No. 92 (2018) Boy Erazed October 24th.

Film No 92 (2018) Oct. 24th.  6:45 PM  LUNA PALACE Leederville . 

"Your parents have signed you up for a program to fix you, but Jared you are a perfectly healthy, normal teenage boy." (The words of Dr Muldoon, Jared's psychologist).

Lucas Hedges adds another feather to his performance cap with a calm, measured performance in Boy Erased as a confused young man (Jared Eamons), the son of a baptist preacher, coming to terms with his sexuality. Conversion therapy still exists in 36 U.S. states and this fact alone, revealed in the closing titles, is the exclamation mark on Jared's story, which is based on the book of the same name. Director and actor Joel Edgerton (Victor Sykes), presents Erased in very earnest terms however the light he shines on tolerance, and the questions asked of outdated aspects of christian beliefs, should be applauded. Crowe, (Marshall Eamons), isn't nearly as convincing as Hedges and Kidman (Nancy Eamons) but his hulking presence has a cumulative effect to his dilemma. Erased is slightly heavy handed but well worthwhile. 8GUMS. 

             

No. 90 (2018) Halloween October 23rd.

Film No 90 (2018) Oct. 23rd.  6:30 PM  READING CINEMAS Belmont. 

"He is a killer, but he will be killed tonight." (Laurie Strode prepares herself for the inevitable confrontation).

The ultimate sequel to the original (1978). Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Lawrie Strode still recovering, in her own way, from her ordeal as a babysitter in the late seventies. Michael Myers has been chained and locked away in a psychiatric prison since the mayhem he caused 40 years earlier. John Carpenter returns in a production role and the sound, (music mainly) which made the original a ground breaker, set the same tension for the 2018 version. Lawrie has lived her life preparing for the day when she knows she'll bury both Meyers and her demons. Her house is a fortress, it's a metaphor for the protective cocoon she has placed around her daughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak) and granddaughter, Karen (Judy Greer). While all around her see Lawrie as a crack-pot, only she knows preparation is everything when it comes to a maniac like Myers. Halloween is "killing" it at The Box Office. 8GUMS.             

No. 89 (2018) Beautiful Boy October 20th.

Film No 89 (2018) Oct. 20th.  11:00 AM  LUNA PALACE Leederville . 

"When I tried it I felt better than I ever had so I just kept on going." (Nic sits on his hospital bed and tries to explain to his Dad how his addiction began).

Beautiful Boy is a two hour trial of your emotions, but it is all for a greater cause. This insight into the effects on a family of the epidemic that is meth addiction will strike a chord, particularly if you are a parent of adolescents or young adults. Journalist David Sheff (Steve Carell) and son Nic (Timothee Chalamet) detailed their heart wrenching journey in two separate books; Beautiful Boy is the melding of their stories into a two hour screen experience. Carell is good but Chalamet is exceptional. The point of BB is to create awareness. An awareness that Meth addiction is an animal with its own beating heart. The change in Nic as we take this journey  is more than that of a young man who needs to change his ways, it parallels Linda Blair's Regan from The Exorcist. Beautiful Boy is frighteningly real and could well be the most important film of 2018. 10GUMS. 

     

No. 88 (2018) In Like Flynn October 16th.

Film No. 88 (2018) October 16th.  10:00 AM EVENT Cinemas Innaloo.                        

"Ripper of a show you put on today. A shame to see you depart so soon." (The mayor of Townsville makes it clear Flynn and his boffins are no longer welcome in his town).

This messy retell of Errol Flynn's back story; the short years before he headed for Hollywood, is boring. The poster pointedly suggests it's a rollicking yarn in the vein of Flynn's swashbuckling adventures. I get what director Mulcahy was aiming for and he possibly achieves it, I just couldn't get enthused. The cheesiest performance of all must go to Australian screen icon David Wenham. Wenham plays the corrupt mayor of Townsville as if he was a dastardly pantomime villain. I cringed often, but as I say, the story reflects the legend that became Flynn, so maybe the characters had to mirror the comic book caper they frolicked through. The fact is, I couldn't stop looking at my watch! 4GUMS.

