THE LOVE WITCH This well produced comical and somewhat raw display of human behaviour when it comes to the treachery and antics associated with love and all things erotica is not one to be overlooked. The main damsel plays her captivating role with a twisted disdain for the male species, yet she is consumed by the idea of love and will go to seemingly any length to ensure she has her fill. Not only that but her ultimate goal and desire......her one true love. Suggestive of the idea that women cannot survive without catering to that of the need of man is a topic cleverly raised within the scenes to get tongues wagging. A debateable topic of the modern day society as we know it. The Love Witch will be known for a movie that sparks the interest of journalists all over town and women keen to voice their opinion that they are quite happily independent. Main character Elaine portrays beautifully how the human heart yearns for that of their true soul mate partner match and how throughout the journey of life, we all either actively or secretively, take steps towards it. Elaine uses the addiction man has to the act and fantasy of sex, to undertake tantalising experimental attempts at finding her own true love. The use of magic with her seductory womanly form, feminine features to die for and quirky ways combined with spells she devotedly so delicately conjures provides for a movie filled with passion, scandal and devotion. The Love Witch shows no mercy when it comes to displaying the true downfalls of human beings and their selfish ways of destruction of another for personal gain. In the spotlight so many a topic for debate it is rich in conversational substance for later on. Truly a sensational modern reconstruction of many a times past ways, depicting the underlying basis of the human races desire for one another and how we stop at nothing to get it.
Just before you listen to my The Great Wall story please make sure you watch this film at the biggest possible screen (iMax 3D). It is spectacular! I have never seen anything of this caliber so far. The images are so real and so vivid you see the ax thrown in your direction and you turn away immediately. I just wanted to see the expressions on the audience faces during this screening. I trust it was wow and the eyes full of excitement. The story takes place somewhen between AD960 and AD1127. It is happening in China next to the great wall as the title suggests. William (Matt Damon) and his Spanish friend Tovar (Pedro Pascal ) are on a great mission from the West: to get the magical black powder that is much more effective that swards , knifes and spears. It also can target and kill the enemy on a distance. The ancient China invention of the gun powder can make our heroes not only rich but famous. Bad luck as they are captured by the sharp-sighted guards. Their destiny as well as their mission aim has to change not only because of the circumstances but also because they learn something new: not all the wars are about money. People and warriors can fight fearlessly for the ideas. The adventures, the sweep-take of the film is striking, the attention to details is breathtaking and the digital images are picturesque. I can see easily why this is the most expensive Chinese film ever made. The costumes very effective too as well as seeing graceful women fighting on the same scale as men. Having said this I have to admit that Andy Lau who plays the army general is simply superb as well as the commander (Tian Jing). I am not a fan of Matt Damon but he was sensational and very well suited for his character. His charisma showed through in the best possible way and he is in his best shape as usual. The film vividly shows that only in friendship and trust of nations, races and gender, only through acceptance, mutual respect and belief the victory in war is imminent as well as any beginning for humanity. As the characters pointed out: we are all not that different as it firstly seem. We loved the ideas in the film as well as its scale and adventure story which is a feast for the eyes. At the beginning of the story we are given a glimpses of history. It is also said that the event described in the film are only the legend told in Asian documents and kept in archives. There is truth in any lie we say, but for those of you who also believe in dragons' past this picture will be a double adventure as perhaps it was all like it was on the screen: green blooded , cod nature and hungry beasts and the humans defending their kingdoms on the other side. To add on the historical part of the film: some documents say that The Great Wall Of China was also built by Russians (there are many writings on the wall done by the construction workers in Slavic language and it is well known to the historians), this way it is more understandable that many white people were living on both sides of the wall. Very well done for the whole crew! We are waiting for the part 2 as a logical continuation of the story.
On Charlie Bucktin Charlie is a teenage boy who grows up very quickly as the array of events unfolds like an ancient Chinese fan in front of him changing his life forever. The trigger of these events is one that could send chills down your spine. His friend, Jasper Jones secretly shows him the dead young woman. Charlie is more than sure that this death is not the result of Jasper's actions and he throws himself on a journey of investigation: was it a real murder, then who has done it? Was it an accident then how did that happen? Was it a suicide then what was the reason? Charlie turns into a detective but this story is far from a fun teenage detective stories that we know: it is serious. It is a turning point in Charlie's life. On his way to discovery he has to turn into a courageous adult to face a suspect the whole town is afraid of. Charlie's first love also takes its most beautiful shape: his girl is an amazing friend as well. May be she knows what happened the night Jasper and Charlie found the dead body? The small NSW town the story takes place in is a nice and quiet place to live in but only on the surface it seems all so calm and beautiful. The story reflect on the aspects of nationalism no matter how ugly its expressions are. Charlie is witnessing not so pleasant scenes of racism on town streets. The bitter experiences do not end and the top of all the troubles Charlie has to undergo is his own family lies and hypocrisy. It seems the cup of Charlie's feeling is overflowing when suddenly the issues get solved, well, at least partially they seem to be solved: his family is broken but survives; the dead body's mystery is coming to an end but the hideous story around it will always haunt Charlie's mind; his love is close to him - hand in hand - at least this part of his life is clear, is it?
On The Story This is an amazing Australian story that you will enjoy to watch for its strong cast selection, exciting adventure like Tom Sawyer's escapade and very well developed characters. You will not have even one minute to relax during this film: it will capture you in its mockingbird's netted nest and will not let go for a long time after the film's end.
TRANSITIONS FILM FESTIVAL: ESTEEMNEW website RATE: 6/10
The degradation of the self is reflected in the degradation on the environment as we are the mirrors of the bigger picture: we are the mini world , mini universe within the planet. When we learn to love, care and treat ourselves with respect so our issues with the environmental issues disappear: the deeper inside of ourselves we look the more we will reflect this transformation on the outside world. We should start measuring everything not from the money perspective but from the human perspective. The film is based on a number of interviews with the people who know about he healing of the self and the Earth in the most profound way. I believe the movie will be a very rare gem for those who seek healing and looking for the roots of the self esteem.
TRANSITIONS FILM FESTIVAL: IN PURSUIT OF SILENCENEW website RATE: 10/10
I am an absolute fan of this film. Find the silence and you will find God and truth. It can be not that sugary as you think it is. Silence turns you into the observer. Silence is something deeper than any words. Silence always fascinated me: it is not easy to describe. It takes a courage to create a film about silence. No silence surrounds us: even in total silence - no birds signing and no noises from the outside you will be still able to hear your heart beating and your blood whooshing through your veins. Does it exist? I guess it is like asking if the absolute power exist and if the unconditional love exists. Silence is the resting place of everything essential: your relations with love and death for example. We loose our humanity when we stay away from silence. As Osho said I say more not in words but in between the words: there are those gaps between the words that matter the most. The longer they are in time the deeper in my conversation with you. Talking is the ego, silencing is the soul Silence is a sound of many qualities. We will appreciate the sound if we learn to like silence. Our world expands when we are silent and our ears are open. You can feel like an ancient animal that you were before in the total wilderness-silence. With the sounds now: there are pleasant sounds and unpleasant ones.When does the simple sound turn into noise? Noise turns into pollution when it is a combination of unpleasant noises. When the noises around us we became stressed and we make mistakes at work (for some professions like doctors it can be vital). In most of the cities in the world the noise is harmful to our health. The film is so much about our identity. It is so intense - every word in it has a weight and a learning point. Silence lent is done for the sake of self-discovery and self-expansion. There might be other reasons but this might be the main. Silence returns us to what is real from the noise which is a desert. We can talk so much about silence but silence is not about the talk about it. Silence, please ! (it is free!)
