Hursto's five minute films

Wednesday, 17 February 2021

February 18th

JIFF - Jewish International Film Festival

In Melbourne from Feb 18-March 24

Classic Elsternwick, Lido Hawthorn
For other states, dates, bookings and programs, visit www.jiff.com.au

This week (part 1) I concentrate upon JIFF which was supposed to have its Melbourne opening night on the last night of Victoria's latest lockdown. Instead the festival takes off today (Thursday 18th), and is chock-full of wonderful films. Here's a brief run-down on some I've seen already. I recommend them all - my absolute faves are rated with a highly recommend. Further latest releases this week will come very soon in a subsequent edition.

Abu Omar

Length: 113 mins

Salah is a Palestinian whose young son has died in surgery in an Israeli hospital. In an attempt to get the body home past the checkpoints, he is helped out by a pregnant Jewish woman. This quite an extraordinary film - slow, intense and utterly thought-provoking. There are tiny moments of black humour, but at its heart it is a plea for more (much-needed) compassion in this world.

4 - highly recommended

Adventures of a Mathematician
Length: 102 mins
© JIFF - should appeal to
history buffs
Stanislaw Ulam emigrated to the USA and worked as a maths teacher. When he joined the Manhattan Project his theories helped to create the hydrogen bomb. Interesting subject matter which perhaps tries to cover too much material in too short a time, though is a fascinating snapshot of a seminal moment in history.

Alan Pakula: Going for Truth
Length: 98 mins
© JIFF - portrait of
a brilliant film-maker
A must-see for film fans, this is a portrait of the famed director of such films as Sophie's Choice, All the President's Men and Klute, among many more. There is much to be learned about the man's private and professional life, augmented by insights from renowned faces from the film world such as Jeff Bridges, Jane Fonda, Alec Baldwin, and Dustin Hoffman, to name a handful. Enjoy the nostalgia of clips from Pakula's many iconic films, and be impressed by the dedication and skill he brought to his work.
4 - highly recommended

Born in Jerusalem and Still Alive
Length: 83 mins
© JIFF - love blooms in
a dangerous city
Ronen conducts tourists around the Jerusalem streets, showing them the sites of infamous terror attacks. As he tries to deal with his own anxiety over terrorism, he is also dealing with a demanding ageing father. When he meets Asia (ex-Jerusalem living in Barcelona), he starts to rethink the focus of his life. Yossi Atia is simply divine as the traumatised but adorable Ronen. Winning a couple of first feature film awards, this is a film that slowly sneaks up on you, with not only political issues to grapple with, but the subtleties of love, parental relationships, and what it means to live with fear but still get on with life.
4 - highly recommended

Broken Dreams
Length: 70 mins
© JIFF - reminiscences of
young lives cut short
Two sisters are both young and talented - one an aspiring actor the other a poet - when first the Russians then the Nazis invade their hometown in Poland. This moving doco makes excellent use of old diary entries, powerful archival footage, and reminiscences from the surviving sister, all artfully combined in yet another testament to the nightmare of the Holocaust and wasted lives.

Churchill and the Movie Mogul
Length: 60 mins
© JIFF - how film as
propaganda turned the war
Short and sweet, but fascinating. The doco looks at Churchill's relationship with Hungarian emigre director Alexander Korda, who used Winston as a screenwriter and historical advisor. Churchill understood well how cinema could be used as a propaganda tool, and the movie stresses how many of Churchill's speeches were in fact like mini-movie scripts in themselves. It's a fascinating look at a little-known aspect of both movie and war history.

Comrade Dov
Length: 75 mins
© JIFF - a man of principal
stands against the tide
Another intriguing doco about a politician, 13 years in the Israeli Knesset (parliament), Jewish but representing the Jewish-Arab party Hadash. Dov Khenin was much hated by some as he went in to bat for causes that highlighted the ongoing conflicts between Palestinians and Israelis. He stood with villagers trying to prevent the bulldozing of their villages, and was an activist for social, economic and environmental reform.

