How could a film so uncompromisingly bleak, about a couple of self-confessed losers, leave one with such a warm feeling of hope? It's because it's under the care of Finnish director, Aki Kaurismaki, a master of minimalist storytelling who knows how to push our buttons. Buttons we take into every cinema, hoping they'll be pushed.
Two shy under-achievers, Ansa (Alma Poysti) and Holappa (Jussi Vatanen) stumble upon one another, but fail at every turn to connect. We are taken into their lives in FALLEN LEAVES. The comic elements Kaurismaki folds through FL dilutes the desperation we feel for our heroes. Then, after 79 minutes we are blessed with the final scene. It will lift your heart in a way only effective feel-good cinema can!
This is the best, almost overwhelmingly bleak, cinematic tale, you will not want to miss. 11GUMS
Film No. 11 (2024) February 15th. 10:30 AM LUNA LEEDERVILLE, Cine 4, Leederville.
"What does he mean when he says your work was plundered?" (The lead prosecutor asks Sandra a leading question in relation to a recorded argument between herself and her late husband).
WINNER: Best International Independent Film (Justin Triet) British Independent Film Awards. Nominee: Best Actress (Sandra Huller) Oscars, Academy.
Does ANATOMY OF A FALLpaint a true depiction of the way French justice is meted out when dealing with serious issues like murder? The French critics seem glowing in their analysis of this naturalistic drama. A husband falls from a height, out of a 3rd story window. Was the wife responsible?
If you can't resist a courtroom drama then ANATOMY has to be on your list. The naturalistic style and density of script (155 mins) may give the impression it is an adaptation of a play, and, or, an actual true-life event. It is neither. Writers Justin Triel and Arthur Harari are favourites to win an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Sandra Huller is the face of AOAF. Her every close-up and gesture will have you thinking you're better positioned than the jury deciding her fate. Son Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner) is equally as mesmerising. this is high-grade storytelling. 10GUMS.
Film No. 10 (2024) February 6th. 6:30 PM EVENT CINEMAS, Cine VMax 2, Whitfords.
"There's a war going on. You can't separate the music from the message" (Marley answers the media. They question him about being famous. He wants the world to listen to his words).
Is Bob Marley the most iconic and influential Jamaican to have lived? Possibly, but the likes of Harry Belafonte, Marcus Garvey and Usain Bolt have also made significant contributions to their people.
Does ONE LOVE live up to its hype and thus powerfully reinforce Marley's legacy? A legacy truly worth imprinting on the minds of the world. Unfortunately not. Reinaldo Marcus Green, after creating the memorable KINGRICHARD (2021) is muddling here. Where he told a gritty story of the rise and rise of the Williams sisters under the tutelage of a hard-edged father, MARLEY is underwhelming, lacking continuity and coherency. I wanted to have a greater reason to be hitched to the wagon of this great man. The soundtrack is good, but ...
Don't go if you are expecting to hear his iconic song sheet. The soundtrack is a blended version of his reggae rhythms. It's different and excellent, however it may not meet everyone's expectations. 7GUMS
Film No. 9 (2024) February 1st. 12:10 PM EVENT CINEMAS, Cine 1, Innaloo.
"Pop tried to protect us with wrestling. He said if we were the toughest, the strongest, nothing could hurt us. I believed him" (Kevin gives an insight into the world he was brought up in).
WINNER: Best Ensemble Cast (Sean Durkin) National Board of Review Awards. NOMINEE: Best Actor (Zac Efron) San Diego Film Critics Award.
Do you have to be a wrestling fan to enjoy THE IRON CLAW? No. Most definitely not!
If you enjoy well told, if somewhat manipulative, human dramas then CLAW will suit you fine. You will need tissues however, especially if you know nothing of the tribulations (not all of which have been included) of the Von Erich family . A wrestling family ruled by the iron fist of a patriarchal father. There may even be a life lesson for parents and the sometimes forgotten influence we have over our loved ones!
Efron is magnificent here, and Maura Tierney is outstanding. They provide the ingredients that will manipulate most of your emotional outpourings. Remember, however, this is not a film about wrestling. 9GUMS
Film No. 7 (2024) January 28th. 11:00 AM LUNA LEEDERVILLE, Cine 5, Leederville.
"You were always scared of something. Always running away from something. Do you remember?" (Adam's mum, a figment of his imagination, reflects on his behaviours before he was twelve).
WINNER: Best Actor (Andrew Scott) NFSC Award. WINNER: Top Ten Independent Films (Andrew Haigh) NBR Award.
When it comes to queer cinema, is Andrew Haigh up there with the best when it comes to compassionate story-telling? Yes, after watching ALL OF USSTRANGERS, I think he is.
Haigh's imaginative script gives an insight into a lonely writer's mind. Andrew Scott is Adam, the writer who has much he needs to cleanse from his path to make his life more whole. We meet him at his lowest ebb mentally, but peaking creatively. Is he really meeting his parents who died in a car crash when he was twelve? There is nothing supernatural about Haigh's handling. And has he met the love of his life, in Paul, within the housing complex where they both live? Or is it all a hoax, a figment of this writer's imagination?
There are elements of Charlie Kaufman (SPOTLESS MIND)here in Haigh's work. Work so deeply touching, your heart will burst as the concluding scenes close in around Adam. You'll think about STRANGERS for days afterwards. 10GUMS.