TRANSITIONS FILM FESTIVAL: RIVERBLUE NEW website RATE: 10/10
I believe all the people who are into fashion industry should watch this film just to realise the cost of the fashion on our environment and especially on the rivers in some third world countries. In this picture: the most beautiful (well, long time ago beautiful) rivers of the world are visited and the stories are told about what they have become. What happens to our most desired commodity: water? Why can't we drink it from the rivers anymore? Why can we not swim in such waters like we used to? Why there is no good fish and other water creatures in our rivers? Mark Angelo travels around the world from India to Indonesia, from China to Africa, from England to Los Angeles, USA to investigate what has been done t o our rivers in the past, what is their present (some sad, some promising stories) and what will happen to our river waters in the future? The darkest sides of fashion industries are revealed. I guess you will never keep buying from some famous brands unless you make sure they are doing the right thing while producing their fashion items....but even if you see that everything is done right there is no guarantee that such industries are not doing some "secretive" business hidden from the eyes of the reviser commissions. Unless we raise our own consciousness level we will not be able to protect our children's future: we should buy less, use what we already have in our wardrobe, dress modestly and not follow the fashion trends; we should buy from the manufactures that are using the environmentally friendly technology to make the clothes. This is the first step to save our health and our future. no matter how brutal the pictures of the damaged eco-systems are shown at the start of the film there is always a slight hope: the solutions are offered at the end of the film. We will find out how some fashion brads take care of the manufacturing process and making sure the toxins are not going inside the rivers and inside the soil as the result of their factory activity. This is a hope, always...
TRANSITIONS FILM FESTIVAL: A PLASTIC OCEAN NEW website RATE: 9/10
Now journalist, Craig Leeson was dreaming to swim with the blue whale since he was 8 years old. In some 40 years his dream turned into reality: he was there in the ocean filming the blue whale. It was a breathtaking experience for Craig facing a creature that was three time more than triceratops. It was the most memorable experience of his life. But the more memorable was something that stroke him: the environment the blue whale was filmed in with so much plastic debris about a meter or two deep inside the water, the rubbish that looked like a collection of oil and leftovers of fishing ropes, nets and bottles. Craig was sure his meeting with the blue giant would be in the pure and pristine ocean waters but on the contrary: he was forced to see something so unpleasant that he could not get it out of his mind. The documentary talks about plastic that we literally walk on, swim in and breathe in. It shows what damage it is already done to the environment, how the marine life suffers from the consequences of the plastic pollution and what happens with plastic over the years. The picture is more horrifying that the nuclear war. All I was thinking of while watching this film: we tend to leave our lives oat the mercy of the people who run countries and never care about recycling but caring about personal profits and just today, not tomorrow's existence. I remember when recycling was first introduced in Melbourne and we carefully placed each garbage item into different container teaching each other in the family where and what should go in the bags and what can remain in the garden. What reality the documentary shows is taking place in the third world countries is just beyond any human comprehension. There are entire cities built on plastic waste: mountains are smoking as the temperature is raising forcing the piles to flame. I can still see these sad pictures in front of me: children playing with the pieces of plastic from the humongous garbage bins across the islands' shores. Nevertheless the end of the film sounds quite promising showing the well developed countries and how the communities and the industries look after the recycling of plastic. My next step as it is suggested in the film: to stop buying anything packaged in plastic. I can only pray for the bright future of my grand children then, there is only one thing I can do for them: teach them what not to do in this life.
THE SALESMAN NEW website review by Lyudmila Vaisman
The key take for me after watching this movie was that the moral values of dignity, fidelity and humbleness are still important to all people in the world, irrespective of their country of origin, culture and religion.
And it makes me happy that movies like "The Salesman" are still produced in order to make us think about these true eternal values and practice them every day.
By choosing compassion and forgiveness over anger and revenge the main character gives us an example of a true woman, who would not want any pain inflicted on another family even after she had to suffer from severe injuries caused by the member of that family.
It is 50-s. It is suburban African-American community. It is probably a typical family of that time. It is not a movie though, it is more a theatrical performance: the dialogues and the monologues are way too long for a common film, the drama is way too sophisticated for a simple movie too. The acting is superb especially I would like to note Viola Davis who gives it all to the audience: just her guts and her soul. She is simply superb. All the characters are well developed and pictured as it is suppose to be in the very well staged production. All the actors in fact were amazing. Not only that: the chemistry between each member of the family is close to supernatural and felt like they were all connected on some superficial level. the film is very emotional too and you find it very reflective to your own life in many places - many families are just the same. When I say "it is theatrical production" there are advantages and of course certain disadvantages in this. I mentioned the advantages in the terrific 50-s set up, the complex philosophy of the family as a unity and the actors' performance. The disadvantages are in the actual length of the play - it feels like the editor was not sure if he could cut out some certain repetitive scenes or leave them. Removing and refining would do best for this film and would make it sharper and moving in faster pace. it was a bit too long for a film (more than 2 hours) but would be perfect for a 2 acts production that would come with a short break in between first and second part. More to that : some episodes of the first part of the film would be better off not having at all: they were a bit boring in our own opinion. The middle of the film when the drama comes like a split of the lighting in the tree trunk divides the film into two parts and the second is obviously much more attractive to the audience than the first. I would say the film starts from this turning point and takes off beautifully. If you are a lover of theatre you will appreciate the film to its core. But I am afraid if you go to see the film as an entertainment you will be totally confused. I can certainly see this film will not be appealing for everyone but is was good enough for us and we totally loved watching it
ALLIANCE FRANCAISE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL 2017 NEW THE DANCER website RATE: 10/10
The Alliance Franciase French Film festival held the special sneak peek screening for media of the mesmerizing film called The Dancer, La Danseuse, starring French singer Soko and graceful Lily-Rose Depp . The film story is about Marie-Louise Fuller - dite Loïe Fuller, an American born innovative dancer who moved to Paris to perform for a more culturally advanced audience. The film is transparent itself as well and the dancers and the dances in it. It is made so beautifully you will leave the theater inspired to do something creative yourself. It is biographical, yes, but to say this is to say nothing about the movie: it is more about the growth of a person spiritually as well as mentally then just telling the story of the life mile stones. It is the search of the soul if one can put it that way: as an artist and as a woman. It is more poetic that the poetry in its core. It is ore empowering than the strongest coffee. It is more enchanting than the most sophisticated spell. It is more passionate about what you do in life than The Passion itself. The actors are so genuine and so believable you will think that you were simply taken into their world by a special force of the invisible time machine, The dancers in the film dance better than any butterfly in the world... and it all comes together like a finest concerto: the details, the decorations and the main line. I think the film was an excellent choice for such audience screening as well as a superb choice for the Festival. It is IMHO a must see for all our readers involved into artistic and creative work. It is for everyone else also to see how much effort the simple dance takes as well as any art creation. Lily-Rose Depp
This film will disorganise your thoughts for a long time: it bravely shows how people of certain nationalities and environment where they live are mistreated by the "powerful" of this world. It is not only about China and how and what is done b the world great leaders on the opposite side on the ocean for certain nations to feel humiliated mentally, physically and spiritually. It s not only about China. John Pilger has enough courage to interview certain organisations to show the naked truth that shocks you to the bones. We understand that if power has to protect itself from the opposition and the others who claim the power but this price is too expensive to pay. The story in the nutshell: a warning of coming war between China and the USA. China is currently surrounded by the US military bases and camps with the missiles pointed to the Chinese territory. How these bases are built and the resistance from the side of the islands' civilians is discussed. The film tough working only as a spot light identifying the issues on the global level doe snot give any possible solutions. The power is in the hands of those who have nuclear weapons. Please have their say on that but only when they are directly affected.... and even in such circumstances ho is going to listen? Ad an old Russian proverb says: "The old cat got to the jar of sour cream and start eating it while the housekeeper notices the mischief. the housekeeper starts yelling at the cat, but h listens but still eats the sour cream" - "Vasij listens but still eats". No matter what we say the plan will still go ahead. If the Maya were right about the end of the world it will be coming from that end - WWIII.
Anne Hamilton-Byrne is strangest secret cult runner I have ever seen in my life. She is a yoga teacher )or she claims she is) , she is children all blond and identically dressed, she proclaims she is a reincarnation of Jesus and god know what else, Anne also gives the children under her control the LSD drugs, more to that : there is a physical punishment in her "school" as well as in the form of missing meals for days and weeks. Not only that : there was sexual abuse taking place too. Her property is in Ferny Creek / Lake Eildon far away from the main civilisation and for the outsider it looks like a normal not traditional school that raises children and good citizens... only her graduates commit suicide, they are forever damaged people who have to heal their lives in order to live it "normal" The story is more strange and disturbing rather than fascinating in the way: "why such acts were allowed by the officials and why it was reported to the authorities so late?"
