LA PREMIERE
26/04//19
NT LIVE: ALL ABOUT EVE NEW
website
review: Susan Reynolds
“All About Eve”
Drama
Margo Channing (Broadway Mega-Star): Gillian Anderson
Eve Harrington (Margot’s biggest fan): Lily James
Karen Richards (Margot’s friend): Monica Dolan
Max Fabian (Margot’s boyfriend): Ian Drysdale
Phoebe: Taino Hable
Addison DeWitt (Theatre Critic): Stanley Townsend
Lloyd Richards (playwright) : Rhashan Stone
8/10
Review by Susan Reynolds
Adaptation/direction Ivo van Hove
From the 1950 movie by Joseph Mankiewicz. The movie is taken from a live action play from “National Theatre Live” It incorporated video and time lapse effects
Margot was a successful stage actress and had a doting fan Eve whom she agreed to meet after a performance. Eve managed to get time to tell her story of misfortune in life which won her attention and sympathy. The result of gaining Margot’s confidence Eve secured a role as Margot’s assistant.
In the beginning Eve displayed a modesty in demeanour and avid enthusiasm in helping the actor in her everyday busy life. She looked naive clad in drab inconspicuous clothes and seemed innocuous. We were persuaded into believing what Eve was a smitten fan however this was to be supplanted by a different sense of her character.
Eve had been positioning herself for the ultimate pounce like a wild cat stalking its prey conspiring to take over Margot’s man Max. Then when that wasn’t successful she tried to take on anything she perceived would further her career.
The message is be careful who you let into your life is a line not lost in this story. Narcissists and psychopaths with no moral compass can try and do sometimes succeed in wrecking havoc in people’s lives.
What the audience missed were closeup expressions unlike a normal film due to the nature of filming a play. I enjoyed the technology of the filming of a set within reason one time lapse was enough a second just seemed a little superfluous just because they could do it.
Highlight of the film the bathroom scene where Eve threatened to expose Karen Richards. Eve revealed her real revolting self seeking motivations and the performance is riveting. Gillian Anderson was superb as Margot and Stanley Townsend as manipulating and obnoxious DeWitt you’ll love to hate.
Courtesy of Sue
website
review: Susan Reynolds
“All About Eve”
Drama
Margo Channing (Broadway Mega-Star): Gillian Anderson
Eve Harrington (Margot’s biggest fan): Lily James
Karen Richards (Margot’s friend): Monica Dolan
Max Fabian (Margot’s boyfriend): Ian Drysdale
Phoebe: Taino Hable
Addison DeWitt (Theatre Critic): Stanley Townsend
Lloyd Richards (playwright) : Rhashan Stone
8/10
Review by Susan Reynolds
Adaptation/direction Ivo van Hove
From the 1950 movie by Joseph Mankiewicz. The movie is taken from a live action play from “National Theatre Live” It incorporated video and time lapse effects
Margot was a successful stage actress and had a doting fan Eve whom she agreed to meet after a performance. Eve managed to get time to tell her story of misfortune in life which won her attention and sympathy. The result of gaining Margot’s confidence Eve secured a role as Margot’s assistant.
In the beginning Eve displayed a modesty in demeanour and avid enthusiasm in helping the actor in her everyday busy life. She looked naive clad in drab inconspicuous clothes and seemed innocuous. We were persuaded into believing what Eve was a smitten fan however this was to be supplanted by a different sense of her character.
Eve had been positioning herself for the ultimate pounce like a wild cat stalking its prey conspiring to take over Margot’s man Max. Then when that wasn’t successful she tried to take on anything she perceived would further her career.
The message is be careful who you let into your life is a line not lost in this story. Narcissists and psychopaths with no moral compass can try and do sometimes succeed in wrecking havoc in people’s lives.
What the audience missed were closeup expressions unlike a normal film due to the nature of filming a play. I enjoyed the technology of the filming of a set within reason one time lapse was enough a second just seemed a little superfluous just because they could do it.
Highlight of the film the bathroom scene where Eve threatened to expose Karen Richards. Eve revealed her real revolting self seeking motivations and the performance is riveting. Gillian Anderson was superb as Margot and Stanley Townsend as manipulating and obnoxious DeWitt you’ll love to hate.
Courtesy of Sue
RED JOAN NEW
website
review by Susan Reynolds
Red Joan
*Story behind the film
8.5/10
Review by Susan Reynolds
Judi Dench: Joan Stanley
Sophie Cookson: Young Joan
Stephen Campbell Moore: Max Davis
Tom Hughes: Leo Galich
Freddie Gaminara: William Mitchell
“Background”
Red Joan is inspired by a true story of an English woman in WWII who had communist inclinations, she had grown up with parents who followed communist ideals. She’s been described as more of an emotional communist rather than a political one in articles about the film. The real Joan did work as a clerical worker during WWII who had access to sensitive material and she had in reality approached the Russians offering secret material. The papers she had acquired contained information surrounding the science behind the atom bomb; Joan in real life was not a science student of merit at all unlike mentioned in the film. There are mixed opinions about her motivations and judgments about her actions however the film maker remained convinced her reasons weren’t done will I’ll intent. Her feeling was shared by her contemporaries the fact that many at the time thought the only way Britain would win the war was for the Russians to step in. Joan did want to bring about equality with the major powers each having the technology only then would each be apprehensive to use it for fear of the other that is true for both on and off film Joan. Joan was 80 in year 2000 when she was arrested for charges of high treason.
“Film”
A young English woman Joan falls in love with a Russian spy but that’s not the reason she started to consider helping the Russians. She wants to bring balance in the world especially in the wake of the bomb in Hiroshima. In her role in the film she’s an awarded science graduate who has some input into the science behind the development. She was close to secrets surrounding the atomic bomb employed in the atomic research laboratory.
Joan provided information to the Russians because she felt it was right at the time. Young Joan was played by the beautiful Sophie Cookson who was a convincing as Joan who had stalwart opinions of her own about the war. Judy Dench played the role as the elderly Joan. Joan is being questioned throughout the film and the scenes making up the story are Joan recalling what had happened through her earlier years. The questions are posed by an interrogating officer from the MI5; Joan’s son is also present.
The relationships in the film are believable and the chemistry with Joan’s love interest Leo works initially but then gets annoying as he doesn’t stay around and commit at all. It becomes somewhat understandable as the story is eventually revealed. Joan also finds she falls in love with her boss in the atomic research centre.
The film is beautifully shot with superb attention to detail in fashions of the time along with authentic vehicles and sets. I enjoyed the overall quality of the film, acting and presentation was excellent. I think films of this type are invaluable as they prompt us to think about significant times in history.
It’s a story of love and friendship at a time where other factors did much to dictate the motivations and the course of people’s lives.
website
review by Susan Reynolds
Red Joan
*Story behind the film
8.5/10
Review by Susan Reynolds
Judi Dench: Joan Stanley
Sophie Cookson: Young Joan
Stephen Campbell Moore: Max Davis
Tom Hughes: Leo Galich
Freddie Gaminara: William Mitchell
“Background”
Red Joan is inspired by a true story of an English woman in WWII who had communist inclinations, she had grown up with parents who followed communist ideals. She’s been described as more of an emotional communist rather than a political one in articles about the film. The real Joan did work as a clerical worker during WWII who had access to sensitive material and she had in reality approached the Russians offering secret material. The papers she had acquired contained information surrounding the science behind the atom bomb; Joan in real life was not a science student of merit at all unlike mentioned in the film. There are mixed opinions about her motivations and judgments about her actions however the film maker remained convinced her reasons weren’t done will I’ll intent. Her feeling was shared by her contemporaries the fact that many at the time thought the only way Britain would win the war was for the Russians to step in. Joan did want to bring about equality with the major powers each having the technology only then would each be apprehensive to use it for fear of the other that is true for both on and off film Joan. Joan was 80 in year 2000 when she was arrested for charges of high treason.
“Film”
A young English woman Joan falls in love with a Russian spy but that’s not the reason she started to consider helping the Russians. She wants to bring balance in the world especially in the wake of the bomb in Hiroshima. In her role in the film she’s an awarded science graduate who has some input into the science behind the development. She was close to secrets surrounding the atomic bomb employed in the atomic research laboratory.
Joan provided information to the Russians because she felt it was right at the time. Young Joan was played by the beautiful Sophie Cookson who was a convincing as Joan who had stalwart opinions of her own about the war. Judy Dench played the role as the elderly Joan. Joan is being questioned throughout the film and the scenes making up the story are Joan recalling what had happened through her earlier years. The questions are posed by an interrogating officer from the MI5; Joan’s son is also present.
The relationships in the film are believable and the chemistry with Joan’s love interest Leo works initially but then gets annoying as he doesn’t stay around and commit at all. It becomes somewhat understandable as the story is eventually revealed. Joan also finds she falls in love with her boss in the atomic research centre.
The film is beautifully shot with superb attention to detail in fashions of the time along with authentic vehicles and sets. I enjoyed the overall quality of the film, acting and presentation was excellent. I think films of this type are invaluable as they prompt us to think about significant times in history.
It’s a story of love and friendship at a time where other factors did much to dictate the motivations and the course of people’s lives.
THE REALM NEW
website
review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
The Realm
This Spanish Political Thriller directed Rodrigo Sorogoyen provides the audience with a first hand view of political corruption
Antonio de la torre plays Manuel , a crooked politician who lives a lavish lifestyle with his wife , daughter and also crooked friends/inner political circle.
After a swift start , the film immerses us into the lavishness and richness of the political world. Yachts, long restaurant lunches, chauffeured cars. Then just as swiftly, thefilm takes a sharp turn when Manuel is singled out from his political counterparts and subsequently is forced to take the fall for a case of fraudulent government contracts. It is painful to watch his life crumble around him, as his inner circle blatantly betrays him.
The Realm provides the audience with an exploration of enormous egos, greed and insidious corruption through a masterfully written script. With a run time of 120 minutes , It does however seem to take a long time to play out a very obvious sequence of events.
2 out of 5 stars
website
review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
The Realm
This Spanish Political Thriller directed Rodrigo Sorogoyen provides the audience with a first hand view of political corruption
Antonio de la torre plays Manuel , a crooked politician who lives a lavish lifestyle with his wife , daughter and also crooked friends/inner political circle.
After a swift start , the film immerses us into the lavishness and richness of the political world. Yachts, long restaurant lunches, chauffeured cars. Then just as swiftly, thefilm takes a sharp turn when Manuel is singled out from his political counterparts and subsequently is forced to take the fall for a case of fraudulent government contracts. It is painful to watch his life crumble around him, as his inner circle blatantly betrays him.
The Realm provides the audience with an exploration of enormous egos, greed and insidious corruption through a masterfully written script. With a run time of 120 minutes , It does however seem to take a long time to play out a very obvious sequence of events.
2 out of 5 stars
POKEMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU NEW
website
review by Max Lyons
Director:
Rob Letterman.
Starring:
Ryan Reynolds,
Justice Smith,
Kathryn Newton,
Bill Nighy,
Ken Watanabe,
Chris Geere,
Suki Waterhouse.
Genre:
Animation,
Family,
Fantasy.
Rating:
PG.
Running time:
104 Minutes.
Film Review:
By Maxwell M. Lyons
Over the past two-decade (dating back to 1995) Pokémon (or Pocket Monsters) has taken the world by storm, with estimates ranking it as the highest grossing media franchise worldwide, bringing in approximately $90 billion since its inception. Yet through all its success, Pokémon is but a handful of properties that have never made the transition from animated episodic to live-action feature… until now; enter Detective Pikachu. But does Detective Pikachu live up to the immeasurable hype of its crowning achievement, and is it even worthy of standing in the shadow of the original (animated) masterpiece of its time that was Pokémon: The First Movie? Both yes and no.
For many, Pokémon: The First Movie has always, and will always be the defining movie of the franchise. As such, it may be hard for some to watch Detective Pikachu in a bubble. But if you can separate the two for the sake of cinematic enjoyment, there’s most certainly a lot of fun to be had in its viewership. If nothing else, Ryan Reynolds voicing the iconic electric yellow mouse known as Pikachu is an absolute joy, bringing enough life and emotional weight to carry much of the film.
In short, Detective Pikachu follows protagonists Tim Goodman (son of recent MIA detective Harry Goodman) and the titular character of Detective Pikachu as they attempt to uncover a tangled mystery in the neon-lit streets of Ryme City — a modern metropolis where humans and Pokémon coexist symbiotically — that could destroy this peaceful co-existence and threaten the whole Pokémon universe.
From a purely narrative perspective, the movie treads familiar waters, neither strong nor overly thought-provoking in execution, but this wasn’t all that surprising. No-one expected this film to be a timeless work of cinematic genius, and it’s not. What the film does do right though is its world-building. Aside from a bit of exposition here and there (some more blatant than others), there is no origin story for the world of Pokémon; it exists and has existed as far back as any are concerned, and the movie just rolls with it… Good job!
What was anticipated, however, was the transcendence of the actual Pokémon themselves, from (mostly) adorable animated creatures to equally loveable semi-realistic CGI creations. To this end, DAMN did they do well! The film’s animation team managed to strike the perfect balance between the original conceptual design and photorealistic live-action anthropomorphism (take not Sonic). The Pokémon are seamlessly integrated into the world around them and it goes a long way in making you believe in the cohabitated environment.
Back to weaknesses, acting. Overall, acting was mediocre at best from all but a handful of the cast (and not the main human actors mind you). As aforementioned, the saving grace really does come down to Reynolds’ hilariously charismatic Pikachu, with a few choice moments from Bill Nighy (as Howard Clifford, visionary behind Ryme City) and storyline son Chris Geere (as Roger Clifford), as well as Ken Watanabe (as Detective Hideo Yoshida). In saying that, however, as awful as much of the acting and dialogue was, it was actually very reminiscent of the inordinately vivacious mannerisms and corny dialogue of those you’d find in the original animated series – a small mercy for those with such nostalgic ties.
Ultimately, Detective Pikachu is a mixed bag. The acting is predominantly mediocre, the dialogue is cheesy and unimaginative, and the narrative is sufficient enough albeit underwhelming. But as hard as it falls, it springs back in full force with unbelievably captivating visuals (those Pokémon are just too loveable), an impeccable ludicrous yet heartfelt performance from Reynolds, enjoyable comedic notes throughout, and the icing on the cake… Mewtwo (fans will know what’s-up); a solid crux in an otherwise shaky foundation. This movie is not for everyone. Fans of Pokémon will enjoy the wave of nostalgia embraced by the film’s world but may find themselves too critical of its execution and outsiders of the franchise may find it unsatisfactory having to rely on the remaining feats to outweigh its caveats. Though of course children are a key demographic in the film’s appeal, and to that end, I imagine there is much enjoyment to be had. I personally found it a delightfully entertaining watch and would undoubtedly recommend it, but I’m a fan of Pokémon (and Ryan Reynolds); your mileage may vary.
will be released in cinemas Australia-wide on May 9, 2019.
website
review by Max Lyons
Director:
Rob Letterman.
Starring:
Ryan Reynolds,
Justice Smith,
Kathryn Newton,
Bill Nighy,
Ken Watanabe,
Chris Geere,
Suki Waterhouse.
Genre:
Animation,
Family,
Fantasy.
Rating:
PG.
Running time:
104 Minutes.
Film Review:
By Maxwell M. Lyons
Over the past two-decade (dating back to 1995) Pokémon (or Pocket Monsters) has taken the world by storm, with estimates ranking it as the highest grossing media franchise worldwide, bringing in approximately $90 billion since its inception. Yet through all its success, Pokémon is but a handful of properties that have never made the transition from animated episodic to live-action feature… until now; enter Detective Pikachu. But does Detective Pikachu live up to the immeasurable hype of its crowning achievement, and is it even worthy of standing in the shadow of the original (animated) masterpiece of its time that was Pokémon: The First Movie? Both yes and no.
For many, Pokémon: The First Movie has always, and will always be the defining movie of the franchise. As such, it may be hard for some to watch Detective Pikachu in a bubble. But if you can separate the two for the sake of cinematic enjoyment, there’s most certainly a lot of fun to be had in its viewership. If nothing else, Ryan Reynolds voicing the iconic electric yellow mouse known as Pikachu is an absolute joy, bringing enough life and emotional weight to carry much of the film.
In short, Detective Pikachu follows protagonists Tim Goodman (son of recent MIA detective Harry Goodman) and the titular character of Detective Pikachu as they attempt to uncover a tangled mystery in the neon-lit streets of Ryme City — a modern metropolis where humans and Pokémon coexist symbiotically — that could destroy this peaceful co-existence and threaten the whole Pokémon universe.
From a purely narrative perspective, the movie treads familiar waters, neither strong nor overly thought-provoking in execution, but this wasn’t all that surprising. No-one expected this film to be a timeless work of cinematic genius, and it’s not. What the film does do right though is its world-building. Aside from a bit of exposition here and there (some more blatant than others), there is no origin story for the world of Pokémon; it exists and has existed as far back as any are concerned, and the movie just rolls with it… Good job!
What was anticipated, however, was the transcendence of the actual Pokémon themselves, from (mostly) adorable animated creatures to equally loveable semi-realistic CGI creations. To this end, DAMN did they do well! The film’s animation team managed to strike the perfect balance between the original conceptual design and photorealistic live-action anthropomorphism (take not Sonic). The Pokémon are seamlessly integrated into the world around them and it goes a long way in making you believe in the cohabitated environment.
Back to weaknesses, acting. Overall, acting was mediocre at best from all but a handful of the cast (and not the main human actors mind you). As aforementioned, the saving grace really does come down to Reynolds’ hilariously charismatic Pikachu, with a few choice moments from Bill Nighy (as Howard Clifford, visionary behind Ryme City) and storyline son Chris Geere (as Roger Clifford), as well as Ken Watanabe (as Detective Hideo Yoshida). In saying that, however, as awful as much of the acting and dialogue was, it was actually very reminiscent of the inordinately vivacious mannerisms and corny dialogue of those you’d find in the original animated series – a small mercy for those with such nostalgic ties.
Ultimately, Detective Pikachu is a mixed bag. The acting is predominantly mediocre, the dialogue is cheesy and unimaginative, and the narrative is sufficient enough albeit underwhelming. But as hard as it falls, it springs back in full force with unbelievably captivating visuals (those Pokémon are just too loveable), an impeccable ludicrous yet heartfelt performance from Reynolds, enjoyable comedic notes throughout, and the icing on the cake… Mewtwo (fans will know what’s-up); a solid crux in an otherwise shaky foundation. This movie is not for everyone. Fans of Pokémon will enjoy the wave of nostalgia embraced by the film’s world but may find themselves too critical of its execution and outsiders of the franchise may find it unsatisfactory having to rely on the remaining feats to outweigh its caveats. Though of course children are a key demographic in the film’s appeal, and to that end, I imagine there is much enjoyment to be had. I personally found it a delightfully entertaining watch and would undoubtedly recommend it, but I’m a fan of Pokémon (and Ryan Reynolds); your mileage may vary.
will be released in cinemas Australia-wide on May 9, 2019.
