Film No. 88 (2014) 5 To 7 December 27th.

Film No. 88 (2014) December 27th.  8.00 PM SOMMERVILLE Outdoor Cinema UWA Nedlands.

5 To 7

The selection of films chosen to make up the Festival of Perth program is often impressive. Usually they are independently made with an unconventional style including lingering shots and thoughtful characterizations and dialogue. 5 To 7 was a typical inclusion in the festival stable, at least this is reflected in the first half of the film.

Brian (Anton Yelchin) is a writer with more rejection slips than his wall can support. One day he is drawn to French beauty Arielle (Berenice Mariohe) standing outside the St Regis Hotel in downtown Manhattan awaiting someone to light her cigarette. From here the fairytale begins as Brian chats Arielle up, then learns she is willing to meet with him again, but only from 5pm to 7pm (French for "I'm married but available for late afternoon rendezvous").

Then for 50 minutes we are treated to some wonderful shots of our key players in various situations from walking from long-shot to close up (one take) in Central Park to a soft focus scene of our protagonists standing in the rain on a city sidewalk discussing their smoldering relationship with candid honesty. Meanwhile Sam (Frank Langella) and Arlene (Glenn Close) meld into the plot as Brian's parents; they have some of the film's best lines.

And yes, you guessed it, Brian and Arielle's feelings for one another become complicated, thus the happy ending teeters. The issue I have with the second half of the film revolves around a musical soundtrack hell bent on manipulating my feelings and scenes that repeat the intent already shown in previous takes. It's as if director Victor Levin has lost confidence in the techniques he used quite successfully to set the story in motion. A likeable romantic comedy never the less. 7GUMS              

Film No. 87 (2014) Maps To The Stars December 20th.

Film No. 87 (2014) December 20th.  8.00 PM THE PINES Outdoor Cinema Joondalup.

Maps To The Stars


A History of Violence is my favorite David Cronenberg film because it is the film that makes the most sense from his stable of cinema projects. He followed this with Eastern Promises and very nearly met the same standards. After lying under the summer sky and feasting on Maps To The Stars the other night my head is still spinning with the obscure way in which this film unfolded.

No one is spared in this take on Hollywood. Havana Segrand played superbly by Julianne Moore is an instantly unlikable actress vying for a part (initially played by her abusive mother) in an upcoming film remake. We witness her disappointment at not being cast but just when we think this is going to be the film's premise, Agatha (Mia Wasikowska) arrives with a scarred past to act as Havana's personal assistant. Agatha's family, have connections to Havana. Agatha's father (played by John Cusack) is Havana's self styled guru. He becomes the major dysfunctional force in the narrative.

There is David Lynch like obscurity (Mulholland Drive) to Altman (The Player) like realism layered from scene to scene as Cronenberg doesn't snipe at Hollywood but merely observes how disfunction may have been caused to an ordinary family in a make believe world. The barometer for all things unlikable is Agatha's brother, No.1 Hollywood child actor Benjie who could not be made more repulsive by Evan Bird.

Films like Maps To The Stars are not seen to be enjoyed. They are seen to be digested so we might gain an appreciation of the normal family life we may enjoy. Or perhaps an enjoyment comes from the interesting way a competent film maker (Cronenberg) goes about crafting a new style in telling a fractured tale from a not so original idea. He does it well, but he has done better. 7GUMS.   

  



  

Film No. 86 (2014) Mr Turner December 16th.

Film No. 86 (2014) December 16th.  6.00 PM THE BACKLOT Cinema West Perth.

Mr Turner

It's fitting that one of the UK's most accomplished film makers in Mike Leigh should create a film capturing the final years of one of England's most brilliant impressionist painters, William Turner. Leigh does his job with such breathtaking style, Mr Turner, is surely one of the most accomplished films of 2013/14.

Leigh has focused on the final 25 years of Turner's life, and what a world we share, as each scene is carefully created to depict the early 19th century with breathtaking precision. Timothy Spall plays Turner, a man who grunts his way through conversations with those who can't comprehend his artistic intentions, namely his discarded common law wife and children and his housekeeper.This contrasts sharply with the highbrow wit and knowledge he shares with his peers of The Royal Academy of the Arts.

The film is long but I can't remember a wasted frame. Leigh captures a man who travels far and wide capturing one famous scene after another, all the while scratching into his tattered notebook. So while our appetite for history is met, it is the social drama of Turner's interaction with people that is most fascinating. We experience the warmth of his relationship with his father who mixes his paints, the coldness he displays to his housekeeper who watches on longing to feel some tenderness from her master and finally, the true love he finds with his landlady (Sophia Booth) in the town of Margate, where he finds much inspiration for his painting.

