Film No. 87 (2015) December 7th. 6.45 PM LUNA Leederville.
"I ain't afraid to die anymore, I've done it already" (Come the haunting words of Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) as we strap ourselves in for 150 minutes of an excruciating endeavour of survival)
There were so many firsts for me in experiencing this riveting, powerful drama, The Revenant, which depicts survival of the most excruciating kind. I've now seen an opening stanza that outranks Saving Private Ryan for sheer exhilaration and the realities of battle. The bear sequence is the most original and traumatic example of animal to man combat seen on screen for all time and so the list goes on.
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu returns after the Oscar successes of Birdman only a year ago to show us he remains on top of his game. 360 degree camera movement is a trade mark of his work and while one may have thought Birdman took us to places we'd never been, The Revenant takes his techniques to new levels of excitement. The story telling this time takes us to a landscape so cold and barren the talk is, Alejandro put cast and crew at risk to get many required shots.
We meet DiCaprio's Guest in the wilds of 19th century Canada. He is the forward scout for a band of pelt gatherers (hunters). Within minutes of the opening sequence the band is reduced to a few after the native Indians slaughter them in a bid to regain their territory. Guest and his comrades escape downstream on the boat they arrived on. Guest comes from a complicated past, which we learn about through well manipulated dream sequences. His son, who he protects with passion, is by his side so we get to understand about the depth of their relationship. Enter Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) an antagonist of epic proportions. The band's efforts to get home are interrupted by an incident so brutally honest one won't forget the screen experience any time soon. The rest of the journey becomes a tale of survival and ultimate revenge.
This will be an Oscar nominee for Best Picture I have no doubt. I rate it as the favourite to win with the only thing standing in it's way being Gonzalez' 2015 win. The Academy is fickle over those types of issues. DiCaprio, Hardy and Gleeson play roles so different from their normal personas we have to think twice to remember that it is in fact them. But most importantly, if the drama on set was as high as it was reported to be, you won't be surprised because you'll be feeling as battered and as bruised as Leonardo by the closing titles. If adventure is your favourite film genre, do not miss The Revenant. 11GUMS.
Film No. 85 (2015) November 26th. 8.00 PM THE PINES Outdoor Cinema Joondalup.
"But sir, the water is not functional with a body lying in it" (Sophie (Melanie Thierre) responds emotionally to a UN commander after he directed the retreival team not to meddle in village affairs)
I rarely reflect on a film's title as often as I have since seeing this entertaining yet poignant film. There was nothing perfect about the day I witnessed, but then again the final 5 minutes give the film the conclusion it deserves. Having just spent 100 minutes sharing the frustrations and humour with characters we'd grown to like, in a complicated war zone, there is relief and satisfaction in the film's conclusion.
From the first scene director Leon de Aranoa, directing his first English language film, takes us to the Balkans where life as an aid worker has its complications especially when it comes to removing a body, of huge proportions, from a village water supply. There is a touch of Altman about de Aranoa's work as Mambru (Benicio Del Toro) and B (Tim Robbins) go to work with a script which is punctuated with black humour to show us the way.
Then there is Bond girl Olga Kurylenko as Katya a UN advocate who's had an inconsequential (to the story) affair with Mambru, French up and comer Melanie Thierre playing Sophie a rookie, adds a touch of likable naivety to the narrative. It is, however, the role of Eldar Residovic as Nikloa which gives the film a grounding. Nikola is a young victim of war, he is "adopted" for the day by Mambru as they work towards solving their dilemma at the village well. This boy is instantly taken into the hearts of everyone, most importantly the audience.
The rhythm of APD is controlled by the sharp sarcasm of Robbins and the brooding, rugged manliness of Del Toro. The day is not perfect, our characters have been frustrated from all angles as they try to make small gains but the concluding scenes would suggest hope. Maybe it is the characters of Mambru and B (like Hawkeye and Hunnicutt in M*A*S*H) who are best equipped to deal with the real frustrations of yet another pointless war. 9GUMS.
Film No. 84 (2015) November 25th. 6.30 PM BACKLOT Boutique Cinema West Perth.
"I can't help you with that" (The pitiful response from Carol's good friend Abby to Harge Aird after he admits his love for his wife).
Cate Blanchette plays Carol to perfection in this brilliant portrayal of love of a kind frowned upon in a society where ones standing in life is all important. And while Blanchette does what comes naturally, Rooney Mara as Carol's lover, Therese, puts on a mini masterclass of her own. The film is a must see for many reasons but the radiance beamed out by Mara and Blanchette is the highlight.
Films adapted from novels, especially if the novel is a best seller, can be fraught with danger. Carol is adapted from a lesser known Patricia Highsmith novel The Price of Salt and the movie, in the hands of Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven) will probably generate a surge in sales of the simply written book.
Carol Aird is married to Harge (Kyle Chandler), a man desperately in love but of no mind to understand Carol's needs. They are extremely wealthy thus Carol has time and money aplenty to spend which is how she comes to lay eyes on Therese. Their first meeting in the department store where Therese works is full of electricity. Carol, enamoured by Therese leaves her gloves in the store for her to find. Carol is testing the waters, somehow knowing that Therese may be discovering for the first time her feelings of attraction to another woman.
Director Haynes has an eye for portraying women enduring the encumbrance of men in times when women knew their place and in most cases that place was to please their man. This time he's taken a book which is told from Therese's POV and readjusted our view of Carol. He does it with subtle, gentle images and while Carol is stricter on Therese as her elder in the book, we are led to have a more compassionate view of her here. Carol is a costume melodrama of real quality. 9GUMS.
Film No. 83 (2015) November 23rd. 6.30 PM LUNA Paradiso, Northbridge.
"Those parts of his file that they didn't like got tossed in the waste basket" (The revelation on documents related to George W Bush's military service).
I think Truth should stir more feelings of outrage than it will. A film of this nature shown in the nineties depicting a potential presidential cover-up would certainly have created a stir. Is this because we have become so used to political corruption of any kind or is it because the subject matter in Truth related to the George W Bush era has no new elements included?
Truth is yet another short history lesson about the events surrounding a report aired on US TV (60 Minutes) in 2004 investigating George W Bush's military service. The report speculated that Bush was given preferential treatment when being inducted into the Texas Armed National Guard. The allegation based on documentation which was acquired from "reliable" sources suggested Bush jumped the queue to avoid combat duty. The Killian's Document controversy lead to CBS recanting on the their story which in turn lead to multiple sackings and the ultimate retirement of 60 Minutes front man and legend Dan Rather.
Mary Mapes (Cate Blanchette) and Dan Rather (Robert Redford) are the key characters in this version of the controversial series of events. Given the version presented, Mapes is portrayed as the victim and because Blanchette and Redford match each other step for step as empathetic work comrades in arms we leave satisfied with this version. Truth, after all, is entertainment with a message. I feel sure that a pro Bush faction, if they could be bothered, would have other ideas about a storyline.
Truth is entertaining. A US audience would recall the events far more clearly than I and my Australian compatriots can. Given this, the input into this production by Australians (actors, production and financiers) is possibly a story in itself. Key characters Scott (Elisabeth Moss), Colonel Charles (Dennis Quaid) and Smith (Topher Grace) are not really developed to their full potential but Truth is very much a chance for Blanchette and Redford to draw a crowd. That will happen, to an extent, I feel sure. 9GUMS.
