No. 52 (2021) WEREWOLVES WITHIN JUNE 22nd.

 

Film No. 52 (2021)  June 22nd.  6:30 PM  Cinema 5   LUNA,  Leederville. 

"Everything here is a little questionable. The people, the weather, everything." (Cecily takes Finn for a tour of Beaverfield and outines its shortcomings).

For those of us who remember Mel Brooks, here is a silly film that surely had Mel as a key influencer. I must confess I'm guessing on this front. I have no idea about who director Josh Ruben most respects in the film world. It's the quirkiness and irreverence of the sharply delivered script that made me think of Brooks.

Of course there is the Brook's silliness here. Ruben and writer Mishna Wolff have been inspired to write 'Werewolves Within; by an on-line game of the same name. I'm not a gamer so I have no reference point to storyline. Below is a description of the game.  

"Werewolves Within is a fast-paced game of hidden roles and social deduction for five to eight players. In one game, a player might be a villager trying their hardest to cleanse the town of werewolves, while minutes later they could be the werewolf, lying and betraying friends in order to survive the vote."

 

Maybe we take it that feature film WEREWOLVES WITHIN is one version of a game played out. Beaverfield is the village that Finn (Sam Richardson) arrives in as the new ranger. Finn has self-esteem issues and is working hard to be more decisive. Local postal officer Cecily (Vilana Vayntrub) takes an instant liking to Finn. We meet the villagers, all with their own backstories and reasons why they might transform into a grossly disfigured, flesh eating werewolves. An ice-storm confines them to the local inn and so a weird hybrid of THE HATEFUL EIGHT, CLUEDO and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is played out. A gruesome silliness prevails till only a couple of of players are left standing. 

Irreverent fun is the order of the day for WEREWOLVES WITHIN. You'll have forgotten it by the time you drop the remains of your popcorn in the bin on exiting. That's not a bad thing. Just because Werewolves is a whodunnit, set in a snowstorm,  on a lavish set, amongst likeable "numbskulls" doesn't mean you've wasted 95 minutes of your life.  Surely you should always find time in your day for a giggle. 8GUMS.              

   

No. 51 (2021) HERSELF JUNE 21st.

 

Film No. 51 (2021)  June 21st.  6:30 PM  Cinema 5   LUNA,  Leederville. 

"I have designed a house that costs just thirty five thousand euros to build. You'll need a builder to help you." (The face-time conversation that Sandra has with a designer, which gives her belief in her dream).

Film is such a powerful medium when it comes to highlighting warts that need removing from society. HERSELF is a powerful film telling the story of Sandra, a native Dubliner, who fights to make her bleak world better. Domestic violence (the wart) has made her life a misery. She is the mother of two small girls, displaced and on a waiting list to be housed. Sandra decides it's time she became the mother who controls their destiny.

A film that adopts domestic violence as an underlying theme may repel potential punters. It's repugnant subject matter. HERSELF however, is a story about triumph of the human spirit. Sandra, brilliantly played by Claire Dunn, is charismatic in the lead role. The actress, Claire has endured periods of bullying due to a distinctive birth-mark under her left eye and this, together with the fact she co-wrote the script, gives her a legitimate sense about strength of character. 

Director Phillidia Lloyd (IRON LADY and MAMMA MIA) layers HERSELF with one thought provoking scene after another. Lloyd never wants us to feel sorry for Sandra. She asks us to come along and take this inspiring ride with a young mum with "balls" (the last thing Sandra wants attached to her!).

Sandra presents a proposal to a public servant. The idea would save the city money, have an extra dwelling on their books plus give Sandra and her girls a place to live. The city employee's reaction is cliched but the point is perfectly made. The scenes of camaraderie involving the people who admire and trust Sandra, as they all work to help her literally build her dream, is what HERSELF is all about.

Lloyd and Dunne have plenty to say in HERSELF. They rarely preach their message. HERSELF is less about the ills of domestic violence and so much more about resilience and the power of human kindness. I hope this small film gets big audiences. HERSELF is an example of why film expands our mind, in the same way a gymnasium invigorates the body. 11GUMS.          

