Film No. 62 (2015) People, Places, Things. 31st August.

Film No. 62 (2015) August 31st.  6.30 PM LUNA Paradiso, Northbridge. 

"No, life sucks because my wife left me for an off Broadway Monologist" (Will discusses his current state of mind with his college students).

 

Jermain Clement, a New Zealander by birth, has a huge following in the U.S. due to his underwhelming but zany portrayal as himself in Flight of the Conchords. In fact he is followed Worldwide but it's in the U.S. market that he is thriving. So it must have been a bit of a risk exploring a character faced with more serious domestic issues (divorce) in People, Places, Things. I'm thinking that even the title from a marketing POV might be a little risky.

I needn't have been concerned, PPT is a perfect fit for Clement. He  takes his brilliantly dry style of delivery into a tried and tested genre and offers a new dimension to the Romantic Comedy. I say new dimension because when it comes to films with themes supporting marriage breakdown with our hero seemingly blameless and kids in the mix, there are characters often shaped for us to hate; not in People, Places, Things. There is no one to dislike.

Jermaine Clement plays out a unique character using his original style in a film with a narrative which has no original appeal. Man catches wife out with another man, she wants a new life taking the kids with her. And so begins our journey with Will; a deep thinking new age bloke who works a teaching job to maintain his under paid passion as a comic book artist. Is Will's heart taken unexpectedly while he bemoans what he had?  Nothing new indeed. 

Hopefully my review is testing your patience with regard to my "you won't hate anyone in this film" observation. That's why the film is worth a look, especially if you are a devout fan of this genre. We are gently folded into the emotional revelations of each of the characters via witty and sometimes unexpected interplay. Therein  lies the charm of this film. People Places Things will please many even if the title may not attract the audience it should. 9GUMS.   

       

 

 

 

Film No. 61 (2015) Marshland 29th August.

Film No. 61 (2015) August 29th.  4.30 PM LUNA Paradiso, Northbridge. 

"The night they disappeared, they were walking home" (the precursor to the mystery to be solved by detectives Juan and Pedro, detectives seconded to the marshlands). 

 

 

Nominated for 70 Awards, this atmospheric Spanish pot boiler was just the film I needed on the dreary Saturday afternoon I saw it. After the first season of True Detective there was much to compare when analyzing Marshland. Aerial shots which make the landscape below an elaborate art mosaic, detectives of contrasting styles and suspects with unnerving smiles and dodgy alibis.

 

Juan (Javier Gutierrez) and Pedro (Raul Arevaio) are seconded to the steamy Andalucian marshlands of Spain from Madrid to solve the puzzle of the disappearance of two teenage sisters. The first of the mysteries is why these two contrasting police bloodhounds and the second conundrum is how come they've never worked with one another before? As the mystery continues we realize the appointment is partially political and slightly convenient for a Warner Bros distributed brand of film.

 

My Warner Bros theory is not a criticism because sometimes when a tried and tested B Grade formula is executed with such dexterity, as Marshlands is, the result is an A grade film. 10 Goya Awards set new levels for the Spanish film industry in 2015. And while the pot boiling feature of this film is the bubbling chemistry of our true detectives Juan and Pedro, it's their varied techniques for extracting information from characters as diverse as a psychic fisherwoman and a sweet smelling businessman wearing a cowboy hat and with a handshake of soft vice like qualities.

 

The ending is not laden with the twists one first imagines but this is not a let down. Marshland is a hot, steamy journey which appeals to all our senses without over complicating characterization and story line. It has the odd visual of the squeamish variety but this is never over done. For those who still shy away from a sub-titled film this is the film to iron out your trepidation. The letters at the bottom of the screen never intrude; there is a slick rhythm to Marshland.  10GUMS.     

 

 

 

 

Film No. 60 (2015) Me And Earl and the Dying Girl. August 22nd.

Film No. 60 (2015) August 22nd.  10.45 AM LUNA Leederville. 

"No, hey, I'm not here because I pity you, no I'm actually here because my mum made me". (Greg justifies his visit to Rachel).

 

This film will be forgotten more easily than Juno, the film it is being most compared with, but I think it is cleverer; maybe it's just a little too unique for its own good but who cares. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl has deserved all the accolades and awards it has received in recent months.

