No. 77 (2021) RIDERS OF JUSTICE. SEPT. 28th.

 

Film No. 77 (2021)  September 28th.  6:30 PM   Cinema 1  LUNA,  Leederville. 

"I think that you have the right to know that it wasn't an accident"(Otto informs Markus that the death of his wife may not have been the accident that the authorities believe to be the case).

Cinema of the Absurd has always been an element of the arts which divides audiences because a sense of the bazar is often the underlying strand and each and every individual's sense of humour differs. There are those who will be shocked at the way very serious themes are highlighted in RIDERS OF JUSTICE.

Mads Mikkelsen once again stars in another Danish marque film. After the accolades he received in Academy Award winner ANOTHER ROUND he returns, this time as the tortured, brooding Markus, an army commando called home from duty to grieve and care for his daughter Mathilde (Andrea Heick-Gadeberg) after the sudden death of wife Emma (Anne Birgitte Lind).

Otto (Nikolaj Lie-Kaas) feels partly to blame for Emma's death due to a sliding-doors moment. He was nearby and because of his over active, mathematical mind feels that the accident causing Emma's death was not in fact, an accident. The police are not interested in his theory so he presents his prognostications to Markus. From here, perhaps the film could be re-titled a A SERIES OF VERY UNFORTUNATE EVENTS!

Where is the absurdity in these descriptions I hear you ask? The script, that's where. Writer/director Anders Thomas Jensen is a unique story teller. His off beat family farce MEN & CHICKEN (2015) gave an insight to his style. He loves to highlight unconventional characters, in extreme circumstances with strands of Pythonesque substance. Mix that with gratuitous violence and you have ROJ. This will not be for everyone. I loved RIDERS OF JUSTICE. It's fresh, it's sharp, it's funny, it's got Mads doing great work once again. 10GUMS. 

 

No. 75 (2021) SHIVA BABY. SEPT. 20th.

 

Film No. 75 (2021)  September 20th.  4:40 PM   Cinema 1   LUNA,  Leederville. 

"You look like Gwyneth Paltrow on food stamps"(Danielle receives yet another sharp lecture from mother Debbie who has nothing but big plans for her daughter).

Now here is a smart farce that never overstays it's welcome. SHIVA BABY has lots to say and while it could be played out on a stage, the clever use of camera gives it great cinema presence.

Rachel Sennott excels in only her second feature after TAHARA (2020). Sennott is the star of SHIVA BABY. She plays daughter Danielle weighed down by family expectations (mother's in particular), her sexuality, trying to finance an independent life and finally study. It's no picnic, so when we meet Danielle at a Shiva (Jewish wake) our 77 minutes in her company compresses these stresses into a concentrated bubble; that is what makes first time director Emma Seligman's film so clever.

Seligman has served, like so many up and coming directors, an apprenticeship in making short films. She is a Canadian who, she says, is destined to work in the U.S. She is only 25 years old so some of her shorts were submissions filmed as part of her studies. SHIVA BABY is a case in point. It was a short film she presented as a thesis. Some of it's parts stem from first hand experiences. It must be noted she never owns up to the fact she actually did alternative baby-sitting duties (SHIVA BABY in-joke).

This film is being lauded internationally as I type. Polly Draper and Fred Melamed are highly respected character actors who play Danielle's parents. They are pitch perfect. Molly Gordon as love interest Maya may well have expanded her horizons' career wise. And finally the soundtrack has a starring role. The tight use of sharp strings screeching brings tension to this coming of age gem. 10GUMS.

       

  

No. 74 (2021) PIG. SEPT. 4th.

 

Film No. 74 (2021)  September 4th.  11:00 AM   Cinema 1   LUNA,  Leederville. 

"You made the right choice being out there in the woods. There's nothing here for you anymore. There's really nothing here for most of us. Go out and buy yourself a new pig" (The heartless words of the film's chief protagonist. Words that become very profound as the film draws to a conclusion).

Now here is a film to polarise audiences in 2021. For those who love Nicholas Cage, full-stop, then PIG will do nothing to diminish that love. For those who only love the brash, who gives a f*ck energy Cage  brings to the screen then PIG will likely frustrate. Me, well I'm the full-stop type but it's not just Cage I loved here, I loved the film, full-stop.