THE HUSTLE NEW
website
review by Bryanna Reynolds
REVIEW: The Hustle By Bryanna Reynolds In the film The Hustle the audience are taken on the journey of a lifetime with this incredibly funny and empowering film. When con artists combine forces for the ultimate challenge what they find out is truly a surprise. It's the twist at the end that will make you scream with delight! Starring hollywood actresses Rebel Wilson and Anne Hathaway this female centred remake of the film ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ will have you on the edge of your seats! Without spoiling the ending too much, the film is really about how far one will go and having to choose between personal ethics and the person you surprisingly fall in love with. When Rebel Wilson's character Penny meets a fellow con artist they decided to join forces in the ultimate scam! Penny helps out fellow con artist Anne Hathaway ‘Josephine’ to rob a man of 500,00 euros. They do everything in their power to win the bet but its the twist at the end that really catches the audience off guard. The comedy of the entire film is completely on point and the pairing of Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson is a comedic duo success! I would definitely recommend this film for your next comedy session. Without any spoilers the film will keep you guessing and trying to work out what exciting circumstance could happen to either one of them. And you have to be watching until the end to find out exactly what the scam was! If you are a fan of anyn classic comedy film and are familiar with the comedic sense behind Rebel Wilson then you are sure to enjoy the plot twists and comedy of The Hustle. And if you are wondering how it ends it's a total plot twist! Make sure you see it in cinemas now.
website
review by Bryanna Reynolds
REVIEW: The Hustle By Bryanna Reynolds In the film The Hustle the audience are taken on the journey of a lifetime with this incredibly funny and empowering film. When con artists combine forces for the ultimate challenge what they find out is truly a surprise. It's the twist at the end that will make you scream with delight! Starring hollywood actresses Rebel Wilson and Anne Hathaway this female centred remake of the film ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ will have you on the edge of your seats! Without spoiling the ending too much, the film is really about how far one will go and having to choose between personal ethics and the person you surprisingly fall in love with. When Rebel Wilson's character Penny meets a fellow con artist they decided to join forces in the ultimate scam! Penny helps out fellow con artist Anne Hathaway ‘Josephine’ to rob a man of 500,00 euros. They do everything in their power to win the bet but its the twist at the end that really catches the audience off guard. The comedy of the entire film is completely on point and the pairing of Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson is a comedic duo success! I would definitely recommend this film for your next comedy session. Without any spoilers the film will keep you guessing and trying to work out what exciting circumstance could happen to either one of them. And you have to be watching until the end to find out exactly what the scam was! If you are a fan of anyn classic comedy film and are familiar with the comedic sense behind Rebel Wilson then you are sure to enjoy the plot twists and comedy of The Hustle. And if you are wondering how it ends it's a total plot twist! Make sure you see it in cinemas now.
POMS NEW
website
RATE: 6/10
We meet our main character when she moves out from her house to the nursing home in Sun Springs. There are so many different people living now there next to her. Interesting to mention though there is a group united there following one dream. Our main character. Martha was not even hoping to find there so many like minded people. She is able to enjoy her leisure time with them but not only that:she can now materialise her dream she was so afraid to do for so many years.
It is now a crazy adventure in front of Martha and the adventure is going to be a double pleasure if you are surrounded by friends. At on time long time ago each of her friend had a dream to be performing in support group - a cheer leaders group with pom poms. But how they can perform on a good level if these girls are all not a very young age softly speaking. At the time when the were young they could not make their dream to come true. Would they succeed now? Are they way too old to make it come true? Only working as a team they probably could...
website
RATE: 6/10
We meet our main character when she moves out from her house to the nursing home in Sun Springs. There are so many different people living now there next to her. Interesting to mention though there is a group united there following one dream. Our main character. Martha was not even hoping to find there so many like minded people. She is able to enjoy her leisure time with them but not only that:she can now materialise her dream she was so afraid to do for so many years.
It is now a crazy adventure in front of Martha and the adventure is going to be a double pleasure if you are surrounded by friends. At on time long time ago each of her friend had a dream to be performing in support group - a cheer leaders group with pom poms. But how they can perform on a good level if these girls are all not a very young age softly speaking. At the time when the were young they could not make their dream to come true. Would they succeed now? Are they way too old to make it come true? Only working as a team they probably could...
review by Alex First at MAPT
Poms (PG) – 90 minutes – by Alex First
Here’s a comedy where senior citizens act like teenagers.
Martha (Diane Keaton) has cancer so she sells up her belongings in the city and retreats to a sprawling, attractive retirement community where residents are promised the time of their lives for the rest of their lives.
But Martha isn’t your typical resident – she just wants to be left alone.
Mind you that isn’t about to happen when her new home is next door to a neighbour, Sheryl (Jackie Weaver), who is her polar opposite.
Where Martha is withdrawn, Sheryl is irrepressible. Martha’s quest for peace and quiet is upended by Sheryl’s partying ways.
And forget Martha’s loner status. Sheryl will stop at nothing to ensure they become instant best pals.
Their friendship finally cemented, Martha comes out of her shell, confiding in Sheryl that she was once a cheerleader, but life got in the way and she never got the chance to perform.
That leads to a life-changing decision to form a cheerleading club.
Martha and Sheryl hold auditions, where they are introduced to the “talents” of their fellow seniors, including Olive (Pam Grier) and Alice (Rhea Perlman).
In total there are eight ladies who have come together, despite their various conditions (sciatica, knee replacements, dizziness, aching muscles and more).
But not all inside and outside the retirement community are enamoured by the idea of elderly cheerleaders. Some – old and young – would like to see them fail.
Poms is the work of first-time feature film director and screenwriter Zara Hayes (she has previously made documentaries) and co-writer Shane Atkinson (also a newbie to feature films) and doesn’t the novice tag stick out like a sore thumb!
What were the filmmakers’ thinking? That older cinema patrons are not worthy of more intelligent and entertaining material? Well, that’s certainly what it seemed like to me.
The most embarrassing, mealy mouthed movie of the year thus far, decent actors can’t save an obvious, saccharine-sweet script.
It is manufactured to within an inch of its life and suffers from start to finish as a result.
I reckon young school kids could come up with a better, more sophisticated story with their eyes shut.
Any sense of plausibility is lacking ... and in large part it is decidedly unfunny. Rather, consistently cringe-worthy.
I so desperately wanted to walk out from about 10 minutes in.
I couldn’t get out of my head that I was watching luminaries like Diane Keaton and Australia’s own Jackie Weaver trying their hardest to extract some form of life from a screenplay built on platitudes.
I am not casting stones at them for their acting, only for actually choosing to participate in this blancmange.
As for those backing them up – the other elderly Pom Pom girls – they were merely given the odd line here or there and, on occasions, not even that, just an expression.
Why? They are better than that. Perhaps it was about attaching names to this production to help attract an audience.
My take on it – don’t fall for that dog and pony show.
Poms is one to be avoided at all costs.
Rated PG it scores a 2 out of 10.
Poms (PG) – 90 minutes – by Alex First
Here’s a comedy where senior citizens act like teenagers.
Martha (Diane Keaton) has cancer so she sells up her belongings in the city and retreats to a sprawling, attractive retirement community where residents are promised the time of their lives for the rest of their lives.
But Martha isn’t your typical resident – she just wants to be left alone.
Mind you that isn’t about to happen when her new home is next door to a neighbour, Sheryl (Jackie Weaver), who is her polar opposite.
Where Martha is withdrawn, Sheryl is irrepressible. Martha’s quest for peace and quiet is upended by Sheryl’s partying ways.
And forget Martha’s loner status. Sheryl will stop at nothing to ensure they become instant best pals.
Their friendship finally cemented, Martha comes out of her shell, confiding in Sheryl that she was once a cheerleader, but life got in the way and she never got the chance to perform.
That leads to a life-changing decision to form a cheerleading club.
Martha and Sheryl hold auditions, where they are introduced to the “talents” of their fellow seniors, including Olive (Pam Grier) and Alice (Rhea Perlman).
In total there are eight ladies who have come together, despite their various conditions (sciatica, knee replacements, dizziness, aching muscles and more).
But not all inside and outside the retirement community are enamoured by the idea of elderly cheerleaders. Some – old and young – would like to see them fail.
Poms is the work of first-time feature film director and screenwriter Zara Hayes (she has previously made documentaries) and co-writer Shane Atkinson (also a newbie to feature films) and doesn’t the novice tag stick out like a sore thumb!
What were the filmmakers’ thinking? That older cinema patrons are not worthy of more intelligent and entertaining material? Well, that’s certainly what it seemed like to me.
The most embarrassing, mealy mouthed movie of the year thus far, decent actors can’t save an obvious, saccharine-sweet script.
It is manufactured to within an inch of its life and suffers from start to finish as a result.
I reckon young school kids could come up with a better, more sophisticated story with their eyes shut.
Any sense of plausibility is lacking ... and in large part it is decidedly unfunny. Rather, consistently cringe-worthy.
I so desperately wanted to walk out from about 10 minutes in.
I couldn’t get out of my head that I was watching luminaries like Diane Keaton and Australia’s own Jackie Weaver trying their hardest to extract some form of life from a screenplay built on platitudes.
I am not casting stones at them for their acting, only for actually choosing to participate in this blancmange.
As for those backing them up – the other elderly Pom Pom girls – they were merely given the odd line here or there and, on occasions, not even that, just an expression.
Why? They are better than that. Perhaps it was about attaching names to this production to help attract an audience.
My take on it – don’t fall for that dog and pony show.
Poms is one to be avoided at all costs.
Rated PG it scores a 2 out of 10.
PETERLOO NEW
website
review by Vellu and Marina Skliar
PETERLOO
The movie opens to the end of the Napoleonic Wars, in which a distraught young soldier is seen to continually blow the horns of combat, ambivalent to the already-completed skirmish.
He then tramples on to his native home in urban England. It is apparent from then that the economic conditions of the nation had taken a grave plunge. This sparks off a series of underground gatherings of the 'Working Class' citizenry, with the scenes interchanging with that of the squabbling of MPs in the House of Lords.
The emotional tempo is also seen to refashion in several instances, whereby the audience is forced to look through the eyes of the aristocrats as well as those in hardship. Needless to say, the story revolves about the events leading to, and surrounding, the Peterloo Massacre at Manchester, England.
The storyline is powerful, following the dynamics of being historically accurate - right onto the quote stated by an orator in one such gathering of the common-folks, that, 'It is fine for a child to be afraid of the dark, but the real tragedy is when adults are afraid of the light.'
A truly magnificent production!
Vellu and Marina Skliar
website
review by Vellu and Marina Skliar
PETERLOO
The movie opens to the end of the Napoleonic Wars, in which a distraught young soldier is seen to continually blow the horns of combat, ambivalent to the already-completed skirmish.
He then tramples on to his native home in urban England. It is apparent from then that the economic conditions of the nation had taken a grave plunge. This sparks off a series of underground gatherings of the 'Working Class' citizenry, with the scenes interchanging with that of the squabbling of MPs in the House of Lords.
The emotional tempo is also seen to refashion in several instances, whereby the audience is forced to look through the eyes of the aristocrats as well as those in hardship. Needless to say, the story revolves about the events leading to, and surrounding, the Peterloo Massacre at Manchester, England.
The storyline is powerful, following the dynamics of being historically accurate - right onto the quote stated by an orator in one such gathering of the common-folks, that, 'It is fine for a child to be afraid of the dark, but the real tragedy is when adults are afraid of the light.'
A truly magnificent production!
Vellu and Marina Skliar
ROCKABUL NEW
website
review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
Rockabul
Music/Documentary
Director Travis Beard
Imagine living in a world without Music. Even if music doesn’t form a quintessential part of your life, Im sure if it were absent, you would notice. In Afghanistan a life without music is what most people live with everyday. Music is mostly forbidden for religious reasons.
In his directing debut, Australian journalist and musician Travis Beard, gives us a personal and candid view of what it is like to be a musician who loves to both play and listen to music in this conservative country. Travis follows the lives of Qais, Pedram, Yousef, Qasem & Lemar who are now famously known as ‘District Unknown,' an Afghani Metal Band, as they struggle to pursue their love for music amidst constant threat and danger from the Taliban.
Given the limitations that the shooting of a raw and candid documentary film in Afghanistan would entail, the documentary manages to capture ‘real life in Kabul’, as well as provide an amazing insight into the struggles the band face as their profile increases.
With greater exposure comes greater danger and all members of the band have an acute awareness of this, yet not once do the band contain their need to express themselves through music and allows their audience to do the same.
This film allowed me some hope that oppressive minds may slowly be changed through the course of time and others creativity, and that Music will one day, be something that ALL of us have the freedom to experience.
Once again Natasha has provided me with a film that would not usually vest my interest, yet I feel thoroughly enlightened for having watched it !
4/5 Stars
website
review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
Rockabul
Music/Documentary
Director Travis Beard
Imagine living in a world without Music. Even if music doesn’t form a quintessential part of your life, Im sure if it were absent, you would notice. In Afghanistan a life without music is what most people live with everyday. Music is mostly forbidden for religious reasons.
In his directing debut, Australian journalist and musician Travis Beard, gives us a personal and candid view of what it is like to be a musician who loves to both play and listen to music in this conservative country. Travis follows the lives of Qais, Pedram, Yousef, Qasem & Lemar who are now famously known as ‘District Unknown,' an Afghani Metal Band, as they struggle to pursue their love for music amidst constant threat and danger from the Taliban.
Given the limitations that the shooting of a raw and candid documentary film in Afghanistan would entail, the documentary manages to capture ‘real life in Kabul’, as well as provide an amazing insight into the struggles the band face as their profile increases.
With greater exposure comes greater danger and all members of the band have an acute awareness of this, yet not once do the band contain their need to express themselves through music and allows their audience to do the same.
This film allowed me some hope that oppressive minds may slowly be changed through the course of time and others creativity, and that Music will one day, be something that ALL of us have the freedom to experience.
Once again Natasha has provided me with a film that would not usually vest my interest, yet I feel thoroughly enlightened for having watched it !
4/5 Stars
LONG SHOT NEW
website
review by Max Lyons
Director:
Jonathan Levine.
Starring:
Seth Rogen,
Charlize Theron,
Andy Serkis,
O'Shea Jackson Jr.,
June Diane Raphael,
Alexander Skarsgård,
Ravi Patel,
Bob Odenkirk..
Genre:
Romantic Comedy.
Rating:
M.
Running time:
125 Minutes.
Film Review:
By Maxwell M. Lyons
Long Shot movie follows Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen) – a dedicated journalist working at an alt-weekly news site with an unfiltered moral compass and highly-liberal lifestyle (party supplies and all) – and Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron) – the shrewdly determined Secretary of State seeking to run for the presidency in the upcoming election. Following the buyout of his employer publication by a conservative media mogul, Fred quits outs of pride for his journalistic integrity and virtue of non-conformist free-speech. That night, his affluent best-friend Lance (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) takes him along to a high-end charity fundraiser where he crosses paths with his old babysitter and life-long crush, the one and only Charlotte. The two share an awkward rekindling of sorts, and with Charlotte finding herself in need of a speechwriter for her upcoming campaign, she eventually goes on to hire Fred. From there, it is your standard fish-out-of-water/unlikely-couple situation, with Fred thrown into the regal milieu of Charlotte’s political pond, constantly fronted with affirmation of his inadequacy and ill-fitting mien alongside Charlotte.
Writer-director Jonathan Levine does his best to avoid many of the eye-roll-inducing clichés you’d come to expect from the genre, building the focal relationship over the film’s runtime through healthy conflict and (tying into the film’s narrative) political discord. Their connection thus feels more authentic and goes a long way in engaging the viewer to invest in their relationship. Unsurprisingly, Theron’s performance is simply sensational. She has proven herself in all manner of genre, and alongside Rogen, she exudes a natural chemistry that truly is a joy to watch. Comparatively, Rogen may not be the most versatile actor, but Levine’s writing and directing talents know how to play to his strengths, and so his performance, whilst being nothing new for the actor, is nothing short of entertaining. Together, the two sell their onscreen romance in such a genuinely humanistic way that it’s easy to ignore any of the narrative shortcomings of the film (of which there are a couple, but ‘tis generally the nature with any politically-based piece).
In saying that, however, as much as Theron and Rogen carry the majority of the film, its enjoyment would be severely diminished without the brilliant cast of supporting actors filling in the fodder. Be it Bob Odenkirk as the scarily on-the-nose actor-turned-president, Andy Serkis’ Murdoch doppelganger, or Alexander Skarsgård as the uncomfortably peppy, eagerly smiling, ‘sorry’-ridden ersatz of Justin Trudeau. Each adds their own comedic notes throughout without being too overtly commentary. An additional standout performance further comes from Jackson as Flarsky’s best-friend, whose propensity for rib-cracking one-liners is unmatched by even Rogen himself; truly a comedically breakout role for this previously drama/action-heavy star.
Overall, Long Shot was an enjoyable watch. It’s not going to be winning an Oscar any time soon, but the laughs are constant throughout, the character work is incredibly well done, and the leading couple own their roles in such a genuine way it’s hard to not be rooting for their kindling. Whether you love a good rom-com or simply are just a fan of Rogen and/or Theron, you won’t leave the cinema disappointed.
will be released in cinemas Australia-wide on May 2, 2019.
website
review by Max Lyons
Director:
Jonathan Levine.
Starring:
Seth Rogen,
Charlize Theron,
Andy Serkis,
O'Shea Jackson Jr.,
June Diane Raphael,
Alexander Skarsgård,
Ravi Patel,
Bob Odenkirk..
Genre:
Romantic Comedy.
Rating:
M.
Running time:
125 Minutes.
Film Review:
By Maxwell M. Lyons
Long Shot movie follows Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen) – a dedicated journalist working at an alt-weekly news site with an unfiltered moral compass and highly-liberal lifestyle (party supplies and all) – and Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron) – the shrewdly determined Secretary of State seeking to run for the presidency in the upcoming election. Following the buyout of his employer publication by a conservative media mogul, Fred quits outs of pride for his journalistic integrity and virtue of non-conformist free-speech. That night, his affluent best-friend Lance (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) takes him along to a high-end charity fundraiser where he crosses paths with his old babysitter and life-long crush, the one and only Charlotte. The two share an awkward rekindling of sorts, and with Charlotte finding herself in need of a speechwriter for her upcoming campaign, she eventually goes on to hire Fred. From there, it is your standard fish-out-of-water/unlikely-couple situation, with Fred thrown into the regal milieu of Charlotte’s political pond, constantly fronted with affirmation of his inadequacy and ill-fitting mien alongside Charlotte.
