LA PREMIERE
28/09/18
IRANIAN FILM FESTIVAL NEW
TALE OF THE SEA
website/Miranda Brown Publicity
review by Marina Sklyar
Tale of the sea,
A full house at the film festival.
We were lucky to greed main female character Fatemeh Motamed-Arya,
Small framed women a very humbled women , spoke in Iranian who come to Australia especially for the movie opening. She received a standing ovation for her work.
She plays in this powerful drama a wife to a very famous writer who is battling a mental illness and is on the edge becoming a scezefrenic. No feelings left for him just old memories. Forced by the doctor to take him home she struggles to come to terms and accept this mentally ill man, whom she wants to divorce but unable to leave him behind. Who talks and visualises his old mates who have passed away long time ago.
At the end of the journey he is not proud of some of his novels and refuses to honour his idolises for the novels ceremonies. He just wants to life his life in peace, or just walk into the ocean and just be there, as that’s where he finds his peace.
Both of the characters counting their blessings and curse for having no children, so they would not have to deal with their family drama. Out of nowhere Taher who is her husband received a call from a daughter of their mutual old friend, with whom they had end the friendship due to love triangle been discovered. Over coffee Taher discovers that this young women is his daughter.
The audience is left guessing if this drama a reality or just a mad mans imagination or just his life events which he had lived through.
A very sad and tragic drama with some twits, and very good humour.
TALE OF THE SEA
website/Miranda Brown Publicity
review by Marina Sklyar
Tale of the sea,
A full house at the film festival.
We were lucky to greed main female character Fatemeh Motamed-Arya,
Small framed women a very humbled women , spoke in Iranian who come to Australia especially for the movie opening. She received a standing ovation for her work.
She plays in this powerful drama a wife to a very famous writer who is battling a mental illness and is on the edge becoming a scezefrenic. No feelings left for him just old memories. Forced by the doctor to take him home she struggles to come to terms and accept this mentally ill man, whom she wants to divorce but unable to leave him behind. Who talks and visualises his old mates who have passed away long time ago.
At the end of the journey he is not proud of some of his novels and refuses to honour his idolises for the novels ceremonies. He just wants to life his life in peace, or just walk into the ocean and just be there, as that’s where he finds his peace.
Both of the characters counting their blessings and curse for having no children, so they would not have to deal with their family drama. Out of nowhere Taher who is her husband received a call from a daughter of their mutual old friend, with whom they had end the friendship due to love triangle been discovered. Over coffee Taher discovers that this young women is his daughter.
The audience is left guessing if this drama a reality or just a mad mans imagination or just his life events which he had lived through.
A very sad and tragic drama with some twits, and very good humour.
WILDLIFE NEW
website/Cinema Nova
review by Roslynn Garwood-Webb
Wildlife Review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
Set in the 1960’s in Great Falls, Montana, this film tells the tale of Jeanette ( Carey Mulligan) and Jerry Brigginson ( Jake Gyllenhaal) and their teenage son Joe (Ed Oxenbould). In a film that is slow to start, Wildlife takes you on a slow paced journey where you witness the unravelling of a marriage and subsequent family through the eyes of 14 year old Joe. Joes father Jerry, loses his job at the local golf course and even though he is asked to go back a short time later, as a matter of pride Jerry refuses the offer and instead leaves the family home to go and fight fires. An act of love it seems to support and provide for his family. In his absence, suffering from the effects of isolation and loneliness, Jeanette unravels in full view of her teenage son, her self determination and self involvement, disrupting the values and expectations of a 1960’s nuclear family. Jeanette gets a job to support herself and Joe and suggests that Joe does the same. Joe finds a job as a photographers assistant, where he works after school, capturing the parts of peoples lives that they want to remember. Difficult to watch in some parts, as it will stir a part in all of us who have witnessed any struggles within family life, In his first film directing role, Paul Dano has succeeded I believe in delivering a film to highlight what he set out to encapsulate and that is that “even when the worst happens, we can still survive, we can still be family, we may never be the same but we still have love”. 2.5 out of 5 stars
website/Cinema Nova
review by Roslynn Garwood-Webb
Wildlife Review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
Set in the 1960’s in Great Falls, Montana, this film tells the tale of Jeanette ( Carey Mulligan) and Jerry Brigginson ( Jake Gyllenhaal) and their teenage son Joe (Ed Oxenbould). In a film that is slow to start, Wildlife takes you on a slow paced journey where you witness the unravelling of a marriage and subsequent family through the eyes of 14 year old Joe. Joes father Jerry, loses his job at the local golf course and even though he is asked to go back a short time later, as a matter of pride Jerry refuses the offer and instead leaves the family home to go and fight fires. An act of love it seems to support and provide for his family. In his absence, suffering from the effects of isolation and loneliness, Jeanette unravels in full view of her teenage son, her self determination and self involvement, disrupting the values and expectations of a 1960’s nuclear family. Jeanette gets a job to support herself and Joe and suggests that Joe does the same. Joe finds a job as a photographers assistant, where he works after school, capturing the parts of peoples lives that they want to remember. Difficult to watch in some parts, as it will stir a part in all of us who have witnessed any struggles within family life, In his first film directing role, Paul Dano has succeeded I believe in delivering a film to highlight what he set out to encapsulate and that is that “even when the worst happens, we can still survive, we can still be family, we may never be the same but we still have love”. 2.5 out of 5 stars
IN LIKE FLYNN NEW
website/ Umbrella Ent Films
review: Roslynn Garwood-Webb
In Like Flynn
In 1937 , Eroll Flynn wrote a book called Beams End. His book was an account of his coral sea adventures which he took with three friends.
In his yacht called Sirroco, he sailed from Sydney to Papua Newguinea.
Australian Action Director Russell Mulcahy has produced a rough screen translation of Flynn's Book in his recently released film “In like Flynn”.
If you like a film packed with beer swilling, brawling and raucous behaviour, you may well like this one. With a talented cast and more than a handful of great Australian actors Mulcahy has produced a stellar film which will delight many. Thomas Cocqueral (Flynn), Callan Mulvey (Johnson), Costas Mandylor ( Vassilis) and Isabel Lucas (Rose) and David Wenham ( Christian Travers) to name but a few.
For the die hard Eroll Flynn fans who know the real history of this colourful lad, you may find the depictions and references a little too fictional, if you are after a fast paced action film however, this one if just for you !
website/ Umbrella Ent Films
review: Roslynn Garwood-Webb
In Like Flynn
In 1937 , Eroll Flynn wrote a book called Beams End. His book was an account of his coral sea adventures which he took with three friends.
In his yacht called Sirroco, he sailed from Sydney to Papua Newguinea.
Australian Action Director Russell Mulcahy has produced a rough screen translation of Flynn's Book in his recently released film “In like Flynn”.
If you like a film packed with beer swilling, brawling and raucous behaviour, you may well like this one. With a talented cast and more than a handful of great Australian actors Mulcahy has produced a stellar film which will delight many. Thomas Cocqueral (Flynn), Callan Mulvey (Johnson), Costas Mandylor ( Vassilis) and Isabel Lucas (Rose) and David Wenham ( Christian Travers) to name but a few.
For the die hard Eroll Flynn fans who know the real history of this colourful lad, you may find the depictions and references a little too fictional, if you are after a fast paced action film however, this one if just for you !
AN INTERVIEW WITH GOD NEW
website/Rialto Distribution
review by Roslynn Garwood-Webb
An Interview with God
Paul ( Brenton Thwaites) has just returned home from Afghanistan where he was working as a journalist delivering the most successful articles of his career. His return sees him discover a failing marriage and turbulent times, questioning the faith that previously ensured he survived his darkest days. Somehow Paul finds himself scoring an interview with someone who claims they are God (David Strathairn). He has three half an hour interviews with God himself. As a result of these interviews Paul finds himself under the microscope and finds himself evaluating his faith and his future. This film provides enough intrigue to carry you through until the end, wondering what will become of Paul. What it leaves you with however, is many unanswered questions. Questions that Paul asked God, but God never really answered. The film undeniably evokes the questions we all have about religion, and places us in Pauls shoes in regard to what it would be we would ask God if we had the opportunity to sit across from him and ask him any questions we liked. This was an easy to watch enjoyable film, however I feel that the storyline could have benefited from a more detailed account of Pauls life in order to add some more complexity.
2.5 out of 5 stars
website/Rialto Distribution
review by Roslynn Garwood-Webb
An Interview with God
Paul ( Brenton Thwaites) has just returned home from Afghanistan where he was working as a journalist delivering the most successful articles of his career. His return sees him discover a failing marriage and turbulent times, questioning the faith that previously ensured he survived his darkest days. Somehow Paul finds himself scoring an interview with someone who claims they are God (David Strathairn). He has three half an hour interviews with God himself. As a result of these interviews Paul finds himself under the microscope and finds himself evaluating his faith and his future. This film provides enough intrigue to carry you through until the end, wondering what will become of Paul. What it leaves you with however, is many unanswered questions. Questions that Paul asked God, but God never really answered. The film undeniably evokes the questions we all have about religion, and places us in Pauls shoes in regard to what it would be we would ask God if we had the opportunity to sit across from him and ask him any questions we liked. This was an easy to watch enjoyable film, however I feel that the storyline could have benefited from a more detailed account of Pauls life in order to add some more complexity.
2.5 out of 5 stars
PIG NEW
website/
Marina
website/
Marina
DONBASS NEW
website/Backlot Films/Ned and Co
review by Susan Reynolds
Donbass
Russian/Ukrainian
7/10
Review by Susan Reynolds
This is an insight into the Russian/Ukrainian conflict and presents war in all its complexities. The movie has pauses which I think perhaps is designed to give time for the viewer to reflect, however a few times it leads to it being drawn out, some places I thought they’re had been a technical glitch in filming.
The themes are the futility of war, the mistrust between people, manipulation of situations and the media, cheats, liars and the plight of the innocent. These aren’t topics for a joyous experience; this film is a graphic education about localised war.
When there is conflict nothing is as it should be could be or would ever seem to be. The common people, the poor have live under the violent clashes and bear the brunt of displacement. Citizens sought solidarity with each living under awful conditions hoping to sit out the conflict in make shift buildings. We see the women and children in the damp with poor sanitation and living on meagre food supplies. And they’re waiting for a time when they can have their lives back.
The absurdity of life is magnified but overall it leaves you with a heavy heart. 13 different scenarios are covered; aspects of life condensed and to be reflected upon. i knew little of the subject matter before the film but I do understand the foibles of man and futility of war and how it brings out the worst in people with cruelty and greed the most despicable of human evils.
We have the confronting scene of a man judged and trialed in the streets and beaten to death. He’d been tethered to a pole by authorities and made to wear a sign stating he’s part of the exterminators. Everyday people jeer at him question him and the anxieties of the people peak to despicable levels of violence.
Quickly we switch to being witness to a happy Occasion of a wedding then switch again to the gunfire bombing and killing of people traveling on a highway. Seek this film out of you wish to gain an understanding of the history of this conflict and some idea about the life in this region of the world. It’s is enlightening and essentially this is mankind at its worse and why we should avoid war. History however doesn’t always play out as ideally as anyone would like and the world sadly is not a utopia.
website/Backlot Films/Ned and Co
review by Susan Reynolds
Donbass
Russian/Ukrainian
7/10
Review by Susan Reynolds
This is an insight into the Russian/Ukrainian conflict and presents war in all its complexities. The movie has pauses which I think perhaps is designed to give time for the viewer to reflect, however a few times it leads to it being drawn out, some places I thought they’re had been a technical glitch in filming.
The themes are the futility of war, the mistrust between people, manipulation of situations and the media, cheats, liars and the plight of the innocent. These aren’t topics for a joyous experience; this film is a graphic education about localised war.
When there is conflict nothing is as it should be could be or would ever seem to be. The common people, the poor have live under the violent clashes and bear the brunt of displacement. Citizens sought solidarity with each living under awful conditions hoping to sit out the conflict in make shift buildings. We see the women and children in the damp with poor sanitation and living on meagre food supplies. And they’re waiting for a time when they can have their lives back.
The absurdity of life is magnified but overall it leaves you with a heavy heart. 13 different scenarios are covered; aspects of life condensed and to be reflected upon. i knew little of the subject matter before the film but I do understand the foibles of man and futility of war and how it brings out the worst in people with cruelty and greed the most despicable of human evils.
We have the confronting scene of a man judged and trialed in the streets and beaten to death. He’d been tethered to a pole by authorities and made to wear a sign stating he’s part of the exterminators. Everyday people jeer at him question him and the anxieties of the people peak to despicable levels of violence.
Quickly we switch to being witness to a happy Occasion of a wedding then switch again to the gunfire bombing and killing of people traveling on a highway. Seek this film out of you wish to gain an understanding of the history of this conflict and some idea about the life in this region of the world. It’s is enlightening and essentially this is mankind at its worse and why we should avoid war. History however doesn’t always play out as ideally as anyone would like and the world sadly is not a utopia.
I USED TO BE MORAL NEW
website/madman
review by Susan Reynolds
website/madman
review by Susan Reynolds
SUSPIRIA NEW
website/MBPublicity
review by Bryanna Reynolds
REVIEW:
Suspiria By Bryanna Reynolds
In this thriller dark film starring Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton and Mia Goth to name a few the audience are taken on a journey through suspense and horror reminiscent of the film ‘Black Swan’. This film is not for the faint of heart but if Alfred Hitchcock suspense and thrills is what you enjoy watching then this should be your next film to watch. If you love anything related to dance, horror and witches then look no further. A woman attending a dance academy is engulfed by witchcraft and the supernatural. With all the fantastic dance sequences and choreography the film takes you on a journey like no other. The cast are a match made in suitable heaven, these ladies string the plot line together and their chemistry works well on screen. The best part about the film is that you truly feel every heart wrenching moment. I would warn of the gore and horror though but I do feel like the film has its moments and allows for you to go with the roller coaster of the narrative. Being a massive fan of psychological thriller films and not so much the gore and horror genre this film did surprise me in a positive way as the directorial contribution of the film was simply breathtaking and a marriage of the film as a whole. I would recommend this film to anyone who is familiar with Alfred Hitchcock and the SAW franchise. I think both of these as an example give you an insight into what the film will be like when you are watching it. I look forward to seeing what the cast and creatives of this film get up to next.
website/MBPublicity
review by Bryanna Reynolds
REVIEW:
Suspiria By Bryanna Reynolds
In this thriller dark film starring Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton and Mia Goth to name a few the audience are taken on a journey through suspense and horror reminiscent of the film ‘Black Swan’. This film is not for the faint of heart but if Alfred Hitchcock suspense and thrills is what you enjoy watching then this should be your next film to watch. If you love anything related to dance, horror and witches then look no further. A woman attending a dance academy is engulfed by witchcraft and the supernatural. With all the fantastic dance sequences and choreography the film takes you on a journey like no other. The cast are a match made in suitable heaven, these ladies string the plot line together and their chemistry works well on screen. The best part about the film is that you truly feel every heart wrenching moment. I would warn of the gore and horror though but I do feel like the film has its moments and allows for you to go with the roller coaster of the narrative. Being a massive fan of psychological thriller films and not so much the gore and horror genre this film did surprise me in a positive way as the directorial contribution of the film was simply breathtaking and a marriage of the film as a whole. I would recommend this film to anyone who is familiar with Alfred Hitchcock and the SAW franchise. I think both of these as an example give you an insight into what the film will be like when you are watching it. I look forward to seeing what the cast and creatives of this film get up to next.
CHARMING NEW
website/Roadshow
RATE: 8/10
website/Roadshow
RATE: 8/10
HUNTER KILLER NEW
website/Roadshow
RATE: 7/10
website/Roadshow
RATE: 7/10
HALLOWEEN NEW
website/Universal Pictures
review by Max Lyons
website/Universal Pictures
review by Max Lyons
THE OLD MAN AND THE GUN NEW
website/Icon Films
review by Susan Reynolds
The Old Man and the Gun
Comedy, crime story (based on real life)
8.0
Review by Susan Reynolds
Set in the 80’s in the USA Robert Redford plays loveable scoundrel Forrest Tucker who is an habitual criminal. He escapes juvenile correction centres in his youth, robs banks before long and escapes authorities throughout his life. All of his victims seem taken aback by his congeniality.
Based on a true story Forrest is never known to actually shoot anyone just bluffs his way to having the tellers fill the money bags by showing his gun under is jacket. He does this in a way that achieves his goals with little drama. Forrest had people involved constantly praising his kindness to investigating police.
Robert Redford has so much charisma if he could bottle it he’d make a fortune well into another lifetime. Redford now 82 has maintained every ounce of his charm; he’s not spent a drop. in fact he’s probably even gained some. He and love interest in the film Jewel played by Sissy Spacek are magic together on screen their acting flawless. Forrest meets Jewel on the road when her car breaks down, the onscreen rapport Is immediate. They strike up a friendship and he visits her farm.
Forrest doesn’t act alone in his escapades and his Fellow “Over the hill gang members” (as they were coined) Danny Glover and Tom Waits were perfect partners in crime and who assisted in the numerous bank holdups.
John Hunt (Casey Affleck) is the cop assigned to bring Forrest in. He took the assignment with some enthusiasm at first but soon he was reluctant, largely due he himself falling under the spell of Forrest’s charm.
We learn things about Forrest and his past. His choices prompted you to think about what you choose to focus on in life. Forrest was always smiling when he was robbing a bank that seemed to make him happy. Some people are who they are ...free spirited and not ever going to lead a conventional life. With Jewel by his side the option was there for Forrest to retire put his slippers on and chill out But what is his choice of action?
website/Icon Films
review by Susan Reynolds
The Old Man and the Gun
Comedy, crime story (based on real life)
8.0
Review by Susan Reynolds
Set in the 80’s in the USA Robert Redford plays loveable scoundrel Forrest Tucker who is an habitual criminal. He escapes juvenile correction centres in his youth, robs banks before long and escapes authorities throughout his life. All of his victims seem taken aback by his congeniality.
Based on a true story Forrest is never known to actually shoot anyone just bluffs his way to having the tellers fill the money bags by showing his gun under is jacket. He does this in a way that achieves his goals with little drama. Forrest had people involved constantly praising his kindness to investigating police.
Robert Redford has so much charisma if he could bottle it he’d make a fortune well into another lifetime. Redford now 82 has maintained every ounce of his charm; he’s not spent a drop. in fact he’s probably even gained some. He and love interest in the film Jewel played by Sissy Spacek are magic together on screen their acting flawless. Forrest meets Jewel on the road when her car breaks down, the onscreen rapport Is immediate. They strike up a friendship and he visits her farm.
Forrest doesn’t act alone in his escapades and his Fellow “Over the hill gang members” (as they were coined) Danny Glover and Tom Waits were perfect partners in crime and who assisted in the numerous bank holdups.
John Hunt (Casey Affleck) is the cop assigned to bring Forrest in. He took the assignment with some enthusiasm at first but soon he was reluctant, largely due he himself falling under the spell of Forrest’s charm.
We learn things about Forrest and his past. His choices prompted you to think about what you choose to focus on in life. Forrest was always smiling when he was robbing a bank that seemed to make him happy. Some people are who they are ...free spirited and not ever going to lead a conventional life. With Jewel by his side the option was there for Forrest to retire put his slippers on and chill out But what is his choice of action?
FAHRENHEIT 11/9 NEW
Madman
RATE: 8/10
We all know Michael Moore. He is famous, he is provocative, he is full of good humor. His first films were blockbusters , his satirical to politics reveals the veils behind the actions of some very powerful people of this world. His first films we watched with an open month. Then we suddenly realised that apart from not 100% proved information Michael only states problems. There are no solutions in his films. They might be funny and juicy to watch like many gossips in the news but they do not make us different. They frustrate more than they heal. This knowledge is pointless IMHO. It is interesting but I have no use for it, honestly. Michael's famous film Fahrenheit 9/100 was so popular we all watched it many times in the row. We even bought the DVDs with his films.
Michael's original idea of the film title though changes in this film and he swaps the numbers from 9/11 in the title to 11/9. We all remember that Michael was blaming George Buch Junior in all sins for the events of the year 2002 in USA. The new film focuses on the mistake Donald Trump is doing destroying American's future.
In is new film Michael covers the shooting in the Parkland school and the water crisis in the city of Flint, Michigan State. The latter issue arises form the local government and authorities' idea to use the waters of the local river to save money . As a result because it the waters pollution more than 100,000 people got health issues. The film get released just before some important mid-term elections in USA. Trump seems very unlucky. They first remove the star from the Hollywood Star Alley. Than suddenly Bob Gail admits that he copied one of his characters from the image of Trump at that time.
Would Michael tell us about the achievements of the new president? No
Would Michael tell us about drug addicts, idiots and other clowns in America? Ad why Trump is so important? No
Suddenly we see that Obama was doing everything so right for America?
Interesting that this film saw the world at all... No president in any country of the world would ever allow something like this to happen.. but Trump did... Is it a surprise?
Anyway: watch the film and make your own mind please!
Madman
RATE: 8/10
We all know Michael Moore. He is famous, he is provocative, he is full of good humor. His first films were blockbusters , his satirical to politics reveals the veils behind the actions of some very powerful people of this world. His first films we watched with an open month. Then we suddenly realised that apart from not 100% proved information Michael only states problems. There are no solutions in his films. They might be funny and juicy to watch like many gossips in the news but they do not make us different. They frustrate more than they heal. This knowledge is pointless IMHO. It is interesting but I have no use for it, honestly. Michael's famous film Fahrenheit 9/100 was so popular we all watched it many times in the row. We even bought the DVDs with his films.
Michael's original idea of the film title though changes in this film and he swaps the numbers from 9/11 in the title to 11/9. We all remember that Michael was blaming George Buch Junior in all sins for the events of the year 2002 in USA. The new film focuses on the mistake Donald Trump is doing destroying American's future.
In is new film Michael covers the shooting in the Parkland school and the water crisis in the city of Flint, Michigan State. The latter issue arises form the local government and authorities' idea to use the waters of the local river to save money . As a result because it the waters pollution more than 100,000 people got health issues. The film get released just before some important mid-term elections in USA. Trump seems very unlucky. They first remove the star from the Hollywood Star Alley. Than suddenly Bob Gail admits that he copied one of his characters from the image of Trump at that time.
Would Michael tell us about the achievements of the new president? No
Would Michael tell us about drug addicts, idiots and other clowns in America? Ad why Trump is so important? No
Suddenly we see that Obama was doing everything so right for America?
Interesting that this film saw the world at all... No president in any country of the world would ever allow something like this to happen.. but Trump did... Is it a surprise?
Anyway: watch the film and make your own mind please!
JOURNEY'S END NEW
Icon Films
RATE: 7/10
Any war no matter what the purpose is is hell.
If you are a war drama lover you can not miss this film. Filmed by British it is also shows the inner soul of cinematography. You will ask "why war is there?" question every second of the movie.
There are no women in it. The peaceful scene is shown closer to the end of the movie.
The colors are grey brown, dark, dusty and smokey. There is no end of the journey as there is no end of suffering of the people who are involved in these war operations, preparations, battles, attack, small victories celebrations, fears etc etc.
There are no colors apart from darkness.
The white and yellow appear as I said later for 1-2 min of the film when the sister reads the letter from her brother about his first day at war , the brother is already dead at this time of the film.
The story line s truthful, innocent and horrifying at the same time which makes it even more horrific.
We see pain, loss, soldiers dirt, mud, smoke, alcohol, soul suffering,
Kaiserschlacht battle 1918 was the most terrible out of all the humanity have seen. The young officer arrived with one purpose only: to resume his friendship with his old friend only to find him deeply depressed, indiffernt, changed, lacking the aim to live, and "healing his pain with alcohol. This newly arrived soldier will experience it all: pain, fear, growing into an adult in 2 minutes through the battle and death. But he asked for it!
The actors are performing finely and naturally.
IMHO the film lacks the confidence from the director's side. Having so much material the film would be much better with more certainty and attention.
The music was a great addition to the mood of the film.
I am not a fan of the war films and I trust this film will be valued higher by the lovers of such genre but it was not really my cup of tea apart fro the excellent actors' performances.
Icon Films
RATE: 7/10
Any war no matter what the purpose is is hell.
If you are a war drama lover you can not miss this film. Filmed by British it is also shows the inner soul of cinematography. You will ask "why war is there?" question every second of the movie.
There are no women in it. The peaceful scene is shown closer to the end of the movie.
The colors are grey brown, dark, dusty and smokey. There is no end of the journey as there is no end of suffering of the people who are involved in these war operations, preparations, battles, attack, small victories celebrations, fears etc etc.
There are no colors apart from darkness.
The white and yellow appear as I said later for 1-2 min of the film when the sister reads the letter from her brother about his first day at war , the brother is already dead at this time of the film.
The story line s truthful, innocent and horrifying at the same time which makes it even more horrific.
We see pain, loss, soldiers dirt, mud, smoke, alcohol, soul suffering,
Kaiserschlacht battle 1918 was the most terrible out of all the humanity have seen. The young officer arrived with one purpose only: to resume his friendship with his old friend only to find him deeply depressed, indiffernt, changed, lacking the aim to live, and "healing his pain with alcohol. This newly arrived soldier will experience it all: pain, fear, growing into an adult in 2 minutes through the battle and death. But he asked for it!
The actors are performing finely and naturally.
IMHO the film lacks the confidence from the director's side. Having so much material the film would be much better with more certainty and attention.
The music was a great addition to the mood of the film.
I am not a fan of the war films and I trust this film will be valued higher by the lovers of such genre but it was not really my cup of tea apart fro the excellent actors' performances.
STORM BOY NEW
website
review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
Storm Boy (2019)
Review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
Geoffrey Rush ( Adult Michael) , Jai Courtney(Tom) and Finn Little (Michael/Storm Boy), star in director Shawn Seets contemporary remake of Colin Theiles classic 1976 Australian story book , Storm Boy.
