Film No. 32 (2016) Hunt for the Wilder People May 14th.

Film No. 32 (2016) May 14th.  10.45 AM LUNA Leederville. 

"Hector Faulkner and Ricky Baker have been missing now for six weeks. Faulkner is Cauc asian. Well they got that wrong because you are obviously white". (Ricky (Julian Dennison) reads a news article to his "uncle" Hector while they are "on the run").

From the Barry Crump novel with the odd title Wild Pork and Watercress comes the highly entertaining Taika Waititi film Hunt for the Wilderpeople. This unique film will woo crowds of all ages I'm sure because of the wonderful way serious subject matters are treated so tenderly but still make us laugh uproariously. This is no mean feat, you have to see the film to appreciate Waititi's technique.


Ricky Baker is a bad boy. He's not loved, is a ward of the state and needs to be found foster parents willing to take him or he's off to juvenile detention. It's here that the film wins us over in one scene. Paula (Rachel House)  and Officer Andy (Oscar Knightly) arrive at Hector (Sam Neill)and Bella (Rima Te Wiata) Faulkner's  secluded farm somewhere in the New Zealand wilderness. Their cargo is Ricky Baker and we quickly see that both Bella and Paula form unique relationships with Ricky which have us chuckling immediately.


We spend time with Ricky as he gradually softens and adapts to Bella's hospitality, while gradually warming to an indignant Hector. Then the rhythm of The Wilderpeople stalls briefly for good reason. There is a change of circumstance and grumpy Hector and Ricky are thrown together to quite unrealistically fend for themselves for a good deal of time in the surrounding, wild bush-land. If not for the exquisite establishment scenes and wonderful script, the whole silly scenario would have fizzled out before our eyes.


I enjoyed Boy (2010), another of Waititi's poignant films. He has a knack of bringing warmth to the hearts of his audiences through the eyes of an unloved boy with an abundance of charisma and love to give. The Hunt for the Wilderpeople is less serious than Boy but is just as thought provoking. There is hardly a performance out of place with the delightful Waititi himself appearing as a priest in a scene fit for a Monty Python sketch. 11GUMS.

Film No. 31 (2016) La Playa De Los Ahogados (Death of a Fisherman) May 10th.

Film No. 31 (2016) May 10th.  6.30 PM LUNA Paradiso, Northbridge. 

"One misty dawn, in a quiet fishing port in northwest Spain, the body of a sailor washes up in the harbour." (The english promotional prelude to La Playa De Los Ahogados displayed outside a Perth cinema).

I was interested to learn that the translation to English of the title of this Spanish crime drama is The Beach of the Drowned and yet the film is advertised as The Death of a Fisherman in the Australian festival booklet of 2016. I mention this observation because the original English translation seems so much more intriguing as a title, I wonder why there was ever a re-interpretation. 

Meanwhile back in the fishing village of Galicia the body of a fisherman has washed up on the shore. Soon we are led through the mystery and intrigue of what secrets have been held in this quiet village by the charismatic Leo Caldas, the local detective. A man who knows the locals but has a lot to learn about an incident which occurred on the seas out from the village some years past.

The story is well told. We are intrigued as the mystery unfolds layer by layer, never losing momentum as the twists and turns are revealed then unraveled. Cinematic crime stories are so often competing against each other for a wider audience that they resort to shock and gore tactics to secure our attention. La Playa gently leads us along a plank of gentle story telling with just a touch of spiritual intrigue and a smattering of bad people.

The Death of a Fisherman could easily have been a pilot for a neat T.V. series,( You know the series I'm talking about. Each story is packaged around a likable detective living in his native village where crimes, usually murders, are committed weekly, each with its own twists and eccentric characters) maybe it was. I'm not familiar with the Spanish film and T.V. industry but I'm glad I had time for The Beach of the Drowned. Well that's what I'm calling it.  9GUMS.           

Film No. 30 (2016) The Meddler May 5th.

Film No. 30 (2016) May 5th.  6.30 PM LUNA WINDSOR Nedlands.

"What you have to do is have him tip you upside down, that's what Joe and I did to conceive Lori." (Marnie (Susan Sarandon) issues advice to a prospective mum at a baby shower).

For starters, The Meddler is an odd title for a film which never gives the impression Marnie meddles in much at all. Slightly inappropriate might have been a better description of Sarandon's persona but Marnie is always likable if not fractionally frustrating. Perhaps I see a meddler as having negative connotations because Marnie is never anything more than fractionally annoying and slightly inappropriate.

