Hursto's five minute films

December 20th 2023

Leave the World Behind (streaming on Netflix)

Prosecuting Evil - (streaming on iview)

The Royal Hotel (streaming on Foxtel)

Hurstos top films for 2023

Another year draws to a close. It's been a shocker of a year in so many regards, but aren't we lucky to have films to distract, entertain and enlighten us. As I recover from surgery, I have missed a couple of important films that are just out or will shortly release. Hopefully I'll catch up. That's where I'm lucky to have good streaming services at my fingertips, including free ones like iview and SBS On Demand. So, a couple of streamer reviews, PLUS the all important list of top films for the year with links to my reviews of them. (Remember, all very subjective - some of my faves end up in other critics' worst film lists, and vice versa!) And of course, to all my readers, I wish you a wonderful Christmas and festive season, regardless of what you do or don't celebrate!

Leave the World Behind

Dir: Sam Esmail

Length: 138 mins

Streaming on Netflix

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMVBi_e8o-Y&t=8s

Clay Sandford (Ethan Hawke) and his wife Amanda (Julia Roberts) head to a luxury rented country home for a few days away with their two kids Rose and Archie. Very soon, an apparent cyberattack knocks out all the electronics in the home, and unexpectedly the owner of the property GH (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha'la) turn up at the doorstep saying the city is in chaos. More strange things begin to happen - animals behaving in a bizarre manner, ear-splitting noises coming through the air. This is billed as a mystery thriller. It is apocalyptic for sure, and hints at all sorts of impending threats to civilisation that could well be in the realms of possibility. Although there is never a clear resolution, and conspiracy theories abound, as to who has caused the potential end of life as we know it, there are enough allusions to credible scenarios to make the film actually quite scary. The cast is uniformly excellent, the creepy music totally augments the fear, characters are well written and believable, and for lovers of the genre it's a worthwhile watch.

3.5 - well recommended

Prosecuting Evil

Dir: Barry Avrich

Length: 83 mins

Streaming on Netflix (2018)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meDbZemxuK4

Ben Ferencz is a name you may never have heard of, but what an extraordinary man he was. He only died this year at age 103, and was the last surviving prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials. He dedicated his life to fighting for just causes, and helped establish the International Criminal Court. This wonderful doco traces his whole life, with particular focus upon how he fought to bring perpetrators of the Holocaust atrocities to justice. The doco, short and intense, pays homage to Ben's life and work, and, in this fraught era of world history, there is much we can learn from someone whose lifelong mantra has been "law not war".

4 - highly recommended

The Royal Hotel
Dir: Kitty Green
Length: 91 mins
Streaming on Foxtel / Binge
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9zq_4ED-pI
© Transmission - the challenge and danger
of working in an outback pub
Hanna (Julia Garner) and Liv (Jessica Henwick) are Canadian backpackers on an adventure downunder. When they run short of cash they take a job as bartenders at an outback hotel, serving a mining community. Testosterone and masculine toxicity run high. The drunken publican Billy (a wonderful Hugo Weaving) and his wife Carol (Ursula Yovich) try to keep things under control but a group of men, especially Dolly (Daniel Henshell), becomes increasingly threatening towards the girls. This is such a sobering and disturbing picture of a certain stratum of Aussie society, in parts reminiscent of Wake in Fright. Every last character feels absolutely real, making for a chilling and frightening atmosphere, in which we constatly fear for these two young women. The isolation of the outback is captured visually in all its terror and beauty, and as a thriller-social commentary, this film works surprisingly well.
4 - highly recommended

Hurstos Top film of 2023

Here we go with that all-important list. Many films this year ranked an 8 out of 10 for me, but those that rose above that score were few, and were absolutely memorable. Here they are (in no particular order) with links to my reviews.