The most fact that we all should worry about is that this sect is still active: there are branches in US and Australia of the people who continue the crazy worshiping of Hamilton-Byrne and her schizophrenic mind
The film is very upsetting to watch especially the part when the old man, detectives get emotional after reading the archives and documents how the normal people were get conned by a scams of this woman.
If you love films about mathematicians - you will adore this movie. If you love well made films about discrimination at work and seeing who the winner is you will love this film even more.... and finally if you like NASA and space engineering the movie will fit just right into your mind and soul.
Three African American women are working at NASA and find some ways the things are at this organisation to be unbearable, disturbing and ,,,. well humiliating. Well it is 60-s - just 10 years ago white men brought the ears f the Australian aboriginals to the police to get their rewards but we keep silent about it. We also keep silent about how things were in 60-s for the colored people... we still keep silent what is going on in the world now and how one nation exploitates the other: countries-wise and world-wise of course. If we do not speak who else will tell it?
The film is not only about the colored theme it is also about the women at men's profession: mathematics and engineering even now is considered in many countries as the path for men, not women. The film shows the time in States when USA and Russia compete in technology and run the mad race about who will be first in space, the race that finally ended up in great friendship and so many mixed cultures working on board of one spacecraft together - there humanity has one aim, the aim is not about who is better: black or white, Russians or not Russians, women or men , it is about simple happiness and safety for everyone, every creature.
The film pictures three women in NASA: Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Johnson, who were called human computers because of their bright minds and also because they raised the values of NASA to a different level. It was very touching to watch the film as well as to see the real photographs of these three women on screen. This is a very well told story that will be enjoyable for the whole family to watch. This film made my heart sing on so many music notes.
Dr Sheldon Copper figure is amazingly appearing on screen too in a different character this time but also related to maths - sensational performance as well as all three major characters and Kevin Costner of course!
The three black women are adorable - they were mothers, wives, lovers and finally highly skilled specialists in their field of math, coding and engineering.
We also found the film is very educational apart of being that great part of history that had to be remembered and treasured. It is a good way to reflect for young generations about the values of science, the importance of treating each other equally without paying attention on gender, race, age or nationality.
There are Three Hidden Figures and so many numerical figures behind them...
The plot is very straight forward:two catholic missionaries travel to Japan to find out what happened to one of church's mentor. No simple are the inner changes and experiences all three believers face.
If you will think this film is about Christianity you will be wrong. It is about our truth and our inner purity and what we are eager to lose and for what price, how we betray ourselves and what is right and what is wrong, and what works in this world and what does not.
The film is disturbing as it questions every minute who you are and what is dear to us. We, who do not understand what signs and symbols of belief are have no idea what it means to spit on an icon with the image of god's mother or to step on the cross with Jesus figurine. For us who carry the God inside rather than outside such actions do not make sense as the symbols do not have power as well as they do not have anything special in them or distinctive: they are just images, they are not God. This is why the acts look ridiculous and senseless.
The acting was superb though: very strong and you could see that the major crew carries the belief inside of them, and what they say are not empty words.
We believe that the way to God has got many roads - you can climb the same mountain using different paths - all the paths that are the paths of heart bring you closer to the creator. There is no difference what path to choose as long as it works for you and shapes you in a better person, We do not see the way of religious fighting or projecting our own believes on the people who already live the right way. We do not see the point of changing those people - they are already happy, their spiritual belief works for them - what is the point of making them suffer and convert them one way or another. We also know many mistakes many religions did on their way to growth and establishment. There is a separate philosophy behind it which we do not want to discuss here. The film describes some very hard and challenging times for Japanese buddhists and for catholic priests who came to the Japanese land with their own mission and their own understanding how the world should work. We understand the clashes of two powers and two religions. We can also see that it is more about the power rather than about the religion and human spirituality. Religion is one of the ways to keep the people of the country in order, make them organised, make them fearful and obedient. It is like an opium - it shits down your bran and cuts you off your own growth - it is easier to chose the road that is already chosen for you and shown to you.
What we did not understand: what was the film's purpose? what was the message behind all this suffering of the innocent people including the priests? what was the director after? Is it about faith? I doubt so? was it about suffering for faith? I doubt this either. The film was like the pain with no idea in the base. Was it about doubt in God?
We carefully decided that there are some sort of hidden agenda in this film that comes to the audience in a subconscious level by sudden "silent" moments and moments when God speaks to the sick mind of a lost priest.
We also could notice that there were way too many repetitive scenes and dialogues: we already got it! yes, nevertheless they say it again and again... and well. f it was the purpose of showing the highest hypocrisy ever than the film was totally successful. First of all: the believer would never create a movie like this: he does not need to prove to the world who he is but for a not believer there is no place for such waste of time and money: there are much better topics to discuss in this world. The true belief never speaks out, never yells, the belief is unsaid and not visible; not only it is silent , it is unseen. With all my respect to the director: no way!
Film Quotes: Father Sebastião Rodrigues: I pray but I am lost. Am I just praying to silence?
Father Alessandro Valignano: An army of two
Father Sebastião Rodrigues: I worry, they value these poor signs of faith more than faith its self. But how can we deny them?
PITCHFORK NEW website review by Rachel Vasquez (USA, California, LA)
Pitchfork is your typical indie horror film: first time struggling actors hoping to catch their big break whilst screaming their lungs out until hemorrhage. Sorry to disappoint you, but there will be no Oscars given away here. The story begins with a group of college friends (SHOCKING) who decide to take a road trip (SHOCKING) from NYC to the country (SHOCKING) to visit their quasi-leader’s family to announce his coming out to his homophobic father. The movie’s intentions are well—trying to connect with a more modern audience, however it falls short by making small plotlines within the movie completely irrelevant to the bigger picture. The group of friends are ripped wholesale out of Teen Horror Flicks For Dummies: There’s The Jock, The Whore, The Couple who can’t keep their hands off each other (two of them, to be exact, which makes for twice the over-touching eye-rolling), The Partyer, The Nerd, The Foreigner…you know the drill. Each line that fell out of these actors’ mouths seemed beyond scripted. It was like a community center synchronized swim team’s 8mm submission to the Olympics. And oddly enough, as much as the director wanted to give that very baron, mid-western feel of horrific farm isolation, the group of friends somehow throws a massive barn party with choreographed dancing, a la Coyote Ugly. Um…………What??????
Enough shenanigans, let’s jump to when people start dying (because let’s be honest, that’s why we REALLY came here, right?). Pitchfork is this “crazed killer” who lives somewhere on the farmland in a small barn. He wears an upper-face pig mask and kills people with a pitchfork he has as a hand. The young sister of the gay man tries to make friends with Pitchfork, using reverse psychology, to save face. It’s uncomfortably awkward and seems extremely out of character, especially for someone who hasn’t hit puberty yet. Now queue the hillbillies! There are some hillbillies that turn up at the end of the movie just when you think your college heroes are escaping. They say typical hillbilly things that are better scripted from Rob Zombie horror flicks. In the end, you never really find out who or why Pitchfork exists, who the hell these hillbillies are and how exactly they were pertinent to the story in the first place. Most characters die, and…what relevance did the gay guy have? This movie is cringe-worthingly forgettable. The only epiphany you will have afterwards is that you wasted an hour and a half of your evening that you could have spent drinking.
