Film No. 69 (2015) September 24th. 6.30 PM GREATER UNION Innaloo
"No matter what happens, tell the world, tell my family that I never stopped fighting". (At a crucial stage in Mark Watney's plight he gives NASA some important instructions).
Ridley Scott brings us, on average, a film every two years. I'm talking about Ridley Scott the director. While Thelma and Louise is probably my favourite, he does do Sci Fi really well (Blade Runner) and he does not let us down with The Martian. The issue is, you may need to see it a second time if you are not a scientist to get your head around all the technology.
We meet Mark Watney (Matt Damon) on a working day as he carries out his duties, in full space suit on Mars. Watney and his five colleagues have to counter the sudden onset of a ferocious storm. In retreating to the capsule for an immediate exit from the surface of Mars, Watney is struck by flying debris. Commander Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain) and her colleagues are convinced Watney is dead (and I for one was surprised he lived considering how forcefully he was struck) so they blast off leaving Watney behind. No spoilers here, the trailer tells us as much.
So, for the next 140 minutes, we sit back with our 3D glasses on and luxuriate in Watney's ingenuity and NASA's politics (and ingenuity) to see how they get our space hero home. Simple really. Well not really. While the narrative, as I have described is simple, the science is not. We are warned however. Watney, very early on in his predicament utters the line "let's science the shit out of this thing" and so he and his colleagues do. It is thus science and film making cliche we witness in the plight to bring Watney home.
The Martian is okay. I admire the experimental techniques used to tell its story. Well researched science to help tell a story as far fetched as The Martian is risky but I'm told the basics are on the money. Damon is good, mixing the macho with good humour. The rest of the characters give us little. Daniels as Teddy Sanders comes from his Newsroom persona and Wiig's Montrose could have been played by a much cheaper actor. Anyway true to Watney's words, this film certainly SCIENCED the shit out of me. 8GUMS.
Film No. 68 (2015) September 20th. 4.00 PM GREATER UNION Innaloo.
"You're not American, so who do you work for now?" (Kate asks Alejandro a key question related to his role in the U.S. squad she has been seconded to).
The unnerving Sicario will grab your attention from the beginning and if you are lucky it will release you with a sudden shrug two hours later. While it is nothing like No Country For Old Men I couldn't help but feel that the dread Del Toro's Alesandro filled me with reminded me of Bartom's Anton. That type A personality you hope you only ever had to meet for a fleeting moment, once in your life.
The real wonder of Sicario is the film's ability to place us in the shadow of Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) as she accepts a secondment into a task force she naively assumes is an arm of the CIA. We are carried along with Kate knowing as much as she does as Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) convinces her that this is the only way she is going to fulfill any of her idealistic aims of quelling the mayhem caused by drug cartels between Mexico and the U.S. border.
Because this is my favourite film of 2015 so far, I'm loathe to give too much away. While Diary of a Teenage Girl (seen the day prior) is poles apart from Sicario they both take us on a coming of age journey. While we hope Minnie turns out okay we pray for Kate to be safe because we are petrified we might die with her. Not really but the film is effective in its grip on our senses. Villeneuve did a similar job on us with Prisoners two years back as we rooted for Hugh Jackman's Keller as he took the law into his own hands.
Sicario builds a tension so tight there is great relief when the titles roll. Like all good films that tension is built slowly and subtly. Then, and only then, are some of our questions answered. Kate began her journey trusting her instincts and the men surrounding her. What happens after that will convince you that the saying "Never trust a book by its cover" has great meaning. My warning however is, this film is not for the squeamish. 11GUMS
Film No. 67 (2015) September 19th. 10.45 AM LUNA Leederville.
"If you are listening to this without my permission then stop right now, just stop" (Minnie talks into the microphone of her 70's style cassette recorder as she documents her coming of age story).
The Diary of a Teenage Girl is a seriously well made film. Bel Powley captures the screen in a Christina Ricci type manner, it's hard to peel your eyes from her doe eyed, square cut fringed features as she pours out her confronting dialogue describing one sexual awakening experience after another. The subject matter will be confronting for some, "I had sex today. Holy Shit" opens the film as Minnie begins her awakening with us.
