Film No. 7 (2015) Jimmy's Hall January 29th.

Film No. 7 (2015) January 29th.  8.00 PM THE PINES Outdoor Cinema Joondalup.

"The hall is a safe place, we can think, talk, listen, laugh and dance; it brings out the best in us."


Jimmy's Hall


Ken Loach, like Mike Leigh (Mr Turner), has excelled in 2014. They have both made films which capture an era, mirroring different chapters in English/Irish history but depicting very charismatic characters who each made significant contributions for very different reasons.

Jimmy's Hall takes us to the lush fields of Ireland in 1932. The charismatic James Gralton (Barry Ward) has returned to his rural roots after 10 years in New York the place of his exile, accused of influencing his fellow brethren with socialist views. In 1922 against the wishes of the clergy, he led the people of his village in the task of building a hall on his land, so they might talk, listen, laugh and most importantly dance.

Gralton is depicted as a reluctant hero. On his return and because the hall still stood, the younger generation of the region convince him to reopen the doors to reinvigorate their souls as he had done before. He does and with clever scripting and editing we learn about the past and present of a people wanting a simple and free life no matter how complicated the political and religious air that they breathed.

So while the politics of the time were less than simple, Loach does not try to complicate Jimmy's plight. History tells us that Jimmy Gralton was charismatic, Barry Ward portrayed this perfectly. Jim Norton's portrayal of Father Sheridan gave Jimmy's Hall the tension required of a good drama, culminating in a profound outburst in the closing scene. An outburst that leaves us wondering how things might have been. 

Eight years ago Loach won the Palme d'Or at Cannes for The Wind That Shakes The Barley; he feels strongly about telling important stories from this era in Irish history. Jimmy's Hall is the equal of Barley.  10GUMS        

  

Film No. 6 (2015) American Sniper January 27th.

Film No. 6 (2015) January 27th. 03.20 PM MILLENNIUM Fremantle.

The Quote: "My regrets are about the people I couldn't save - marines, soldiers, my buddies. I still feel their loss. I still ache for my failure to protect them."

American Sniper


Chris Kyle became a legend, firstly among his fellow Navy Seals, then nation wide, as the most lethal sniper to have ever enlisted in the US military with 160 confirmed kills. It's fitting that a film version of a part of his life should be told by one of cinema's greatest heroes, Clint Eastwood. It is alleged that Kyle's father Wayne, told Eastwood that "disrespect my son and I'll hunt you down." It sounds like the sort of challenge Clint would revel in.

I was excited about the subject matter when I heard Eastwood was directing this bio pic. He often builds a very human portrait showing the subjects frailties and complexities when given the task. Grand Torino had a real human element to the story. The same can't be said for Sniper unfortunately. The reason being, Eastwood spends too much time shooting chaotic battles which makes it feel more like we are gamers than movie goers.

We meet Kyle who is a selfassured Texan cowboy. He is a determined soul who has to be the best at what he does. Via flashbacks depicting Kyle's childhood it is evident he had a skill for shooting straight. Motivated to join The Seals because of the mounting terrorist treats and his patriotic conscience, Kyle leads us through a series of cliched training regimes before meeting the girl (Sienna Miller, his future wife) in a crowded bar.

Kyle is a legend. The film does him proud for his fearlessness in an enduring, hot and uncomfortable war. He's a likeable bear of a man and the chemistry between Cooper and Miller is believable but the closing shots depicting family life beyond the days of protecting his buddies don't do this human story justice. It's this phase leading to the final stark captions appearing on the black screen which really could have been explored more. I dearly wanted the newsreel footage, as the titles rolled, to have had a more profound impact.  8GUMS       




  

Film No. 5 (2015) Foxcatcher. January 24th.

Film No. 5 (2015) January 24th.  10.30 AM LUNA Leederville. 

   

"Hope? It doesn't matter. I'm glad you have your trophy. It can go in the trophy room, not in the Rosemont Case. I don't like wrestling, as you know. It's a low sport and I don't like to see you being low."

 

Foxcatcher

Bennett Miller is becoming a master of transposing a true life sporting story to the cinema screen. He does it in a way that the action of the sport is a "bit player" compared to the human drama that smolders then flares revealing the real roots of the legendary event. He did it with efficiency in Moneyball and now he does it with powerful dexterity in Foxcatcher.