Slightly likable is also how I'd best describe The Meddler. The film never really demands our attention due mainly to the lack of chemistry between mother (Sarandon) and daughter Lori (Rose Byrne). Perhaps there is no better example of the miss-fire than when Zipper (J.K. Simmons) emerges as Marnie's love interest and we suddenly feel what screen chemistry is all about.

Marnie is new to widowhood but is never a sad sack about it all. A devoted wife and mother who we assume lived a kept life by a successful husband in New York. We assume we are going to witness Marnie build a stronger  bond with Lori as she gradually realizes that offering strong opinions and dropping in unannounced is wearing thin with her daughter. Why this wasn't resolved long ago is never explained, although the death of their husband/father may be relevant.

The issue is, The Meddler never hits the mark. The key relationship (mother and daughter) is trumped by the appearance of Zipper as widow meets new man late in the film. Via the Sarandon / Simmons' chemistry we realize an opportunity to hook into the film has been lost. Too late she wrote. The Meddler is okay at times, it will find an audience.  7GUMS.  

 

Film No. 29 (2016) Bastille Day. May 3rd.

Film No. 29 (2016) May 3rd.  6.45 PM GREATER UNION Innaloo.

 

"Are there any jobs in the CIA I could do?" (Michael (Richard Madden) asked Sean (Idris Alba) flippantly, as if there was the opportunity of a career change, during the film's final scene).

 

The word is, Idris Alba is one of three actors vying to be the next James Bond, with Tom Hardy and Tom Hiddleston being the other front runners for the 007 gig. Well I'd say Hiddleston's work in The Night Manager is a slightly better addition to his CV than Alba's performance in Bastille Day. But that's not to say Bastille Day is disappointing, far from it, B D is a lively addition to The popcorn lovers repertoire.


Bastille Day joins the stable of the unlikely buddy team-up flick. But this time the method by which Briar (Edris Elba) acquires his offsider is a little more sophisticated than in the days of Lethal Weapon or 48 Hours. Michael (Richard Madden) is a pickpocket of  A League quality who inadvertently snatches a terrorist made bomb concealed in a shopping bag. Briar is the maverick CIA agent working in foreign territory who is the first to find Michael and then teams up with him and it's a case of them against the baddies of Paris.


So there is the usual tension as our heroes chase down the source of the impending mayhem but there's a distance between the unlikely pursuers caused by mutual lack of trust. Most situations are beyond belief but the twists occur with precise timing and the one-liners flow with the right chemistry. Run of the mill, in a contemporary setting but with well timed tension with just enough twists is the best way to describe Bastille Day.


Idris does what he does best (with an American accent) although compared to the wooden performances of Madden and CIA boss Karen Dacre (Kelly Reilly) he's made to look better than he perhaps is. Bastille Day will please many a crowd but Edris will be hoping this addition may clinch something bigger, even Bond perhaps!  8GUMS.    


  

Film No. 28 (2016) The Man Who Knew Infinity April 23rd.

Film No. 28 (2016) February 23rd.  10.45 AM LUNA Leederville. 

"There are no proofs that determine the outcome of matters of the heart. We are merely explorers of infinity in the pursuit of absolute perfection." G.H. Hardy (Jeremy Irons) tries to convince his peers of the significance of the contribution Srinivasa Ramanujan (Dev Patel) has made to mathematics).

Like a nice meal, it comes together through a recipe; a tried and tested mixture of ingredients baked with perfect timing. The Man Who Knew Infinity reminds me of such a meal. The key ingredients being a legendary person (Ramanujan) blessed with an extraordinary talent, then spiced with myth and facts and finally balanced with an evocative soundtrack. Yes, it's all been done before but not always well. For Infinity the recipe works.


If you are a math nerd and hope to get an insight into the hows and whys of Ramanujan's genius then this film will disappoint. By film's end we are no closer to understanding what his scribblings mean but if you are a lover of well told stories involving relationships and academic bonds which had an influence on future mathematics then the 115 minutes you spend with Irons, Patel and (to a lesser extent) the prolific Toby Jones should not disappoint.