Meet Greg Gaines (Thomas Mann) a scrawny high school student who spends most of his time with Earl (RJ Cyler), his co-worker, making elaborate home made films based on higher profile blockbusters from the past. Grumpy Cul-De-Sacs (Mean Streets)and Senior Citizen Cane are just a few of the titles produced by Greg and Earl. Greg's meandering life takes a turn when his mum (Connie Britton) insists he visit Rachel (Olivier Cooke) who has cancer. From here it is the clumsiness of the meeting then the graduation of the raw honesty they share that separates Me and Earl from other teenage weepies.

Perhaps director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon has tried a little too hard to crearte a quirkiness about every character but as none of them over act he gets away with it. Earl is wonderfully likeable from the get go and I for one would love to have seen his all knowing relationship with Rachel captured in more scenes. But when a film as rich as this is served up there can often be a taste for more.

And then there is the ending. We know that we are being lead inevitably towards sadness prior to the rolling of the credits. The real sadness, with a touch of the uplifting, does come quite brilliantly in the last 7 minutes but not quite as you might expect. In those seven minutes we travel back through the key days of Greg and Earl and Rachel's relationships so brilliantly you'll be left touched. To be left uniquely and truly touched by a film takes great skill. I have fallen more in love with this film in the days since. 10GUMS  

  

Film No. 59 (2015) Holding the Man. August 15th.

Film No. 59 (2015) August 15th.  10.45 AM LUNA Leederville. 

"Do what you wanna do, be what you wanna be Yeah". (The lyrics of Because I Love You by The Masters Apprentices, a moving centre piece song).

 

Holding The Man.

Neil Armfield showed us how brilliantly he could extract moving performances from young actors (Cornish and Ledger) in Candy (2006). Nine years on and Armfield returns to our screens with Holding the Man. The true love story of Timothy Conigrave (Ryan Corr) and John Caleo (Craig Stott) based on Conigrave's memoir published 20 years ago. He has not lost the ability to move us but I feel Candy is the superior work.

The film relies on the performances of Corr and Caleo. Both young actors are learning their craft and this test proves they have the potential to take their careers to a new level. So much of the onscreen affection displayed by Conigrave and Caleo would have divided an audience 20 years ago but because of our world's understanding of homosexuality, we are less confronted. We are able to invest our attention in two people who grow to love one another. 


Holding the Man is a period piece depicting a love story from the 70's and 80's. The issues and themes reflected in the film divided the world at the time. People were confronted with HIV and AIDS; diseases people knew little about. A film of this quality is a great reminder and discussion point for people of varying generations. In the same way Breaker Morant reminds us of a an unjust issue from our past, Holding the Man reminds us of a time when a health epidemic gripped society.

So why is Candy the superior film? Holding the Man is more staged. It's adapted from a book which was translated to stage. There are scenes in Holding the Man which are reenactments of the stage play. Live theatre can take its time when dwelling on the most moving and poignant moments. To emulate that on film in exactly the same way means scenes can lose their relevance. This happens on a couple of occasions in Holding the Man. It is often hard to compare original screenplays with adapted versions. Never the less, Holding the Man will be well received. 8GUMS.



   

Film No. 58 (2015) Irrational Man 12th August.

Film No. 58 (2015) August 12th.  6.30 PM LUNA Paradiso, Northbridge. 

"That should put some viagra into the philosophy department". (An observation made by Jill's (Emma Stone) mother on news that Abe (Joaquin Pheonix) has been appointed to the local university)

 

Irrational Man

 

Woody Allen is back to present his annual offering. No matter what one thinks of Allen, based usually on his private life, the legendary manner in which he churns out quirky cinema of the Allen type is amazing. Because he is so prolific, the quality of some of his films suffer but with every new offering there are always unique ideas and characters. Irrational Man is no exception but it is not his best work.

Match Point is Allen's best effort at an odd ball mystery offering. He has tried to repeat this in Irrational Man using the idea of an emotionally constipated philosophy tutor, Abe (Joaquin Pheonix), expounding his virtues about real truth but then discovering his unblocking comes from an ultimate undisciplined act of taking the law into his own hands. Has his world of academia given him a false sense of what is real?

See I told you Woody brings something new(idea)to the screen each time he writes and directs. This time Woody trials the idea that a doyen (Abe) of idealistic thoughts and morals can only unblock his emotional handicap by being tempted into contemplating an act most despicable. Abe however completely justifies, on moral grounds, why the act is righteous. Good idea isn't it?

