No. 44 (2018) Tea With The Dames (Nothing Like a Dame) May 21st.

Film No 44 (2018) May 21st.  6:30 PM  LUNA PALACE Windsor,  Nedlands . 

"I'm still hanging in for that" (Dame Maggie Smith's reaction to Joan Plowright's recollection of a director telling Smith she'd be discovered then re-discovered again during the 50's).

This fly on the wall portrait of four of Britain's most decorated artists of screen and television both entertains and enlightens in a surprising fashion. I say surprising because the thought of a film in which four octogenarian actors sit around gossiping about their past didn't set me in an anticipatory sweat. My favourite of the four, Maggie Smith, is the clown of the gaggle. Her sharp wit and impeccable timing give the film colour. The reason Joan Plowright is seen so rarely on screen now is very evident and her recollections of life with Sir Laurence are revealing. They joke about Dame Judy taking  all the available roles these days through which Dench sits, unmoved with a knowing grin on her face. And the least known internationally, Eileen Atkins (Queen Mary, The Crown), pleasantly glues many of the conversations together with her sharp recollections. This film will get its best following when released to public T.V. in nine or so months me thinks. 8GUMS.   

No. 43 (2018) Crooked House May 15th.

Film No 43 (2018) May 15th.  1:15 PM  LUNA SX  Fremantle . 

"Murderers tend to feel they are above the rules that govern mere ordinary mortals". (Charles gives his dinner party philosophy on murdering in general).

Reported as one of Agatha's personal favourites, Crooked House presents more as a sumptuous tele-movie than as big screen fare. The dysfunctional Leonides family all have something to gain after the suspicious death of patriarch Aristide (Gino Picciano), a diabetic in need of regular injections. You guessed it, he dies after a fatal dose of something other than his insulin. The dapper inspector Charles Hayward arrives to unravel the unconscionable deed. There is a whiff of The Mousetrap in Crooked House and the former, other than a Russian version, was never hoisted onto the big screen. Never the less the stars (Close, Stamp, Anderson and Hendricks) hold their own and there is plenty to mull over while you pick a killer from the numerous red herrings. It's sumptuous, fun and just a tiny bit shocking. I wonder what Agatha would have thought? Now there is a mystery never to be solved. 7GUMS. 

  

No. 42 (2018) Breath May 13th.

Film No 42 (2018) May 13th.  5:00 PM  LUNA PALACE Leederville . 

"There is fear in all of us, I know that now, how you live with it makes you who you are". (Excert of the film's introductory voiceover of Pikelet as a man).

Simon Baker's, Breath, is a formidable recreation of Tim Winton's award winning novel of the same name. Western Australia's south coast was always key to the lyrical tones of Winton's evocative life piece and Baker has captured its essence beautifully. Given Winton provides the voiceover, one assumes he has given his stamp of approval. Breath is a coming of age saga emphasizing friendship, risk taking, life choices and sexuality. Pikelet (Samson Coulter) and Loonie (Ben Spence) are energetic 14 year old mates looking for their next daring challenge. Surfing the wild ocean on their doorstep becomes their passion after meeting Sando (Simon Baker) a world class board rider and charismatic mentor. Wife Eva (Elizabeth Debecki) is bored, frustrated and sexually charged. Pikelet and Eva make for some confronting chemistry which won't sit well with everyone. Me, well I loved Breath but it's a film set in my own backyard, and I love seeing my own backyard on screen. 10GUMS.     

No. 41 (2018) Cargo May 12th.

Film No 41 (2018) May 12th.  11:00 AM  LUNA PALACE Leederville . 

"You're the first people I've seen, the first people who are real people". (Lorraine ).

A zombie thriller, but don't be turned off by the word zombie because while the genre title works, Cargo is an A Grade thriller. The Australian bushland plays a leading role here; the wide open spaces and it's indigenous population become an essential ingredient to this tense drama. We enter Andy (Martin Freeman) and Kay's (Suzie Porter) world while cruising eerily up a desolate river in isolated outback Australia. They are tense. Their infant daughter Rosie (very cute kid) an obvious priority while something very wrong is eminent in the world. I recommend you hook up with them in their desperate search for survival. The original people of the land may hold the key here to what lies ahead. I'm no fan of zombie themed cinema; Cargo got me in. Cargo has recently been released on Netflix but I recommend a big screen viewing. 9GUMS.