So while it is a seriously well made film I didn't really have a great time with it. I'm still not sure why, so maybe it is one of those films which needs to catch you in the right mood. There are many quirky coming of age films released over recent years which dabble in animated sequences and display unique characters and Teenage is never clunky. I just didn't connect.
Monroe (Alex Skarsgard) is the boyfriend of Minnie's mother Charlotte (Kirsten Wiig). Minnie is keen to experiment sexually as she follows her body's urges. After Charlotte heads to bed early one evening Minnie throws herself into the arms of Monroe who cannot resist her advances even though she's a minor. The strength of the film is that there is no sleaze and while Monroe could have made a more mature decision, he is gentle and he genuinely cares for Minnie. It's San Fransisco in the 70's and the era is captured brilliantly.
Teenage is based on a semi-auto biographical (not sure exactly what that means) novel by Pheobie Gloeckner. The novel is graphic and the film meets the novel's intentions very well indeed, mixing black humour with issues many of an older generation might find distasteful. Minnie embarks on a journey she very much controls and comes out the sort of person one might expect to have a very interesting life. The film has few flaws, I just didn't connect with Minnie. 7GUMS
Film No. 66 (2015) September 17th. 6.30 PM LUNA Paradiso, Northbridge.
"All full of scorpions is my mind" (Macbeth explains his state of mind to his wife at the height of his powers).
I have to admit to being skeptical about the transporting of Shakespeare's work to film when there are two script writers involved. I'm thinking, hasn't this already been written by the great man himself?
A director who decides they want to fiddle faddle around with some of the greatest prose ever, is asking for the sort of trouble our brave King of Scotland is seeking when he decides to kill off the reigning king based on the advice of three witches. Australian director Justin Kurzel (Snowtown) however provides us with a solid re-telling of this famous tragic tale and it is not just the performances of Fassbender (Macbeth) and Cotillard (Lady Macbeth) that pave the way, he has employed some gritty methods.
Making films based on Shakespearian classics is all important due to Shakespeare's prominence in school curriculums throughout the world. Therefore the technique for telling a story like Macbeth's needs to be concise and visually engaging. Although maybe a little too Readers Digesteque for my liking from a text POV the visual feast is sumptuous. The fiercely cold windswept backdrop pricks our senses as effectively as any theatre production could.
Then there is the casting. The electricity between Macbeth and his good lady cannot be faked when retelling this story. Get the two leads wrong and disaster looms. Cotillard is magnificent and Fassbender is very good. Perhaps I'm being hard on Michael but he does hog the screen in his unnerving way, so the calm, calculating persona of Marion ignites the story. Young scholars will lap this version up, which is important to the continued retelling of such treasured prose. 9GUMS
Film No. 65 (2015) September 12th. 10.45 AM LUNA Leederville.
"How much do you owe him?" (Paula asks her lover, Sparra, the untimate question).
I'm not sure that there is any better way to promote Cut Snake than via the trailer currently in circulation but it may be that it either makes or breaks the film. My first impressions of this love story with a twist were mixed and I was in two minds as to my enthusiasm for the film. Because I was lucky enough to secure a preview pass (free) I accepted the challenge presented by Cut Snake and I'm glad I did.
Director Tony Ayres is a talented and versatile film maker with directorial and production credits including The Turning and The Slap respectively. He is a discerning artist, he usually takes on quality writing and in this case Blake Ayshford (The Devil's Playground) has presented him with a quality script. Both Ayres and Ayshford have spent much of their time working on television dramas where the written word is all important.
We meet Sparra (Alex Russell) and Paula (Jessica De Gouw) a beautiful young couple, in love and with all of life's challenges before them. That's how taut thrillers often begin. Enter Pommie (Sullivan Stapleton), a major player from Sparra's previous life, a life he has kept to himself. As you can guess, Pommie is larger than life and madder than a cut snake.
Pommie forces his way into the lives of Sparra and Paula, performing small acts of kindness with an undertone of menace, we gradually learn more of intimate facets of Sparra's past life. Pommie creates circumstances which draws a reluctant Sparra back to his former persona. As the film progresses and the menace grows we find that both Sparra and his relationship with Pommie are not what they seem. Other than the clunky, cleched ladened final shot, Ayres creats a taut, tense conclusion. Oh and the array of cars on display to represent Australia in the sixties is stunning. 8GUMS.
