Film No. 42 (2016) The Mine (Jattilainen) July 7th

Film No. 42 (2016) July 7th.  6.30 PM PALACE  Como, South Yarra Melbourne. 

"Your sauna buddies keep secrets from you" (Jussi (Joonas Saartamo) receives a warning from a compatriot).

The chance to visit Melbourne's plushest film house (The Palace, Como, South Yarra) was tantalising and on this occasion The Scandinavian Festival was on offer; The Mine (Jattilainen), a fictionalised version of the unnerving events surrounding the environmental catastrophes at a mine established in Lapland. A first class cinema and a chance to see a story from Lapland on screen, another first for me, what could be better?

Well, The Mine, in my view could have been a story told more effectively but that's film making for you. There are some risks taken in telling the tale, but The Mine falls short from both an impact and entertainment POV. 

We are taken on a 2 dimensional journey which doesn't take into account the people of Lapland and the human drama endured by the folk most impacted by the corrupt process whereby their drinking water becomes contaminated. Our story is told through the eyes of an environmental scientist Jussi (Joonas Saartamo)  who is employed by a company who have "sweetheart" deals already in place with both the Government and the mining company in relation to the granting of environmental permissions. 

Jussi (Joonas Saartamo) is hoodwinked at first into making sure his decisions are more aligned with his employee than with what is right until finally, after wrestling with his moral dilemmas, he decides which way to turn. So while the events surrounding this travesty of justice are real the convenient methods director Salmenpera and writer Pesonen take to manipulate us are at times cumbersome and far too convenient. It is, however, an important story and one worth telling.  7GUMS.     

Film No. 41 (2016) Sing Street June 29th.

Film No. 41 (2016) June 29th.  6.30 PM LUNA Paradiso, Northbridge. 

"Do you want to be in a video for my band? (The line on which the film spins on its axis).

It's been two days since I watched my preview showing of Sing Street and I have sung it's praises to everyone I know who loves the movies. This is an easy film to recommend. The simplest description is that Sing Street is an adolescent version of The Commitments, only better. High praise I know but John Carney (Once, Begin Again) is a master of blending real love and original song making; he's the best in the business.

I'm reluctant to summarise the plot of Sing Street due to the high praise I have heaped upon the film. The plot is simple and has all been done before. Boy meets girl, both deal with speed bumps of the family variety along the way before they take the risks required to consummate their love. Simple doesn't have to mean lacking in quality, Romeo and Juliet is one of the greatest stories ever told. Sing Street rivals R & J for the charismatic charm it uses to tell another simple fairytale. 

The actors who bring this tale to life form a list of future stars. Bend it Like Beckham introduced us to Kiera Knightley. Lucy Boynton plays the mysterious Raphina who may well get offers of a comparative kind. Conor, the focus of most of our attention is played by Ferdia Walsh-Peelo a young actor who locks us to his every move and song in Sing Sreet. Never heard of him? Me neither and for good reason this is his debut feature film. Jack Reynor, the most experienced of the cast, plays Brendan (Conor's older brother), a stoner but highly insightful. His performance is the glue which holds everything that Sing Street is together.

After the relative, undeserved, failure of Begin Again, Carney has returned to his roots. While the risks he takes in making Sing Street match the risks his characters take to consummate ambition and love, he never the less brings us a film of the highest quality. Sing Street is full of original sound, ideas, personalities and yet, we've seen it before. It mesmerises us in the same way that Once did. I'm hoping it will have the same view and re-view qualities for adolescents that Mean Girls enjoyed. But because it's lessons are more for boys (brothers even) I'm not optimistic. Don't miss Sing Street  11GUMS.      

Film No. 40 (2016) Goldstone June 25th.

Film No. 40 (2016) June 25th.  10.45 PM LUNA Leederville. 

"Here we are being civilised to one another, but you and I know things are going to change sooner or later, because that's how life is Jay" (Maureen (Jacki Weaver) issues a warning dripping with saccharine to her nemesis Jay Swan (Aaron Pedersen).

Mystery Road was my favourite Australian film in 2015. It showed that Ivan Sen has a seriously good eye for our golden land and for infiltrating that barren sparseness with a lone wolf character experiencing more problems than the early settlers. Goldstone, his sequel, brings back Jay Swan in similar fashion without the credibility but with precisely the same genre quality.

Aaron Pederson (Jay Swan) the city trained cop who brought a semblance of morality and justice to the screen in Mystery Road returns to the screen to set things right in Goldstone, another outpost riddled with cruelty and corruption. Sen sacrifices storyline for golden, outback images a little too much this time but even the classic westerns of Howard Hawkes did the sameand they weren't any less engrossing for it.

Goldstone doesn't rattle along with any speed but Sen has a good sense of pace as scenes smoulder then gradually ignite. Josh (Alex Russell) is the young, lone, impressionable cop overseeing law enforcement in Goldstone. He's corruptable but there is innocence in his eyes, he knows his moral compass needs resetting. Local mayor Maureen (Jacki Weaver) bakes apple cakes for Josh to remind him about when and where he needs to turn a blind eye. Mining and illegal immigration for prostitution purposes are at the seat of the corruption.

As with High Noon or Rio Bravo there is a deadline by which good must conquer evil. Jay and the lovely May (Michelle Lim Davidson) guide Josh to his senses. Jay now has his ally for the all important "shootout", a scene Sen has made integral to both movies. Weaver set her mark as the malevolent Janine Cody in Animal Kingdom, her Maureen character lacks the same bite, which detracts from the conclusion. Critics are already rating Goldstone to be superior both visually and narratively to Mystery Road. From a visual POV I agree but I think the story could have been less simplistic. 9GUMS.        