    

No. 49 (2021) THE COLLINI CASE (DER FALL COLLINI) (Palace German Film Festival). JUNE 16th.

 

Film No. 49 (2021)  June 16th.  6:30 PM  Cinema 1  LUNA,  Leederville. 

"I'd like to make you an offer. Just get Collini to confess. It will make life easier for you". (Dr Mattinger takes Casper on his yacht to try to convince him that a vigorous defence of Collini will be a waste of time).

The courtroom drama gained it's greatest boost as a cinema genre with TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD (1962)but THE JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG (1961) is possibly closer to this take on a war crime (WWII) drama. The Collini Case is all about law on a big picture scale, rather than the case itself. The case is simply the tasty topping (fiction) on a substantial main course (non-fiction).

Ferdinand von Schirach wrote the story in the form of a novel. It was published in 2011 and tells the gripping story of a rookie lawyer fighting for a client in an open and shut case of murder. But of course, if it truly was open and shut, why would it be a gripping story?  The number of people who will have heard of, and read the novel is limited, so this screen version (which is a brilliant take on von Schirach's story) will give many people an opportunity to understand a strange quirk of German law-making.

We meet Fabrizio Collini (Franco Nero) as he inflicts a violent act upon a man (industrialist Hans Meyer (Manfred Zapatka)) who we take to be an upstanding and eminent German citizen. Collini doesn't speak and is completely compliant with his arrest and jailing. Inexperienced lawyer Casper Leiner (Elyas M'Barek) is assigned to defend Collini. So what are the layers which unfold that has Casper so passionate in his pursuit of justice for a man (Collini) so withdrawn and uncaring of his own existence?

There is a respected mentor and prosecutor, Dr Richard Mattinger (Heiner Lauterbach) who gives Casper reason to question his own loyalty to the doctor and  one remaining Meyer family member Johanna (Alexandra Maria Lara). Johanna knows something but is staying quiet and Casper hopes she has the common sense to believe in his methods to see that justice prevails. 

This film does the original book justice. There is a touch of Spielberg in the way the film presents. It's slick and you're never in doubt that Casper like James Donovan (Hanks in BRIDGE OF SPIES) is our man and we're rooting for him. 10GUMS.

     

     

   

No. 50 (2021) DREAM HORSE JUNE 18th.

 

Film No. 50 (2021)  June 18th.  6:00 PM  PALACE Cinema 1,  Raine Square,  Perth City. 

"The thing is, I want to look forward to something every time I get up in the morning. I'm going to breed a race horse"(Jan breaks the news to her husband Brian that she is taking steps to rectify the boredom that has infiltrated into her life).

The doco DARK HORSE (2015) told the incredible story of  working class, Welsh single-mindedness, in the form of Jan Vokes who, with the help of disgruntled accountant Howard Davies, pulled off one of the greatest sporting triumphs in U.K. horse racing history. DREAM HORSE is the feature film of this incredible story.

The story was such a triumph that a feature film release was no surprise. SEABISCUIT (2003) and SECRETARIAT (2010) tell "come from behind" race stories that have pleased producers and audiences alike in recent years and DREAM HORSE is succeeding similarly. The COVID pandemic is giving films like DREAM HORSE a congestion free run down the straight. A predictable plot with a feel good outcome so warm you'll whoop and holler as loudly as the owners syndicate does as Dream Alliance crosses the finish-line to win the 2009 Welsh Grand National.

Audiences don't seem to have taken offence at their choice for the lead role. Australian Toni Collette (Jan) and U.K. born Damien Lewis (Howard) have good chemistry. I couldn't fault Collette's accent but a native of Wales is likely a better judge. Every scene plays out predictably, but I enjoyed the undercurrent of the narrative. The fact that Jan created the syndicate to give her life a boost and not to become rich is never lost on us. The ensemble cast of U.K. locals all get to steal a light-hearted scene or two.   

