No. 7 (2022) PARALLEL MOTHERS (MADRES PARALELAS) Jan. 23rd.

 

Film No. 7 (2021)  January 23rd.  6.30 PM   Cinema 5.  LUNA,  Leederville. 

"It isn't a matter of allowing ourselves that, it's already here!"(Janis finds the perfect moment to announce her pregnancy to a perplexed Arturo).

Could this be Pedro Almodovar's most critically acclaimed film? Certainly, world-wide, there is plenty of praise to suggest PARALLEL MOTHERS, is his best. Me, well I'm in the VOLVER camp but it's always to do with your mood when you sit and absorb an Almodovar film. Each is like a rich dessert; there are new flavours to digest and sometimes one needs to re-visit those tastes to really appreciate the delight.

I'm not trying to be obtuse here, but Pedro has so many layers to his films. As in PARALLEL MOTHERS there is the surface story: Penelope Cruz and Milena Smit play Janis and Ana, each pregnant for the first time, both single and sharing a hospital room. They give birth simultaneously. Janis is joyous and full of hope. Ana, frightened and full of regret. Their lives are for ever bonded from this point on. But the depth in this work comes via Janis's links to her past and the moments that separate the cotton thread that life hangs by. But, I'm not about to spoil the mysteries that lie ahead.

"That was weird" came one comment I heard in the foyer after my preview showing. "What about, I'M SO EXCITED," should have been a response to this comment. But if you haven't tasted the wares of Almodovar previously, then PARALLEL MOTHERS would be a good place to start. Begin by focusing on the upper layer of the story, the bond between Janis and Ana. The characters have a fondness for one another and the dream like soundtrack makes for an easy viewing passage. Then, when you're done, just see if your mind takes you back to thinking more deeply about your first foray into the creative mind of Pedro Almodovar.

I'm liking PARALLEL MOTHERS more, the more I think about it. I'm 15 hours on now. Almodovar is hoping the film will linger in peoples memories so that the atrocities of Franco's War ('36 - '39) will not be forgotten. The film's third layer leading to the final impactful scene dwells on one particular atrocity Janis is pursuing. Ironically enough, a pursuit that lead to her joyously, empowering pregnancy.

PARALLEL MOTHERS doesn't completely hold together for me, but I wouldn't have missed it for quids. Any Almodovar fan will luxuriate in his latest offering. And is there a film-maker who presents Cruz so impactfully? The poise and brilliance of her style mixed with her elegant beauty radiates here. I wonder who feels more blessed with each new project they embark upon, Pedro or Penelope?  10GUMS.     

            

 

  

No. 6 (2022) BELFAST Jan. 20th.

 

Film No. 6  (2022)  January 20th.  6:30 PM  EVENT CINEMAS, Cinema 9  Innaloo.

"If they can't understand ya son, then they're not listenin'" (Buddy's grand da sets him straight on language and accents, when being understood universally).

I'm surprised to read the negativity aimed at BELFAST from some critics. Their "beef" is, they believe Branagh should have made more of a political statement about a dark time, a time of civil war in Northern Ireland during 1969. To my eye Branagh has created a real balance of themes, remembering we are viewing this era through the eyes of a nine year old. While it's not new for a film-maker to reflect on their childhood, what is unique here is the intimacy and laugh out loud humour we feel through the eyes of Buddy (Jude Hill).

BELFAST is full of tender moments. Branagh is quite obviously brimming with pride for the love he shared with his working class family. The six months we spend with Jude (Buddy's cousin), Ma (Caitriona Balfe), brother Will (Lewis McAskie), Pa (Jamie Dornan), Pop (Ciaran Hinds) and Granny (Judy Dench) is time enough for us to be invested in a loyal family adjusting to the changing times. They never give up on fairness, loyalty and love for one another as foundations for a good life. The script, particularly Buddy's observations through innocent eyes, has the audience chuckling throughout.

While the film is not driven by plot, there are plenty of tense moments that build to a final climax. We know that Branagh is a London based artist, so it's no secret the climax relates to his exit from Belfast. But the tender moments with his aging (ailing for Pop) grandparents and the financial and sometimes explosive tensions between Ma and Pa, plus the civil disruptions help build to the final and tenderest moment of all.

"I happily embrace the fact that this is a defining part of who I am, and that finding that way to go back home again was important’.” Branagh speaks here about finding a way to revisit this past, a past that means so much to him. BELFAST is the love-letter he always promised himself. Thank you Sir Kenneth; I think if you don't win an Oscar for best picture you'll run a close second. 11GUMS. 

 

 

   

No. 5 (2022) LIMBO Jan. 18th.

 

Film No. 5 (2022)  January 18th.  8:00 PM SOMERVILLE Outdoor U.W.A.                        

"If you are calling about an asylum claim then please hang up" (The automated voice recording as heard by Omar each time he tries to contact the Ministry of Immigration).

