No. 7 (2023) TRUE SPIRIT 26th Jan.

 

Film No. 7  (2023)  January 26th.  7:00 PM  EVENT CINEMAS,  Cine 5,   Innaloo.  (To be released on Netfilx Feb 3rd, 2023)

"The world can be a really difficult place, but it can be really beautiful!" (Jessica talks on her video/log; ocean surrounds her as she reflects on her solo voyage so far).

"An Aussie girl who took on the world" (the poster sub-text). Did she what! Jessica Watson aged 16 decided she had the ability to sail, solo around the world. Imagine the hoops she needed to jump through to make this dream come true. But we all know how successful she was (still no spoiler there, even if you have been living under a rock for 12 years). TRUE SPIRIT is an earnest depiction of Watson's trials and tribulations.

These films are difficult projects. Truly engaging an audience in a story where the audience knows the ultimate outcome requires a director to focus on key moments where dramatic tension uncovers the reasons our hero achieved the ultimate. Director Sarah Spillane (AROUND THE BLOCK) has done a good job creating those moments. The proof of that pudding comes when there are a couple of legitimate "tissue" moments as Jessica steps onto terra firma  and is reunited with her family after her 210 days at sea.   

 

TRUE SPIRIT is a re-tell of Watson's book of the same name. The film captures the warm relationships she has with family and sailing mentor, Ben Bryant (Cliff Curtis). Bryant and her family gave her the "wings" she needed to embark on what many perceived as fool-hardy and a death sentence. Anna Paquin and Josh Lawson as Jessica's parents underplay their roles as loving but sensible people with aplomb. There is never a sense of ego or lack of rationality from anyone along the way. Spillane builds a legitimate bonded unit which ultimately answered all those questions that surrounded the public outcry for the government to step in and put a halt to the ridiculousness of Watson's attempt. 

Ultimately the brilliance of TRUE SPIRIT is to make you comprehend the size of some of the waves this solo 16 year old sailor encountered on her journey. The film has captured all the ocean scenes brilliantly. I was lucky enough to catch SPIRIT on a cinema screen. I was truly frightened for Watson and her tiny pink vessel during a number of  big sea CGI generated scenes in the darkened theatre. The tense moments here, work.

TRUE SPIRIT will make for invigorating family viewing once it begins it's life this week as another solid Netflix feature film.   8GUMS.

        

 

No. 6 (2023) TA'R. 19th Jan.

 

Film No. 6 (2023)  January 19th.  6:45 PM  EVENT Cinemas,  Vmax Cine 11, Innaloo.

 

"You want to dance the masque, you must service the composer" (Lydia Tar addresses one of her class lectures).

WINNER:  Movie of the Year  (Todd Field)  AFI Awards, USA.   Best Director (Todd Field).  Boston Society of Film Critics.

There is a scene, early in TAR where Lydia (Cate Blanchett) crouches down and confronts a class mate of her daughter's. The classmate is a bully and Lydia calmly, in 30 seconds leaves the small girl with no options but too avoid having any further contact with Petra (Mila Bogojevic). We are expecting tears from the girl, but Lydia's words have left her too shocked to move. We too, are left to contemplate what we have just witnessed. Tar will shock us less and less as we learn about who Lydia really is.

Todd Field (LITTLE CHILDREN 2006) returns to the world of cinema. How good is that? Field is a serious film-maker who, as a family man living in Maine, he's spent the last 15 years writing, adapting, re-writing, being rejected, raising finance etc etc, with mixed fortunes. Thank goodness, during this time, he has been hatching TAR. A film that plays as a bio pic of a baton-wielding maestro; perhaps the most respected conductor in contemporary times. The opening scene, cleverly fills us in on the achievements of Lydia Tar. She nervously waits back stage as her interviewer spends 5 minutes reminding his live audience of the achievements of his esteemed guest. From the moment Blanchette strides on stage, she holds us in her hands, massaging her brilliance into our psyche. Field is back.

In this age of Me Too there are some serious issues Lydia Tar brings to the table. Her position as an outrageously talented musician, in her mind, gives her  licence to use people in any way she chooses. Is she Weinstein-esque? Yes, in parts, but less brash and with a subtlety that creeps up on the audience. When she doesn't have the smarts to realize her frailties, her behaviour becomes erratic, but on reflection and considering her ego, the film's conclusion rings true.     

