Film No. 58 (2024) August 26th. 6:30 PM WINDSOR Luna, Cinema 1, Nedlands.
"How hard can it be? Idiots use them all the time" (Thelma makes her point to her friend Ben about why she'd be very capable when it came to gun use).
WINNER: Audience Award (Josh Margolin) Calgary (Underground) Film Festival.
Howin awe should we be of 93 year old veteran actor June Squibb in this sweet, heist drama, THELMA? In absolute AWE in my estimation. And what a great tribute piece for Richard Rowntree (SHAFT), in his final role.
The very serious subjects of scam criminality, and old age, are the focus of a series of set pieces here. Director Josh Margolin, better known for writing and acting for TV, uses Squibb and the late Richard Rowntree to express a series of thought bubbles based on his experiences caring for his own grandmother, named, wait for it - Thelma. THELMA is light, it's fun, and best taken with some warm milk and a biscuit on a streaming service.
The performances of Squibb, Rowntree and Annie O'Donnell make this fluffy film worth the time. O'Donnell (TWO LIVES IN PITTSBURGH) cuts to the bone as Grace. She lives alone in her home; the world has forgotten her. 8GUMS.
Film No. 56 (2024) August 24th. 10:30 AM LUNA CINEMA, Cinema 2, Leederville.
"What kind of butler are you Mr Blake?" (Asks Madame Beauvillier of her newly found "breath of fresh air").
NOMINEE: Official Selection (Gilles Legardinier) Sonoma Int. FF.
What's better on a cold, wet afternoon, than an earnest French morality tale designed and performed exquisitely? COMPLETEMENT CRAME will certainly warm your cockles on all fronts.
Malkovich and Fanny Ardent give first time feature writer/director GillesLegardinier an armchair ride here. His script is light and a smidge "wet" but in the hands of acting royalty, he must surely have been pinching himself! 9GUMS.
Film No. 56 (2024) August19th. 7:00 PM LUNA CINEMA, Cinema 5, Leederville.
"You could have played nice with me. But you didn't. And that is the reason for all of this" (Our perpetrator narrates a possible reason for all the pain he is inflicting on all his victims).
Did I miss something when I read that LONGLEGS (LL) ranks with SILENCE OF THE LAMBS as an iconic film of "the hunt the serial killer genre" type? I must have, I suppose. That's not to say LONGLEGS doesn't have oodles of style.
Maika Monroe certainly impresses on screen as Agent Lee Harker. As with Jodie Foster's Clarice Starling, she is our vehicle to instigating the downfall of the preposterously odd Longlegs (Nicholas Cage). But like a meal splattered on a plate in front of me, in no order, LL's narrative expects us to pick the scenes that might have particular relevance as we sprint to the finish. And then there's the ending; a blood splattering finish, far too contrived to be edgily unnerving.
Maybe director Oz Perkins is paying homage to films of the ilk of CARRIE, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, and THE EXORCIST via his grainy horror palate. Well done Oz, if that's the case. But, I was hoping for a tighter, edge of my seat experience. 8GUMS.
Film No. 55 (2024) August17th. 11:00 AM LUNA CINEMA, Cinema 1, Leederville.
"You know the words but you don't know the language" (Arlo gives a short life lesson to his son Mo).
WINNER: Audience Award NEXT (Rich Peppiatt) Sundance Film Festival. NOMINEE: Best Film (Rich Peppiatt) Sydney Film Festival.
Is KNEECAP an important artistic contribution to the ongoing reparations taking place between the British loyalists and the republicans of Belfast? I'm predicting it will instil a worthwhile positiveness within audiences.
KNEECAP is brilliant. Forget the trailer which will either tantalize or repel. This important piece of cinema is based on a true story - but wait, while there are moments of fiction (the father played by Michael Fassbender) rappers Moglai Bap, Mo Chara and DJ Provai, (the actual Kneecap) play themselves. What could make KNEECAP more legitimate? In short, the Gaeltacht Quarter (West Belfast) has many residents proud to speak Irish. It's their language which riles outsiders, namely "the law". How could a pair of young, non violent agitators massage an "ointment" of tolerance and acceptance into their society? Via poetry (rapping) and humour? Yes!
