October 11th 2024
The Apprentice
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Greek Film Festival - advance notice - begins 15th October
Beasts of No Nation (streaming on Netflix)
The Man in the Basement (streaming on Apple)
What a week for films I wholeheartedly recommend! Even the streaming films are well worth a watch, and for Hellenophiles, get ready for a feast of Greek films coming your way in a few days!
The Apprentice
Dir: Ali Abassi
Length: 120 mins
 |
© Madman - ruthlessness under the
microscope - the genesis of a man we
love to hate! |
Full disclosure: I'm a Donald Trump loather, but I loved this film! The story begins with a young Trump (Sebastian Stan) in New York in the 1970s. He's an aspiring real estate mogul, with big dreams of transforming the city with his ambitious buildings, but first he has to get out of the shadow of his overbearing father, Fred (Martin Donovan). It all starts happening when Donald meets notorious lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), who takes the young Trump as his protegee, training him in the three cardinal rules of how to be a winner (or killer, as Cohn terms it): 1. Attack. Attack. Attack. 2. Admit nothing. Deny everything. 3. Claim victory and never admit defeat. This mesmerising film never even borders on parody; rather it is an incredible portrayal of two ruthless men, driven by greed and dreams of power, willing to embrace corruption if it furthers their goals. The arc of transformation of both characters is ironic - Donald starts out as almost a half-decent human being, while Cohn is reprehensibly corrupt. Cohn coaches Donald but when he eventually falls ill, we see his vulnerability emerge. But as Donald's star rises, he loses any softness and becomes more and more the personality we recognise today. Performances are all memorable: Maria Bakalova is impressive as Ivana, Trump's first wife, Stan captures superbly the idiosyncrasies of Trump's gestures and speech, but Strong steals the show as Cohn. The production gloriously creates the ostentatious, wealthy and connected world Trump and Cohn moved in; a world where who you know and who you can blackmail is always front and centre. Such an entertainment of a film!4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Dir: Ian Bonhote & Peter Ehedgui
Length: 104 mins
 |
© Universal - how to live your best life
regardless of what happens |
Ever wondered how would handle life if you ended up paralysed from the neck down? Especially if you were relatively young, incredibly fit, had a growing family, and were adored the world around for playing an iconic superhero on the big screen? Christopher Reeve, aka Superman, shows us a way to make lemonade out of lemons, in this unexpectedly moving and inspirational documentary. The film seamlessly interweaves old family videos from Reeve's childhood and his marriages with footage from the Superman films, along with interviews with his three children, two wives and the many friends who knew and loved him. Robin Williams, Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Daniels, Glen Close and more, speak of the amazing courage of this man, who showed what the word hero really means after the fateful horse-riding accident that changed Reeve's life. The film is not only about a Hollywood star; rather it portrays a real-life human being, who uses his tragedy to develop inner strength and to help others. Through his support, encouragement, and finally setting up the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation for stem cell research to hopefully develop a cure for paralysis he has made an amazing difference. The insights from his beautiful children and two empathetic, caring wives just adds to what is ultimately a powerfully emotional and uplifting film. I did not expect to be so moved!4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended
Greek Film Festival - coming up - choose your films!
Melbourne: October 15th - 27th
Venues: Palace Pentridge, Como, Balwyn, Astor
Melbourne celebrates its 29th Greek Film Festival with 29 outstanding films. Head to the site to start planning your watching now. There are dramas, comedies, documentaries, plus the debut feature for Greek-born, Melbourne-based director Antonis Tsonis. A highlight is the award-winning film Murderess, which I'll review for you soon after I catch it on the big screen.
Brando With a Glass Eye: A decidely different heist film, centring on two Athenian brothers who stage a heist which goes wrong. Luca, a mechanic who dreams of going to acting school but hasn't the money, accidentally shoots someone during the botched heist, then tries to make amends by befriending the guy. Luca is fixated on the idea of method acting, and is constantly "performing" various scenes randomly and in inappropriate places, so no-one gets a true sense of who he is. The standout lead performance is at once weirdly compelling, and also strangely alienating, in a highly original film that has us reflecting upon the art of acting, what is real and what's pretence.
Beasts of No Nation
Dir: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Length: 137 mins
Streaming on Netflix - 2015 release
 |
| © Netflix - the realities and cruelties of war |
Set in an unnamed West African nation, this is a disturbing, important and very strong film that has umpteen wins and nominations to its name. Agu (Abraham Attah) lives in a tiny village, a relatively happy child, until government and rebel forces fall to fighting. Agu is co-opted into yet another fighting force, led by the ruthless Commandant (Idris Elba), where he is trained to be a child soldier, killing and being drawn into drug-taking to ease the psychological pain. This is confronting stuff to watch, but somehow one's involvement with Agu, a decent kid at heart, and our hopes for a turnaround in his life, keep the viewer engaged. Yet again the human cost of war is viscerally underscored in this remarkable film. 4 - highly recommended
The Man in the Basement
Dir: Philippe le Guay
Length: 114 mins
Streaming on Prime - 2021 release
 |
| © Prime - anti-Semitism rears its ugly head |
Helene Sandberg (Berenice Bejo) and her husband Simon (Jeremie Renier) decide to sell off their basement in the apartment block where they live. Jacques Fonzic (Francoise Cluzet) buys it, claiming he needs it for storage. But when he decides to live in it, the Sandbergs can't legally turn him out. To make matters worse they discover he is a hjistorical revisionist and anti-Semitic extremist, known for his abhorrent views. A tense and thrilling story, it is also timely, with its theme of anti-Semitism, which is getting stronger in the world today. The character of Fonzic is especially alarming as he has a way of couching his views as a "differing of opinion", and his initial mild-mannered friendly approach allows him to wheedle his way into people's lives. Well acted and thought-provoking. 4 - highly recommended