Writer-director Jonathan Levine does his best to avoid many of the eye-roll-inducing clichés you’d come to expect from the genre, building the focal relationship over the film’s runtime through healthy conflict and (tying into the film’s narrative) political discord. Their connection thus feels more authentic and goes a long way in engaging the viewer to invest in their relationship. Unsurprisingly, Theron’s performance is simply sensational. She has proven herself in all manner of genre, and alongside Rogen, she exudes a natural chemistry that truly is a joy to watch. Comparatively, Rogen may not be the most versatile actor, but Levine’s writing and directing talents know how to play to his strengths, and so his performance, whilst being nothing new for the actor, is nothing short of entertaining. Together, the two sell their onscreen romance in such a genuinely humanistic way that it’s easy to ignore any of the narrative shortcomings of the film (of which there are a couple, but ‘tis generally the nature with any politically-based piece).
In saying that, however, as much as Theron and Rogen carry the majority of the film, its enjoyment would be severely diminished without the brilliant cast of supporting actors filling in the fodder. Be it Bob Odenkirk as the scarily on-the-nose actor-turned-president, Andy Serkis’ Murdoch doppelganger, or Alexander Skarsgård as the uncomfortably peppy, eagerly smiling, ‘sorry’-ridden ersatz of Justin Trudeau. Each adds their own comedic notes throughout without being too overtly commentary. An additional standout performance further comes from Jackson as Flarsky’s best-friend, whose propensity for rib-cracking one-liners is unmatched by even Rogen himself; truly a comedically breakout role for this previously drama/action-heavy star.
Overall, Long Shot was an enjoyable watch. It’s not going to be winning an Oscar any time soon, but the laughs are constant throughout, the character work is incredibly well done, and the leading couple own their roles in such a genuine way it’s hard to not be rooting for their kindling. Whether you love a good rom-com or simply are just a fan of Rogen and/or Theron, you won’t leave the cinema disappointed.
will be released in cinemas Australia-wide on May 2, 2019.
THE CHAPERONE NEW
website
RATE: 8/10
It is the film about one young and adventurous woman searching for her future and another mature woman looking into her past and re-thinking her life for a better changes. They meet as the older woman accompanies the younger one on her journey from Kansas to New York to follow her career path as an actress and a dancer.
It is year 1922 and Cora Carlisle boards a train from Wichita, Kansas, to New York. Cora's marriage is falling apart s she discovers that her husband is homosexual , the characteristic that had a zero support in the community. She has to face a divorce which is also not a good option as Cora has children to raise. She can though play around her shock and accept life's harsh circumstances.
Cora is asked to take care of a gorgeous young girl with a jet-black fringe and French kare hair style and eyes wild and wise like summer cherries neglecting her fresh fifteen years of age. Her name is Louise Brooks. The girl is hungry for extraordinary adventures and she challenges Cora daily with new and unexpected behaviour. Cora is a chaperone and her life is about to change as she can not accept the past.
The film is light, interesting and carefree. You will feel happy the Cora get her life sorted out and she is happy and successful after all her past misfortunes. It is a real miracle. The picture is charming, it will take you on the journey of a lifetime of these two amazing women. The film will remind you F. Scott Fitzgerald's novels . I would not be afraid to say it is a rare classical gem!
You will find secrets in this film, you will find happiness, you will find kindness even to those people who created lots of pain.
I have only one note of disappointment: the relationship of Cora and her new man look a bit simple and straight forward. There is nothing to be excited about. The film looks also a bit like a suitcase full of surprises: you have homophobia, you have racial discrimination , you have females discrimination and orphan's trains and on the top of it : pedophilia. It is all placed in one huge pot for cooking but the soup is light as I mentioned before and suddenly edible.
The fashion in the film is sensational. You will have a pleasure for your eyes watching the girls' outfits. The dancing, hairstyles and short dresses as well as cultural life is also deserving a separate applause.
website
RATE: 8/10
It is the film about one young and adventurous woman searching for her future and another mature woman looking into her past and re-thinking her life for a better changes. They meet as the older woman accompanies the younger one on her journey from Kansas to New York to follow her career path as an actress and a dancer.
It is year 1922 and Cora Carlisle boards a train from Wichita, Kansas, to New York. Cora's marriage is falling apart s she discovers that her husband is homosexual , the characteristic that had a zero support in the community. She has to face a divorce which is also not a good option as Cora has children to raise. She can though play around her shock and accept life's harsh circumstances.
Cora is asked to take care of a gorgeous young girl with a jet-black fringe and French kare hair style and eyes wild and wise like summer cherries neglecting her fresh fifteen years of age. Her name is Louise Brooks. The girl is hungry for extraordinary adventures and she challenges Cora daily with new and unexpected behaviour. Cora is a chaperone and her life is about to change as she can not accept the past.
The film is light, interesting and carefree. You will feel happy the Cora get her life sorted out and she is happy and successful after all her past misfortunes. It is a real miracle. The picture is charming, it will take you on the journey of a lifetime of these two amazing women. The film will remind you F. Scott Fitzgerald's novels . I would not be afraid to say it is a rare classical gem!
You will find secrets in this film, you will find happiness, you will find kindness even to those people who created lots of pain.
I have only one note of disappointment: the relationship of Cora and her new man look a bit simple and straight forward. There is nothing to be excited about. The film looks also a bit like a suitcase full of surprises: you have homophobia, you have racial discrimination , you have females discrimination and orphan's trains and on the top of it : pedophilia. It is all placed in one huge pot for cooking but the soup is light as I mentioned before and suddenly edible.
The fashion in the film is sensational. You will have a pleasure for your eyes watching the girls' outfits. The dancing, hairstyles and short dresses as well as cultural life is also deserving a separate applause.
review by Alex First at MAPT
The Chaperone (PG) – 108 minutes – by Alex First
A good-looking period romance drama inspired by fact, The Chaperone deals with several taboo issues ... but gently.
I’m talking about sexuality in various forms, exploitation and abandonment.
Actor Louise Brooks’ movie making began in 1925 during the silent era.
Born in Kansas, she started her entertainment career as a dancer.
The Chaperone is based upon Laura Moriarty’s best-selling American novel about Brooks and the woman who accompanied her to New York, where – as a 16-year-old – she joined a prestigious school of dancing.
Elizabeth McGovern plays the chaperone, Norma, refined and married with two children, but – as we are to find out – someone with a chequered past.
Brooks (Haley Lu Richardson) – bold, brazen, talented and self-assured – has a reason for why she is the way she is and that, too, is revealed during the course of the picture.
The Chaperone is the work of screenwriter Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park) and director Michael Engler (known for his TV work – Sex and the City, 30 Rock, Downton Abbey).
McGovern and Richardson are excellent together, playing seemingly polar opposites.
Their characters handle past traumas very differently.
One overcompensates and the other takes a softly, softly approach.
Arguably, though, the film is too nice – with no villains to speak of.
In fact, overall people seem too good and respectful to be true. Could it have been so? I beg to differ.
And yet, arguably, the revelations in the narrative – when they come – are enough to maintain care and interest.
I actually found myself wondering how everything was going to be rounded out and that in itself is gratifying.
And I urge you to stay for at least the start of the credits.
That is when you will get to see some black and white vision of the real Louise Brooks in her prime.
After the movie, I was even tempted to find out more about Brooks, who did indeed lead a colourful life.
Rated PG, The Chaperone scores a 7 out of 10.
The Chaperone (PG) – 108 minutes – by Alex First
A good-looking period romance drama inspired by fact, The Chaperone deals with several taboo issues ... but gently.
I’m talking about sexuality in various forms, exploitation and abandonment.
Actor Louise Brooks’ movie making began in 1925 during the silent era.
Born in Kansas, she started her entertainment career as a dancer.
The Chaperone is based upon Laura Moriarty’s best-selling American novel about Brooks and the woman who accompanied her to New York, where – as a 16-year-old – she joined a prestigious school of dancing.
Elizabeth McGovern plays the chaperone, Norma, refined and married with two children, but – as we are to find out – someone with a chequered past.
Brooks (Haley Lu Richardson) – bold, brazen, talented and self-assured – has a reason for why she is the way she is and that, too, is revealed during the course of the picture.
The Chaperone is the work of screenwriter Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park) and director Michael Engler (known for his TV work – Sex and the City, 30 Rock, Downton Abbey).
McGovern and Richardson are excellent together, playing seemingly polar opposites.
Their characters handle past traumas very differently.
One overcompensates and the other takes a softly, softly approach.
Arguably, though, the film is too nice – with no villains to speak of.
In fact, overall people seem too good and respectful to be true. Could it have been so? I beg to differ.
And yet, arguably, the revelations in the narrative – when they come – are enough to maintain care and interest.
I actually found myself wondering how everything was going to be rounded out and that in itself is gratifying.
And I urge you to stay for at least the start of the credits.
That is when you will get to see some black and white vision of the real Louise Brooks in her prime.
After the movie, I was even tempted to find out more about Brooks, who did indeed lead a colourful life.
Rated PG, The Chaperone scores a 7 out of 10.
GLORIA BELL NEW
website
review by Jeanette Russell
In the movie Gloria Bell, Julianne Moore does a great job of playing the main character Gloria. She is central and pivotal to this story. Divorced and working full time, she has a busy but sometimes lonely life. Her children are grown up. Gloria does however make the most of her life and enjoys going to an over 50s nightclub. Dancing is something that she really enjoys. Some tunes that are blasts from the past are played at the club and in Gloria's car as she drives to and from work.
Gloria Bell was directed by Sebastian Lelio. Six years ago he made a film called Gloria. This is a remake with the same or similar storyline, apparently. Not having seen the original Gloria makes this show fresh and new to me. I thought the actors were honest and real in their performances. Julianne was likable and relatable as the leading lady who I felt I got to know, along with her emotions and up and downs, in life. Particularly moving was when her daughter leaves to move overseas with her boyfriend, who is Swedish.
There is also a man she is seeing, who she met at the nightclub. His name is Arnold. He is divorced but it seems complicated, with his family, who seem to be leaning on him a lot and calling him away too.
I believe this movie is worth a view. Its entertaining diverting and agreeable. All concerned make a good effort, I think. Thank you for the opportunity to review it.
website
review by Jeanette Russell
In the movie Gloria Bell, Julianne Moore does a great job of playing the main character Gloria. She is central and pivotal to this story. Divorced and working full time, she has a busy but sometimes lonely life. Her children are grown up. Gloria does however make the most of her life and enjoys going to an over 50s nightclub. Dancing is something that she really enjoys. Some tunes that are blasts from the past are played at the club and in Gloria's car as she drives to and from work.
Gloria Bell was directed by Sebastian Lelio. Six years ago he made a film called Gloria. This is a remake with the same or similar storyline, apparently. Not having seen the original Gloria makes this show fresh and new to me. I thought the actors were honest and real in their performances. Julianne was likable and relatable as the leading lady who I felt I got to know, along with her emotions and up and downs, in life. Particularly moving was when her daughter leaves to move overseas with her boyfriend, who is Swedish.
There is also a man she is seeing, who she met at the nightclub. His name is Arnold. He is divorced but it seems complicated, with his family, who seem to be leaning on him a lot and calling him away too.
I believe this movie is worth a view. Its entertaining diverting and agreeable. All concerned make a good effort, I think. Thank you for the opportunity to review it.
THE EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY OF THE FAKIR
website
RATE: 7/10
A young Indian man dreams to go to Paris since he was young. His mum was Indian and his dad was French but he has never seen his dad. His dream was to show France to his mum but it did not eventuate.
When he reaches Paris finally he falls in love.... and fall in love with the main hero: he is charismatic and he is so lovable.
Paris is a country of all lovers. A young Parisian (or American) is flirting with our Indian hero and it looks so charming and good. Some parts of the film seem much unbelievable like a fairy tale leading to a happy end. It is science fiction than just a fiction.
The nationalism is not present. There is no one pointing fingers at our lovely boy asking him: "and... Where did you come from?"
He feels the fresh air of Europe that gives roof, food, citizenship, love and a chance to earn big money.
Paris teaches the tourists to talk loud and open: "I love you!" We see Europe that is owned by IKEA-like stores and tolerance of the policemen.
If also shows us that celebrities can be very grounded and simple people that accept the foreigners with all their care.
When the film characters lie we can see through their minds of consumers. It is also lovely to see that the main hero finally chooses his mother country India instead of the consuming Europe.
One of the ideas of the film is: "the kids have to study well!" as the school gives then the base of the moral principles in life.
Europe raised up and above all only because of the nature of its traditionally brilliant education it gave to its citizens. They had a great opportunity to attend the best schools in the world.
If you are not against the law , Europe will be on you side - the film says, - and your future will be in your hands.
There is also one strong message for the Slumdog Millionaire easy money come quick but then they leave you as quick too.
It is better to learn as much as you can when you arrive, to get a good job (or skilled training) and get your own fortune that you can share then and assist the community.
It is very lovely to observe there is no racial discrimination - the idea portrayed in the film by its producers from France, Belgium and India.
We are all the same: the color of your skin is just your shell. Neglecting the fact that the film is a science fiction fairy tale it sends lots of positive messages.
I hardly can recall any movie where the Indians are taken with such positivity by the Europeans. It is usually the opposite.
Yes they dance in this film as there is no Indian film without amazing dancing. So we can easily call this film: a musical fairy tale.
It is very kind and light film and if you go to see it you will have a lot of family fun and laughing.
website
RATE: 7/10
A young Indian man dreams to go to Paris since he was young. His mum was Indian and his dad was French but he has never seen his dad. His dream was to show France to his mum but it did not eventuate.
When he reaches Paris finally he falls in love.... and fall in love with the main hero: he is charismatic and he is so lovable.
Paris is a country of all lovers. A young Parisian (or American) is flirting with our Indian hero and it looks so charming and good. Some parts of the film seem much unbelievable like a fairy tale leading to a happy end. It is science fiction than just a fiction.
The nationalism is not present. There is no one pointing fingers at our lovely boy asking him: "and... Where did you come from?"
He feels the fresh air of Europe that gives roof, food, citizenship, love and a chance to earn big money.
Paris teaches the tourists to talk loud and open: "I love you!" We see Europe that is owned by IKEA-like stores and tolerance of the policemen.
If also shows us that celebrities can be very grounded and simple people that accept the foreigners with all their care.
When the film characters lie we can see through their minds of consumers. It is also lovely to see that the main hero finally chooses his mother country India instead of the consuming Europe.
One of the ideas of the film is: "the kids have to study well!" as the school gives then the base of the moral principles in life.
Europe raised up and above all only because of the nature of its traditionally brilliant education it gave to its citizens. They had a great opportunity to attend the best schools in the world.
If you are not against the law , Europe will be on you side - the film says, - and your future will be in your hands.
There is also one strong message for the Slumdog Millionaire easy money come quick but then they leave you as quick too.
It is better to learn as much as you can when you arrive, to get a good job (or skilled training) and get your own fortune that you can share then and assist the community.
It is very lovely to observe there is no racial discrimination - the idea portrayed in the film by its producers from France, Belgium and India.
We are all the same: the color of your skin is just your shell. Neglecting the fact that the film is a science fiction fairy tale it sends lots of positive messages.
I hardly can recall any movie where the Indians are taken with such positivity by the Europeans. It is usually the opposite.
Yes they dance in this film as there is no Indian film without amazing dancing. So we can easily call this film: a musical fairy tale.
It is very kind and light film and if you go to see it you will have a lot of family fun and laughing.
review by Alex First at MAPT
The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir (M) – 96 minutes – by Alex First
In the tradition of Forrest Gump, The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir is a wild ride, which combines coincidence with circumstance.
It is a quirky cross-cultural fantasy about a good-natured thief who makes good.
Aja (Dhanush) is a poor young fakir (or magician) from the streets of India, being brought up by his single mother, whom he adores.
Aja has never known his father, the identity of whom his mum refuses to reveal.
As events unfold, Aja travels to Paris in search of his past … and to navigate his future.
There he falls head-over-heels for Marie (Erin Moriarty), whom he meets amongst the cabinets and couches in a department store.
He convinces her to meet up with him again the next day, but as the saying goes … the best laid plans of mice and men.
Suddenly, Aja is literally on the run from border police and bandits across Europe.
He meets many colourful characters as he desperately tries to make his way back to the city of love.
The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir presses many of the right buttons.
Apart from one overly long song and dance sequence involving an English law enforcement officer, which started off well but extended beyond acceptances, the rest hung together nicely.
That included a buoyant Bollywood number featuring our hero and a movie starlet named Nelly (Berenice Bejo).
It is a film in which Aja takes to the road in search of answers and a better life.
Along the way, IKEA gets more than a decent plug, insofar as it is Aja’s design nirvana and it is where he befriends and plays with the girl of his dreams.
The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir has a good feel about it and it takes many unpredictable forks before reaching its inevitable happily ever after conclusion.
Dhanush makes for a handsome, good natured centrepiece around whom the action unfolds.
This is all about the art of weaving a tale that captures the imagination and screenwriters Romain Puertolas (who wrote the book upon which the film is based) and Luc Bossi have delivered a compelling if totally fanciful story.
A picture of colour and movement, The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir, directed by Ken Scott (Unfinished Business), radiates warmth and will surely win the hearts of many as a result.
Rated M, it scores a 7 out of 10.
The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir (M) – 96 minutes – by Alex First
In the tradition of Forrest Gump, The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir is a wild ride, which combines coincidence with circumstance.
It is a quirky cross-cultural fantasy about a good-natured thief who makes good.
Aja (Dhanush) is a poor young fakir (or magician) from the streets of India, being brought up by his single mother, whom he adores.
Aja has never known his father, the identity of whom his mum refuses to reveal.
As events unfold, Aja travels to Paris in search of his past … and to navigate his future.
There he falls head-over-heels for Marie (Erin Moriarty), whom he meets amongst the cabinets and couches in a department store.
He convinces her to meet up with him again the next day, but as the saying goes … the best laid plans of mice and men.
Suddenly, Aja is literally on the run from border police and bandits across Europe.
He meets many colourful characters as he desperately tries to make his way back to the city of love.
The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir presses many of the right buttons.
Apart from one overly long song and dance sequence involving an English law enforcement officer, which started off well but extended beyond acceptances, the rest hung together nicely.
That included a buoyant Bollywood number featuring our hero and a movie starlet named Nelly (Berenice Bejo).
It is a film in which Aja takes to the road in search of answers and a better life.
Along the way, IKEA gets more than a decent plug, insofar as it is Aja’s design nirvana and it is where he befriends and plays with the girl of his dreams.
