Film No. 23 (2016) The Lady in the Van April 5th.

Film No. 23 (2016) April 5th.  3.20 PM DENDY Quay Cinemas Sydney. 

"Good, then you can give me a push". (Miss Shepherd's first words to her soon to be new neighbour, Alan Bennett).

The Lady in the Van is not the light, offbeat comedy depicted in the trailers which played for months in Australian cinemas leading up to it's recent release. Maggie Smith as the cantankerous old biddy Miss Shepherd is brilliant with her sharp tongue and brilliant timing but the film has many more layers. English playwright Alan Bennett has written something very personal in his account of this very strange event which occurred in his life.

Alex Jennings plays Bennett to perfection (Alan Bennett should know) as we learn of a unique meeting between a couple of lonely eccentrics. Smith brings the lady to screen after playing her in the late nineties on stage in London's West End as part of numerous sell out seasons of Bennett's play. In real life Miss Shepherd spent 15 years living a vagrant's life out of her van in Bennett's driveway. Bennett, as he saw it, played two roles during those years. 

Firstly, as a professional he seized the opportunity to observe and thus write. Secondly he needed to be the compassionate neighbour who legitimately cared for the needs he knew only he could provide to Miss Shepherd. Director Hytner (The History Boys) and Bennett team up to reproduce the chemistry they created with the stage play. The relationship between Bennett and Miss Shepherd has it's moments but it is less than riveting. The way their story is told gives the film its "legs".

Well, that and the performance of Maggie Smith. Smith works her craft so wonderfully in this story she has made her own. The production of this film depended on her availability. One day Ms Smith will not be with us, The Lady In The Van is a wonderful opportunity to appreciate an actor who remains at the top of her game, a game she has dominated since her debut on BBC television 60 years ago. 9GUMS.                 

Film No. 24 (2016) Where To Invade Next April 10th.

Film No. 24 (2016) April 10th.  1.20 PM Norton St. Palace Cinemas, Leichhardt Sydney. 

"We want our kids to learn and to have fun. We don't need to test them on things they've learned from the the back of a book. There is no creativity in that". (Krista Kiuru, the Finnish Minister of Education).

In my opinion Michael Moore has just completed his most interesting film. He has taken his persuasive self and devised an entertainment which asks a series of questions about how he might be able to "pick the flowers" (the ideas which work so effectively in a cross section of European countries) and figuratively take them back to the U S A. Maybe then the people of America would become as one, perhaps even care more for one another.


In Where To Invade Next (W T I N), Moore steps through some of the themes he touched on in Sicko. Although I'm a little concerned Moore learned few health lessons from his Sicko assignment, in this film he looks very unhealthy! W T I N is a wonderful idea which will have the whole world talking because we can all take lessons from the 'flowers' he picks. 


Moore takes us to Italy to learn how business treats it's workers so they remain productive, happy and worth investing in. In Finland we learn that elitism in their education system is non-existent which has a two fold effect. In Slovenia we learn that it is possible to provide students with a free college education and let them begin their adult lives unencumbered by debt. In Iceland  we learn how women make their society more whole, honest and caring because they have more say in the decision making process.


And the list of countries and the 'flowers' he picks goes on. Mike Moore is a preacher of sorts. His style does not suit all and at times he tampers with facts to the advantage of only his POV. He once again gives a utopian view but his approach is light; this suits Where To Invade Next. A couple of personal statements given by a grieving father in Norway and a CEO in Iceland are particularly strong. Importantly they are not the views of Moore.  10GUMS            

Film No. 22 (2016) Mon Roi March 28th.

Film No. 22 (2016) March 28th.  9.00 PM LUNA Paradiso, Northbridge. 

 

Trivia: Emmanuelle Bercot shared the best actress award with Mara Rooney (Carol) at Cannes in 2015 for her performance in Mon Roi.

 

Depicting a tempestuous, erratic relationship between two temperaments where heartbreak is inevitable is nearly a film genre in itself. As with the Romantic Comedy or Revenge Thriller the Drama come Love/Tragedy has been depicted before, often best by the French or the Italians. Mon Rio (My King) is French and it is a worthy contribution to the genre.


Emmanuelle Bercot (Toni) and Vincent Cassel (Georgio) shine in this simple drama about a couple of extroverts who have too much in common for their relationship to be everlasting. We learn all about this roller coaster ride of a marriage via Toni's reflective thoughts as she recovers from knee surgery after a skiing accident which we witness, partially, in the opening scene. The thrill of this flashback technique holds us suspended, most particularly concerning Georgio's fate. 


Georgio has to be charismatically convincing and he is, then Toni has to be doubly the same in her quest to hold him on the pedestal that she hopes will last for ever after, like in fairy-tales. Director Maiwenn is a young French filmmaker learning her craft and her clumsy method of paralleling Toni's physical recuperation with her emotional reparation is never convincing, verging on cliche but it's part of the indulgence of Mon Roi.


It's a case of knowing what you're getting with Roi so do we look beyond the cliched narrative or are we happy to be indulged? I fall on the side of the latter mainly because Bercot and Cassel make the scenes that count bristle.  9GUMS.

Film No. 21 (2016) Rams March 27th.

Film No. 21 (2016) March 27th.  8.00 PM THE PINES Outdoor Cinema Joondalup. (Part of Perth Film Festival 2015/16)

"In order to eliminate the disease they're going to have to take the whole valley" (The voice of authority explains the necessary procedures to gain the required agricultural outcome). 
   .