Once again, a reminder, Lydia Tar is not a real person. Even when you know this, you're tempted to conduct a smart-phone search just to make doubly sure. Audience members were doing it in numbers as we left our screening. The realism Field delivers here gives TAR the legitimate power it deserves.   11GUMS.   

Where has Todd Field been?
     

 

No. 5 (2023) BLUEBACK. 19th Jan.

 

Film No. 5 (2023)  January 19th.  10:10 AM  UNITED Cinema 4,  Rockingham.

 

"Gropers can live up into their seventies. Old and wise. They live in the same place most of their life" (Dora tells her teenage daughter of the legend behind the beautiful fish they have just seen).

NOMINEE:  Audience Award, Best Film.  Perth Film Festival 2022/23.

This was such the film I'd love taking my growing school aged girls to. We loved, and still do, going to the movies together, but when a film came along that told a heartfelt story depicting their own backyard, (Western Australia) we'd love the experience even more. Tim Winton's tales have been an important part of our interpretation of the environmental and sociological fabric of life in coastal Western Australia (Bremer Bay in this case). A message that has translated (28 languages) globally.   

Writer/Director Robert Connolly (THE DRY) and author Tim Winton have collaborated to create an earnest screen adaptation of this tween novel of the same name. It could be because they are trying to attract an older audience that the earnestness of the work doesn't totally do the screen adaptation justice. Any teacher worth their salt will tell you, "don't speak down to your audience".  The script simply dawdles along. The true attraction of BLUEBACK is the cinematography, the seascape and the score. So if you loved Winton's novel, his words have been brilliantly encapsulated by this sumptuous visual "meal".

 World renowned, eminent marine scientist, Abby (Mia Wasikowska, later years) is called back to fictional Longboat Bay, (the place she'll  always call home) because her mum Dora (Liz Alexander) has had a stroke. She comes out of a coma and can't talk. Once back in the family's idyllic stone cottage, the film becomes a collage of Abby's memories. An affirmation of who she is now. Other than the brilliant, CGI created, monstrous Blue Groper, the storyline is as sturdy as a paper mâché ocean jetty. Actors Ariel Donoghue (young Abby), Ilsa Fogg (teenage Abby) and Radha Mitchell (middle age Dora) transition smoothly and believably from era to era with Wasikowska the anchor point. The screen particularly likes Fogg. The film does have charisma from this film-making POV. 

Macka, played with great warmth by Eric Bana, steals a few, oh so short scenes. He gets the best lines and proves what star power can do to a flagging script. His final scene, on the deck of his fishing boat with Mitchell and Fogg is a highlight.

As I say. Forget the script and the loosely melded storyline. Focus on the majestic seascapes, underwater camera work and the lovable big Blue Groper. There aren't enough big-screen glimpses into the unique southern coast of Western Australia.  Family, film going doesn't come much better than this.  8GUMS.

    

     

No. 4 (2023) BABYLON. 17th Jan.

 

Film No. 4 (2023)  January 17th.  6:40 AM  PALACE Cinema 4,  Raine Square,  Perth City.

"She is, she is ... but she has no idea what comes next" (Jack responds to Lady Fay's comment that Nellie seems nice).

WINNER:  BEST SCORE.  NOMINEE:  BEST COSTUME DESIGN; Chicago Film Critic Award 2023.

One of the theories surrounding why BABYLON is flopping at the box office is its 190 minute run time. I say, what a shame. Hopefully those catching a screening on the biggest screen near them are sending out the message - miss this film phenomenon at your own peril. This is the ultimate example of Damien Chazelle extravagance.

It's like a good meal, but here, a tender steak, a succulent chicken loin and a baked fish are all served on the same plate. One brilliant scene after another collides to exemplify how, then why, the sudden move by Hollywood from the silent age to talkies took its toll.