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA NEW website review by Jeanette Russell RATE: 8/10
Manchester by the Sea is directed by Kenneth Lonergan, and stars Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams. The film is a harrowing look at how life can throw, curve balls of epic proportions. The very melancholic moments, in the movie are compensated partly by some comic relief, brought to the story by the main character's young 16 year old nephew. Patrick is the nephew and his uncle Lee, it seems is punishing himself and has so much anger and inner turmoil within. We come to understand the reasons for this in a serious of flashbacks, and it is some heart wrenching stuff. It portrays how Lee has come to be in this place. After his brother's death Lee is responsible for being guardian for his brother's son, Patrick. Although it seems the two have a close relationship, brought to light, is insight into why Lee , cannot take on this duty. Lee played very well by Casey Affleck is a complex character, who is this way because of a disaster for which he blames himself. Even through his nephew needs him to step up after the loss of his father, Lee still is not able to come to the party. The actors play their parts well, as we see raw emotions, and reactions to pain. Enacted within the film are moments illustrating fear, loving, caring and trauma. Its a tale of struggle, burden, realisations, courage and grief. The story depicts many instances of love and loss. I found the account to be very moving, and engaging. Within the story before it all unfolded, I was aware of wanting to know why, Lee felt this way and was so hard to reach. It is indeed a very sad tale. My score for this movie is 4 out of 5. Thank you for the opportunity to watch the film.
NO MAN'S LAND NEW website RATE: 8/10 review by Rachel Sandey
No Man's Land is a Play written by the greatest master of dialog, who ever lived, a Nobel Prize laureate, Harold Pinter, in 1974. It was originally staged in 1975 and since then there were a few different productions by different directors in different theatres in England and in US on Broadway. The latest production by director Sean Mathias at Wyndham's Theatre, London was filmed and brought on big screen to be seen by by wide audience all over the world. The leading parts plaid by two brilliant actors Ian McKellen as Spooner and Patrick Stewart as Hirst and two supporting parts by Owen Teale as Hirst's body guard and Damien Molony as buttler. All viewers are transported to London's Wyndham's Theatre. The stage is the large room of luxurious house of successful in the past aging writer Hirst in a centre of which is a big bar packed with bottles of Scotch, vodka, wine and all other kind of alcohol. Hirst is in his sixties and an alcoholic. While drinking in the local bar he meets another aging writer Spooner, who is poorly dressed and obviously struggling to survive. Hurst invites him to his magnificent mansion to continue talking and drinking and that is where all action is taking place. Spooner is most talkative,flattering his host and using his generosity. Like many classic Pinter's plays "no Man's Land" is about the reaction to an intruder who threatens the status quo ante. The subtlety that gradually emerges in this play, though is that Spooner, the seedy Prufrockian failed poet, is the alter ego of his host, the moneyed litterateur, Hirst, and his predatory intrusion also represent an abruptive attempt to reconnect Hirst to live and to his creativity and to save him from the bitter stalemate of old age. One of the critics, who saw the original production of this play in 1975 had shared his thoughts with readers. He wrote: " Even after three decades I cannot claim fully to understand this haunting drama that proves by turn funny, scary ,and resonantly poetic, but I have no doubts that it is one of the handful of indisputable modern classics that Pinter has written and a piece that will haunt and tantalise the memory of all,who see it" I wouldn't be able to say it better. It's definitely one of a kind, a completely unique experience. It'll be screening from February, 4. My score is 8/10
The more I remember this film the more I like it. It is a bit long with some unneeded moments but it is warm and funny like the relationship between the father and the daughter shown.
The movie is a little crazy, quirky and twisted so to speak: this is not your usual humor, this is not your usual acting nor it is a usual plot. Simonischek as the father and Hüller as the daughter play absolutely superb; their characters are wonderful - they are so common from the point of view of father-daughter relationship but they are so authentically unique at the same time. Huller's father plays a fool but this is just the way to show we are all a little bit like him. He reminded me so vividly of my own dad: never silent and always full of twisted joke surprising the crowd and of course surprising me with his ever wonderful mind. Good humor is the intellect shown in a different form. We are a;; too "right" and too "squared" to see how beautiful the world is without and frames or the rules of behaviour. When the daughter realises the beauty of such "pretending" and "acting" her love to her father takes different shapes. Thank god I was never afraid of my "different" parents and was always so proud of them to be this way. If you want to have fun - go and see this movie but be prepared to some longer and slow pace scenes. After all: life was always supposed to be a gentle walk but a struggle as many of us design it: may be you will see .what has to be changed in your own environment
xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE NEW website RATE: 5.5/10
I look at the superhero these days and I do not know what to think to be honest. he is a man slaughter, he is a criminal, he is a user of the brothels and the list of his awards goes on... I really do not know what to think. Oh, sorry forgot the most important thing: He is a gym block whose biceps are bigger than his head diameter and he is covered with tattoos from head to toes. NOW that's a hero. If there were no tattoos we would never believe it. The crew of his helpers are eve tougher and nothing would stop them to kill those faceless people like in the most well designed computer game that leaches on your brain, Mindless? Of course - to the core of your belief if you have anything left after watching this bullets ejaculating machine. It is not about the action movies - there are so many great action movies that we see nowadays more and more: their actors are strong, the plot is moving and the scripts are brilliant... Who the hell has created this dull acting, bad screenplay and cheapest plot? If you would like to become dumber than you are now please go ahead and watch this film - there is a lot to learn there - what NOT to watch - this is for sure. But I can see that could be a good entertainment for the bad guys - looks like it is coming so common on screen and in life - the criminals become heroes and those in power and we praise them. Love this world!
This is one of those movies that describe the tragic events that took place and are followed step by step , vision after vision, angle after angle and party after party till the very end and the photos of real people who were affected, passed away or wounded beyond any human understanding. Such films are impossible to rate as the low rate would just show that we, people who write our impressions on such pictures simply do not care and the high rate would not be rightly justified compared to the other films. These memories are created with the purpose of them not to be repeated but rarely humanity repeat their own mistakes - we just make the new ones one after the other...
Instinctively I hate big crowds, I hate events that collect those crowds not because I am not patriotic and not because I do not like sport: such events are simply shows that attract the bad guys like the sweet pie attracts the flies.
There is a good song by a Russian singer and bard Vladimir Vysotski and I will never forget his words:
(Из спектакля "Свой остров") Я не люблю фатального исхода. От жизни никогда не устаю. Я не люблю любое время года, Когда веселых песен не пою.
Я не люблю открытого цинизма, В восторженность не верю, и еще, Когда чужой мои читает письма, Заглядывая мне через плечо.
Я не люблю, когда наполовину Или когда прервали разговор. Я не люблю, когда стреляют в спину, Я также против выстрелов в упор.
Я ненавижу сплетни в виде версий, Червей сомненья, почестей иглу, Или, когда все время против шерсти, Или, когда железом по стеклу.
Я не люблю уверенности сытой, Уж лучше пусть откажут тормоза! Досадно мне, что слово "честь" забыто, И что в чести наветы за глаза.
Когда я вижу сломанные крылья, Нет жалости во мне и неспроста - Я не люблю насилье и бессилье, Вот только жаль распятого Христа.
Я не люблю себя, когда я трушу, Обидно мне, когда невинных бьют, Я не люблю, когда мне лезут в душу, Тем более, когда в нее плюют.
Я не люблю манежи и арены, На них мильон меняют по рублю, Пусть впереди большие перемены, Я это никогда не полюблю.
So much said is such a powerful manner - this is my review to this film - two simply lines: "I hate manèges and arenas; there They trade rubles for millions, hand in glove..."
One more note: when you go to see this film, be prepared to hate some people who have no explanation to their behavior, no motive and no idea what they are doing. Be prepared also to face tragedy once again and see the people who suffer from the stupidity of others. Be prepared to see brave actions of those who are supposed to defend us (Mark Wahlberg is playing amazingly well) and never get prepared to the feelings that will come of your soul unexpectedly - there is a lot of dirt in this world. PS. there is a more or less close translation: I hate when of fatal outcomes I hear, I never tire of life, despite its wrongs. I hate any season of the year Whenever I cannot sing cheerful songs.
Hype excitement I distrust without heeding But open cynicism I hate as well, I hate a stranger over my shoulder reading To find out what my private letters tell.
I hate stopping a conversation’s track Or anything done only halfway through. I hate when people are shot in the back And shots point-blank, I despise them too.
I hate gossip as viewpoint affirmed, When honours prick, when worming doubt I feel, Or when you always stroke against the fur Or the sound of glass when scraped by steel.