True to the original storyline, Director Shawn Seets, tells the tale of Michael growing up in a remote and isolated area in South Australia’s Coorong National Park with his reclusive father Tom. In a desperate effort to find friendship, Michael comes across Bill, an aboriginal man who is estranged from his tribe. Bill and Michael come across three baby pelicans who have been orphaned by their mother. With the help of Bill, Michael hand rears the pelicans and forms a close bond with Mr Percival, who much like a human friend, becomes Michaels confidant and best friend, Michael confides in the pelican and they enjoy endless hours on the beach playing ball games together.
As the Pelicans mature, Michael's father explains to his that it is time to let the Pelicans go free and to live in their own natural habitat. Torn between knowing what is best for his 3 pelican friends and by losing three of his closest friends, Michael shares his sadness but nonetheless starts teaching the Pelicans to feed themselves and to fly.
This beautiful adaptation is a wonderful story of friendship and the story is very much a metaphor for Michael growing up and transitioning from childhood to the grown up world of greys and complications. A beautiful line given by Fingerbone Bill ( Trevor Jameison) towards the end of the film “Bird like him never die” is a testament to the lessons that Thiele was trying to teach us all in his original text.
It was a magical and nostaligic experience to be sat in front of the big screen with my 11 year old son, 28 years after the original movie, living the adventures of Michael and his three orphaned , hand raised pelicans , Mr Percival, Mr Proud and Mr Ponder and of course Michaels good friend, Fingerbone Bill.
My Son was delighted by the film and felt all of the emotions with which it came and of course left the cinema wanting to own a pet pelican.
3.5 stars out of 5
website
review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
Storm Boy (2019)
Review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
Geoffrey Rush ( Adult Michael) , Jai Courtney(Tom) and Finn Little (Michael/Storm Boy), star in director Shawn Seets contemporary remake of Colin Theiles classic 1976 Australian story book , Storm Boy.
True to the original storyline, Director Shawn Seets, tells the tale of Michael growing up in a remote and isolated area in South Australia’s Coorong National Park with his reclusive father Tom. In a desperate effort to find friendship, Michael comes across Bill, an aboriginal man who is estranged from his tribe. Bill and Michael come across three baby pelicans who have been orphaned by their mother. With the help of Bill, Michael hand rears the pelicans and forms a close bond with Mr Percival, who much like a human friend, becomes Michaels confidant and best friend, Michael confides in the pelican and they enjoy endless hours on the beach playing ball games together.
As the Pelicans mature, Michael's father explains to his that it is time to let the Pelicans go free and to live in their own natural habitat. Torn between knowing what is best for his 3 pelican friends and by losing three of his closest friends, Michael shares his sadness but nonetheless starts teaching the Pelicans to feed themselves and to fly.
This beautiful adaptation is a wonderful story of friendship and the story is very much a metaphor for Michael growing up and transitioning from childhood to the grown up world of greys and complications. A beautiful line given by Fingerbone Bill ( Trevor Jameison) towards the end of the film “Bird like him never die” is a testament to the lessons that Thiele was trying to teach us all in his original text.
It was a magical and nostaligic experience to be sat in front of the big screen with my 11 year old son, 28 years after the original movie, living the adventures of Michael and his three orphaned , hand raised pelicans , Mr Percival, Mr Proud and Mr Ponder and of course Michaels good friend, Fingerbone Bill.
My Son was delighted by the film and felt all of the emotions with which it came and of course left the cinema wanting to own a pet pelican.
3.5 stars out of 5
FRENCH CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL OPENING EVENT: EVA NEW
website
RATE: 10/10
review by Natasha Lukin
EVA, the essence of a woman
The retrospect viewing of 1962 French melodrana ‘Eva’ at the Astor theatre in Melbourne transported us to the Venice Film Festival of that era.
Not everybody would probably agree with me, but the plot, characters and famous actors playing those characters, are secondary for me comparing to enchanting, mesmerising and nearly surrealistic photography of that B&W artistic phenomena. Actually nothing was really black and white there but endless shades of grey.
Famous Venice canals, rows of gondolas, an Autumn vineyard with fallen leaves on the ground, people with umbrella and in raincoats: we watched them through the light rain mesh.
The stunning photography affected me emotionally more than the storyline although it developed dramatically and also kept you captivated.
A newcomer to Venice, a Welsh novelist Tyvian in Venice finds himself among the artistic and glamorous people feeling a bit out of his place. However, he is an author experiencing his very first novel's big success, "L'Étranger en Enter". He is already engaged to the beautiful Italian girl Francesca looking forward to their wedding.
At that stage, he meets Eva who mysteriously occupied his place. She feels at home wherever she goes bringing her record player with her in order to listen her favourite Billy Holiday’s song.
No other woman had such an effect on Tyvian, as Eva's profoundly feminine looks and erotic demeanour. He was tempted and seduced, and then humiliated by her beyond reason. There were many dramatic moments of their meetings and splits when Tyvian suffered being confused and torn between logic and fatal attraction to money-loving Eva.
At the final meeting of Eva and Tyvian, the record player plays the same song by Billy Holiday. The film ends with church bells ringing out over Piazza San Marco but no one is there. Venice looks empty, no gondolas moving through its canals. Tyvian left alone, Eva, the mysterious dangerous love of his life disappeared.
Eva, the character beyond his reach, was played by Jeanne Moreau. She was one of the brightest French movie star, famous for her many brilliant performances and awarded by many prizes and titles. The role of Tylian was played by Stanley Baker.
The production team included the film’s director Joseph Losey,
Writers James Hadley Chase (the novel’s author), Hugo Butler (adaptation) and music by Michel Legrand.
And of course I just want to repeat that I was so impressed by cinematography by Gianni Di Venanzo.
website
RATE: 10/10
review by Natasha Lukin
EVA, the essence of a woman
The retrospect viewing of 1962 French melodrana ‘Eva’ at the Astor theatre in Melbourne transported us to the Venice Film Festival of that era.
Not everybody would probably agree with me, but the plot, characters and famous actors playing those characters, are secondary for me comparing to enchanting, mesmerising and nearly surrealistic photography of that B&W artistic phenomena. Actually nothing was really black and white there but endless shades of grey.
Famous Venice canals, rows of gondolas, an Autumn vineyard with fallen leaves on the ground, people with umbrella and in raincoats: we watched them through the light rain mesh.
The stunning photography affected me emotionally more than the storyline although it developed dramatically and also kept you captivated.
A newcomer to Venice, a Welsh novelist Tyvian in Venice finds himself among the artistic and glamorous people feeling a bit out of his place. However, he is an author experiencing his very first novel's big success, "L'Étranger en Enter". He is already engaged to the beautiful Italian girl Francesca looking forward to their wedding.
At that stage, he meets Eva who mysteriously occupied his place. She feels at home wherever she goes bringing her record player with her in order to listen her favourite Billy Holiday’s song.
No other woman had such an effect on Tyvian, as Eva's profoundly feminine looks and erotic demeanour. He was tempted and seduced, and then humiliated by her beyond reason. There were many dramatic moments of their meetings and splits when Tyvian suffered being confused and torn between logic and fatal attraction to money-loving Eva.
At the final meeting of Eva and Tyvian, the record player plays the same song by Billy Holiday. The film ends with church bells ringing out over Piazza San Marco but no one is there. Venice looks empty, no gondolas moving through its canals. Tyvian left alone, Eva, the mysterious dangerous love of his life disappeared.
Eva, the character beyond his reach, was played by Jeanne Moreau. She was one of the brightest French movie star, famous for her many brilliant performances and awarded by many prizes and titles. The role of Tylian was played by Stanley Baker.
The production team included the film’s director Joseph Losey,
Writers James Hadley Chase (the novel’s author), Hugo Butler (adaptation) and music by Michel Legrand.
And of course I just want to repeat that I was so impressed by cinematography by Gianni Di Venanzo.
BOY ERASED NEW
Universal Pictures
review by Anthony Wayne
Boy Erased Review:
Anthony Wayne
Running Time: 1h 54m
Director: Joel Edgerton
2/5 stars
After having seen the promotional trailers for Joel’s Edgerton’s new film Boy Erased, I jumped at the opportunity to attend an early preview screening. From the trailer - it seemed all the elements for a powerful and moving film were there – from a heavy story line focusing on gay conversion therapy, a strong Australian cast, and a heart-rending soundtrack featuring Troye Sivan. These individual elements alone were disappointingly not enough to bring this story to life, with the emotional highs and lows you would expect from the subject matter. Written and directed by Joel Edgerton and based on Garrard Conley’s memoir. Russel Crowe and Nicole Kidman play conservative Baptist couple Marshall and Nancy, whose faith is challenged when they discover their teenaged son Jared (Lucas Hedges) may be gay. Marshall seeks the advice from two church leaders and at the risk of damaging their family’s name within their small religious community, insists that change has to happen. Jared is made to attend a gay conversion therapy program to avoid being permanently exiled and shunned by his family, friends and faith. Jared travels with his mother Nancy who stays with him at a local hotel as he undergoes daily sessions facilitated by lead counsellor Victor (Joel Edgerton himself). The program aims to retrain participants by increasing masculinity and reminding them that their homosexual urges are learned rather than something they are born with. Activities include charting out the sinners on one's family tree and sorting the boys on a descending scale of manliness. As Jared progresses through the program, the narrative takes us back to see the moments that have led him there. The isolating journey of Jared becoming aware of his sexuality and the deeply traumatic experience of being forced to deny it, was not successfully conveyed on the screen. Too much of the film is spent going through the motions and leaving us wanting to connect with Jared in ways the film was unable to provide. There are some individual scenes that give us glimpses of a film with heart – a tender moment between Jared and college boy Xavier (Théodore Pellerin) and a moment of angst where Jared unleashes his frustration on a billboard with a petite male model. However these moments often came across as underwhelming without making any strong impact, due to the soft and sensitive direction from Edgerton. There are strong performances from Kidman as a mother struggling with her own belief system, and Hedges depiction as a vulnerable closeted teenager. It felt though they could only do so much with the script given to them, and their frustratingly underdeveloped characters. Boy Erased is released in cinemas Australia wide on Thursday 8th November 2018.
Universal Pictures
review by Anthony Wayne
Boy Erased Review:
Anthony Wayne
Running Time: 1h 54m
Director: Joel Edgerton
2/5 stars
After having seen the promotional trailers for Joel’s Edgerton’s new film Boy Erased, I jumped at the opportunity to attend an early preview screening. From the trailer - it seemed all the elements for a powerful and moving film were there – from a heavy story line focusing on gay conversion therapy, a strong Australian cast, and a heart-rending soundtrack featuring Troye Sivan. These individual elements alone were disappointingly not enough to bring this story to life, with the emotional highs and lows you would expect from the subject matter. Written and directed by Joel Edgerton and based on Garrard Conley’s memoir. Russel Crowe and Nicole Kidman play conservative Baptist couple Marshall and Nancy, whose faith is challenged when they discover their teenaged son Jared (Lucas Hedges) may be gay. Marshall seeks the advice from two church leaders and at the risk of damaging their family’s name within their small religious community, insists that change has to happen. Jared is made to attend a gay conversion therapy program to avoid being permanently exiled and shunned by his family, friends and faith. Jared travels with his mother Nancy who stays with him at a local hotel as he undergoes daily sessions facilitated by lead counsellor Victor (Joel Edgerton himself). The program aims to retrain participants by increasing masculinity and reminding them that their homosexual urges are learned rather than something they are born with. Activities include charting out the sinners on one's family tree and sorting the boys on a descending scale of manliness. As Jared progresses through the program, the narrative takes us back to see the moments that have led him there. The isolating journey of Jared becoming aware of his sexuality and the deeply traumatic experience of being forced to deny it, was not successfully conveyed on the screen. Too much of the film is spent going through the motions and leaving us wanting to connect with Jared in ways the film was unable to provide. There are some individual scenes that give us glimpses of a film with heart – a tender moment between Jared and college boy Xavier (Théodore Pellerin) and a moment of angst where Jared unleashes his frustration on a billboard with a petite male model. However these moments often came across as underwhelming without making any strong impact, due to the soft and sensitive direction from Edgerton. There are strong performances from Kidman as a mother struggling with her own belief system, and Hedges depiction as a vulnerable closeted teenager. It felt though they could only do so much with the script given to them, and their frustratingly underdeveloped characters. Boy Erased is released in cinemas Australia wide on Thursday 8th November 2018.
GHOST STORIES NEW
Icon Films
review by Susan Reynolds
Ghost Stories
2017
Drama/thriller
Review by Susan Reynolds
7.5/10
Professor Phillip Goodman follows three stories intending to expose the supernatural content of them as fraudulent. Ghost stories is a three part movie experience with different scenarios involving unexplained phenomenon. The Professor gets a lot more than he’s bargained for along the way. He finds his own life and his past embroiled into the weave of the story.
In the realm of spine chiller rather than horror, the movie entertains with a great acting cast, superior standard of filming and poses interesting questions until it tries to sandwich the themes together with a vice like grip of neatness in exerting to tie up lose ends.
Are we mad if we believe in anything beyond the scientifically proven. Is the Professor mad or is everyone else’s mad or do their imaginations fool them. For what it’s worth I believe many people have something that happens in our lives that can’t be explained simply.
The movie contains questions of sanity, the supernatural, imagination, belief and disbelief all which can vie for space in our conscious and unconscious thought.
Andy Nyman Professor: Phillip Goodman
Martin Freeman: Mike Priddle
Alex Lawther: Simon Rifkind
Icon Films
review by Susan Reynolds
Ghost Stories
2017
Drama/thriller
Review by Susan Reynolds
7.5/10
Professor Phillip Goodman follows three stories intending to expose the supernatural content of them as fraudulent. Ghost stories is a three part movie experience with different scenarios involving unexplained phenomenon. The Professor gets a lot more than he’s bargained for along the way. He finds his own life and his past embroiled into the weave of the story.
In the realm of spine chiller rather than horror, the movie entertains with a great acting cast, superior standard of filming and poses interesting questions until it tries to sandwich the themes together with a vice like grip of neatness in exerting to tie up lose ends.
Are we mad if we believe in anything beyond the scientifically proven. Is the Professor mad or is everyone else’s mad or do their imaginations fool them. For what it’s worth I believe many people have something that happens in our lives that can’t be explained simply.
The movie contains questions of sanity, the supernatural, imagination, belief and disbelief all which can vie for space in our conscious and unconscious thought.
Andy Nyman Professor: Phillip Goodman
Martin Freeman: Mike Priddle
Alex Lawther: Simon Rifkind
RATE: 7/10
review by Natasha Marchev
Horror is not really my cup of tea. I got to this screening by accident mixing up the dates though. Half way through the film I realised that this is not that I am watching but the film was so good I could not walk out of the cinemas.
"Ghost Stories" title might get the horror film lovers yawning and getting bored immediately but let's not get fooled by the humble title.
This film deserves to be talked about and discussed. I will tell you more. If I have a rare chance to watch movies at the cinemas finding the window in my busy schedule I would not have time to re-tell the story to my husband That film was not the case. I could not stop talking with him about the film. When I finished he said: "It is horror but it is so intriguing, I could not eve n interrupt you" - he was frozen listening to me.
What attracts in this film? Many aspects of it I have to admit.
Firstly it is a very smart and clever blend of the horror films of 70--s and 80-s in is style, secondly it has the modern fresh fresh touch in its same "styling". As a result: a very much so interesting picture with the masterfully shaped suspense that all of us wait drooling in the horror movies. There are also some pleasant sentiments that many modern and quite dry horror films lack. We dip into the surroundings believable and mystical, natural and mysterious at the same time. It attracts as if the story was taking place next door from your house.
The sound track is amazing: it turns from lyrical , home-like cozy, chamber, charming and warm into sharp with a hue of curiosity , sliding with stressful turns and tickling our nerves - in the best traditions of the past.
The directors play the three deck cards with the touch of the great masters : they give us the key that the main and quite skeptical in all paranormal events character, professor Phillip Goodman pronounces out loud : "The mind sees what it wants to see"
Professor spends all his life trying to prove that there is no paranormal in this life and the metaphysical is all the bad and unproved stories created by crooks and liars. One day Goodman receives a letter from the journalist, his idol and his older colleague who vanished many years ago. In his letter professor's friend is asking to visit him as he is sick and can not finish three very strange cases that bothered him all his life. He, the master of revelation of many crooks and liars who work with the fine energies could not explain them They puzzled him for years. But Goodman is the man on the top of everything. He believes that these three cases are just a piece of cake. He set up three appointments and meets three absolutely different people. The "threesome" are presented to us as an open and well written book of adventures collage-ed under that same and modest title we discussed above: Ghost Stories.
Story One.
The dark security man tells his life story and his hardships as well as he retells the story of what happened to him one night while he was guarding the old and full of garbage ware house that was a loony bin long time ago.
Story Two.
The pale and scared of every sound your lad with deep and sparkly eyes how hides under 20 different door locks inside the guts of his dark house tells his story about his adventures in the night forest. The walls of his room are covered by the pictures of the creatures . The young man is sure that he accidentally killed one of such creatures in the forest while he was driving his car back home from the party. His investigations are continuing almost destroying his brain.
Story Three
It is the most interesting and the most weird story our of all. The story is an organic culmination of the whole film. The ex-broker is cynical and mercantile to the core of his brain, He is the man operating with figures, math analysis and visible things: mainly money. It did not prevent though to start believing that the dark forces touched his family. The poltergeist was a usual act taking place in his very wealth estate.. But this means nothing to what he experienced when his wife gave a birth to a creature that would not have name in hell.
The pictures and episodes of the film changed each other one after the other while I sat there clued to the cinema chair They were serious (natural) and absurd (mystical) and I caught myself in the middle of the thought: are they telling us the truth or is it a made up story?
The answer to this question is still the same: "It is all in your mind" "your mind sees that it wants to see" do you think it is a a real story or a science fiction? It is the film where the truth and illusion got combined into one unrevealable knot that we are unable to get undone.
Should I talk separately about the actors and their acting No, I will not. One word: STUNNING performance by ALL!!!! Speechless, stunning performance! But I will mention!
Paul Whitehouse played brilliantly the man who turns everything into dust - everything he touches... probably with his own unpleasant darkness and unhappiness. We stop breathing and die when we see him. His experience is well deserved.
Alex Lawther in his amazing performance is tender and young,, innocent, fearful and highly emotional, living with the constant almost religious guilt and still remembering the events of that terrible night of murdering. We get worried about his mental health. His acting is breathtaking!
Martin Freeman is always playing "the guy next door" as he remember him by his amplua. We see him from a different side this time. His image now triggers different emotions.
We find ourselves highly intellectually manipulated by the film story line. The directors do not go into some deep mystical and unbelievable acts , the events are all so natural and so trustworthy despite our "ghost party" expectations. The frames are kept on the mild side but it does not diminish the horror that we relive as the audience. s I mentioned already above the style of the horror film is very modest and almost "virgin". We trust into the stories because they are shown so emphasisingly honestly! It blends so well with the story of of the professor's childhood shown with a lot of talent by the directors. The story of childhood is connected to the main hero's thoughts about the essence of life and its purpose, about the punishment for the bad deeds taken place and about death itself.
The film though ends in the most absurd way which can be I believe shown as a case of study for some psychiatric hospital doctors. There are keys in the locks, skeletons in the wardrobes, the magic of the numbers and so much of the other "symbols" that we people give way too much credit in our own lives. Back to the ending: it looks like the directors keep laughing together with the main hero on the "paranormal" while the main hero is dying in the hospital bed,.. I guess no one will understand it. I did not!
Does the film worth watching? No, I would not go and watch it twice but I watched it by accident... was it a mystery n its own? Who knows...
review by Natasha Marchev
Horror is not really my cup of tea. I got to this screening by accident mixing up the dates though. Half way through the film I realised that this is not that I am watching but the film was so good I could not walk out of the cinemas.
"Ghost Stories" title might get the horror film lovers yawning and getting bored immediately but let's not get fooled by the humble title.
This film deserves to be talked about and discussed. I will tell you more. If I have a rare chance to watch movies at the cinemas finding the window in my busy schedule I would not have time to re-tell the story to my husband That film was not the case. I could not stop talking with him about the film. When I finished he said: "It is horror but it is so intriguing, I could not eve n interrupt you" - he was frozen listening to me.
What attracts in this film? Many aspects of it I have to admit.
Firstly it is a very smart and clever blend of the horror films of 70--s and 80-s in is style, secondly it has the modern fresh fresh touch in its same "styling". As a result: a very much so interesting picture with the masterfully shaped suspense that all of us wait drooling in the horror movies. There are also some pleasant sentiments that many modern and quite dry horror films lack. We dip into the surroundings believable and mystical, natural and mysterious at the same time. It attracts as if the story was taking place next door from your house.
The sound track is amazing: it turns from lyrical , home-like cozy, chamber, charming and warm into sharp with a hue of curiosity , sliding with stressful turns and tickling our nerves - in the best traditions of the past.
The directors play the three deck cards with the touch of the great masters : they give us the key that the main and quite skeptical in all paranormal events character, professor Phillip Goodman pronounces out loud : "The mind sees what it wants to see"
Professor spends all his life trying to prove that there is no paranormal in this life and the metaphysical is all the bad and unproved stories created by crooks and liars. One day Goodman receives a letter from the journalist, his idol and his older colleague who vanished many years ago. In his letter professor's friend is asking to visit him as he is sick and can not finish three very strange cases that bothered him all his life. He, the master of revelation of many crooks and liars who work with the fine energies could not explain them They puzzled him for years. But Goodman is the man on the top of everything. He believes that these three cases are just a piece of cake. He set up three appointments and meets three absolutely different people. The "threesome" are presented to us as an open and well written book of adventures collage-ed under that same and modest title we discussed above: Ghost Stories.
Story One.
The dark security man tells his life story and his hardships as well as he retells the story of what happened to him one night while he was guarding the old and full of garbage ware house that was a loony bin long time ago.
Story Two.
The pale and scared of every sound your lad with deep and sparkly eyes how hides under 20 different door locks inside the guts of his dark house tells his story about his adventures in the night forest. The walls of his room are covered by the pictures of the creatures . The young man is sure that he accidentally killed one of such creatures in the forest while he was driving his car back home from the party. His investigations are continuing almost destroying his brain.
Story Three
It is the most interesting and the most weird story our of all. The story is an organic culmination of the whole film. The ex-broker is cynical and mercantile to the core of his brain, He is the man operating with figures, math analysis and visible things: mainly money. It did not prevent though to start believing that the dark forces touched his family. The poltergeist was a usual act taking place in his very wealth estate.. But this means nothing to what he experienced when his wife gave a birth to a creature that would not have name in hell.
The pictures and episodes of the film changed each other one after the other while I sat there clued to the cinema chair They were serious (natural) and absurd (mystical) and I caught myself in the middle of the thought: are they telling us the truth or is it a made up story?
The answer to this question is still the same: "It is all in your mind" "your mind sees that it wants to see" do you think it is a a real story or a science fiction? It is the film where the truth and illusion got combined into one unrevealable knot that we are unable to get undone.
Should I talk separately about the actors and their acting No, I will not. One word: STUNNING performance by ALL!!!! Speechless, stunning performance! But I will mention!
Paul Whitehouse played brilliantly the man who turns everything into dust - everything he touches... probably with his own unpleasant darkness and unhappiness. We stop breathing and die when we see him. His experience is well deserved.
Alex Lawther in his amazing performance is tender and young,, innocent, fearful and highly emotional, living with the constant almost religious guilt and still remembering the events of that terrible night of murdering. We get worried about his mental health. His acting is breathtaking!
Martin Freeman is always playing "the guy next door" as he remember him by his amplua. We see him from a different side this time. His image now triggers different emotions.
We find ourselves highly intellectually manipulated by the film story line. The directors do not go into some deep mystical and unbelievable acts , the events are all so natural and so trustworthy despite our "ghost party" expectations. The frames are kept on the mild side but it does not diminish the horror that we relive as the audience. s I mentioned already above the style of the horror film is very modest and almost "virgin". We trust into the stories because they are shown so emphasisingly honestly! It blends so well with the story of of the professor's childhood shown with a lot of talent by the directors. The story of childhood is connected to the main hero's thoughts about the essence of life and its purpose, about the punishment for the bad deeds taken place and about death itself.
The film though ends in the most absurd way which can be I believe shown as a case of study for some psychiatric hospital doctors. There are keys in the locks, skeletons in the wardrobes, the magic of the numbers and so much of the other "symbols" that we people give way too much credit in our own lives. Back to the ending: it looks like the directors keep laughing together with the main hero on the "paranormal" while the main hero is dying in the hospital bed,.. I guess no one will understand it. I did not!
Does the film worth watching? No, I would not go and watch it twice but I watched it by accident... was it a mystery n its own? Who knows...
BEAUTIFUL BOY NEW
website
review by Susan Reynolds
“Beautiful Boy”
Drama
Based on the best-selling pair of memoirs from father and son David and Nic Sheff.
8/10
Director: Felix Van Groeningen
Steve Carell : David Sheff
Timothee Chalamet: Nic Sheff
Maura Tierney: Karen Barbour
Amy Ryan: Vicki Sheff
Review: Susan Reynolds
Devastating story of a young man’s addiction and how his father grappled with his son’s tragic descent in the world of hard drugs. Nic was the eldest son in the family along with his stepmother, little stepbrother and sister who all lived together. Nic’s biological mother had been divorced from his dad and lived in another state and was also was part of the story. The film focused mainly on father David and son Nic.
In the beginning David is filled with hope and resolve to help his son when it emerged he had a drug problem. David was proactive focused and persuasive with Nic and sent him for treatment. Nic had experimented with weed and even reminded his father that he once smoked weed. Nic was excited about sharing the experience of smoking with his dad early in the film. But Nic subsequently ventured past smoking a few leisurely joints.
Nic habits had moved onto cocaine, pills then eventually crystal meth. David had to educate himself about it all even desperately resorting to snorting up to find out what is driving his son into this deadly maelstrom. David’s confidence and sanity was being stripped away by the continuing devastation of his son’s failure to quit drugs. David’s heart is eventually hardened until he can give no more.
Poignant scenes are where Nic meets his father in the diner. Nic is desperate for money for a fix. There’s not even a glimpse of the warm hearted Nic who is a shell of his former self under the dark cloud of addiction the narcotics pulling his strings. There’s the tension between father and son as David had become fully aware that it’s beg borrow or steal for drug money. Nic had no self-respect left as he tried to con his father to get what he needs.