"A simple, understated snippet of Icelandic rural life", was a sentence used to sum up this Perth Film Festival offering. I'm inclined to agree on the understated front but to describe Rams as simple is to err on the side of flippancy when it comes to the family matters portrayed in this film.


Sheep are some of the players in this film, but it is the pair of head butting rams, the feuding brothers Gummi (Sigurour Sigurjonsson) and Kiddi (Theodor Jullusson), who control the tempo of this drama. We learn a little of why these brothers live 200 metres apart and have failed to speak to one another for 40 years. The brother's only means of communication is notes couriered by a sheepdog. They share the family farm but herd separate flocks of sheep. They are the best breeders in the district as is reflected in the annual district contest in an early scene. 


The opening scenes subtly project the silliness of the "boys" feud as they jostle for minor supremacy over small matters. The only soundtrack is the cold damp air whistling around their ears. Once Gummi detects the sheep equivalent of foot and mouth disease, scrapie, in his brother's flock the drama unfurls. Gummi has to report his findings knowing that if indeed it is scrapie then the consequences for the whole valley are dire.


I can't recall an Icelandic film I've seen previously. Effective film festivals choose cinema which allows we lovers of film to journey into unfamiliar worlds to experience emotions common to the human condition. Rams is another example of well chosen festival fare. A cold war amongst family members is common world wide, the secret is, how much adversity does it take before an olive branch is presented? Rams presents one answer to that question. 9GUMS.         

Film No. 20 (2016) Eye In The Sky March 14th.

Film No. 20 (2016) March 14th.  6.30 PM LUNA WINDSOR Nedlands.

"If they kill 80 people, we win the propaganda war, if we kill one child, they do".(Just some of the diplomatic banter exchanged during the decision making process).

Once upon a time war movies were the staple diet of cinema goers throughout the world. A War Movie had everything; good conquering evil, the seeking of revenge against the odds and romance under difficult circumstances. Eye In The Sky may be the film to rekindle the genre via and age old ingredient; suspense.


Modern warfare is a complex game in 2016. We only have to stream a news station to absorb the latest random mass bombing or shooting to comprehend this fact. Eye in the Sky propels us into a situation which legitimizes aspects of this complex game. What this film does well, even if it's a little far fetched, is bring a human face and the "what if" factor into the narrative. 


Colonel Katherine Powell(Helen Mirren) has tracked a British subject turned terrorist, Aisha al Hady, to a small fortress in Somalia, Africa. The methods of tracking and the devices used in the process range from a drone stationed kilometres above, strategically placed hi definition cameras and electronic flying bugs. They are elaborate and by themselves worth the price of a ticket to this film. Time is ticking and Powell needs to eliminate her target.


Mirren returns to her "hard arse" persona (Jayne Tennison, Prime Suspect) here and is effective. The real intrigue comes in the scenes where diplomacy holds the key. As Powell waits for the decision allowing her to move, circumstances arise that complicate the decision making process. We meet the highest ranking diplomats all weighing up their options depending on their agendas. Eventually a couple of rookie drone pilots (Aaron Paul and Phoebe Fox), sitting in a shack in the Nervada desert, hold a crucial key. In the end there are more questions asked than answered and this added to the thrill.  10GUMS.   








   

Film No. 19 (2016) My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 March 9th.

Film No. 19 (2016) March 9th.  7.00 PM HOYTS Carousel Cannington.

"Don't let your past dictate who you are, but let it be a part of who you will become". (The combined musings of Nia Vardalos and John Corbett prior to the release of M.B.F.G.W.2)

Excuse my ignorance, but I hadn't realized that the original My Big Fat Greek Wedding remains the highest grossing romantic comedy in the U.S. Well there you go. With that, I would be surprised if this sequel overtakes that standard. M.B.F.G.W. 2 tries to be everything the first is but unfortunately it falls short. 


If you loved the original and you're not expecting much more than catching up with friends you haven't seen for 14 years then M.B.F.G.W.2 is a must see. All your old friends are still on screen but be warned, most of them come fresh from surgery; but who hasn't been nipped and tucked these days?


The story-line, 14 years on, brings together three generations of Nia's family. Her father and mother are unmarried due to a convenient twist, she and husband Ian are in a marriage without sparks and daughter Paris (Elena Kampouris) is being hassled about "keeping it Greek" when it comes to boys (the same way Nia was in M.B.F.G.W.1). And so the lovable, adorable characters jostle with each others emotions in the nicest possible way for the nicest possible outcome. A marzipan sandwich is only slightly sweeter! 


But hey, No.2 will have a following. Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks are still involved (producers) and hopefully there will be upside for the Greek economy. It's a film with its heart in the right place. 6GUMS.


   















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Film No. 18 (2016) The End of the Tour February 28th.

Film No. 18 (2016) February 28th.  8.00 PM THE PINES Outdoor Cinema Joondalup.

"The more people think you're really great, the bigger the fear of being a fraud is". (Wallace's parting words to Lipsky after their 5 day tour).

A film based on events depicting a celebrated writer, David Foster-Wallace (Jason Segal), being profiled by Rolling Stone journo David Kipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) may not have people stampeding to cinemas but there is something profound about this simple tale capturing one man's (Wallace) complicated emotional state of mind.


The naturalistic style of Tour, takes us on a documentary like journey to the heart of a unique relationship which smoulders then ignites as Lipsky fans the embers during a 5 day road trip through the ice-cold landscape of mid western USA.  


If you know of Lipsky's writings about this adventure, or have read Infinite Jest, the book by Wallace which sparked this tour or if you are simply a fan of either, you are bound to love The End of the Tour. I knew little to nothing of either and I enjoyed this film immensely. 10GUMS.