I hate complacency content and sated - I’d rather see brakes well and truly fail. That the word "honour" is forgot, I hate it, And that "honour" is hiding lies and veils.
I feel no pity seeing broken wings And it’s not strange I don’t find it inside: I hate abuse, and I hate helpless things But it’s too bad that Christ was crucified.
I hate myself, when cowardly I crawl; Innocents being beaten, I abhor, I hate it, when they push into my soul, And spitting in it, I hate even more.
I hate manèges and arenas; there They trade rubles for millions, hand in glove. Let changes come ahead; I do not care - These things I will never, ever love!
RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER NEW website review by Anastasia Thomas
The world is waiting for the story about “army of undead” to be over in the Resident Evil: Final Chapter premiering on 25th of January in Hoyts Movie theatre, Melbourne. The High-class soldier, Alice (Mila Jovovich) in the final chapter is finally ready to “kill each one of them” in order to stop T -virus that caused mutations in humans and spread across the Globe. Her job now is to land at Umbrella Corporation Hive within a limited time frame and let anti T-virus out to save the planet. Even if Alice is at her strongest as ever and could kill the whole army on the spot, she needed to find alliance with the soldiers of survivors based in Raccoon city. Only together they are ensured to stop the war and conquer the Evil. The viewers will discover motives of this Apocalypse, characters behind this chaos and also, Hope for seeing the Sun again. Special merits belong to the main characters, Alise (Mila Jovovich), Abigail (Ruby Rose, the Australian actress and model) and Claire (Ali Larter) that impressed the audience with the Girls power genre and fighters’ techniques. Since the movie sequence directed by Paul W.S Anderson, is based on video game series, the viewers had a chance to experience diversity of computer graphics where monsters images have been transformed from Zombies into extremely frightening Creatures that suddenly could came out of the blue and made you shiver. For the first time viewers of Resident Evil, be ready for Horror, Gore and real Action. For the long-term fans, be surprised with tricks upgrades and unusual insights. To me, as a viewer and simply, a big fan of this serious, the message from the Finale Chapter kept a shade of uncertainty if the war is really over..?
Press release by Anastasia Thomas 27th of January
MOONLIGHT CINEMA MELBOURNE PRESENTING: FANTASTIC BEASTS NEW website review by Jennifer Zaman
A gorgeous outdoor experience for cinema lovers that adds to the things- to -do list this summer. Watching one of the new releases right under the night sky is so much fun. Carrying along mats, chairs, blankets and baskets of yummy treat, the audience looked pretty excited. The ambiance around gave a sense of outdoor picnic spread across the large grass area.
As soon as the moonlight shone, the gigantic screen came to life. Wrapped in cozy blankets with the sky above, the make-shift theater gave an amazing feeling. It takes the pleasure of watching movies to a different level altogether. The sound system worked absolutely wonderful .
Would definitely recommend the Moonlight cinema to movie buffs or otherwise. It is a complete package of having a picnic with your family in a park and watching the most awaited movie lying comfortably on your bedding. The summer program commenced from December 2016 and would be running until April this year around cities such as Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane. It is convenient to arrive the venue a little earlier so one can choose the best spot. The ground or rather the grassland is big enough to accommodate a large number of audience and yet, every inch was packed.
For details about the schedules and movies, kindly visit the website www.moonlight.com.au.
MOONLIGHT CINEMA MELBOURNE PRESENTING: LION MOVIE NEW website review by Anastasia Thomas
Press Release for “Lion” from 15th of January “Lion”, a film based on a true story, was presented in the Royal Botanical Gardens by Moonlight Cinema, on January 15th. The audience evidenced how easily little children in India, in this case 1986, could be lost in the crowd and never found. The postscript established that 80,000 children went missing each year in India. What chances for survival did they have? If there were kidnapped or killed? Our “ill-fated Lion” ended up in local orphanages and would never reunite with his family? This is the story about a boy, Saroo, from Khandna who found himself left behind by his older brother on a local train station. Being born in a poor family and raised by a single mum who cut the bricks for living, there were no any other choices but helping his brother to steal coal. The audience stayed silent when Saroo was begging for help on the train and tried to find home. Dramatic episodes of children sleeping on the floor in Calcutta and never helped but abused, a family of kidnappers wishing to sell the boy, melted strong hearts and there were tears falling. Luckily, Saroo got adopted by Tasmanian couple (by Nicol Kidman and David Wenham). After 25 years of a “privileged life”, truly caring parents, another adopted Indian brother and beautiful girlfriend (Rooney Mara), Saroo seemed to have it all. However, his memories kept taking him back to slums in India. He had no choice but simply “google” his hometown. The audience were thrilled to follow each step of the character (Dev Patel) through his research. Persistence, hope and high motivation to find “Mummy” and his brother, Guddy, assisted Saroo on allocating the place. The last episode of reuniting with his family, made the watchers pick up handkerchiefs. We knew that lost was found and questions have been answered. The audience discovered that Saroo was actually “Sheru” which translates to “Lion”. The story of the boy with a brave heart, Lion, was delivered with outstanding cast performances and talented script by Garth David. It’s about Love and Hope, Destiny and Justice. Come for this real story and don’t forget to bring tissues.
Reviewed by Anastasia Thomas on 15th of January
SPLIT - PAY ATTENTION THIS MONTH MOVIE website RATE: 9/10
One word: sensational idea, sensationally done movie! We are not great fans of thrillers, but this film in particular we believe deserves the full attention. the acting is sensational by the whole crew but James McAvoy who plays a man with multiple personalities deserves a special attention as he is beyond any human meaning of the word "brilliant"! his performance is astonishing. His original transformations from a fashion designer to the old lady Patrica, from the beast to the German-like Kevins are so sensational I could not understand first that it was all one person acting. The tension is created in the movie by many effects, but the outstanding performance of James is one of them. He is scary but not as much as attractive (in the sense of us turning into the "curious" watchers - what is going to happen next) We believe the film will a full attention not only from the side of the horror film lovers but from the normal audience. It has blood and scary parts but they are so well balanced and not disgusting as one would expect. I personally was interested in this film in regards to its "medium" nature and abduction of your physical body by multiple personalities as well as the spiritual aspect of such existence inside one physical body and theoretical investigations of the main character's psychologist. The rest of the film is just like the shell but he core is amazing - the idea is marvelous and its application deserves the attention and not from the people who love esoteric studies. Thrilling, thrilling, thrilling!
The story line of the film takes place in 1920-sm when the alcohol was prohibited and everyone was drinking, when the criminals were working on every second street and no one cared and when the guns were carried and used. There is liquor, very well dressed and armed gentlemen and very bad behaving ladies, there are money flowing and the mafia is acting. This will remind you of Wolf Of Wall Street and Great Gatsby but only because it was co-directed by Leo. Ben Affleck is getting better and better one movie after another: he flows through them like a a shooting star waiting for the Oscar's role to come by to him. Ben owns every single scene with his charisma and genuine acting. he is a gangster himself and he is a son of the police officer at the same time. Surprised? Wait till you see more....He plays it always safe: with the friends and bosses on his side and the corrupted police officers on the other side. His love life is almost fixed... with a small exception... Joe (Ben Affleck) is a natural outlaw who outsmarts everyone... well... almost everyone... The dark side always demands a victim on the altar of the light and t comes and the price is very high. The film has a good pace and almost every character is suitable and in place. It is pleasant to watch: it has its funny moments too. I bet many of you will enjoy this good entertainment too.