Rich Peppiatt is an agitator himself. He loves to ask questions of bullying and self-righteous types (ONE ROGUE REPORTER). Peppiatt was inspired by people who believe having the right to use their native language is important. It's a foundation for their identity, an identity in need of protection. Go Rich! Great flick! 11GUMS.
Film No. 54 (2024) August 14th. 6:20 PM LUNA SX, Cinema 2, Fremantle.
"Kristofer, in situations like yours, people often seize the opportunity to take care of unfinished business." (Kristofer's physician lays a specific home truth on the line, in an early scene).
NOMINEE: Most Anticipated (Baltasar Kormakur) Norwegian Int. FF.
When an international film is snapped up by a big studio for wider, international, multiplex release, do the film snobs of the world become more cynical about said film? Maybe - but they shouldn't. TOUCH is an example of why!
There have been comparisons made between TOUCH and PAST LIVESsince the former opened (festivals mainly). I can see why, but PL leaves us with a melancholic feel. TOUCH is, on the other hand, sweet. Both deal with central characters who do something about a love which passed them by earlier in life, but has stayed on in mind and spirit. Flashbacks give TOUCH the flesh by which we take Kristofer (Egill Olafsson) into our hearts. He had love stolen from him (early twenties) and he'd like to know and understand why, but he may be running out of time.
Universal Pictures will release TOUCH to the wider public. Baltasar Kormakur (BEAST) has a mainstream following and TOUCH will please crowds. "Sweet," was the exclamation of my daughter as the final scene faded to black. I nodded in agreement.
Film No. 53 (2024) August 14th. 6:30 PM LUNA CINEMA, Cinema 1, Leederville.
"Do you have any idea what kind of risks a girl like me has to take every time she agrees to have a little fun?" (In the film's first scene, The Lady asks a question of her courter in the dark of night in the midst of a one-night-stand).
WINNER: Best Director (JT Mollner) Bucheon Fantastic FF.
How often do we see films that can be thoroughly appreciated, but not necessarily liked? Not terribly often but, for me, STRANGE DARLING (SD) sits in this category; very definitely.
Well, let's begin with the things to be admired. SD is very sharply paced and sprinkles its reveals and twists, cleverly (told in chapters, randomly). It is shot in 35mm stock which gives the depth of colour, action and menace that director JTMollner seeks. His manipulative techniques are exquisite. Willa Fitzgerald (The Lady) and Kyle Gallner (The Man) have great chemistry. So, what's not to like? It's the gratuitous violence, set in a naturalistic pallet. Blood and the spilling of it in liberal smatterings, is abundant. Simple, really!
This will not stop me seeking out Mollner films in the future. SD, is but his second feature, however I fear his schtick is, "blood and gore". Big studios will be taking an interest in JT, he can take that to the bank - definitely! 10GUMS(Art/Design) 6GUMS (Liked).
Film No. 52 (2024) August 8th. 2:45 PM LUNA CINEMA, Cinema 1, Leederville.
"Keep doing what you are doing. Stay on that skateboard. Don't let nothing distract you" (Leandre's mother reflects on the words she alleges she said to her son as a teenager).
WINNER: GIO Audience Award (Van Alpert) Sydney FF.
Will we ever tire of the lift films like SKATEGOAT give to our awe the human spirit and how adversity can be conquered against all odds? No, no way. Documentaries like this reinvigorate our trust in people.
HOOP DREAMS is a better film than SKATEGOAT. The themes for both are aligned. Here film maker Van Alpert happened upon two wild children, Poppy and Leandre Sanders of Venice L.A., 15 years ago and gave them cameras and Go Pros to record their existence. SKATEGOAT is the product of Alpert's experiment. Leandre, and the life he chooses, soon becomes the focus. Skateboarding unleashes the power for living an exhilarating life, for this young man. It's a film for all, but skaters won't be missing the origins of this You Tube hero (The Man With No Stance).
Is Alpert's film best described as an unpolished diamond? Maybe. A non intrusive narration may have helped to tie this human story more tightly together. I'd loved to have learned more of the two caring women who appeared in his life, by chance. Each were like angels. Were they ever really appreciated? 8GUMS.