           

No. 91 (2018) Backtrack Boys October 1st.

Film No 91 (2018) Oct. 1st.  10:00 PM Private Preview Screening @ Home via Vimeo link . 

"They have been pushed aside by society. They have a tattoo on their forehead which says "no fucking good".(Bernie describes to camera the plight of the boys in his program).

A heart-warming documentary for the true believers; believers in the theory that all humans can be caring contributors to the world no matter their circumstance. Enter Bernie Shakeshaft, a great Australian who combined his love of training wild dogs with giving  brash, rough around the edges kids, a chance to love and be loved. Backtrack Boys unfurls a simple therapeutic regime which works. Street wise but vulnerable young adolescents become focused through love and acceptance because they care for their dogs. It's as though the dogs, like a medicinal potion, heal the antagonistic core of these young tearaways. In the end you'll be deeply affected, moved and more tolerant of the plight of others. The film follows a standard formula but the subject matter is anything but mediocre. Shakeshaft is a genius who will be recognized for his contribution; this film is a small step towards the accolades he deserves. 10GUMS.   

       

No. 87 (2018) Bad Times At The El Royale October 1th.

Film No 87 (2018) Oct. 14th.  Noon  PALACE CINEMAS Raine Square,  Perth City . 

"It's a game and it all starts with a simple choice." (Prophetic words indeed from the mouth of cult leader Billy Lee).

If you liked Tarantino's The Hateful Eight; you know, the concept of a series of complicated characters meeting in one place, each revealing their back stories which finally crescendos in a climax of surprising proportions. Given this, El Royale only holds a flickering candle to Django. The opening sequence sets the scene for El Royale. We watch, in a "one take", voyeuristically, as a guy enters a motel room, removes floorboards for the purpose of concealing a satchel, from there we project 10 years on. The satchel under the floor is just one of the story strands as the place where Nevada meets California (quite literally with the red border line cutting through reception) slowly peels back the scab of what lies underneath each deeply complicated character (bar one; and that's part of the mystery). Cynthia Erivo as Darlene has some show stopping moments and not a backing instrument in sight. Be entertained by El Royale. 9GUMS.

                   

No. 86 (2018) My Generation October 11th.

Film No. 86 (2018) October 11th.  6:45 AM  PALACE CINEMAS  Northbridge. 

"All I wanted was to get a true cockney character on the big screen and I got the chance to do it." (Typical of the Michael Caine voiceover forming the historical observational documentary, My Generation).  

Who better to bring us a history lesson (through his artistic eyes) on how the 60's were such a watershed decade in the breaking down of the class stigma in the U.K. than Michael Caine. His insights using friends Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Roger Daltry, Twiggy, Mary Quant, Joanna Lumley etc etc is legitimate and encapsulating. His observations make so logical sense and and in such a comic way I would have been pleased to sit for another 20 minutes in the company of his influential mates. The arts were everyone's domain, so when a cockney like Caine and scousers like The Beatles gained followings in their multitudes, the entitled had no alternative but to notice and in many cases look silly as they verbalised their "toffy" views. The story of how Maurice Micklewhite became Michael Caine is a hoot, and a story new to me. A brilliant observational doco is My Generation. 9GUMS.

         

No. 85 (2018) First Man October 10th.

Film No 85 (2018) October 10th.  6:45 PM EVENT CINEMAS Innaloo . 

"Neil, what are the chances that this is the last time the boys will see you?".(Janet puts a question that she has been avoiding to her husband days before the Apollo 11 mission).

