No. 113. (2019) JO JO RABBIT. December 28th.

Film No 113 (2019) December. 28th.  10.50PM  LUNA SX  Fremantle.

"Your mother took me in, she is kind, she treats me like a person." ("House guest" Elsa explains to Jo Jo why she is deeply in-depted to his family).

Taika Waititi(Boy,Hunt For The Wilderpeople) takes us on yet another tale of lovability and compassion through the eyes of innocence, in the highly acclaimed Jo Jo Rabbit. Does the film live up to the hype? Yes, in the main, it does! 

Roman Griffith Davis is the "boy wonder" playing Jo Jo in this satire on Germany at the end of WWII and their repressive rule over the Jews. Jo Jo has a vivid imagination incorporating a secret friend, that friend being none other than Adolf, played by Waititi himself. Adolf is his conscience played out like a mentor. Jo Jo is ten, naive and brainwashed, as many young minds may have been in Nazi Germany in 1945. So what if Jo Jo with his extreme right wing views happens upon a young jew, Eliza (Thomasin McKenzie) hiding behind a wall of his late sister's bedroom? Well, he's compromised and forced to think in more compassionate terms. Especially seeing his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is the reason Elisa is there.

Jo Jo Rabbit is a simplistic but powerful satire. The subject matter will not be easily accepted by many but Waititi is careful where he pokes fun. He has fun, much fun, but only to enhance his message. A message of goodness enhancing the human spirit. Further evidence that Waititi is a master at directing young talent. Was it W.C. Fields who said something about children and animals? Waititi pays scant regard to such comments. 10GUMS.

      

       

No. 112. (2019) LITTLE WOMEN. December 22nd.

Film No 112 (2019) December 22nd.  1:45 PM  LUNA PALACE Windsor,  Nedlands . 

"Make it short and spicy. And if your main character is a girl, make sure she is married by the end; or dead". (Jo March gets advice from her editor about what sort of story sells in the mid 1800's).

Louisa May Alcott wrote a novel so iconic in 1868 that there have been hundreds of interpretations from poems, to TV series, adaptations to films and theatre scripts, all with varying success. The novel is a celebration of family, female sensibilities, determination and goodness in general. Greta Gerwig's latest take on Little Women may well stand as the greatest celebration of Alcott's novel of all. It is a masterclass defining all the joy a visit to the cinema can bring. 

Gerwig has remained true to the book, but her technique of  seamlessly flitting from flashback to real-time gives a dimension so very important for a cinema adaptation of such an iconic story. In particular the Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Amy (Florence Pugh) love, hate chemistry reaps the full benefit of Gerwig's blueprint. 

Which brings me to the actors who colour the screen so beautifully in this version. Emma Watson (Meg) and Eliza Scanien (Beth) round out the quartet of March sisters with aplomb. Laura Dern as Mother Marmee captures every ounce of love and empathy needed. The often heartbroken Laurie played by Timothee Chalamet pushes all the right buttons. And so the list broadens. There is barely a player out of place; although the chance for Bob Odenkirk to enhance the fatherly influence is stifled and lacks depth. 

I'm certain there is not a better holiday flick doing the rounds here in Australia over Christmas/New Year. And other than a slightly sickly soundtrack which has a "this is how you should feel now" quality, Little Women is close to the most faultless film I've seen in 2019. Gerwig can now be added to my "not be missed" director list. 11GUMS.               

No. 111. (2019) THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON. December 19th.

Film No. 111 (2019) December 19th.  8:00 PM SOMERVILLE Outdoor U.W.A.                        

"Tyler, I'm going to give you all of my wishes for my birthday." (Zak makes the ultimate sacrifice to his bestest new friend for the day he looks forward to more than any other).