Esau
Length: 117 mins
© JIFF - bread, brothers,
fathers, lovers
This modern take on the biblical story of brothers Esau and Jacob is a beautifully told narrative, and sees a welcome return of Harvey Keitel. It's the sort of film where you can just revel in the story-telling of a man who returns to the city of his birth to confront his brother. The acting is terrific all round, with authenticity and emotion in a story of a theft - of both love and livelihood. Much awarded actor Lior Ashkenazi is excellent as Esau.
4 - highly recommended

Kineret
Length: 91 mins
© JIFF - the beauty of
nature celebrated
The Sea of Galilee, or Kineret, is the lowest freshwater lake on earth. It is showcased here in Israel's answer to a nature doco from David Attenborough or National Geo. The film is exquisitely shot, and an insightful look at the cycle of life and the passing of the seasons on the vast lake. It focuses upon a year in the life of the native swamp cat, and also features spectacular bird life. It's a must for all lovers of nature docos.

Shiva Baby
Length: 77 mins
© JIFF - surly and confused
doesn't begin to cover it
Danielle is part of a tight-knit Jewish community. When she attends a shiva (a Jewish get-together for mourning) with her family, she runs into Max, an older married man with whom she has been having sex, in exchange for money. There is something so strong about this film, in the way it encapsulates uncomfortability for all concerned - Max, Danielle, nagging parents and friends . . . There is also something so stereotyped about the way a certain style of Jew is portrayed, and I found that uncomfortable in its own right. It's the sort of film, depending upon your sense of humour, you will either enjoy, or be annoyed by.

They Call Me Dr Miami
Length: 87 mins
© JIFF - you gotta love me!
I'll give you the best body!
Michael Salzhauer aka Dr Miami is an observant Jew,who spends his days performing plastic surgery predominantly on women's breasts and buttocks, with the odd penis extension thrown in. Devotees follow him on all manner of social media, and he is uber-famous and in demand. This doco is arguably highly entertaining, but also raises many interesting moral questions about religion, plastic surgery (are the two compatible?) and integrity.
4 - highly recommended

Thou Shalt Not Hate
Length: 95 mins
© JIFF - torn between his oath
and saving a detested man
A fabulous Italian drama about a doctor, the son of a Holocaust survivor, who rushes to the scene of an accident but when he sees the swastika tattoo on the dying mans chest, withdraws all help. He subsequently takes on the daughter of the dead man as his cleaner, and is forced to again confront ethical issues when that young woman's neo-Nazi brother is injured in a shooting. Powerful movie making, that will make you do some serious thinking.
4 - highly recommended

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
Length: 120 mins
© JIFF - childhood on the run
from the Nazis
Novelist Judith Kerr wrote a book based upon her childhood, staying one step ahead of the Nazis as her family took her from country to country. The story is beautifully told, acted and shot, centring upon a child's view of a ghastly time in history. The narrative is handled in a way that deflects the total horror, but captures the experience of many German Jews who fled their country, trying to find a new home.
4 - highly recommended

Friday, 12 February 2021

February 13th

Escape from Extinction

The People Upstairs

Another Round

Oh dear! Lockdown again! Going to the movies over these next few days may be a no-go for Victorians, but put these films on your to-see list post-lockdown.

Escape from Extinction
Dir: Matthew Brady

Length: 90 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=cb7iVXzGics&feature=youtu.be

Compellingly narrated by Dame Helen Mirren, this topical doco examines the existential threats to numerous animal species, and the efforts zoos and aquariums across the world are making to conserve and protect them. Yes, we think we know all about it, but watching a film of this nature hammers home the catastrophic effect that humans have upon their animal neighbours: destruction of habitat, climate change, and illegal trade in wildlife. From Australia to the Amazon and the entire planet in between, nearly one million species are under threat. Scientists refer to this as the "sixth mass extinction", and it's horrific. Some people bang on about zoos being negative for animals, but we learn here that they are the last bastion for many species against obliteration from our planet, as specialist breeding programs help repopulate the wild (or what's left of it). The film features incredibly beautiful and rare footage of many fabulous animal species, and helps us realise our visit to accredited zoos and aquariums can be our way of doing our bit to help.