Mike Leigh uses the cinema to create his own mini masterpiece in Mr Turner. He presents to us a man of passion who tramples his way over landscapes and emotions to create art. Timothy Spall won best actor at Cannes in April for good reason. Spall legitimizes each of Leigh's precise settings as if the era was part of a previous life. These men have worked together for decades, perhaps this is the ultimate culmination of a brilliant partnership. Mr Turner is a film to be enjoyed by cinema purists.  11GUMS.    

Film No. 85 (2014) Unbroken December 15th.

Film No. 85 (2014) December 15th. 7:00 PM HOYTS Extreme Screen Carousel Cannington.

Unbroken

When the Golden Globe nominations were released on the weekend I was surprised to see Unbroken was not listed for any awards. I hadn't seen the film but there has been much hype about Jolie's direction and the fact that the Louis Zamperini story had become such a legendary boys own story. After watching the preview screening last night I can understand the reason for the lack of Golden Globe acknowledgement but the film remains impressive.

Louis Zamperini grew up in dry, dusty Torrence CA, the son of Italian immigrants. Depicted as something of a "wild child" he channeled his energies into middle distance running, becoming a state champion, then Olympic qualifier in 1936. He set a new Olympic lap record in the 5,000 metre event in Berlin. Aiming for Olympic glory in 1940 his ambitions were thwarted by WWII. He joined the Air Force as a bombardier in 1941 and spent much of his time in the skies over the Pacific. And this is only the beginning of a tale so tall it really has to be true.

Zamperini, cheats death on his combat missions but is put to the test after spending 47 days in the ocean after an emergency crash landing following an aborted search mission. He and Phillips (Domhall Gleeson)survive to be plucked from the sea by the Japanese who proceeded to torture him till war's end. One particular Japanese officer, named Matsurhiro (Takamasa Ishihara), took a particular dislike to Louis so legend has it.

The two hour film focuses on his life til the end of the war so we learn nothing of the rest of his seventy years. He died just this year (2014) aged 98. Because Jolie only focuses in a linear manner on the chronological order of events with no cutting to loved ones as they must have fretted, wondering why they had heard nothing from Zamperini, we are left watching a film without a truly beating heart. The film, while exceedingly handsome, lacks an X factor. 7GUMS.      

  

Film No. 84 (2014) Birdman. December 13th.

Film No. 84 (2014) December 13th.  10.30 AM LUNA Leederville.

Birdman


Birdman is very definitely one of the most unique film experiences people will have in their cinema going lifetime. It's a big call I know but I'm confident of my prediction. The seamless movement from scene to scene in what seems like a single two hour take is masterful. The theme of one man proving to the world that he is not washed up takes us into the world of theatre. Therefore the original techniques of recreating live drama on stage via film must be convincing and Birdman achieves its objective in spades.

I'm reminded of Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler (2009) as we meet Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), a character who wants to break the shackles of his franchised career path as a superhero actor. Like Rourke, Keaton (Batman) tasted major success briefly before fading as the roles dried up and aging process took its toll. Keaton is not as weathered as Rourke was but the reinvigoration of a career via a masterful film is definitely worth comparing. Both actors dared to put their talents on the line, both were courageous and more importantly both succeeded.

To explain the narrative of Birdman is pointless. We simply need to know a famous actor needs to prove he is talented beyond the narrow range of the Birdman franchise he's known for. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel) seems to enjoy the chance to innovate on film as he assembles a cast including Edward Norton, Naomi Watts and Emma Stone who all bring convincing characters to the screen, the sum of whom will either make or break Thomson in his quest to succeed. 

The premise that Riggan Thompson needs to prove himself using live theatre as his vehicle will only work if we suffer the anxieties of previews, opening nights, unreliable cast members, an anxious agent, critics and his own perceived powers. We do, and we are manipulated around this claustrophobic environment with such precision that we are left breathless. I have just one criticism; the ending left me flat but I may be to blame. I need  a repeat viewing, I'm loath to have any criticism of this film. 11GUMS.     



   

Film No.83 (2014) The Water Diviner. December 8th.

Film No. 83 (2014) December 10th.  6:30 PM READING Cinemas Belmont.

The Water Diviner

The BLOCKBUSTER movie based on a significant historical event has rarely been a contributor to the Australian cinema landscape. Australia (staring Jackman & Kidman) is likely to be the only contemporary example of such a contribution to the BIG MOVIE release and this film could best be described as huge but a difficult; difficult to make but more importantly it was a film which had difficulty finding an audience.

