No. 41 (2022) MOTHERING SUNDAY May 26th.

 

Film No. 41 (2022)  May  26th.  6.30 PM   Cinema 1.  LUNA  Windsor,  Nedlands.

 

"Jane, you have no family. That is a gift. You have nothing to lose. And you must learn to use it". (A grieving mother, Clarrie, imparts her ill conceived view upon her servant, Jane Fairchild).

The real grief of war, told through the eyes of a servant in the 1920's is a cinematic tale told previously (TESTEMENT OF YOUTH) to better effect. MOTHERING SUNDAY is mesmerising, and a worthy contributor to the genre, but doesn't quite achieve the brilliance it had the potential to fulfil. But make no mistake, add Odessa Young to the growing list of Australian actors on the rise, is bound for bigger things.

Jane (Young) is a servant. Coming from the underclasses, she aspires to write, meanwhile she serves the privileged echelons of society. It is her stepping stone to a more fulfilling life. We meet her working as a maid for the Nivens. Godfrey (Colin Firth) and Clarrie (Olivia Colman) who are grief stricken. Their only children, two boys, were killed in The Great War. Jane is locked in a steamy affair with Paul (Josh O'Connor) who is to marry Emma Hobday (Emma D'Arcy); it's a given, part of the class arrangement. Jane knows her place, so her relationship with Paul is wholesome and fulfilling from a sexual POV.

MOTHERING SUNDAY is a novel adapted by Alice Birch from Booker Prize winner Graham Swift's (LAST ORDERS) prose. Those who loved the novel may have a more grounded opinion of the film. I say this because so many themes in the film are left flapping in the wind. Themes including, class, grief, loss, suicide (maybe) and a life lived are all explored in the tale, but for me, I was never fulfilled. I'll read the novella. 

MOTHERING SUNDAY is a good film. It's a handsome costume drama, a genre at which the Brits excel. This Sunday, which begins for Jane with a rare day off, a day to herself, becomes a pivotal moment in her short life but one that, via the imagination of Swift, will be lasting. Glenda Jackson's (first in 31 years) appearance is clumsy but sums up all that has gone before. 9GUMS.              

 

No. 42 (2022) TOP GUN: MAVERICK May 31st.

 

Film No. 41  (2022)  May 31st.  4:30 PM  HOYTS CINEMAS,  VMax 2   Karrinyup.

"With all due respect sir, I'm not a teacher. I just want to manage expectations!" (Capt Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell lets Admiral Simpson know how he views his role as mentor to the squadron).

It is rare for a sequel to meet the standards set by its predecessor, but MAVERICK does. I say meets because it's one brave person who definitively says MAVERICK is better than TOP GUN (1986), the original. The Bruckheimer/Simpson production stable are the masters of the glossy, action film, fairy story. MAVERICK never tries to be more than the original, and Tom Cruise simply steals the show. Then again, if he didn't, MAVERICK would be bombing!

I'm not going to bore you with an insight into unoriginal tale telling of the Bruckheimer variety. TOP GUN was all about testosterone charged men vying for top spot while getting the girl .... MAVERICK is all about much of the same; including a woman flyer and Tom returning as the old bloke who knows it all and has a need to prove it. Oh, and to get the girl, Jennifer Connolly.

The gloss that represents the pallet of a Bruckheimer/Simpson film using 2022 cinema technology, along with Tom, shines in MAVERICK. The clean cut handsomeness of  Miles Teller (Rooster), Glen Powell (Hangman), Monica Barbaro (Pheonix) and Jennifer Connolly (Penny) along with simple sentence dialogue ("I don't sail boats, I land on them") has the box-office buzzing. The Lady Ga Ga hit Hold My Hand is helping to fuel the fire that is MAVERICK!