I knew I was in the hands of a competent, clever film-maker from the outset; a brilliantly paced opening scene depicting an odd middle aged couple performing an impromptu dance to the sounds of Hot Chocolate's, It Started With A Kiss. A formal lesson in appropriate behaviour when it comes to young men with thoughts of "hitting on" the opposite sex. Cut to shot No. 2, a mid shot of stony faced men of a mixture of races, all looking shocked rather than intrigued. These men are in limbo, participating in one of many mandated classes, lessons in life, presented by Helga (Sidse Babett-Knudson) and Boris (Kenneth Collard). The men wait, in limbo, on a fictional Scottish Island for an  official letter signalling an approval for their long term stay visa. 

PICADERO introduced Ben Sharrock to the world as a film maker of note. His focus seems to be on everyday people trying to better themselves. Not in a flamboyant way, but simply in a way to improve their station in life. Sharrock gives us characters full of hope. LIMBO introduces us to Syrian national Omar (Amir El-Masry) who we have nothing but compassion for from the time we are introduced to his dead-pan, if not forlorn look, in close-up, 5 minutes in.

Omar, Pakistani Farhad (Vikash Bhai) and Nigerian brothers Wasef (Ola Ovebiyi) and Abedi (Kwabena Ansah) pass time aimlessly in the cold windswept tundra, waiting. Sharrock takes care setting his camera in a way to accentuate the boring existence these man endure. A single telephone box (shades of LOCAL HERO) set in a heather blanketed wild-lands is the scene of many shots, as Omar makes contact with his caring mother and father. We are left to imagine the connection he feels during each 5 minute (timed) call. The camera has us panning the cold, desolate countryside, as he makes sense of these surroundings while talking to home. We live his homesickness. 

Bill Forsyth brought Scotland to the world with all its quirkiness in LOCAL HERO and COMFORT AND JOY. Both were populated by characters that drove his plots. Sharrock and his Spanish wife and  producer Irune Gurtubai have reinforced so much of Forsyth's sociological visuals. Sharrock, wants us to laugh but he wants us to care more. 

For me LIMBO was a delight. It had something to say. We are asked to feel genuine compassion for all its players. It succeeds, but be warned; LIMBO moves at a pace some will find laborious. A bit like the rate at which time passes as our heroes wait, in limbo, in hope. 11GUMS.

           

          

No. 4 (2022) QUO VADIS, AIDA? Jan. 10th.

 

Film No. 4 (2022)  January 10th.  8:00 PM SOMERVILLE Outdoor U.W.A.                        

"We give this town as a gift to the Serbian people" (July 11th and Radko Mladic sets foot in Srebrenica and announces this town now belongs to the Serbs).

Bosnian film-maker Jasmila Zbanic has many stories to tell depicting her Bosnian heritage. GRBAVICA and NA PUTU give a hint that she feels the atrocities carried out on her people during the mid-nineties need to be continually brought to the attention of the world. Don't you admire an artist who dedicates part of their life to a cause worth fighting for? Zbanic presents to us, QUO VADIS, AIDA? Entertainment it isn't, but important cinema it is. Excruciatingly important.

The Butcher of Bosnia is how Serbian leader Ratko Mladic is described by the world for his treatment of Bosnians, (mainly Muslims) in the nineties during the very cruel civil war in the once proud nation of Yugoslavia.

 

In the summer of 1995 in the town of Srebrenica a crime of catastrophic proportions (the worst case of genocide since WWII) took place under his command. It took place over 5 days under the noses of The U.N. This film, QUO VADIS, AIDA?, brings us a seismically devastating understanding of this war-crime through the eyes of local teacher Aida (Jasna  Duricic),  who has been seconded as a U.N. interpreter. Be very aware that this film makes you acutely aware of what a relatively contemporary WAR CRIME feels like close up. Aida is in close-up most of the time and she does not let us out of her sight.

How does a film-maker produce the realism of those events from July 1995? In scenes such as these; The re-enactment of Srebrenica's thousands of citizens gathered either indoors or outdoors under the care of the U.N., hoping they have the teeth to protect them from the Serbs. The unease with which normal people are suddenly, absurdly under threat, not knowing if their neighbour or ex-classmate has turned against them. It is all here. It's here in spades.      

Maybe, just maybe Jasmila Zbanic feels she has created, in 100 minutes, the ultimate statement about a time and place that will never be forgotten. I for one won't be forgetting QUO VADIS, AIDA? in a hurry. 12GUMS.

        

          

No. 3 (2022) KING RICHARD Jan. 9th.

 

Film No. 3 (2021)  January 9th.  1.20 PM   Cinema 5.  LUNA,  Leederville. 

"The chances of achieving the types of success you are talking about is very, very unlikely."(Not for the first time, Richard is advised by a perspective sports agent on the chances of his girls becoming world beaters in the tennis world).

Would Tiger Woods have been a better, more stable person if he'd had a father who set the sort of life standards Richard Williams set his daughters Venus and Serena? After watching KING RICHARD it's a burning question I mull over. Will Smith presents us with a Richard Williams who laid everything on the line to give his daughters the chance to become not just the best, but the very, very best. Surprisingly, with a, have fun through sport, ethic.    

