April 29th 2024

The Fall Guy

The Teachers' Lounge

I had to wait to catch gorgeous Gosling before I could put out this week's reviews. My enjoyment of The Fall Guy was almost total, as is my respect for The Teachers' Lounge. Very different films, in fact chalk and cheese, for very different audiences. 

 

The Fall Guy

Dir: David Leitch

Length: 126 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7jPnwVGdZ8

© Universal - a totally fun ride - thrills,
spills and romance

Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) is a stuntman, very good at his job and for many years doubling for arrogant movie star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor Johnson). He's having a passionate affair with hopeful director Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt), but when an on-set accident causes him to break his back, Colt disappears for eighteen months from movies and from Jody's life. Then he gets a call from producer Gail (Hannah Waddingham) saying Jody is directing a sci-fi/Western love story and wants him on the job. He flies to Sydney for the gig, but when Ryder goes AWOL from the production Colt sets out to find him and rescue Jody's film. This movie is so much fun! It doesn't take itself too seriously, with the many punch-up scenes being played for laughs rather than realism, almost lampooning action hero films. (So little blood to be seen!) But it does take the issue of stuntmen and film-making seriously. Leitch himself was once a stunt man and here he pays homage to the craft so beautifully. We get to see how much hard work goes into shooting just one scene of, say, a car roll. There is much eye-opening detail as to how stunts are created, along with their intrinsic danger. Then there's the love story, with terrific chemistry between Gosling and Blunt. How Jody's film will end (they are still scripting on the run) is running parallel to how the couple's love affair may turn out, and the many references to other movies and actors is all part of the delight of watching the film. While the murky details of exactly what Ryder is involved in eluded me, I had a great time with The Fall Guy, and of course Gosling, who actually did a couple of his own stunts, is just mesmerising to spend a couple of hours with. 

4 - highly recommended

The Teachers' Lounge

Dir: Ilker Catak

Length: 108 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEsPfCOAc8o&t=5s

© Madman - prejudice and school politics 
make for a disturbng mix

Newly appointed to a school somewhere in Germany, idealistic teacher Carla Nowak (Leonie Benesch) is getting along well with her students, until a series of thefts of money from the staffroom start. Carla takes a gentle approach in questioning her pupils as to the possible culprit, but other teachers are heavy-handed, settling upon faslely blaming a Turkish student, Ali. Setting a trap, which may in fact not be legal, Carla tries to discover the perpetrator, but the more she tries to rectify matters, the worse things become for her, her fellow staff members, and her students. The possiblity of the thief being a colleague and the reaction this woman's son Oskar (Leo Stettnisch) has to Carla, along with snowballing hostility from parents and students, casues major angst. This strong story of power dynamics and of prejudice within a school was one of the nominees for this year's Best International Feature Film. As an ex-teacher who detests most things school-based, I let my emotions colour my reaction to this film! It is wonderfully acted and serves as a strong parable for what can happen to destroy close-knit communities, but I found the ending a let down.

3.5 - well recommended

And another thing . . .

I have no intention of becomng a series reviewer (except when we were in lockdown), but I have to tell you very briefly of two Netflix limited series I'm loving. 

3 Body Problem: Sci-fi fans should love this past, present and future story of an alien civilisation heading towards earth, as scientists scrabble for a solution. With intelligent scripting, a terrific cast, great visuals, especially in the virtual reality scenes, this is an all-round, thought-provoking  and thrilling winner. 

Ripley: Many people recommended me to see this. Andrew Scott (who was so gob-smacking in Vanya), plays Ripley, and he is, again, awesome. The black and white, film noir style of cinematography is beautiful beyond words, and though I've haven't yet finished the series, I can't wait for the next episode. (Just have to plough through all these other films to review!)