Film No. 39 (2016) Independence Day: Resurgence. June 22nd.

Film No. 39 (2016) June 22nd.  6.45 PM GREATER UNION Innaloo.

"Our survival is only possible, when we stand together" (U.S. President Lanford (Sela Ward) speaks to her nation).

I didn't see Independence Day (1996) and it wouldn't have mattered if I had. There is a 4.46 min trailer of this latest release, I.D. Resurgence. Find a 3D smart T.V. some glasses and watch the trailer; you'll get the storyline and a sense of the effects which are continually repeated and are the reason the film was made. The script writers are named but I find it hard to believe they have used their real names. In fact I find it hard to believe contemporary cinema audiences will be able to stomach the banality of this film.  2GUMS. 

Film No. 38 (2016) Maggie's Plan June 1th.

Film No. 38 (2016) June 15th.  6.30 PM LUNA Paradiso, Northbridge. 

"I couldn't help overhearing this young lady, she says she has two cheques and I don't have any". (John (Ethan Hawke) meets Maggie (Greta Gerwig) for the first time in the campus finance department).

While Woody Allen is taking a break until the release of Cafe Society (July release), and you find you have the need for a quirky, smart comedy with a bunch of actors who have mastered the art of playing out unselfconscious characters, then Maggies Plan may fill that void. Greta Gerwig, for starters, could be a reincarnation of Diane Keaton in all her Annie Hall glory. Rebecca Miller, daughter of Arthur, writes and directs in a way Woody would surely be proud.


So why the comparison? Well Maggie (Gerwig) has a plan to have a baby without the complications of a man. She approaches Guy (Travis Fimmel) a dude who sees Maggie as being out of his league but who is happy to provide Maggie with the necessary seed to impregnate herself. Enter John (Ethan Hawke) a married man who seduces Maggie in the same time frame. Who's baby is this going to be? Suddenly we move forward three years. It's quirky remember, a little Woody like and may I say slightly more entertaining than most of his most recent fodder.


 Move forward three years, Maggie and John are living together and have had a gorgeous little girl Lily (Ida Rohatyn, who steals a scene or two) but their love for each other is losing its lustre. Georgette (Julianne Moore), John's ex-wife represents Maggie's best bet for exiting her union with John. This leads Maggie to hatch her second plan but it is trumped by a plan Georgette has dreamt up. Other than Moore's forced accent (Danish) the light and quirky comedy succeeds. Gerwig has her fans, I'm one, and she carries MP because everything revolves around Maggie.


Unlike Allen, Miller is not prolific. Some say the weight of expectation because of her famous father has laid heavy, but I doubt it. All her projects are completed with a great thoroughness and bear her stamp. Proof as a writer and The Private Lives of Pipa Lee as both writer and director attest to this. Maggie's Plan is less serious than her other projects but no less thorough; it's an excellent example quality cinema. It's also very amusing.  9GUMS. 

Film No. 37 (2016) Mustang June 13th.

Film No. 37 (2016) June 13th.  6.30 PM LUNA Paradiso, Northbridge. 

"A bracing portrait of a young girl and her teenage sisters coming of age". (A short summary from Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post).

 

There were many who were surprised Mustang did not receive the accolades they felt it deserved at Cannes in 2015. Given the themes of the rich crop of contestants last year I can understand why this Turkish power house of a film may have struggled to win but I wouldn't have been surprised if it had. The narrative is as powerful as the film's poster. I was both moved and enraged by Mustang.


An American feral horse which is typically small and lightly built is how an on-line dictionary defines a mustang. Mustang makes no excuses for the girl we learn is the "mustang" of the 5 sisters. Lale is the youngest and it is through her eyes we see the vibrant beauty and uncomplicated innocence she and her sisters exude. The early scenes of Lale farewelling her teacher prior to summer break then walking to the ocean with her sisters to frolic with boys, is telling. 


Lale's narration tells us that after their ocean adventure, life would never be the same. It's then that the power of the film entraps us. The love and commitment each long-haired beauty has for the others is never eroded but we watch their union gradually disintegrate. Their guardians (uncle and grandmother) are obliged to find respected partners for the older girls. An organized procession of families regarded as having "approved partners" for the girls are hosted in the house (definitely not a home)but not all receive the same welcome.


So often a film becomes cliched when it's obvious where the conclusion lies. Mustang doesn't have a single one of those moments. We are so taken by the power of our mustang we are inwardly cheering her on. Mustang has remained in my thoughts for days. A film is hard to compare to a quality pair of shoes. Shoes last for years, I feel this film is the onscreen equivalent. 11GUMS.



  

Film No. 36 (2016) Now You See Me 2. June 1st.

Film No. 36 (2016) June 1st.  6.45 PM GREATER UNION Innaloo.

 

"We jumped off a rooftop in New York and landed in China. How is this possible?". (A grab from the trailer which makes sense towards the end of the film).

I made the mistake of going to Oceans 12 before I'd seen Oceans 11 then thinking "I won't do that again". Well I wasn't true to my word. I saw Now You See Me 2 without seeing its predecessor. Big mistake. NYSM 2 is slick, has some great sleight of hand visuals which are impressive and I feel sure the performances matched all that fits the franchise but I was confused for most of the time. I didn't see NYSM 1. CAN'T GIVE GUMS.