Steve Carell plays John du Pont a troubled, wealthy tycoon with a passion for wrestling. du Pont has a vision that will allow the best wrestlers in the U.S. to come to his academy (Foxcatcher) on his ranch in Pennsylvania. Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum), the U.S.'s most recent gold medalist (L.A. Olympics 1984) becames du Pont's first target. Schultz breaks from the mentorship of his brother Dave and joins du Pont at Foxcatcher which eventually leads to a chain of unharmonious events culminating finally in tragedy.

The film is played out in two halves. The first establishes du Pont's relationship with Mark Schultz which builds more via the silences than the series of philosophical one liners recited by du Pont remembering how pleasing his overbearing mother (Vanessa Redgrave) weighed on his shoulders. In the second half the tensions that stretch the personalities of du Pont and Schultz, of the Mark variety, once brother Dave becomes head coach at Foxcatcher come into play.

In an interview, Bennett Miller talked about there being no spoilers with regard to the cinematic retelling of this story. One only has to go to the internet to find profiles of his subjects. His aim was to create through authentic characterization an un-nerving atmosphere surrounding the circumstances which depict this true event. He nailed it for me. Steve Carell is particularly un-nerving. 10GUMS                    

Film No. 4 (2015) Paper Planes January 16th.

Film No. 4 (2015) January 16th. 3.30 PM Fenwick 3 Cinemas Esperance.

The Quote: "I'm eleven and I get it"

Paper Planes

It's a brave director and thus production company who aims a feature film at the very narrow 7 to 12 year old market. At this age kids are restricting some of the film's audience by telling their parents they want to go by themselves. If the film fails to attract their interest then word will spread quickly. The film has to tick many boxes before it can expect success. While I'm not a primary school student I suspect Paper Planes will have mild success.

Director Rob Connolly (The Bank, Balibo) was inspired to make films because of the Australian films (Storm Boy and Blue Finn)he loved  when he first visited cinemas. It is his opinion that there is a current dearth of these types of films so he felt motivated to create his own, devising it with a heart and a very simple story line. I am of Mr Connolly's generation and I too loved the films he loved and I suspect it wasn't critics who fashioned our enjoyment.

Dylan (Ed Oxenbould) and his dad Jack (Sam Worthington) live in the small rural town of Waylup. Both are recovering emotionally from the sudden death of their beautiful mother and wife. A gulf is forming between them because Jack is moping and Dylan is trying to get on with things in the best way we knows how; make a paper plane that will win a state, national and then world championship. The 90 minute journey towards his final goal is filled with overcoming adversity and just the right amount of predictable tension.

Coaxing international stars in Worthington, Wenham and Oxenbould to this humble project will help to build the profile of Paper Planes. I just wonder whether the script was so simplistic that the focus audience is not "stretched" in any way. Worthington and Wenham didn't always look comfortable delivering their simple messages. But like the rise in interest amongst the young in martial arts after The Karate Kid exploded onto our screens in the eighties, perhaps there'll be squadrons of paper planes launched in 2015 inspired by this small film with wind beneath its wings.  8GUMS     

Film No. 3 (2015) Paddington January 14th.

Film No. 3 (2015) January 14th. 11.30 AM Fenwick 3 Cinemas Esperance.

The Quote: "This family needs that bear every bit as much as he needs you"

Paddington

Paddington is very "cheesy". It is wet, cute, predictable and very unoriginal but due to the fact I watched this film with many pre school children who gasped, giggled and squealed with relish throughout, the experience was a delight.

From the producers of the Harry Potter franchise, Paddington clicks into gear very smoothly; our bear arrives in London in a very uncomplicated fashion wearing a tag asking that he is taken into the bosom of a home. He comes with a history which is told quite brilliantly in the first 10 minutes of the film and this is layered through the narrative quite cleverly. Marmalade becomes a wonderful substance which binds the characters as one!

Of course, Paddington, voiced with assurance by Ben Whishaw is taken into the hearts of the Brown family. Judy Brown (Sally Hawkins) leans down to our hero, early in the film, with such care and compassion the preschoolers surrounding me ooooohed and aaaaahed  Paddington into the arms of her family. Mr Brown (Hugh Bonneville), a risk assessor, has reservations and for good reason, as becomes clear as we ride along with Paddington's clumsy escapades shot with the right amount of colour and tension.