In the memoirs by Nic and David Nic resorted to prostitution to feed his addiction. It did cross my mind in the film how was he able to afford the constant supply of drugs; this factor the film didn’t really fully address. Had the film touched upon this it could have been all the more powerful. The brilliant acting has to be noted as the shining beacon that allowed for any shortcomings in the screen writing.
The musical choices cleverly added to the moods in the film. I really liked the various tracks particularly “Beautiful Boy” by John Lennon evoking that deep love between father and son.
Whilst the movie flowed well to and fro from the present to the past with flashbacks to Nic as a young child it was I think slightly unnecessarily longer than it needed to be. Stopping to give a moment to scenes that showed great emotion was meaningful; but overall the film was a little drawn out in general than warranted.
website
review by Susan Reynolds
“Beautiful Boy”
Drama
Based on the best-selling pair of memoirs from father and son David and Nic Sheff.
8/10
Director: Felix Van Groeningen
Steve Carell : David Sheff
Timothee Chalamet: Nic Sheff
Maura Tierney: Karen Barbour
Amy Ryan: Vicki Sheff
Review: Susan Reynolds
Devastating story of a young man’s addiction and how his father grappled with his son’s tragic descent in the world of hard drugs. Nic was the eldest son in the family along with his stepmother, little stepbrother and sister who all lived together. Nic’s biological mother had been divorced from his dad and lived in another state and was also was part of the story. The film focused mainly on father David and son Nic.
In the beginning David is filled with hope and resolve to help his son when it emerged he had a drug problem. David was proactive focused and persuasive with Nic and sent him for treatment. Nic had experimented with weed and even reminded his father that he once smoked weed. Nic was excited about sharing the experience of smoking with his dad early in the film. But Nic subsequently ventured past smoking a few leisurely joints.
Nic habits had moved onto cocaine, pills then eventually crystal meth. David had to educate himself about it all even desperately resorting to snorting up to find out what is driving his son into this deadly maelstrom. David’s confidence and sanity was being stripped away by the continuing devastation of his son’s failure to quit drugs. David’s heart is eventually hardened until he can give no more.
Poignant scenes are where Nic meets his father in the diner. Nic is desperate for money for a fix. There’s not even a glimpse of the warm hearted Nic who is a shell of his former self under the dark cloud of addiction the narcotics pulling his strings. There’s the tension between father and son as David had become fully aware that it’s beg borrow or steal for drug money. Nic had no self-respect left as he tried to con his father to get what he needs.
In the memoirs by Nic and David Nic resorted to prostitution to feed his addiction. It did cross my mind in the film how was he able to afford the constant supply of drugs; this factor the film didn’t really fully address. Had the film touched upon this it could have been all the more powerful. The brilliant acting has to be noted as the shining beacon that allowed for any shortcomings in the screen writing.
The musical choices cleverly added to the moods in the film. I really liked the various tracks particularly “Beautiful Boy” by John Lennon evoking that deep love between father and son.
Whilst the movie flowed well to and fro from the present to the past with flashbacks to Nic as a young child it was I think slightly unnecessarily longer than it needed to be. Stopping to give a moment to scenes that showed great emotion was meaningful; but overall the film was a little drawn out in general than warranted.
A STAR IS BORN NEW
website
review Roslynn Webb
A Star is Born
Review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
You know those films - the ones that you walk out of carrying more than when you went in, those films that you think about for days? I am not sure if Bradley Cooper intentionally directed this film that way, or whether he unknowingly set about to awaken something in us all, by exposing the real life of a rockstar as portrayed by his film character Jackson Maine, in the recent release of A STAR IS BORN.
Debuting in a directing and writing role, as well as being the male lead actor, Bradley Cooper has just created something that will leave us all lost for words.
Unveiling the rockstar lifestyle of touring, booze and drugs , Cooper gives the audience the privilege of exposing the unravelling of a talented, lonely rocker who stumbles into a bar and sees the love of his life appear right in front of him ( Gaga).
As the love story of Ally and Jackson unfolds, I am moved to tears by the love that he has for Ally and how he stepped back at exactly the right moments to allow her to shine, then stepped back in when he believed Ally was losing her way.
The story is very much about Jackson Maine, yet the journey is about unselfish, requited, beautiful, honest love.
With heartfelt story book lyrics, the script fills in the blanks of the masterfully purposeful soundtrack. I listened to the sound track on the way home from the cinema in the car and was able to relive every moment.
A Star is Born is a love story unlike any other I have seen in a while. There wasn't a part of my emotions that weren't tethered. Joy, happiness, yearning, fear, anticipation, contentment and pure sadness. That’s a lot to take on in one movie, but Bradley Cooper masterfully managed them all.
In her debut leading role in a Hollywood film, Lady Gaga ( Ally) shone as she portrayed awkward, unassuming Ally. Her character undeniably matching the snippets of the real gaga that she has allowed us to see since she shot to fame in the music world.
A Star is Born did not miss a beat and this is one of those films I am going to tell everyone they HAVE to see regardless of whether they have seen previous versions.
There is something unique and raw about this film that will change everything you thought you knew about stardom.
4 1/2 out of 5 Stars
website
review Roslynn Webb
A Star is Born
Review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
You know those films - the ones that you walk out of carrying more than when you went in, those films that you think about for days? I am not sure if Bradley Cooper intentionally directed this film that way, or whether he unknowingly set about to awaken something in us all, by exposing the real life of a rockstar as portrayed by his film character Jackson Maine, in the recent release of A STAR IS BORN.
Debuting in a directing and writing role, as well as being the male lead actor, Bradley Cooper has just created something that will leave us all lost for words.
Unveiling the rockstar lifestyle of touring, booze and drugs , Cooper gives the audience the privilege of exposing the unravelling of a talented, lonely rocker who stumbles into a bar and sees the love of his life appear right in front of him ( Gaga).
As the love story of Ally and Jackson unfolds, I am moved to tears by the love that he has for Ally and how he stepped back at exactly the right moments to allow her to shine, then stepped back in when he believed Ally was losing her way.
The story is very much about Jackson Maine, yet the journey is about unselfish, requited, beautiful, honest love.
With heartfelt story book lyrics, the script fills in the blanks of the masterfully purposeful soundtrack. I listened to the sound track on the way home from the cinema in the car and was able to relive every moment.
A Star is Born is a love story unlike any other I have seen in a while. There wasn't a part of my emotions that weren't tethered. Joy, happiness, yearning, fear, anticipation, contentment and pure sadness. That’s a lot to take on in one movie, but Bradley Cooper masterfully managed them all.
In her debut leading role in a Hollywood film, Lady Gaga ( Ally) shone as she portrayed awkward, unassuming Ally. Her character undeniably matching the snippets of the real gaga that she has allowed us to see since she shot to fame in the music world.
A Star is Born did not miss a beat and this is one of those films I am going to tell everyone they HAVE to see regardless of whether they have seen previous versions.
There is something unique and raw about this film that will change everything you thought you knew about stardom.
4 1/2 out of 5 Stars
Ros' alternative review
A Star is Born
Melbourne Premier Rivoli Village Cinema Hawthorn East
Review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper), a hard drinking, established musician, is en route to a show when an empty bottle has him searching for a drink. He unexpectedly finds himself in a Drag Queen bar .
Performing shortly after his arrival is waitress Ally ( Lady GaGa), who cameos at the Drag bar every Friday night to fulfil her love of singing. Her powerful rendition of La Vien Rose captivates Jack and he seeks her out backstage and waits for her after the show. From here blossoms a beautiful friendship and subsequent love story where the love for another, sees one catapult to stardom whilst the other falls, encapsulating the notion that in order for one star to shine brightly, another must burn out.
Seeing something in Ally that others had chosen to ignore, Jack thrust Ally into the spotlight and encouraged her to believe in herself and share with the world voice and her story. As Ally finds her way in the music industry, concerned that she is losing her way, Jack frequently reminds her of why she started writing music in the first place.
As Ally catapults her career with the help of her producer Rez (Rafi Gavron), in Jack we see what may be mistaken as jealousy , but in fact it is the purest of love, and aconcern that amongst the facade of the Pop Star, Ally has forgotten her true purpose. It is strikingly obvious throughout the film how much Jack loves Ally, the way he looks at her, the way he listens to her and the way he cares for her, it is difficult to remember at times that this is in fact a Hollywood movie and not a documentary.
She is his muse as much as he is hers.
The storyline in this film is a beautiful play of synchronicity. I was moved to tears when I witnessed Jack unassumingly step back at exactly the right moments, yet step back in when he felt Ally was losing her way.
When Ally flew too high, Jack bought her home.
Through his meticulous directing, Cooper makes bold references in relation to some of todays most relevant societal issues, including what it takes to make it to stardom in modern day America, the effects of addiction on close relationships, the loss of loved ones and the dark uncertain world of mental health.
Bradley Cooper performs all of his own songs stating he prepared musically and vocally for the role for 18 months prior to filming, even lowering his natural voice an octave to find the sound that he had envisioned for Jackson Maine.
Fine tuning his talents even more, he also learnt how to play the guitar and piano to a professional level.
In her debut leading role in a Hollywood film, lady Gaga shone as she portrayed awkward, unassuming Ally, her character undeniably matching the snippets of the real gaga that she has allowed us to see since she shot to fame in the music world.
With an ending which will not leave anyone untouched, A Star is Born is set to be the movie of the year. I have no doubt that this film has Oscar awards written all over it.
There is so much raw talent that the lack of dialogue in this film didn't stop the intricate telling of a beautiful yet tragic tale.
If you see this film on the big screen, you will have the privilege of witnessing Ally become famous, but the real star is not born until the very end.
I give this film 4 1/2 out of 5 stars
A Star is Born is released Nationally on 18th October 2018
A Star is Born
Melbourne Premier Rivoli Village Cinema Hawthorn East
Review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper), a hard drinking, established musician, is en route to a show when an empty bottle has him searching for a drink. He unexpectedly finds himself in a Drag Queen bar .
Performing shortly after his arrival is waitress Ally ( Lady GaGa), who cameos at the Drag bar every Friday night to fulfil her love of singing. Her powerful rendition of La Vien Rose captivates Jack and he seeks her out backstage and waits for her after the show. From here blossoms a beautiful friendship and subsequent love story where the love for another, sees one catapult to stardom whilst the other falls, encapsulating the notion that in order for one star to shine brightly, another must burn out.
Seeing something in Ally that others had chosen to ignore, Jack thrust Ally into the spotlight and encouraged her to believe in herself and share with the world voice and her story. As Ally finds her way in the music industry, concerned that she is losing her way, Jack frequently reminds her of why she started writing music in the first place.
As Ally catapults her career with the help of her producer Rez (Rafi Gavron), in Jack we see what may be mistaken as jealousy , but in fact it is the purest of love, and aconcern that amongst the facade of the Pop Star, Ally has forgotten her true purpose. It is strikingly obvious throughout the film how much Jack loves Ally, the way he looks at her, the way he listens to her and the way he cares for her, it is difficult to remember at times that this is in fact a Hollywood movie and not a documentary.
She is his muse as much as he is hers.
The storyline in this film is a beautiful play of synchronicity. I was moved to tears when I witnessed Jack unassumingly step back at exactly the right moments, yet step back in when he felt Ally was losing her way.
When Ally flew too high, Jack bought her home.
Through his meticulous directing, Cooper makes bold references in relation to some of todays most relevant societal issues, including what it takes to make it to stardom in modern day America, the effects of addiction on close relationships, the loss of loved ones and the dark uncertain world of mental health.
Bradley Cooper performs all of his own songs stating he prepared musically and vocally for the role for 18 months prior to filming, even lowering his natural voice an octave to find the sound that he had envisioned for Jackson Maine.
Fine tuning his talents even more, he also learnt how to play the guitar and piano to a professional level.
In her debut leading role in a Hollywood film, lady Gaga shone as she portrayed awkward, unassuming Ally, her character undeniably matching the snippets of the real gaga that she has allowed us to see since she shot to fame in the music world.
With an ending which will not leave anyone untouched, A Star is Born is set to be the movie of the year. I have no doubt that this film has Oscar awards written all over it.
There is so much raw talent that the lack of dialogue in this film didn't stop the intricate telling of a beautiful yet tragic tale.
If you see this film on the big screen, you will have the privilege of witnessing Ally become famous, but the real star is not born until the very end.
I give this film 4 1/2 out of 5 stars
A Star is Born is released Nationally on 18th October 2018
FIRST MAN NEW
website
review by Max Lyons
Director:
Damien Chazelle.
Starring:
Ryan Gosling,
Claire Foy,
Jason Clarke,
Kyle Chandler,
Corey Stoll.
Genre:
Drama, History.
Rating:
M.
Running time:
141 Minutes.
Film Review:
By Maxwell M. Lyons
Everyone knows the name Neil Armstrong; the American hero, the first man on the moon. What he did is known the world over, a cornerstone in the history of man, but who he was as a person and how he came to be the interplanetary icon is a tale much less renowned. First Man, directed by Damien Chazelle and starring Ryan Gosling as the man himself, recounts the life of Armstrong and the events leading up to the first cosmic “leap for mankind”.
For those familiar with Gosling’s acting history, the emotionally binary persona of Armstrong may seem a far cry from the mean, but rest assured it is well within his impressively diverse acting repertoire. The performances of both Gosling and co-star Claire Foy, playing Armstrong’s wife Janet, were nothing short of impeccable, though neither character portrayal would be considered ostentatious; their depth of character was more subtle. Armstrong (true to life) had a very calculating and stoic demeanour, and though sentimentally discerning lacked the expressive capacity to show it, leaving much of the emotional burden to Janet. Whilst this display of authenticity is refreshingly humanistic and provided insight into the couple’s dynamic it shrouded a false pretence of detachment over the dramatic nature of events occurring in parallel – more on this later.
Supporting cast were respectable, if unnoteworthy, with rather shallow character portrayals – not the fault of the actors/actresses per se, the movie just predominantly lacked character development beyond the leading roles, with supporting characters acting as little more than filler, plot-devices, and/or for biographical accuracy. A prime example of this was Buzz Aldrin (Corey Stoll) who, despite being considered unequivocally pivotal to the Gemini/Apollo mission projects (even more so than Armstrong himself), saw all of about 5-minutes of screen time in the near 2.5-hour runtime. Not only that, but for reasons both narratively unexplained and unnecessary Aldrin’s character is portrayed as antagonistic for the most part, though this amounts to nothing in the plot nor any dynamic between characters – despite the smallest of tensious interactions earlier in the movie, there was seemingly no apprehension (or character relationship at all) between the two men aboard the Apollo 11 shuttle. I understand the focus of the film was clearly on Armstrong himself, but the lack of character depth in the supporting roles made for a narrow scope in execution. This was but one of many narrative shortcomings, unfortunately.
As mentioned above, the expressive imbalance between Armstrong and his wife detracted from the drama the movie saw itself as. Rightly so, there were many tragedies throughout all stages of NASA’s near decade-long lunar ambitions, all for what was essentially a d--- measuring contest between USA and Russia. In hindsight, it’s easy to reflect on the endeavour with rose-coloured lenses, but real people suffered harrowing fates of trauma, injury, and death. First Man does try to highlight this point – the questions of “Why?” and “Was it really worth it?” – but it ends up being lost amongst all the other “drama” in Armstrong’s life, itself deprived of the authentic gravity the real-world events encompassed. Put simply, the dramatic narrative felt disconnected, and it was hard to invest in any one incident as they all felt so surface level and isolated it was ultimately boring. The inconsistent and often unclear pacing and timeframe of events only served to compound the ennui.
If there is but one redeeming quality to First Man it is hands down the cinematic experience it marvels. The cinematography is masterfully shot, with digital effects added in post-production to artificially age the film (adding noise and a touch of oversaturation) bringing to life the era in which it portrays. The final scenes of the film (the moon landing), however, transitions to shots taken using an IMAX camera. It’s an experience like no other and leaves you in a state of awe as you experience the breathtaking atmosphere of the lunar landscapes. To top it all off, the implementation of CQI was seamless throughout and truly unified the practical and digital cinematic aspects. My only gripe is perhaps a slight over-reliance of close-up shots, though I assume this was to try to add a sense of emotion to what was an otherwise lacklustre “drama”.
First Man was a conflicting watch. The lead roles were masterfully acted, and the cinematic experience was something to be revered. Unfortunately, ever enjoyable aspect of the film’s composition was undermined by a dramatically stale narrative making for a terribly paced bore of a watch. At 2-hours 20-minutes, I’m not sure I would recommend the time investment – Gosling and Foy are brilliant, but you can see equally outstanding performances in better movies from their filmography; the cinematography is remarkable but perhaps not worth the time investment; and at the very least if you were hoping to learn more about NASA’s Gemini/Apollo lunar projects you’d be far better off reading the Wikipedia page. An exceptionally well-made bore of a watch and one I doubt I’ll be sitting through again.
will be released in cinemas Australia-wide on October 11, 2018.
website
review by Max Lyons
Director:
Damien Chazelle.
Starring:
Ryan Gosling,
Claire Foy,
Jason Clarke,
Kyle Chandler,
Corey Stoll.
Genre:
Drama, History.
Rating:
M.
Running time:
141 Minutes.
Film Review:
By Maxwell M. Lyons
Everyone knows the name Neil Armstrong; the American hero, the first man on the moon. What he did is known the world over, a cornerstone in the history of man, but who he was as a person and how he came to be the interplanetary icon is a tale much less renowned. First Man, directed by Damien Chazelle and starring Ryan Gosling as the man himself, recounts the life of Armstrong and the events leading up to the first cosmic “leap for mankind”.
For those familiar with Gosling’s acting history, the emotionally binary persona of Armstrong may seem a far cry from the mean, but rest assured it is well within his impressively diverse acting repertoire. The performances of both Gosling and co-star Claire Foy, playing Armstrong’s wife Janet, were nothing short of impeccable, though neither character portrayal would be considered ostentatious; their depth of character was more subtle. Armstrong (true to life) had a very calculating and stoic demeanour, and though sentimentally discerning lacked the expressive capacity to show it, leaving much of the emotional burden to Janet. Whilst this display of authenticity is refreshingly humanistic and provided insight into the couple’s dynamic it shrouded a false pretence of detachment over the dramatic nature of events occurring in parallel – more on this later.
Supporting cast were respectable, if unnoteworthy, with rather shallow character portrayals – not the fault of the actors/actresses per se, the movie just predominantly lacked character development beyond the leading roles, with supporting characters acting as little more than filler, plot-devices, and/or for biographical accuracy. A prime example of this was Buzz Aldrin (Corey Stoll) who, despite being considered unequivocally pivotal to the Gemini/Apollo mission projects (even more so than Armstrong himself), saw all of about 5-minutes of screen time in the near 2.5-hour runtime. Not only that, but for reasons both narratively unexplained and unnecessary Aldrin’s character is portrayed as antagonistic for the most part, though this amounts to nothing in the plot nor any dynamic between characters – despite the smallest of tensious interactions earlier in the movie, there was seemingly no apprehension (or character relationship at all) between the two men aboard the Apollo 11 shuttle. I understand the focus of the film was clearly on Armstrong himself, but the lack of character depth in the supporting roles made for a narrow scope in execution. This was but one of many narrative shortcomings, unfortunately.
As mentioned above, the expressive imbalance between Armstrong and his wife detracted from the drama the movie saw itself as. Rightly so, there were many tragedies throughout all stages of NASA’s near decade-long lunar ambitions, all for what was essentially a d--- measuring contest between USA and Russia. In hindsight, it’s easy to reflect on the endeavour with rose-coloured lenses, but real people suffered harrowing fates of trauma, injury, and death. First Man does try to highlight this point – the questions of “Why?” and “Was it really worth it?” – but it ends up being lost amongst all the other “drama” in Armstrong’s life, itself deprived of the authentic gravity the real-world events encompassed. Put simply, the dramatic narrative felt disconnected, and it was hard to invest in any one incident as they all felt so surface level and isolated it was ultimately boring. The inconsistent and often unclear pacing and timeframe of events only served to compound the ennui.
If there is but one redeeming quality to First Man it is hands down the cinematic experience it marvels. The cinematography is masterfully shot, with digital effects added in post-production to artificially age the film (adding noise and a touch of oversaturation) bringing to life the era in which it portrays. The final scenes of the film (the moon landing), however, transitions to shots taken using an IMAX camera. It’s an experience like no other and leaves you in a state of awe as you experience the breathtaking atmosphere of the lunar landscapes. To top it all off, the implementation of CQI was seamless throughout and truly unified the practical and digital cinematic aspects. My only gripe is perhaps a slight over-reliance of close-up shots, though I assume this was to try to add a sense of emotion to what was an otherwise lacklustre “drama”.
First Man was a conflicting watch. The lead roles were masterfully acted, and the cinematic experience was something to be revered. Unfortunately, ever enjoyable aspect of the film’s composition was undermined by a dramatically stale narrative making for a terribly paced bore of a watch. At 2-hours 20-minutes, I’m not sure I would recommend the time investment – Gosling and Foy are brilliant, but you can see equally outstanding performances in better movies from their filmography; the cinematography is remarkable but perhaps not worth the time investment; and at the very least if you were hoping to learn more about NASA’s Gemini/Apollo lunar projects you’d be far better off reading the Wikipedia page. An exceptionally well-made bore of a watch and one I doubt I’ll be sitting through again.
will be released in cinemas Australia-wide on October 11, 2018.
PDF VERSION
| first_man_-_film_review_max_lyons_2.pdf |
BOOK WEEK NEW
Nixco
RATE: 9/10
Book Week is a rough (in its best meaning) Australian film with dark but light and very engaging humour and superb acting. Nicholas Cutler ( Alan Dukes) is an English language school teacher. He is a novelist who decided to take a "safer" path in his life. As we know there is a tradition to dress up as a book hero for the Australia schools Book Week. This week: Monday till the end of it is not a fun game at all for Nic. Life shows him its ungraceful face from all the corners at all levels: there are lovers chasing him, there are students acting unsatisfactory, there is an alcohol after all. He looks at us an we see a terrible man. we can not accept it but for some reason we love him. We want him to succeed in life: find the love of his life, find the right path for his career and for god sake: stop drinking! Nic writes a story and he is ready to get it published bu the array of strangest and co-knotted accidents in his life prevent the dream of his life to come true. How does it all happen?
I thought it was a genius comedy with lots of story twists and turns and with no much more to say: go watch it and have fun! You will enjoy it!
Nixco
RATE: 9/10
Book Week is a rough (in its best meaning) Australian film with dark but light and very engaging humour and superb acting. Nicholas Cutler ( Alan Dukes) is an English language school teacher. He is a novelist who decided to take a "safer" path in his life. As we know there is a tradition to dress up as a book hero for the Australia schools Book Week. This week: Monday till the end of it is not a fun game at all for Nic. Life shows him its ungraceful face from all the corners at all levels: there are lovers chasing him, there are students acting unsatisfactory, there is an alcohol after all. He looks at us an we see a terrible man. we can not accept it but for some reason we love him. We want him to succeed in life: find the love of his life, find the right path for his career and for god sake: stop drinking! Nic writes a story and he is ready to get it published bu the array of strangest and co-knotted accidents in his life prevent the dream of his life to come true. How does it all happen?
I thought it was a genius comedy with lots of story twists and turns and with no much more to say: go watch it and have fun! You will enjoy it!
JOURNEY BEYOND FEAR NEW
Cinema Nova
RATE: 6/10
This film is about human rights. It is highly artistic though neglecting the theme and its dry subject does not prevent it from being artistic and attractive . It is shot in Malaysia and partially in Australia, It mainly focuses on the experience of a Afghan refugee family with three daughters that are waiting for their visa in suspense to migrate to the Australian shores. It mentions the history of the family that was much larger, on its hardships and its dreams that finally turn into a happy reality.
Zahra, one of the sisters though that main attention is concentrated to. Her emotional state while she as part of her family is waiting for her future is touching. We slowly but surely become part of the family connecting with them on the invisible level , feeling for them and expecting the final results for their destiny. It is filmed over seven years and shows the development one this one family on so many levels. The film is full of joy love, fear, happiness and light and very well shown humour. The film breaks our stereotypes on who the people arriving from overseas are and how they fight for the rights to be humans to respect after all...
Cinema Nova
RATE: 6/10
This film is about human rights. It is highly artistic though neglecting the theme and its dry subject does not prevent it from being artistic and attractive . It is shot in Malaysia and partially in Australia, It mainly focuses on the experience of a Afghan refugee family with three daughters that are waiting for their visa in suspense to migrate to the Australian shores. It mentions the history of the family that was much larger, on its hardships and its dreams that finally turn into a happy reality.
Zahra, one of the sisters though that main attention is concentrated to. Her emotional state while she as part of her family is waiting for her future is touching. We slowly but surely become part of the family connecting with them on the invisible level , feeling for them and expecting the final results for their destiny. It is filmed over seven years and shows the development one this one family on so many levels. The film is full of joy love, fear, happiness and light and very well shown humour. The film breaks our stereotypes on who the people arriving from overseas are and how they fight for the rights to be humans to respect after all...
THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST NEW
website
review by Susan Reynolds
The Miseducation of Cameron Post.
7/10
Directed by Desiree Akhavan
Chloe Grace Moretz: Cameron
Steven Hauck: Pastor Crawford
Quinn Shephard: Coley
Kerry Butler: Ruth
Review by Susan Reynolds
Based on a novel by Emily M. Danforth published in 2012.
In 1993 Cameron was in the backseat of a car having sex with the prom queen as a result she’s sent for re-education at God's Promise a conversion centre to make her “un-gay”. She is subjected to methods which clouded and confused identity rather than help individuality. Whilst she complies somewhat with the instruction she isn’t “cured” and is just sitting her time out like the others there until she is allowed to leave.
Shockingly true that even in the 90’s this conversion therapy was some sort of warped answer to being gay. Not surprisingly whether it is done with intent to hurt or not in principle it is antiquated and destructive. Today the principle to live and let live applies more and more and most of us agree with the aspect of ones personal freedom of choice as to how you live your life. It is within some of these backward Christian ideologies that ideas like this are perpetuated.
