Film No. 86 (2024) December 23rd. 9:40 AM EVENT CINEMAS, Cine 2, Innaloo.
"Good morning Gromit. How's my favourite pooch? Another great day of inventing beckons. Wait till you see the next thing I've been working on". (Wallace makes his usual morning greeting to his faithful companion).
NOMINEE: Best Animated Feature "The Annie" (Nick Park) Annie Awards.
So, with VENGENCE MOST FOWL (VMF), does Aardmanand more specifically, Nick Park, continue to maintain a standard of stop-motion entertainment which reinforces his standing as the "king" of this craft? Yes. Most certainly YES!
There is such skill to the story-telling techniques of directors Merlin Crossingham and Nick Park. The well-intended scheming of Wallace; the evil dastardliness of McGraw (doing "bird" in gaol) and the problem solving abilities of Gromit (our go-to hero) are a delight. The latter pair are voiceless; their eyes and ears say it all. Sadly devotees of W & G are going to battle to catch their mates on a big screen. BBC 1 and Netflix will be dropping VMF on Dec. 25th. The creation of elf-like gnomes into the storyline is clever. If more folk get to share W & G's antics via streaming (plus @ Christmas time) then all the better.
Writer Mark Burton (EARLY MAN, SHAUN THE SHEEP) has a wonderfully inventive mind. Part of the W & G schtick is the elaborate problem solving needed to foil a dastardly deed. Burton's images and dialogue will have you back for re-runs. The cleverness of Burton and Park has millions of fans revisiting W&G unendingly. 11GUMS.
Film No. 85 (2024) December 21st. 7.40 PM Entertainment Space, Milton St. Mt Hawthorn, Perth W.A.
"It's easy to get sucked into a lot of shit in here. At some point you'll realise you want to have a life." (Noel cleans Joe's wound and suggests to him that life is a lot easier in gaol if one keeps their head down).
NOMINEE: Best Film (Nick Waterman) Australian A.C.T. Awards (2024).
Should a critic be harsh on a film for being too earnest, when indeed the ballad it was based on is precisely that? No, I think not. HOW TO MAKE GRAVY(HTMG) is a bonza addition to the sack of Christmas melodramas!
Much loved Australian musical poet Paul Kelly (look for his cameo) wrote the song HTMG in 1996. It has become our country's Christmas anthem in many quarters. Now we can sit in our living rooms (Binge/Fox) and contemplate the bad choices Joe (Daniel Henshall) made which landed him in gaol when he should have been at home, making his traditional Christmas gravy for his family. His family can grate on each other. And you guessed it, depending on his mood, he can be hot headed. It's why he's in gaol. Will this mean a time for thought and repair? Will a fairy "godfather figure" (Hugo Weaving) take him under his wing and make him see the error of his ways? You likely know the answers.
This was the sort of film I know I would have loved between the ages of 8 and 13. I like it now. The cast is a rollcall of Aussie icons. Like the recipe for Joe's gravy, they blend beautifully. The script - well, it just needed some spice! 8GUMS.
Film No. 84 (2024) December 19th. 11:00 AM PALACE Raine Sq, Cinema 7, Perth City.
"You all have wives and home cooked meals. I don't. That's why!" (Faramarz explains to occupants of a table nearby why he always buys his lunch. Mahin, sitting quietly nearby, looks on).
NOMINEE: Golden Bear (Maryam Moghadam/Bahtash Sanaeeha) Berlin Film Festival. (2024).
How could it be that a beautiful film depicting heartfelt themes of compassion and loneliness would land the writer/directors in an Iranian gaol? I have no comprehension of such a thing. But it is to happen!
This gentle drama gives us Mahin (Lili Farhadpour) a plump, fresh faced 70 year old widow who craves the company of a like minded male. We meet her on the day she must act on her need. A lonely taxi driver, resigned to his lot, is ripe for the picking. It sounds predatory; it is not. Each scene reveals a new beauty they discover in one another. A woman taking control of her life and encouraging others to do the same, is worthy subject matter. But not in the eyes of the Iranian Morality Police, it would seem.
Writer/Directors Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha knew their film would raise the ire of the Iranian government. How else could they ask the world to gain some understanding of the plight of women in Iran? Take a peek. Then try to figure how this gentle, compassionate film may likely land these intelligent artists in gaol? STAGGERING!!10GUMS.
Film No. 83 (2024) December 14th. 11.00 AM LUNA CINEMA, Cinema 1, Leederville.
"Half papa, half aunt, half rich, half poor, half kingpin, half queen ... " (an example of the lyrics summing up Perez's predicament).
WINNER: Jury Prize (Jacques Audiard) Canne Film Festival.