Julie Walters (Mrs Bird) has a handful of the best lines and Nicole Kidman (Millicent) is good as the wicked taxidermist keen to keep Peter Capaldi (Mr Curry) at bay all the while trying to stuff our hero for posterity. Paddington has won over a very important audience. One mum I spoke to after the showing commented that it was the first film her daughter had watched all the way through. I can remember The Sound of Music for the same reason. I dare say Paddington will linger in the minds of many a young person.   9GUMS.      



  

Film No. 2 (2015) St. Vincent January 4th.

Film No. 2 (2015) January 4th. 2.50 PM LUNA SX Fremantle.

The Quote: "I'm showing him how it works, he works, he gets paid, he drinks"

St. Vincent

There has been some risks taken by little known director Theodore Melfi in bringing St. Vincent together. Finding the right child actor (Jaeden Lieberher), making Naomi Watts both dowdy and sound Russian all at once, reigning in the usual antics of Melissa McCarthy and giving a new dimension to another deadpan character in Vincent played by Bill Murray were just a few of the challenges. On all four points Melfi succeeds, I found St. Vincent pushing the same buttons The Karate Kid and Hoosiers pushed and I was in the mood to be manipulated.

Take a damaged Vietnam War Veteran in Vincent, mix him with a child so lovable you have to call him Oliver (Lieberher) blend these with a stressed out mother with a big heart(McCarthy) then serve with a hard nosed pregnant prostitute (Watts) so hardened to life's knocks there has to be a catch. With garnishings of student bullying, custody battles, unpaid debts and ill health the final product is a crowd pleaser. But like a tasty takeaway meal it will soon be forgotten. 

Bill Murray (Vincent) plays a reluctant babysitter to Oliver, his new neighbour. Lessons learnt from one another as their bond sets is the key to the how believable the film's conclusion is. Chris O'Dowd playing Oliver's Catholic teacher has some of the film's best lines while at the same time providing the springboard for a heart warming ending; Bill Murray has the look of a man needing a hug and he gets one.      

The US film market has lapped up St Vincent. The film was made on a shoe sting budget ($13M)suggesting Murray, Watts and McCarthy liked the script and worked at discount rates or for a cut of the pie. The film has taken $50M since its LA release in October so someone is pleased. It's even grabbed a 2 Golden Globe nominations of which Murray is one. For me Watts and O'Dowd have the best lines but Leiberher has the charisma. If you are at a loose end on a cold wet Sunday afternoon then St Vincent may top your weekend off nicely. 8GUMS 

Film No. 1 (2015) The Imitation Game January 1st.

Film No. 1 (2015) January 1st. 10.50 AM LUNA SX Fremantle.

The Quote: "Sometimes, it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine".

The Imitation Game

Given the fact that his breaking of the German coded message system during World War II meant the war ended two years earlier than would otherwise have been the case, thus saving 14 million allied lives, Alan Turing must surely be a war hero of the highest order. Sir Winston Churchill said Turing made the greatest single contribution to the war effort. So why was this war hero treated so treacherously by his country at wars' end? The Imitation Game partially answers that question, but it will make your blood boil.

Benedict Cumberbatch (Turing) is superb as the possibly autistic mathematician and cryptographer employed by his country to break the Enigma code; Germany's elaborate messaging system. Turing was a misunderstood genius who figured that a messaging system developed daily by a machine could be broken only by another machine. Cumberbatch portrays a man who grapled with his sexuality while trying to convince the authorities of his theories. All this while at the same time learning, parrot fashion, how to form a bond with his team.

Based on Andrew Hodges's biography Alan Turing: The Enigma, The Imitation Game takes Hodges well researched material and builds a tense character driven drama. Norwegian director Morten Tyldum (Headhunters 2011) balances key scenes depicting Turing's past with the present, then the future with such mastery that we are never in doubt about how we should feel about Turing. Young Alan played by Alex Lawther is superb and so integral to revealing the Cumberbatch version of Turing.

The Enigma story has always been a fascinating one. It's been told a few times before but not nearly as well as in this version. The story has always deserved this treatment but because of the 50 year official secrets act the revelation of all the details has been slow. Like Churchill himself, once the war was over, Turing had lost his gloss. His demise as a human being is torturous and not deserving of someone so noble. He was born of the wrong time but it was lucky for us that he was. See the film, I could not recommend it more highly. 11GUMS