The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir has a good feel about it and it takes many unpredictable forks before reaching its inevitable happily ever after conclusion.
Dhanush makes for a handsome, good natured centrepiece around whom the action unfolds.
This is all about the art of weaving a tale that captures the imagination and screenwriters Romain Puertolas (who wrote the book upon which the film is based) and Luc Bossi have delivered a compelling if totally fanciful story.
A picture of colour and movement, The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir, directed by Ken Scott (Unfinished Business), radiates warmth and will surely win the hearts of many as a result.
Rated M, it scores a 7 out of 10.
HELLBOY
website
review by Max Lyons
Director:
Neil Marshall.
Starring:
David Harbour,
Milla Jovovich,
Sophie Okonedo,
Daniel Dae Kim,
Ian McShane.
Genre:
Action,
Adventure,
Fantasy.
Rating:
R18+.
Running time:
120 Minutes.
Film Review:
By Maxwell M. Lyons
Long since Guillermo del Toro’s second instalment into the Hellboy franchise (Hellboy II: The Golden Army) in 2008 have fans awaited the triumphant onscreen return of humanity’s favourite hellfire demon. Amidst scheduling conflicts, perennial development, and studio disinterest this ceremonious conclusion to the trilogy never came to fruition. Fast-forward to today, we finally have another Hellboy instalment, but can a franchise reboot, spearheaded by director Neil Marshall (known for his directorial role of The Descent (2005) and Game of Thrones eps. Blackwater & The Watchers on the Wall), recapture the allure of del Toro’s cult classics? … Not exactly. But there’s still plenty of fun to be had for a certain type of viewer.
First and foremost, let’s get things straight. Hellboy, from a purely cinematic standpoint, is awful. The writing is sloppy, often unnatural, and exposition heavy; the acting is fine, but nothing to applaud over; and the narrative as a whole is unnecessarily complex and progressively non-sensical in getting to its grand showdown of mano-a-mano monster spawn. All while interwoven with a plethora of blood and gore that would have even Tarantino second-guessing its necessity. And this is all before even beginning to compare it to the baseline set by del Toro; that’s another essay in itself. BUT… BUT… stay with me. As any lover of “so-bad-it’s-good” movie can tell you (myself included), the sum of the parts doesn’t always equal the whole, and through all it’s flaws, I personally feel there’s a lot of entertainment value to be had in Hellboy’s viewership. Just don’t take it seriously. The movie quite evidently didn’t take itself seriously (apparent from the opening exposition) and in terms of an obscenely over-the-top gorefest with a comically bad narrative, it’s absolutely amazing.
Hellboy isn’t going to win any awards (aside a Golden Raspberry or two) but I would argue it knew that from the beginning. It’s not masterfully acted, it’s not immaculately written, the SXF are passable at best compared to modern standards, and it’s most certainly nothing alike del Toro’s incarnation of the franchise. Hellboy stands alone, not as an immaculate cinematic milestone, but as a hellacious blood-ridden polished turd. It’s inarguably not for everyone – fans of the original will undoubtably be constantly comparing the two, and newcomers aren’t likely be buy into the world told through the lens of this Hellboy iteration – but if I can find entertainment in its heinous manifestation, maybe you can too.
will be released in cinemas Australia-wide on April 11, 2019.
website
review by Max Lyons
Director:
Neil Marshall.
Starring:
David Harbour,
Milla Jovovich,
Sophie Okonedo,
Daniel Dae Kim,
Ian McShane.
Genre:
Action,
Adventure,
Fantasy.
Rating:
R18+.
Running time:
120 Minutes.
Film Review:
By Maxwell M. Lyons
Long since Guillermo del Toro’s second instalment into the Hellboy franchise (Hellboy II: The Golden Army) in 2008 have fans awaited the triumphant onscreen return of humanity’s favourite hellfire demon. Amidst scheduling conflicts, perennial development, and studio disinterest this ceremonious conclusion to the trilogy never came to fruition. Fast-forward to today, we finally have another Hellboy instalment, but can a franchise reboot, spearheaded by director Neil Marshall (known for his directorial role of The Descent (2005) and Game of Thrones eps. Blackwater & The Watchers on the Wall), recapture the allure of del Toro’s cult classics? … Not exactly. But there’s still plenty of fun to be had for a certain type of viewer.
First and foremost, let’s get things straight. Hellboy, from a purely cinematic standpoint, is awful. The writing is sloppy, often unnatural, and exposition heavy; the acting is fine, but nothing to applaud over; and the narrative as a whole is unnecessarily complex and progressively non-sensical in getting to its grand showdown of mano-a-mano monster spawn. All while interwoven with a plethora of blood and gore that would have even Tarantino second-guessing its necessity. And this is all before even beginning to compare it to the baseline set by del Toro; that’s another essay in itself. BUT… BUT… stay with me. As any lover of “so-bad-it’s-good” movie can tell you (myself included), the sum of the parts doesn’t always equal the whole, and through all it’s flaws, I personally feel there’s a lot of entertainment value to be had in Hellboy’s viewership. Just don’t take it seriously. The movie quite evidently didn’t take itself seriously (apparent from the opening exposition) and in terms of an obscenely over-the-top gorefest with a comically bad narrative, it’s absolutely amazing.
Hellboy isn’t going to win any awards (aside a Golden Raspberry or two) but I would argue it knew that from the beginning. It’s not masterfully acted, it’s not immaculately written, the SXF are passable at best compared to modern standards, and it’s most certainly nothing alike del Toro’s incarnation of the franchise. Hellboy stands alone, not as an immaculate cinematic milestone, but as a hellacious blood-ridden polished turd. It’s inarguably not for everyone – fans of the original will undoubtably be constantly comparing the two, and newcomers aren’t likely be buy into the world told through the lens of this Hellboy iteration – but if I can find entertainment in its heinous manifestation, maybe you can too.
will be released in cinemas Australia-wide on April 11, 2019.
THUNDER ROAD
website
review by Jeanette Russell
Jim Cummings debut feature film is an extended version of a short film he made by the same name. He does a great job in this movie as the lead character. It is very impressive that Jim also is the director and writer of the film.
An amazing performance by Jim Cummings as he portrays Jim Arnaud, a man who is really down on his luck. Losing his mother who he was close to and the emotional turmoil around possibly losing his daughter as well.At times he is having anger issues. Trying hard is one thing he does throughout the whole time. Life just seems to be so challenging for him. He has the support of a friend who works with him,as a fellow police officer.
I feel like we are wanting to see this guy catch a break as soon as possible, with several challenges going on in his life simultaneously. He is trying to deal with the loss of his mum, as well as trying to gain some share custody of his daughter while his ex goes for sole custody.
At the beginning we see Jim delivering a eulogy at his mother's funeral. Telling of her life and her favourite song which was Thunder Road. He also tries to play the song but his tape won't work. So he does a bit of a dance to it as he tells the story of the song.
The end of the movie provides quite a twist. The actors do a terrific job all not well known. Jim Cummings does an outstanding performance, as I believe we experience the depths of despair with him through this heartfelt journey of loss and life.
website
review by Jeanette Russell
Jim Cummings debut feature film is an extended version of a short film he made by the same name. He does a great job in this movie as the lead character. It is very impressive that Jim also is the director and writer of the film.
An amazing performance by Jim Cummings as he portrays Jim Arnaud, a man who is really down on his luck. Losing his mother who he was close to and the emotional turmoil around possibly losing his daughter as well.At times he is having anger issues. Trying hard is one thing he does throughout the whole time. Life just seems to be so challenging for him. He has the support of a friend who works with him,as a fellow police officer.
I feel like we are wanting to see this guy catch a break as soon as possible, with several challenges going on in his life simultaneously. He is trying to deal with the loss of his mum, as well as trying to gain some share custody of his daughter while his ex goes for sole custody.
At the beginning we see Jim delivering a eulogy at his mother's funeral. Telling of her life and her favourite song which was Thunder Road. He also tries to play the song but his tape won't work. So he does a bit of a dance to it as he tells the story of the song.
The end of the movie provides quite a twist. The actors do a terrific job all not well known. Jim Cummings does an outstanding performance, as I believe we experience the depths of despair with him through this heartfelt journey of loss and life.
MQFF2019 RAFIKI
website
review by Oksana Newton
I was lucky to watch a fantastic movie about a lesbian romance between two young girls called - Rafiki. Rafiki means friend. This is a film by Kenyan production.
Unfortunately this film was banned in its original country for its "homosexual propaganda ". Kenyan people are very religious and they consider any same sex relations as a devil and an uncured illness.
In my opinion this movie was a very brave step to bring awareness and understanding to its own people and whole country . Sadly in Kenya same marriage considered as crime and any same sex relations can be punished or convicted. Whole movie is about two girls who just finished school.
Action happens in the village where people even more backwards comparing with city. Of course everyone knows everybody and everybody’s business. Kena is a kind, nice and brave girl who dreams and have some ambitions to become a nurse. She is smart, but she under estimated herself and her potentials. She is from a poor family, raised by her very religious mum. Her parents split up and fathers had other family.
Her father John is elected for PM. He is kind man, always helpful and a honest person. In his community he is very much appreciated and loved. Another girl Ziki is a troublemaker. She is daughter of well known politician who in running his campaign against John. Ziki is free spirit, full of love to life, she dream to travel and be happy. Ziki and Kena become friends, but their friendship becomes something more. They fell in love with each other. But there is a very big BUT. First of all it’s a small community and everyone become aware of their relationship.
Also their fathers run election against each other. Of course any kind of connection between girls is not ok by community or families. Of course people are very religious and this kind of girls behaviour doesn’t get excepted in the whole community. Kena and Ziki have to hide from everyone. When people found them in the van they bashed both girls. Unfortunately their love became so obvious, they had to suffer consequences. Ziki was sent overseas to study and avoid being accused by crazy and nutty community. Her father could not put up with a shame and thoughts of loosing his seat.
Kena had to stay in the village and attend the university to become a doctor. Girls have been separated for long years but they got connected again and their love sparked up again. In my opinion this movie could change a country by bringing awareness and some knowledge about lesbians or homosexual people, a knowledge of love and acceptance. I think people should be more tolerant and have more respect to someone who is different to the prefer live with same sex partner. Many of us should and this is a good positive message for all.
website
review by Oksana Newton
I was lucky to watch a fantastic movie about a lesbian romance between two young girls called - Rafiki. Rafiki means friend. This is a film by Kenyan production.
Unfortunately this film was banned in its original country for its "homosexual propaganda ". Kenyan people are very religious and they consider any same sex relations as a devil and an uncured illness.
In my opinion this movie was a very brave step to bring awareness and understanding to its own people and whole country . Sadly in Kenya same marriage considered as crime and any same sex relations can be punished or convicted. Whole movie is about two girls who just finished school.
Action happens in the village where people even more backwards comparing with city. Of course everyone knows everybody and everybody’s business. Kena is a kind, nice and brave girl who dreams and have some ambitions to become a nurse. She is smart, but she under estimated herself and her potentials. She is from a poor family, raised by her very religious mum. Her parents split up and fathers had other family.
Her father John is elected for PM. He is kind man, always helpful and a honest person. In his community he is very much appreciated and loved. Another girl Ziki is a troublemaker. She is daughter of well known politician who in running his campaign against John. Ziki is free spirit, full of love to life, she dream to travel and be happy. Ziki and Kena become friends, but their friendship becomes something more. They fell in love with each other. But there is a very big BUT. First of all it’s a small community and everyone become aware of their relationship.
Also their fathers run election against each other. Of course any kind of connection between girls is not ok by community or families. Of course people are very religious and this kind of girls behaviour doesn’t get excepted in the whole community. Kena and Ziki have to hide from everyone. When people found them in the van they bashed both girls. Unfortunately their love became so obvious, they had to suffer consequences. Ziki was sent overseas to study and avoid being accused by crazy and nutty community. Her father could not put up with a shame and thoughts of loosing his seat.
Kena had to stay in the village and attend the university to become a doctor. Girls have been separated for long years but they got connected again and their love sparked up again. In my opinion this movie could change a country by bringing awareness and some knowledge about lesbians or homosexual people, a knowledge of love and acceptance. I think people should be more tolerant and have more respect to someone who is different to the prefer live with same sex partner. Many of us should and this is a good positive message for all.
LITTLE
website
review by Susan Reynolds
“Little”
Fantasy/Comedy
9/10
Regina Hall: Jordan Sanders
Issa Rae: April Williams
***Marsai Martin: Little Jordan Sanders
At age 14 Marsai Martin is an executive producer on Little, she is the youngest person to ever hold the title on a major Hollywood production.
Little is a feel good movie with a message to not give up on being a better version of yourself, to be kind to others and keep your perspective. To also be especially grateful toward others in your life and in general.
The vehicle for these sentiments was delivered in the form of a somewhat cliche storyline reminiscent of movies such as “17 Again”. Jordan Sanders has a chance to be her teenage self again and rethink who she’s been and what she’s turned into. I have to admit despite being a little corny I loved it...a smile rarely leave my face throughout the film.
Little Jordan Sanders played by Marsai Martin
was a standout performer and the supporting cast were also good. A faultless performance from Marsai Martin who is the golden girl of Hollywood at the moment and it seems for very good reason. Situations were comical; I particularly liked the exuberant clothing comically worn by teen Jordan as she sashayed around the school in a power suit the brightest pink you could imagine which would give Pantone a challenge to match.
I’d imagine this movie would appeal to young and old I went with my 21 year old who enjoyed the film as well. A good holiday choice for relaxed viewing and to leave the rest of the world behind for a chill in the cinema. But don’t be fooled by just the jokes there’s a message about bullying and overcoming such situations. Self belief is a focus also in the film. There’s as substance to it which make you think about self and the wider societal problems.
Storyline
Jordan and April
Jordan is a successful business woman albeit a nasty bossy difficult one. She’s a lesson or two to learn about how to treat people. A chance encounter with a gifted girl who places a hex on Jordan she is then altered overnight to become an adult trapped in a teenage body. Jordan’s assistant April Williams (Issa Rae) bossed from pillar to post by the adult Jordan Sanders has a chance to get her own back when Jordan regresses into her teen self. Jordan is sent to school where life lessons are revealed and she empowers others to stand up for themselves.
website
review by Susan Reynolds
“Little”
Fantasy/Comedy
9/10
Regina Hall: Jordan Sanders
Issa Rae: April Williams
***Marsai Martin: Little Jordan Sanders
At age 14 Marsai Martin is an executive producer on Little, she is the youngest person to ever hold the title on a major Hollywood production.
Little is a feel good movie with a message to not give up on being a better version of yourself, to be kind to others and keep your perspective. To also be especially grateful toward others in your life and in general.
The vehicle for these sentiments was delivered in the form of a somewhat cliche storyline reminiscent of movies such as “17 Again”. Jordan Sanders has a chance to be her teenage self again and rethink who she’s been and what she’s turned into. I have to admit despite being a little corny I loved it...a smile rarely leave my face throughout the film.
Little Jordan Sanders played by Marsai Martin
was a standout performer and the supporting cast were also good. A faultless performance from Marsai Martin who is the golden girl of Hollywood at the moment and it seems for very good reason. Situations were comical; I particularly liked the exuberant clothing comically worn by teen Jordan as she sashayed around the school in a power suit the brightest pink you could imagine which would give Pantone a challenge to match.
I’d imagine this movie would appeal to young and old I went with my 21 year old who enjoyed the film as well. A good holiday choice for relaxed viewing and to leave the rest of the world behind for a chill in the cinema. But don’t be fooled by just the jokes there’s a message about bullying and overcoming such situations. Self belief is a focus also in the film. There’s as substance to it which make you think about self and the wider societal problems.
Storyline
Jordan and April
Jordan is a successful business woman albeit a nasty bossy difficult one. She’s a lesson or two to learn about how to treat people. A chance encounter with a gifted girl who places a hex on Jordan she is then altered overnight to become an adult trapped in a teenage body. Jordan’s assistant April Williams (Issa Rae) bossed from pillar to post by the adult Jordan Sanders has a chance to get her own back when Jordan regresses into her teen self. Jordan is sent to school where life lessons are revealed and she empowers others to stand up for themselves.
THE CURSE OF THE WEEPING WOMAN
website
review by Bryanna Reynolds
REVIEW: The Curse of The Weeping Woman
By Bryanna Reynolds
In this spine tingling horror about a woman and her two children who become victims of a cursed legend known as ‘The Weeping Woman’ who haunts them. The single mother of two will stand up to her fears in order to protect her children.
The Weeping Woman tells the story of a woman who died centuries ago after murdering her two young children in revenge against her husband who cheated on her. The audience follow her story and see that for years to come ‘The Weeping Woman’ scours the earth looking for replacement children to become hers and join her in the after life. In the film we follow the journey of a single mother of two who becomes The Weeping Woman’s latest target. Will the family fall victim to the cursed woman, see it to find out more.
The audience are taken on an equilibrium of ups and downs through the path of fighting an evil curse which has projected a young family as being her next victims.
This film will appeal to anyone who loves a good thriller, but more so anyone who is familiar with the universe of the ‘Conjuring’ franchise. The audience are shown glimpses into the previous conjuring films such as the infamous ‘Annabelle’ doll. Be expected to walk away from this film wondering what will happen next because spoiler... it is hinted ‘The Weeping Woman’ may stick around a little while longer.
The best part about the film is that you can feel the family’s love and emotional connection to fighting evil as one. It is sure to make your heart grow brighter and bigger throughout the film even if it isn’t in a traditional love film scenario.
Not to mention Linda Cardellini I the title role as leading actress was an amazing surprise. You might remember her from ‘Scooby Doo’ in the role of Velma Dinkley. This was the only thing that also put me off at the same time because I kept thinking of her from her portrayal in Scooby Doo. As long as you don’t enter the cinema thinking of Scooby Doo then you should be fine
Being a fan of the thriller/horror genre this film is definitely one of my favourites this year. I can’t wait to see more films from the producers of this thriller universe who are the creatives behind the Conjuring universe.
Make sure you see it, out now in cinemas. This is one you don’t want to miss.
website
review by Bryanna Reynolds
REVIEW: The Curse of The Weeping Woman
By Bryanna Reynolds
In this spine tingling horror about a woman and her two children who become victims of a cursed legend known as ‘The Weeping Woman’ who haunts them. The single mother of two will stand up to her fears in order to protect her children.
The Weeping Woman tells the story of a woman who died centuries ago after murdering her two young children in revenge against her husband who cheated on her. The audience follow her story and see that for years to come ‘The Weeping Woman’ scours the earth looking for replacement children to become hers and join her in the after life. In the film we follow the journey of a single mother of two who becomes The Weeping Woman’s latest target. Will the family fall victim to the cursed woman, see it to find out more.