The problem is Woody over scripts this one. Most of Allen's films run between 88 and 94 minutes. He's the master of telling his story in traditional movie length time. This one runs 15 minutes too long. I'm not sure Joaquin Pheonix is the best choice for the lead role. I think we need to feel more aligned with his decision to test his morals but we don't; at least I didn't. Also the chemistry between he and Emma Stone is not quite right. Never mind, I quite enjoyed Allen's new idea, they are always refreshing. 8GUMS.      
  


     

Film No. 57 (2015) Trainwreck August 11th.

Film No. 57 (2015) August 11th.  8.30 PM HOYTS Garden City. 

"Your mother and I are getting a divorce, you must realize that monogamy isn't realistic" (Amy's dad emphasizes a key personal foundation for life to his two young daughters who repeat in unison his words as the film opener). 

 

Trainwreck

 

I'm assuming that the title of this very funny film relates to the life Amy (Amy Schumer)is leading as she follows to the letter, her father's rant concerning monogamy. I'm not sure that the title is a good one. Only because we meet a self confident woman working on the sleazy side of tabloid magazine publishing. Other than taking alcohol in quantities more than she should, she seems happy in her own skin. It's not until she meets Dr Aaron (Bill Hader) that she is forced into a more realistic approach to monogamy. It's only a minor quibble.

Inside Amy Schumer is a big hit on pay television at the moment. Her approach to comedy is raw, in ya face and not to everyone's taste. She has written Trainwreck in a similar vein with many scenes playing out like her sketch work. This time, in the careful hands of Judd Apatow, they have woven a love story through the comic set pieces. It works, but then again I'm a fan of Schumer's work, not every one is.

In the same way Apatow worked with Kirsten Wigg in Bridesmaids there is a whole lot to laugh about in Trainwreck. Amy has a boss Dianna (Tilda Swinton) who serves up "off the wall" as only Swinton could. The editorial meetings are hilarious and set the task for Amy to write a story on Dr. Aaron a high profile sports doctor but a doctor with heart. Meanwhile Amy has a semi steady man in Steve (John Cena) who loves himself and his body slightly more than he loves Amy but in a very self effacing way. The cinema scene with Amy and Steve had me in stitches, the type of stitches writers and directors aim for but so often miss.

And then there are the LeBron James (himself) sketches. LeBron is one of Aaron's clients, but is more than just "meat" in the rough and tumble of sports medicine;  LeBron looks out for Dr Aaron in a role reversal. It is clever and James is more than a dab hand around the hoops, he delivers comedy quite brilliantly in Trainwreck. Chris Everet turns up later in the film and looks as so many celebrities do on film, uncomfortable; James shines. If you like the best of Apatow's work and/or you find Schumer's T.V. shows amusing then chances are you'll enjoy Trainwreck, I did. 9GUMS



 





        

Film No. 56 (2015) Fantastic Four August 5th.

Film No. 56 (2015) August 5th.  6.45 PM GREATER UNION Innaloo. 

"It is our duty as human beings to push forward into the unknown". (Dr Franklin Storm delivers his world view to his young scientists) 

 

Fantastic Four

 

"When Marvel sold the live action rights to many of their characters and groups of characters in the 1990's, it was on the condition that the rights would revert back to Marvel if the properties were not used within a certain number of years". This is a fact I found on-line on The Stackexchange and I think it sums up the desperate plight of 20th Century Fox as it fumbles around with The Fabulous Four franchise. This effort is definitely as bland as eating Weet-Bix straight from the box.

Maybe the characters of this re-boot FF would be best left on cheap comic stationary. I was never a Marvel reader as a lad but I had plenty of mates who loved each weekly edition and I understood their love for disappearing to a corner to escape to their fantasy world. This is why it confuses me as to why the release wouldn't take place in school holidays. I imagine it to be a perfect time to capture the hearts and minds of 9 to 13 year old boys all looking to escape on a dreary day into a dark cinema space. 

Four young scientists get drunk one evening then decide to teleport themselves to some nuclear powered planet where they teleport themselves back, each now possessing new individual super powers. Politics then plays a part in how their super powers are harnessed. See it's a plot line best left on comic sheets.

If you are a boy and you are 11 years old who loves watching big colourful action movies plus you've never heard of Whiplash and Miles Teller's brilliant performance then go see Fabulous Four. I'd also like to say I'm pleased an 11 year old is reading my blog ! 3GUMS