Chazelle presents us with our three "heroes" early. Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt) is Hollywood's leading man. Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie) and Mannie Torres (Diego Calva) "collide" in the opening scene and proceed to carve success, each following different paths in this glamourous community that is Hollywood.  We start this journey in an era of film-making that is rapidly coming to a close. The depraved, extravagance is about to end, but which of our heroes are best equipped to cope? Who has made a sustainable plan for their future in the movies? After all, what they have known is about to undergo the greatest and swiftest revolution the industry has ever seen.

It's a great idea. How did movie stars of the era cope? Well Chazelle throws out a theory. One take, the Chazelle take, is BABYLON.

He also hits a nice tone with minor characters, singer Lady Fay Zhu (Li Yun Li) and jazz trumpeter Jovan Adepo (Sydney Palmer) are both major performers in the set piece scenes where the debauched parties require entertainment. While all falls down around our leads Jack and Nellie, Fay and Jovan (racial prejudice aside) are the sturdy "blocks" that BABYLON uses to create its vision for the future. These two thrive because of that vision and their resilience. Another blow to those with a prejudiced mindset.

I'm careful who I'm recommending BABYLON to. My mum and a conservative friend who likes romcoms and taut mysteries will find BABYLON too offensive and too long. But there are those who I have told to go. You'll know who they are. They are the ones who just love a party, live life to its fullest and can't get enough of either!  11GUMS.           

         

No. 3 (2023) TRIANGLE OF SADNESS. 14th Jan.

 

Film No. 2  (2023)  January 14th.  10:40 AM  LUNA LEEDERVILLE,  Cine 3,   Leederville.

"You're going to like this one. The last capitalist we hang will be the one who sold us the rope - Karl Marx" (The Captain quotes Marx as he and Russian capitalist Dimitry trade banter, over the ship's PA, while the super yacht tumbles in the ocean).

WINNER : PALME d'OR (Ruben Ostlund; Sweden); Cannes Film Festival 2022. GOLDEN ELM (Ruben Ostlund) Alleywood Film Critics Award.

True to Cannes form, TRIANGLE OF SADNESS, the winner of The Palme d'Or 2022, is rich in imagery and message. Given the role call of attendees at such a prestigious film event, one can't help but feel that Ostlund is holding a mirror to some who may find the message (those who have, as opposed to those who have not) a little close to home. 

The imagery in TRIANGLE is definitely stunning (the best and most graphic sea-sickness scenes of all time), the message of "capitalism running rampant" is laboured.  147 minutes incorporating three chapters to exemplify why the entitled in our world need to take stock, had me looking at my watch once, late. But do I regret my ticket purchase? No way. TRIANGLE OF SADNESS is a rollicking good ride made by a film maker never frightened to ask  questions!

TRIANGLE is part, BELOW DECK, part WHITE LOTUS, part LORD OF THE FLIES, but very much its own entity. Ostland sets us up with Carl and Yaya (Chapter One), two very pretty late 20's beautiful people. They bicker over money and whose turn it is to pay. Each of their view points are valid, the script is clever but Ruben sets out to annoy us with these entitled brats. You soon see why. Chapter two has them turning up on The Yacht. It's on the super-yacht that we learn about capitalism in its many forms. Our spoilt brats are a mere pimple on the upper thigh of mankind in comparison to the other guests on board. 

Please don't read any further if you intend watching TRIANGLE and you still haven't seen the trailer going around. I wish I hadn't seen a trailer.

Disaster strikes our yacht. Woody Harrelson playing the drunk, Marxist captain gives the script the rope it needs to hang these entitled mortals out to a fate they would never have considered. The Island, Chapter 3, sets us up for the intimate LORD OF THE FLIES conclusion. The working-class, in the form of Filipino toilet cleaner Abigail (Dolly De Leon) becomes a far more practical and manipulative leader than anyone with "money" could have been. 

There, I don't think I've given too much away. 

It is 5 days now since I saw TRIANGLE. It has had me thinking well beyond the rolling titles. The script is whip smart, the images of people forced into vulnerable states remain, and what the final scene really means continues to revolve in my mind. Thanks again Ruben Ostlund for presenting a film with lots to say in such a fun package. Two Palme d'Or's in 5 years shows that you are appreciated. Especially seeing so many judges may well have holidayed on a super-yacht or two.  11GUMS.

