Film No. 28 (2016) The Man Who Knew Infinity April 23rd.

Film No. 28 (2016) February 23rd.  10.45 AM LUNA Leederville. 

"There are no proofs that determine the outcome of matters of the heart. We are merely explorers of infinity in the pursuit of absolute perfection." G.H. Hardy (Jeremy Irons) tries to convince his peers of the significance of the contribution Srinivasa Ramanujan (Dev Patel) has made to mathematics).

Like a nice meal, it comes together through a recipe; a tried and tested mixture of ingredients baked with perfect timing. The Man Who Knew Infinity reminds me of such a meal. The key ingredients being a legendary person (Ramanujan) blessed with an extraordinary talent, then spiced with myth and facts and finally balanced with an evocative soundtrack. Yes, it's all been done before but not always well. For Infinity the recipe works.


If you are a math nerd and hope to get an insight into the hows and whys of Ramanujan's genius then this film will disappoint. By film's end we are no closer to understanding what his scribblings mean but if you are a lover of well told stories involving relationships and academic bonds which had an influence on future mathematics then the 115 minutes you spend with Irons, Patel and (to a lesser extent) the prolific Toby Jones should not disappoint.


The Man Who Knew Infinity gains our heart early due to the chemistry of the performances of the three key actors. The fact a genius living in poverty with enough drive to want to gain recognition hooks us and we know early on that Hardy is already reflective of the life changing relationship he is about to reveal on screen. From the beginning we know we are about to be taken on something of an epic journey.


There is narrative fudging which you may need to overlook, such as did the perceived meanness of the Fellows of Cambridge during Ramanujan's 5 year tenure actually happen? And was the portrayed cold heartedness of Ramanujan's mother towards his wife real?  
Due to the heartfelt foundation of T M W K I these side-lines don't in any way damage the story but rather represent the spice which complements a soundtrack that may have you welling up just prior to the titles rolling. 9GUMS.     


 

Film No. 27 (2016) A Month of Sundays April 18th.

Film No. 27 (2016) April 18th.  6.30 PM LUNA Paradiso, Northbridge. 

"I just wanted to ask if we could do this again?" (Frank (Anthony LaPaglia) asks Sarah (Julia Blake) if she would mind if he visited her again).

I so look forward to each new film from one of Australia's most fertile cinema contributors, The South Australian Film Corporation. With Matthew Saville (Felony, The Slap) at the helm, a fresh script also written by Saville plus the pairing of two of Australia's best talents in LaPaglia and Blake, I was salivating with anticipation at the opportunity to preview A Month of Sundays. I'm still not quite sure why the sum of all I anticipated left me underwhelmed.


The idea of a middle aged male (Frank), feeling alone in the world as he grapples with loss makes a promising premise for a drama. The passing of his mother, the demise of his marriage, a lack of job satisfaction and the battle to show real feeling towards his adolescent son are the sum of Frank's problems at our first meeting. Then there is a phone call; Blake's Sarah calls Frank by accident and this leads Frank to begin a renaissance of sorts.


How many times have we seen a film which offers so many original ideas enacted with quality performances but where the sum of those parts don't add up? In the case of A Month maybe there are just too many under developed ideas. Sarah's son Stuart (Terrence Crawford) has undeclared issues. Phillip (John Clarke) cares for his sick father but there is no connection between them. This only comes (in an unconvincing fashion) once Phillip brings Sarah along to meet his father. Frank visits the set of estranged wife Wendy's (Justine Clarke) workplace, which is the set of a successful TV soapy, for a series of disconnected conversations.


There is a scene early in the film where Phillip looks at his watch and calls "lunch". Phillip expresses how much he loves lunch then we cut to a prestigious looking golf course where both he and Frank walk and play in business suits. The film is quirky but a scene where the same dialogue took place in a Japanese sushi train restaurant as they chose and ate exotic nibbles would have made more sense. This is my effort to be constructive in my criticism because there is so much I wanted to like about this film. 5GUMS.

Film No. 26 (2016) Sweet Bean (An) April 16th.

Film No. 26 (2016) April 16th.  10.45 AM LUNA Leederville. 

"I've been making An for 50 years, here have a taste" (Tokue (Kirin Kiki) tries to persuade Sentaro (Masatoshi Nagase) the he could use her help)

Naomi Kawase is a rare breed of Japanese feature film maker. Firstly she is definitely the only one with a non Japanese christian name and secondly she is a female. The Japanese film industry is notorious for lacking on the equal opportunity front. If An (Sweet Bean) is an indication of creative cinema devised by a female director then let the flood gates open. Kawase has made a beautiful, gentle film about the joys shared via the human spirit.