4 - highly recommended

The People Upstairs
Dir: Cesc Gay

Length: 82 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4mxHlXBy_g

Laura (Belen Cuesta) invites the neighbors from upstairs for drinks, much to the dismay of her husband Julio (Javier Camara). He's annoyed because they are often disturbed by the noisy lovemaking of said neighbors. When Salva (Alberto San Juan) and Ana (Griselda Siciliana) arrive, the conversation gets pretty intense, with propositions for a foursome and subsequent revelations that threaten to disrupt Laura and Julio's marriage. In the same way that The God of Carnage was a ripper of a four-hander, so is this much-nominated clever story, with smart dialogue, plenty of humour, and biting observations of marriage and sexuality and how people variously handle their relationships. The style of film-making is intelligent and low-key, and highly dependent upon the strength of the script and the acting, all of which are top-notch. Funny, at times confronting, even moving, this is a real enjoyment for those willing to have a good chuckle while turning the gaze inwards.

4 - highly recommended

Another Round
Dir: Thomas Vinterberg

Length: 117 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40X5EX6Us7c

Four friends, all teachers, decide to test a hypothesis by a Norwegian psychotherapist and professor that humans function best with a constant blood alcohol level of .05%. Initially the enhanced relaxation and greater enjoyment of life and work seems good, but as they up the ante on the drinking, so a tipping point is reached. Martin (Mads Mikkelsen) and his friends Tommy, Nikolaj and Peter are characters we can easily relate to but all the men seem to be going through some sort of mid-life crisis, especially Martin with his marriage. Acclaimed director Vinterberg adapted the film from his own play. While on the one hand it has funny moments, looking at the effects of alcohol in a light-hearted way, there is also a depth of emotion and an underlying questioning of the Danish culture of binge-drinking, especially among the youngsters. Although lengthy, this film flows along effortlessly, none of the dialogue feels forced, and the four lead actors are all terrific, with Mads a stand-out (as usual). The mens' friendships and the depiction of the way they relate emotionally is a refreshing change from the often macho style of many mainstream films. The movie that may encourage audiences to question their own values around alcohol, but settle in with a glass of red and enjoy!

4 - highly recommended

Friday, 5 February 2021

February 6th

Wild Things

Food Club

Wrong Turn

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom - Netflix

A wonderful variety for your delectation this week. Eco-warriors showcased in an important doco, romance and food in Italy, slasher/horror suspense, and a Netflix film that is up for a couple of Golden Globes already.

Wild Things
Dir: Sally Ingleton

Length: 88 mins

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/458941927

This important doco traces a year on the front line of environmental activism in Australia. Among other campaigns, it focuses on the fight to oppose logging and save the Tarkine wilderness in Tasmania, the efforts to stop Adani from building a coalmine in Queensland, and the school strikes aimed at getting government to take action against climate change. The film features excellent archival footage that retraces Bob Brown's successful opposition to the damming of the Franklin River, combined with profiles of those dedicated people who today are putting their freedom on the line to oppose the Adani coalmine and Tassie logging. The maturity of the young schoolkids spearheading their generation's fight for their future is impressive, and I hope this film will not just preach to the converted, but be seen by those skeptics who need a wake-up call.

4 - highly recommended

Food Club
Dir: Barbara Topsoe Rothenborg

Length: 100 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdppl5Fnmys

Vanja, Marie and Berling have been friends since childhood. Now they are in their sixties. Berling has remained single, living as if she were still young, Vanja is mourning her deceased husband, and Marie has just found out her husband of 40 years has left her for another woman. They head off to attend a one-week cooking class in Puglia, Italy and what transpires there redefines each one of them. On the one hand this film is fabulous, in that it handles head-on various issues that can beset women at a certain age. One the other, it is so predictable and at times saccharine sweet that it is almost sickly. Each character is a bit of a cardboard cut-out of "a type", and the cooking instructor so archetypically Italianly handsome it beggars belief. But . . . there are moments that feel very authentic, tackling aspects of ageing and female friendships often overlooked, that it's probably worth a look. It's light and fun, and the food looks mouthwatering, so make sure to eat before you go.