A sweet road movie where predicting the outcome of one scene after the next is never difficult, but where the enjoyment of each prediction is joyfully anticipated because of the sum of its parts. Those parts come in the form of Zak (Zack Gottsagen) a down-syndrome boy who runs away from his repressive institutional life to pursue a dream, the dream to become a wrestler. How is this possible wearing only underpants and caked in soap? He meets Tyler (Shia LaBeouf) who's come upon hard times and needs to escape from pursuing bad guys in a hurry. The odd couple gradually form a lasting friendship via tried and tested means and along the way, take on the company of Eleanor (Dakota Johnson), a carer for Zach at the institution. Yes, it is far-fetched, silly in fact, and gets even sillier by the time the screen fades to black. However there so much charisma pouring from the characters of TPBF, you will not be able to peel your eyes from this heartfelt adventure story. A low-budget gem of an independent film. 9GUMS.

  

No. 110. (2019) A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD. December 6th.

Film No 110 (2019)  Dec. 7th.  10:45 AM  LUNA PALACE Leederville. 

"Sometimes we have to ask for help and that's okay." (Fred Rogers responds to Lloyd's assertion that Fred likes broken people like himself).

Another film inspired by a true story. Fresh on the heels of the documentary Won't You Be My Neighbour, Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me) has taken the legend that is Fred Rogers and crafted a feature film that further emphasises the gentle goodness that is Mr Rogers. Tom Hanks is quite possibly the only actor capable of delivering this gentleness so legitimately. He does it superbly.

Inspired by the 10,000 word article Can You Say ... Hero? (1998) by Tom Junod, A Beautiful Day will warm the hearts of the coldest souls who love cinema. The story goes, Junod, generally a hard-hitting investigative writer, was sent by his editor to do a piece on America's most popular children's T.V. host. Junod had made enemies for Esquire due to his article, Kevin Spacey Has A Secret (yes, before it's time!) in 1997 so to relieve some tension Junod got the gig to meet Rogers thus forming a life-long friendship and yet another cover article.

Matthew Rhys (The Americans) plays Junod as fictional Lloyd Vogel here and shares the star billing with Hanks extremely comfortably. The premise that Vogel is based very loosely on Junod makes sense because there are many emotional and convenient short cuts which make Beautiful Day so touching. Junod hasn't said much but his relationship with his father was never as fractured as the one Vogel would have you believe on screen. "The depiction of our friendship (Rogers) was as close as I could have realistically hoped for" was a key comment made by Junod after his first viewing of the film.

The truth is, Rogers saw that Junod was troubled, mainly professionally, and he wanted to help. He did; Junod wrote an article which reflected the therapy Rogers' had instilled. The friendship was lasting and this very genuine fact is reinforced, if slightly fictitiously, in this very therapeutic, highly entertaining flick. 10GUMS.  

    

 

   

No. 109. (2019) THE DEAD DON"T DIE. December 6th.

Film No. 109 (2019) December 6th.  8:30 PM SOMERVILLE Outdoor U.W.A.                        

"This is not going to end well." (Officer Ronnie Peterson  repeated this phrase a number of times at critical junctures simply to reinforce his feelings for the immediate future).

Jim Jarmusch has taken on most genres when it comes to storytelling for the screen so it was a matter of time before the zombie theme took his fancy. 

The Dead Don't Die never takes itself seriously so the deadpan delivery of Bill Murray, playing Chief Cliff Robertson, and the self effacing aura of Officer Patterson (Adam Driver) as they set about solving the gruesome deaths occurring in their sleepy town, Centerville, makes for an amusing premise. And there are plenty of chuckles along the way. Unfortunately it doesn't totally satisfy. 

Jarmusch's scripts are always quirky, often silly but never boring. The Dead just simply dies in a final 15 minutes of silliness. The script, the premise, the characters all run out of steam and finish in a pile, quite literally. Never mind, Jarmusch fans, me included, are going to revel in the rest. Look out for Cliff's subtle nuances in his desire to be noticed by Officer Mindy Morrison (Chloe Sevigny), it's a typical Jarmusch side light. 8GUMS.