Be warned, An is a reflective drama, the type you attend if you are in the same frame of mind to take part in a meditation or ti chi session. Be prepared to luxuriate in the gentle charm of Tokue, an elderly lady with a lonely past but beautiful disposition. Tokue charms us as we meet her inquiring about a part-time job in a  street corner cafe. The cafe has earned its reputation on the doriyaki it serves. Essential to the doriyaki is a sweet bean paste(An) sandwiched between two small pancakes. Tokue is persistent in her quest for the job, for good reason; she has her own An recipe.


The An becomes a vehicle, via the bent hands of Tokue, for cafe manager Sentaro and his loyal school girl customer Wakana, to learn about what it is to be both patient and compassionate. Virtues which once learned, will become wonderful tools for life.


While Mr Miaki (The Karate Kid) still has a cliche or two to answer for, in An, the gentle way Tokue infiltrates our psyche is skillful. Ms Kawase has executed her talents with a beautiful life lesson. Like the sweet bean paste of An, may her creative output become addictive. 9GUMS.        

Film No. 25 (2016) Deadpool. April 13th.

Film No. 25 (2016) April 13th.  9.30 PM GREATER UNION Innaloo.

 

"Looks are everything. You ever heard David Beckham speak? It's like he mouth-sexed a can of helium. Think Ryan Reynolds got this far on his superior acting method?" (Wade Wilson talks of his disfigurement caused by his arch enemy). 

Deadpool is officially the highest grossing R rated movie to open in the U.S. That is quite an achievement in these times of numerous opening weekends for any number of heavily marketed blockbuster films not to mention those of the super hero variety. So why should this be so?

 

Well that's easy. Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) has come to the screen as a crass, smart talking dude with super powers, a flawed frogman's suit (much in the vein of Kick-Ass), an unoriginal story-line but with a very original, sharp script. The story goes that as age groups 18 to 60 (particularly 18 - 35's) saw the film their fingers got tapping and social media played its part. Fox was blown away with the strength of the opening.

 

Outlining the plot-line for Deadpool is pointless. The fare is standard, even the love interest Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) is one dimensional. Starting the film two thirds into the narrative works but it's all been done before. Quite simply we follow D/P on his quest to extract revenge form the "tool" who disfigured him. In this contribution to comic mayhem Ryan Reynolds gives his all. He's got most of the lines, there is a rhythm to his delivery and we can't wait for Deadpool's next antic.

 

Director Tim Miller (2IC in Kick-Ass) plus writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (both of Zombieland fame) combine to freshen up a tired genre. Hats off to Reynolds who "died" in Green Lantern. It's risky returning to a genre you've failed at once before. He even 'takes the piss' out of himself as he breaks the 4th wall on occasions here. I'm still chuckling 2 days on at some of his banter. But be warned if you are easily offended it's R rated for a reason.  10GUMS. 

 

      

 

 

Film No. 23 (2016) The Lady in the Van April 5th.

Film No. 23 (2016) April 5th.  3.20 PM DENDY Quay Cinemas Sydney. 

"Good, then you can give me a push". (Miss Shepherd's first words to her soon to be new neighbour, Alan Bennett).

The Lady in the Van is not the light, offbeat comedy depicted in the trailers which played for months in Australian cinemas leading up to it's recent release. Maggie Smith as the cantankerous old biddy Miss Shepherd is brilliant with her sharp tongue and brilliant timing but the film has many more layers. English playwright Alan Bennett has written something very personal in his account of this very strange event which occurred in his life.

Alex Jennings plays Bennett to perfection (Alan Bennett should know) as we learn of a unique meeting between a couple of lonely eccentrics. Smith brings the lady to screen after playing her in the late nineties on stage in London's West End as part of numerous sell out seasons of Bennett's play. In real life Miss Shepherd spent 15 years living a vagrant's life out of her van in Bennett's driveway. Bennett, as he saw it, played two roles during those years. 

Firstly, as a professional he seized the opportunity to observe and thus write. Secondly he needed to be the compassionate neighbour who legitimately cared for the needs he knew only he could provide to Miss Shepherd. Director Hytner (The History Boys) and Bennett team up to reproduce the chemistry they created with the stage play. The relationship between Bennett and Miss Shepherd has it's moments but it is less than riveting. The way their story is told gives the film its "legs".

Well, that and the performance of Maggie Smith. Smith works her craft so wonderfully in this story she has made her own. The production of this film depended on her availability. One day Ms Smith will not be with us, The Lady In The Van is a wonderful opportunity to appreciate an actor who remains at the top of her game, a game she has dominated since her debut on BBC television 60 years ago. 9GUMS.                 

Film No. 24 (2016) Where To Invade Next April 10th.

Film No. 24 (2016) April 10th.  1.20 PM Norton St. Palace Cinemas, Leichhardt Sydney. 

"We want our kids to learn and to have fun. We don't need to test them on things they've learned from the the back of a book. There is no creativity in that". (Krista Kiuru, the Finnish Minister of Education).