3 - recommended

Wrong Turn
Dir: Mike P Nelson

Length: 109 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDdGpjjtq-o

In 2003 Alan McElroy wrote the script to Wrong Turn in which hapless victims were stalked by monstrous mountain men. In the subsequent five sequels, variations on this theme, many featuring mountain-dwelling cannibals, emerged. Now in 2021 McElroy reboots his original with a twist: six young hispster friends go on a hike in the Appalachian Mountains. After meeting the requisite intimidating rednecks in the local bar, and then being warned (of course!) not to wander off the trail, they do just that and frightening things start happening. Jennifer's father (Matthew Modine) gets worried after he hasn't heard from her, and sets out to find her. If you need a total distraction from life, this one will fill you with nail-biting terror, and enough blood and gore to fill a hillbilly's truck. It is replete with all the tropes that make this sort of film into its own special genre - but nevertheless manages to keep one in plenty of suspense. The modern twist is that the new baddies are a secret sect calling itself The Foundation, a group from pre-Civil War days, living a barbaric and primitive existence, and believing that when America falls they will found the new order. Hmm - prescient?

?? - highly recommended for lovers of slasher horror - otherwise a maybe for gore-averse viewers

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Dir: George C Wolfe

Length: 94 mins

Streaming on Netflix

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ord7gP151vk

Larger than life, blues singer Ma Rainey (Viola Davis) travels from her home in Georgia to record in Chicago in the early 1920s. The recording studio is the scene of much dispute over musical arrangements, payments, and the role of the black man in a white man's world. Based upon August Wilson's play, this impressive movie recreates an era, pays homage to a real-life legend of the blues, and examines issues of race relations still relevant today. Davis is jaw-droppingly powerful in her performance. Chadwick Boseman as Levee, the womanising ambitious trumpeter, turns in his career best, which sadly was his last. Knowing he was dying at the time of filming makes some of his monologues all the more poignant. The music is wonderful, the story intriguing, and the cinematography impressive (especially the gloom of the studio vs the Chicago brightly-lit exteriors). The director's modernistic style, combined with the writer's excellent dialogue, elevates this film above the average. With Davis and Boseman up for Golden Globes, it's something well-worth watching.

4 - highly recommended

Monday, 1 February 2021

February 2nd

High Ground

Promising Young Woman

Only two films from me this week, but both terrific and thematically powerful - one based on the vexed history of white/indigenous relations in Australia, and the other inspired by the the ongoing issue (problem?) of male/female relations.

High Ground
Dir: Stephen Johnson

Length: 105 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL-G4oCoDF0

Travis (Simon Baker) is an ex WW1 sniper, now a policeman in Arnhem Land in 1919. After witnessing a brutal massacre of an indigenous family, he helps save a child Gutjuk, (Jacob Junior Nayinggul) who is then raised by white woman, Claire (Caren Pistorius). Twelve years later Travis returns and co-opts Gutjuk into tracking down the young man's uncle, Baywara (Sean Mununggurr), who has been mounting attacks upon white settlers. Playing out at times like a Western, the film has traditional themes of conflict, revenge, and male friendship. But there are also multiple layers of complexity in terms of Australia's fraught history. We see the violent conflict between indigenous people and the invaders, and the director never shies away from confronting the audience. Add top Aussie actors like Jack Thomson, Callan Mulvey and Ryan Corr, and you have a powerful cast, but even more impressive are the indigenous actors, speaking in their language, and commanding so many of the powerful scenes with their fierce pride. Shot in Kakadu and other parts of NT, the film's cinematography captures Australia's raw and stunning outback scenery. This is top-shelf film-making, with gripping and disturbing story-telling and timely themes that all white Aussies should be grappling with.

4 - highly recommended

Promising Young Woman
Dir: Emerald Fennell

Length: 113 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we5yV7Gc9rY

We first meet Cassie (Carey Mulligan) apparently dead drunk in a bar. We soon learn her modus operandus: to get guys to pick her up, then turn the tables on them, making them confront the ugly side of themselves. However, her motives run deeper, relating to the rape and death of her close friend Nina back when they were in college. When Cassie gets involved with seemingly decent doctor Ryan (Bo Burnham), we think her life may have turned a corner, but soon even more disturbing revelations from the past set her on a deadly course. This is an intriguing film, and, depending upon how you want to see it, it's either somewhat exploitative, or a biting adjunct to the #metoo movement. I like the way the director initially juggles comedy with tension, but then takes the movie to a far darker place. This is a showcase for the brilliance of Mulligan, who rips up the screen with the entire gamut of emotions, from sexiness to sadness to sadism. (Oscar material, methinks.) The film should be a great conversation starter, but not necessarily a good date movie!