The audience are taken on an equilibrium of ups and downs through the path of fighting an evil curse which has projected a young family as being her next victims.
This film will appeal to anyone who loves a good thriller, but more so anyone who is familiar with the universe of the ‘Conjuring’ franchise. The audience are shown glimpses into the previous conjuring films such as the infamous ‘Annabelle’ doll. Be expected to walk away from this film wondering what will happen next because spoiler... it is hinted ‘The Weeping Woman’ may stick around a little while longer.
The best part about the film is that you can feel the family’s love and emotional connection to fighting evil as one. It is sure to make your heart grow brighter and bigger throughout the film even if it isn’t in a traditional love film scenario.
Not to mention Linda Cardellini I the title role as leading actress was an amazing surprise. You might remember her from ‘Scooby Doo’ in the role of Velma Dinkley. This was the only thing that also put me off at the same time because I kept thinking of her from her portrayal in Scooby Doo. As long as you don’t enter the cinema thinking of Scooby Doo then you should be fine
Being a fan of the thriller/horror genre this film is definitely one of my favourites this year. I can’t wait to see more films from the producers of this thriller universe who are the creatives behind the Conjuring universe.
Make sure you see it, out now in cinemas. This is one you don’t want to miss.
TOP END WEDDING
website
review by Alexander O Montgomery
“Top End Wedding” review by Alexander O. Montgomery
As I arrived at the village cinemas Rivoli-Hawthorn East in Melbourne, I joined the huge line of VIPs waiting to walk the red carpet as did everyone else who was invited and who had come in their dandiest of outfits to catch the Melbourne opening premiere of “Top End Wedding”!
This Australian production is released and distributed by Universal Pictures Australia.
After the usual red carpet walk where I fronted more than ten photographers with what seemed to be a never ending slew of flashing light bulbs, I was ushered upstairs to join the sea of cast members, producers, directors and members of the media as well as other invited guests to this spectacular premiere.
“Top End Wedding” has a romantic storyline which we can all relate to, and offers some comic relief. It features a female Aboriginal character (Lauren) who is a lawyer and who was recently given a promotion in her job where she reports to her boss from hell (Hampton) that resembles very much like Miranda Priestly from the movie “The Devil wears Prada”.
In this movie though, Lauren gets proposed and engaged to her fiancée Ned, a white Australian and also a lawyer (albeit not a very good one) who they then decide to get married in Darwin which is where Lauren’s relatives are all at.
However upon arrival, Lauren learns that her mother had left her husband and from here on, Lauren and Ned start on a wild goose chase to track her down.
In essence, the storyline of this movie is predictable and is easy to keep up with. It also seem to be subliminally promoting tourism to Darwin with much of its sights, sounds and Aboriginal culture highly showcased. This film was also educational for me as it carried scenes of the Aboriginal communities living their way of life. Also, as in a lot of TV and film produced today, this film ticks the diversity box as a hilarious gay character and intermarriage between races were included.
All in all, I rate “Top End Wedding” a 7 out of 10.
website
review by Alexander O Montgomery
“Top End Wedding” review by Alexander O. Montgomery
As I arrived at the village cinemas Rivoli-Hawthorn East in Melbourne, I joined the huge line of VIPs waiting to walk the red carpet as did everyone else who was invited and who had come in their dandiest of outfits to catch the Melbourne opening premiere of “Top End Wedding”!
This Australian production is released and distributed by Universal Pictures Australia.
After the usual red carpet walk where I fronted more than ten photographers with what seemed to be a never ending slew of flashing light bulbs, I was ushered upstairs to join the sea of cast members, producers, directors and members of the media as well as other invited guests to this spectacular premiere.
“Top End Wedding” has a romantic storyline which we can all relate to, and offers some comic relief. It features a female Aboriginal character (Lauren) who is a lawyer and who was recently given a promotion in her job where she reports to her boss from hell (Hampton) that resembles very much like Miranda Priestly from the movie “The Devil wears Prada”.
In this movie though, Lauren gets proposed and engaged to her fiancée Ned, a white Australian and also a lawyer (albeit not a very good one) who they then decide to get married in Darwin which is where Lauren’s relatives are all at.
However upon arrival, Lauren learns that her mother had left her husband and from here on, Lauren and Ned start on a wild goose chase to track her down.
In essence, the storyline of this movie is predictable and is easy to keep up with. It also seem to be subliminally promoting tourism to Darwin with much of its sights, sounds and Aboriginal culture highly showcased. This film was also educational for me as it carried scenes of the Aboriginal communities living their way of life. Also, as in a lot of TV and film produced today, this film ticks the diversity box as a hilarious gay character and intermarriage between races were included.
All in all, I rate “Top End Wedding” a 7 out of 10.
NTLIVE: THE TRAGEDY OF KING RICHARD II
website
RATE: 7/10
There is an old children's game we all played when we were kids. It is called "The King Of The Mountain" One player, It, chooses the spot and the rest of the kids try to push him/her out from that spot and get the spot. Then the game repeats itself and everyone tries to push out the next "king".
The play :The Tragedy Of King Richard II" reminded me of that old days game. The King rules: he introduces new and new taxes to rob his citizens more and more till thy start bleeding. His surroundings and his people are exhausted from he Kings power and they rebel. The new king takes his throne, the new king was in opposition before and was not recognized by the ex-ruler. How the old King can remain in power if the whole world is not against him and the new king is powerful and seemingly "better". He promises new lands to aristocracy, bread and beds to the poor and gifts to his army.
The Almeida Theater re-works the Shakespeare tragedy and brings it from the ages of 13th century to our days so we can all reflect and analyze. Their new production King Richard II is radically re-thought and re-interpreted and great;y shortened this play will take you on a very deep and dark turns and corners of the rocky road journey.
The new production of Joe Hill-Gibbins he present to all of us starts from the end of the play. King says his famous: "I have been thinking about how I might compare this prison I live in to the world (the Universe)..." It is a very powerful message.
The main character is King Richard played by unmatched talent of Simon Russell Beal. Simon revels in luxurious text of Shakespeare and uses acting plastic to the maximum. The whole Shakespearean text about the usurpation of the crown and throne turns into a horrific nightmare of the broken monarch who is trying to understand how he turned into such a pitiful state.
The age of the actor brings more and more questions: how could he perform all these physical exercises with such lightness of his (trained) body, how masterfully he holds the pauses, how he place the required accents to make the text shine with its beauty and to show us the depth of his disappear with only one eye movement. Simon is incredible indeed!
I also highly recommend to read the plot in its original before you attend to remind yourself the key points of it. You might be tricked (as I was) that excluding Richard and his antagonist Bolingbrock (played by Leo Bill) the remaining six members of the troupe play several roles each. It will be difficult to understand who is who unless you know the play. The whole eight actors remain on stage for the duration of the performance. There is no interval in the play. They never change the outfits. They all play in the modern casual wear including the king who performs in black T-shit and the jeans. His crown is solid but I saw in the trailer it is made out of paper. It is a conceptual decision of the director. His idea was to reflect on the modern power and modern world where often authority creates chaos and the there is no limit to someone's power.
The shortened text plays in favour to the chosen concept as it creates a fast story development and speedy pace that leads into absurd and confusion with the scenes of blood, water and soil thrown and poured from the plastic buckets as well as throwing rubber gloves into each other during the fiery conversations. The confrontation and the angry dialogue between King Richard and Bolingbrock looks more like a boxing mach to us.
The scenes are rather rapid with lots of movements across the steel and no doors cube where the all action takes place: no one leaves , no one comes. The tall walls of the sound-poof cube are also representing the doors which gives us the imitation of the people and crowd knocking at those depth doors with no replies from the rulers.
Peter Rice's music to accompany the whole staging is nervous and adds to the whole madness of the play. The genius text though somehow slows all this bloody craziness down and bring the play to the final: chaos is the only ruler in this Universe - the cube is covered now in blood stains, mud marks on the walls and water puddles on the metallic floors. The picture is depressive, gloomy with the bodies of the actors destroyed and lying on the messy floors - the annoyingly familiar picture of the results of power governing in the very familiar countries with no exceptions.
Does it sound familiar to you?
website
RATE: 7/10
There is an old children's game we all played when we were kids. It is called "The King Of The Mountain" One player, It, chooses the spot and the rest of the kids try to push him/her out from that spot and get the spot. Then the game repeats itself and everyone tries to push out the next "king".
The play :The Tragedy Of King Richard II" reminded me of that old days game. The King rules: he introduces new and new taxes to rob his citizens more and more till thy start bleeding. His surroundings and his people are exhausted from he Kings power and they rebel. The new king takes his throne, the new king was in opposition before and was not recognized by the ex-ruler. How the old King can remain in power if the whole world is not against him and the new king is powerful and seemingly "better". He promises new lands to aristocracy, bread and beds to the poor and gifts to his army.
The Almeida Theater re-works the Shakespeare tragedy and brings it from the ages of 13th century to our days so we can all reflect and analyze. Their new production King Richard II is radically re-thought and re-interpreted and great;y shortened this play will take you on a very deep and dark turns and corners of the rocky road journey.
The new production of Joe Hill-Gibbins he present to all of us starts from the end of the play. King says his famous: "I have been thinking about how I might compare this prison I live in to the world (the Universe)..." It is a very powerful message.
The main character is King Richard played by unmatched talent of Simon Russell Beal. Simon revels in luxurious text of Shakespeare and uses acting plastic to the maximum. The whole Shakespearean text about the usurpation of the crown and throne turns into a horrific nightmare of the broken monarch who is trying to understand how he turned into such a pitiful state.
The age of the actor brings more and more questions: how could he perform all these physical exercises with such lightness of his (trained) body, how masterfully he holds the pauses, how he place the required accents to make the text shine with its beauty and to show us the depth of his disappear with only one eye movement. Simon is incredible indeed!
I also highly recommend to read the plot in its original before you attend to remind yourself the key points of it. You might be tricked (as I was) that excluding Richard and his antagonist Bolingbrock (played by Leo Bill) the remaining six members of the troupe play several roles each. It will be difficult to understand who is who unless you know the play. The whole eight actors remain on stage for the duration of the performance. There is no interval in the play. They never change the outfits. They all play in the modern casual wear including the king who performs in black T-shit and the jeans. His crown is solid but I saw in the trailer it is made out of paper. It is a conceptual decision of the director. His idea was to reflect on the modern power and modern world where often authority creates chaos and the there is no limit to someone's power.
The shortened text plays in favour to the chosen concept as it creates a fast story development and speedy pace that leads into absurd and confusion with the scenes of blood, water and soil thrown and poured from the plastic buckets as well as throwing rubber gloves into each other during the fiery conversations. The confrontation and the angry dialogue between King Richard and Bolingbrock looks more like a boxing mach to us.
The scenes are rather rapid with lots of movements across the steel and no doors cube where the all action takes place: no one leaves , no one comes. The tall walls of the sound-poof cube are also representing the doors which gives us the imitation of the people and crowd knocking at those depth doors with no replies from the rulers.
Peter Rice's music to accompany the whole staging is nervous and adds to the whole madness of the play. The genius text though somehow slows all this bloody craziness down and bring the play to the final: chaos is the only ruler in this Universe - the cube is covered now in blood stains, mud marks on the walls and water puddles on the metallic floors. The picture is depressive, gloomy with the bodies of the actors destroyed and lying on the messy floors - the annoyingly familiar picture of the results of power governing in the very familiar countries with no exceptions.
Does it sound familiar to you?
BACK OF THE NET
website
RATE: 7/10
I was lucky enough to be invited to watch the film at the media screening on April 9 at the Highpoint Hoyts.
Back Of The Net is an Australian made film. It is very easy to watch and I found it to be a great entertainment feature film for a family day out with kids and parents.
It touches the teenagers major issues around love,friendship, leadership and self belief.
The film plot is rather engaging: American teenager whose name is Bailey mistakes her school bus heading off to the sea adventure and science research for the similar looking bus heading off to the soccer camp. She ends up at the Harold Soccer Academy after catching that faith changing wrong bus.
She is shocked and confused at the start but all her efforts to change her journey and go to the ship are wasted in vain. Bailey gives up and follows her destiny, she then completes a semester at the soccer school, where she meets her first love, find great friends and changes enemies to her friends, battles with the star soccer player Edie, an evil teenager who makes life difficult for Bailey. But as we say: our enemies teach us more than our friends: they shape and challenge us, let's respect our enemies more than our friends.
As the school hosts the National Soccer Tournament, Bailey is determined to beat Edie’s team in the finals.
Would she succeed? You can only find out by watching this cute film.
I liked the camera work a lot - that surprised me with slow motion and the game filming that was incredible cool... I found some of the characters were a bit undeveloped, love was a bit over-sweet but the main character was superb so was a rest of the crew!
website
RATE: 7/10
I was lucky enough to be invited to watch the film at the media screening on April 9 at the Highpoint Hoyts.
Back Of The Net is an Australian made film. It is very easy to watch and I found it to be a great entertainment feature film for a family day out with kids and parents.
It touches the teenagers major issues around love,friendship, leadership and self belief.
The film plot is rather engaging: American teenager whose name is Bailey mistakes her school bus heading off to the sea adventure and science research for the similar looking bus heading off to the soccer camp. She ends up at the Harold Soccer Academy after catching that faith changing wrong bus.
She is shocked and confused at the start but all her efforts to change her journey and go to the ship are wasted in vain. Bailey gives up and follows her destiny, she then completes a semester at the soccer school, where she meets her first love, find great friends and changes enemies to her friends, battles with the star soccer player Edie, an evil teenager who makes life difficult for Bailey. But as we say: our enemies teach us more than our friends: they shape and challenge us, let's respect our enemies more than our friends.
As the school hosts the National Soccer Tournament, Bailey is determined to beat Edie’s team in the finals.
Would she succeed? You can only find out by watching this cute film.
I liked the camera work a lot - that surprised me with slow motion and the game filming that was incredible cool... I found some of the characters were a bit undeveloped, love was a bit over-sweet but the main character was superb so was a rest of the crew!
MISSING LINK THE BEST MOVIE OF THE MONTH
website
RATE: 9/10
Missing Link animation is a real breath of fresh air for me personally. I have not seen such a good animation for a long time.
It is artistic first of all and the attention to small details make it so pleasant to watch and so perfect! When you also think: the film makers did it all by their own hands: no digital involvement... as I said you will be just breathless... It is a stop-motion that is dying out, it is very hard labor. When you see the amount of work that has been done you will pronounce one word: PHENOMENAL! It is bright (colorful) and ambitious (high standard)
The story line is not emotionally complex, no it is complex in any other way. The simplicity is the sister of the talent though. The story might be also not as deep as some other animations that we know... it is still so charming, so kind and lovable, it is a good pace story with wonderful adventures where we can witness farce blend softly with witty dialogues topped with beautiful animation.
The story starts when we meet with Sir Lionel Frost (voice of Hugh Jackman) who lives in Victorian epoch. He is a British adventurist hunting always for sensations. Sir Lionel is full of energy and very keen to find out the missing ink between humans and monkeys: the creature who is called Bigfoot )or Sasquatch) . His possible discovery can make him famous as well as give him access to some famous and most prestigious clubs and societies. Te missing link would also explain the human origins.
To his own surprise he find the bigfoot (or Link) very quickly. To add to Sir Lionl's surprise the creature can walk, talk write and read, he has manners of a high society gentleman and can impersonate Zach Galifianakis . The creature is so lonely though he asks Frost to help him to find his relatives who live apparently in the legendary valley Shangri-La . Link's lost relatives are called Yeti. This is when the real adventure takes place. This adventure will remind you Indiana Jones for sure!
You will be surprised by the imagination of the artistic part of the film, its adorable characters and their spectacular journey to the unknown. Chris Butler's story is timeless, it is also magnificently written to say the least. You will feel young for he moment while enjoying the escapade. I loved the fine humor, good and healthy jokes, very clever presented and delightful gags which were the major features of the picture together with the high level visual part.
The decorations were ideal, the visual parts were awesome, the details were astonishing together with the gorgeous titles that were also made on a very high level.
This Missing Link is unbelievable! It also does not miss the modern thought: the humans will destroy everything they discover! The cruelty of our species is beyond any possible explanation! It is more uncivilised than it is civilised, our society. We are not the kings on Earth, we are the devils who hunt and kill everything they see. More to the movie philosophy: we all need each other: a human can not live without a human.... or sometimes without a good bigfoot!
Sometimes the biggest adventure of your lifetime would be not to go on adventure but to find someone trustworthy to go with you on adventure - as this will be just an adventure on its own!
So this is my call: find someone to go with you to the cinemas and watch The Missing Link! At least this sounds like an adventure too!
website
RATE: 9/10
Missing Link animation is a real breath of fresh air for me personally. I have not seen such a good animation for a long time.
It is artistic first of all and the attention to small details make it so pleasant to watch and so perfect! When you also think: the film makers did it all by their own hands: no digital involvement... as I said you will be just breathless... It is a stop-motion that is dying out, it is very hard labor. When you see the amount of work that has been done you will pronounce one word: PHENOMENAL! It is bright (colorful) and ambitious (high standard)
The story line is not emotionally complex, no it is complex in any other way. The simplicity is the sister of the talent though. The story might be also not as deep as some other animations that we know... it is still so charming, so kind and lovable, it is a good pace story with wonderful adventures where we can witness farce blend softly with witty dialogues topped with beautiful animation.
The story starts when we meet with Sir Lionel Frost (voice of Hugh Jackman) who lives in Victorian epoch. He is a British adventurist hunting always for sensations. Sir Lionel is full of energy and very keen to find out the missing ink between humans and monkeys: the creature who is called Bigfoot )or Sasquatch) . His possible discovery can make him famous as well as give him access to some famous and most prestigious clubs and societies. Te missing link would also explain the human origins.
To his own surprise he find the bigfoot (or Link) very quickly. To add to Sir Lionl's surprise the creature can walk, talk write and read, he has manners of a high society gentleman and can impersonate Zach Galifianakis . The creature is so lonely though he asks Frost to help him to find his relatives who live apparently in the legendary valley Shangri-La . Link's lost relatives are called Yeti. This is when the real adventure takes place. This adventure will remind you Indiana Jones for sure!
You will be surprised by the imagination of the artistic part of the film, its adorable characters and their spectacular journey to the unknown. Chris Butler's story is timeless, it is also magnificently written to say the least. You will feel young for he moment while enjoying the escapade. I loved the fine humor, good and healthy jokes, very clever presented and delightful gags which were the major features of the picture together with the high level visual part.
The decorations were ideal, the visual parts were awesome, the details were astonishing together with the gorgeous titles that were also made on a very high level.