It's pleasing to see a sports film of a story worth telling made well. It's a U.K. story that many, particularly from Wales, will have followed 12 years ago. An audience has been waiting patiently. While DREAM HORSE has working class roots it is less Ken Loach and a whole lot more Disney in its depiction. Me, well I loved the DARK HORSE version more. But I'll be in a minority when it comes to the viewing of this story on screen.  8GUMS.

  

No. 48 (2021) I'M YOUR MAN (Palace German Film Festival). JUNE 14th.

 

Film No. 48 (2021)  June 14th.  1:15 PM  Cinema 1  LUNA,  Leederville. 

"You're a beautiful woman Alma. Your eyes are like two mountain lakes I could sink into". (Tom, Alma's supposed perfect partner begins conversation at their first meeting).

I'M YOUR MAN is quite delightful. So it should be, I suppose. The list of highly recommended Romantic Comedy films is a long one. It is a genre, however, often harshly judged but also easily judged. The best of the breed are films which leaves one feeling warm inside and the 110 minutes it has taken to tell the story has felt like ninety. German director, of mainly T.V., Maria Schrader (UNORTHORDOX) has created a highly entertaining film in I'M YOUR MAN.

Alma (Maren Eggert) is smart. She's a professor in a Berlin university. We find this out as we go along. We first meet her on what we take to be a blind date. Tom, most brilliantly played by Dan Stevens, is her date. The thing about Tom is that he is perfect in a not so perfect way. Alma is compliant and although sceptical is very much committed to seeing this through. What next?

Alma falls for Tom, obviously, but there are many layers to her progression into a romantic relationship. This becomes  a part of the intrigue of I'M YOUR MAN. Believability from an audiences POV will be hard to achieve, especially considering Alma's state of mind. She is cynical to say the least and the original duration she signed up for, three weeks, is destined not to run its course.

The film is visually handsome. Eggert and Stevens are a good match and physically make a great couple. Their timing makes for some brilliantly funny (rarely laugh out loud) set pieces. Sandra Huller, fresh from the dark EXILE, as the dutiful employee works the screen nicely and there is a surprising small twist to her role.

I'M YOUR MAN is great entertainment. I've no doubt this will become a Hollywood re-make in years, if not months, to come. I can't for the life of me see how they will be able to improve on this German triumph. Sure, more people may see it, but I'll be all the more sorry for that fact. We all love a good romcom. Don't miss I'M YOUR MAN ..... seek it out. 11GUMS.

            

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No. 47 (2021) MY ZOE. JUNE 12th.

 

Film No. 47 (2021)  June 12th.  11:00 AM  Cinema 5   LUNA,  Leederville. 

"But you were always the one to say, when there is no more hope, just keep on going" (Kathy, Isabelle's mother reminds her daughter of what is to be the philosophy Isabelle adopts in the weeks, months and years ahead).

MY ZOE unfolds as a piece of theatre. A play in Three Acts. But don't be put off by the mention of theatre on screen, director/writer and lead actor Julie Delpy has done an excellent job in crafting a good film. A many layered film that, in its third act delves into the world of science fiction; a science fiction we could easily believe, in these progressive times of medical breakthroughs.

Delpy has talked about what inspired her to make such a heartfelt film in terms of loss. She herself is a mother and has often thought about how she might cope if something should happen to a child of hers. What would be the added complications while suffering grief of the most horrendous kind? Then, not just how she would cope but would it be possible to repair that grief in a way, scientifically, that's never been done before?

Well, Delpy goes to work as an artist (writer, director and actor) to try to answer these questions in the thought provoking MY ZOE. And the three acts plus the clever postscript add up to a minor triumph, in my view.

Isabelle (Delpy) and James (Richard Armitage) are married but separated. Both are devoted to their only child, Zoe (Sophia Ally). Their love for their daughter is unconditional and we sense there is drama of the worst kind ahead and that their shared devotion to their only child will become a weapon particularly because Zoe is under Isabelle's roof when a medical emergency strikes. 