               

No. 107. (2019) le VERITA (THE TRUTH). December 2nd.

Film No. 107 (2019) December 2nd.  6:40 PM  PALACE CINEMAS  Northbridge. 

"It's nothing, it is my daughter and her little family." (Fabienne comments on the arrival of her guests, come to be with her at the launch of her much awaited biography).

In this meeting of the heavyweights of French cinema (Deneuve V Binoche) the elder stateswoman takes the honours; with ease it must be said, and for good reason. The script revolves around Fabienne Dangeville (Catherine Deneuve), an aging actor living a life of such self indulgence that family, friends and employees wander around her pampering and hoodwinking her into the insecurities and comforts of her world.

Hirokazu Kore-eda takes on the challenge of another family drama after his Cannes winning, Shoplifters, of 2018. He has an effective but underwhelming style. We are left in no doubt as to where our thoughts and feelings should lie. But as the trailer might suggest, there is no strong powerhouse dramatic tension between daughter Lumir (Binoche) and mother (Deneuve). The true drama is in the tension that could have been. But then again it doesn't try to be anything other than a look into lives so very distant from the norm.

The star studded cast including Ethan Hawke as Lumir's husband Hank, a recovering alcoholic, plus the young Clementine Grenier as their daughter assist in propping up this pleasantly amusing feature. But it is most definitely no Deneuve/Binoche "act-off". 8GUMS.

  

No. 108. (2019) 1917. December 5th.

Film No. 108 (2019) December 5th.  6:45 PM EVENT CINEMAS  Innaloo.                        

"...... If you don't we'll lose sixteen hundred men, your brother amongst them ....." (Part of the brief issued to the Lance Corps by General Erinmore just prior to them embarking on their mission).

War films in the main project a message and hope that there never be another; 1917 has a power that encompasses those virtues ten fold. It is my favourite film of 2019, by a long one-shot that not even Birdman could match.

Sam Mendes pays tribute to his grandfather, Alfred Mendes, who told him many stories of his experiences in WWI with the film telling one such story; a story of gripping proportions. The story of Lance Corporal Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and LC Schofield (George Mackay) on this day in 1917 over a  momentous 12 to 15 hours has our heroes delivering a message beyond no-mans-land to save hundreds of lives, all shot in one take (it wasn't, but that's how it looks). It's brilliant and will become a Remembrance Day icon for years to come.

While the one-take feature film has become a style in contemporary cinema, there has been a self-indulgent quality to some, 21 Brothers, a prime example. Mendes uses the technique to gather us into the high power tense moments never letting us be confused about time and place. 1917 is gripping, sad, joyous, angry, thoughtful, loving and finally reflective. Go see it.  12GUMS.

   

       

No. 106. (2019) KNIVES OUT. November 25th.

Film No. 106 (2019) November 25th.  6:45 PM EVENT CINEMAS  Innaloo.                        

"I suspect foul play and I cannot eliminate any suspects" (Blanc makes a stock standard statement to the family about his state of mind).

Could Knives Out be the first to rejuvenate the Whodunit genre in contemporary cinemas? Maybe, but I have my doubts. This is not to say there is little entertainment value here. It's highly entertaining and brilliantly cut. We are never in doubt which flashback time frame we are in as the plot builds, the suspects fingered and the prime sleuth, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) cooly unmasked. I just found the set up and plot a little tired and the performances, particularly from Curtis and Collette, glaringly under-developed. Their characters, Lynda Drysdale and Joni Thrombey respectively, offer so much then fade to so little. Craig and Christopher Plummer however are both captivating. Knives Out doesn't pretend to be anything other than a colour by numbers Whodunnit, it delivers in spades, it is however no Gosford Park (2001) but certainly better than the accomplished Death Trap (1982). Don't miss it if Whodunnit films on the big screen is your passion. 9GUMS.

    

No. 105. (2019) MR JONES. November 17th.