        

  

No. 2 (2023) M3GAN. 11th Jan.

 

Film No. 2  (2023)  January 11th.  6:45 PM  READING CINEMAS,  Cine Premium,   Belmont.

"Oh, I'm afraid that won't work anymore. I have a new primary user, ME!" (Megan gives one of many unnerving instructions to her once primary carer, Gemma).

Part social drama, part slasher but mainly horror/comedy, M3GAN provides audiences with an entertainment opportunity of the unique kind. Made for $12m, supposedly, the film is already a runaway success ($50m within week 2 of opening, worldwide). People putting their "bums on seats", in cinemas', in this streaming age says much about the film and more about their gradual return to the ultimate film experience (big screen entertainment). 

I had fun with M3GAN. I've read comparisons of the film with CHILD'S PLAY and THE TERMINATOR. Failing a couple of robot, electronic themes, M3GAN is very much its own "beast". The fact there are a couple of surprise elements, generally related to who dies and how darkly humorous those scenes are, give it a quality I haven't seen on screen before. A couple of the funniest lines are delivered by actors who appear for shorter moments than some extras. Gerard Johnstone has taken a risk with his material. The risks have paid off.

So when Gemma (Allison Williams,  GET OUT), a robotics toy developer for a major company, becomes the primary carer for her  niece Cady (Violet McGraw)  after the recent death of her sister (distinct lack of sadness here after a road trauma)  her latest brainchild M3gan has to be folded into the new domestic/professional life she juggles. Does Gemma cut corners with the development while rushing the meet a company deadline to seal a deal? Cute Cady helps exemplify the advantages of having a M3gan around the house.   

The script is ripe and refreshing but the real stars here, from a physical and voice POV,  are Amie Donald and Jenna Davis (in that order) . They give M3gan the aesthetic pull that has, and continues to, woo audiences. You could swear, in this electronically advanced world of ours, that Megan is indeed a controlled android of sorts. She isn't, Donald and Davis are outstanding. 

Join the queue, I say. M3gan is entertainment that may only disappoint  the slasher/horror lovers who don't get enough blood and open wounds. The script, the surprises and the puppet illusion may even have you back for a second look.  10GUMS. 

 

     

No. 1 (2023) OPERATION FORTUNE: Ruse De Guerre. 8th Jan.

 

Film No. 1  (2023)  January 8th.  2:20 PM  EVENT CINEMAS,  Cine 5,   Innaloo.

"I hope you take them to dinner first. Before you get inside of them. Sexually!" (Sarah goes on to explain another of her witticisms, this time to Orson).

Guy Ritchie is back; or should I say Guy Ritchie and  Jason Statham  (WRATH OF MAN) are back. Need I say anymore?

I jumped the queue. Instead of waiting for the major release date, I caught a preview. I had so much fun with Ritchie's last runaway hit, THE GENTLEMEN (2019), that I couldn't wait ... Disappointingly, OPERATION FORTUNE is not in the same league. It's not even in the same division. 

The control for these two films is Hugh Grant. His Fletcher (in GENTLEMEN) is clever,  witty and likable. In OPERATION, he plays Greg, a wealthy slacker whose one aim is to befriend a movie star, while brokering an obscure multi-billion dollar deal. Wet, is likely the best description of what he serves up! I hope this doesn't put another dent in Grant's climb back up the ranks. With the right material, he is a better actor now, than when he was acting's leading twerp!

Given my harsh analysis, Aubry Plaza (THE WHITE LOTUS, EMILY THE CRIMINAL) does try a rescue mission, via to the work she does here as Sarah, an IT Operations Co-ordinator. She has the best lines and controls the never resolved steaminess between herself and Jason Statham's, Orson. Statham is surely the John Wayne of our time. There is no need to act when you're Jason Statham. Plaza, on the other hand is nearly worth the price of a ticket. Actually she is worth it. A visit to the cinema is always worth it. The charismatic Plaza, stands alongside the likes of Robbie (BABYLON), Pugh (THE WONDER)  and  Taylor-Joy (THE MENU) when it comes to box-office pull. 