Here we have a brilliant biography (seven year snap shot) of the enigma that was Neil Armstrong, the first man to step onto the moon. Director Damien Chezelle (La La Land and Whiplash) has masterfully captured Armstrong for the brave pioneer that he was using, sound, camera and script with perfect balance. Gosling as Armstrong says more with a silent stare than he does in dialogue, his scenes with wife Janet (Clare Foy) pack a punch comparable to the pioneering space sequences. The space sequences have a "life hanging by a thread" feel that has to be experienced to be believed. That ultimately is the real story here, Armstrong and his fellow pioneers wholeheartedly embrace this danger on behalf of a nation keen to beat the Russians to the moon. The actual moon landing is anti-climactic but not disappointingly so. First Man will win an Oscar or two no doubt and deservedly so. A best sound gong is a near certainty. 11GUMS.
                 

No. 84 (2018) Like A Cat On The Highway "Come un gatto in Tangenziale" October 9th.

Film No. 84 (2018) October 9th.  10:00 AM  PALACE CINEMAS  Northbridge. 

Another understated Italian film commenting on a series of serious social issues; issues which more often than not get more serious approaches. Giovanni (Antonio Albanese) is a well to do government representative working on a race relations "think tank" and Monica (Paolo Cortellesi) is a smart but poor single mum from the wrong side of the tracks. Their paths cross because their teenage offspring experience young love over a warm Italian summer, neither parent is keen on the choices their loved ones have made. Both grown ups act like adolescents themselves but at the same time an 'opposites attract' bond is formed. The juxtaposition of each's social situation is a valuable lesson to one another, particularly to Giovanni as a government boffin. Tangenziale is a light, bright, breezy social snapshot of Italian life capturing a summer in Rome amongst a likeable bunch. 8GUMS. 


    





   

No. 83 (2018) Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist October 8th.

Film No. 83 (2018) October 8th.  6:30 PM  PALACE Northbridge. 

"Provocative, iconic; she was like our queen" (Kate Moss expresses a snapshot of Vivienne Westwood).

Vivienne Westwood is a phenomenon. A fashion icon who has cut her own path against all odds and when those odds include(d) being from working class U.K. in a world littered with class driven politics we're talking a unique personality. The documentary begins with Westwood sitting uncomfortably, talking to camera about how uncomfortable she is talking to camera. There seems nothing fake about anything she says or does as she works hour upon hour to mount show after show displaying the uniqueness of every garment she endorses to go on the catwalk, and let it be said, her garments are unique. The word Activist is used in the film's title but only a tiny portion of its contents relates to Westwood's environmental protests; she tweeted her disappointment over this on the film's initial release. Westwood devotees will love this bio pic. 9GUMS.    

  

No. 82 (2018) Three Identical Strangers October 3rd.

Film No 82 (2018) Oct. 3rd.  4:50 PM  LUNA PALACE Leederville . 

"The parents had never been told that there were two other children." (Robert's aunt makes a stunning revelation to camera).

This award winning documentary (Special Jury, Sundance) takes its audience on a journey which begins as a feel good tale about triplets separated at birth who, by sheer coincidence, find each other. The film then poses key questions about the morality of how and why the separation actually took place. The trailer certainly reveals nothing and it is surprising when, forty minutes in, a dark underbelly is revealed which changes the initial tone of Three Identical Strangers. With smatterings of docu-drama and lashings of face to camera reminiscences by all the subjects (well nearly all) the film is thorough without being ground breaking but the subject matter is first class, even beyond belief on many levels. 10GUMS.      

No. 81 (2018) Custody October 2nd.

Film No 81 (2018) Oct. 2nd.  6:30 AM  PALACE CINEMAS Raine Square, Perth City . 

"Nothing here is black and white." (The judge's gives her reason why she will need to take time over her ruling on the custody battle between Miriam and Atoine).