3.5 - well recommended

Tuesday, 19 January 2021

January 20th

Ammonite

Country Music - 8 part series DOCPlay

Penguin Bloom

This week I review two very worthwhile films, plus a new series on DOCPlay that could be unmissable for music lovers.

Ammonite
Dir: Francis Lee

Length: 120 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=AnDhlrs3XVM

Based upon a true story, the film is set in 1840s England. Once-famous fossil hunter Mary Anning (Kate Winslett) now lives a relatively reclusive life with her aging mother Molly (Gemma Jones) collecting shells to sell to tourists. When a wealthy fossil buyer asks Mary to care for his ailing fragile wife Charlotte (Saiorse Ronan), she reluctantly takes on the task. Gradually an intense bond develops between the two women. Impressive are the incredibly austere and bleak settings along the windswept coastline and Mary's manner is a perfect match. Winslett is wonderful as the dour, surly woman who gradually softens as attraction blossoms between her and her charge. My only gripe is that the film features a couple of intense and explicit sex scenes which seem a little at odds with the simmering sensuality pervading the rest, but as a portrait of forbidden love in those repressive times, and of two very different women discovering their deeper selves, it is powerful and engaging.

4 - highly recommended

Country Music
Dir: Ken Burns

Length: 8 episodes - 2 hours each

Streaming on DOCPlay

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVOZl671ssY

I've never thought of myself as a fan of "country music", but this doco series sho' as heck could convert me! It's totally gob-smacking the depths to which the director goes to trace the history of a music genre seen as so archetypically American. Starting in the early 1900s with Appalachian music, Burns shows us how country started as the Americanisation of the immigrant experience, and then how, drawing on other genres it evolved into its own unique thing, from hillbilly music through to the diverse genre we know today. The biographies of seminal artists like The Carter Family, Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, Gene Autrey, Jimmy Rogers and more are covered in the first two episodes, as is the birth of the iconic Grand Ol' Oprey in Nashville. As the saga progresses, wonderful, insightful commentary is added from the likes of Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, Winton Marsalis, Marty Stuart . . . the list goes on and on. The narrative also seamlessly incorporates the critical moments of American history, such as the Great Depression, while throughout the photography is a major feature of the film in its own right. I'm only one quarter of the way through the series, but can't wait to continue watching.

5 - unmissable

For those who want to explore the 100 or more photographers whose work is used in the film, check out this wonderful website:

https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/country-music/this-is-country-photographs-from-country-music/

Penguin Bloom
Dir: Glendyn Ivin

Length: 95 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7eZEZHRrVg

In 2013, real-life Samantha Bloom (played by Naomi Watts) was holidaying in Thailand with husband Cam (Andrew Lincoln) and her three sons. When a railing snapped, she fell many metres to the ground, resulting in her being paralysed from the chest down. Having been a keen sportswoman, Sam fell into a deep depression, wondering who she now was in her life, and how she could possibly move forward. Then her 11-year-old son Noah (Griffin Murray Johnston) found an orphaned baby magpie which he named Penguin and everyone's lives changed. This sweet and moving film is a testament to the indomitable human spirit, and to the healing power of caring for another creature. It's also somewhat of a homage to our excellent black and white feathered friends, who are so intelligent, and are known to bond with humans who treat them well. I'm disappointed to see critical reactions from some reviewers who pan the film, calling it predictable and emotionally simplistic; even if it does consciously push plenty of those "weepy" buttons it really works for me on an emotional level. (except for the ever-annoying Jacki Weaver as Sam's mother, and the somewhat formulaic writing of Gaye, the kayak instructor, played by the excellent Rachel House.) Watts is splendid as Sam, Lincoln totally credible as her supportive but struggling partner, and the eight maggies who play Penguin are a credit to their bird trainer. Emotional satisfaction from the film is a 5/5 for me, but with my critical hat on I'll say . . .