This Missing Link is unbelievable! It also does not miss the modern thought: the humans will destroy everything they discover! The cruelty of our species is beyond any possible explanation! It is more uncivilised than it is civilised, our society. We are not the kings on Earth, we are the devils who hunt and kill everything they see. More to the movie philosophy: we all need each other: a human can not live without a human.... or sometimes without a good bigfoot!
Sometimes the biggest adventure of your lifetime would be not to go on adventure but to find someone trustworthy to go with you on adventure - as this will be just an adventure on its own!
So this is my call: find someone to go with you to the cinemas and watch The Missing Link! At least this sounds like an adventure too!
review by Alex First at MAPT
Missing Link (PG) – 94 minutes – by Alex First
Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) is a fearless adventurer who takes pride and pleasure in investigating myths and monsters.
He cuts a dashing figure globetrotting, but his peers don’t believe his latest “discovery” because he has no proof.
Mind you, Sir Lionel wants the recognition he believes he is due and sets off on yet another adventure to prove his worth and value.
This time it is to America’s Pacific Northwest and the chance to discover a living remnant of man’s primitive ancestry – the Missing Link or Big Foot (Zach Galifianakis).
In fact, tracking him down is no difficult feat, but what he finds is a surprisingly smart and soulful beast who – as the last of his species – is as endangered as they get … and very lonely.
Said Link implores Sir Lionel to seek out Big Foot’s distant relatives in the fabled valley of Shangri-La.
The only known map of the region is held by a former romantic partner of Sir Lionel’s – and an adventurer in her own right – Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana).
Soon the three of them set forth … with trouble tailing them and more trouble ahead.
Chris Butler (ParaNorman) has written and directs this stop motion animation feature set in the Victorian era.
Visually appealing, with a cast of colourful characters and nifty animation, the straight forward storyline and humour in Missing Link will hold most appeal to children.
As an adult, for me it was all too familiar and predictable. I can’t say I laughed even once.
That is not to say the levity doesn’t have endearing elements. It does.
Notably Sir Lionel Frost’s laid back, matter of fact heroics and Missing Link’s literal interpretation of what Sir Lionel tells him. They are nice touches that work well.
It is more the hero and villain stuff that showed nothing we haven’t seen 1,000,001 times before.
And because it is squarely aimed at kids the villains are clearly identified from the outset and there are no surprises.
To be frank, I found myself tuning out.
Nevertheless, I did appreciate Sir Lionel’s all or nothing persona and, as I mentioned, the visual tapestry.
So, too, the imagery over the final credits, which are like a mini film within a film.
Rated PG, Missing Link scores a 6 out of 10.
Missing Link (PG) – 94 minutes – by Alex First
Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) is a fearless adventurer who takes pride and pleasure in investigating myths and monsters.
He cuts a dashing figure globetrotting, but his peers don’t believe his latest “discovery” because he has no proof.
Mind you, Sir Lionel wants the recognition he believes he is due and sets off on yet another adventure to prove his worth and value.
This time it is to America’s Pacific Northwest and the chance to discover a living remnant of man’s primitive ancestry – the Missing Link or Big Foot (Zach Galifianakis).
In fact, tracking him down is no difficult feat, but what he finds is a surprisingly smart and soulful beast who – as the last of his species – is as endangered as they get … and very lonely.
Said Link implores Sir Lionel to seek out Big Foot’s distant relatives in the fabled valley of Shangri-La.
The only known map of the region is held by a former romantic partner of Sir Lionel’s – and an adventurer in her own right – Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana).
Soon the three of them set forth … with trouble tailing them and more trouble ahead.
Chris Butler (ParaNorman) has written and directs this stop motion animation feature set in the Victorian era.
Visually appealing, with a cast of colourful characters and nifty animation, the straight forward storyline and humour in Missing Link will hold most appeal to children.
As an adult, for me it was all too familiar and predictable. I can’t say I laughed even once.
That is not to say the levity doesn’t have endearing elements. It does.
Notably Sir Lionel Frost’s laid back, matter of fact heroics and Missing Link’s literal interpretation of what Sir Lionel tells him. They are nice touches that work well.
It is more the hero and villain stuff that showed nothing we haven’t seen 1,000,001 times before.
And because it is squarely aimed at kids the villains are clearly identified from the outset and there are no surprises.
To be frank, I found myself tuning out.
Nevertheless, I did appreciate Sir Lionel’s all or nothing persona and, as I mentioned, the visual tapestry.
So, too, the imagery over the final credits, which are like a mini film within a film.
Rated PG, Missing Link scores a 6 out of 10.
THE MAN WHO KILLED DON QUIXOTE
website
review by Susan Reynolds
“The Man Who Killed Don Quixote”
2018
Drama/Fantasy
6/10
Directed by Terry Gilliam
Starring Adam Driver as Toby
Jonathan Pryce as Don Quixote
Review by Susan Reynolds
Toby an uninspired advertising executive was stale for ideas with the advertisement he was making. The big boss suggested he might find inspiration from a box of souvenirs a woman was handing around. Inside a pack he selected Toby found a bootleg copy of the first movie he’d made ten years earlier.
At the time he was in Spain for filming so he went revisiting old territory at nearby locations. He discovered the people who had been the actors in the old production. Immediately we were left thinking what the hell was happening. Toby seems to be getting himself embroiled in trouble first with the boss’s sexed up wife and also when he came across the ageing delusional actor who had played Don Quixote in his old film.
There’s a spoilt side to Toby earlier in the film he seems a self important prat. Toby’s life was then catapulted into craziness when the determined Don Quixote considers Toby as his sidekick Sancho Panza and insists he join him. Don Quixote is convincing as the 400 year old legendary figure Don Quixote. Toby found himself with little choice but to pretty much be at Don Quixote’s beck and call. Toby also reconnects with a young woman now mature with whom he had been somewhat involved with in the earlier film making.
Toby’s adventures and reactions to situations made him more endearing to me by the end. But Was it a film about the life of Toby the advertising executive and Don Quixote? No it it was about Fantasy, mayhem reality non reality with a message about the people who inhabit the seedy side of the movie industry.
It was a juxtaposition of the real and convoluted imaginary visions which were at times somewhat Monty Pythonesque. I felt less engaged in latter parts of the film.
The acting was very good and the humour also but I think it would be a film which would have divided opinions.
Courtesy of Sue
website
review by Susan Reynolds
“The Man Who Killed Don Quixote”
2018
Drama/Fantasy
6/10
Directed by Terry Gilliam
Starring Adam Driver as Toby
Jonathan Pryce as Don Quixote
Review by Susan Reynolds
Toby an uninspired advertising executive was stale for ideas with the advertisement he was making. The big boss suggested he might find inspiration from a box of souvenirs a woman was handing around. Inside a pack he selected Toby found a bootleg copy of the first movie he’d made ten years earlier.
At the time he was in Spain for filming so he went revisiting old territory at nearby locations. He discovered the people who had been the actors in the old production. Immediately we were left thinking what the hell was happening. Toby seems to be getting himself embroiled in trouble first with the boss’s sexed up wife and also when he came across the ageing delusional actor who had played Don Quixote in his old film.
There’s a spoilt side to Toby earlier in the film he seems a self important prat. Toby’s life was then catapulted into craziness when the determined Don Quixote considers Toby as his sidekick Sancho Panza and insists he join him. Don Quixote is convincing as the 400 year old legendary figure Don Quixote. Toby found himself with little choice but to pretty much be at Don Quixote’s beck and call. Toby also reconnects with a young woman now mature with whom he had been somewhat involved with in the earlier film making.
Toby’s adventures and reactions to situations made him more endearing to me by the end. But Was it a film about the life of Toby the advertising executive and Don Quixote? No it it was about Fantasy, mayhem reality non reality with a message about the people who inhabit the seedy side of the movie industry.
It was a juxtaposition of the real and convoluted imaginary visions which were at times somewhat Monty Pythonesque. I felt less engaged in latter parts of the film.
The acting was very good and the humour also but I think it would be a film which would have divided opinions.
Courtesy of Sue
SOMETIMES, ALWAYS, NEVER
website
review by Susan Reynolds
Sometimes Always Never
2018
Drama/Comedy
Director Carl Hunter
Screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce
10/10
Review by Susan Reynolds
This is an occasion when a film leaves you thinking about the human condition. The way some people process and deal with loss, a most incredible loss....speaking as a parent myself...the gut wrenching loss of a child. For Alan (Bill Highy) we see him grappling in his own way with losing his son and loneliness of being with left with his own thoughts of grief. For Peter (Sam Riley) it’s the loss of a brother and we also see how troubled he is and how he deals with it.
No wonder Alan made himself at home at one point in his son’s house so as not to be alone. This was his way out, a distraction taking him away from his nightly ramblings placing missing son posters around the neighbourhood.
When I left the cinema I really felt how do people deal with a loss like this how would I deal with it? Perish the thought ! But we hear this every day people trying to cope with loss and this is a situation which stirs great empathy. In Alan’s case the obsession began when his son walked out of a scrabble game when the word Zo was disputed, he was never to be seen again. Scrabble and words are an important element in the film.
A poignant moment was when Alan believed if he’d let the other father of a missing teen win the wager of 200 pounds at scrabble that it would change the outcome of whether a dead child to be identified was his or not. Peter and Alan had met Margaret (Jenny Agutter) and Arthur (Tim McInnerny) at a B&B both couples were in the town to identify a body. Here we know people have their eccentricities but it’s amplified I believe by Alan’s mindset with the obsession of his loss.
The theme of how we deal with the weight of loss is examined by Peter as well as with the other couple who had lost their boy..Margaret and Arthur. The inability of not being able to enjoy or appreciate the present to the full and people in it is important. Alan and his family seemed to make the best of an awful situation and by the end of the film there is some resolve.
I can’t even begin to process what this would be like to be Alan and walk in his shoes so I think this is a real peek into a life for me. I enjoyed the film very much and was glad to see a positive outcome of sorts.
The acting was natural and superb, I must admit there’s little Bill Nigh can do wrong in my book. Sam Riley was excellent as Alan’s son as was the rest of the cast. The emotional intelligence of the writer of this story was brilliant.
Courtesy of Sue
website
review by Susan Reynolds
Sometimes Always Never
2018
Drama/Comedy
Director Carl Hunter
Screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce
10/10
Review by Susan Reynolds
This is an occasion when a film leaves you thinking about the human condition. The way some people process and deal with loss, a most incredible loss....speaking as a parent myself...the gut wrenching loss of a child. For Alan (Bill Highy) we see him grappling in his own way with losing his son and loneliness of being with left with his own thoughts of grief. For Peter (Sam Riley) it’s the loss of a brother and we also see how troubled he is and how he deals with it.
No wonder Alan made himself at home at one point in his son’s house so as not to be alone. This was his way out, a distraction taking him away from his nightly ramblings placing missing son posters around the neighbourhood.
When I left the cinema I really felt how do people deal with a loss like this how would I deal with it? Perish the thought ! But we hear this every day people trying to cope with loss and this is a situation which stirs great empathy. In Alan’s case the obsession began when his son walked out of a scrabble game when the word Zo was disputed, he was never to be seen again. Scrabble and words are an important element in the film.
A poignant moment was when Alan believed if he’d let the other father of a missing teen win the wager of 200 pounds at scrabble that it would change the outcome of whether a dead child to be identified was his or not. Peter and Alan had met Margaret (Jenny Agutter) and Arthur (Tim McInnerny) at a B&B both couples were in the town to identify a body. Here we know people have their eccentricities but it’s amplified I believe by Alan’s mindset with the obsession of his loss.
The theme of how we deal with the weight of loss is examined by Peter as well as with the other couple who had lost their boy..Margaret and Arthur. The inability of not being able to enjoy or appreciate the present to the full and people in it is important. Alan and his family seemed to make the best of an awful situation and by the end of the film there is some resolve.
I can’t even begin to process what this would be like to be Alan and walk in his shoes so I think this is a real peek into a life for me. I enjoyed the film very much and was glad to see a positive outcome of sorts.
The acting was natural and superb, I must admit there’s little Bill Nigh can do wrong in my book. Sam Riley was excellent as Alan’s son as was the rest of the cast. The emotional intelligence of the writer of this story was brilliant.
Courtesy of Sue
US
website
review by Bryanna Reynolds
REVIEW: Us By Bryanna Reynolds In the film Us the audience are taken on a journey of fear, thrill and suspense when a family find themselves face to face with their exact doubles. It's what their doubles do in a creepy twisted way that makes you gasp! Starring Lupita Nyong’o (Adele Wilson/Red) as the main character taking us between two different time zones of her life. Without spoiling the ending too much, the film is really about how our memory can change and be affected after traumatic incidents. When Adele is a young girl we learn that she has a traumatic experience at a carnival on the beach. Whilst the audience don't know exactly what happened to her in the house of horrors we do learn that it has impacted on her life greatly. It is some years later when Adele’s own family decide to attend the beach where it all began as an innocent family trip that strange things begin to happen. The cinematography of the entire film is completely on point and is a spectacular sensation! I would see it again if this were the only thing i loved about it, but there's so much more I love about it. Without any spoilers the film will keep you guessing and trying to work out what twisted circumstance could unfold next. And you have to be watching until the end to find out exactly what unfolded on that day at the beach many years back! Total game changer. The chemistry between the actors is on point and the fact that every character also plays a truly unique double character of themselves is an achievement. If you are a fan of the classic hitchcock and psychological thriller line then you are sure to enjoy the plot twists and turns of Us. And if you are wondering how it ends it's a total plot twist! Make sure you see it in cinemas now.
website
review by Bryanna Reynolds
REVIEW: Us By Bryanna Reynolds In the film Us the audience are taken on a journey of fear, thrill and suspense when a family find themselves face to face with their exact doubles. It's what their doubles do in a creepy twisted way that makes you gasp! Starring Lupita Nyong’o (Adele Wilson/Red) as the main character taking us between two different time zones of her life. Without spoiling the ending too much, the film is really about how our memory can change and be affected after traumatic incidents. When Adele is a young girl we learn that she has a traumatic experience at a carnival on the beach. Whilst the audience don't know exactly what happened to her in the house of horrors we do learn that it has impacted on her life greatly. It is some years later when Adele’s own family decide to attend the beach where it all began as an innocent family trip that strange things begin to happen. The cinematography of the entire film is completely on point and is a spectacular sensation! I would see it again if this were the only thing i loved about it, but there's so much more I love about it. Without any spoilers the film will keep you guessing and trying to work out what twisted circumstance could unfold next. And you have to be watching until the end to find out exactly what unfolded on that day at the beach many years back! Total game changer. The chemistry between the actors is on point and the fact that every character also plays a truly unique double character of themselves is an achievement. If you are a fan of the classic hitchcock and psychological thriller line then you are sure to enjoy the plot twists and turns of Us. And if you are wondering how it ends it's a total plot twist! Make sure you see it in cinemas now.
WHERE HANDS TOUCH
website
review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
Where Hands Touch
Writer/Director Amma Asanta presents a film based on the historical events of World War 2. Set in Berlin amidst the Nazi Regime, Lenya (Amandla Stendburg) is a 16 year old bi-racial coloured girl who is trying to fit in while trying her best not to stand out. Struggling to find her identity she meets and falls in love with Lutz, a german soldier who is the son of a high ranking SS Officer. Lutz and Lenya manage to secretly hide their relationship, however just as their love story gains momentum, Lutz is deployed on an assignment a month earlier than expected and did not get a chance to say goodbye to Lenya. The next time Lenya and Lutz meet, it is at a concentration camp where Lenya was taken approximately 5 months earlier. Lenya is pregnant with Lutz's child and Lutz struggles with the reality of the war he is fighting and the love that he unexpectedly feels for Lenya.
Cinematographically beautiful, this film is a pleasure to watch, however I felt that the story that was being told is not one that hasn’t been told before and the film did not have any other unique qualities that made up for a tired storyline. Director Anna Asanta manages to deliver a heartfelt script, and I can attest that tissues were utilised. Amandla Stenburg gives a stunning performance as does Abby Cornish who plays the role of Lenya’s mother. Not a must see in my opinion, but if historical World War 2 Nazi inspired films are your thing, then this one would be worth a watch
2 out of 5 stars
website
review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
Where Hands Touch
Writer/Director Amma Asanta presents a film based on the historical events of World War 2. Set in Berlin amidst the Nazi Regime, Lenya (Amandla Stendburg) is a 16 year old bi-racial coloured girl who is trying to fit in while trying her best not to stand out. Struggling to find her identity she meets and falls in love with Lutz, a german soldier who is the son of a high ranking SS Officer. Lutz and Lenya manage to secretly hide their relationship, however just as their love story gains momentum, Lutz is deployed on an assignment a month earlier than expected and did not get a chance to say goodbye to Lenya. The next time Lenya and Lutz meet, it is at a concentration camp where Lenya was taken approximately 5 months earlier. Lenya is pregnant with Lutz's child and Lutz struggles with the reality of the war he is fighting and the love that he unexpectedly feels for Lenya.
Cinematographically beautiful, this film is a pleasure to watch, however I felt that the story that was being told is not one that hasn’t been told before and the film did not have any other unique qualities that made up for a tired storyline. Director Anna Asanta manages to deliver a heartfelt script, and I can attest that tissues were utilised. Amandla Stenburg gives a stunning performance as does Abby Cornish who plays the role of Lenya’s mother. Not a must see in my opinion, but if historical World War 2 Nazi inspired films are your thing, then this one would be worth a watch
2 out of 5 stars
BURNING
website
review by Oksana Newton
Burning is a movie of South Korean production. It is made based on the story of Haruki Murakami.
I should admit that Korean culture is very different for Australia. I think people who study or know Korean traditions and culture could understand movie much better than me.
I was very surprised how much this film was lacking of emotions (perhaps that was the film purpose but if it was the purpose was achieved!) It was very dry and showed no feelings between friends or family. There were no emotions at all.
This was the reason probably why the movie didn’t have a story or at least some surprising secret to keep watching it and holding one's breath up till the very end. I wasn’t excited watching it to be honest. It didn’t make me think about what was going to happen next or how it will be finishing. I was absolutely unexcited and untouched about the characters and the story line.
I am sure that the film director, the producer and the co-writer Lee Chang-dong could do a better job if they could have added some mastery to the story and some blood cooling episodes to the final cut.
The story was taking place in Korea. A young man Jong-soo just finished the military school and headed back home. He grew up in the village together with his father who at the time of his return was in prison. Jong-soo did not have job or even any ambition to get any skills in life or change his life for any better. He did not study or work, nor he had any ambitions to have a better future. He wanted to be a writer which was a waste of time and no one needed it in his family opinion.
