November 20th 2025
Wicked: For Good
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk (selected cinemas)
Materialists (streaming on Prime)
Ballad of a Small Player (streaming on Netflix)
House of Dynamite (streaming on Netflix)
Japanese Film Festival in Melbourne now!
Another wonderful week of film. One very mainstream, high-profile entertainment, a documentary that will break your heart, and three good streamers for home-loving movie fans. Plus apologies: I reviewed the Japanese FF too early, so remind you that it is now on in Melbourne. See link to those reviews:
Wicked: For Good
Dir: Jon M Chu
Length: 138 mins
 |
| © Universal - friendship is at the heart of this story |
Full disclosure: I have never seen Wicked the Musical, nor do I remember much about the classic film The Wizard of Oz. But I did see the first movie Wicked, and rather enjoyed it. So I approach this film very much as a stand-alone piece, asking simply whether it is worth going along to see. Both Wicked films are based on the broadway musical, so chances are, if you are a musical fan, you will enjoy this. (That said, some folks may object to new songs being written for the film.) It is big, loud, colourful (almost Barbie-esque), but also with a big heart and plenty of messages for today's viewers. Good versus bad of course takes centre stage, except that Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), is not the wicked witch she has been painted. She desperately fights to expose the fraudulent wizard (an always entertaining Jeff Goldblum) and his deceptions. Her friendship with Glinda (Ariane Grande) is central to the film, and makes for some surprisingly moving and powerful duets, stressing the importance of friendship over public perception. Grande and Erivo both shine in their roles; both are physically stunning in their contrasting ways, they bring nuance to their characters, and both sing exquisitely. (Pay careful attention to the clever lyrics of each song!) For viewers who like to ponder subtext, there are plenty of sly nudges at political issues such as maltreatment of animals, leaders duping their people and creating scapegoats, abuse of power, and the position of the privileged elite. Personal themes of empowerment, belonging and redemption all play a big part. At times the film feels a bit too full with everything - a visual overload of saturated colour, and vocal ensemble aspirations to rival Les Miz! Scenes go from fairy-floss frivolousness and then launch into earnestness, even including one vaguely jarring love scene. But overall it works really well, with a fine supporting cast including the dashing Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater and Marissa Bode. Go along prepared to surrender to the story, and especially enjoy the two wonderful leads. Musicals are after all a very stirring and uplifting genre, and you should have a good time with this.4 - highly recommended
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk
Dir: Sapideh Farsi
Length: 113 mins
Screening only at selected cinemas including Nova, Westgarth, Pentridge, Lido, Cameo and Thornbury Picture House.
 |
© HiGloss - the smile belies the tragedy and pain
of her life |
Exiled Iranian director Sepideh Farsi, living in Paris, tried to enter Gaza to document conditions there after the October 7th war began. Unable to gain entry, she was introduced, via internet connection, to a 25-year-old Palestinian poet and photojournalist, Fatma Hossona. Fatma spent a year photographing life in Gaza after the war broke out. She also spent a year conversing regularly with Farsi, who has constructed this unique and powerful film, based upon their video calls. The thing that strikes me so intensely is Fatma's apparently constant cheery disposition. Despite the horrors of war, with daily threat of death, she retains a broad smile and upbeat hopes for a return to normality. But her eyes betray the sorrow, while her magnificent photographs, shown at intervals to intersperse the conversations with Farsi, reveal the horrors of the ongoing war and the daily living conditions of the Gazans. A film of this nature is challenging emotionally, being at once heartbreaking and also inspirational. It possibly threatens many people's hard-held beliefs but is also critically important viewing to get a human perspective on one of today's most inhumane situations.4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended
Materialists
Dir: Celine Song
Length: 116 mins
Streaming on Prime
 |
© A24 - who to choose? Mr Wealthy or an
impoverished soulmate? The dating
world exposed. |
If you loved Celine Song's Past Lives, you should thoroughly enjoy her latest venture, a rom-com with a hard-edged difference. Lucy (Dakota Johnson) runs a high-class matchmaking company in New York. At a wedding for one of her clients, she runs into her ex, Harry, (Chris Evans) who is working there with the catering company. At the same time the groom's brother Harry, a wealthy financier (Pedro Pascal) spies her and decides she looks like the sort of gal he'd like to date. Soon Lucy finds herself torn between a handsome new suitor, and her poverty-stricken old love, who is possibly more of a soulmate than Harry. The clever dialogue in this slick film gives a view of dating that likens it to a financial transaction - what are the gains and losses in any hook-up, the film asks. Is the perfect match someone who checks all the boxes, even if they are not in love? Johnson has come a long way since 50 Shades of Grey. You feel her anguish, torn as she is between money and love, while the two lead male characters are so gorgeous in their own totally opposite ways. The issue of image and cosmetic surgery also cleverly sneaks its way into the plot, as does the more fraught subject of vulnerability to assault when using a dating serivce. It's a thoroughly modern, and very engaging look at transactional romance.4 - highly recommended
A House of Dynamite
Dir: Kathryn Bigelow
Length: 112 mins
Streaming on Netflix
 |
| © Netflix -a tense and frighteningly possible nuclear scenario |
Nominated for a Golden Lion at Venice FF, Bigelow's latest film is taut, terrifying and terrific. The WHSR (White House Situation Room) detects the launch of a missile from somewhere in the Pacific. There's no evidence of which country has done the deed, but the US defence system flies into action with intercept missiles. When this fails, it becomes apparent that in under 10 minutes the city of Chicago is going to be wiped out by a nuclear strike. Should the President launch a preemptive strike on hostile countries he thinks may be the culprits, or not retaliate and, being seen to be weak, incur more attacks? The tension ratchets up from the word go, and only eases momentarily when the film goes into flashback, showing us the same scenario but from a different perspective, as experienced by all the major players: Cpt Walker (Rebecca Ferguson), in charge of the WHSR, Secretary of Defence, General Brady (Tracy Letts), Admiral Miller (Jason Clarke), Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington (Gabriel Russo), the President himself (Idris Elba) and some of the everyday workers and the public affected. Without the need for fancy action scenes, this feels all too real, with the detail of the inner workings spelled out, moment by moment, creating a ghastly sense that no decision is going to be the right one. With a compelling soundtrack, this is nail-biting and disturbing stuff, masterfully executed.4 - highly recommended
Ballad of a Small Player
Dir: Edward Berger
Length: 101mins
Streaming on Netflix
 |
| © Netflix - Colin Farrell at his roguish best |
Macau, gambling capital of the world. Lord Doyle (Colin Farrell), gambling addict. Put them together and you have big trouble. Add in a mysterious casino worker Dao Ming (Fala Chen), who extends Doyle credit, and Betty (Tilda Swinton), who is pursuing Doyle to recoup stolen money. Farrell is brilliant in this role, as a man who has plenty to hide, is an utter rogue and charlatan yet exudes a certain charm and, amazingly, evokes our sympathy. Macau is shot with a sense of glamour, gaudiness and decadence, yet with a bleak impoverished underbelly. The film depicts a gambler's compulsions vividly, and flirts with the unlikely possibility of redemption. Cinematography looks splendid, with glitz, style, impressive angles and close-ups, but ultimately there is more style than substance, resulting from lack of depth thematically. Regardless, it is a very entertaining watch, and worth it for Farrell alone.3.5 - well recommended
Reminder: My index with links to ten years of hurstosfiveminutefilm reviews:
No comments:
Post a Comment