Sports movies, while not as popular a genre as the Romcom, remain popular cinema fodder nevertheless. And like the Romcom, good sports films can be few and far between. They play to a formula. If they depict real sports heroes then we need to know the trials, tribulations, sliding door moments, loves etc. Then it's down to in how balanced a way these elements are handled. Reinaldo Marcus Green (JOE BELL, MONSTERS AND MEN) is a black American who knows his subject matter, and other than a couple of cliched moments, KING RICHARD is easily his best film yet.

The fact Serena and Venus are executive producers means  embellished odd facts are minimal, thus what we see on screen happened. Richard Williams is the subject here and while there are stories purporting that he was harder on his girls than the film depicts, Green never shies from the mistakes Williams made along the way.

A problem for many sports films depicting real talent is making us believe that their sports scenes depict  legitimate technique. KING RICHARD masters this like no other. We are never disbelieving of the talents these sisters possess, from practice hit-ups to the closing scene; a match in front of a packed stadium. Attention to detail is front and centre here.

But, importantly, Will Smith never allows our attention to wander. Richard Williams, while quite the flawed man, is strong in his views and at his core has only the very best intentions for his family. Whether he was misguided and simply fluked two sporting geniuses who made his hype real or, he was the motivator who took his daughters to stardom, we'll never know. Both theories ring true in KING RICHARD. 10GUMS.  

 

                      

 

No. 2 (2022) RED ROCKET Jan. 7th.

 

Film No. 2 (2021)  January 7th.  1.30 PM   Cinema 7.  LUNA,  Leederville. 

"With my skills and ability there is no denying what I can achieve."(Mickey talks up his future as he makes plans in this run down coastal Texas coastal town where it all began, years earlier).

The first time someone mentioned RED ROCKET to me they described it as funny. My view; RED ROCKET has some amusing moments but I would not describe it as funny. Far from it! I would describe Sean Baker's (TANGARINE, THE FLORIDA PROJECT) latest comment on life in fragile America as tragic. Tragedy in a modern day Shakespearean sense.

There was a whole row of walk-outs in my session of RED ROCKET. I couldn't help but wonder if they had been lured to the film via the very clever trailer fashioned for this work. Who could resist the prospect of a likable Type A personality taking you through a 100 minute character study? Be warned, RED ROCKET is 140 minutes of high octavin, edginess. The ramifications of which prove, in life, there are prices to pay.

Mickey (Simon Rex)is an out of work ex-porn star. We meet him in possession of nothing but the shirt on his back and bruises all over him. He's just stepped off an interstate bus in the town he left 20 years earlier. Is he a likeable lad, down on his luck wanting redemption or a looser back to open up old wounds because he's still licking all of them? You guessed it!

The U.K. has Ken Loach (I, DANIEL BLAKE, THE NAVIGATORS). The French have Celine Sciamma (TOMBOY, GIRLHOOD) and U.S. cinema has Sean Baker. These artists make a commitment to remind the cinema going middle class that an underclass exists and needs to be cared about if our democracies are to remain stable. Here Baker gives us room for hope. The strength of this hope comes via the empowerment he instils within his female leads.

There are some very uncomfortable moments in RED ROCKET. The best and most powerful films often have. But remember, the monster created in this film will get their comeuppance, eventually; you just know it. 11GUMS.

     

     

 

     

No. 1 (2022) THE FRENCH DISPATCH Jan. 2nd.

 

Film No. 1 (2021)  January 2nd.  4.20 PM   Cinema 2.  LUNA,  Leederville. 

"Just try to make it sound as if you wrote it that way on purpose."(Arthur offers advice to one of his journalists, with back light presenting them as shadows).

Wes Anderson is perhaps the most unique story-teller in the world of film. I have heard it said he makes films that play as sophisticated cartoons, then low and behold he inserts an animated chase scene into THE FRENCH DISPATCH; it's excellent! Anderson sets up each scene with precision, usually with a particular point of interest inserted. Actors line up to play his characters and they perform at discount rates - that way, he can afford his sets.

Here Anderson pays homage to high brow news magazines. Mags like The New Yorker. A magazine hierarchy choc full of eccentric and exotic characters. None more eccentric than founder and editor Arthur Howitzer Jr. (Bill Murray). Arthur is a journalist's editor. He's hard but fair and never shies away from supporting his team. The series of stories presented (told in a slightly elongated fashion) represent a typical edition of The Dispatch.

The writing is rich in description. To get a sense of the sort of articles published in magazines like The New Yorker the spice in the prose is polished . Owen Wilson's Herbsaint Sazerac is a hybrid of two reporters who described their surrounds from the seat of a bicycle. Tilda Swinton is J.K.L. Berensen, inspired by Rosamond Berner, a well known "art talker" or lecturer. Anderson cleverly uses J.K.L. in scenes of narration, which double as great link segments for each story.

My only criticism is hardly derogatory; Anderson has many ideas, visuals and so much cracking dialogue that I hardly had time to digest what I'd just heard and seen before his next scene was upon me. Anderson challenges his audiences to "keep up, there's lots to get through". Don't see this film after a couple of drinks and a bite to eat. Enter with a lethargic mind and Anderson will leave you in his wake. I was in reasonable fettle, but I have no doubt that a second viewing is required. 10GUMS.