The Water Diviner very definitely fits into the BIG MOVIE category and by all accounts it was made without the difficulties Australia endured. Russell Crow brings to the screen the story, based loosely on a true event, of Joshua Conner (Crowe) a father tormented by the loss of his 3 sons on the battle fields of Gallipoli four years prior. After suffering yet another tragedy he decides to take his gift as a water diviner to those fields, in the hope he'll locate the exact location where his boys perished.

Programmed for a huge Boxing Day release, The Water Diviner is an important contribution to a year of commemoration ahead. 2015 signifies 100 years since our nation's worst wartime disaster and  credit is due to Crowe for mounting this handsome film; a film he both starred in and directed. Big business (Stokes and Packer) were attracted to the project due to Crowe's commitment and the quality of the production reflects a budget of huge proportions.

The film has flaws but it will work for all ages. The outback landscape, the gentle romance, the immaculate costuming and the big soundtrack add up to a clever entertainment. A comfortable seat in a dark cinema will suit a majority of popcorn munching film goers this Christmas, a film of the calibre of The Water Diviner will fulfill their needs perfectly. 8GUMS 

  

    

Film No.82 (2014) Wild. December 9th.

Film No. 82 (2014) December 9th. 6:30 PM VMAX Innaloo.

Wild

"Honestly, I'm lonelier in my real life than I am out here", are the words spoken by Cheryl Strayed in a scene part way through Wild. While the scene is typical in look to what we've become used to as we've accompanied this woman along the famous Pacific Crest Trail, the words best sum up our key character's predicament. For me it is why the film succeeds. Barring the sudden and convenient ending, Wild is inspiring and entertaining.    

Wild is based loosely on the Cheryl Strayed memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. I say loosely because much of the heartfelt drama we view on screen via flashbacks have been embellished for purposes of more convenient story telling. The key to the journey however is the fact Strayed (nee Nyland) walked the PCT and documented her 3 month journey. The real life walk was possibly underwhelming but Strayed's ability to write made the story worth telling. 

So why does the film gel with such a narrow premise? Part of the reason for its success is due to the clever scripting provided by Nick Hornby. The reason Strayed is walking a trail we give her no chance of finishing, is because she is damaged. The clever method Hornby uses to narrate her story using light moments on the walk to juxtapose the heartfelt scenes told in flashback from her prior life builds a magic balance. We soon believe she has the strength to succeed. 

More importantly Reece Witherspoon is entirely convincing. Like most films that surprise, they are often films where the expectations were never high. Ms Witherspoon bought the rights to Strayed's story just prior to publication 3 years ago. Hornby was employed immediately to write the narrative, so her vision was real. The word is Witherspoon is in line for an Academy nomination and to my mind she probably deserves it.  9GUMS

     

Film No. 81 (2014) The Judge December 7th.

Film No. 81 (2014) December 7th. 8:15 PM Luna Outdoor Camelot.

The Judge

Father / son relationships have formed the backbone of many well made movies through the years. Surprisingly The Judge is a mediocre addition to that list. I say surprisingly because the cast assembled for this film is of the highest quality. Names including Robert Downey Jr, Robert Duvall, Vera Farmega and Billy Bob Thornton will draw a crowd but unfortunately the script left them bereft.

The Godfather, one of the greatest films ever made, can be compared in some way with The Judge. The father (The Don, Marlon Brando and The Judge, Robert Duvall) in both cases has a fractured relationship with his son who returns home due to family circumstance. Al Pacino's Michael is brooding and underplayed, Robert Downey's Hank Palmer is a brash lawyer but we never get to really understand why there is such a rift between his character and his father, The Judge. In both films there are other brothers, more loyal, who are important to the story but once again The Judge flounders because there's not the chemistry or the quality of Don Corleone's lads. I wonder if the presence of Duvall was not coincidental.

The Judge is the keeper of the moral compass in a wheat belt town in central US. He holds secrets however and all is not what it seems as seen through the eyes of son Hank when he returns from his city highlife to mourn the death of his mother. We learn that father and son are not close but after an incident involving The Judge, his car and a former criminal, you guessed it, Hank becomes his fathers defense attorney.

Then there is Sam (Vera Farmiga), Hank's high school sweetheart who has a teenage daughter (Carla Powell). There is silliness in this sidelight to the story. Warner Brothers' films often delve into cliched moments which do the film no justice. The real disappointment, however, is Billy Bob Thornton as Dwight Dickham. It's not Billy's fault, the script fails him miserably. His band of fans who paid their money to watch his work would have hoped for a refund. The Judge is tepid and clunky. 6GUMS