    

No. 40 (2018) The Mist & the Maiden (La Niebla Yla Doncella) May 6th.

Film No. 40 (2018) May 6th.  2:00 PM LUNA  Palace Northbridge. 

"Maybe they weren't the right questions" (Chamorro answers a question with an insightful observation about the puzzling case).

This B Grade cop thriller, of the best kind, should not be analysed for the holes in its narration and plot because you'll miss the point. Like the airport novel, The Mist & The Maiden is fast food of the cinema; Sydney Sheldon style. Three years after a murder on the Canary Islands remains unsolved, two detectives are dispatched from Madrid to find an answer. Bevalaqua (Quim Gutierrez) and Chamorro (Aura Garrido) are assisted on the Island by the beautiful police agent Anglado (Veronica Echedui) who was a significant investigator on the original case. The twists are clunky and the climax is slightly underwhelming. The scenery could be from a travelogue and the performers from a vogue magazine. I saw this on a cold, wet Sunday afternoon and I loved my escape into The Mist. 9GUMS. 

   

  

No. 39 (2018) I Feel Pretty May 3rd.

Film No. 39 (2018) May 3rd.  6:30 PM EVENT Cinemas Innaloo. 

"Some sizing here is a little limited. But you might find your size on-line" (A fashion store assistant takes a look at Renee then offers her advice).

It was tantalising to hear that Amy Schumer and Michelle Williams had teamed up to make a film dealing with female self image. As it happens, they both do an excellent job considering the stale, preachiness of a script which lacks both imagination and continuity. So while the film has it's light, frothy scenes, I can't help but think a moment has been lost. The chance for two stars to make a "Pretty Woman" like impact film via a fairy tale with charisma has been lost in I Feel Pretty. Schumer's legitimate, self effacing style is energetic as Renee Bennett. We like her, we are invested in her beauty and her style is infectious. Her new found confidence is fun to watch, but a one dimensional view wears thin.  6GUMS.        

    

No. 38 (2018) Chappaquiddick April 30th.

Film No. 38 (2018) April 30th.  6:30 PM LUNA  Palace Northbridge. 

"I could have had her out of that car in twenty five minutes if I'd have got the call; I didn't get the call" (A police diver who recovered Mary-Jo's body from the wreck under the bridge).

Another film for those Baby Boomers keen to get an insight into a historical moment which polarised the world at the time. In 1969 Edward remained as the only surviving male Kennedy, he had his eyes on the presidential prize which was a real possibility. So what happened on that fateful night in July that changed his aspirations? There's never been a doubt that Teddy Kennedy made a series of surprising decisions immediately following the accident off the infamous wooden bridge on Chappaquiddick island on that fateful night. This film has a view in depicting those decisions. Jason Clarke plays Teddy insightfully. The surprise comes however via Joey Gargan (Ed Helms) a close family friend and fixer who becames more and more morally bankrupted by Teddy's behaviour. Without being particularly insightful the film pulls few punches and is a thorough retell. 9GUMS. 

   

No. 37 (2018) The Other Side of Hope (Toivon tulle puolen) April 23rd.

Film No. 37 (2018) April 23rd.  4:20 PM LUNA Paradiso Northbridge. 

"I want to stay here. It is a country with no war" (The simplicity with which Khaled sums up his current predicament).

This simply staged film dealing with complicated issues of an asylum seeking nature from a Scandinavian POV is to say the least captivating. Layered with a decency Donald Trump would find confusing and down right incomprehensible, Aki Kaurismaki (Le Havre) gives us more of his view on how good people have key roles to play when opportunities arise in helping other good people. Asylum seeker  Khaled (Sherwan Haji), a Syrian refugee, has the good fortune to meet Wilkstrom (Sakari Kuosmanen) in a very staged circumstance but not before we view the simplistic plight of both men. Wilkstrom needing a new direction in his life for personal and family reasons and Khaled simply wanting a better life sums up the plight of Kaurismaki's key players. Then comes the dead-pan parade of characters mainly via a restaurant caught in the vortex of the 1950's but continually looking to diversify. Toivon is a delight and best of all there is eternal hope.  10GUMS.