Go find the biggest screen. Buy popcorn in a bucket and strap yourself into a seat moulded to your butt and back. Don't think, just watch (you'll know what I mean). There were groans when the making of this sequel was announced twelve years ago. Paramount has endured the end of the GFC, COVID and the nay-sayers to watch with pride as MAVERICK opened with a $100M weekend (Tom Cruise's first). It's taken $250M worldwide as I type ... go join the queue. 9GUMS.         

    

  

No. 39 (2022) WETLAND (EL LODO) May 22nd.

 

Film No. 39 (2022)  May  22nd.  4.00 PM   Cinema 6.  LUNA,  Leederville.

 

"You are local. Your family come from this land. I knew your father. We can trust you Ricardo". (Eusebio reinforces his belief that Ricardo can implement change).

This Spanish story, shot on the unique Albufera Lagoon in Valencia, will strike fear into the hearts of pro climate change advocates; more specifically in those who proactively work towards change. The problem is, this film's message is diluted due to it's overlong run-time.

El Lodo translates to The Mud in English. It's a damp, dark translation which suits the pressure cooker atmosphere that is EL LODO. WETLAND is the English title, driven by distributors, for marketing purposes. There is no HIGH NOON ending here. And yet it's a film that promises hope but delivers pessimism of the dampest and darkest kind.  

Ricardo (Raul Arevalo) is a water scientist. He has had recent success rejuvenating a "tired" wetland in Brazil. He once lived in this community and it's a time in his life where he, wife Claudia (Paz Vega) and daughter Julia can recuperate from a tragic loss. The plot sets up for an exhilarating and feel-good ending. What eventuates is quite different. The powder-keg of anxious foreboding becomes the tapestry by which second time feature director Inaki Sanchez (ZERO) weaves his tale.

Whether its the old adage that directors don't know how to cut sequences they have fallen in love with, I'm unsure, but EL LODO has atmosphere and a take on climate change we need to be reminded of. Sadly, it just gets bogged in THE MUD!  7GUMS.

       

 

No. 40 (2022) THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT May 24th.

 

Film No. 40  (2022)  May 24th.  5.00 PM   Cinema 7.  LUNA,  Leederville.

 

"Is this supposed to be me? It's grotesque. I'll give you twenty thousand for it!". (Nic comes face to face with an effigy of himself in Javi's room, fronting as his homage to his favourite movie star Nic Cage).

Nic Cage is a star, who, to some, may give off an aura of aloofness. An untouchable arrogance, perhaps. This rollicking fun-filled film, with a lashing of the 'buddy movie' trope, should win over the sceptics and further reinforce the star that burns for his fans. If you go to the movies to be entertained, MASSIVE TALENT is for you. Don't miss it! I'll spoil nothing of this original self-effacing movie tribute to Nicolas Cage. You'll enjoy the ride.   10GUMS.

   

No. 38 (2022) PETITE MAMAN May 9th.

 

Film No. 38 (2022)  May  9th.  12.50 PM   Cinema 7.  LUNA,  Leederville.

 

"I'm glad we met". (An 8 year old Marion tells Nelly how she feels about their time together, back in the past).

What if an intelligent, thoughtful child, Nelly (Josephine Sanz), aged 8, could be transported back in time (without a puff of smoke) to spend moments with her mother, Marion (Gabrielle Sanz), when she was also aged 8? Well, French director Celine Sciamma explores this idea in the very meditative PETITE MAMAN.

There is no BACK TO THE FUTURE here, or more specifically, no DeLorean in PETITE MAMAN. The gentle journey that Nelly makes to meet Marion takes the form of a walk into the woods that back onto the residence where three generations of Nelly's family have lived. The girls play, they build a house from large branches and keep each other company. Both have spent their childhood alone, with no siblings. Sciamma creates an atmosphere of gentle love in every scene, and not just between the "sisters". A kitchen scene of pancake making is pure fun. 