If you have seen the trailer and get a sense that you might be in for a JOHN WICK experience then think again. PIG is great because I couldn't pick a single strand of where it was headed. And while some of those strands were as fanciful as a JOHN WICK shoot-out scene, the subtlety within the positive message in relation to masculinity is exquisite.

So what's it about? Well I can say that The Pig plays a minor role, surprisingly, but what it represents and the repercussions of it's violent kidnapping from it's loving owner, (once world renowned chef Rob Feld (Cage)), leads us on an epic journey of surprises and life lessons. With not a sign of a cliché and every life lesson subtly massaged into our subconscious to be relived days later. 

Writer/Director Michael Sarnoski has created what many critics have called the best debut feature film of 2021. He wooed Cage and Alex Wolfe (BAD EDUCATION, OLD) with his script alone. Sarnoski asked that they at least read it, they did and their commitment to PIG was immediate. The shoot took 20 days. I continue to reflect on PIG, and while it tells a rich story the running time of 91 minutes keeps everything about PIG in focus. I loved this film. 12GUMS.               

 

No. 73 (2021) COMING HOME IN THE DARK AUGUST 31st.

 

Film No. 73 (2021)  August 31st.  6:45 PM   Cinema 1   LUNA,  Leederville. 

"It's amazing how a little bit of music can lighten the mood?" (Mandrake tries to calm the atmosphere which has become tense, mainly by his doing, to say the least).

Well known to New Zealand audiences, mainly as an actor, James Ashcroft directs his first feature film, COMING HOME IN THE DARK. He has been heard to express his ambition for what he'd like audiences to take away from his film. His aim here is to get under people's skins. Did he succeed in my case? No, but there are a few scenes that creeped me out. 

We meet an everyday family made up of Hoagie (Erik Thomson), Jill (Miriama McDowell) and their teenage sons Maika (Billy Paratene) and Jordan (Frankie Paratene). They are on a camping trip in wind-swept New Zealand. Of course we know that the film is meant to shock, but the rate at which events turn for the worse surprised me. Enter star performer Daniel Gilles playing Mandrake along with his brooding off-sider Matthias Luafutu as Tubbs. They mean to do harm, we are never in doubt of that, but are their motives random? And does Jill, the only female lead, hold an emotional edge over these fragile males? 

The real creepiness of this film lays in the atmosphere. The New Zealand landscape on cold, dreary days might just dampen the spirits of many a person. When those conditions become the back-drop for dastardly things to happen, an environment like the one on screen, dark feelings become front of mind. With 50% of the shoot taking place in a moving vehicle, with a dark exterior, the hum of tyre on road and the bulk of the script slowly un-packing the story, Ashcroft has injected an unnerving style into COMING HOME. 

This hard-arsed genre, done well, is being lorded by studios right now. Ashcroft has been lured towards two major projects since COMING HOME debuted at Sundance 2021. Execs' with a keen eye for what sells were impressed with Ashcroft's first feature. It is stylish, it is creepy and is getting under the skins' of many. The film should be admired for those qualities. 9GUMS.

         

 

No. 72 (2021) NITRAM (Cinefest Oz 2021) AUGUST 29th.

 

Film No. 72 (2021)  August 29th.  12:30 PM   Cinema 3   ORANA CINEMAS,  Bussleton   W.A. 

"I gave up and went back to the car. And then I heard someone laughing. I looked around and he was laughing at my pain" (Mum talking to Helen about life before her son became an adult).

NITRAM, in my eyes, does not depict anything gratuitous in depicting a version of the lead up to the horrific events of April 28th 1996. It is disturbing, and while I understand that it may bring back awful memories for those who are closer to the event and victims of that black day, the film does hold a mirror up to the world and asks the question; how might we recognise signs of the possibility of another event like Port Arthur?