Film No. 51 (2024) August 4th. 1:20 PM LUNA CINEMA, Cinema 1, Leederville.
"The deal is simple: we mind our business and the Germans take care of their own" (The town's negotiator explains to a gathering of locals how repatriation will take place).
WINNER: Best Nordic Film (Anders Walter) Santa Barbara Int. Film Fest. NOMINEE: Audience Award (Anders Walter) Danish Film Awards 2024.
When the war (WWII) ended in 1945, how did previously German occupied countries like Norway cope? Well, BEFORE IT ENDS (BIE) tells a tale about different behaviours confronting good people, and the testing of their moral grounding.
Let's just say there was a small high school like Ryslinge Folk (Denmark) run by eminently competent headmaster, Jacob, (Pilou Asbaek) in mid 1945. There are many German refugees in Denmark, who need to be housed. The high school is the obvious roof under which the refugees could be housed, and the German forces insist on this. Jacob has no choice and must agree, but unknown to him, many of the refugees are very unwell and dying from diphtheria. Inspired by actual events, Jacob, through the eyes of son Soren (Lasse Peter Larsen) makes decisions - some forced, to help "the enemy". The melodrama does sit comfortably with us, and our hope is that Soren will come to understand and agree with the decisions his parents have made.
There is much to learn about the role Scandinavian countries played in WWII. Film forms a conduit for that understanding. Drama's like, BIE and KONVOI, (a part of this festival), spark our inquisitive nature in learning more. 10GUMS.
Film No. 50 (2024) July 31st. 1:20 PM LUNA CINEMA, Cinema 1, Leederville.
"Matti Nevala stood in the snow, looking sorrowfully at his melancholy tractor." (Niina listens to Esko, her editor, read the lame introduction to her first story, aloud).
WINNER: Best Acress (Oona Airola) Goteborg IFF 2024.
Is OHJUS a tightly edited tale which never really convinces us it is either a romantic comedy or an edgy drama dealing with very serious themes? To my eyes it is the latter, but 30 to 45 year olds are loving the antics of likable Niina (Oona Airola).
So, our central character, Niina, an accident prone single mother, takes us into her life in a freezing cold small town in Lapland. The local newspaper keeps the community connected. Niina inherits a role as a journalist, where nothing much happens. Editor Esko tells her as much. So, yes, you guessed it; something happens! A missile (Russian) crashes in the tundra close by. VIP's of all sorts arrive in town. Something is going down, and Niina is our eyes and ears here. It is more fun, than cutting edge, but themes of world destruction and domestic violence are hard to dismiss with a giggle. Well, for me that was the case.
OHJIS is unique. Maybe it cuts new ground with the moral dilemmas we are regularly exposed to. The performances (particularly Airola), the editing, and the settings will fill your senses. See, I'm already coming around! 8GUMS.
Film No. 49 (2024) July 29th. 3:50 PM LUNA CINEMA, Cinema 5, Leederville.
"If the allies get these reinforcements, they will push the Germans back." (The Commander expresses his reasons to push on, despite the withdrawal of reinforcements).
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Best Film (Henrik M. Dahlsbakken) Rotterdam IFF.
How well does KONVOI pay tribute to Norway's war effort (WWII)? As a document of fact it is loose, but as a melodramatic piece of entertainment, inspired by real events, it is a rollicking good yarn.
The true value of KONVOI is the pricking of international consciences' about Norway's contribution to WWII. Director Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken (TUKK FOR TUREN) focuses on the considerably dangerous efforts these convoys took in transporting arms and supplies, via the freezing Arctic waters, to Russian shores thus arming them for their push south, to end the war. This story focuses on Capt. Skar and his cargo ship, Hestmanden, with themes of bravery, the threat of mutiny and finally, intuitive decisions and trust.
A story inspired by real events can often be taken with a grain of salt but to salute a nation's (Norway) commitment via a contrived story is totally worthwhile here. Enjoy the tense adventure, then research the history of Arctic convoys - remembering, these ships were crewed by civilians. 9GUMS.