By some miracle he met his old friend Hai-me, who was from the same village. She was young and she did not have a permanent job, nor she had any education or family and friends. Hai-me and Jong-soo had a sex. After that she asked him to look after her cat while she was away in Africa. I should admit, their relations were lacking any expression of emotion not they had any attachment or any feeling. They were rather dry and cold like between two strangers.
On the day Hai-me was back home she introduced Jong-soo to Ben. Her new toy-boy who she slept with. She did not seem to be lost in her feelings or thoughts on both boys. Like nothing happened or they were never preset there. Jong-soo wasn’t even angry or jealous. All three of them got together but they were not friends. I ha a feeling they were like human robots with no facial expressions, no emotion, no jokes or longing for each other.
Eventually Hai-me disappeared. Jong-soo could not find her so he suspected that somehow Ben was behind it all. Jong-soo killed Ben. I could not see the real life of these young people: their dreams, their wishes or their plans for future. As if it was a world of cold ice for all of them.
I had an impression that the young people didn’t have any interest in family members nor in each other. Th parents didn’t have any contact nor connections with their kids. Th young people did not even have something in common. Perhaps it was the aim of the director to show some side of life that never get exposed to us as we have very small number of Korean films shown on Australian large screen.. or perhaps... I have no answer for my readers... The Burning word though interprets what I felt during the film: there was nothing of the surface, no emotions, not a glimpse of showing the real feelings but ther ewas Burning volcano under all this well hidden "reality"...
I would not watch it again that’s for sure. However people who love Korean culture might enjoy this movie.
website
review by Oksana Newton
Burning is a movie of South Korean production. It is made based on the story of Haruki Murakami.
I should admit that Korean culture is very different for Australia. I think people who study or know Korean traditions and culture could understand movie much better than me.
I was very surprised how much this film was lacking of emotions (perhaps that was the film purpose but if it was the purpose was achieved!) It was very dry and showed no feelings between friends or family. There were no emotions at all.
This was the reason probably why the movie didn’t have a story or at least some surprising secret to keep watching it and holding one's breath up till the very end. I wasn’t excited watching it to be honest. It didn’t make me think about what was going to happen next or how it will be finishing. I was absolutely unexcited and untouched about the characters and the story line.
I am sure that the film director, the producer and the co-writer Lee Chang-dong could do a better job if they could have added some mastery to the story and some blood cooling episodes to the final cut.
The story was taking place in Korea. A young man Jong-soo just finished the military school and headed back home. He grew up in the village together with his father who at the time of his return was in prison. Jong-soo did not have job or even any ambition to get any skills in life or change his life for any better. He did not study or work, nor he had any ambitions to have a better future. He wanted to be a writer which was a waste of time and no one needed it in his family opinion.
By some miracle he met his old friend Hai-me, who was from the same village. She was young and she did not have a permanent job, nor she had any education or family and friends. Hai-me and Jong-soo had a sex. After that she asked him to look after her cat while she was away in Africa. I should admit, their relations were lacking any expression of emotion not they had any attachment or any feeling. They were rather dry and cold like between two strangers.
On the day Hai-me was back home she introduced Jong-soo to Ben. Her new toy-boy who she slept with. She did not seem to be lost in her feelings or thoughts on both boys. Like nothing happened or they were never preset there. Jong-soo wasn’t even angry or jealous. All three of them got together but they were not friends. I ha a feeling they were like human robots with no facial expressions, no emotion, no jokes or longing for each other.
Eventually Hai-me disappeared. Jong-soo could not find her so he suspected that somehow Ben was behind it all. Jong-soo killed Ben. I could not see the real life of these young people: their dreams, their wishes or their plans for future. As if it was a world of cold ice for all of them.
I had an impression that the young people didn’t have any interest in family members nor in each other. Th parents didn’t have any contact nor connections with their kids. Th young people did not even have something in common. Perhaps it was the aim of the director to show some side of life that never get exposed to us as we have very small number of Korean films shown on Australian large screen.. or perhaps... I have no answer for my readers... The Burning word though interprets what I felt during the film: there was nothing of the surface, no emotions, not a glimpse of showing the real feelings but ther ewas Burning volcano under all this well hidden "reality"...
I would not watch it again that’s for sure. However people who love Korean culture might enjoy this movie.
WOMAN AT WAR
website
review by Olga Kirk
Co-writer and director Benedikt Erlingsson has an appealing sense of humor, essential to creating an entertaining work for such a serious social-issue film focused on the need to preserve our precious environment.
The plot of the picture slowly revolves around a 50-year-old resident of Iceland named Hatla. Everyone knows her as the conductor of a small choir. But behind this respectable image there is a zealous eco-activist hiding who is struggling with an aluminum plant. In order to protect nature, it is ready to cut high-voltage wires, to put explosives, and to shoot from a bow.
But Hatla’s life changes after she adopts an orphan girl from Ukraine.
From time to time imaginary musicians appear in the film, whose melodies convey the emotions of the main character. In the first half of the tape is a traditional Icelandic trio (piano, helicon and drums), which seemed to come out of the final scene of the legendary film "Eight and a half" by Federico Fellini.
When Hatla finds out that she will soon become the mother of a girl from Ukraine, a trio of Ukraine singers in traditional costumes will appear. For this original reception with a film soundtrack, Erlingsson received one of the prizes in Cannes.
In the "Mountain Woman in War" intertwined many genres. The lyrical plot in one scene is replaced by a rapid action in the next, and adventurous stunts are combined with dramatic dialogues.
Serious and comic at the same time, the immensely likable Icelandic film Woman at War is a human-scaled superhero story.
While others criticize Hatla's deeds, she is assisted as if by the forces of nature themselves. The main character is "recharged" while lying on mosses. When she needs to disguise herself, the skin of a sheep unexpectedly appears next to her, ideal for the police not to spot a woman. And when she froze, she warmed up in a hot volcanic pool. Wildlife for Hatla is like her birthplace.
Often, northern landscapes are shown in art as inhospitable territories that scare away their harsh climate and unexpected dangers. However, in Mountain Woman: In War, Iceland’s nature is a living organism. The land here is completely covered with soft moss and fresh herbs, and mountain landscapes are asked to frame it.
The most eloquent metaphor appears in the finale. It shows the flooded road along which the heroes walk. As if the flood, about which ecologists have warned for years, has already arrived. And no technology will help a person to get out of it (cars stall halfway). You can save yourself only if you stick tightly with your relatives.
website
review by Olga Kirk
Co-writer and director Benedikt Erlingsson has an appealing sense of humor, essential to creating an entertaining work for such a serious social-issue film focused on the need to preserve our precious environment.
The plot of the picture slowly revolves around a 50-year-old resident of Iceland named Hatla. Everyone knows her as the conductor of a small choir. But behind this respectable image there is a zealous eco-activist hiding who is struggling with an aluminum plant. In order to protect nature, it is ready to cut high-voltage wires, to put explosives, and to shoot from a bow.
But Hatla’s life changes after she adopts an orphan girl from Ukraine.
From time to time imaginary musicians appear in the film, whose melodies convey the emotions of the main character. In the first half of the tape is a traditional Icelandic trio (piano, helicon and drums), which seemed to come out of the final scene of the legendary film "Eight and a half" by Federico Fellini.
When Hatla finds out that she will soon become the mother of a girl from Ukraine, a trio of Ukraine singers in traditional costumes will appear. For this original reception with a film soundtrack, Erlingsson received one of the prizes in Cannes.
In the "Mountain Woman in War" intertwined many genres. The lyrical plot in one scene is replaced by a rapid action in the next, and adventurous stunts are combined with dramatic dialogues.
Serious and comic at the same time, the immensely likable Icelandic film Woman at War is a human-scaled superhero story.
While others criticize Hatla's deeds, she is assisted as if by the forces of nature themselves. The main character is "recharged" while lying on mosses. When she needs to disguise herself, the skin of a sheep unexpectedly appears next to her, ideal for the police not to spot a woman. And when she froze, she warmed up in a hot volcanic pool. Wildlife for Hatla is like her birthplace.
Often, northern landscapes are shown in art as inhospitable territories that scare away their harsh climate and unexpected dangers. However, in Mountain Woman: In War, Iceland’s nature is a living organism. The land here is completely covered with soft moss and fresh herbs, and mountain landscapes are asked to frame it.
The most eloquent metaphor appears in the finale. It shows the flooded road along which the heroes walk. As if the flood, about which ecologists have warned for years, has already arrived. And no technology will help a person to get out of it (cars stall halfway). You can save yourself only if you stick tightly with your relatives.
review by Hima Himani
It is an Iceland film starring the actress called Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir. She played quite a dramatic but at the same time witty character. Her acting was absolutely great as environmental activist she portrayed has a very complex behavioral pattern. I liked her character a lot as it showed her as quite a brave and extraordinary woman both physically and mentally. The story line is a bit of comedy and a bit of emotion=- that was that made this film so interesting to watch.
It is an Iceland film starring the actress called Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir. She played quite a dramatic but at the same time witty character. Her acting was absolutely great as environmental activist she portrayed has a very complex behavioral pattern. I liked her character a lot as it showed her as quite a brave and extraordinary woman both physically and mentally. The story line is a bit of comedy and a bit of emotion=- that was that made this film so interesting to watch.
MQFF 2019: Bright Colors and Bold Patterns
website
review by Susan Reynolds
On Thursday 21st March 7.30pm
With the Governor of Victoria Linda Dessau in attendance the Queer Film Festival Gala opened at the ACMI. Screening on the night was “Bright Colors and Bold Patterns”
Colourful “Dolly Diamond” (Michael Dalton) began proceedings with funny intro comments about being a little girl going to the movies seeing Finding Nemo escaping life in the excitement of bright colours and a few other witty stories.
Cathy Anderson from the QFF committee discussed the support received from the Government. In 2017 as a representative of LGBTIQ community she attended the first event of its kind for the community at a vice regal residence. (Government House). The Governor on this Occassion paid tribute to support groups. The crowd applauded the event and the support from the Government representatives attending the QFF launch. The recognition was welcomed and seen as very important for all of the community to hear about and in particular the groups working hard in striving to end homophobia and violence in the community.
The film shown was recorded in New York last year from the Broadway smash hit play. Star of the movie Drew Droege was very humble in discussing his play based on a real wedding invitation he received. The play was directed by Michael Urie.
Gerry arrives at Palm Springs on the afternoon before a gay wedding he’s attending. Friends Josh and Brennan are getting married. The catch is that no one is to wear bright colours or bold patterns. Gerry questions the very foundations from where this arises. Are they fair dinkum? To coin a phrase. Is this some sort of ploy to unsettle those that are overtly gay from attending? who knows, but this and many questions leave us pondering.
What’s happening now since everyone is getting married, Gerry questions...how does he feels about it, does he want to be married and what do gays really want? ...is it that they caught up in this rush now there is the freedom to do it and some feel they just have to.
“Aren’t you just a little bit scared?” he says. “That all of a sudden, we’re in this race to be normal, whatever that means. Is that really the goal?” I found this dialogue a most intriguing part of the film, a perspective.
Drew Droege is unbelievable in this expose of various individual personalities and his comedy timing. His character in the film is most often very witty but also cynical and the phrase bordering on lunacy comes to mind. His part is so brilliantly acted we feel we know the others and he speaks to so so well by the end of the movie. I enjoyed the performance very much but I feel it was just a long show.
Guests partied after the movie with guests
It’s something I’ve never quite seen before and not likely to see ever again....really quite unique!
4/5 stars Review by Susan Reynolds
Courtesy of Sue
website
review by Susan Reynolds
On Thursday 21st March 7.30pm
With the Governor of Victoria Linda Dessau in attendance the Queer Film Festival Gala opened at the ACMI. Screening on the night was “Bright Colors and Bold Patterns”
Colourful “Dolly Diamond” (Michael Dalton) began proceedings with funny intro comments about being a little girl going to the movies seeing Finding Nemo escaping life in the excitement of bright colours and a few other witty stories.
Cathy Anderson from the QFF committee discussed the support received from the Government. In 2017 as a representative of LGBTIQ community she attended the first event of its kind for the community at a vice regal residence. (Government House). The Governor on this Occassion paid tribute to support groups. The crowd applauded the event and the support from the Government representatives attending the QFF launch. The recognition was welcomed and seen as very important for all of the community to hear about and in particular the groups working hard in striving to end homophobia and violence in the community.
The film shown was recorded in New York last year from the Broadway smash hit play. Star of the movie Drew Droege was very humble in discussing his play based on a real wedding invitation he received. The play was directed by Michael Urie.
Gerry arrives at Palm Springs on the afternoon before a gay wedding he’s attending. Friends Josh and Brennan are getting married. The catch is that no one is to wear bright colours or bold patterns. Gerry questions the very foundations from where this arises. Are they fair dinkum? To coin a phrase. Is this some sort of ploy to unsettle those that are overtly gay from attending? who knows, but this and many questions leave us pondering.
What’s happening now since everyone is getting married, Gerry questions...how does he feels about it, does he want to be married and what do gays really want? ...is it that they caught up in this rush now there is the freedom to do it and some feel they just have to.
“Aren’t you just a little bit scared?” he says. “That all of a sudden, we’re in this race to be normal, whatever that means. Is that really the goal?” I found this dialogue a most intriguing part of the film, a perspective.
Drew Droege is unbelievable in this expose of various individual personalities and his comedy timing. His character in the film is most often very witty but also cynical and the phrase bordering on lunacy comes to mind. His part is so brilliantly acted we feel we know the others and he speaks to so so well by the end of the movie. I enjoyed the performance very much but I feel it was just a long show.
Guests partied after the movie with guests
It’s something I’ve never quite seen before and not likely to see ever again....really quite unique!
4/5 stars Review by Susan Reynolds
Courtesy of Sue
SHAZAM!
website
review by Max Lyons
Director:
David Sandberg.
Starring:
Zachary Levi,
Asher Angel,
Mark Strong,
Jack Dylan Grazer,
Djimon Hounsou,
Grace Fulton.
Genre:
Action,
Adventure,
Science Fiction.
Rating:
M.
Running time:
132 Minutes.
Film Review:
By Maxwell M. Lyons
DC movies have come a long way since the dark and brooding origins of their (now defunct) extended cinematic universe. Though starting off in the solo realm to mixed reviews with Man of Steel (2013), DC quickly shifted their focus to the character collective with near consecutive releases of Batman v Superman (2016), Suicide Squad (2016), and Justice League (2017)—seemingly in the hopes of playing catch-up with Marvel’s immensely popular decade-long running cinematic universe. Profits may have been made but calling any of these films a critical success was a stretch few held to argue. However, since shifting attention back to more individual character pieces, DC have finally hit their stride. The latest of these releases, Shazam!, provides further evidence that DC is still a worthy contender in the Box Office, and when set in the right direction can make an amazingly fun movie harbouring back to the days of Christopher Reeve’s Superman.
Shazam! at its heart is an earnest coming-of-age story about a mistreated, and thus untrusting, orphan named Billy (Asher Angel) trying to find his ‘family’. One day following his most recent adoption into a share house full of likewise foster kids, he finds himself mysteriously transported into an unknown realm where an ancient wizard bestows upon him the power to transform into a god-like adult superhero by uttering the word "Shazam!". Confiding in new roommate Freddie (Jack Dylan Grazer), resident comic fanboy and his closest ally (literally), the two seek to discover the extent of Billy's new powers. Things come to a head, however, as tensions between the two flair and an unforeseen looming evil (villain Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, portrayed excellently by Mark Strong) puts Billy to the test. This, of course, all while concealing his identity from the very people that want nothing more than to call him ‘family’. And despite the heroic overtones of good vs. evil, it is really this sense of humanity woven throughout the plot that drives the story forward.
It is essentially your typical “the thing you were searching for was right in front of you the whole time” scenario (albeit with some cool superhero escapades thrown in), but that in no way delegitimises the characters or the real sense of familial connection between them. In fact, as much fun as all the ‘superhero’ action is, it is the character-driven interaction scenes that carry the movie and prove just as entertaining as any perilous encounter; and this carries over seamlessly with Levi’s performance as the man-child that is Shazam. The dual-character relationship of Billy/Shazam and Freddie exchanged amongst the three respective actors is pure elation and had it not been for their flawless performances would have deteriorated the film’s enjoyment exponentially.
Overall, Shazam! is simply a fun time beginning to end. The acting was applaudable all round, the characters are uniquely charming, their developments were authentic, and the underlying narrative was standout (not to say the action isn’t a blast, though). It does not exactly reinvent the superhero movie, but it was never meant to. DC has finally homed in on its specialty, and in the wake of the success of Wonder Woman (2017) and Aquaman (2018), it seems they have a much brighter future ahead of them (and thankfully not just in colour palette).
Highly recommended!
will be released in cinemas Australia-wide on April 4, 2019.
website
review by Max Lyons
Director:
David Sandberg.
Starring:
Zachary Levi,
Asher Angel,
Mark Strong,
Jack Dylan Grazer,
Djimon Hounsou,
Grace Fulton.
Genre:
Action,
Adventure,
Science Fiction.
Rating:
M.
Running time:
132 Minutes.
Film Review:
By Maxwell M. Lyons
DC movies have come a long way since the dark and brooding origins of their (now defunct) extended cinematic universe. Though starting off in the solo realm to mixed reviews with Man of Steel (2013), DC quickly shifted their focus to the character collective with near consecutive releases of Batman v Superman (2016), Suicide Squad (2016), and Justice League (2017)—seemingly in the hopes of playing catch-up with Marvel’s immensely popular decade-long running cinematic universe. Profits may have been made but calling any of these films a critical success was a stretch few held to argue. However, since shifting attention back to more individual character pieces, DC have finally hit their stride. The latest of these releases, Shazam!, provides further evidence that DC is still a worthy contender in the Box Office, and when set in the right direction can make an amazingly fun movie harbouring back to the days of Christopher Reeve’s Superman.
Shazam! at its heart is an earnest coming-of-age story about a mistreated, and thus untrusting, orphan named Billy (Asher Angel) trying to find his ‘family’. One day following his most recent adoption into a share house full of likewise foster kids, he finds himself mysteriously transported into an unknown realm where an ancient wizard bestows upon him the power to transform into a god-like adult superhero by uttering the word "Shazam!". Confiding in new roommate Freddie (Jack Dylan Grazer), resident comic fanboy and his closest ally (literally), the two seek to discover the extent of Billy's new powers. Things come to a head, however, as tensions between the two flair and an unforeseen looming evil (villain Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, portrayed excellently by Mark Strong) puts Billy to the test. This, of course, all while concealing his identity from the very people that want nothing more than to call him ‘family’. And despite the heroic overtones of good vs. evil, it is really this sense of humanity woven throughout the plot that drives the story forward.