The film is gaining notoriety because of the awards it is accumulating due to the excellent script and brilliant performances. Judy Davis plays the mum, Anthony LaPaglia is dad and Essie Davis the eccentric wealthy friend, Helen. They must have been compromised when accepting their roles but they excel. The lead, played by Caleb Landry Jones, an American is the main reason for the film's accumulation of gongs. He depicts a young man who has become one of Australia's most hated criminals, in a way that never excuses his behaviour, but shines a stream of light on a society that can't be compassionate to those, they decide, can't be helped.

I enjoyed the film for the message Justin Kurzel (SNOWTOWN, TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG) had to offer up from a broader, big picture POV. I did not enjoy the memories of where I was, as I played with my children, on that fateful Sunday in April 1996. I was pleased to be able to remember and pay tribute in my own mind to the brave victims and those closely linked to those who died or were injured on that day. The victims of that day must continue to be remembered. 

I cannot recommend this film. I won't rate it. I'm pleased I saw it for the reasons above. There is certainly a lesson to be learnt from NITRAM.

          

No. 69 (2021) LITTLE TORNADOES (Cinefest Oz 2021) AUGUST 27th.

 

Film No. 69 (2021)  August 27th.  6:00 PM   Cinema 3   ORANA CINEMAS,  Bussleton   W.A. 

"Well, I think what men mistook for happiness was in fact resignation and impatience" (Germaine Greer is caught in the background, featured on a small black and white television, answering a question).

LITTLE TORNADOES is a small film which packs a punch with themes of male depression. A theme that continues to resonate in society. LITTLE TORNADOES depicts a time past. The early 70's in rural Australia when a generation of fathers' experiences from WWII  melded with the forgotten draftees from the Vietnam War. It's a film that could be appreciated for its art design alone. I can't think of a film that captures the late 60's to early 70's with such meticulous detail. The cast is little known but all give solid performances. And then there is the mystery as to why LITTLE TORNADOES was shot in 2009 and only recently released. So while Director and writer Aaron Wilson describes his film as a labour of love, his waiting 12 years to finally release it might just form the platform for a whole new story? There is a lot to like about this brilliantly designed social drama.  9GUMS.

    

  

No. 71 (2021) UNDER THE VOLCANO (Cinefest Oz 2021) AUGUST 28th.

 

Film No. 71 (2021)  August 28th.  6:00 PM  The Heart ,  Margaret River.   W.A. 

"It was George Martins idea to take Artists out of their normal environment and put them in harmony with nature. Our BROTHER IN ARMS album was done in a few days" (Mark Knopfler reflects on the influence of Martin and what it meant to Dire Straits).

Young Western Australian film-maker Cody Greenwood listened to stories told by her mother, artist Frane Lessac about a recording studio she lived near on the Caribbean Island of Montserrat. The more Cody researched the subject the more determined she became to make a film profiling the George Martin "love child", AIR Studios. UNDER THE VOLCANO is an engrossing documentary of world music history and hopefully not Greenwood's last.

Martin built the studio (a story in it self) in 1977 as a unique haven of sound production for the likes of Paul McCartney, Sting, Elton John, Mark Knoffler, Duran Duran and The Rolling Stones. One assumed it wasn't cheap, but the film uncovers some great stories. The tale of Elton  John coming as a reluctant artist and being motivated to create 2 LOW FOR ZERO is one story told. Then there was local, Lenny, talking of the relationship he built with Sting as he taught the legend how to wind surf.

While Greenwood turned the key to start the project, her decision to bring Gracie Otto on board to direct UTV was a masterstroke. "Gracie had the experience to bring balance to the film and moulded a great relationship amongst all of us" was how Cody reflected on Otto's directorship. I can relate to the passion she must have had for the stars who make this documentary so compelling. This is likely not to be the case for those younger than the baby boomers. The subject matter may not hold the same appeal.

AIR Studios only existed from 1977 to 1987. The icon that was AIR disappeared as quickly as it was created. The volcanoes of the Soufriers Hills had a say in the future of AIR Studios and, in fact, Montserrat it self, mores the pity. But had they not, maybe the legend that was created in the 10 years of it's existence wouldn't have generated the romance depicted in UNDER THE VOLCANO. 10GUMS.