The movie with its coming of age subject matter is very relevant to society. The overall tone of the film is somewhat subdued when you think it is such an emotive subject. This type of abuse brings topics into focus themes provide relevant arguments for young people trying to come to terms not only with adolescence but also with their sexual identity.
Courtesy of Sue
website
review by Susan Reynolds
The Miseducation of Cameron Post.
7/10
Directed by Desiree Akhavan
Chloe Grace Moretz: Cameron
Steven Hauck: Pastor Crawford
Quinn Shephard: Coley
Kerry Butler: Ruth
Review by Susan Reynolds
Based on a novel by Emily M. Danforth published in 2012.
In 1993 Cameron was in the backseat of a car having sex with the prom queen as a result she’s sent for re-education at God's Promise a conversion centre to make her “un-gay”. She is subjected to methods which clouded and confused identity rather than help individuality. Whilst she complies somewhat with the instruction she isn’t “cured” and is just sitting her time out like the others there until she is allowed to leave.
Shockingly true that even in the 90’s this conversion therapy was some sort of warped answer to being gay. Not surprisingly whether it is done with intent to hurt or not in principle it is antiquated and destructive. Today the principle to live and let live applies more and more and most of us agree with the aspect of ones personal freedom of choice as to how you live your life. It is within some of these backward Christian ideologies that ideas like this are perpetuated.
The movie with its coming of age subject matter is very relevant to society. The overall tone of the film is somewhat subdued when you think it is such an emotive subject. This type of abuse brings topics into focus themes provide relevant arguments for young people trying to come to terms not only with adolescence but also with their sexual identity.
Courtesy of Sue
NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE: JULIE NEW
Sharmill Films
RTE: 9/10
Adams Strandberg/s Julie is one of those plays that will never leave the theater stages of the world, The whole story narrates to only two (plus one) main characters , it is a chamber story, but its cruel and smashing Scandinavian organic nature is unavoidable. It is a modern classical theater in all its power. As I mentioned the location and the main characters are limited. The time is only one night in summer during the party at the Julie's house. The main action takes place in the kitchen. The heroes of the play are the rich daughter of the owner of the house, her father's driver and her house cleaner. We believe the action and we believe the characters - they are nowadays people we meet every day. The situation they play around is also very truthful. Julie is one "modern" girl that has it all, her psychological drama is deep. The role is so rich that any drama actress would be dying to have it in her portfolio. She plays so gorgeously well, no words, superb acting!
In the relationship knots and uncertainties of Miss Julie there is not only the space limited to the kitchen. The running time of the play is only 85 min! This particular production styling is also very modern and the play story line melts in it so beautifully! Miss Julie story travels the world in many faces but this one is so very lovable and so grand you would feel it was lasting for hours, it is intense and it develops fast with its dramatic finale!
Vanessa Kirby of 31 stars so bright in her role! Watch it - you will enjoy it if you like strong stories and deep emotions!
Sharmill Films
RTE: 9/10
Adams Strandberg/s Julie is one of those plays that will never leave the theater stages of the world, The whole story narrates to only two (plus one) main characters , it is a chamber story, but its cruel and smashing Scandinavian organic nature is unavoidable. It is a modern classical theater in all its power. As I mentioned the location and the main characters are limited. The time is only one night in summer during the party at the Julie's house. The main action takes place in the kitchen. The heroes of the play are the rich daughter of the owner of the house, her father's driver and her house cleaner. We believe the action and we believe the characters - they are nowadays people we meet every day. The situation they play around is also very truthful. Julie is one "modern" girl that has it all, her psychological drama is deep. The role is so rich that any drama actress would be dying to have it in her portfolio. She plays so gorgeously well, no words, superb acting!
In the relationship knots and uncertainties of Miss Julie there is not only the space limited to the kitchen. The running time of the play is only 85 min! This particular production styling is also very modern and the play story line melts in it so beautifully! Miss Julie story travels the world in many faces but this one is so very lovable and so grand you would feel it was lasting for hours, it is intense and it develops fast with its dramatic finale!
Vanessa Kirby of 31 stars so bright in her role! Watch it - you will enjoy it if you like strong stories and deep emotions!
WAJIB THE WEDDING INVITATION NEW
Potential Films
RATE: 7/10
It is a very unusual film with slow pace and seemingly nothing-happening story that tells a lot about its main characters and reveals the secrets and underground water currents of the family life surely and precisely. The film is Israeli-Palestinian. It has got a special humor, inner charm and tells us about the "socium" that we all know little about. It is about an arabian-christian family. A father and a son drive around in one car to deliver the wedding invitations of their daughter-sister to the relatives, friends and more. We are present in the situation, we hardly understand at the start what is going on and the story seems a bit boring but as it develops the little bits and pieces come together and create a beautiful painting out of the puzzle pieces. The film describes different life situations, collisions of characters and next door neighborous with all their difficulties and "small worlds". Very usual though interesting and beautiful film.
Potential Films
RATE: 7/10
It is a very unusual film with slow pace and seemingly nothing-happening story that tells a lot about its main characters and reveals the secrets and underground water currents of the family life surely and precisely. The film is Israeli-Palestinian. It has got a special humor, inner charm and tells us about the "socium" that we all know little about. It is about an arabian-christian family. A father and a son drive around in one car to deliver the wedding invitations of their daughter-sister to the relatives, friends and more. We are present in the situation, we hardly understand at the start what is going on and the story seems a bit boring but as it develops the little bits and pieces come together and create a beautiful painting out of the puzzle pieces. The film describes different life situations, collisions of characters and next door neighborous with all their difficulties and "small worlds". Very usual though interesting and beautiful film.
NIGHT SCHOOL NEW
Universal Pictures
review by Susan Reynolds
“Night School”
Comedy
Rating 6.5/10
Kevin Hart
Tiffany Haddish
Review by Susan Reynolds
Teddy is a successful BBQ salesman who is living the dream, so it seems but it’s far from that in reality. He’s batting he thinks way above his average in his relationship so he keeps up this pretense of being wealthy in front of his girlfriend. Then along comes an opportunity to be a real success, to legitimately impress his woman. He is to inherit his friends BBQ business and he sets a romantic scene to announce this. The ensuing story literally blows up in his face and the business he’d been promised is in cinders.
With no insurance to recover from the disaster and subsequently no job, all looks bleak. Luckily a good business friend coming to the rescue with a proposed job on the proviso that he achieves his GED. In the lead up to the required Night School enrolment he has to do he encounters his would be teacher at the traffic lights. This is one of the most impressive scenes of the film and the banter is fabulous with Night School teacher Carrie (Tiffany Haddish).
After this bizarre interaction he again encounters Carrie at the High School and meets his fellow Night School GED students. It’s his old stomping ground his local high school. His high school nemesis is now the principal Stewart (Taran Killam) who is less than impressed with any idea of Teddy attending but ends up being bulldozed by Carrie who says anyone is welcome in her class. Teddy then meets fellow night school students, a mixed bag of oddball characters with whom Teddy becomes comrades with. There are some fun stereotypes there and good acting. Teacher Carrie invests a lot of time in helping all her students but she’s no fool. Teddy soon realizes that all his charisma, sweet talk and schemes aren’t going to work on her. Including plans to gain an advantage with exam scores.
Carrie has Teddy tested and learns he has dyslexia, dyscalculia and concentration issues. Carrie fights it out with Teddy in the boxing ring to assist his focus; some weird madcap method. The feel good outcome of Teddy being able to overcome his difficulties has a message for kids at school with learning difficulties that they can overcome them. (Even though everyone hasn’t a teacher/boxing pal on hand). Themes do highlight that people all have their strengths and weaknesses. The message is also that success means determination and effort and that there’s no free ticket or easy way.
I had a few real belly laughs but I really don’t think as a whole the film was as clever as it could have been. The film didn’t capitalize on repeating the formula present in pivotal moments. The Humour worked so well in the traffic light banter scene with Carrie and Teddy where the comedy was brilliant.
Universal Pictures
review by Susan Reynolds
“Night School”
Comedy
Rating 6.5/10
Kevin Hart
Tiffany Haddish
Review by Susan Reynolds
Teddy is a successful BBQ salesman who is living the dream, so it seems but it’s far from that in reality. He’s batting he thinks way above his average in his relationship so he keeps up this pretense of being wealthy in front of his girlfriend. Then along comes an opportunity to be a real success, to legitimately impress his woman. He is to inherit his friends BBQ business and he sets a romantic scene to announce this. The ensuing story literally blows up in his face and the business he’d been promised is in cinders.
With no insurance to recover from the disaster and subsequently no job, all looks bleak. Luckily a good business friend coming to the rescue with a proposed job on the proviso that he achieves his GED. In the lead up to the required Night School enrolment he has to do he encounters his would be teacher at the traffic lights. This is one of the most impressive scenes of the film and the banter is fabulous with Night School teacher Carrie (Tiffany Haddish).
After this bizarre interaction he again encounters Carrie at the High School and meets his fellow Night School GED students. It’s his old stomping ground his local high school. His high school nemesis is now the principal Stewart (Taran Killam) who is less than impressed with any idea of Teddy attending but ends up being bulldozed by Carrie who says anyone is welcome in her class. Teddy then meets fellow night school students, a mixed bag of oddball characters with whom Teddy becomes comrades with. There are some fun stereotypes there and good acting. Teacher Carrie invests a lot of time in helping all her students but she’s no fool. Teddy soon realizes that all his charisma, sweet talk and schemes aren’t going to work on her. Including plans to gain an advantage with exam scores.
Carrie has Teddy tested and learns he has dyslexia, dyscalculia and concentration issues. Carrie fights it out with Teddy in the boxing ring to assist his focus; some weird madcap method. The feel good outcome of Teddy being able to overcome his difficulties has a message for kids at school with learning difficulties that they can overcome them. (Even though everyone hasn’t a teacher/boxing pal on hand). Themes do highlight that people all have their strengths and weaknesses. The message is also that success means determination and effort and that there’s no free ticket or easy way.
I had a few real belly laughs but I really don’t think as a whole the film was as clever as it could have been. The film didn’t capitalize on repeating the formula present in pivotal moments. The Humour worked so well in the traffic light banter scene with Carrie and Teddy where the comedy was brilliant.
1% NEW
Icon Films
review by Rpslynn Garwood
9/27/2018
1%
Review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
Director Stephen McCallum's debut Australian film 1%, plummets you instantaneously into the outlaw motorcycle gang underworld. Exploring power in all its transcendence through sex, physicality and psychology, from the roar of the opening credits, this film is certain to take you on one hell of a ride.
If you are a Sons of Anarchy fan the concept of this movie will fascinate you enough to go and see it, but what you should be prepared for is this … you will get ALL of what Sons of Anarchy explores in 7 seasons in a short 90 minutes with McCallum's film debut.
This makes for a brutal, gritty and raw film which may require you to look away at times. 1% tells the story of the Copperheads motorcycle gang. President of the club, ‘Knuck’ Matt Nable), has just spent three years in jail and Vice President, Paddo (Ryan Corr) has been over seeing the club during that time. Just days before Knucks’ release and
return to the club, Skink (Josh Mc Conville), Paddos mentally disabled brother and fellow club member, is caught stealing from a rival club. In true underworld style Paddo must make this right by meeting the demands of the rival gang leader (Aaron Pederson), by cutting them in or he will lose his brother. Paddo finds himself faced with three choices, to try and convince his club president Knuck to meet the demands of the cut, kill his brother or make a play for the presidency himself by getting rid of Knuck. With stellar performances from Ryan Corr ( Paddo), Skink (Josh Mc Conville) and with
Aaron Pederson (club president Knuck) serving up more bad-ass than is even comprehendible, this film takes you on a journey into the dark, unpleasant yet curious world of biker gangs where loyalty is everything, until you realise everything isn't quite enough.
I was still thinking about this film and it's ending a few days after the screening. 1% is definitely for the curious but be prepared for the gut wrenching brutality which is not softened even slightly by frequent tenderness and softness between love interests and the amazing bond of brotherhood between Paddo & Skink. I give 1% 4 out of 5 stars
Icon Films
review by Rpslynn Garwood
9/27/2018
1%
Review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
Director Stephen McCallum's debut Australian film 1%, plummets you instantaneously into the outlaw motorcycle gang underworld. Exploring power in all its transcendence through sex, physicality and psychology, from the roar of the opening credits, this film is certain to take you on one hell of a ride.
If you are a Sons of Anarchy fan the concept of this movie will fascinate you enough to go and see it, but what you should be prepared for is this … you will get ALL of what Sons of Anarchy explores in 7 seasons in a short 90 minutes with McCallum's film debut.
This makes for a brutal, gritty and raw film which may require you to look away at times. 1% tells the story of the Copperheads motorcycle gang. President of the club, ‘Knuck’ Matt Nable), has just spent three years in jail and Vice President, Paddo (Ryan Corr) has been over seeing the club during that time. Just days before Knucks’ release and
return to the club, Skink (Josh Mc Conville), Paddos mentally disabled brother and fellow club member, is caught stealing from a rival club. In true underworld style Paddo must make this right by meeting the demands of the rival gang leader (Aaron Pederson), by cutting them in or he will lose his brother. Paddo finds himself faced with three choices, to try and convince his club president Knuck to meet the demands of the cut, kill his brother or make a play for the presidency himself by getting rid of Knuck. With stellar performances from Ryan Corr ( Paddo), Skink (Josh Mc Conville) and with
Aaron Pederson (club president Knuck) serving up more bad-ass than is even comprehendible, this film takes you on a journey into the dark, unpleasant yet curious world of biker gangs where loyalty is everything, until you realise everything isn't quite enough.
I was still thinking about this film and it's ending a few days after the screening. 1% is definitely for the curious but be prepared for the gut wrenching brutality which is not softened even slightly by frequent tenderness and softness between love interests and the amazing bond of brotherhood between Paddo & Skink. I give 1% 4 out of 5 stars
WESTWOOD: PUNK ICON ACTIVIST NEW
Madman
RATE: 7/10
Did she make it? Did the film director Lorna Tucker managed to fulfill her grand task to show us the grand-dame of the British fashion industry from so many sides: as a cool punk , as a social activist and as a fashion icon?
PUNK. Yes, she makes the outfits that could be possible to be worn by punks. Vivien Westwood wears such things herself too. She pronounces "fucking mess" words in each sentence. She never seems polite, nor she seems grateful. She shows her unhappiness every time she feels it or she is really pissed off especially when people ask her very simple questions. She comments on Sex Pistols: Oh god it is so boring! In this she is a real punk in all the meaning of this word that it had back in 70-s. The subculture vanished but Vivien is still there. What she does and how she behaves - same way she did 40 years ago does not have the "frames" we used to have. Do you know the fashion designer who has no idea what marketing is? Can she look at her own things in one of her collections and rejects half of them and tell every one in the room that she is not interested in money. Would the fashion designer rick not to attend her own boutique shop opening just to work on her speech on saving the environment instead? Would she call the entire collection because she does not like the final result of it? In this Westwood with her life principles, her unpredictable behaviour and her honesty is the punk in the power of two.
ICON. In fashion industry icon means - it does not have boundaries, it is not describable, it is not simple, it is not predictable. The word ICON means - the idea of copying the image. We can say then that she is an icon in all its deep meaning. Many people copied her style of dressing since she started to get dressed in her own outfits. Many of her people from her designers' team started to work with her for free when her company was unknown. Cate Moss says in her childhood Westwood was unreachable mountain top, unreachable dream, the role model. Westwood is very natural indeed.
ACTIVIST. Vivien tries to say her word in the environment protection with all her latest collections. She is in Greenpeace and PETA, she travels to Antarctica as an activist. This theme is not that much developed in the film It is only briefly mentioned.
Westwood brand and Vivien's company will never get closed for many reasons: she gives employment to many people at her factory, and secondly because fashion is the only way Vivien can express herself. The money she gets from the business are the tool for her to express even more in this world and to attract as many people to what she is worried about: she is very honest with this - she is organically a punk, she is naturally an icon and she is an activist by heart.
Madman
RATE: 7/10
Did she make it? Did the film director Lorna Tucker managed to fulfill her grand task to show us the grand-dame of the British fashion industry from so many sides: as a cool punk , as a social activist and as a fashion icon?
PUNK. Yes, she makes the outfits that could be possible to be worn by punks. Vivien Westwood wears such things herself too. She pronounces "fucking mess" words in each sentence. She never seems polite, nor she seems grateful. She shows her unhappiness every time she feels it or she is really pissed off especially when people ask her very simple questions. She comments on Sex Pistols: Oh god it is so boring! In this she is a real punk in all the meaning of this word that it had back in 70-s. The subculture vanished but Vivien is still there. What she does and how she behaves - same way she did 40 years ago does not have the "frames" we used to have. Do you know the fashion designer who has no idea what marketing is? Can she look at her own things in one of her collections and rejects half of them and tell every one in the room that she is not interested in money. Would the fashion designer rick not to attend her own boutique shop opening just to work on her speech on saving the environment instead? Would she call the entire collection because she does not like the final result of it? In this Westwood with her life principles, her unpredictable behaviour and her honesty is the punk in the power of two.
ICON. In fashion industry icon means - it does not have boundaries, it is not describable, it is not simple, it is not predictable. The word ICON means - the idea of copying the image. We can say then that she is an icon in all its deep meaning. Many people copied her style of dressing since she started to get dressed in her own outfits. Many of her people from her designers' team started to work with her for free when her company was unknown. Cate Moss says in her childhood Westwood was unreachable mountain top, unreachable dream, the role model. Westwood is very natural indeed.
ACTIVIST. Vivien tries to say her word in the environment protection with all her latest collections. She is in Greenpeace and PETA, she travels to Antarctica as an activist. This theme is not that much developed in the film It is only briefly mentioned.
Westwood brand and Vivien's company will never get closed for many reasons: she gives employment to many people at her factory, and secondly because fashion is the only way Vivien can express herself. The money she gets from the business are the tool for her to express even more in this world and to attract as many people to what she is worried about: she is very honest with this - she is organically a punk, she is naturally an icon and she is an activist by heart.
I AM PAUL WALKER NEW
website
review by Rosalynn Garwood
I am Paul Walker
Documentary 2018 Limited Screenings from 21st September)
Nearly 5 years after Paul Walkers tragic death, Director Adrian Buitenhuis presents a behind the scenes insight into his personal and family life. Through raw and intimate conversations with his family members the real Paul walker is revealed as an incredibly humble, generous, free spirit who often struggled with the lifestyle that came with Hollywood.
Acting from the age of 2 in various roles, Paul Walkers acting career was far from its peak at the time of his death. With lead roles in 6 Fast and Furious movies, and notable performances in Skulls (2000), Eight Below (2006), Hours (2013), Walker was offered the lead role in Superman however ironically he chose not to take the role as he feared there would be too many sequels, little did he know that fast and furious would be such a hit that it would extend into 6 blockbuster films.
After years of struggling with the commitment of major film roles and becoming increasingly aware of ‘a lack of time’ to spend with daughter Meadow, Walkers brother Cody shares in the documentary, that he believes his brother was just one film away from finding that balance and finally having the time that he always yearned for, to spend living his true passions which were time with his “best partner ever ( daughter Meadow), his family, surfing, marine biology and
humanitarian work.
With raw and emotive tributes from his mother, father, brothers, sister and some of his closest friends, this documentary provides an honest portrait of a seemingly incredibly humble Hollywood star who spent more time giving than he did taking and who was in constant search of an escape to normality when the glare of Hollywood was obstructing his view.
4 out of 5 Stars
website
review by Rosalynn Garwood
I am Paul Walker
Documentary 2018 Limited Screenings from 21st September)
Nearly 5 years after Paul Walkers tragic death, Director Adrian Buitenhuis presents a behind the scenes insight into his personal and family life. Through raw and intimate conversations with his family members the real Paul walker is revealed as an incredibly humble, generous, free spirit who often struggled with the lifestyle that came with Hollywood.
Acting from the age of 2 in various roles, Paul Walkers acting career was far from its peak at the time of his death. With lead roles in 6 Fast and Furious movies, and notable performances in Skulls (2000), Eight Below (2006), Hours (2013), Walker was offered the lead role in Superman however ironically he chose not to take the role as he feared there would be too many sequels, little did he know that fast and furious would be such a hit that it would extend into 6 blockbuster films.
After years of struggling with the commitment of major film roles and becoming increasingly aware of ‘a lack of time’ to spend with daughter Meadow, Walkers brother Cody shares in the documentary, that he believes his brother was just one film away from finding that balance and finally having the time that he always yearned for, to spend living his true passions which were time with his “best partner ever ( daughter Meadow), his family, surfing, marine biology and
humanitarian work.
With raw and emotive tributes from his mother, father, brothers, sister and some of his closest friends, this documentary provides an honest portrait of a seemingly incredibly humble Hollywood star who spent more time giving than he did taking and who was in constant search of an escape to normality when the glare of Hollywood was obstructing his view.
4 out of 5 Stars
A FAMILY DAY OUT NEW
LET'S UNITE TO MAKE A CHANGE
website
review by Benjamin Newall
photos: Casey Long
Review on “Let’s Unite To Make a Change”
Written By Benjamin Newall and Casey Long
Family Day Out "Let's Unite To Make A Change" and Advanced screening of “Christopher Robin” was organised by Arzum Caglayancay, who is a finalist of the 2018 Mrs Australia Globe. Arzum is a born and raised Melbournian of 31years and is giving her support for ‘Project Karma’ and ‘Life-line’ as the charity for this event and her title reign
Arzum chose these charities from her own experience of hard time, having dealt with both extensive bullying and depression as well as several suicide attempts. Arzum knows what it feels like to be at the very bottom and is doing her best to make sure there is always help available to others in the same position, and that they are not alone.
The main reason Arzum has decided to be a part of the 2018 Mrs Australia Globe, is to be a voice and use her privileges to continue to be a public servant, to all people from all walks of life. She lives by her saying and refers to everyday;
Never judge a soul, lend a hand where you can, pick up someone who has fallen, and unify. Unity and People power cannot be purchased but felt within your heart and soul, then comes the changes we all thought were never possible.”
.Arzum has teamed up with Village Cinemas to hold the event “Lets unite to make a change” Village Cinemas have supported and provided exceptional service throughout her journey.
“Christopher Robin” Film Review
Written by Benjamin Newall and Casey Long
The history of Winnie the Pooh spans more than a 100 years leading to the most recent live action adaption of the beloved character and story in the movie “Christopher Robin”.
The original concept for Winnie comes from the story of “a small bear brought by a man called Harry Colebourn. Colebourn bought a small bear cub for $20 and called it Winniepeg after his home town. He was a soldier who was called to defend the front in 1914. Unable to take the bear with him, he took her to London Zoo.
The Author of Winnie the Pooh A.A. Milne constantly took his son Christopher Robin Milne to London zoo to feed and hug Winnie. Christopher was so fond of the bear he changed his teddy’s name from ‘Edward’ to ‘Winnie the Pooh’ after the bear and a swan he fed at the zoo too. ‘Winnie the Pooh’, the character, was then first bought to life in 1924 in a book called ‘When We Were Very Young’. This was shortly followed by a volume of stories called ‘Winnie the Pooh’ in 1926. Both the author and the bear’s original owner fought in the first world war. The pleasant acres of the 100 Acre Woods were a welcomed change from the horror they had seen in war, along with all their readers.
In 1966 Pooh was brought to life on our screens for the first time, by Walt Disney, due to his daughter being a massive fan of the Winnie the Pooh books. In 1977 Poohs first feature length film was published. Fast forward 41years and we have the movie “Christopher Robin”. Staring Ewan McGregor as our grownup Christopher Robin and directed by Marc Forster, the same director as Finding Neverland (2004).
“Christopher Robin” is the story of what happens when you grow up and grow apart from his childish beliefs. He now has a wife, daughter, demanding job, and all the pressures that come along with these. Between trying to find the work-life balance, Christopher finds himself pushing his daughter away and closing her imagination off. An unexpected visit from Pooh, triggers a memory recall in him. Although his return to the innovative boy he once was is gradual, with Pooh’s help (and the rest of his friends) he is able to be the Christopher Robin that fights Heffalumps and bounce with Tigger.
Christopher’s transition through the movie and the nature of the character from the uptight business man to the child in all of us, is a very well-done journey full of laughs, smiles and at times embarrassment. McGregor’s ability to play so many different age ranges all with their own accompanying struggles and emotional traits is superb.
Now don’t get me wrong, turning stuff toys into a live action characters had the potential to look really bad, but the visual animation on this movie is something worth seeing just on its own. All the characters from the bouncing energetic Tigger, to the shy quite Piglet right to the loveable head of the group we all want to hug, Winnie the Pooh. These characters are presented with emotion, body language and facial expressions far above what I have seen in movies before. They stuck very closely to the original illustrations in A.A. Mile’s books from the early 1900s capturing the classic image of Winnie the Pooh and his friends. The style and colouring depicts them as older well loved childhood toys.
Throughout the film there are perfect moments designed to tug on your heart strings and make you remember what it was like when you were a kid. One of the best examples of this is when Pooh asks for a red balloon at the station with Christopher Robin and is told he does not need it. Pooh simply responds “It would make me very happy to have a red Balloon” This is the prime example of Poohs loveable qualities of being simple minded, content and surprisingly wise for “A bear with very little brain” Poohs words not mine.
All in all this was a wonderful movie for those who have grown up with Winnie the Pooh in some way or another. Kids will enjoy it but at times may not understand it. It is designed for the adults who need to be reminded what it is to be a kid again and be reminded “Doing nothing, sometimes leads to the best something”
4 out of 5 star rating for the film.
Thoroughly enjoyable and a film the whole family can enjoy.
LET'S UNITE TO MAKE A CHANGE
website
review by Benjamin Newall
photos: Casey Long
Review on “Let’s Unite To Make a Change”
Written By Benjamin Newall and Casey Long
Family Day Out "Let's Unite To Make A Change" and Advanced screening of “Christopher Robin” was organised by Arzum Caglayancay, who is a finalist of the 2018 Mrs Australia Globe. Arzum is a born and raised Melbournian of 31years and is giving her support for ‘Project Karma’ and ‘Life-line’ as the charity for this event and her title reign
Arzum chose these charities from her own experience of hard time, having dealt with both extensive bullying and depression as well as several suicide attempts. Arzum knows what it feels like to be at the very bottom and is doing her best to make sure there is always help available to others in the same position, and that they are not alone.
