Rabari carries much of the film on his young shoulders and he is an actor to be watched, while the representation of an Indian village childhood is a reminder of what has been lost in the Western world.
4 - highly recommended
A Haunting in Venice
Dir: Kenneth Branagh
Length: 110 mins
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| © Fox Searchlight - Branagh and Fey make a good lead pair in this entertaining film |
Moustachioed detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) has retired to Venice. Then an old friend, novelist Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey) turns up and invites him to come to a Hallowe'en night seance in an old palazzo. A grieving mother is hoping to get in touch with her dead daughter. Expecting to debunk the whole thing, Poirot brings his usual cynicism, only to find goings-on in the creepy old house are a bit more than he can initially logically explain away. As the body count mounts, Poirot battles to find a rational explanation. I'm not usually a fan of this genre of film, but this one has really entertained me. Firstly the cinematography is stunning - not only the magnificent Venetian settings, but the unusual camera angles chosen, and the eerie lighting all help to create quite a sense of fear and palpable supernatural happenings. And then there's the cast; backing up the excellent lead pair are Jamie Dornan as the war-affected doctor, and Jude Hill as his little son (both were also father and son in Belfast). Michelle Yeoh plays the medium Mrs Reynolds, Kelly Reilly the mother of the dead girl, and Camille Cotin her housekeeper. Add in a genuine Italian, Ricardo Scamarcio as Poirot's minder, plenty of gondolas, Venetian masks, stormy weather, and the entire gathering locked up in the palazzo as potential suspects , and you have a recipe for some good old-fashioned entertainment.
3.5 - well recommended
Scrapper
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| © Madman - a father/daughter film with a difference |
12-year-old Georgie (Lola Campbell) is all alone after her beloved mother dies. She lives by herself in a London apartment, apparently resourceful and self-sufficient. She is supported in friendship by schoolmate Ali (Alin Uzun). She pretends to the world that her Uncle is caring for her, and makes money by stealing bicycles and onselling them. Unexpectedly her father Jason (Harris Dickinson) turns up explaining he had a letter from Georgie's mother before her death asking him to care for the girl. Georgie is naturally hostile to this interloper, but gradually the two get to know each other. A story like this could run the risk of becoming schmaltzy, but the characters all have a quirkiness and a groundedness that makes them not only highly appealing but also very real. Young Campbell is the beating heart of the film; she is a total delight, while Dickinson as the young man out of his depth, who is forced to grow into a father role, is endearing. Aside from some difficulty in understanding regional accents, and a couple of perplexing semi-cartoon scenes which I found superfluous, this film is a total charmer.
4 - highly recommended
Climate Changers
National screening event: Sunday 17th September 5.30. After the film, a live Q&A will be streamed throughout the country, giving viewers a chance to ask in real time their own burning questions.
For further information and location of which cinemas Australia-wide will stream the Q&A, and show subsequent screenings visit: https://climatechangersmovie.com/screenings/
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| © Antidote Films - a man on a mission |
And another thing . . .
Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion
On at ACMI until the end of September.
Special $10 tickets now available.
For more information visit: https://www.acmi.net.au/whats-on/goddess/
I caught up with this stunning exhibition (part of Melbourne's Winter Masterpieces) in the nick of time, and advise anyone interested in film history, and the role of women, not to miss it. Fabulous costumes, film clips, stories, photographs and more celebrate 120 years of women in film - but not just any women: the kick-ass women who refused to be confined and bound by stereotypes and gender roles.
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