Film No 105 (2019) November 17th.  2:45 PM  LUNA PALACE Windsor,  Nedlands . 

"Listen, I really need to talk to you. I've found something big. You can break this story wide open". (The fateful phone conversation Jones has with friend and U.S. journalist Kleb, stationed in Moscow, prior to his departure to Russia and ultimately Ukraine).

Like Katharine Gun (Keira Knightley) in Official Secrets this Australian program of British films (Palace Festival) serves up another hero of the people. This time it's Gareth Jones (James Norton), the British diplomat/journalist who revealed to the world the extent of the Russian (Ukraine) famine which took the lives of millions in 1932/33; world catastrophe Stalin doggedly tried to hide behind his "iron curtain".    

Shot in dark tones with a depth of bleakness rarely experienced in cinema, we are introduced to Jones; a journo who could best be described as being like a dog with a bone when it comes to seeking truth. After failing to convince a parliamentary committee in 1933 of the threat Hitler presented (he shared a private flight with Adolf) he turns his attention to Russia and the rumours of a human catastrophe occurring. 

For some, Mr Jones has been slightly too long, (140 mins) but not for me. This historical drama will have you researching the era for days afterwards. A highlight performance comes in the shape of Peter Sarsgaard as the award-winning but later disgraced New York Times correspondent Walter Duranty. Sarsgaard gives a decidedly creepy interpretation. Jones was thwarted in every way by Duranty. 

This is a quality costume drama to send a chill, quite literally, down your spine. Norton gives Jones the exact qualities of a hero of his time. The closing on-screen  paragraph describing the fate of Jones left me stunned. He deserves a special place in journalistic history, along with Woodward and Bernstein.  10GUMS.   

 

No. 104. (2019) TELL IT TO THE BEES. November 14th.

Film No 104 (2019) November 14th.  2:00 PM  LUNA PALACE Windsor,  Nedlands . 

"You should tell the bees your secrets then they don't fly away" (Dr Jean Markham tells young Charlie there is a lesson to be learnt from spending time with the bees in her front yard).

Tell It To The Bees is a costume melodrama meticulously  staged with a script and premise that do not match the visuals. Is it condescending to describe T.I.T.T.B as having its heart in the right place? Yes you say? Well let's just say T.I.T.T.B means well.

Director Annabel Jankel takes us into a small English town in the early fifties where people who didn't live within the bounds of conducting ones selves properly (whatever that means) were gossiped about, spat at or had graffiti splattered on their walls. And so we meet Lydia (Holliday Grainger) and son, Charley (Gregor Selkirk), struggling to make ends meet. When finally the ends fracture (violent, manipulative husband) they are sheltered by Dr Jean Markham (Anna Paquin). The doctor is aware of her feelings towards women she likes where as Lydia falls in love slowly. From here we are simply manipulated to ask, in our more tolerant times, why couldn't people just mind their own business?

Put simply, this film has exquise production values but the script, especially "the bee thing", is silly and the acting is wooden and predictable (Grainger easily the best performer). Tell It To The Bees would have been banned and a headline film, maybe even a BAFTA nominee, if it had been released in the late 60's but in 2019 most cinema goers are looking for a more sophisticated approach. 7GUMS.          

  

 

  

No. 103. (2019) THE IRISHMAN. November 11th.

Film No 103 (2019) Nov. 11th.  5:30 PM  BACKLOT CINEMA West Perth. 

"Hiya Frank, this is Jimmy Hoffa, my friend speaks very highly of you." (Hoffa makes contact by phone with Frank for the first time, it's the beginning of a long relationship).

Scorsese, what a legend. The man who created the "Wise Guy" shtik in cinema takes the genre to a new level this time with The Irishman.