Film No. 64 (2015) September 8th. 6.30 PM GREATER UNION Innaloo
"1 in 4 people who summit Mount Everest die". (The amazing statistic which flashes in bold white letters immediately prior to the opening of this film).
Into Thin Air written by Jon Krakauer is one of the most riveting non fiction adventure stories I have ever read. A brilliant journalist who wrote exclusively for Outdoor magazine, Krakauer was in the infamous party lead by one of Everest's most successful conquerors, Rob Hall in 1996; the expedition which saw 8 people die on the slopes. Rob Hall was one of those eight. Everest is the film of that expedition.
On seeing the poster and knowing that this film was to bring that expedition to life I was immediately skeptical. There is a Hollywood blockbuster disaster look to the marketing of Everest. This approach would never do justice to Krakauer's story so luckily, despite the marketing, it's not the approach they have used. Everest is a moving and fitting tribute to those who never returned and to their families who continue to struggle with their loss. In particular those who knew the much loved Rob Hall.
In the late eighties and nineties Everest had become the ultimate challenge for mere mortals who weren't necessarily climbers but who were of the A type personality, neededing a challenge. The fact that 1 in 4 died, usually on the descent, meant an organized approach was needed. Rob Hall (NZ) and Scott Fischer (US) became guides, setting up competing businesses, whereby for a fee of around $65,000 climbers could be escorted up and down the mountain. Their aim was to continue to pursue their passion and ultimately improve safety for climbers. This tragic account depicts events which lead to Hall and Fischer's demise.
In the hands of the talented Kormaker (Birdman and Gravity) this film soars. His actors respond with real performances; in particular Jason Clarke (Hall), Emily Watson (Wilton) and Kiera Knightley (Hall's Wife) as authentic New Zealanders. The depiction of Everest and the bleak surrounds (with the assistance of 3D glasses) kept the audience on edge. This expedition was shrouded in controversy based on Krakauer's account of events. To it's credit the film doesn't take sides. It is simply a gripping adventure based on a true event. 9GUMS.
Film No. 63 (2015) September 4th. 5.45 PM BACKLOT West Perth.
"There's an awkwardness, something very pure, I can't figure it" (Photographer Dennis Stock describes his subject James Dean to his agent in the hope he might secure a paid assignment creating a photo essay on Dean).
Talk about risk taking in film making. Life depicts James Dean just prior to his rapid rise to fame and subsequent death. Trying to depict a legend of the screen has been tried with varying degrees of success previously so how does Life fare in that maze of films best described as of the bio pic variety? Well, it fares well, very well indeed.
Director Anton Corbijn is a very thorough film maker and his success (Control, The American) quite simply is replicated often because he never over complicates his subjects. With the help of writer Australian novelist Luke Davies (Candy), Cobijn brings to life the a friendship, the unlikely friendship of freelance photographer Dennis Stock and James Dean. Put simply Dean, sees something in a young man (Dean) which separates him from the pack (actors), he want's to be the first to capture the unique Dean in a photo essay he might sell to the most famous magazine of the time, LIFE.
Robert Pattinson as Stock plays the lead to perfection. Stock is a brooding, ambitious man with few redeeming features. Dean (Dane Dehaan) however is solemn, single minded and impulsive in a charismatic way. Dehaan steels the screen with his relaxed performance. Stock and Dean build a friendship of real substance as they discuss life and at the same time frame the images which have become so famous as part of a March 1955 edition.
Part of the majesty of the film is the narrative leading to the backstory as to how and why some of the now famous shots came into being. The famous Time Square shot of a sodden Dean walking the wet streets with a smoke in his mouth and hands deep in his coat pockets occurs as so many great shots do; Stock shot it on a whim. I, like so many, was not born when Dean died tragically but Life allowed me to feel something of the pain so many people must have felt those 60 years ago. Corbijn's film took me to another time and place and I was both entertained and moved. 10GUMS.