The main reason Arzum has decided to be a part of the 2018 Mrs Australia Globe, is to be a voice and use her privileges to continue to be a public servant, to all people from all walks of life. She lives by her saying and refers to everyday;
Never judge a soul, lend a hand where you can, pick up someone who has fallen, and unify. Unity and People power cannot be purchased but felt within your heart and soul, then comes the changes we all thought were never possible.”
.Arzum has teamed up with Village Cinemas to hold the event “Lets unite to make a change” Village Cinemas have supported and provided exceptional service throughout her journey.
“Christopher Robin” Film Review
Written by Benjamin Newall and Casey Long
The history of Winnie the Pooh spans more than a 100 years leading to the most recent live action adaption of the beloved character and story in the movie “Christopher Robin”.
The original concept for Winnie comes from the story of “a small bear brought by a man called Harry Colebourn. Colebourn bought a small bear cub for $20 and called it Winniepeg after his home town. He was a soldier who was called to defend the front in 1914. Unable to take the bear with him, he took her to London Zoo.
The Author of Winnie the Pooh A.A. Milne constantly took his son Christopher Robin Milne to London zoo to feed and hug Winnie. Christopher was so fond of the bear he changed his teddy’s name from ‘Edward’ to ‘Winnie the Pooh’ after the bear and a swan he fed at the zoo too. ‘Winnie the Pooh’, the character, was then first bought to life in 1924 in a book called ‘When We Were Very Young’. This was shortly followed by a volume of stories called ‘Winnie the Pooh’ in 1926. Both the author and the bear’s original owner fought in the first world war. The pleasant acres of the 100 Acre Woods were a welcomed change from the horror they had seen in war, along with all their readers.
In 1966 Pooh was brought to life on our screens for the first time, by Walt Disney, due to his daughter being a massive fan of the Winnie the Pooh books. In 1977 Poohs first feature length film was published. Fast forward 41years and we have the movie “Christopher Robin”. Staring Ewan McGregor as our grownup Christopher Robin and directed by Marc Forster, the same director as Finding Neverland (2004).
“Christopher Robin” is the story of what happens when you grow up and grow apart from his childish beliefs. He now has a wife, daughter, demanding job, and all the pressures that come along with these. Between trying to find the work-life balance, Christopher finds himself pushing his daughter away and closing her imagination off. An unexpected visit from Pooh, triggers a memory recall in him. Although his return to the innovative boy he once was is gradual, with Pooh’s help (and the rest of his friends) he is able to be the Christopher Robin that fights Heffalumps and bounce with Tigger.
Christopher’s transition through the movie and the nature of the character from the uptight business man to the child in all of us, is a very well-done journey full of laughs, smiles and at times embarrassment. McGregor’s ability to play so many different age ranges all with their own accompanying struggles and emotional traits is superb.
Now don’t get me wrong, turning stuff toys into a live action characters had the potential to look really bad, but the visual animation on this movie is something worth seeing just on its own. All the characters from the bouncing energetic Tigger, to the shy quite Piglet right to the loveable head of the group we all want to hug, Winnie the Pooh. These characters are presented with emotion, body language and facial expressions far above what I have seen in movies before. They stuck very closely to the original illustrations in A.A. Mile’s books from the early 1900s capturing the classic image of Winnie the Pooh and his friends. The style and colouring depicts them as older well loved childhood toys.
Throughout the film there are perfect moments designed to tug on your heart strings and make you remember what it was like when you were a kid. One of the best examples of this is when Pooh asks for a red balloon at the station with Christopher Robin and is told he does not need it. Pooh simply responds “It would make me very happy to have a red Balloon” This is the prime example of Poohs loveable qualities of being simple minded, content and surprisingly wise for “A bear with very little brain” Poohs words not mine.
All in all this was a wonderful movie for those who have grown up with Winnie the Pooh in some way or another. Kids will enjoy it but at times may not understand it. It is designed for the adults who need to be reminded what it is to be a kid again and be reminded “Doing nothing, sometimes leads to the best something”
4 out of 5 star rating for the film.
Thoroughly enjoyable and a film the whole family can enjoy.
THE SEAGULL NEW
transmission films/Miranda Brown publicity
review by Gab Grech
A new and fresh adaptation of the play by Chekhov is presented in the film directed by Michael Mayer. Unsure what to expect from such a classic, Mayer was able to balance modern uses of cinematography with the classical roots of the play. The film successfully brought across the themes of unrequited love, and you felt yourself as an audience floating between the emotions and desires of each character. Ultimately the adaptation got across the overarching theme of the Seagull but there was room for this to be done better. Billy Howles’ performance as Konstantin and Annette Bening in her role as Irina stood out and really made the story come to life.
3.5/5
transmission films/Miranda Brown publicity
review by Gab Grech
A new and fresh adaptation of the play by Chekhov is presented in the film directed by Michael Mayer. Unsure what to expect from such a classic, Mayer was able to balance modern uses of cinematography with the classical roots of the play. The film successfully brought across the themes of unrequited love, and you felt yourself as an audience floating between the emotions and desires of each character. Ultimately the adaptation got across the overarching theme of the Seagull but there was room for this to be done better. Billy Howles’ performance as Konstantin and Annette Bening in her role as Irina stood out and really made the story come to life.
3.5/5
PRAYER BEFORE DAWN NEW
cinema nova
RATE: 9.5/10
This is one of the films that touched me somehow very deeply. I could not stop talking about it for a couple of days.
The film is for discomforting and so disturbing it is almost revolting but it is so organic and so natural for this type of the movie that after had an hour you will be glued to the screen and will not even think about leaving. You will share the hardship and the pain of the main character. It is still really hard to watch this film. The emotional pressure from the film is beyond any possible expectations: shocking is one word. You simply get filled up with violence that does not know any possible boundaries. There are just glimpses of light on the path the main character goes through. He is the young British boxer in Thailand who sins with drugs and gets caught by the Thai police that locks him up in the jail which cruelty is nothing the audience has ever seen on screen. The environment is so inhuman I suspect I have no comparison to it even in animal world. There is no light in the jail cell: it is so unstable, the camera is so short and so "loud" on small scenes and episodes - it almost feels like a boxer's punch in the face. You add t this cocktail the bodies tattooed all over - hundreds of them, you add to that that all this tattooed bodies live in one small cell and sleep almost on each other like herrings in the jar., you add t this unknown dialogues of the Thai speeches from every room corner, the speeches that are not translated (and the main character Billy does no speak the language) - and you get the complete picture of his brutal reality.
It is violence and endless physical pain the air is filled up with in the jail. To "teach" a newcomer the "head" of the cell violently rapes a young man in front of Billy's eyes and the "assistants of the "boss" encourage him to watch the whole scene. The soundtrack hits you over your head like a hammer. Thee music is a mixture of local traditional instruments and electronic. It feels even more disturbing.
I asked myself only one question: why do I need to see this lowest part of the human life on Earth?
Why do I feel for Billy who finds any chance to survive and get out from this hell? Suddenly we find out that Bully has a father. He searches for warmth and finds it with a transsexual man. He is stubborn and wants to fight, he is a boxer after all. The boxing in the jail is not a bloody mess but it is a way of expressing himself and a way to find a breath of fresh air. He finds the courage ad will to survive and get out of this misery.
The final of the film is very limited on emotions . It happens when Billy meets his father in jail. It is silent but it is very powerful. The film is based on real events about the boxer Bill Moore who appears in front of our eyes in the figure of Billy's father. He is the men who found the way out of this abyss...
You will love this film!
cinema nova
RATE: 9.5/10
This is one of the films that touched me somehow very deeply. I could not stop talking about it for a couple of days.
The film is for discomforting and so disturbing it is almost revolting but it is so organic and so natural for this type of the movie that after had an hour you will be glued to the screen and will not even think about leaving. You will share the hardship and the pain of the main character. It is still really hard to watch this film. The emotional pressure from the film is beyond any possible expectations: shocking is one word. You simply get filled up with violence that does not know any possible boundaries. There are just glimpses of light on the path the main character goes through. He is the young British boxer in Thailand who sins with drugs and gets caught by the Thai police that locks him up in the jail which cruelty is nothing the audience has ever seen on screen. The environment is so inhuman I suspect I have no comparison to it even in animal world. There is no light in the jail cell: it is so unstable, the camera is so short and so "loud" on small scenes and episodes - it almost feels like a boxer's punch in the face. You add t this cocktail the bodies tattooed all over - hundreds of them, you add to that that all this tattooed bodies live in one small cell and sleep almost on each other like herrings in the jar., you add t this unknown dialogues of the Thai speeches from every room corner, the speeches that are not translated (and the main character Billy does no speak the language) - and you get the complete picture of his brutal reality.
It is violence and endless physical pain the air is filled up with in the jail. To "teach" a newcomer the "head" of the cell violently rapes a young man in front of Billy's eyes and the "assistants of the "boss" encourage him to watch the whole scene. The soundtrack hits you over your head like a hammer. Thee music is a mixture of local traditional instruments and electronic. It feels even more disturbing.
I asked myself only one question: why do I need to see this lowest part of the human life on Earth?
Why do I feel for Billy who finds any chance to survive and get out from this hell? Suddenly we find out that Bully has a father. He searches for warmth and finds it with a transsexual man. He is stubborn and wants to fight, he is a boxer after all. The boxing in the jail is not a bloody mess but it is a way of expressing himself and a way to find a breath of fresh air. He finds the courage ad will to survive and get out of this misery.
The final of the film is very limited on emotions . It happens when Billy meets his father in jail. It is silent but it is very powerful. The film is based on real events about the boxer Bill Moore who appears in front of our eyes in the figure of Billy's father. He is the men who found the way out of this abyss...
You will love this film!
JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN NEW
Universal Pictures
review by Max Lyons
Concise Critique:
Johnny English Strikes Again
By Maxwell M. Lyons
Johnny English Strikes Again is the third film in the Johnny English comedy series. To be frank, if you’re expecting anything more than a light-hearted 90-minutes of comedic absurdity, you’ve come to the wrong neighbourhood. The acting is
adequate, the narrative is thin, and the comedy is basic, but all-in-all you’re in for a mindless jocose watch of a forgetful jocular nature.
Rowan Atkinson returns as clumsily capable, awkwardly suave secret agent English, Johnny English. If you’re at all familiar with the other films, you know very well what you’re in for. Is it the most high-class sophisticated humour? No, not in the slightest. But is there still enjoyment and perhaps a good chuckle or two to be had? More than likely. The jokes and situational comedy can be seen from a mile away, and the setup is undoubtedly less than subtle, but the movie doesn’t quite go so low as slapstick – which I found refreshing. Being at its heart a movie targeted to a younger demographic, this much scrutiny is perhaps unwarranted – I can confidently say the audience in attendance, both young and old, exuded a constant stream of laughter throughout.
As for performances, they were adequate enough to fill their respective roles. Again, this isn’t high-class cinema here, so don’t expect much character depth or development, but overall, they carried themselves respectably. As alluded to
above, performances weren’t the only aspect of indubitably thin fabrication. The narrative was thin, straightforward, and unimaginative. A hacker has uncovered the identity of all known British intelligence operatives, so the government is
forced to bring someone out of retirement to complete a noticeably low-tech “analogue” style mission to combat the continued cyber-attacks and stop them before they bring the country to its knees. And who might that retired agent be,
well, the title of the film might give you a hint.
I will say the whole “analogue” angle, whilst predominantly an excuse to facilitate English’s older-style spy techniques, does lend itself to some humorous on the nose commentary about modern technologies and the protocols we’ve established along with them – all without being a blatantly brazen generation shaming, incredible I know. But that’s pretty much where any intellectual motif stops, and the mindlessness consumes the whole.
Overall, it’d be amiss for me to recommend paying full ticket price for Johnny English Strikes Again. Though there is mindless fun to be had, it’s not quite enough to warrant a standard cinematic viewing. With that said, if you’re looking
for a film to take the kids to, it might be worth checking out if you can score some tickets to a discounted session. Enjoyable, but ultimately forgettable.
Johnny English Strikes Again will be released in cinemas Australia-wide on September 20, 2018.
Universal Pictures
review by Max Lyons
Concise Critique:
Johnny English Strikes Again
By Maxwell M. Lyons
Johnny English Strikes Again is the third film in the Johnny English comedy series. To be frank, if you’re expecting anything more than a light-hearted 90-minutes of comedic absurdity, you’ve come to the wrong neighbourhood. The acting is
adequate, the narrative is thin, and the comedy is basic, but all-in-all you’re in for a mindless jocose watch of a forgetful jocular nature.
Rowan Atkinson returns as clumsily capable, awkwardly suave secret agent English, Johnny English. If you’re at all familiar with the other films, you know very well what you’re in for. Is it the most high-class sophisticated humour? No, not in the slightest. But is there still enjoyment and perhaps a good chuckle or two to be had? More than likely. The jokes and situational comedy can be seen from a mile away, and the setup is undoubtedly less than subtle, but the movie doesn’t quite go so low as slapstick – which I found refreshing. Being at its heart a movie targeted to a younger demographic, this much scrutiny is perhaps unwarranted – I can confidently say the audience in attendance, both young and old, exuded a constant stream of laughter throughout.
As for performances, they were adequate enough to fill their respective roles. Again, this isn’t high-class cinema here, so don’t expect much character depth or development, but overall, they carried themselves respectably. As alluded to
above, performances weren’t the only aspect of indubitably thin fabrication. The narrative was thin, straightforward, and unimaginative. A hacker has uncovered the identity of all known British intelligence operatives, so the government is
forced to bring someone out of retirement to complete a noticeably low-tech “analogue” style mission to combat the continued cyber-attacks and stop them before they bring the country to its knees. And who might that retired agent be,
well, the title of the film might give you a hint.
I will say the whole “analogue” angle, whilst predominantly an excuse to facilitate English’s older-style spy techniques, does lend itself to some humorous on the nose commentary about modern technologies and the protocols we’ve established along with them – all without being a blatantly brazen generation shaming, incredible I know. But that’s pretty much where any intellectual motif stops, and the mindlessness consumes the whole.
Overall, it’d be amiss for me to recommend paying full ticket price for Johnny English Strikes Again. Though there is mindless fun to be had, it’s not quite enough to warrant a standard cinematic viewing. With that said, if you’re looking
for a film to take the kids to, it might be worth checking out if you can score some tickets to a discounted session. Enjoyable, but ultimately forgettable.
Johnny English Strikes Again will be released in cinemas Australia-wide on September 20, 2018.
SMALL FOOT NEW
roadshow
review by Thi Huynh
We were not disappointed! What an amazing movie for kids of all ages and size. This movie can be enjoyed by the entire family aging from 1 to 100. Everyone will enjoy a laugh! The audience will adore the characters, the visuals, and the amazing music, but more importantly, they'll be bequeathed with a message worthy of their hearts and minds. It's funny yet sends a loving message to all.
roadshow
review by Thi Huynh
We were not disappointed! What an amazing movie for kids of all ages and size. This movie can be enjoyed by the entire family aging from 1 to 100. Everyone will enjoy a laugh! The audience will adore the characters, the visuals, and the amazing music, but more importantly, they'll be bequeathed with a message worthy of their hearts and minds. It's funny yet sends a loving message to all.
AMERICAN ANIMALS NEW
madman
RATE: 9/10
How to plan a very daring criminal act? This film will tell you exactly how: the instructions are so precise the most experienced criminal will say: wow! But one note this act is performed by four very innocent young adults to attend Universities and colleges. What? Yes!
The robbery goes according to the plan , the police is fulled and the criminals go and have a good time with their stolen goods... so you think I tell you now a fairy tale? Of course I am... In reality the plan never works as you know. The difference between reality and dreams is huge and I believe the students were very innocent and naive to assume that their plan will work. The story is based though on real events. More to that: we meet with four real criminals. They are interviewed during the film, we get their insight on the order of the events. These interviews are smartly blend into the main story line and seem so natural connecting the events from the past and the present time. The whole movie seems so well flowing with the documentary incorporated into it. It works very well.
The first line we read in the film says: " This move is not based on real story. It IS a real story"
All four criminals tell their version of the story. They tell it from the wisdom of their understanding nowadays that the plan was stupid and that they did not calculate it very well. They talk about the events that took place 14 years ago with a but of a self irony but the story does not loose its dramatic feel anyway. Nevertheless the documentary is quite exciting to watch the main attention of the director is focused on the events from the past.
I always think the young and rich go into such criminal activity for one reason only: they are bored, there is no enough adrenaline in their lives. The bored mind creates and draws the adventures. The busy mind would never do that. The busy mind of the normal young adult studies, learns, explores and gets the extra knowledge from good books, art and sport. The wandering and low mind tries to understand its "belonging" to this world thorough suspicious activity: alcohol, drugs, stealing and sexual adventures that only hurt him and the others. Imagine suddenly the wondering and very low in its development mid sees a very expensive thing. All the minds thinks about: how to be lazy and how to spend the money . The low mind never creates - it destroys. It uses the goods created by the others to its own advantage. The criminal acts of such minds are as a rue always very messy , stupid and badly planned.
The criminal act itself is shown in all its ugliness: the music of the soundtrack is hilarious, the seemingly simple procedure of "silencing" the "guard" is turned into a cruel scene of stupid and unforgivable violence, the doors are not opening and our four boys are not supermen plus the the stolen goods are so heavy they can not run far with them.
I am adding to this: the soundtrack is superb and the camera is so good you will love each and every move of it.
The main actors are all beyond any possible expectations: crazy, empty souls with ugly and unlovable faces.
One of the questions asked in the film: there is the point of not coming back when you cross the line ? You can only find out the answer by crossing that line.
From the film you suddenly realise that the prison did not teach them anything. If it was an opportunity to repeat the "adventure" they would do it again. I did not trust anyone of them. Honestly, I did not...
It is a superbly made film and you will love it!
madman
RATE: 9/10
How to plan a very daring criminal act? This film will tell you exactly how: the instructions are so precise the most experienced criminal will say: wow! But one note this act is performed by four very innocent young adults to attend Universities and colleges. What? Yes!
The robbery goes according to the plan , the police is fulled and the criminals go and have a good time with their stolen goods... so you think I tell you now a fairy tale? Of course I am... In reality the plan never works as you know. The difference between reality and dreams is huge and I believe the students were very innocent and naive to assume that their plan will work. The story is based though on real events. More to that: we meet with four real criminals. They are interviewed during the film, we get their insight on the order of the events. These interviews are smartly blend into the main story line and seem so natural connecting the events from the past and the present time. The whole movie seems so well flowing with the documentary incorporated into it. It works very well.
The first line we read in the film says: " This move is not based on real story. It IS a real story"
All four criminals tell their version of the story. They tell it from the wisdom of their understanding nowadays that the plan was stupid and that they did not calculate it very well. They talk about the events that took place 14 years ago with a but of a self irony but the story does not loose its dramatic feel anyway. Nevertheless the documentary is quite exciting to watch the main attention of the director is focused on the events from the past.
I always think the young and rich go into such criminal activity for one reason only: they are bored, there is no enough adrenaline in their lives. The bored mind creates and draws the adventures. The busy mind would never do that. The busy mind of the normal young adult studies, learns, explores and gets the extra knowledge from good books, art and sport. The wandering and low mind tries to understand its "belonging" to this world thorough suspicious activity: alcohol, drugs, stealing and sexual adventures that only hurt him and the others. Imagine suddenly the wondering and very low in its development mid sees a very expensive thing. All the minds thinks about: how to be lazy and how to spend the money . The low mind never creates - it destroys. It uses the goods created by the others to its own advantage. The criminal acts of such minds are as a rue always very messy , stupid and badly planned.
The criminal act itself is shown in all its ugliness: the music of the soundtrack is hilarious, the seemingly simple procedure of "silencing" the "guard" is turned into a cruel scene of stupid and unforgivable violence, the doors are not opening and our four boys are not supermen plus the the stolen goods are so heavy they can not run far with them.
I am adding to this: the soundtrack is superb and the camera is so good you will love each and every move of it.
The main actors are all beyond any possible expectations: crazy, empty souls with ugly and unlovable faces.
One of the questions asked in the film: there is the point of not coming back when you cross the line ? You can only find out the answer by crossing that line.
From the film you suddenly realise that the prison did not teach them anything. If it was an opportunity to repeat the "adventure" they would do it again. I did not trust anyone of them. Honestly, I did not...
It is a superbly made film and you will love it!
THE NUN
Roadshow
review: Bryanna Reynolds
REVIEW: The Nun By Bryanna Reynolds
The film ‘The Nun’ is a prequel to the infamous ‘The Conjuring’ franchise. It is reminiscent of the franchise and has you on the edge of your seat! This horrifying film will leave you wanting more and seeking out more horror! It is now in cinemas. A truly horrifying film you don't want to miss the opportunity to see! You will find yourself relating the story back to the other ‘Conjuring’ films as there is character layover. This was one of the best parts to the story is that you find out more about their lives! For the advance screening I attended, the moment you walked into the cinema you were greeted to a photo booth opportunity and two scary looking nuns with no faces! Even in the bathroom there was a picture of the nun looking back at you! The film ‘The Nun’ follows the life of a young Nun who has not taken her vowels just yet. She is then called upon to assist with an investigation into a mysterious suicide of a nun. But what she finds when she arrives with a Priest is more than she bargained for. Also no worries if you haven’t seen the ‘Conjuring’ franchise of movies. Whilst I would recommend purely for the joy of seeing the films that you have seen some of them but it isn’t a necessity. If you are a fan of the horror or psychological thrillers than this film is for you. But be warned this film isn’t for the faint of heart. Make sure to see it in cinemas on the big screen whilst it’s out!
Roadshow
review: Bryanna Reynolds
REVIEW: The Nun By Bryanna Reynolds
The film ‘The Nun’ is a prequel to the infamous ‘The Conjuring’ franchise. It is reminiscent of the franchise and has you on the edge of your seat! This horrifying film will leave you wanting more and seeking out more horror! It is now in cinemas. A truly horrifying film you don't want to miss the opportunity to see! You will find yourself relating the story back to the other ‘Conjuring’ films as there is character layover. This was one of the best parts to the story is that you find out more about their lives! For the advance screening I attended, the moment you walked into the cinema you were greeted to a photo booth opportunity and two scary looking nuns with no faces! Even in the bathroom there was a picture of the nun looking back at you! The film ‘The Nun’ follows the life of a young Nun who has not taken her vowels just yet. She is then called upon to assist with an investigation into a mysterious suicide of a nun. But what she finds when she arrives with a Priest is more than she bargained for. Also no worries if you haven’t seen the ‘Conjuring’ franchise of movies. Whilst I would recommend purely for the joy of seeing the films that you have seen some of them but it isn’t a necessity. If you are a fan of the horror or psychological thrillers than this film is for you. But be warned this film isn’t for the faint of heart. Make sure to see it in cinemas on the big screen whilst it’s out!
CUSTODY FILM TO PAY ATTENTION TO
website
RATE: 9.5/10
The ordinary family dynamics can be very painful to watch but is does not devalue the significance of the film and its powerful messages indeed. We care about the main characters as we all can find something in this film that reflects our own life situations. It is a must to watch to the women who were or are in the abusive family relationship: when the husband torches the woman physically, mentally and emotionally. Any abuse does not show sympathy to the abuser what so ever: the abuse can have a silent passive or loud aggressive form. The form does not change the result. Woman gets offended and her reaction is unavoidable. It usually lads to a final separation and if the child was a result of previous "love" relationship it gets in between.
We look at the screen and can recognise ourselves so easily. We intuitively feel what will happen next and want to yell to warn the main characters what to do... we know the path so well... but the act without hearing our silent but loud voices. They know better. The assault though gets on a higher level: the further such relationship continue the more dangerous they become.
The violence in families grows and it becomes a real problem in the society. It is hard to believe that MEN, the people that have to protect their wives and kids from hardships and misfortunes turn into monsters that chase their weaker family members with axes and guns. The emotional and physical bulling is not the end of the story story: the torture starts on economical and psychological level of the family and the phrase: "don't worry dear, take me back, I have changed"does not have any weight in truth anymore. It sound almost like a joke. Women do not ever trust men who have done it already to their ex-es - they will do it with you too. Women do not ever trust men who have done it already to you - ONCE - they will do it with you AGAIN!
The disrespect has its roots and the point of origin. It started with us, women too as we ALLOWED it o happen in the first place. We allowed ourselves to trust such monsters in our lives. Women leave them alone: they will suffer from their own brutality by isolating themselves from the human touch and human socialising. They are usually all sweet talkers and they convince you that there is no darkness in their souls. Run! Run away from such people as fast as you can.
My friend once said to me: "Natasha, my house was always full of lowers from my darling husband" I said to her how lucky she was and she started laughing: "They were the flowers he would usually give me after I was beaten up and I walked all in bruises..." I say no comments. She is happy now with someone else: tender and respectful to who she is. She does not look back and if she does it is just to say how lucky she was to divorce such man.
Dear women who are in wrong and damaging relationship: the violence is cyclic . Today he is good and respectful with you but what you had before can repeat and you never know when he will use a knife or a brick.
The film raises many questions: should the kids see both parents? Why the parents so easily break their kids' lives when they try to manage their own life? How we should build up our future by watching the mistakes of the others and not making our own? When the word "love" turns into "tolerance and how much of it we should take in? Where is the boarder between two: love and tolerance?
The film is built in the way when you find yourself in the fist 9/10th of the film as an observe of a misfortune, but suddenly you find yourself as a member of the family right in the middle of the most dangerous drama when you feel the hands on your throat and you suddenly understand why this woman ran away from her husband in the first place.
Thomas Gioria who plays Julien Besson is remarkable in his acting. He does not have much words to say but his silence speaks on its own louder tan any words: he plays an animal trapped in the corner and he has the eyes of the boy whose parents do not love each other anymore.