MOONLIGHT - PAY ATTENTION THIS MONTH MOVIE website RATE: 9/10
A life of a black American guy is shown from his childhood though his teen years to his adult age. He lives in Miami in a troubled neighbourhood where the currency is drugs and the value is the amount if it. The achievement of a human being is considered to be accomplished if the person survives without getting damaged morally, physically or psychologically. Chiron is quiet, shy and neglected by his drug addicted mother who is never at home (please forget the dinner cooked on time). Chiron is very thin and not outspoken young boy however his eyes "talk" ; he also has a good friend and they are inseparable. He is not cared of, his mother is busy with her own life which consists of looking for drugs, the dose of narcotics and deep sleep after. Chiron grows into a teenager but nothing seems to change: he is still the same inside and outside. Chiron is bullied at school and it only adds to his withdrawn character. The changes come with his new friend Kevin apearing in his life who, together with his girlfriend takes a responsibility to be Chiron's guide in life. Kevin's care is alike a breath of fresh air, a den where Chiron can hide fro his abusive schoolmates and his demanding mother. But who will grow from this young led, Chiron, you would never take a guess. Where life will take him - this is the end of the story which no one could have predicted... I found the story to be bewitching and charming as well as fascinating considering we know so little about the life of this part of the society. It is a gentle and very touching story of one life shown in such vivid colors.
It is a terrific fantasy for the kids. I personally think that the film be absolutely loved by the boys - there are cars, trucks and cool creatures plus it is a feel-good film. It is simple - the plot is very straight forward but it is fun to watch for the children. Although one can see the film is quite cheaply made there is a certain part of enjoyment that you can not miss. There is an interesting detail that we have noticed while watching: most of the actors look alike - especially men, like they were all taken from the 70-s James Bond movies - I tend to believe they were all James Bonds who did not go through the castings those days, Why? No idea! They all had that "looking cool" but a bit dumb feel about them. If you are on vacation with kids this movie will be fun passing time indeed.
MANCHSTER BY THE SEA - PAY ATTENTION THIS MONTH MOVIE website RATE: 9/10
As I was a bit mislead myself I will clear this up and tell our readers that Manchester-by-the-sea is a real town on the north shore of Massachusetts. The uncle has to take care of his teenage nephew whose father passed away. It is a very powerful movie about the challenges one man faces struggling with his present and remembering the mistakes of his past. Trapped in guilt feelings and unable to deal with the present situation either the main character reflects the strong "no-sorry" feelings in the audience - we all can see hoe the man created the "situations" for himself. The main character, Lee Chandler was happily married with kids, was going out with his friends and his carrier as a celebrity sportsman was all in good shape when the tragedy took place. The "past Lee" and the "present Lee" are two different men. Casey Affleck , who plays Lee is so remarkably good for sometime you will start thinking he plays himself and his own life. There is a "before" and "after" man, he is the same body, he is not the same spirit. The present man is frozen inside and slowly we find out why. His past demons follow him everywhere but the film is more about the values of the family and what is important for many of us: why do we often neglect it and swap tie and energy to something less of value. The drama and humor in the film are blend very well together making it a remarkable masterpiece no cinema lover would miss to watch. The most significant episode when Lee and his ex-wife fabulously portrayed by Michelle Williams meet. This is when Lee realises that past is gone and it is never to return and more to that he has to learn how to look after his present having a disobeying young man on his hands, The film is warn and gentle; it finally gets us and we start to care about the main character, Lee and understand him deeply. If there are no Oscars for the film I would be very much surprised. All my thumbs up for writing and directing from Kenneth Lonergan and the whole crew!
ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY - PAY ATTENTION THIS MONTH MOVIE website RATE: 8/10
Star WArs for us are just james bond movies - no matter you like it or not - we have to watch it as a matter of principal. This episode would not disappoint the lovers of the Star Wars - it is way much much better than the previous lousy made episode. Rogue One is what all fans would be looking for. there are more fights though and less science fiction compared to the very first movies which we personally (Alex and I) consider to be the masterpieces of sci-fi cinematography - and who would argue? We were waiting for this episode with thrill and impatience wanting it to be very good and it did not fail! All our fears vanished after the first 10 minutes when we released that they did not blow it up this time! It had everything the perfect movie of this genre should have and felt just right: good script of course, the right blend of action and fighting scenes plus drama spiced by sense of humor, then you add the common understanding and the sequence of events so the audience can follow the story easily without the downfalls, well shaped characters, digital effects - this episode was like the right piece of puzzle that fit just with perfection with all first , originally written stories. The director's work seem to be absolutely fabulous. We are definitely not the Dr Cooper Sheldon type of Star Wars fans - we are just the ordinary people who love good cinematography and I can praise every small details and every word said from the screen. The movie is also a good mixture of minor and major characters who are played equally well and we found the actors were all very suitable for their characters. One word: classical episode!
OMG! I read lots of maerial on this subject long time ago. I am not inetersted in it. It is not as exciting as it seems. now, after 50 years passed who cares what was done or not done by NASA, CIA or American government? Now, we do not care what happened 10 years ago forget about 50! Two egenerations passed, it is half of the century. Why do we watch the movie like that? Who can prove anything. People who lived there - they are dead or dying now... Who cares? We care about what is happening now and we are nt given the answers. If you love conspiracy you will adore this film and you will have something to discuss with your friends a day after, but what is then?.. Can you change the past? Can you change the present? Or may be the future?.. Plus the camera... I simply could watch the film for the first part only. The camera was shaking (I know thsi is a very special technic, I know!) but it was getting worse and worse. I closed my eyes: nothinghas changed = I still wanted to go to the bathroom and help myslef to vomit... I felt so sick from that camera! I "watched" the rest of the movie with my eyes closed. I got everything: it was the same movie with my eyes wide shut! If you care about your health and you vestibular system - please give it a miss!
What I liked Superb graphic! Unbelievable surroundings - I love very well set up spaceships and like how the advanced technology gets into the films first and then to our own lives. The film reminded me a bit of a Solaris by Tarkovski but the slight comparison vanished with a bit cheese set up and love story as well as somehow a primitive script and not that interesting (not engaging) characters,
This is my first time seeing Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt and I am far away from being impressed by their performances. Only IF... Only if the major was taken by Mia Wasikowska and say... even Ashton Kutcher I would say yes, it worked perfectly well, but the cast was not right for such film. They did not put a sense into their lines, nor there were even a slight glimpse of spirituality. I found the film failed only because of the poor cast that killed it.
Coming back to the positive side and the spaceship. Graphics, once again: breathless! I would see the film again only to capture more and more of that graphics. I was immensely impressed by the episode when the spaceship loses its gravity and goes g-force-less: suddenly the water splashes out from the huge swimming pool and keeps Aurora inside the rounded bubble without a sip of oxygen. I have no idea how it was filmed but it looked spectacular!
LION - PAY ATTENTION THIS MONTH MOVIE website RATE: 10/10
You will look at the poverty the Indian citizens live in you will forget all your hardship and trouble. I sincerely thought that Russians were poor, but the people in India are beyond any human understanding of this word.
The story line is simple and when told you might think: so what? The five year old boy gets lost in the streets of an Indian town and his adventures finding his home take him to the Australian shores where he gets adopted by a childless family. After 25 years he decides to find his lost family. Do not trust the trailer as it is made in the way that you can not understand if the film will be good or bad. I did not have any expectations going to see this film however I trusted that Dev Patel will not play in a bad movie and even a very ordinary film he will do in the best and most amazing way. the film with him is always a celebration.
Dev (as Saroo) is completely unrecognizable. I am always pleasantly surprised how he changes for particular character - yes, Alex and I we both like this fabulous actor.
The story and the script are so powerful you will follow each word and each episode and each movement of the actors with all your heart. The small Saroo played by a young Indian boy, Sunny Pawar who hardly spoke any English is absolutely stunning.
This film will be the best advertising of Google Earth program ever!
While watching the film you will have lots of thoughts: one will be prevailing though - animals on our planet are treated better than people: we spend millions of dollars on animal charities and there are lost, hungry and freezing people all over the earth in the streets with no roof above their heads. the film says: "In India, over 80,000 children go missing each year and there are over 11 million children living on the streets. For the release of this film, the foundation Lion Heart was launched in collaboration between the production companies of this film, See-Saw Films and The Weinstein Company (TWC) and The Charity Network. It will provide financial support to the over 11 million children who live on the streets of India"
It was also very interesting to observe Nicole playing a mother of adopted child - she has two adopted children in real life It was also a very interesting character for her: she played it well but Dev over-shined her performance. I also can totally see why Nicole has taken this role - it was nothing to her glamorous and unforgettable appearances in many films but this role was as important as many of the sparkling ones that she took before. the roles was small but nothing but spectacular.