The Man Who Knew Infinity gains our heart early due to the chemistry of the performances of the three key actors. The fact a genius living in poverty with enough drive to want to gain recognition hooks us and we know early on that Hardy is already reflective of the life changing relationship he is about to reveal on screen. From the beginning we know we are about to be taken on something of an epic journey.


There is narrative fudging which you may need to overlook, such as did the perceived meanness of the Fellows of Cambridge during Ramanujan's 5 year tenure actually happen? And was the portrayed cold heartedness of Ramanujan's mother towards his wife real?  
Due to the heartfelt foundation of T M W K I these side-lines don't in any way damage the story but rather represent the spice which complements a soundtrack that may have you welling up just prior to the titles rolling. 9GUMS.     


 

Film No. 27 (2016) A Month of Sundays April 18th.

Film No. 27 (2016) April 18th.  6.30 PM LUNA Paradiso, Northbridge. 

"I just wanted to ask if we could do this again?" (Frank (Anthony LaPaglia) asks Sarah (Julia Blake) if she would mind if he visited her again).

I so look forward to each new film from one of Australia's most fertile cinema contributors, The South Australian Film Corporation. With Matthew Saville (Felony, The Slap) at the helm, a fresh script also written by Saville plus the pairing of two of Australia's best talents in LaPaglia and Blake, I was salivating with anticipation at the opportunity to preview A Month of Sundays. I'm still not quite sure why the sum of all I anticipated left me underwhelmed.


The idea of a middle aged male (Frank), feeling alone in the world as he grapples with loss makes a promising premise for a drama. The passing of his mother, the demise of his marriage, a lack of job satisfaction and the battle to show real feeling towards his adolescent son are the sum of Frank's problems at our first meeting. Then there is a phone call; Blake's Sarah calls Frank by accident and this leads Frank to begin a renaissance of sorts.


How many times have we seen a film which offers so many original ideas enacted with quality performances but where the sum of those parts don't add up? In the case of A Month maybe there are just too many under developed ideas. Sarah's son Stuart (Terrence Crawford) has undeclared issues. Phillip (John Clarke) cares for his sick father but there is no connection between them. This only comes (in an unconvincing fashion) once Phillip brings Sarah along to meet his father. Frank visits the set of estranged wife Wendy's (Justine Clarke) workplace, which is the set of a successful TV soapy, for a series of disconnected conversations.


There is a scene early in the film where Phillip looks at his watch and calls "lunch". Phillip expresses how much he loves lunch then we cut to a prestigious looking golf course where both he and Frank walk and play in business suits. The film is quirky but a scene where the same dialogue took place in a Japanese sushi train restaurant as they chose and ate exotic nibbles would have made more sense. This is my effort to be constructive in my criticism because there is so much I wanted to like about this film. 5GUMS.

Film No. 26 (2016) Sweet Bean (An) April 16th.

Film No. 26 (2016) April 16th.  10.45 AM LUNA Leederville. 

"I've been making An for 50 years, here have a taste" (Tokue (Kirin Kiki) tries to persuade Sentaro (Masatoshi Nagase) the he could use her help)

Naomi Kawase is a rare breed of Japanese feature film maker. Firstly she is definitely the only one with a non Japanese christian name and secondly she is a female. The Japanese film industry is notorious for lacking on the equal opportunity front. If An (Sweet Bean) is an indication of creative cinema devised by a female director then let the flood gates open. Kawase has made a beautiful, gentle film about the joys shared via the human spirit.


Be warned, An is a reflective drama, the type you attend if you are in the same frame of mind to take part in a meditation or ti chi session. Be prepared to luxuriate in the gentle charm of Tokue, an elderly lady with a lonely past but beautiful disposition. Tokue charms us as we meet her inquiring about a part-time job in a  street corner cafe. The cafe has earned its reputation on the doriyaki it serves. Essential to the doriyaki is a sweet bean paste(An) sandwiched between two small pancakes. Tokue is persistent in her quest for the job, for good reason; she has her own An recipe.


The An becomes a vehicle, via the bent hands of Tokue, for cafe manager Sentaro and his loyal school girl customer Wakana, to learn about what it is to be both patient and compassionate. Virtues which once learned, will become wonderful tools for life.


While Mr Miaki (The Karate Kid) still has a cliche or two to answer for, in An, the gentle way Tokue infiltrates our psyche is skillful. Ms Kawase has executed her talents with a beautiful life lesson. Like the sweet bean paste of An, may her creative output become addictive. 9GUMS.