3.5 - well recommended

Sunday, 10 January 2021

2021

January 11th

Nomadland

Summerland

Spread Your Wings

Misbehaviour

Gugu-Mbatha Raw features in half of today's reviewed films.

There's quite an emphasis upon women in three quarters of these films, while the fourth is a treat for bird-lovers and eco-warriors. All four films are well worth catching.

Nomadland
Dir: Chloe Zhao

Length: 108 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=6sxCFZ8_d84

Fern (Frances McDormand) is widowed and homeless since the factory (and the entire town) where she was employed closed down abruptly due to the Great Depression of 2007. She now lives life out of her van, travelling around Nebraska, Arizona and Dakota. In trailer parks she connects with other nomads, some only once, and then never again; others, like Dave (David Strathairn) recur in her life. Some of the people live this life by choice, others by necessity. Based upon a non-fiction book, the film has already received more than 60 various awards, and deservedly so. It is suffused with melancholy and loneliness, the majesty of the wide open spaces, but also the intimacy of true human connectedness. Many of the characters are non-professional actors playing versions of themselves which brings an authenticity and deep understanding to the way of life the film is portraying. This blending of real life into a loosely fictional scenario creates an unforgettable and deeply affecting cinema experience.

4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended

Summerland
Dir: Jessica Swale

Length: 99 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJF5stmA5ys

During WW2 in London, certain children were evacuated to the countryside to be far away from the constant threat of bombing. Local "grump" Alice, (Gemma Arterton) is totally reluctant to take in young Frank (Lucas Bond) and vows to get rid of him at the earliest possible opportunity. Gradually we discover the cause of Alice's sadness and slowly she also warms to Frank. This is a sweet film, with a very unexpected performance from Arterton, who shines in her role, as does Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Vera, a significant part of Alice's past. Young Bond is the real stand-out as Frank, a good-natured child full of curiosity and enthusiasm for life. There's nothing earth shattering in the film-making, but again it's a solid and touching story, with yet another take on the war, and also on past times, when freedom to be one's true self was unknown.

3.5 - well recommended

Spread Your Wings
Dir: Nicolas Vanier

Length: 113 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxGXbsiDhw0

Here's a family friendly, environmentally messaged film based upon the true story of Christian Moullec (Jean Paul Rouve), a passionate ornithologist who wanted to save an endangered species of geese. He raised his own flock, transported them up to Lapland in his van, then taught them the migratory route back to Europe, using an ultralight aircraft, with which the birds had become familiar and liked to follow. Christian's son Thomas (Louis Vasquez) features large in the plot, as he learns to fly, bonds with one particular goose, and reconnects with his estranged father. There's some stunning cinematography in this uplifting tale, and the geese are real (no digital tricks here). It's reminiscent of earlier films Travelling Birds (2001) and Fly Away Home (1996). If you want to read a terrific article about the real Christian (offering flights to adventurers in his ultralight alongside the geese), go to:

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/a-man-a-tiny-aircraft-and-a-flock-of-geese-flying-among-birds-in-france

3.5 - well recommended

Misbehaviour
Dir: Philippa Lowthorpe

Length: 106 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUa0Mtdv1HQ

In 1970 the Miss World pageant was rudely interrupted by the then embryonic movement known as Women's Liberation. Sally Alexander (Keira Knightley) and Jo Robinson (Jessie Buckley) were significant among the protestors, but to complicate matters two women of color were among the contestants, hopeful that a win for either of them could really change things for girls in their racial demographic. This is a typical British film, skillfully blending historical fact with impressively depicted characters. The film features several outstanding perfs, especially Greg Kinnear (almost unrecognisable) as pageant host (and resident sleaze-bucket) Bob Hope, and Rhys Ifans as Eric Morley, founder of the Miss World contest. Gugu Mbatha Raw is strong as Miss Granada, as is Knightley as the resolute, no-nonsense Sally. The issues haven't gone away - the contest continues and women are still judged for their appearance. As a fascinating slice of history, this is informative and highly entertaining viewing.