The Irishman, Frank Sheeran, is a mafia fix-it man who rose to the rank of Teemster division president under the tutorship of none other than Jimmy Hoffa. Put simply Scorsese has taken a book (I Heard You Paint Houses; The Inside Story Of The Mafia, The Teamsters and The Last Ride Of Jimmy Hoffa) written by defence attorney Charles Brandt, placed De Niro, Pacino and Pesci in the leads and meticulously re-enacted, in its purest form the narrative of the book. The reason the content of the film can't be taken literally is because Sheeran, a sick (cancer) man, fixated on a book deal, told plenty of tall tales.

Added to the meticulous nature of Scorsese's script and costume mastery comes the CGI technology magically making actors (Pesci, Pacinao & De Niro) all in their late seventies look 30 to 40 years younger to add legitimacy to each era. It's a wonder created for modern cinema. 

Netflix gave Scorsese an open budget ($159M) to complete The Irishman after a couple of years dancing with major production companies who couldn't stomach the ballooning budget. If it weren't for Netflix then perhaps Sheeran's story may never have reached the screen. In my city (Perth, Australia) only one small boutique cinema was prepared to put this masterpiece on the big screen. The Irishman is a big screen film destined for the small screen (Netflix release 27/11). I'm concerned 210 minutes in front of a small screen will negate my glowing review. We live in different times, selfishly, I'm extremely pleased to have watched The Irishman in the dark on a big screen. 12GUMS.            

        

No. 102. (2019) LAST CHRISTMAS. November 6th.

Film No.102 (2019) November 6th.  6:45 PM EVENT CINEMAS  Innaloo.                        

"There is no such thing as being normal, it's just being a human being. It's hard" (Tom reacts to Kate's desperate confession of trying to live up to people's expectations, as she rests easily in his lap).

Tis the season for studios to release their cinematic gifts. Universal comes to the 2019 festive tree with Last Christmas and they will be pleased, in my humble opinion, with their thoughtful offering. But don't get me wrong, it's no Love Actually.  

Emilia Clarke, loaded with her Game of Thrones fame, plays selfish and slightly unhinged Kate (Katorina). Kate is first generation Slav still dealing with past health and current family issues. She is crying out to be taught a life lesson. So nothing new with this little festive rom-com. Enter Tom (Henry Golding), a change from her one-night stand escapades, he's thoughtful and caring with an armour that shines. The armour never stops shining but is it real? 

So how does Kate change her ways? It won't take you long to work it all out. You could start with listening to George Michaels (Wham) rendition of the title song. No, wait on, that would be too much of a spoiler. Emma Thompson steals a couple of scenes as Kate's wily old Slav mum, Petra. Thompson co-wrote the script. 8GUMS.

     

No. 101. (2019) Judy & Punch. November 5th.

Film No 101 (2019) Nov. 5th.  6:30 PM  LUNA PALACE Leederville. 

"He won't be winning any more." (Judy answers the question "Does that Punchy guy win all the time?" asked by one of her new allies).

I'm not sure I have ever seen so much violence in a film carrying such a powerful anti-violence message. Judy and Punch is a rich sumptuous fable which could be taken as the origins of the Punch and Judy phenomenon. But I doubt it.

We meet the legendary marionette masters Judy (Mia Wasikowsika) and Punch (Damon Herriman) in the fictional town of Seaside (a countryside town). Their show is a crowd-pleaser and plays to a packed ale-house nightly. The marionettes are spitting images of their talented handlers and it soon becomes evident the violent storylines reveal a home truth or two. The pair have an infant child and while Punch is sober and loyal, life and work holds an even keel. The problem is, he is easily tempted. Say no more. Punch soon becomes the definition of despicable. Judy, however is every bit his match.

J & P won't be to everyone's tastes. You have to wade through some uncomfortable violence to comprehend the anti violence sentiment. This is an imaginative Australian based project with universal themes. Actress Mirrah Foulkes (Animal Kingdom) directs this, her first feature, and whilst it's slightly uneven, she shows real flair and daring. I look forward to her next film. 9GUMS.