We should speak about family violence. We should speak out loud. the woman will never raise her hand at the men f she is not provoked brutally emotionally - if she did it she must have been in the worst pain the nature has offered to her in the form of her uncaring husband - we all should also learn this.
I told you about the hands on your throat. Remember that. This episode was the most frightening I have ever seen in my life. I lived it myself so many times and I feel so guilty in front of my own kids that I let it happen in my own life. It is the moment of horror, pain, hatred, humiliation, hopelessness and harm.
Dear women please never ever rick your own life and the life of your kids . Leave the men who have shown you violence once immediately. You can save lives by dong that. Never stay with the men who continues his molesting and bulling behavior be physical, emotional or economical. Leave him! Remember that your family was created for happiness and love - search for peace and joy with the other men who will take care of you and your kids.
website
RATE: 9.5/10
The ordinary family dynamics can be very painful to watch but is does not devalue the significance of the film and its powerful messages indeed. We care about the main characters as we all can find something in this film that reflects our own life situations. It is a must to watch to the women who were or are in the abusive family relationship: when the husband torches the woman physically, mentally and emotionally. Any abuse does not show sympathy to the abuser what so ever: the abuse can have a silent passive or loud aggressive form. The form does not change the result. Woman gets offended and her reaction is unavoidable. It usually lads to a final separation and if the child was a result of previous "love" relationship it gets in between.
We look at the screen and can recognise ourselves so easily. We intuitively feel what will happen next and want to yell to warn the main characters what to do... we know the path so well... but the act without hearing our silent but loud voices. They know better. The assault though gets on a higher level: the further such relationship continue the more dangerous they become.
The violence in families grows and it becomes a real problem in the society. It is hard to believe that MEN, the people that have to protect their wives and kids from hardships and misfortunes turn into monsters that chase their weaker family members with axes and guns. The emotional and physical bulling is not the end of the story story: the torture starts on economical and psychological level of the family and the phrase: "don't worry dear, take me back, I have changed"does not have any weight in truth anymore. It sound almost like a joke. Women do not ever trust men who have done it already to their ex-es - they will do it with you too. Women do not ever trust men who have done it already to you - ONCE - they will do it with you AGAIN!
The disrespect has its roots and the point of origin. It started with us, women too as we ALLOWED it o happen in the first place. We allowed ourselves to trust such monsters in our lives. Women leave them alone: they will suffer from their own brutality by isolating themselves from the human touch and human socialising. They are usually all sweet talkers and they convince you that there is no darkness in their souls. Run! Run away from such people as fast as you can.
My friend once said to me: "Natasha, my house was always full of lowers from my darling husband" I said to her how lucky she was and she started laughing: "They were the flowers he would usually give me after I was beaten up and I walked all in bruises..." I say no comments. She is happy now with someone else: tender and respectful to who she is. She does not look back and if she does it is just to say how lucky she was to divorce such man.
Dear women who are in wrong and damaging relationship: the violence is cyclic . Today he is good and respectful with you but what you had before can repeat and you never know when he will use a knife or a brick.
The film raises many questions: should the kids see both parents? Why the parents so easily break their kids' lives when they try to manage their own life? How we should build up our future by watching the mistakes of the others and not making our own? When the word "love" turns into "tolerance and how much of it we should take in? Where is the boarder between two: love and tolerance?
The film is built in the way when you find yourself in the fist 9/10th of the film as an observe of a misfortune, but suddenly you find yourself as a member of the family right in the middle of the most dangerous drama when you feel the hands on your throat and you suddenly understand why this woman ran away from her husband in the first place.
Thomas Gioria who plays Julien Besson is remarkable in his acting. He does not have much words to say but his silence speaks on its own louder tan any words: he plays an animal trapped in the corner and he has the eyes of the boy whose parents do not love each other anymore.
We should speak about family violence. We should speak out loud. the woman will never raise her hand at the men f she is not provoked brutally emotionally - if she did it she must have been in the worst pain the nature has offered to her in the form of her uncaring husband - we all should also learn this.
I told you about the hands on your throat. Remember that. This episode was the most frightening I have ever seen in my life. I lived it myself so many times and I feel so guilty in front of my own kids that I let it happen in my own life. It is the moment of horror, pain, hatred, humiliation, hopelessness and harm.
Dear women please never ever rick your own life and the life of your kids . Leave the men who have shown you violence once immediately. You can save lives by dong that. Never stay with the men who continues his molesting and bulling behavior be physical, emotional or economical. Leave him! Remember that your family was created for happiness and love - search for peace and joy with the other men who will take care of you and your kids.
HEARTS BEAT LOUD
website
by Sony Pictures and Park Circus Group
review by Sam Bell
Stories of the rebellious child being torn between their adolescent fantasy and their parents desire for them to do the responsible thing have been done so many times, in so many ways that nearly all of us could write a barebones script for one without even trying. Replace the parent and child’s desires and you have Hearts Beat Loud. While it is nice to see an inversion of the classic trope, it’s a perfect reflection, going through the exact same movements and twists, in just as predictable a manner, albeit in an abnormal direction. Not to deny the classic tropes their power and place, they are classic for a reason after all. If you are looking for something new to make you think or give you something you’ve never seen before though, this is not the place to look.
The story follows an aging, hipster widower (Nick Offerman) and his teenage daughter (Kiersey Clemons) as she attempts to find her direction in life. Offerman’s Frank is stuck in his glory days and dreams of being in a successful band and living the life of a musician. To ensure this, he forcibly enlists the aid of Clemons’s Sam form a band with him and abandon her foolish dreams of medicine and responsibility. After they record their first track, Frank uploads it to Spotify without telling her and wouldn’t you know it, it’s an instant hit. After Frank finally finishes freaking out over hearing his song on the radio he ups the pressure on Sam to use this chance to launch their careers and fulfil his dreams. Unfortunately, Sam, being the rebellious, highly attractive, hipster teenager with a great singing voice who also happens to be a lesbian is far to interested in studying medicine and becoming a doctor to risk it all for a musical career. From this point, everything that you think will happen, happens.
Hearts beat loud is at its core, a paint by numbers film that ticks all the boxes and hits all the milestones a coming of age family drama involving music and commitment should. It breaks zero new ground, but it doesn’t make any new mistakes either. Director Brett Haley clearly had a formula he intended to work with and he didn’t deviate from it. In the end though, Hearts Beat Loud is an enjoyable, if forgettable romp through the classic emotional rollercoaster we all know and love. If you want something to stay with you, look elsewhere, if you have a couple of hours free on a Saturday and want something light and warm to play while you cook dinner, Hearts Beat loud may just be what you are looking for.
website
by Sony Pictures and Park Circus Group
review by Sam Bell
Stories of the rebellious child being torn between their adolescent fantasy and their parents desire for them to do the responsible thing have been done so many times, in so many ways that nearly all of us could write a barebones script for one without even trying. Replace the parent and child’s desires and you have Hearts Beat Loud. While it is nice to see an inversion of the classic trope, it’s a perfect reflection, going through the exact same movements and twists, in just as predictable a manner, albeit in an abnormal direction. Not to deny the classic tropes their power and place, they are classic for a reason after all. If you are looking for something new to make you think or give you something you’ve never seen before though, this is not the place to look.
The story follows an aging, hipster widower (Nick Offerman) and his teenage daughter (Kiersey Clemons) as she attempts to find her direction in life. Offerman’s Frank is stuck in his glory days and dreams of being in a successful band and living the life of a musician. To ensure this, he forcibly enlists the aid of Clemons’s Sam form a band with him and abandon her foolish dreams of medicine and responsibility. After they record their first track, Frank uploads it to Spotify without telling her and wouldn’t you know it, it’s an instant hit. After Frank finally finishes freaking out over hearing his song on the radio he ups the pressure on Sam to use this chance to launch their careers and fulfil his dreams. Unfortunately, Sam, being the rebellious, highly attractive, hipster teenager with a great singing voice who also happens to be a lesbian is far to interested in studying medicine and becoming a doctor to risk it all for a musical career. From this point, everything that you think will happen, happens.
Hearts beat loud is at its core, a paint by numbers film that ticks all the boxes and hits all the milestones a coming of age family drama involving music and commitment should. It breaks zero new ground, but it doesn’t make any new mistakes either. Director Brett Haley clearly had a formula he intended to work with and he didn’t deviate from it. In the end though, Hearts Beat Loud is an enjoyable, if forgettable romp through the classic emotional rollercoaster we all know and love. If you want something to stay with you, look elsewhere, if you have a couple of hours free on a Saturday and want something light and warm to play while you cook dinner, Hearts Beat loud may just be what you are looking for.
WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?
website
review by Sam Bell
When people think of the great men of the 21st century there is a list of names that everyone comes to, such as Barack Obama, Stephen Hawking and Steve Jobs. Businessmen, politicians and public figures alike. One name often missed, wrongfully so, is Fred Rogers. Won’t you be my neighbour? aims to correct this mistake by showcasing the man and legend in all his glory. At just over 90 minutes, the movie has its work cut out for it trying to explain the entire life of such an influential man, especially to audiences outside of America who likely haven’t seen his work or heard of him before. While it may not be comprehensive in its coverage, or particularly nuanced in its story telling, won’t you be my neighbour? Is an honest primer to a man who dedicated his life to kindness and love.
For those who have yet to encounter anything the man ever made, Fred Rogers was a TV frontrunner. The face and mind behind the juggernaut, 31 season, 912 episode long children’s educational program that was Mister Rogers' Neighbourhood. From 1968 to 2001, the ordained priest and uncanonised saint spoke directly to the children of the world, teaching them about love and empathy as only he could. Never afraid to cover the harder topics, Fred Rogers often devoted entire episodes, if not series of episodes covering the subjects often avoided by most children’s entertainment. Nothing was taboo, death, divorce, loss and pain, all the things that children will eventually deal with. The documentary shows how he took each issue, reframed them into a child’s perspective and then patiently walked his audience through each of them.
A skilled producer, musician, puppeteer and priest, Fred rogers devoted his life to improving the lives of children around the world. His core message, repeated in every episode is as simple as it is poignant, you deserve to be loved. It was this message of unconditional love and acceptance that defined his life and in turn this film. Won’t you be my neighbour avoids the trap of most bio pics of exaggerating their subject to make them either a perfect being or a demon incarnate. It also side steps the common failings of many documentaries, blowing events out of proportion and attempting to find people with as drastically opposed views on the issue as possible. Instead it succeeds in stunning fashion, portraying the life of man, as it happened, without fear nor favour. Fed Rogers was not a perfect man and the film does not pretend he was, there was controversy around him and his crew, he had his own insecurities and doubts that plagued him. Those reminders of humanity are what make both man and film so great though.
In much the same style as the titular entertainer, won’t you be my neighbour? Throws itself into its circumstances. It’s a low budget, low production value work of art. It doesn’t rely on celebrities or star power, there are no scenes of people sobbing over his death or giving standing ovations during his life, though both happened on mass. It seeks to tell the truth of the man and lets you decide what you think about him all by yourself. It doesn’t need to trick you into caring, because the fact of the matter is that if by some unholy miracle you leave this movie unmoved by the pure love Fred Rogers had for the world, it doesn’t matter, he would have loved you anyway. All this movie really seeks to do is ask its audience a simple question, you don’t even really need to watch the movie to hear it (though I highly recommend you do), all you need is the title. As a record of the life and death of one the kindest men to ever live, all this film wants to know is, Won’t you be my neighbour?
website
review by Sam Bell
When people think of the great men of the 21st century there is a list of names that everyone comes to, such as Barack Obama, Stephen Hawking and Steve Jobs. Businessmen, politicians and public figures alike. One name often missed, wrongfully so, is Fred Rogers. Won’t you be my neighbour? aims to correct this mistake by showcasing the man and legend in all his glory. At just over 90 minutes, the movie has its work cut out for it trying to explain the entire life of such an influential man, especially to audiences outside of America who likely haven’t seen his work or heard of him before. While it may not be comprehensive in its coverage, or particularly nuanced in its story telling, won’t you be my neighbour? Is an honest primer to a man who dedicated his life to kindness and love.
For those who have yet to encounter anything the man ever made, Fred Rogers was a TV frontrunner. The face and mind behind the juggernaut, 31 season, 912 episode long children’s educational program that was Mister Rogers' Neighbourhood. From 1968 to 2001, the ordained priest and uncanonised saint spoke directly to the children of the world, teaching them about love and empathy as only he could. Never afraid to cover the harder topics, Fred Rogers often devoted entire episodes, if not series of episodes covering the subjects often avoided by most children’s entertainment. Nothing was taboo, death, divorce, loss and pain, all the things that children will eventually deal with. The documentary shows how he took each issue, reframed them into a child’s perspective and then patiently walked his audience through each of them.
A skilled producer, musician, puppeteer and priest, Fred rogers devoted his life to improving the lives of children around the world. His core message, repeated in every episode is as simple as it is poignant, you deserve to be loved. It was this message of unconditional love and acceptance that defined his life and in turn this film. Won’t you be my neighbour avoids the trap of most bio pics of exaggerating their subject to make them either a perfect being or a demon incarnate. It also side steps the common failings of many documentaries, blowing events out of proportion and attempting to find people with as drastically opposed views on the issue as possible. Instead it succeeds in stunning fashion, portraying the life of man, as it happened, without fear nor favour. Fed Rogers was not a perfect man and the film does not pretend he was, there was controversy around him and his crew, he had his own insecurities and doubts that plagued him. Those reminders of humanity are what make both man and film so great though.
In much the same style as the titular entertainer, won’t you be my neighbour? Throws itself into its circumstances. It’s a low budget, low production value work of art. It doesn’t rely on celebrities or star power, there are no scenes of people sobbing over his death or giving standing ovations during his life, though both happened on mass. It seeks to tell the truth of the man and lets you decide what you think about him all by yourself. It doesn’t need to trick you into caring, because the fact of the matter is that if by some unholy miracle you leave this movie unmoved by the pure love Fred Rogers had for the world, it doesn’t matter, he would have loved you anyway. All this movie really seeks to do is ask its audience a simple question, you don’t even really need to watch the movie to hear it (though I highly recommend you do), all you need is the title. As a record of the life and death of one the kindest men to ever live, all this film wants to know is, Won’t you be my neighbour?
DON'T WORRY, HE WON'T GET FAR ON FOOT FILM TO PAY ATTENTION TO
website
RATE: 8/10
I feel sorry that this film will not be noticed by the wider audience watching blockbusters and action chewing gum.
There is so much in this film many of us can learn. It is about addictions: no matter what addictions: women, alcohol, smoking, over-eating, endless shopping - they all come from one place- our minds that requires healing. The healing is a complex process. It is all about he harmony living with each other, it is all about the harmony of living with yourself. It is finally about forgiving the once who are close to you, your family , your friends , your enemies and big and small people; it is finally all about forgiving Yourself. Guilt destroys lives, guilt destroys our lives and the lives of the people around us. When the process of forgiveness is completed the soul is ready for creation. It saves you from your ego and opens you up to Thyself. The inspiration is inevitable. You are finally back on your path and you know who you are now..
The acting talent of Joaquin Phoenix is incredible. He owns every moment of the film. Our eyes are all on him: he plays and he plays so talent-ly. He portrays the rich spectrum of human emotions. He shows the man who lost the ability to move. He shows a good man with a very weak will of power. Jonah Hill is superb but Rooney Mara is like a ray of light in the darkness of the hospital with its physical pain and sore soul wounds.
Gus Van Sant, the film director talks about the man who finds himself at the bottom of physical, emotional and other levels in life. There is no way to go deeper down as the bottom is reached and it does not look pleasant. Even the life threatening event does not wake him up: the alcoholic roller coaster continues and he does not hear the calls from above. Hope remains though. The soul cleansing process is not an easy way up. The story is optimistic. The drama in the film is well blended with some very good humor.
The story line looks like a bonfire full of sparkles that fly out of it at night time. They also blend so well together with the anime pictures the main character is drawing on paper. His pictures get alive like the fire sparkles and they bring love and hope to everyone watching them. The film is more than personal , it is turning into deeply intimate story.
website
RATE: 8/10
I feel sorry that this film will not be noticed by the wider audience watching blockbusters and action chewing gum.
There is so much in this film many of us can learn. It is about addictions: no matter what addictions: women, alcohol, smoking, over-eating, endless shopping - they all come from one place- our minds that requires healing. The healing is a complex process. It is all about he harmony living with each other, it is all about the harmony of living with yourself. It is finally about forgiving the once who are close to you, your family , your friends , your enemies and big and small people; it is finally all about forgiving Yourself. Guilt destroys lives, guilt destroys our lives and the lives of the people around us. When the process of forgiveness is completed the soul is ready for creation. It saves you from your ego and opens you up to Thyself. The inspiration is inevitable. You are finally back on your path and you know who you are now..
The acting talent of Joaquin Phoenix is incredible. He owns every moment of the film. Our eyes are all on him: he plays and he plays so talent-ly. He portrays the rich spectrum of human emotions. He shows the man who lost the ability to move. He shows a good man with a very weak will of power. Jonah Hill is superb but Rooney Mara is like a ray of light in the darkness of the hospital with its physical pain and sore soul wounds.
Gus Van Sant, the film director talks about the man who finds himself at the bottom of physical, emotional and other levels in life. There is no way to go deeper down as the bottom is reached and it does not look pleasant. Even the life threatening event does not wake him up: the alcoholic roller coaster continues and he does not hear the calls from above. Hope remains though. The soul cleansing process is not an easy way up. The story is optimistic. The drama in the film is well blended with some very good humor.
The story line looks like a bonfire full of sparkles that fly out of it at night time. They also blend so well together with the anime pictures the main character is drawing on paper. His pictures get alive like the fire sparkles and they bring love and hope to everyone watching them. The film is more than personal , it is turning into deeply intimate story.
review by Susan Reynolds
“He Won’t Get Far on Foot”
Drama/Comedy
John Callahan: Joaquin Phoenix
Dexter: Jack Black
Annu: Rooney Mara
Ronnie: Johnah Hill
8/10
Review by Susan Reynolds
Based on a true story of the memoir of John Callahan and written and directed skillfully by Gus Van Sant the film provides the audience with insights into living with quadriplegia and the difficult life of being reliant on others. It is stark in its reality but provides some inspiring content.
Joaquin Phoenix plays an excellent role as the severe alcoholic who buries his pain with alcohol. ......Pain that he perceives as a result of his abandonment at birth, pain he felt in growing up with a foster family and not feeling he fitted in, then ultimately pain from his physical injury.
Jack Black plays Dexter whom Callahan strikes up a rapport with at a party they booze on and on in the night until Dexter elects to drive drunk and mistakes a pole with a turn in the road.
Dexter walks away from the crash but not so Callahan who is in a bad way. When Callahan gains consciousness he’s severely incapacitated. He almost immediately sets eyes on a captivating girl Annu played by Rooney Mara who he learns will attend to him once a weekday as a therapist . He is trying to come to terms with his devastating injuries.
Not coping with life sober before with his quadriplegia he is then doubly in trouble, life isn’t so easy now to even reach for that bottle of booze on the upper shelf. He has his trials and tribulations but his spirits are boosted when he meets up with Annu again and they become an item. She encourages him to join Alcoholics Anonymous and he attends art classes. A sobering reality greets him with the former. Group members each have their own demons and aren’t out to be soft with him ...their blunt comments infuriating him at first but then he soon realises they are apt and that they are his friends. Group patron and once alcoholic himself is a superb character enlightening and supportive to Callahan. This character is Ronnie is played by Jonah Hill. The interactions and conversations between Ronnie and John are where we are treated to the most meaningful dialogue and best acting scenes of the movie in my estimation.
Callahan finds his place in the world transforming in his life. A new career germinates from this dormant creative seed that lies within. He discovers this amazing gift for drawing cartoons. A powerful message contained in this; that in confronting and dealing with your demons can reveal a whole new world. This isn’t lost on Callahan who has great self-pride, he’s come a long way from the dysfunctional alcoholic ...a sobering thought.
Superb acting by Joaquin Phoenix an outstanding performer however I did enjoy his previous film “You Were Never Really Here”2017 more. I found some scenarios a little stretched for credibility in this film but perhaps the adage real life is often stranger than fiction applies.
“He Won’t Get Far on Foot”
Drama/Comedy
John Callahan: Joaquin Phoenix
Dexter: Jack Black
Annu: Rooney Mara
Ronnie: Johnah Hill
8/10
Review by Susan Reynolds
Based on a true story of the memoir of John Callahan and written and directed skillfully by Gus Van Sant the film provides the audience with insights into living with quadriplegia and the difficult life of being reliant on others. It is stark in its reality but provides some inspiring content.
Joaquin Phoenix plays an excellent role as the severe alcoholic who buries his pain with alcohol. ......Pain that he perceives as a result of his abandonment at birth, pain he felt in growing up with a foster family and not feeling he fitted in, then ultimately pain from his physical injury.
Jack Black plays Dexter whom Callahan strikes up a rapport with at a party they booze on and on in the night until Dexter elects to drive drunk and mistakes a pole with a turn in the road.
Dexter walks away from the crash but not so Callahan who is in a bad way. When Callahan gains consciousness he’s severely incapacitated. He almost immediately sets eyes on a captivating girl Annu played by Rooney Mara who he learns will attend to him once a weekday as a therapist . He is trying to come to terms with his devastating injuries.
Not coping with life sober before with his quadriplegia he is then doubly in trouble, life isn’t so easy now to even reach for that bottle of booze on the upper shelf. He has his trials and tribulations but his spirits are boosted when he meets up with Annu again and they become an item. She encourages him to join Alcoholics Anonymous and he attends art classes. A sobering reality greets him with the former. Group members each have their own demons and aren’t out to be soft with him ...their blunt comments infuriating him at first but then he soon realises they are apt and that they are his friends. Group patron and once alcoholic himself is a superb character enlightening and supportive to Callahan. This character is Ronnie is played by Jonah Hill. The interactions and conversations between Ronnie and John are where we are treated to the most meaningful dialogue and best acting scenes of the movie in my estimation.
Callahan finds his place in the world transforming in his life. A new career germinates from this dormant creative seed that lies within. He discovers this amazing gift for drawing cartoons. A powerful message contained in this; that in confronting and dealing with your demons can reveal a whole new world. This isn’t lost on Callahan who has great self-pride, he’s come a long way from the dysfunctional alcoholic ...a sobering thought.
Superb acting by Joaquin Phoenix an outstanding performer however I did enjoy his previous film “You Were Never Really Here”2017 more. I found some scenarios a little stretched for credibility in this film but perhaps the adage real life is often stranger than fiction applies.
A SIMPLE FAVOR NEW
website
review: Max Lyons
Concise Critique:
A Simple Favour
By Maxwell M. Lyons
Based on Darcy Bell's novel of the same title, A Simple Favour tells an unexpectedly dark tale of twisted adoration, thriller intrigue, and fervid reprisal hidden beneath the surface of a would-be odd-couple comedy. Though at times it
shows its hand a little prematurely, for the most part, there remains enough mystery and enjoyable character work to carry the film and keep you invested as the secrecy unfolds.
Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) is a prudish widowed mother with high moralistic convictions but not a backbone to match. Though well-intentioned, her chirpy yet pragmatic nature conflicts with the all-too-judgmental parents of the PTA at her
son’s school. One of the other mothers, Emily (Blake Lively), shares similar social pariah, yet for completely opposing idiosyncrasies; she is aloof, opulent, and unapologetically brusque in character. After an initial encounter Emily invites
Stephanie over for an afternoon cocktail, and so the film looks to go the route of the odd-couple comedy; two opposing personalities brought together by a common social exile. Emily finds sadistic amusement in poking at Stephanie’s many insecurities, and Stephanie is all too eager to have a “best friend” in her life – going out of her way to accommodate a slew of requests by Emily even at her own inconvenience. It’s all innocent fun until Emily suddenly disappears and the
real mystery begins to unfold.
Though the narrative progresses fairly well, it does tend to show its hand a little prematurely at times, taking away from the suspense of the situation. There are also times in which the characters behave a bit beyond suspension of disbelief,
trading plot convenience for natural development and logical character demeanour. In saying that, there is still much enjoyment to be had, and for the most part there is always a small element of the mystery that remains until the
very end.
The main cast of actors performed notably well in their roles, especially to the credit of Lively whose portrayal of Emily is gripping and impeccable throughout. Kendrick plays Stephanie remarkably, however, at this point, it does seem like a
bit of a type-cast; not that her character wasn’t fun to watch, just that if you’re familiar at all with Kendrick’s filmography you’ve probably seen it before. With that said, Stephanie is really the only people in the film to exhibit any character
development, taking on the more confident morally questionable aspects of Emily’s persona – albeit to a questionably believable degree. The child actors playing each character’s respective sons did an adequate job, and Henry Golding
(playing Emily’s husband Sean) puts on a fairly respectable, if not overly noteworthy performance – in all honesty, I feel his character adds more narrative baggage than necessary, but I guess it was deemed more entrancing to have a
romantic subplot in there (to each their own).
As a whole, A Simple Favour presents a fairly gripping thriller with a surprisingly complex narrative capably performed by an all-too-enjoyable cast of distinct personalities. Though the film shows fault in pacing and narrative reveal, there is
plenty of entertainment to be had, albeit requiring some suspension of disbelief. Writer Jessica Sharzer and director Paul Feig have done a commendable job in translating Bell’s novel to the big screen, and with such acting draw as Kendrick and Lively I find it hard to not recommend it to lovers of mystery and suspenseful enthral.
A Simple Favour will be released in cinemas Australia-wide on September 13,
2018.
website
review: Max Lyons
Concise Critique:
A Simple Favour
By Maxwell M. Lyons
Based on Darcy Bell's novel of the same title, A Simple Favour tells an unexpectedly dark tale of twisted adoration, thriller intrigue, and fervid reprisal hidden beneath the surface of a would-be odd-couple comedy. Though at times it
shows its hand a little prematurely, for the most part, there remains enough mystery and enjoyable character work to carry the film and keep you invested as the secrecy unfolds.
Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) is a prudish widowed mother with high moralistic convictions but not a backbone to match. Though well-intentioned, her chirpy yet pragmatic nature conflicts with the all-too-judgmental parents of the PTA at her
son’s school. One of the other mothers, Emily (Blake Lively), shares similar social pariah, yet for completely opposing idiosyncrasies; she is aloof, opulent, and unapologetically brusque in character. After an initial encounter Emily invites
Stephanie over for an afternoon cocktail, and so the film looks to go the route of the odd-couple comedy; two opposing personalities brought together by a common social exile. Emily finds sadistic amusement in poking at Stephanie’s many insecurities, and Stephanie is all too eager to have a “best friend” in her life – going out of her way to accommodate a slew of requests by Emily even at her own inconvenience. It’s all innocent fun until Emily suddenly disappears and the
real mystery begins to unfold.
Though the narrative progresses fairly well, it does tend to show its hand a little prematurely at times, taking away from the suspense of the situation. There are also times in which the characters behave a bit beyond suspension of disbelief,
trading plot convenience for natural development and logical character demeanour. In saying that, there is still much enjoyment to be had, and for the most part there is always a small element of the mystery that remains until the
very end.
The main cast of actors performed notably well in their roles, especially to the credit of Lively whose portrayal of Emily is gripping and impeccable throughout. Kendrick plays Stephanie remarkably, however, at this point, it does seem like a
bit of a type-cast; not that her character wasn’t fun to watch, just that if you’re familiar at all with Kendrick’s filmography you’ve probably seen it before. With that said, Stephanie is really the only people in the film to exhibit any character
development, taking on the more confident morally questionable aspects of Emily’s persona – albeit to a questionably believable degree. The child actors playing each character’s respective sons did an adequate job, and Henry Golding
(playing Emily’s husband Sean) puts on a fairly respectable, if not overly noteworthy performance – in all honesty, I feel his character adds more narrative baggage than necessary, but I guess it was deemed more entrancing to have a
romantic subplot in there (to each their own).
As a whole, A Simple Favour presents a fairly gripping thriller with a surprisingly complex narrative capably performed by an all-too-enjoyable cast of distinct personalities. Though the film shows fault in pacing and narrative reveal, there is
plenty of entertainment to be had, albeit requiring some suspension of disbelief. Writer Jessica Sharzer and director Paul Feig have done a commendable job in translating Bell’s novel to the big screen, and with such acting draw as Kendrick and Lively I find it hard to not recommend it to lovers of mystery and suspenseful enthral.
A Simple Favour will be released in cinemas Australia-wide on September 13,
2018.
THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS
Roadshow
RATE: 6/10
The film features the LA area where humans and puppets live together. But life is not a box of chocolates for the puppets as they are humiliated by humans. Puppets detective reunites with his human ex-work-partner to investigate the brutal murder in one of the city joints.
The Happytime Murders is not the film I would go to watch if I had a free time. It is funny sometimes but most of the time the humor is a bit vulgar and out of my capacity to understand how the below the belt low jokes can make it funny...
It is a one of to forget quickly IMHO and it is sad as the potential was there as well as the idea. The work that was put into creating each scene is amazing though and deserves a standing ovation.
The film is puppets R rated - not the one that I would recommend either.
The film is quite plain I would say but it is watchable.
Roadshow
RATE: 6/10
The film features the LA area where humans and puppets live together. But life is not a box of chocolates for the puppets as they are humiliated by humans. Puppets detective reunites with his human ex-work-partner to investigate the brutal murder in one of the city joints.
The Happytime Murders is not the film I would go to watch if I had a free time. It is funny sometimes but most of the time the humor is a bit vulgar and out of my capacity to understand how the below the belt low jokes can make it funny...
It is a one of to forget quickly IMHO and it is sad as the potential was there as well as the idea. The work that was put into creating each scene is amazing though and deserves a standing ovation.
The film is puppets R rated - not the one that I would recommend either.
The film is quite plain I would say but it is watchable.
Jirga is an assembly of people who get together to judge the deed and misdeed.
The film is very slow paced and graceful if you can say such things about the films about war resistance. The film was made in almost impossible conditions (that is why I put a bit of information below on making the film and about the director). The film feels like a very well plotted documentary from its first minutes but the artistic side is coming through bit but bit filing the audience with beauty , emotions not information only.
The film is powerful and its intentions are pure: each page of this picture is against wars. It slowly brings you to the subject. e do not understand why the white man is in Kabul and what he is preparing for. His behavior seems strange but step by step we understand the purpose of his visit. The film is rich on emotions , I would say it is bottomless as it touches the subject of forgiveness many of us never had. Vengefulness yes but not forgiveness. We fight for small things neglecting the fact that our hearts beat the same way, our eyes look at the same things and our lungs get the same air.
The nature shoots are beyond any human understanding of beauty: I loved watching the sunrises in the stone desert - they look spectacular, Marsian, they look alien and bare, as the raw human creating. It is an openness of the interrupted view in the core of such images and filming them is such a rewarding job!
What is in Forgiveness that is so hard to give out... what holds us from it!? I was raised in the atmosphere of forgiveness at home , I was told to forgive even if I am right. Although I would not feel right if I had o forgive for killing someone dear in my family, it sounds almost impossible. It is hard breaking to watch both sides involved in the situation: forgiving and forgiven.
The performance of Sam Smith, Australia actor is immaculate. It is silent and strong. I firstly thought he was a native Afghan origin man so naturally he blends into the environment as if he lived there for years on the others side, not the soldiers. Sam plays a soldier emotionally stable, not even one of his facial muscles moves during the touching episodes of the film, he is a stone, though his inner world shines through and his genuine intentions are supported by his live actions. His face is Christ-like in his suffering and almost looks symbolic. He only performed his mission , little he knew that he would be required to kill Innocence itself. He knows exactly what he is doing when he gives himself away to the villagers whose brothers and sisters he was killing before. He does not care about the punishment The self-punishment has already taken place in his soul.
The script monologues, dialogues and words pronounced are limited. The major work is happening in between the words. The less the talk the stronger are the responses from the spectators of the film , the more time they have to think and re-think the actions.
The soundtrack adds to the film beauty, its strength and its depth.
The position of the film director is clear so we are willingly supporting it as well as the way he showed it. For those if you waiting for the fire, the guns, the raw action and bullshit fights will not be happy to see this film. This is not for everyone. I loved every little bit of it... I would only recommend my best friends and most devoted readers who love thinking while watching the finest in art to see this film as a must.
The film is very slow paced and graceful if you can say such things about the films about war resistance. The film was made in almost impossible conditions (that is why I put a bit of information below on making the film and about the director). The film feels like a very well plotted documentary from its first minutes but the artistic side is coming through bit but bit filing the audience with beauty , emotions not information only.
The film is powerful and its intentions are pure: each page of this picture is against wars. It slowly brings you to the subject. e do not understand why the white man is in Kabul and what he is preparing for. His behavior seems strange but step by step we understand the purpose of his visit. The film is rich on emotions , I would say it is bottomless as it touches the subject of forgiveness many of us never had. Vengefulness yes but not forgiveness. We fight for small things neglecting the fact that our hearts beat the same way, our eyes look at the same things and our lungs get the same air.
The nature shoots are beyond any human understanding of beauty: I loved watching the sunrises in the stone desert - they look spectacular, Marsian, they look alien and bare, as the raw human creating. It is an openness of the interrupted view in the core of such images and filming them is such a rewarding job!
What is in Forgiveness that is so hard to give out... what holds us from it!? I was raised in the atmosphere of forgiveness at home , I was told to forgive even if I am right. Although I would not feel right if I had o forgive for killing someone dear in my family, it sounds almost impossible. It is hard breaking to watch both sides involved in the situation: forgiving and forgiven.
The performance of Sam Smith, Australia actor is immaculate. It is silent and strong. I firstly thought he was a native Afghan origin man so naturally he blends into the environment as if he lived there for years on the others side, not the soldiers. Sam plays a soldier emotionally stable, not even one of his facial muscles moves during the touching episodes of the film, he is a stone, though his inner world shines through and his genuine intentions are supported by his live actions. His face is Christ-like in his suffering and almost looks symbolic. He only performed his mission , little he knew that he would be required to kill Innocence itself. He knows exactly what he is doing when he gives himself away to the villagers whose brothers and sisters he was killing before. He does not care about the punishment The self-punishment has already taken place in his soul.
The script monologues, dialogues and words pronounced are limited. The major work is happening in between the words. The less the talk the stronger are the responses from the spectators of the film , the more time they have to think and re-think the actions.
The soundtrack adds to the film beauty, its strength and its depth.
The position of the film director is clear so we are willingly supporting it as well as the way he showed it. For those if you waiting for the fire, the guns, the raw action and bullshit fights will not be happy to see this film. This is not for everyone. I loved every little bit of it... I would only recommend my best friends and most devoted readers who love thinking while watching the finest in art to see this film as a must.
About the film and making it
Moved by his travel experiences in Afghanistan and encounters with war veterans in Australia, filmmaker Benjamin Gilmour wrote a screenplay set in the current Afghan conflict. His story was about a former soldier returning to Afghanistan to look for the family of a civilian he had killed in battle and to seek forgiveness. Gilmour cast Sydney actor Sam Smith in the lead role, and the two of them flew to Pakistan where they planned to shoot the film with funding from a local investor. But the plan fell through. Their shoot was blocked by the Pakistani secret service and the money disappeared. Instead of cutting their losses and returning home, Gilmour and Smith decided to carry on to Afghanistan and make the film in a country still at war. Collaborating with a small crew of Afghans, Gilmour and Smith set about shooting their scenes in one of the most dangerous provinces crawling with Taliban and Islamic State militants. After two months living rough, facing countless obstacles and near-death experiences, Gilmour and Smith emerged from Afghanistan with a movie.
This is director Benjamin Gilmour¹s true behind-the-scenes account of making the film Jirga in Afghanistan.
Moved by his travel experiences in Afghanistan and encounters with war veterans in Australia, filmmaker Benjamin Gilmour wrote a screenplay set in the current Afghan conflict. His story was about a former soldier returning to Afghanistan to look for the family of a civilian he had killed in battle and to seek forgiveness. Gilmour cast Sydney actor Sam Smith in the lead role, and the two of them flew to Pakistan where they planned to shoot the film with funding from a local investor. But the plan fell through. Their shoot was blocked by the Pakistani secret service and the money disappeared. Instead of cutting their losses and returning home, Gilmour and Smith decided to carry on to Afghanistan and make the film in a country still at war. Collaborating with a small crew of Afghans, Gilmour and Smith set about shooting their scenes in one of the most dangerous provinces crawling with Taliban and Islamic State militants. After two months living rough, facing countless obstacles and near-death experiences, Gilmour and Smith emerged from Afghanistan with a movie.
This is director Benjamin Gilmour¹s true behind-the-scenes account of making the film Jirga in Afghanistan.
About the director
Benjamin Gilmour is an author and filmmaker, director of the films 'Jirga' (2018), 'Paramedico' (2012) and 'Son of a Lion’ (2008), author of the books ‘Paramedico – Around the World by Ambulance’ (HarperCollins), a tie-in with his recent film of the same name, and ‘Warrior Poets’ (Pier 9) about the making of his first feature film in Pakistan. His latest book 'Cameras & Kalashnikovs' (Ahoy) is a behind-the-scenes account of his time making 'Jirga' in Afghanistan. He is based in northern New South Wales, Australia, where he lives with his partner Kaspia and three children, Paloma, Romeo and Bohème.
Benjamin Gilmour is an author and filmmaker, director of the films 'Jirga' (2018), 'Paramedico' (2012) and 'Son of a Lion’ (2008), author of the books ‘Paramedico – Around the World by Ambulance’ (HarperCollins), a tie-in with his recent film of the same name, and ‘Warrior Poets’ (Pier 9) about the making of his first feature film in Pakistan. His latest book 'Cameras & Kalashnikovs' (Ahoy) is a behind-the-scenes account of his time making 'Jirga' in Afghanistan. He is based in northern New South Wales, Australia, where he lives with his partner Kaspia and three children, Paloma, Romeo and Bohème.
WAYNE
Transmission Films
RATE: 6/10
I believe this film will be interesting for the motorcycle racers and people interested in motorcycles in general as well a to the Formula 1 drivers and people interested in racing sport in general I found it a bit monotonous and boring. What fascinated me though the devotion of the women who was standing behind and next to her hero supporting him.. I believe only to get hurt at the end. This is a tough profession and not many women would love to stay close to such man who only thinks bikes , races and nothing else He would always be married to his machine and never to you... sad but true... No matter how much "the hero" he is - national or international it is not a challenge... the real challenge and the real race is to sustain your relationship with the people you love and cherish in your life. If you can not - nothing else matters. I was very glad to see though that Wayne's relationship with his children from that gorgeous women were still "working"... but who am I to judge?
Transmission Films
RATE: 6/10
I believe this film will be interesting for the motorcycle racers and people interested in motorcycles in general as well a to the Formula 1 drivers and people interested in racing sport in general I found it a bit monotonous and boring. What fascinated me though the devotion of the women who was standing behind and next to her hero supporting him.. I believe only to get hurt at the end. This is a tough profession and not many women would love to stay close to such man who only thinks bikes , races and nothing else He would always be married to his machine and never to you... sad but true... No matter how much "the hero" he is - national or international it is not a challenge... the real challenge and the real race is to sustain your relationship with the people you love and cherish in your life. If you can not - nothing else matters. I was very glad to see though that Wayne's relationship with his children from that gorgeous women were still "working"... but who am I to judge?
MILE 22
Roadshow
review: Max Lyons
Director:
Peter Berg.
Starring:
Mark Wahlberg,
Iko Uwais,
Lauren Cohan,
J. K. Simmons,
Rhonda Rousey,
John Malkovich.
Genre:
Action
Crime
Thriller.
Rating:
MA15+.
Running time:
94 Minutes.
Concise Critique:
By Maxwell M. Lyons
Mile 22 is the latest film by director Peter Berg, working once more with lead actor Mark Wahlberg as they have done so brilliantly in recent blockbuster successes Patriot’s Day (2016) and Deepwater Horizon (2016). Unlike those critically acclaimed features, however, Mile 22 showcases nothing more than the directorial flaws of Berg when it comes to original fiction-based screenplays.
The narrative rests on a simple premise; protect and escort a witness from point-A to point-B, and avoid getting shot. Though nothing original, what results is often at worst a 90-minute action montage of mindless entertainment. Unfortunately for Mile 22, it tried too hard to defy this tradition and ended up taking itself far too seriously with a cornucopia of storylines and plot devices muddying the narrative; unnecessary filler at best, lazy writing at worst.
As for acting, Mark Wahlberg put on a satisfactory performance as American special operations soldier James Silva, embodying the quick-witted, emotionally flat, hilariously hyper-macho Wahlberg we’ve all come to expect from the action star. Sure, it’s a type-cast at this point, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable, nor does it belittle the acting talents of the man himself. Supporting cast included the woefully underutilised real-world badass Ronda Rousey, the token side-character with marital problems played by Lauren Cohan, and action specialist Iko Uwais (star of the popular Raid movie series). Sadly, they also dragged the iconic
J. K. Simmons into the fray. None of their performances were overly noteworthy, though they all played their role as dictated by the poorly written script.
On that note, though acting was mediocre across the board, the true highlight of the film rests in its action scenes. Don’t get me wrong, it was a directorial nightmare with jump cuts coming out the rear, but if there was one saving grace it would have to be the fight choreography, in particular that of Uwais. It’s not quite enough to save the movie, but it was by far the most satisfactory aspect of it all.
Overall, Mile 22 was an overly complex, lazily written, macho facade of a propaganda piece. It tried too hard to be something it wasn’t and, in the end, suffered greatly because of it. It’s hard to say what hinders the film most — poor directing, banal screenplay, one-dimensional characters, incoherent action — though ultimately each is as disappointing as the other, and what results is a film worth little beyond a Youtube action montage appreciation. Even if you love high-budget visceral action, it’s not worth investing the 94-minutes taken up by this movie. I find it hard recommending Mile 22 to anyone.
will be released in cinemas Australia-wide on August 30, 2018.
Roadshow
review: Max Lyons
Director:
Peter Berg.
Starring:
Mark Wahlberg,
Iko Uwais,
Lauren Cohan,
J. K. Simmons,
Rhonda Rousey,
John Malkovich.
Genre:
Action
Crime
Thriller.
Rating:
MA15+.
Running time:
94 Minutes.
Concise Critique:
By Maxwell M. Lyons
Mile 22 is the latest film by director Peter Berg, working once more with lead actor Mark Wahlberg as they have done so brilliantly in recent blockbuster successes Patriot’s Day (2016) and Deepwater Horizon (2016). Unlike those critically acclaimed features, however, Mile 22 showcases nothing more than the directorial flaws of Berg when it comes to original fiction-based screenplays.
The narrative rests on a simple premise; protect and escort a witness from point-A to point-B, and avoid getting shot. Though nothing original, what results is often at worst a 90-minute action montage of mindless entertainment. Unfortunately for Mile 22, it tried too hard to defy this tradition and ended up taking itself far too seriously with a cornucopia of storylines and plot devices muddying the narrative; unnecessary filler at best, lazy writing at worst.
As for acting, Mark Wahlberg put on a satisfactory performance as American special operations soldier James Silva, embodying the quick-witted, emotionally flat, hilariously hyper-macho Wahlberg we’ve all come to expect from the action star. Sure, it’s a type-cast at this point, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable, nor does it belittle the acting talents of the man himself. Supporting cast included the woefully underutilised real-world badass Ronda Rousey, the token side-character with marital problems played by Lauren Cohan, and action specialist Iko Uwais (star of the popular Raid movie series). Sadly, they also dragged the iconic
J. K. Simmons into the fray. None of their performances were overly noteworthy, though they all played their role as dictated by the poorly written script.
On that note, though acting was mediocre across the board, the true highlight of the film rests in its action scenes. Don’t get me wrong, it was a directorial nightmare with jump cuts coming out the rear, but if there was one saving grace it would have to be the fight choreography, in particular that of Uwais. It’s not quite enough to save the movie, but it was by far the most satisfactory aspect of it all.
Overall, Mile 22 was an overly complex, lazily written, macho facade of a propaganda piece. It tried too hard to be something it wasn’t and, in the end, suffered greatly because of it. It’s hard to say what hinders the film most — poor directing, banal screenplay, one-dimensional characters, incoherent action — though ultimately each is as disappointing as the other, and what results is a film worth little beyond a Youtube action montage appreciation. Even if you love high-budget visceral action, it’s not worth investing the 94-minutes taken up by this movie. I find it hard recommending Mile 22 to anyone.
will be released in cinemas Australia-wide on August 30, 2018.
THE MERGER
Zilla and Brook
RATE: 7/10
The Merger is an Australian made film. The story is very warm and will have you giggle and laugh along the way. I is sad and funny : it contains drama, romance and it is watchable on a very light note. The film will definitely have an impact not only on the local community but on Australians in general. The main actors are not my favourite choice but they are very unique and talented with no doubts.
The action takes place in the town of Bodgy Creek. The population is decreasing, the jobs are harder to find , Thee local footy club is not in a better situation either. Its former coach and the football tar is not living his dream life. He become s a friend with Neil, a boy who recently lost his father. Te strange friendship leads them to new discoveries. The decision is made: together with the boy's mum's help they start building a football team from the refugees.
The messages of the film are clear: love, support of each other, respect, empathy, sympathy, multi-cultural community life .
It is an incredible film worth watching just for its great messages....
Zilla and Brook
RATE: 7/10
The Merger is an Australian made film. The story is very warm and will have you giggle and laugh along the way. I is sad and funny : it contains drama, romance and it is watchable on a very light note. The film will definitely have an impact not only on the local community but on Australians in general. The main actors are not my favourite choice but they are very unique and talented with no doubts.
The action takes place in the town of Bodgy Creek. The population is decreasing, the jobs are harder to find , Thee local footy club is not in a better situation either. Its former coach and the football tar is not living his dream life. He become s a friend with Neil, a boy who recently lost his father. Te strange friendship leads them to new discoveries. The decision is made: together with the boy's mum's help they start building a football team from the refugees.
The messages of the film are clear: love, support of each other, respect, empathy, sympathy, multi-cultural community life .
It is an incredible film worth watching just for its great messages....
BEAST
Icon
review: Susan Reynolds
Beast
Psychological Drama
7.5/10
Starring Jessie Buckley, Johnny Flynn, Trystan Gravelle and Geraldine James. Written and directed by Michael Pearce.
Review by Susan Reynolds
This psychological drama takes place on the unusual location, the attractive Isle of Jersey. The aspect that typifies a small community is evident, that everyone seemingly is aware of each other’s business. In this atmosphere a young woman Mol doesn’t seem to be able to escape the unfortunate event that happened to her as a child when she had been bullied. She’d reacted by stabbing a fellow student with scissors. Thereafter Mol had been home schooled by her mother; a mother who expected her daughter to take an active role in being responsible as an aide to Mol’s father. Mol’s mother was very unlikable; a controlling woman who favored other family members above Mol. Mol seemed to be treated as if doing penance forever for what had happened in the past.
Early in the story along came a rugged stranger Pascal, a born and bred Jersey inhabitant who was a loner and an illegal poacher; an outsider with some suspected criminal past like Mol. Mol and Pascal fell for each other; Adding to the attraction seemed to be her mother’s distain for him; other family members also showed disapproval of her love interest.
Backdrop to the flowering romance was that there’d been a series of murders on the island. As the drama unfolded the two outsiders through their respective dubious pasts seem to be more alienated as suspicion ends up falling on Pascal for the murders.
Mol is a troubled emotional person and her love for Pascal is genuine. Pascal is very amicable and you feel these two should be given a chance. Their joy felt tenable; they’d found one another but did the story allow the romance to continue or were they in fact each other’s own worse enemy?
Most favorable part of the film in my opinion was the realistic chemistry between the very competent lead actors. Upside was they’d made the film feel believable and entertaining. I did enjoy the fact it was filmed in the unique island location.
Downside was that the second half seemed to be somewhat drawn out in my opinion.
Icon
review: Susan Reynolds
Beast
Psychological Drama
7.5/10
Starring Jessie Buckley, Johnny Flynn, Trystan Gravelle and Geraldine James. Written and directed by Michael Pearce.
Review by Susan Reynolds
This psychological drama takes place on the unusual location, the attractive Isle of Jersey. The aspect that typifies a small community is evident, that everyone seemingly is aware of each other’s business. In this atmosphere a young woman Mol doesn’t seem to be able to escape the unfortunate event that happened to her as a child when she had been bullied. She’d reacted by stabbing a fellow student with scissors. Thereafter Mol had been home schooled by her mother; a mother who expected her daughter to take an active role in being responsible as an aide to Mol’s father. Mol’s mother was very unlikable; a controlling woman who favored other family members above Mol. Mol seemed to be treated as if doing penance forever for what had happened in the past.
Early in the story along came a rugged stranger Pascal, a born and bred Jersey inhabitant who was a loner and an illegal poacher; an outsider with some suspected criminal past like Mol. Mol and Pascal fell for each other; Adding to the attraction seemed to be her mother’s distain for him; other family members also showed disapproval of her love interest.
Backdrop to the flowering romance was that there’d been a series of murders on the island. As the drama unfolded the two outsiders through their respective dubious pasts seem to be more alienated as suspicion ends up falling on Pascal for the murders.
Mol is a troubled emotional person and her love for Pascal is genuine. Pascal is very amicable and you feel these two should be given a chance. Their joy felt tenable; they’d found one another but did the story allow the romance to continue or were they in fact each other’s own worse enemy?
Most favorable part of the film in my opinion was the realistic chemistry between the very competent lead actors. Upside was they’d made the film feel believable and entertaining. I did enjoy the fact it was filmed in the unique island location.
Downside was that the second half seemed to be somewhat drawn out in my opinion.
McQUEEN
madman
review: Susan Reynolds
McQueen
10/10
Documentary
Review by Susan Reynolds
Lee Alexander McQueen as a boy had a creative mind, at school in every subject he drew clothing. The opportunity arose for him as a young man age 16 to learn tailoring at Savile Row where he applied himself intently to master the craft and he did it impeccably. Being able to craft a suit in his early career was valuable no doubt but McQueen’s talent and charisma would open doors and his passion was unstoppable. He could deliver he wasn’t just banter He talked his way into a role at age 21 when he went to Milan to work for a designer without speaking any Italian.
He returned to London after a short stint there his ambition was to take his learning further he then enrolled at Central Saint Martin's College of Art & Design. His aunt funded his studies and he achieved his MA in fashion design in 1992 age 24. The collection, the culminating project of his degree was inspired by Jack the Ripper, and was purchased by the well-known London stylist and eccentric collector Isabella Blow. Isabella was determined for the world to appreciate his work, they certainly eventually did. McQueen delivered with shock tactics, he was controversial but his visions and resulting shows became more and more were epic.
McQueen in those early days paid for materials for the early shows with his social security cheques and lived on baked beans and soup back home with his parents. But as with everything he seized opportunities with a power force of immense enthusiasm. His passion so spellbinding that in his very early days everyone gravitated to him to work for him so enthralled they worked for no pay.
Within four years of finishing at St. Martins design school McQueen, then 28 years old was named Chief Designer of Givenchy and it was really mainly then about achieving financial security. McQueen’s designs were not received well by the French people initially but that changed. McQueen won British Designer of the Year in 1996, 1997, and 2001, all during his time at Givenchy.
Gucci bought a 51 percent stake in Alexander McQueen's private company in that same year 2001, and provided the capital whereby McQueen could grow his business. 2003, McQueen was declared International Designer of the Year by Council of Fashion in America and the Queen gives him an OBE. 2004 Mc Queen launched his own menswear line 1996-2002 and said the only person wearing them was Robbie Williams.....but his women’s wear soared.
What creativity we are treated to in this film literally mind boggling fashion shows. One can really only think of McQueen’s shows as all encompassing. Concepts brought to fruition came from a very fertile mind. As he said in the movie he didn’t know where they came from sometimes it’s like they are from god. Some people have describe him as a sculptor with or without labels he is an artistic phenomenon.