The scene when Saroo returns home after 25 years of absence is absolutely epic. I was sure and then when I read about the filming I know that they were real people, the villagers who surrounded Saroo, there were no extras taken for this part of the movie. It is touching and is played through flawlessly.
The story is moving but shocking at the same time as there are so many parts of the world we do not know about. We have no idea how people live there, what they go through and how they earn money for food and water.
I believe this movie will turn many hearts upside down and the screens of Australia will see lots of tears while watching this film but I also see how moving and important this film will be for the Indian people in general.
There is one more pizzle for you: WNY LION?
THE MUSIC OF STRANGERS - PAY ATTENTION THIS MONTH MOVIE website RATE: 10/10
The Music Of Strangers is a superbly done documentary about Yo Yo Ma, the famous viola player and his internationa musicians group that is called The Silk Road Project that talks about everything related to music and its reflection of our modern life. If I say the camera work was sensational I will say nothing: it captured the moemnts that last for seocnds so well one after another, one after another that I started thining that they filmed it for many many years to selct the episodes for superb and so suitable for the whole happy mood of this film. To be honest I have not seen a better documentary in years. Not only the camera caoruted the tresured moments of each very talented musician from The Silky Road Project but it also showed the personalities of all of fthem and how fabulous human beings they all are. they all have different cultural, religiuos and upbringing background but they have nothing to divide, they only have something great in common theur creativity and the beauty of their art: playing the music and composing the music. There are so many positive and insirational vibes you will get after watching this film. I also started thinking whom from my circle of musicians should I let know about these amazing group. There are four words that describe all the musicians following the silk road: Curiosity. Creativity. Generosity. Passion.. they are apolitical, but their music passes through a greater message than any poliitician will pronounce to unite peoples and nations. They change the world to be a better place not only by words but by actions. The music they perform is so vibrant and passionate you will want to wake up from yoru chair and dance. The most moving episode was the travellin of one of the musicians to the Lebanon refugee camp where the Sirian citizens hide and what messages they bring to the chindren who listen to the muscians with open hearts and eyes wide open. The oether amazing part was the Saint-Saens' "swan" break dance featuring Charles 'Lil' Riley. There is so much joy and hope in this movie that you will want to see it twice I bet for inspiration at least! If you are looking for something a little bit different to watch at the cinemas, check out this film definitely It is cool, inspiring and historical of course.
COLLATERAL BEAUTY - PAY ATTENTION THIS MONTH MOVIE website RATE: 9/10
When you go to this film you should forget everything that you watched before. This is not a Hollywood cheesy film about love, life and death, not it is a very serious philosophical drama. It is very down to earth, very intelligently done and absolutely beautiful picture! If you thought Will Smith ill be lost like a planet among all these starry names around him you will be wrong - he pulls his (may be not Oscar but... close to it) performance. Howard (Will Smith) lives through a life tragedy of loosing his child to cancer. He removes himself from reality but he forgets that he runs a very successful advertising agency and he has three more partners in his business. Howard's withdrawal from company's activities has consequences and he is a step away from loosing all his partners. The decision is made by his partners (who are also his best friends) to get him back to life and to reconnect him with reality. They find out that he writes letters to Love, Time and Death and there is their one and only chance ! Why the film is called Collateral Beauty ? This is for you to find out the deep meaning of the message behind three Universal forces: Love, Death and Time! You will find lots of great messages too alone the way to "reconnection". the movie will stay with you for a long time to rethink and to find your own answers to questions. Sometimes to find the truth you have to face your own fears but you might see that the movie will have a completely different subjective meaning to you.
After I watched thhis film I thought, I can not rate it , it will be impossibe t rate something like this. It is way too sensitive, it is way too wrong to rate. But I decided to look at it from the artistic point of view. It is about the days of John Kennedy's wife, Jackie right after his assassination. You will not be able to hold your own grief feelings for this beautiful family and your own memories that will fill up the theater and will not let you breath. Sometimes it is simply impossible to watch... If there was a vote for the hardest to watch movie on earth that would be the one, heartbreaking. Sometimes your life turns into a theater , into an ugly drama and you can not find the place where to hide from it , then it is better to show people what they want to see to shut them up. they want to see you crying - let them drink your tears, you want to see you suffer - let them watch that and feel how good they are when they stay away from you. I went through this myself, I went through grief and through the world around you watching your every step , I felt what these people around me felt : some were close and compassionate, the true friends, some just wanted a piece of me for their own profit and some simply were happy about what I was going through, some were having a lack of my attention... I felt every minute of Jackie's sorrow... I asked God the same questions: "why?" I got some answers after watching this film: - sometimes there are no answers - sometimes you either have to choose death or accepting that there are no answers - sometimes the search ends with nothing and this is not the end... One last note: you will find Natalie Portman to be very unusual in this film -she takes it all on her self... she carries it on her shoulders and she is superb!..
THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN - PAY ATTENTION THIS MONTH MOVIE website RATE: 8/10
It is a very well done movie. Hailee Steinfeld as Nadine and Woody Harrelson as Mr Bruner are superb nd their characters are very well shaped. I really loved Erwin portrayed by Hayden Szeto also. Nadine is a crazy teenager, she wants it all and she wants it now. She does not realise that thing are not as they seem to be, she also does not realise that she only sees things from one side: hers. Nadine thinks that her troubles all come from her brother; they grew different people since childhood: she envied his social skills and just could not stand him. Nothing she knew who her brothr was and how he protected their family and played the role of their father who passed away so unexpectedly when they were teeagers. When Nadine opens her eyes the realisation comes: the things get into their places and life gets organised by itself. This is called growth. Nadine turns from a stubbon child and selfish teenager into a beautiful butterfly: an adult who looks at the thing from many angles, who acts wise and ... better seen than told... Just adding the final here: Mr. Bruner rocks and ownes every episode as a teacher and not as a teacher too: just superb! If you do not like the rest of the film (which I doubt you will) the scenes with Mr Bruner are the best for LOL !!
There is a fantastc family movie to see together with your kids: it is sad , it is gentle and it is about many of us.the film is a sequel to the Red Dog (2011) film that we gave 10/10 stars. It tells a story about the beginning of Red Dog: how did that happen that he was alone and no-one's dog. The puzzel of the Red Dog childhood (or should I say: puppiness) is all completed now. the film is beautifully shot. I also found the roe of the boy who was the puppy's first owner nd who found him in the tree after the storm, was played well... It is a story about love and friendship, about broken hearts and disappointment, about kept promises and true bonds in life. Your kids will absolutely love the film and the adventures of its heroes!
Actually the place got packed later I came earlier I suppose
PATERSON - SECOND BEST MOVIE OF THE MONTH website RATE: 10/10 If there is one movie that I would like to watch again than this is PATERSON. Paterson is not a surname as I thought ; it is a small town in New Jersey . But is it a surname of the bus driver too who lives in Paterson - so yes, there are two Patersons. The bus driver's life is - how can I put it in a soft way:way - too boring, bus drivera are not boring, no, not becasue they are boring but becasue the work they do is pretty dull. This is themovie that will force you t olook at the bus drivers in a different way perhaps... I am not a fan of Adam Driver (who plays the bus driver BTW) but he IS superb in this character. It also looks like he enjoyed playing this character very much. There is poetry in Paterson's life, the driver's life, the city's life too. the poetry is not only expressed on paper, but it is expressed in the picture. Be prepared : the movies , hte best movies about poetry are always slow. It is charming slow though. Is Paterson lonely? Asolutely! All poets are (not sure about the drivers though): they are surrounded by people who tak on the bus. But let's go back t the poetry: if you know and love Richard Brautighan you wil understand me as this poetry is so close to Richard. It is simply genius. The poetry comes out from Paterson's pen effortlessly and naturally. He writes it like he talks to his friend: himself. He reads his poetry to his wife. She is full of surprises. Paterson is lonely in his love to her. He listens. I could not resist to think about another film while watching Paterson: Still Life - again a simple and quiet story with a complex underwater currents. There is one more thing: I will find the poetry of William Carlos Williams who lived in Patersn and was a famous poet. This IS the best role of Adam 100% , he handles it so well. As my husband and I are both poets I am taking him to this film t owatch again together after it is released in theaters! Beautiful film, it is a gem - go and see it!