This French story gives one case scenario on why battles from the heart, relating to parental custody, are just that; battles so emotionally draining that you'll appreciate why it's so important these stories are told. The 10 minute opening scene set in a mediation room with a judge listening to arguments to decide the custody rights of father Antoine (Denis Menochet) to son Julien (Thomas Gioria) is an essential cornerstone of the thriller that follows. Custody is a thriller of the naturalistic type. We know that this type of emotional blackmail is a reality; statistics don't lie. So are we to believe in the strain we see in the face of Mirian (Lea Ducker)as she battles for her right to protect Julien? It all becomes clear where our allegiances will lie early in Custody. The film asks, how much pain can people who once loved each other unconditionally inflict on each other. 10GUMS.            

No. 80 (2018) Lean On Pete Sept 28th.

Film No 80 (2018) Sept. 28th.  7:15 PM  Flight SQ 215 Singapore to Perth.

"Look, if we are going to be working together, you got to get some manners. You got to chew your food. What does your mom say?" (Del lectures Charley about his habits which leads to a reasonably prophetic answer).

A touching coming of age road movie bereft of Hollywood cliche; it is legitimately touching because Charley's (Charlie Plummer) plight is real. One heart breaking challenge after another threatens to break this fifteen year old's soul. Director Andrew Haigh (45 Years) has a knack of peeling back layers of the human condition via extended takes and lingering close-ups. Charley requires the security of a home and mates (school) but life with his sole parent dad Ray (Travis Fimmel) lacks balance. Enter Del (Steve Bescemi), a third rate horse trainer. He offers Charley part-time work strapping and tending his horses. Charley's affiliation with Pete, a fifth class nag in Del's stable leads to some fertile growth in Charley's emotional world. I found Lean on Pete a profoundly moving experience, even from an aircraft seat 10,000 metres above earth. I'll be actively seeking a re-run, this time in a cinema. 10GUMS.

          

No. 79 (2018) A Simple Favour Sept 27th.

Film No 79 (2018) Sept. 11th.  4:15 PM  CINEMAX Major Siem Reap, Cambodia.

"She's an enigma, my wife. You get close to her but you can't reach her. She's like a beautiful ghost." (Sean explains some vagaries about his wife, Emily, to Stephanie).

A chance to watch cinema in an exotic country (Cambodia) amongst locals, who can't get enough of Hollywood at the best of times, all for the princely price of $2:50US is a chance not to be missed. 

A Simple Favour is a slick, sexy, big screen mystery with twists. The novel no doubt made a great trashy read, bought off the shelves of airport booksellers. Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) is a try hard, widowed, nerdy, mommy blogger and Emily (Blake Lively) is, you guessed it, the complete opposite; the confident femme fatale with the aura of a bitch on heat! They become "best" friends, but Emily goes missing, presumed dead. So as Stephanie falls for Emily's grieving husband Sean (Henry Golding) the plot thickens, skeletons are revealed, and twists tighten. There's even a steal from The Sting (1973), but not with quite the same class. ASF, is trashy but slickly entertaining. The young Cambodian crowd I watched it with, buzzed with excitement as we exited together. 8GUMS.

         

No. 77 (2018) Beast Sept 8th.

Film No 77 (2018) Sept. 8th.  10:45 AM  LUNA PALACE Leederville . 

"You're wounded, I can fix that.". (Pascal's first words to Moll, words which prove to have a much greater depth of meaning).

This mysterious film has stayed with me for days. I'm predicting Beast will be remembered as Jessie Buckley's break-out performance, her portrayal of misunderstood, down trodden Moll is magnetic. Set against the windswept Jersey coast Moll meets Pascal (Johnny Flynn). Could Pascal be a serial killer responsible for crimes recently committed? He is certainly the breath of life Moll needs to break from the emotional stranglehold her mother (Geraldine James) has over her. But these asides are nothing compared to the many other undercurrents. First time writer/director Michael Peace brings Beast to a smart climax; it's this climax that has kept me thinking. The more I was drawn into Buckley's Moll the deeper the red hue of her hair became. 10GUMS.