That sums up the first two acts of MY ZOE. The third has us travelling with grief stricken Isabelle to another land. Another land with the resources to help her to recover but we have to be flexible of mind here. Is what she does along with the help of Dr Tom Fischer (Daniel Bruhl) and wife Laura (Gemma Arterton) possible? But it matters little. The 4 minute postscript sums up the point of Isabelle's fight to ward off grief of the worst kind. I thoroughly enjoyed where the multi talented Delpy took me with MY ZOE.  10GUMS. 

        

     

 

No. 46 (2021) IN THE HEIGHTS. June 10th.

Film No. 46 (2021)  June 10th.  7:30 PM  EVENT CINEMAS  VMax  No. 16,  Innaloo.

"On these blocks you can't walk two steps without bumping into someone with big plans". (The voice over of Kevin Rosario as he sets the scene for the "types" who exist on the streets of Washington Heights).

It is rare these days that a film will appeal to 6 year olds through to 90 year olds. IN THE HEIGHTS is most definitely such a film. This popular musical, which resembles only faintly the structure of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, is most definitely similar in its appeal across generations.

Adapted from the stage show which had its origins in the book by Quiara Alegria Hudes, IN THE HEIGHTS brings an original screen quality. Jon M Chu (CRAZY RICH ASIANS) was definitely the right choice to bring this extravaganza to the screen. He is a film person, so a stage re-enactment on screen is not what we get. Chu has tricks that enhance this previously made for stage fun-show. Tricks that can't be created on stage. He maximizes all the resources film has to offer here. 

As in all musicals, the storyline is simple. IN THE HEIGHTS is quite possibly simpler than most. Washington Heights is full of locals with family ties, friends, love interests, businesses and most of all, dreams. With this comes change, but will the change be for the better? Anthony Ramos is Usnavi, the central dynamo who has inherited his family run corner store, the hub for most of the musical action. Nephew Sonny (Greg Diaz IV) is his amusing sidekick who steals a scene or two. They are the glue that holds a cartoon-like storyline together but the script plays second fiddle to the choreographed action. Chu does however give a clever take on the before, after and what-if idea with a heart warming cute twist.  

Each set musical piece, (which form 85% of IN THE HEIGHTS), is directed with a slickness that infects the involuntary movement trigger in the brain. Young leads, Melissa Barrera, Leslie Grace and Stephanie Beatriz all give the screen a lift with their extraordinary vocal and dance skills. The ensemble pieces are wonderful and a return to FAME days. Drop everything and try to see this in a multi-plex with a full-house. 11GUMS.

     

    

No. 45 (2021) EXILE. June 10th.

 

Film No. 45 (2021)  June 10th.  11:00 AM.  Cinema 2  LUNA SX Fremantle.

"They make fun of my name. I am being embarrassed." (Xhafer expresses, to an upline manager, his hurt about how he believes he is being treated in his workplace).

Writer/director Visar Morina's first feature FATHER, was the dark story of a father and his ten year old son eking out an existence on the streets of Kosovo. It was meant to make audiences uncomfortable, and it did. He has a way of showing a real world in raw terms on screen. EXILE is his next step into making audiences uncomfortable. He does a brilliant job.

The theme of this slow-burn drama revolves around the repercussions of the effects of acute paranoia. And when the final curtain is lowered, we are left to ponder much.    

We operate in what seems like the back pocket of Xhafer (Misel Maticevic), a chemical engineer working as a middle manager in a Berlin based company. He's Albanian married to Nora (Sandra Huller), a German national. We assume they have decided to make Berlin the hub for their budding family life. Xhafer is an outsider. This warm, sticky summer brings Xhafer's paranoia to a head and although there is no such thing as a happy ending in EXILE you'll walk away thinking about this film.  

Morina's direction cleverly keeps us on edge. Strained and stretched violin strings punctuate the soundtrack. They are unnerving but never over played. He implores his audience to keep paying attention. The reason? Well we are always looking over Xhafer's shoulder and seeing the seemingly unjust way he is being treated in his workplace. But while our subject never wavers, we begin to see cracks in his singlemindedness. We know he is paranoid, but does he need help to view his situation with a new lens?