Has there been a film quite like EMILIA PEREZ (EP)? Not really, but with a company like Netflix around to bankroll new, exotic, melodramas like EP, lets luxuriate in their extravagance while we can.
So how does a big studio react to a pitch which goes "It's a drama, also a musical about a drug lord and loving father who orchestrates an escape from his life. He wishes to be a woman. In finding her true self she tries to right some of the wrongs he/she created" ? "Oh, also, it will cost 50M and run for 140 minutes". "That's right, and the three leads are all female; Zoe Saldana is on board. You know her. AVATAR, yeh? It's a tale empowering female strength and sensibility". Likely an answer in the negative. But feminist film it isn't. Audacious melodrama it is!
EP has accumulated 115 awards or nominations since its Cannes debut in April. Awards aren't everything but that number is impressive. 72 year old Audiard (RUST AND BONE, THE PROPHIT) has hung in there. Thanks to Netflix we are allowed full access to his imagination. 10GUMS
Film No. 82 (2024) December 13th. 4.40 PM LUNA CINEMA, Cinema 6, Leederville.
"Why did you follow me home from the party? Or do you only remember when it's convenient?" (Sylvia needs to understand an aspect of Saul's recent behaviour).
NOMINEE: Best Film (Michel Franco) Venice Film Festival.
Director Kelly Reichardt has a rival, when it comes to depicting human behaviour, on screen, of the naturalistic variety. Given Michel Franco'sMEMORY, the likeness of styles is uncanny.
There is a scene early on in MEMORY (M) when we know this seemingly straight forward story will be a complicated, emotional trial. Sylvia (Jessica Chastain) and Saul (Peter Sarsgaard) sit in a park. Saul has early onset dementia. Sylvia accuses him of something heinous from their school days. Saul is confused but calm. From here we know that the unravelling of these complications will be worth our time. The warmth that grows in their relationship builds to a final scene which verifies the sheer faith we've always held for the repair that Sylvia had undergone. It's the most heartfelt, on-screen hug of 2024, for me.
After SUNDOWN (2021), I was eager to latch onto Franco's next project. He has a single shot, extended scene technique that bulldozes us through family reveals, never allowing his audience a distractive moment. 10GUMS.
Film No. 81 (2024) December 12th. 11:45 AM EVENT CINEMAS, Cine 6, Innaloo.
"No, no, the dead don't hurt". (Holger reassures young Vincent that the bird, freshly shot for their dinner, was in no pain).
WINNER: Jury Prize (Viggo Mortensen) Almeria Western Film Festival.
Is the western dead, or even dying? Never! Certainly not in the near future with Viggo Mortensen now an active creative in the genre! Here, he has created a very classy western indeed!
Don't think "western" of the revenge type, the type that ticks box after box in delivering gratification of the RIO BRAVO kind. ThinkMEEK'S CUTOFF (2010) and a smidge of JOHNNY GUITAR (1954). Vivienne La Coudy (Vicky Krieps) is our hero here. A dark-haired Meryl Streep comes to mind as Krieps portrays a woman who cannot be broken. She runs her own race, but while male company is the spice in her life masculine bullies, one in particular, have a say. Mortensen talks of his mother being his inspiration for Vivienne. Like FALLING (2020), his directorial debut, his stories are personal.
Mortensen didn't set out for his story to be a western. He decided on the genre to carry his message because the pioneer spirit best captures the strength of Vivienne. FALLING, his directorial debut, expressed his love for his father. 10GUMS.
Film No. 80 (2024) December 2nd. 4:00 PM LUNA CINEMA, Cinema 1, Windsor, Nedlands.
"It never gets easier; it gets less harder!" (Rona's new friend. A man who's been where she is. His advice, hopefully, a comfort).
NOMINEE: Best Feature Film (Noah Fingscheidt) British Independent FF.
Is Saoirse Ronan taking us on a journey here because it's exemplifying a cause she believes in or is this simply an opportunity to further extend her prestigious acting talents? Both, it would seem. She is the producer of OUTRUN.
Amy Liptrot wrote her memoir to further cleanse herself of her arduous journey of rehabilitation (alcoholism) in her late twenties. German director Noah Finscheidt (THE UNFORGIVABLE) combined with Ronan to retell Liptrot's agonising journey (detoxification) via a feast of cinematic naturalism. Using colour hair rinses, intercuts of London bar scenes and the odd number of days sober, subtitles; we know where we are in her timeline. But the true genius of the film is the rugged beauty of Orkney. The power of it's ocean, wind, fields, wildlife and salt air in bringing a broken lassie (Rona) to her senses.
I've not read Liptrot's memoir. She is said to be blown away with how close the film captures the realities of the "hole" she was in. Ronan is exquisite. Her performance had me fully buried in Rona's mess. It is testing! 10GUMS.