It is essentially your typical “the thing you were searching for was right in front of you the whole time” scenario (albeit with some cool superhero escapades thrown in), but that in no way delegitimises the characters or the real sense of familial connection between them. In fact, as much fun as all the ‘superhero’ action is, it is the character-driven interaction scenes that carry the movie and prove just as entertaining as any perilous encounter; and this carries over seamlessly with Levi’s performance as the man-child that is Shazam. The dual-character relationship of Billy/Shazam and Freddie exchanged amongst the three respective actors is pure elation and had it not been for their flawless performances would have deteriorated the film’s enjoyment exponentially.
Overall, Shazam! is simply a fun time beginning to end. The acting was applaudable all round, the characters are uniquely charming, their developments were authentic, and the underlying narrative was standout (not to say the action isn’t a blast, though). It does not exactly reinvent the superhero movie, but it was never meant to. DC has finally homed in on its specialty, and in the wake of the success of Wonder Woman (2017) and Aquaman (2018), it seems they have a much brighter future ahead of them (and thankfully not just in colour palette).
Highly recommended!
will be released in cinemas Australia-wide on April 4, 2019.
review by Anthony Wayne
The last thing I’d expect when seeing a super-hero movie would be to come away wiping my watery eyes! But Swedish film maker David Sandberg brings us something refreshingly new and delightful with his latest film Shazam! – that will appeal to everyone. Finally – a super hero movie that is not only an action packed adventure, but has plenty of charm and very heartfelt.
Shazam! follows the coming of age of 14-year-old Billy Baston searching for his place in the world. After getting separated from his biological mother as a young child – he is a moody, troubled teen running from one foster home to the next. When he is taken in by his new foster family, their big hearts and loving concern are immediately apparent though Billy resists their attempts to bond and make him feel at home. His life changes big time when a wizard in search of a successor summons him and passes on his magical powers – suddenly giving him the ability to morph into super-hero Shazam. His new super-hero abilities include super strength, super speed, bullet immunity and lightning hands. A hero is needed now more than ever with the presence of villain Dr. Thaddeus Sivana.
Although for the most part quite breezy with genuine and well timed comedy - the film also has moments with very heavy and dark undertones. One of the most violent scenes of the film involves Dr. Sivana letting loose seven deadly demons in a boardroom meeting. These terrifying gargoyle looking like monsters cause havoc ripping the boardroom members to pieces. With the inclusion of these horrific scenes, it would not be a film suitable to take young children to see.
What makes Shazam! different and stand out – is the character development of both Billy as a teenager, and as Shazam the super-hero. The lead characters are well written, with the back story of both our hero and villain showing us their motivation and adding greater depth to the story. The film certainly pulls on the heart strings as Billy begins to accept his new foster family and it shows us a positive message that family goes beyond blood. Morphing back and forth between Billy and Shazam, our hero goes on a journey of discovering his new powers and learning the responsibility it takes to be a hero.
Shazam! is a lot of fun – packed with action, humour, and heart with great performances from the cast. As someone typically not into the super-hero genre, I surprisingly thoroughly enjoyed from start to end. It really connects to its audience with its feel good themes of finding yourself and family. There is something for everyone and I am sure it will win over plenty of fans!
The last thing I’d expect when seeing a super-hero movie would be to come away wiping my watery eyes! But Swedish film maker David Sandberg brings us something refreshingly new and delightful with his latest film Shazam! – that will appeal to everyone. Finally – a super hero movie that is not only an action packed adventure, but has plenty of charm and very heartfelt.
Shazam! follows the coming of age of 14-year-old Billy Baston searching for his place in the world. After getting separated from his biological mother as a young child – he is a moody, troubled teen running from one foster home to the next. When he is taken in by his new foster family, their big hearts and loving concern are immediately apparent though Billy resists their attempts to bond and make him feel at home. His life changes big time when a wizard in search of a successor summons him and passes on his magical powers – suddenly giving him the ability to morph into super-hero Shazam. His new super-hero abilities include super strength, super speed, bullet immunity and lightning hands. A hero is needed now more than ever with the presence of villain Dr. Thaddeus Sivana.
Although for the most part quite breezy with genuine and well timed comedy - the film also has moments with very heavy and dark undertones. One of the most violent scenes of the film involves Dr. Sivana letting loose seven deadly demons in a boardroom meeting. These terrifying gargoyle looking like monsters cause havoc ripping the boardroom members to pieces. With the inclusion of these horrific scenes, it would not be a film suitable to take young children to see.
What makes Shazam! different and stand out – is the character development of both Billy as a teenager, and as Shazam the super-hero. The lead characters are well written, with the back story of both our hero and villain showing us their motivation and adding greater depth to the story. The film certainly pulls on the heart strings as Billy begins to accept his new foster family and it shows us a positive message that family goes beyond blood. Morphing back and forth between Billy and Shazam, our hero goes on a journey of discovering his new powers and learning the responsibility it takes to be a hero.
Shazam! is a lot of fun – packed with action, humour, and heart with great performances from the cast. As someone typically not into the super-hero genre, I surprisingly thoroughly enjoyed from start to end. It really connects to its audience with its feel good themes of finding yourself and family. There is something for everyone and I am sure it will win over plenty of fans!
FIVE FEET APART
website
review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
Five Feet Apart
Roadshow Films
Stella traces the outline of her sisters drawing, lungs moulded from a sea of flowers. Delicate petals burst out from every edge of the twin shaped ovals in pastel pinks, deep whites, cornflower blues. Its apparent that Stella cant help but feel the promise of a life just waiting to unfold from the tiny newly formed buds that are scattered across the picture. All moments she is yet to live, yet to discover and yet to experience.
Five Feet Apart tells the story of 17 year Cystic Fibrosis Patient, Stella. Having no control over her disease, in all other aspects of her life Stella is a control freak who likes to plan everything out in detail and at the beginning of each day compiles extensive “To Do Lists”. Awaiting a lung transplant to buy her some time, it is essential that Stella remains infection free, so is ordered by her hard, yet amazingly compassionate nurse Barb ,to keep at least 6 feet away from anyone else who is sick at all times.
While in hospital, Stella meets Will. Unlike Stella, Will is not a control freak. Instead he lives each day as it comes and he doesn't allow his illness stop him from doing anything, which at times proves to be detrimental. Will has been fortunate enough to be accepted as part of a clinical trial and his nonchalant approach to his illness drives Stella absolutely crazy.
6 feet apart at all times, Stella and Will strike up a mutual fondness for one another. Falling in love 6 feet apart, has its barriers, so 6 feet becomes 5 and 5 becomes … Catastrophic.
Five feet apart shares a beautiful account of what living as a teenage with CF would be like. Director Justin Baldoni has created a film which I believe would be an accurate portrayal of the trials and tribulations CF patients must endure through the course of their lives, specifically their teenage years.It touches on some hard hitting realities and does not shy away from the stark realities, shining a light on the sacrifices that CF patients must make each and every day in order to protect their own lives whilst trying also to protect others.
I attended the review with my ten and a half year old daughter as she is a huge fan of Cole Sprouse, and although it contained some sexual reference’s (which I worried I would have to explain later), it seems that the heart felt content about illness, sacrifice and the tough choices that have to be made, over shone these moments.
This major motion picture adapted from the novel of the same title by Rachel Lippincott, is well worth watching (with a box of tissues, one box might not be enough). Strong performances by Cole Sprouse (Will) and Hayley Lu Richardson (Stella), charming dialogue and well thought out sequence was very reminiscent of a Fault in Our Stars, however I feel the individual elements explored in this film shine this one a little brighter.
P.S Don't forget the tissues
4 out of 5 stars
website
review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
Five Feet Apart
Roadshow Films
Stella traces the outline of her sisters drawing, lungs moulded from a sea of flowers. Delicate petals burst out from every edge of the twin shaped ovals in pastel pinks, deep whites, cornflower blues. Its apparent that Stella cant help but feel the promise of a life just waiting to unfold from the tiny newly formed buds that are scattered across the picture. All moments she is yet to live, yet to discover and yet to experience.
Five Feet Apart tells the story of 17 year Cystic Fibrosis Patient, Stella. Having no control over her disease, in all other aspects of her life Stella is a control freak who likes to plan everything out in detail and at the beginning of each day compiles extensive “To Do Lists”. Awaiting a lung transplant to buy her some time, it is essential that Stella remains infection free, so is ordered by her hard, yet amazingly compassionate nurse Barb ,to keep at least 6 feet away from anyone else who is sick at all times.
While in hospital, Stella meets Will. Unlike Stella, Will is not a control freak. Instead he lives each day as it comes and he doesn't allow his illness stop him from doing anything, which at times proves to be detrimental. Will has been fortunate enough to be accepted as part of a clinical trial and his nonchalant approach to his illness drives Stella absolutely crazy.
6 feet apart at all times, Stella and Will strike up a mutual fondness for one another. Falling in love 6 feet apart, has its barriers, so 6 feet becomes 5 and 5 becomes … Catastrophic.
Five feet apart shares a beautiful account of what living as a teenage with CF would be like. Director Justin Baldoni has created a film which I believe would be an accurate portrayal of the trials and tribulations CF patients must endure through the course of their lives, specifically their teenage years.It touches on some hard hitting realities and does not shy away from the stark realities, shining a light on the sacrifices that CF patients must make each and every day in order to protect their own lives whilst trying also to protect others.
I attended the review with my ten and a half year old daughter as she is a huge fan of Cole Sprouse, and although it contained some sexual reference’s (which I worried I would have to explain later), it seems that the heart felt content about illness, sacrifice and the tough choices that have to be made, over shone these moments.
This major motion picture adapted from the novel of the same title by Rachel Lippincott, is well worth watching (with a box of tissues, one box might not be enough). Strong performances by Cole Sprouse (Will) and Hayley Lu Richardson (Stella), charming dialogue and well thought out sequence was very reminiscent of a Fault in Our Stars, however I feel the individual elements explored in this film shine this one a little brighter.
P.S Don't forget the tissues
4 out of 5 stars
MQFF: LOVE CECIL
website
review by Mike and Leanne Vallance
Review for Love, Cecil
Cecil Beaton has always held a certain fascination for me - without me ever really knowing a lot about the person himself.
Thanks to Cecil Beaton’s diaries, interviews with people who knew him (possibly better than he sometimes knew himself), film archives and of course his stunning photographs, this beautifully complied insight into the man leaves you in no doubt what a simple but complex being he was.
There is a line in the film towards the end that says “no one could wave a wand and sprinkle the magic like he could”. This is true. This film, however, refreshingly delves into the world behind his camera whereas in the past, the spotlight has been on the usually famous subject in front of Cecil Beaton.
From the uneasy relationship with his father to the suicide of his much loved brother to his marriage proposal to Greta Garbo, this was a man who approached life as a force to be reckoned with without apology.
He has always been known for his beautiful photographic portraits of the Royal Family, particularly the Queen Mother but this film has captured just how wide his photographic, film and design world was.
This is an honest and, thanks to Cecil himself, an accurate portrait of an incredible artist that would no doubt approve of this beautiful film.
website
review by Mike and Leanne Vallance
Review for Love, Cecil
Cecil Beaton has always held a certain fascination for me - without me ever really knowing a lot about the person himself.
Thanks to Cecil Beaton’s diaries, interviews with people who knew him (possibly better than he sometimes knew himself), film archives and of course his stunning photographs, this beautifully complied insight into the man leaves you in no doubt what a simple but complex being he was.
There is a line in the film towards the end that says “no one could wave a wand and sprinkle the magic like he could”. This is true. This film, however, refreshingly delves into the world behind his camera whereas in the past, the spotlight has been on the usually famous subject in front of Cecil Beaton.
From the uneasy relationship with his father to the suicide of his much loved brother to his marriage proposal to Greta Garbo, this was a man who approached life as a force to be reckoned with without apology.
He has always been known for his beautiful photographic portraits of the Royal Family, particularly the Queen Mother but this film has captured just how wide his photographic, film and design world was.
This is an honest and, thanks to Cecil himself, an accurate portrait of an incredible artist that would no doubt approve of this beautiful film.
REFLECTIONS IN THE DUST
website
review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
Reflections in the Dust
Director/Writer Luke Sullivan
Backlot Films 2019
Set on the side of a swamp, Luke Sullivans ‘Reflections in the Dust’ is a dark, honest, transparent full window view of mental illness, struggle, isolation and abuse. Thats alot of ground to cover in 80 minutes of film, but it is whole heartedly achieved. Not for the faint hearted, this film will disturb and confront you and like me you may draw a completely different story than that was intended from director Luke Sullivan. Apparently set in a post apocalyptic world, a father and daughter are living beside a swap, suffering from the effects of mental illness and isolation. On completion of the film i could not help but wonder if the swamp was a metaphor for the murkiness the actors found themselves in, torn between love and the cyclic torture of an abusive relationship. The story cleverly switches between a documentary style film and action filming, forcing you to wonder if you are watching fact or fiction. Luke Sullivan has created a visual masterpiece with amazing cinematography. His future movies will definitely be ones to watch !
3 out of 5 stars
website
review by Roslynne Garwood-Webb
Reflections in the Dust
Director/Writer Luke Sullivan
Backlot Films 2019
Set on the side of a swamp, Luke Sullivans ‘Reflections in the Dust’ is a dark, honest, transparent full window view of mental illness, struggle, isolation and abuse. Thats alot of ground to cover in 80 minutes of film, but it is whole heartedly achieved. Not for the faint hearted, this film will disturb and confront you and like me you may draw a completely different story than that was intended from director Luke Sullivan. Apparently set in a post apocalyptic world, a father and daughter are living beside a swap, suffering from the effects of mental illness and isolation. On completion of the film i could not help but wonder if the swamp was a metaphor for the murkiness the actors found themselves in, torn between love and the cyclic torture of an abusive relationship. The story cleverly switches between a documentary style film and action filming, forcing you to wonder if you are watching fact or fiction. Luke Sullivan has created a visual masterpiece with amazing cinematography. His future movies will definitely be ones to watch !
3 out of 5 stars
ALLINCE FRANCAISE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL 2019: THE SISTERS BROTHERS
LES FRÈRES SISTERS
AFFFF2019 media opening night
website
review by Rachel Sandey / Larisa Loukin
The Sisters Brothers is a 2018 western, directed by Jacques Audiard, French film director and screenwriter, based on the novel of the same name by Patrick de Witt.
It is interesting to note that the film is in English, which it made it much easier to understand and appreciate.
This film is about two assassin brothers, Eli and Charlie Sisters, hired by Commodore, a very wealthy man, to chase two other men, who allegedly stole money from him, to retrieve a specially created formula from them to find gold and then murder the men.
The film is full of adventures depicting a very hard, full of dangers and life-threatening episodes the heroes come across in the course of their task. The Sisters Brothers keeps the audience in suspense from the very first episode to the very end.
The film at the Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2018, won the Silver Lion for Best Direction, Best Cinematography, Best sound,
Best production Design and was released theatrically in the United States on September 21, 2018. Starring: John C. Reilly, Joaquin PHoenex,
Jake Gyllenhaal, Riz Ahmed and Rutger Hauer.
The film, without a doubt, is worth watching.
Good luck!
LES FRÈRES SISTERS
AFFFF2019 media opening night
website
review by Rachel Sandey / Larisa Loukin
The Sisters Brothers is a 2018 western, directed by Jacques Audiard, French film director and screenwriter, based on the novel of the same name by Patrick de Witt.
It is interesting to note that the film is in English, which it made it much easier to understand and appreciate.
This film is about two assassin brothers, Eli and Charlie Sisters, hired by Commodore, a very wealthy man, to chase two other men, who allegedly stole money from him, to retrieve a specially created formula from them to find gold and then murder the men.
The film is full of adventures depicting a very hard, full of dangers and life-threatening episodes the heroes come across in the course of their task. The Sisters Brothers keeps the audience in suspense from the very first episode to the very end.
The film at the Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2018, won the Silver Lion for Best Direction, Best Cinematography, Best sound,
Best production Design and was released theatrically in the United States on September 21, 2018. Starring: John C. Reilly, Joaquin PHoenex,
Jake Gyllenhaal, Riz Ahmed and Rutger Hauer.
The film, without a doubt, is worth watching.
Good luck!
FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY
website
review by Bryanna Reynolds
Fighting With My Family
By Bryanna Reynolds
In this in depth drama about a young woman chasing her dreams of becoming a WWE wrestler she is faced with some of life’s biggest challenges. The audience are taken on a journey through the highs and lows of the sport and the road to becoming a WWE wrestler. This film is perfect for the entire family! The younger folk will be wishing their dreams also come true and the parents will come away from the film and be inspired that they too can chase their dreams. Or simply support the family mentality. If you love anything related to sports and feel good emotional films about joy and friendship then look no further. The best part about the film is that you can feel the whole family’s different perspectives through success and jealousy as one finds fame. It is sure to make your heart grow brighter and bigger throughout the film. Not to mention special appearances from Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Vince Vaughan! They only make the film more amazing and out of this world. They also both bring a comedic sense of time and humour through the young woman’s wrestling journey! A fantastic addition to the film. Being a massive fan of feel good films, this is definitely one of my favourites this year. I can’t wait to see more sport related feel good films from WWE! Also don’t worry if you know nothing about the sport! I didn’t know anything before seeing the film and learnt the basics of the sport. You don’t need to be a fan of sports, wrestling and WEE to enjoy this film, you just need a good heart and a willingness to watch and learn. Make sure you see it, out now in cinemas. This is one you don’t want to miss.
website
review by Bryanna Reynolds
Fighting With My Family
By Bryanna Reynolds
In this in depth drama about a young woman chasing her dreams of becoming a WWE wrestler she is faced with some of life’s biggest challenges. The audience are taken on a journey through the highs and lows of the sport and the road to becoming a WWE wrestler. This film is perfect for the entire family! The younger folk will be wishing their dreams also come true and the parents will come away from the film and be inspired that they too can chase their dreams. Or simply support the family mentality. If you love anything related to sports and feel good emotional films about joy and friendship then look no further. The best part about the film is that you can feel the whole family’s different perspectives through success and jealousy as one finds fame. It is sure to make your heart grow brighter and bigger throughout the film. Not to mention special appearances from Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Vince Vaughan! They only make the film more amazing and out of this world. They also both bring a comedic sense of time and humour through the young woman’s wrestling journey! A fantastic addition to the film. Being a massive fan of feel good films, this is definitely one of my favourites this year. I can’t wait to see more sport related feel good films from WWE! Also don’t worry if you know nothing about the sport! I didn’t know anything before seeing the film and learnt the basics of the sport. You don’t need to be a fan of sports, wrestling and WEE to enjoy this film, you just need a good heart and a willingness to watch and learn. Make sure you see it, out now in cinemas. This is one you don’t want to miss.