The mangled storyline tropes on offer here are clever enough for those who can keep up. Maybe it's because I'm older, and my brain is already overloaded with useless information, that I had trouble. So there is your challenge. Go see OPERATION FORTUNE and tell me what it's all about!  It's not all bad; you will have some fun.   7GUMS.

No. 108 (2022) DECISION TO LEAVE (Heojil kyolshim, Sth Korea) Dec. 28th.

 

Film No. 108 (2022)  December 28th.  8:00  PM SOMERVILLE Outdoor U.W.A.                       

"Don't speak about our time like that." (The confusing statement Seo-rae delivers to Haejoon ... he wonders what time she means!).

WINNER : Best Foreign Feature Film (Park Chan - wook; South Korea); Chicago Film Awards Association Awards 2022. Best Director (Park Chan - wook) Cannes Film Festival.

Decision To Leave is the best Hitchcockian film I've seen. Excluding those made by the great man himself, of course. 

I need to clarify though. Park Chan-wook (OLD BOY, THE HANDMAIDEN) is very much his own film maker but the references are undeniable. There are copies and there are clever versions of a film style first established by a master. DECISION TO LEAVE is clever in both style, concept and script.

When a man is found at the bottom of a steep, rock cliff and detective Haejoon Jang (Park Hae-il) is assigned the case, he immediately suspects the man's wife, Seo-rae (Tang Wei). "I'm not surprised he's dead, no", is the answer she gives to Haejoon's first question. Everything points to Seo-rae. Haejoon, is a first rate crime solver. An early scene tells us as much. But the catch is, our married detective falls head over heals for suspect number one. Her demeanour is beguiling. Our man is smitten. Is there a sense of Hitchcock's VERTIGO here?

Like any good mystery, a critical review needn't tell the story. Only that the tale is rich with intrigue and done, often, with silences and close-ups. The camera loves Park and Tang.    

DECISION TO LEAVE is art-house by nature. The fact it is Korean may deflect a wider audience. Its quirkiness won't suit everyone's tastes. But Wes Anderson (THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL) or Jean-Pierre Jeunet (AMELIE, DELICATESSEN) admirers cannot miss this rich, masterclass in film-making exuberance. And don't you love it when odd scenes have more going on than initially meets the eye. I can't wait for my second watch.  11GUMS.     

   

No. 106 (2022) STARS AT NOON Dec. 22nd.

 

Film No. 106 (2022)  December  22nd.  4.10 PM   Cinema 8.  LUNA,  Leederville.

 

"I'm here on a charitable cause". (Daniel answers Trish's question about why he's in Nicaragua). 

Winner : Grand Prize of the Festival (Claire Denis); Cannes Film Festival 2022.

Classically arthouse in scene set-ups and mood, STARS AT NOON is at times mesmerising but generally laboured. Any film with a 138 minute run time needs to bring a bit more to the big screen than a cast of two and a mildly confusing storyline. Claire Denis (BOTH SIDES OF THE BLADE, LET THE SUN SHINE IN) will be remembered for better films.

But there is a lot to admire about the atmosphere Denis creates here. The star of NOON is Northern South America and the sense of place. An understanding of what it is like to be vulnerable in a hot, humid, corrupt country. I've never been to this region, I'm unlikely to ever visit, but any mention of this country from now on, and my mind is sure to go to the atmosphere that surrounded Trish (Margaret Qualley) and Daniel (Joe Alwyn) during the stressful days that formed the story told in this film.

Qualley (ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD) is particularly alluring here. She is our slightly erratic vehicle for trying to unpick STARS AT NOON. There is much to unpick. You won't solve all the puzzle that is laid out here. Trish says she is a journalist trapped in Nicaragua because of her profession. We are never convinced of that. Her meeting with Daniel, "an oil company representative" while laced with tension, (as two loners find the skin of one another irresistible) is infused with lies. But both have a common goal. They need to escape the country but have no resources to do so, except each other.

It's a tawdry tale, that has divided audiences. Too slow and needs another cut, say many, but mostly film lovers have enjoyed the challenge. Mainly because of STARS atmospheric intrigue. Denis, once again holds her audience in her hot, clammy hands, not allowing us to leave the cinema with a nicely packaged ending. No way!  9GUMS.