In my opinion Michael Moore has just completed his most interesting film. He has taken his persuasive self and devised an entertainment which asks a series of questions about how he might be able to "pick the flowers" (the ideas which work so effectively in a cross section of European countries) and figuratively take them back to the U S A. Maybe then the people of America would become as one, perhaps even care more for one another.


In Where To Invade Next (W T I N), Moore steps through some of the themes he touched on in Sicko. Although I'm a little concerned Moore learned few health lessons from his Sicko assignment, in this film he looks very unhealthy! W T I N is a wonderful idea which will have the whole world talking because we can all take lessons from the 'flowers' he picks. 


Moore takes us to Italy to learn how business treats it's workers so they remain productive, happy and worth investing in. In Finland we learn that elitism in their education system is non-existent which has a two fold effect. In Slovenia we learn that it is possible to provide students with a free college education and let them begin their adult lives unencumbered by debt. In Iceland  we learn how women make their society more whole, honest and caring because they have more say in the decision making process.


And the list of countries and the 'flowers' he picks goes on. Mike Moore is a preacher of sorts. His style does not suit all and at times he tampers with facts to the advantage of only his POV. He once again gives a utopian view but his approach is light; this suits Where To Invade Next. A couple of personal statements given by a grieving father in Norway and a CEO in Iceland are particularly strong. Importantly they are not the views of Moore.  10GUMS            

Film No. 22 (2016) Mon Roi March 28th.

Film No. 22 (2016) March 28th.  9.00 PM LUNA Paradiso, Northbridge. 

 

Trivia: Emmanuelle Bercot shared the best actress award with Mara Rooney (Carol) at Cannes in 2015 for her performance in Mon Roi.

 

Depicting a tempestuous, erratic relationship between two temperaments where heartbreak is inevitable is nearly a film genre in itself. As with the Romantic Comedy or Revenge Thriller the Drama come Love/Tragedy has been depicted before, often best by the French or the Italians. Mon Rio (My King) is French and it is a worthy contribution to the genre.


Emmanuelle Bercot (Toni) and Vincent Cassel (Georgio) shine in this simple drama about a couple of extroverts who have too much in common for their relationship to be everlasting. We learn all about this roller coaster ride of a marriage via Toni's reflective thoughts as she recovers from knee surgery after a skiing accident which we witness, partially, in the opening scene. The thrill of this flashback technique holds us suspended, most particularly concerning Georgio's fate. 


Georgio has to be charismatically convincing and he is, then Toni has to be doubly the same in her quest to hold him on the pedestal that she hopes will last for ever after, like in fairy-tales. Director Maiwenn is a young French filmmaker learning her craft and her clumsy method of paralleling Toni's physical recuperation with her emotional reparation is never convincing, verging on cliche but it's part of the indulgence of Mon Roi.


It's a case of knowing what you're getting with Roi so do we look beyond the cliched narrative or are we happy to be indulged? I fall on the side of the latter mainly because Bercot and Cassel make the scenes that count bristle.  9GUMS.

Film No. 21 (2016) Rams March 27th.

Film No. 21 (2016) March 27th.  8.00 PM THE PINES Outdoor Cinema Joondalup. (Part of Perth Film Festival 2015/16)

"In order to eliminate the disease they're going to have to take the whole valley" (The voice of authority explains the necessary procedures to gain the required agricultural outcome). 
   .

"A simple, understated snippet of Icelandic rural life", was a sentence used to sum up this Perth Film Festival offering. I'm inclined to agree on the understated front but to describe Rams as simple is to err on the side of flippancy when it comes to the family matters portrayed in this film.


Sheep are some of the players in this film, but it is the pair of head butting rams, the feuding brothers Gummi (Sigurour Sigurjonsson) and Kiddi (Theodor Jullusson), who control the tempo of this drama. We learn a little of why these brothers live 200 metres apart and have failed to speak to one another for 40 years. The brother's only means of communication is notes couriered by a sheepdog. They share the family farm but herd separate flocks of sheep. They are the best breeders in the district as is reflected in the annual district contest in an early scene. 


The opening scenes subtly project the silliness of the "boys" feud as they jostle for minor supremacy over small matters. The only soundtrack is the cold damp air whistling around their ears. Once Gummi detects the sheep equivalent of foot and mouth disease, scrapie, in his brother's flock the drama unfurls. Gummi has to report his findings knowing that if indeed it is scrapie then the consequences for the whole valley are dire.


I can't recall an Icelandic film I've seen previously. Effective film festivals choose cinema which allows we lovers of film to journey into unfamiliar worlds to experience emotions common to the human condition. Rams is another example of well chosen festival fare. A cold war amongst family members is common world wide, the secret is, how much adversity does it take before an olive branch is presented? Rams presents one answer to that question. 9GUMS.