The adults, Nellie's mother (Nina Meurisse) and father (Stephane Varupenne) in particular, lead the way as caring but grieving parents. Adult Marion disappears to "reflect" after her mother's death, which triggers Nelly's imagination. We then get an intimate view of the love Nelly and her father have for each other. A simple shaving scene says so much.     

If TOMBOY, Sciamma's first major feature, showed how in sync she is with children at thoughtful play, then PETITE Maman will delight. Her films never overstay their welcome. PETITE plays at under 72 mins. Sciamma tests your senses and experiences against those of others. 10GUMS.

    

      

No. 37 (2022) EVERYTHING WENT FINE (TOUT SEST BIEN PASSE) April 30th.

 

Film No. 37 (2022)  April  30th.  11.00 AM   Cinema 1.  LUNA,  Leederville.

 

"I'll need a strong dose. I have the heart of an Ox". (Andre alerts his Swiss liaison person of what he will require for a successful passing).

The individual, choosing to die (euthanasia) has been the subject of story-telling many times over, certainly in recent years as questions of religious beliefs becomes less of an adherent. TOUT SEST adds to the list of stories. Director Francois Ozon (BY THE GRACE OF GOD) has taken this painful subject, (from a novel Emmanuele Bernheim wrote, based on her experience with her father) and created a wonderfully compassionate, balanced film.  

Shot No.1, Sophie Marceau, playing Emmanuelle takes a call while writing her next novel. Her father, Andre Bernheim (Andre Dossollier) aged 85, a selfish, demanding man is being transferred to intensive care after experiencing a stroke. She rushes to be by his side. We are soon embroiled in a bittersweet relationship. And so while Andre has a wife Claude (Charlotte Rampling)distanced because of Parkinson's, and another daughter, Pascale (Geraldine Pailhas), it is Emmanuelle who is front and centre. Andre is putting his trust in her to help him end his life.

Once we know the responsibility Emmanuelle is entrusted with, we are in the care of a director (Ozon) who asks the question of society (France) and places us in the midst of intelligent people who are faced with a dilemma hopefully none of us will face. He does it with great care and humility. The blackest of moments are coloured with a humour that has great relevance. This post's opening quote is a premium example. 

The end, when it comes is inevitable, never happy, but our heroes (Emmanuelle & Pascale) are closer and better people for their deeds and the loyalty they exhibit. The title, while obscure at first sight, makes total sense as the screen goes to black. 10GUMS.              

         

 

 

No. 36 (2022) IMMERSION (INMERSION) Palace Spanish Film Festival '22 April 29th.

 

Film No. 36 (2022)  April  29th.  6:00 PM  PALACE  Cinema 3,  Raine Square,  Perth City.

 

"What world do you live in? With all the violence out there in the world ... they're trying to rip us off."(The un-named selfish father pleads with his daughter Claudia to open her eyes to the world).

Is IMMERSION all about questions relating to the selfish values of the middle class? Is it about family disconnect and the thoughts that promote negative feelings for one another? Or is it simply a film that doesn't quite hit the mark as a thriller, but young Chilean director Nic Postiglione's future work will still be worth a look? I think all of these questions have relevance in IMMERSION.

Put simply, Ricardo, played perfectly by veteran Alfredo Castro takes daughters Tere (Consuelo Carreno) and Claudia (Mariela Mignot) sailing on a lake known to him from family gatherings past. Their destination, a ram shackle old house left to him by his brother. While on the lake, in the early scenes, we learn Alfredo is all about Alfredo. As his daughters laze in the sun on deck he spots a small vessel sinking with three occupants on board. He turns a blind eye, raises the anchor and retreats rapidly. Tere observes her father's uncompassionate behaviour and so the slow burn thriller unfurls.

Postiglione constantly askes his audience questions about family, trust, prejudices, compassion and finally, what is really important in life. Wrapping this exploration of ideas in a thriller of 95 minutes gives us a compact time frame in which to come to our own conclusions. IMMERSION is worth a look, if you can find a showing.   8GUMS.