Success just went from strength to strength but not without taking a toll on McQueen’s mental health. The fun he exuded in the beginning at Givenchy was replaced now by days of mood and unpredictability. The weight of responsibility seemed heavy and he stated in the film others can go home at the end of the day and switch off but I am responsible for these people who work for me some of them with mortgages and bills to pay. It really seemed a treadmill he didn’t know how to get off.
Lee Alexander McQueen commits suicide sadly on the eve of his mother’s funeral February 11, 2010 aged only 40. He had a disturbed mental state and was exacerbated by drugs. He had also taken the death of his mother very badly as she was always the closest person in his life. He also was shaken by the death a few years before of his greatest early supporter Isabella Bow in 2007. His comment about Isabella’s death was “the most valuable thing I learned in fashion” McQueen left a legacy of creative work the world has sadly had to do without his ongoing genius.
**The company continues to this day under the leadership of one of his designers who has become highly acclaimed in her own right, Sarah Burton took over the brand. Sarah designed the dress worn by Catherine Middleton during her wedding to Prince William, Duke of Cambridge in 2011.
*2011 also the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City honoured the work of Lee Alexander McQueen.
madman
review: Susan Reynolds
McQueen
10/10
Documentary
Review by Susan Reynolds
Lee Alexander McQueen as a boy had a creative mind, at school in every subject he drew clothing. The opportunity arose for him as a young man age 16 to learn tailoring at Savile Row where he applied himself intently to master the craft and he did it impeccably. Being able to craft a suit in his early career was valuable no doubt but McQueen’s talent and charisma would open doors and his passion was unstoppable. He could deliver he wasn’t just banter He talked his way into a role at age 21 when he went to Milan to work for a designer without speaking any Italian.
He returned to London after a short stint there his ambition was to take his learning further he then enrolled at Central Saint Martin's College of Art & Design. His aunt funded his studies and he achieved his MA in fashion design in 1992 age 24. The collection, the culminating project of his degree was inspired by Jack the Ripper, and was purchased by the well-known London stylist and eccentric collector Isabella Blow. Isabella was determined for the world to appreciate his work, they certainly eventually did. McQueen delivered with shock tactics, he was controversial but his visions and resulting shows became more and more were epic.
McQueen in those early days paid for materials for the early shows with his social security cheques and lived on baked beans and soup back home with his parents. But as with everything he seized opportunities with a power force of immense enthusiasm. His passion so spellbinding that in his very early days everyone gravitated to him to work for him so enthralled they worked for no pay.
Within four years of finishing at St. Martins design school McQueen, then 28 years old was named Chief Designer of Givenchy and it was really mainly then about achieving financial security. McQueen’s designs were not received well by the French people initially but that changed. McQueen won British Designer of the Year in 1996, 1997, and 2001, all during his time at Givenchy.
Gucci bought a 51 percent stake in Alexander McQueen's private company in that same year 2001, and provided the capital whereby McQueen could grow his business. 2003, McQueen was declared International Designer of the Year by Council of Fashion in America and the Queen gives him an OBE. 2004 Mc Queen launched his own menswear line 1996-2002 and said the only person wearing them was Robbie Williams.....but his women’s wear soared.
What creativity we are treated to in this film literally mind boggling fashion shows. One can really only think of McQueen’s shows as all encompassing. Concepts brought to fruition came from a very fertile mind. As he said in the movie he didn’t know where they came from sometimes it’s like they are from god. Some people have describe him as a sculptor with or without labels he is an artistic phenomenon.
Success just went from strength to strength but not without taking a toll on McQueen’s mental health. The fun he exuded in the beginning at Givenchy was replaced now by days of mood and unpredictability. The weight of responsibility seemed heavy and he stated in the film others can go home at the end of the day and switch off but I am responsible for these people who work for me some of them with mortgages and bills to pay. It really seemed a treadmill he didn’t know how to get off.
Lee Alexander McQueen commits suicide sadly on the eve of his mother’s funeral February 11, 2010 aged only 40. He had a disturbed mental state and was exacerbated by drugs. He had also taken the death of his mother very badly as she was always the closest person in his life. He also was shaken by the death a few years before of his greatest early supporter Isabella Bow in 2007. His comment about Isabella’s death was “the most valuable thing I learned in fashion” McQueen left a legacy of creative work the world has sadly had to do without his ongoing genius.
**The company continues to this day under the leadership of one of his designers who has become highly acclaimed in her own right, Sarah Burton took over the brand. Sarah designed the dress worn by Catherine Middleton during her wedding to Prince William, Duke of Cambridge in 2011.
*2011 also the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City honoured the work of Lee Alexander McQueen.
review by Ivan Lubkov (Sydney)
Unlocking the extravagance of McQueen
McQueen, a movie that reignites the memory of the fascinating designer that changed the definition not only of fashion but entertainment. The movie shows the unmasked life of the extraordinary star whose ideas and visions are still clearly noticeable in modern attire. The movie gives a firsthand view of the artists life from start of his carrier up to his untimely end.
Similar to Alexander’s character the movie goes through the dualistic nature of his character, it gives explanations for some of the catwalk shows that shocked the world. The movie starts off with Highland Rape, one of the early shows that brought attention to the designer. In this work he intended to show the image of a strong yet vulnerable rebellious woman. The angle through wish he presented his vision raised a lot of eyebrows and was a subject of countless critics.
The documentary would be interesting not only for the people that are accustomed with the fashion industry but anyone that appreciates talent and achievement. Alexander had to work simultaneously for at least two brands, his personal McQueen, Givenchy and Gucci. The film shows the ups and downs of his raise in popularity and the contrast of his work for the different designer houses.
The documentary shows how attached Alexander was to the special people in his life. Nothing hurt him more than separation with his friend Isabella Blow, George Forsyth and his mother.
The movie leaves a lot of impressions and thoughts after leaving the theater, it unlocks better appreciation of the work and achievements of people working in fashion industry.
Unlocking the extravagance of McQueen
McQueen, a movie that reignites the memory of the fascinating designer that changed the definition not only of fashion but entertainment. The movie shows the unmasked life of the extraordinary star whose ideas and visions are still clearly noticeable in modern attire. The movie gives a firsthand view of the artists life from start of his carrier up to his untimely end.
Similar to Alexander’s character the movie goes through the dualistic nature of his character, it gives explanations for some of the catwalk shows that shocked the world. The movie starts off with Highland Rape, one of the early shows that brought attention to the designer. In this work he intended to show the image of a strong yet vulnerable rebellious woman. The angle through wish he presented his vision raised a lot of eyebrows and was a subject of countless critics.
The documentary would be interesting not only for the people that are accustomed with the fashion industry but anyone that appreciates talent and achievement. Alexander had to work simultaneously for at least two brands, his personal McQueen, Givenchy and Gucci. The film shows the ups and downs of his raise in popularity and the contrast of his work for the different designer houses.
The documentary shows how attached Alexander was to the special people in his life. Nothing hurt him more than separation with his friend Isabella Blow, George Forsyth and his mother.
The movie leaves a lot of impressions and thoughts after leaving the theater, it unlocks better appreciation of the work and achievements of people working in fashion industry.
LADIES IN BLACK
website
review: Jeanette Russell
This was a great opportunity thank you for the view. A lovely classic story of a reserved schoolgirl who is working in the summer at a department store called Goode's . Leslie who likes to call herself Lisa matures under the direction particularly of Magda. Magda is a manager of a high fashions floor. The other salesladies are Patty and Fay. The movie is about women's lib, and we get to know several European's who impact the lives of these young women. Magda is the main one who influences, the females particularly Lisa introducing her to society as well as grooming her to become quiet the young lady instead of a schoolgirl.
The beguiling plot has been based on a novel by Madeleine St John, which was originally called The women in Black when she wrote it.
Bruce Beresford has done an amazing job of directing this film. Apparently he knew St John who passed away in 2006. He told his university buddy that he would like to make a movie of her terrific book.
A sensational cast is represented in the film We have Susie Porter, Shane Jacobson, Noni Hazlehurst and Ryan Corr who all do a stellar job. Amazing acting ensues from the main characters of Lisa- Angourie Rice, Magda- Julia Ormond, Fay- Rachael Taylor and Patty -Alison McGirr.
A fascinating tale, I highly recommend viewing. It was thoroughly entertaining, charming, humourous and absorbing.
Ladies in Black releases on the 18th of October. A quant, beautifully told story. A must see in my eyes.
http://www.ladiesinblackmovie.com.au
website
review: Jeanette Russell
This was a great opportunity thank you for the view. A lovely classic story of a reserved schoolgirl who is working in the summer at a department store called Goode's . Leslie who likes to call herself Lisa matures under the direction particularly of Magda. Magda is a manager of a high fashions floor. The other salesladies are Patty and Fay. The movie is about women's lib, and we get to know several European's who impact the lives of these young women. Magda is the main one who influences, the females particularly Lisa introducing her to society as well as grooming her to become quiet the young lady instead of a schoolgirl.
The beguiling plot has been based on a novel by Madeleine St John, which was originally called The women in Black when she wrote it.
Bruce Beresford has done an amazing job of directing this film. Apparently he knew St John who passed away in 2006. He told his university buddy that he would like to make a movie of her terrific book.
A sensational cast is represented in the film We have Susie Porter, Shane Jacobson, Noni Hazlehurst and Ryan Corr who all do a stellar job. Amazing acting ensues from the main characters of Lisa- Angourie Rice, Magda- Julia Ormond, Fay- Rachael Taylor and Patty -Alison McGirr.
A fascinating tale, I highly recommend viewing. It was thoroughly entertaining, charming, humourous and absorbing.
Ladies in Black releases on the 18th of October. A quant, beautifully told story. A must see in my eyes.
http://www.ladiesinblackmovie.com.au
THE INSULT FILM TO PAY ATTENTION TO
Palace Films
RATE: 8/10
It is very hard to forgive.
The ego is bigger than the suffering people experience during the "separation" and argument.
I just wanted to thank the film creators for the wise and smart film they produced. It is the biggest mirror for the closed mind. The mind that is not opened to learn nor it is open to let go and exculpate. The mind is bigger than the heart, the heart burst and people with the small hearts die from the heart attacks but they still do not forgive, their children do not learn to forgive. They think they do but they do not. We wars start from one small bitter word, the peace is made with one loving action. Such films are rare these days. They are not collecting money - people walk away from such films. They are afraid to watch themselves. They would rather watch the films with worthless stupid long-legged blondes ...well there is a place for such movies but my life is way too short to waste it on something I will never remember.
The film is a drama, it is also very scary to watch, it is unpredictable, you do not know what the director is offering to you there, around that corner: is he going to kill the main hero or are the main characters are making peace after the fights.
This picture is for many and for everyone: especially those who do no have guts and hearts to forgive. I learnt one thing in life: I will ask for forgiveness even if I am right in friendship Friendship is more valuable to me than my ego. the ego is an illusion so is YOU, my reflection. I want to see you close to me if I feel I am close to you. There is no place in war if we feel good together. I will g and ask the forgiveness first. My reflection will not understand what I do.But I still do it even if she/he is wrong. I only walk away from something that does not represent me anymore. Go , watch and learn.
The film is very intelligent it teaches you. It is deeper than you think when you understand that there is a political conflict a well happening on the background. Th situation between two men can create a new lap in war relationship between two countries.
The soundtrack is amazing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYGTYWt59rc
It colors the feelings, it deepens the conflict. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-TGnenvqPg
The music beautifully and tenderfully adds to the acting too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIjLxi8MTck
The actors are amazing . sometimes I felt bewitched completely thinking they play themselves.
It is a very emotional film as well as highly intellectual.
Palace Films
RATE: 8/10
It is very hard to forgive.
The ego is bigger than the suffering people experience during the "separation" and argument.
I just wanted to thank the film creators for the wise and smart film they produced. It is the biggest mirror for the closed mind. The mind that is not opened to learn nor it is open to let go and exculpate. The mind is bigger than the heart, the heart burst and people with the small hearts die from the heart attacks but they still do not forgive, their children do not learn to forgive. They think they do but they do not. We wars start from one small bitter word, the peace is made with one loving action. Such films are rare these days. They are not collecting money - people walk away from such films. They are afraid to watch themselves. They would rather watch the films with worthless stupid long-legged blondes ...well there is a place for such movies but my life is way too short to waste it on something I will never remember.
The film is a drama, it is also very scary to watch, it is unpredictable, you do not know what the director is offering to you there, around that corner: is he going to kill the main hero or are the main characters are making peace after the fights.
This picture is for many and for everyone: especially those who do no have guts and hearts to forgive. I learnt one thing in life: I will ask for forgiveness even if I am right in friendship Friendship is more valuable to me than my ego. the ego is an illusion so is YOU, my reflection. I want to see you close to me if I feel I am close to you. There is no place in war if we feel good together. I will g and ask the forgiveness first. My reflection will not understand what I do.But I still do it even if she/he is wrong. I only walk away from something that does not represent me anymore. Go , watch and learn.
The film is very intelligent it teaches you. It is deeper than you think when you understand that there is a political conflict a well happening on the background. Th situation between two men can create a new lap in war relationship between two countries.
The soundtrack is amazing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYGTYWt59rc
It colors the feelings, it deepens the conflict. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-TGnenvqPg
The music beautifully and tenderfully adds to the acting too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIjLxi8MTck
The actors are amazing . sometimes I felt bewitched completely thinking they play themselves.
It is a very emotional film as well as highly intellectual.
JULIET , NAKED FILM TO PAY ATTENTION TO
Roadshow
RATE: 8/10
Happiness is the poison for the creativity.
Juliet, Naked is a very funny romantic and sensitive comedy. It is a parody on people who are the music fans, who idolilze their music loves and whose ideas create the crazy blind people out of them.
The movie is very light and easy to watch. The story is based on the love triangle but it is complicated.... I mean more complicated than you will expect it to be . It is a strange love triangle. A couple is never married, live together for 15 years, no children, no passion, no interest from the man's side to a pretty, very smart and remarkable women. Annie and her boyfriend Duncan are dull in their relationship but the dull-ness comes from the men's side. He does not appreciate what he has in his hands. There is a third character appearing: Tucker Crowe. He is a musician and a song writer, he is invisible for his crazy fans. They are three. There is also Gina but her role is episodic and she entertains Duncan. Duncan is a fan of Tucker's music. Tuckers; career though was bright but short. He vanished from even from his fan's view. Tucker has no idea about Duncan. Duncan though in his turn collects everything possible he can find about his hero : posters, newspapers, magazines. music, more music, he listens to Tucker endlessly. Tucker is Duncan's wife. In reality yes because Annie is neglected. Duncan is keenly administrating Tucker's blog. Duncan gets demo-version of Tucker's album and his emotions go through the roof... He can not stop himself. Annie gets more and more upset: she can not stop him and it irritates her. Annie hates Duncan. She registers herself under a fake name on her boyfriend's website and starts writing to Tucker herself. Suddenly their relationship start to grow big and unexpectedly warm. Want to know more? Watch the film - you will adore it! You will laugh and you will love the music. It is not sweet romantic but it is a good romantic.
Hey ,why Juliet, Naked? This was the name of the last album Tucker wrote.
Roadshow
RATE: 8/10
Happiness is the poison for the creativity.
Juliet, Naked is a very funny romantic and sensitive comedy. It is a parody on people who are the music fans, who idolilze their music loves and whose ideas create the crazy blind people out of them.
The movie is very light and easy to watch. The story is based on the love triangle but it is complicated.... I mean more complicated than you will expect it to be . It is a strange love triangle. A couple is never married, live together for 15 years, no children, no passion, no interest from the man's side to a pretty, very smart and remarkable women. Annie and her boyfriend Duncan are dull in their relationship but the dull-ness comes from the men's side. He does not appreciate what he has in his hands. There is a third character appearing: Tucker Crowe. He is a musician and a song writer, he is invisible for his crazy fans. They are three. There is also Gina but her role is episodic and she entertains Duncan. Duncan is a fan of Tucker's music. Tuckers; career though was bright but short. He vanished from even from his fan's view. Tucker has no idea about Duncan. Duncan though in his turn collects everything possible he can find about his hero : posters, newspapers, magazines. music, more music, he listens to Tucker endlessly. Tucker is Duncan's wife. In reality yes because Annie is neglected. Duncan is keenly administrating Tucker's blog. Duncan gets demo-version of Tucker's album and his emotions go through the roof... He can not stop himself. Annie gets more and more upset: she can not stop him and it irritates her. Annie hates Duncan. She registers herself under a fake name on her boyfriend's website and starts writing to Tucker herself. Suddenly their relationship start to grow big and unexpectedly warm. Want to know more? Watch the film - you will adore it! You will laugh and you will love the music. It is not sweet romantic but it is a good romantic.
Hey ,why Juliet, Naked? This was the name of the last album Tucker wrote.
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE
website
review : Susan Reynolds
“You were Never Really Here”
Psychological Thriller
9/10
▪ Joaquin Phoenix as Joe
▪ Ekaterina Samsonov as Nina Votto
▪ Alex Manette as Senator Albert Votto
▪ John Doman as John McCleary
▪ Judith Roberts as Joe's Mother
▪ Alessandro Nivola as Governor Williams
Characters
Joe and young girl Nina were on the fringe of society. Both were victims of the wider concept of the system and evil elements that are a part of it. Joe suffered from PTSD from his military service. He is further affected by his involvement with a corrupt powerful public servant and the subsequent events. Nina is a displaced abused vulnerable child a victim of being under control of a person in a position of power.
Joaquin Phoenix was so immersed into the character of Joe that I never once doubted his authenticity Joe’s character has that bad guy/good guy dichotomy which exists in the one person and as a result has a parallel pull over the audience. A shirtless Joe we see several times physically scared and flawed; this amplified his vulnerability. We felt admiration for Joe because he seemed genuine. We were gratified when he used his hammer on the bad guys who were sexually abusing young girls. Perhaps this is because we hold little belief in the context of justice being served when we are thinking of the wider concept of leniency in the courts. The situations Joe found himself in probably drove him further into a state of mental illness having to use violence but at the same time you can’t help feel he’s a hero of sorts.
Story
Joe lives with his aged mother they have a closeness and tenderness together but Joe is struggling with disturbing visions of as a result of his service war service. There’s confronting scenes where the deeply troubled Joe is close to committing suicide using a plastic bag over his head and on another occasion he tampers with the idea of death at his own hand with a knife. He’s popping pills as well in order to function with what he has to do.
Early in the film we learn Joe is a hit man he gets people sorted and in his own words “Yes I can be brutal if I have to be” Joe is hired for a job to retrieve a Senators daughter from an awful situation where she is being held captive for underage sex. Joe got the job done violently in the rescue of the girl from a sleazy boarding house. The situation goes awry thereafter as someone behind the scenes is seeking retribution...people are left dead. Someone wants Joe erased and anyone or anything that links him to this last job. There was more to this Senator than Joe originally thought.
The two Joe and Nina share this common bond of emotional damage, fragility and displacement. Their futures are now interwoven through circumstance in the aftermath of events neither have anyone but each other. “You were never really here” is the sentiment the bad guys have about Joe in order to cover up the crime. But Joe also feels he doesn’t want people to know he was ever really alive so he can safely disappear.
website
review : Susan Reynolds
“You were Never Really Here”
Psychological Thriller
9/10
▪ Joaquin Phoenix as Joe
▪ Ekaterina Samsonov as Nina Votto
▪ Alex Manette as Senator Albert Votto
▪ John Doman as John McCleary
▪ Judith Roberts as Joe's Mother
▪ Alessandro Nivola as Governor Williams
Characters
Joe and young girl Nina were on the fringe of society. Both were victims of the wider concept of the system and evil elements that are a part of it. Joe suffered from PTSD from his military service. He is further affected by his involvement with a corrupt powerful public servant and the subsequent events. Nina is a displaced abused vulnerable child a victim of being under control of a person in a position of power.
Joaquin Phoenix was so immersed into the character of Joe that I never once doubted his authenticity Joe’s character has that bad guy/good guy dichotomy which exists in the one person and as a result has a parallel pull over the audience. A shirtless Joe we see several times physically scared and flawed; this amplified his vulnerability. We felt admiration for Joe because he seemed genuine. We were gratified when he used his hammer on the bad guys who were sexually abusing young girls. Perhaps this is because we hold little belief in the context of justice being served when we are thinking of the wider concept of leniency in the courts. The situations Joe found himself in probably drove him further into a state of mental illness having to use violence but at the same time you can’t help feel he’s a hero of sorts.
Story
Joe lives with his aged mother they have a closeness and tenderness together but Joe is struggling with disturbing visions of as a result of his service war service. There’s confronting scenes where the deeply troubled Joe is close to committing suicide using a plastic bag over his head and on another occasion he tampers with the idea of death at his own hand with a knife. He’s popping pills as well in order to function with what he has to do.
Early in the film we learn Joe is a hit man he gets people sorted and in his own words “Yes I can be brutal if I have to be” Joe is hired for a job to retrieve a Senators daughter from an awful situation where she is being held captive for underage sex. Joe got the job done violently in the rescue of the girl from a sleazy boarding house. The situation goes awry thereafter as someone behind the scenes is seeking retribution...people are left dead. Someone wants Joe erased and anyone or anything that links him to this last job. There was more to this Senator than Joe originally thought.
The two Joe and Nina share this common bond of emotional damage, fragility and displacement. Their futures are now interwoven through circumstance in the aftermath of events neither have anyone but each other. “You were never really here” is the sentiment the bad guys have about Joe in order to cover up the crime. But Joe also feels he doesn’t want people to know he was ever really alive so he can safely disappear.
THE BOOK CLUB
website
review by Roslynn Garwood
The Book Club
Drama/Romance Running Time 1hr 11 mins
Director Bill Holderman
Review Roslynne Garwood-Webb
The Book Club tells a story of 4 life long friends who read the Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy as part of their monthly Book Club. In discovering the book, the friends, Diane (Diane Keaton) who is recently widowed ,Vivian (Jane Fonda) who enjoys her men with no strings attached, Sharon (Candice Bergen), who hasn't quite recovered from her decade old divorce, and Carol (Mary Steenburgen) whose 35 year marriage has lost its spark, rediscover themselves and each other as they navigate their own romantic relationships later in their lives. Andy Garcia (Mitchell) is a strong standout and plays an important and significant role for the Character Diane ( Diane Keaton).
With an impressive Veteran Cast of film greats, the film is a light hearted, romantic comedy which delivers many laughs and a few heart warming moments and teaches us that “Love really is Just a word Until Someone Gives It Meaning”.
I Give this film 3 1/2 stars out of 5
website
review by Roslynn Garwood
The Book Club
Drama/Romance Running Time 1hr 11 mins
Director Bill Holderman
Review Roslynne Garwood-Webb
The Book Club tells a story of 4 life long friends who read the Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy as part of their monthly Book Club. In discovering the book, the friends, Diane (Diane Keaton) who is recently widowed ,Vivian (Jane Fonda) who enjoys her men with no strings attached, Sharon (Candice Bergen), who hasn't quite recovered from her decade old divorce, and Carol (Mary Steenburgen) whose 35 year marriage has lost its spark, rediscover themselves and each other as they navigate their own romantic relationships later in their lives. Andy Garcia (Mitchell) is a strong standout and plays an important and significant role for the Character Diane ( Diane Keaton).
With an impressive Veteran Cast of film greats, the film is a light hearted, romantic comedy which delivers many laughs and a few heart warming moments and teaches us that “Love really is Just a word Until Someone Gives It Meaning”.
I Give this film 3 1/2 stars out of 5
review by Olga Kirk
Starring: Alicia Silverstone, Andy Garcia, Candice Bergen, Craig T. Nelson, Diane Keaton, Don Johnson, Ed Begley Jr., Jane Fonda, Mary Steenburgen, Richard Dreyfuss, Wallace Shawn
Summary: Diane (Diane Keaton) is recently widowed after 40 years of marriage, Vivian (Jane Fonda) enjoys her men with no strings attached, Sharon (Candice Bergen) is still working through her decades-old divorce, and Carol's (Mary Steenburgen) marriage is in a slump after 35 years. The lives of these four lifelong friends are turned upside down after reading the infamous "50 Shades of Grey," catapulting them into a series of outrageous life choices.
«Love is just a word until someone gives it meaning»
Hilarious situations, sexy ladies, beautiful views and a fancy successful man with their 50+ life experience are a great example to believe that the next chapter of life can be even better.
No matter how old are you, who are you, where are you. All we need is love.
It’s better to sleep well and let her be loved by Him exactly what the person the Vivian.
The extraordinary experience of Diane is so amazing. It looks like in fairytale!
Carol’s happy ending and sexy dance in a red dress and… not alone!
Strong and smart Sheron at least let herself to have fun and new dating wherever it will go it worth it!
Very girly movie. Reminds me “Sex in Big City” after 35 years)))
Also gives us great motivation to read “50 Shades of Grey” again and understand that is not only about vaginas and sex but about Love!
Starring: Alicia Silverstone, Andy Garcia, Candice Bergen, Craig T. Nelson, Diane Keaton, Don Johnson, Ed Begley Jr., Jane Fonda, Mary Steenburgen, Richard Dreyfuss, Wallace Shawn
Summary: Diane (Diane Keaton) is recently widowed after 40 years of marriage, Vivian (Jane Fonda) enjoys her men with no strings attached, Sharon (Candice Bergen) is still working through her decades-old divorce, and Carol's (Mary Steenburgen) marriage is in a slump after 35 years. The lives of these four lifelong friends are turned upside down after reading the infamous "50 Shades of Grey," catapulting them into a series of outrageous life choices.
«Love is just a word until someone gives it meaning»
Hilarious situations, sexy ladies, beautiful views and a fancy successful man with their 50+ life experience are a great example to believe that the next chapter of life can be even better.
No matter how old are you, who are you, where are you. All we need is love.
It’s better to sleep well and let her be loved by Him exactly what the person the Vivian.
The extraordinary experience of Diane is so amazing. It looks like in fairytale!
Carol’s happy ending and sexy dance in a red dress and… not alone!
Strong and smart Sheron at least let herself to have fun and new dating wherever it will go it worth it!
Very girly movie. Reminds me “Sex in Big City” after 35 years)))
Also gives us great motivation to read “50 Shades of Grey” again and understand that is not only about vaginas and sex but about Love!