4 - highly recommended

Sunday, 3 January 2021

2021

January 3rd 2021

The Dry

Midnight Sky (Netflix)

Untamed Romania (Netflix)

Obama The Final Year (Netflix)

Happy New Year readers. Unfortunately as I write this, the dreaded Covid is reemerging in our two biggest cities, and the world is still reeling from the daily number of infections and deaths. Perhaps catch this terrific new Aussie film in cinemas if you can (or are brave enough), and if you want to hide away at home again, Netflix continues its excellent offerings.

The Dry
Dir: Robert Connolly

Length: 120 mins

In cinemas

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X7KkP68RZE

In a very faithful film adaptation of Jane Harper's novel, Connolly's film captures the mood of a small, dusty outback town reeling from an apparent murder suicide, and still grappling with a mysterious death from many years past. Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) returns to his boyhood town where his friend Luke is suspected of murdering his family then shooting himself. A past incident, the drowning of Luke and Aaron's teenage friend Ellie (Bebe Bettencourt), resurfaces, with its long-harboured suspicions and resentments. Sporting a fine cast, this is an intriguing mystery, which cleverly intertwines present and past tragedies and juxtaposes the carefreeness of youth with the heavy burdens of adulthood. Stunning cinematography makes great use of various Wimmera-Mallee locations, all of which reflect the harshness of Australia, and the despair generated not only by personal tragedy, but the endless drought affecting the land. This is top-shelf film-making reflecting an authentic side of Australia and its people not usually seen in more stereotyped films.

4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended

The Midnight Sky
Dir: George Clooney

Length: 118 mins

Netflix

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXUUqr3AFKs

In a post-apocalyptic world (disaster indeterminate), it seems the few survivors who have been evacuated to underground shelters won't last long. In a remote Arctic outpost, scientist Augustine Lofthouse (Clooney) is desperate to contact a spaceship returning to Earth from its mission two years ago to find a habitable planet as an alternative to Earth. His only companion is a small girl Iris (Caioilinn Springall) who has been left behind after the evacuations. As Lofthouse treks through icy blizzards to find a transmission satellite, up on the spaceship, the five astronauts (Felicity Jones and David Oloweyo among the actors) are having their own dramas, and the film toggles throughout between these two settings. Critics are mostly indifferent to this film, but I'm out on a limb here - I really liked it on many levels, even if it is reminiscent of other sci-fi films. Clooney is poignantly impressive as the desperately ill but determined scientist, the little (largely silent) kid is quite haunting, and the general special effects and creation of other worlds within the ship and outer space are visually strong. The depressing theme of the possible end of everything resonates, and overall I found the relentlessly gruelling, at the same time inspiring quest, just the right companion to today's troubling times.

4 - highly recommended

Untamed Romania
Dir: Tom Barton-Humphreys

Length: 92 mins

Netflix

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDHU1x3hkTs

Lovers of nature rejoice - here's an exquisite documentary that tracks the fours seasons of change in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania, a land of which about 30% is still covered in forest. Show-casing the landscape, its animals and insects, the movie delivers one visual delight after another, from the cutest bear families, to fierce wolves, wild horses, lynxes, snakes, frogs, mayflies and more, along with the magnificence of green birch canopies turning to flaming russet in autumn, meandering river deltas, and towering craggy mountains. Employing countless cameras, and mountains of footage, the finished product has wondrous close-ups to make you gasp, abundant information, and a subtle message about the dangers of potential destruction, and the vital importance of preserving one of Earth's extraordinary treasures.

4 - highly recommended

The Final Year
Dir: Greg Barker

Length: 89 mins

Netflix

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UUpnqvIwF4

This earnest doco chronicles the last year of Obama's presidency highlighting the work of his foreign policy team, in particular John Kerry, Ben Rhodes and Samantha Power. The film counts down the last months, showing the issues they are frantically dealing with, such as Syria, Cameroon, Iran, and other hotspots in the world. Obama fans probably won't want to miss this, and as an insight into the workings of the White House, it is insightful. Somehow with its rambling style that is observational and conversation-based rather than formally narrated, it seems to have less structure and punch than I would have liked. However, knowing what was to come after Obama's eight years, it becomes almost a tragedy to see the decency and humanity with which Obama and his advisors acted, compared with the debacle that has been the Trump government.

3 - recommended