The movie "Stray" has a perfect title, reflecting the main character's nature-Jennifer. The girl who is moving from place to place, struggling to belong and leaving sufferings and disasters behind. The girl, damaged by her childhood's events, is searching for her long gone mother and trying to escape her abusive father. There are no feelings or emotions, no fear in Jennifer. "It is others, who should be afraid of her" - is Jennifer's life statement. It is a disturbing movie to see a young person like this to move in life with total lack of comprehension what love, empathy and trust mean. There are other characters, who are also shown their emotional life wounds and the fact that the wounds are hard to heal and would always bleed. The end of the movie just proves that: in spite of her wondering around and removing all the barriers on the way, Jennifer never grows emotionally up and moreover chooses to stay immature and dependent by turning all the way backwards to where she began. Even though "Stray" portrays cold- blooded killings and there is a feel of disturbance for the most duration of it, it shows some light and hope too. It starts with some sunny and picturesque views of nature with its fields and animals, looking peacefully. While towards the end of the movie, a new hope arises for a better life through the image of a baby. I think Gabrielle Stone (Jennifer) is natural in her role. The film is done in quite appropriate, not fast, pace.
If you up to relaxing and watching something very down to earth and silly this is the film for you. If you warked too hard that you missed on entertainment entirely for the whole year, this will be your time to feel silly and stupid tofether with the novie characters. It is a veyr grounded and "extect this to ahppen" comedy that 88% of citizens like t owatch It can be a good background for your X-mas party, when you talk to your friend and suddenly see a naked back butt of the screen you can both LOL. Bu I can hardlly call this art nor I can call it comedy although sometimes it was hillarious but most of the time it was disgustngand vulgar. Sorry! We both also understand why such movies get released on screen just before X-mas. Let it be - there are consumers who will love this and we can see them even sitting in front of TV with beers, coke and sausages munching and having fun.
MADE IN MELBOURNE FILM FESTIVAL 2016: THE LEGEND OF BEN HALL - BEST MOVIE OF THE MONTH website RATE: 10/10
It seemed that we have been waiting for the film release and screening forever! Finally!! There were so many of our friends who were at the set involved in the photography on site, filming and acting and so many stories we were told about the BTS we simply could not wait anymore... Matthew Holmes, the director went through lots of ups and downs creating this incredible movie. He put his heart into it. I watched a couple of BTS long time ago when he explained how to make the real old Australian leather hat that the crew would be wearing and how he makes them out of the brand new hats - I was stunned with Matthew's attention to such small detail he put into his creation. Yes, even the hat matters as we, when we watch will notice and get that feeling of "the older times" that only small details can give us on the subconscious level (this is how the real artist get the message through). At that time I thought: this is what makes the movie so real, so natural and so sensationally genuine - the viewer gets the feel and the belief in what happens on screen. You go back in time with the artist and you find everything as it was there at that time: people and how they thought, and dressed and acted, their surroundings and the way of life.
This is the story: Ben, the highly desired criminal has been on the road for two years and he wants to surrender to the law when he suddenly meets his old mate from the gang: John Gilbert who easily draws him back into bushranging and robbing innocent and rich. Ben is now the man, most wanted by the British Empire. The gang soon grows to three people and their deeds create a wave of protest from citizens.The gang is declared outlaws which means they can be killed by anyone from the crowd.. The gang is feeling this would be the end of their journey and they plan to run away and hide away overseas but still they need to collect extra money for that planned trip. Ben does not suspect that one of his best friends (who hides the gang's money) in order to avoid troubles for his own family becomes a police informant. Ben Hall gets into the trap like a mouse. People kill him and then they pay tributes to the brave man whom Ben always was. Is there bravery in robbing unarmed? Is the 30 bullets a good punishment though? What is fair and what is not? What can be considered a lawful revenge and what is not and is simply done because of fear? The story raises so many questions and the list of them does not end. The characters are lovable but dangerous, we respect and hate them. It looks like this the film is a perfect and 100% candidate for our BEST MOVIE OF THE MONTH. It is one more incredible classic on your shelves of "Australian History". We could not hold it but to compare the movie with "Australia", the film that featured so many celebrities and was so well advertised - this will come and go and will be forgotten. Why? There is no word of truth in that movie. Despite that "Ben Hall" is the best example of your films that you will want to watch year after year and it will only get better with time as the old, aged and good wine. The actors certainly deserve a separate paragraph to be mentioned about. The physical appearance of Jack Martin (Ben Hall) and Jamie Coffa (John Gilbert) that copies in small details the major characters of the movie is astonishing! This was one well done casting work! The major cast is all spot on as well! The rest of the cast is fabulous and all the characters are nailed so right, so clear and so authentic! Well, we have to admit the 7 years long Matthew spent on this film were not spent in vain. The opening night turned to be a full house at the large ACMI theater with people sitting on the side stairs - I have not witnessed anything like that since Lord Of The Rings part 4 advance screening at Crown where I went with kids. Sold out - and the side stairs as well. It is also good to mention that the film is not only a biography of the incredible personality but a significant part of the Australian history that we, living on this land should carry on our shoulders and know more about. There is a double praise for Matthew not only entertaining his audience but educating - certainly! Little we know and still do not know about Ben Hall and the times he had his adventures in but this "Australian WEstern" will open the eyes for many of us. Will we spend now more time reading, researching and investigating about our ancestors? I trust many of us will - at least let's read what google offers forget about the dusty documents in archives... and of course for many: let's forget online games and ebay - there is so much more to this life! I only have to add that the Nature, the landscapes and the scenery in the film are captured in the best possible way - there are so many beautiful places in our country and in Victoria in particular - seems that they are all suddenly appeared in this film! We certainly would like to take this opportunity and thank Matthew for his brilliant job putting this picture together, On our way home from the movie Alex said: if there were so many Oscars I would give them all to this film on so many levels including directing, acting, costumes, music etc etc.. May be we should weld our own Oscars but I am sure this film will be at least noticed as the best foreign film and awarded what it deserves - 10 out of 10 stars from us but we would give it 100 stars if we could. BEST AUSTRALIAN WESTERN OF ALL TIMES? - for sure!
I am not a great fan of Ryan Gosling (I also think for this film he was a miscast) but adore wuh all my heart Emma Stone's inspiring talent in acting. Whatever she touches brings so much life - so did the movie shined with her energy. With man in cinematography I have just noticed a remarkable change (not to the better though) of acting: this relates to Ryan Gosling's character in La La Land as well as Brad Pitt's character in Allied. They play as they do not care perhaps giving the way to their female partners perhaps there is a new fashion in Hollywood but it does not work well. There is a missing warmth in such approach as well as it is hard to engage with such characer's manners for the audience. Mia is a young aspiring but struggling actress who works at the coffee shop that serves actors at breaks between filming, Sebastian is a supertalanted pianis who plays at restaurants and at the gigs where his skills are not noticed. The story is simple: when they struggle to reach a mountain of success but instead falling down on each corner of their lives they meet each other and fall in love. Love brings them more than jst inspiration to reach that mountain but it also brings the challanges that are impossible to avoid as well as change the destiny. The musical is superb, music coes so naturaly that we think it is simply part of the plan in real life: this is what we all have to do when we feel we can not keep quiet: sing and dance. One thing I have to say: it is entertaining (in both movies and life). Whenever you are angry at your husband in the kitchen - start singing and if you feel upset at the supermarket - do the same or start tap dancing! The reality and fantasy in the movie go hand in hand, the bland of music, conversation and dancing is perfectly balanced. My favourite part of the move: Mia's auditions at the various studios. I can only regretably see that this film will be struggling to find its devoted fans as musicials are not in big fashion now, at the age of action blockbusters.