So while the workplace is where Xhafer's toxic thought patterns begin, it expands to home and his feelings for Nora will be tested. But because we live in Xhafer's pocket we get to see things we shouldn't. One particular secret is known by few on screen but because we know, it is a key to our changing opinions. I hope this review gives the reader an awkward enough feel to want to see EXILE. It's a must see for those who love film which challenges ones psyche. A directors masterclass in the depiction of the unnerving. 10GUMS.          

           

 

No. 44 (2021) COUSINS. MAY 29th.

 

Film No. 44 (2021)  May 29th.  11:00 AM  Cinema 5  LUNA,  Leederville. 

"Three journeys. Together. Apart. Their paths woven across time." (Promotional sub-text highlighting The Trailer for COUSINS).

Here is another feather in the cap of the New Zealand film industry. COUSINS is an impactful, family driven, social drama taking us into lives of three cousins, Mata, Missy and Makareta who are inseparable as youngsters then cruelly forced apart in an era of indigenous injustices. 

Renowned New Zealand author Patricia Grace wrote a moving novel of the same name in the early nineties. Writer/Directors Briar Grace-Smith and Merata Mita have been working with Grace for over 10 years developing a screenplay. It is a work of fiction even though there is a "based on actual events" feel to the story. Mita in particular, talks of the many stories shared with her by people who experienced similar tales as these depicted in COUSINS.

At the centre of COUSINS is Mata, played in three time phases by three actors, as are Makareta and Missy. Mata is taken away from her home and roots. She's lied to, which causes her a lifetime of anxiety. She is withdrawn and timid. Our journey with Mata is heart wrenching (marriage and child care) with smatterings of warmth (workplace and reuniting) along the way.     

Gardiner and Smith have crafted a heartfelt, thoughtful film. The casting is immaculate considering the seamlessness with which we identify with each cousin from era to era. The message attached to the injustices entwined with stolen generations so topical in Australasian history is never preachy. Cousin Missy, played by Rachel House, was never developed to the extent of the others. House as Missy never quite attracts our attention as she should. It's a minor criticism for an empathetic film of some substance. 10GUMS.                 

   

No. 43 (2021) GREENFIELD. MAY 27th.

 

Film No. 43 (2021)  May 27th.  1:00 PM  Cinema 3  LUNA,  Leederville. 

"It's not really a bad place" (One of just a few statements made in the company of James by young men justifying their existence in Greenfield).

This small film with a big message is set in a Western Australian country community, Greenfield. We watch through the eyes of an outsider. A city guy named James (Ethan Tomas) who's in love and arrives in town to make it up to his girl Kelley (Marthe Snorresdotter Rovik). Sounds simple enough but James walks into a town hemmed in by alcohol, drugs, homophobia and jealousy issues. The tight, young tribe are friends, mainly due to circumstance, and James it seems, is the circuit-breaker. He's grounded and without some of the masculinity issues he's suddenly confronted by.  Ethan Thomas has a Joel Edgerton quality in his performance, a brooding demeanour which has us on his side. Perhaps the story is a little one dimensional but GREENFIELD never bites off more than it can chew. 

I've lived in Western Australian country towns and I've seen some of the themes raised here first hand. People are pressured to conform in many quarters of townships they have decided to make their home. Outsiders take longer to be accepted. Males battling to build a life in a new town can find it's a risk too far. Then if they can't live up to a set masculinity standard (which has no measure in any case) mental health issues can arise.

GREENFIELD had its origins as a Web-Series of the same name in 2015. The series was crowdfunded and had a moderate following which grew steadily over time. This feature is the 90 minute cut from the original 5 episodes (35min per ep). The creators have been tenacious in their efforts to get this feature to screen. Considering their shoestring budget, they reached their goal (screenings) but only in limited independent cinemas throughout Australia.

Beyond Blue is an Australian support organisation which prides itself in reducing suicides in this great country of ours. GREENFIELD represents art with a message; the message has its foundations in tolerance. While the film never proports to solve the issues, no one left our screening in any doubt about the effects a more tolerant society would have on the mental health of many.  10GUMS.