tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71231365283651760692023-11-16T22:23:37.042+11:00Cinema Takesfilm reviews for cinephilesKevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.comBlogger166125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-15004734591029609932023-01-02T16:52:00.018+11:002023-01-05T13:17:08.562+11:00The Banshees of Inisherin: Dull pain<div style="text-align: center;">
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It is April 1923 on Inisherin, a small island off the west coast of Ireland.
The Irish Free State had achieved independence from its colonial ruler the
United Kingdom the year before. Despite the subsequent
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Civil_War#End_of_the_war" target="_blank">civil war</a>
nearing its bitter end, explosions can still been seen on the mainland. However, there seems little interest amongst the locals in broader society or its conflicts.
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Local farmer Pádraic (Colin Farrell) discovers that his best friend Colm
(Brendan Gleeson) no longer likes him and is prepared to take extreme measures
to break their bond.</div><div><br /></div>
<div>
Writer/director Martin McDonagh teamed up with Farrell and Gleeson fourteen
years after their
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780536/" target="_blank">In Bruges</a>
2008 triumph, though he had worked wih them individually since. He wrote this latest script for them. Knowing that Brendan is a fiddle player certainly helped.</div><div><br /></div>
<div>Martin has a
background in live theatre, as a playwright. His time at the Druid Theatre
Company in Galway included
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cripple_of_Inishmaan" target="_blank">The Cripple of Inishmaan</a>
(1996), set on the real Aran island of that name. Perhaps this helps to explain the film's similarities to a stage play. There
is a limited number of indoor settings and the screenplay is heavily dependent
on dialogue. I couldn't help thinking of Synge's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Playboy_of_the_Western_World" target="_blank">Playboy of the Western World</a>. Though
a Londoner, McDonagh has Irish parents and is a dual British/Irish citizen, with several Irish stories in his plays and films.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kerry Condon's role as Pádraic's sister Siobhán is a
standout performance and Barry Keoghan as lonely, troubled young Dominic flies
far above the pitfalls of portraying the stereoptypical '<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_idiot" target="_blank">village idiot</a>'.
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Much of the filming of the fictional island took place on
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inishmore" target="_blank">Inis Mór</a>, one of the Aran Islands. Its natural limestone pavements, stone fences and
spectacular cliffs are a cinemtographer's dream.
</div><div><br /></div>
<div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11813216/?ref_=ttqt_qt_tt" target="_blank">The Banshees of Inisherin</a> is a dark story but it contains powerful currents
of Irish black humour. An exchange late in the story underlines the context of both this very personal
story and the state of Ireland:</div>
<blockquote><div>Colm: He's dull.</div>
<div>Siobhán: But he's always been
dull. What's changed?</div>
<div>Colm: I've changed. I just don't have a place for dullness
in me life anymore.</div>
<div>Siobhán: But you live on an island off the coast of Ireland,
What the hell are you hoping for, like?</div>
<div>Colm: For a bit of peace, Siobhan. That's all. For a bit of peace in me heart like. You can understand that.</div></blockquote>
<div>Judging by the memorabilia in his home, folk musician/composer Colm had travelled extensively overseas in his younger days. While Siobhán yearns to escape to the wider world.</div><div><br /></div>
<div>
It may
be the roaring twenties in some of the so-called western world, but Ireland is
still in the nineteenth century in many resepcts. The island is a place of horse-drawn carts, hurricane lamps and candles. Its priest's confessional and
policeman's brutal power have a long way to run yet in the new nation. Perhaps
there are no banshees (female spirits who warn of imminent death) left but
the local ghoul echoes timeless superstitions.</div><div><br /></div>
<div>Anyway, it's well worth the trip back a hundred years.</div>
Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-39541251156159421572022-03-31T17:55:00.010+11:002022-03-31T18:12:06.355+11:00Drive My Car: Not your average road movie<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IvKFjLvE450" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> <div><br /></div><div>Japanese language ‘<a href="https://www.janusfilms.com/films/2040" target="_blank">Drive My Car</a>’ has earned a very well-deserved Academy Award for Best International Foreign Film 2022.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">And the Oscar for Best International Feature Film goes 'Drive My Car' (Japan). Congratulations! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Oscars?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Oscars</a> <a href="https://t.co/JXd6SRrTri">pic.twitter.com/JXd6SRrTri</a></p>— The Academy (@TheAcademy) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAcademy/status/1508262281439633411?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
The writer-director Ryusuke Hamaguchi has finely crafted this monumental take on the journey towards self-understanding, exploring love, loss, grief and guilt along the way. It is based on Haruki Murakami short stories, a surprise given its 2 hour 59 minutes duration. </div><div>Film critic Douglas Laman has <a href="https://collider.com/drive-my-car-movie-themes-uncle-vanya/" target="_blank">explored</a> how Hamguchi and co-writer Takamasa Oe have interwoven two famous plays, Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and Anton Chekkov’s Uncle Vanya, into the characters’ inner lives:</div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">'In leaning on a work of the past like Uncle Vanya, Drive My Car excels on countless levels, including in finding a way to capture the interior voices of characters who refuse to overtly communicate.'</div></blockquote><div>Hidetoshi Nishijima, as stage actor and director Yūsuke Kafuku, gives a first-class performance which is complemented by an outstanding <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14039582/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm" target="_blank">cast</a>.
It is a truly international gathering, especially the ensemble required for the multi-lingual Uncle Vanya production. In addition to Japanese, the actors use Korean, Korean sign-language, Mandarin and English.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0ogSRVSUHX43u6l0bLOFqi2El43dgeeZ3Yncvy1RO9Z4j6Wl41QbdZaSiBZxM8FxXX05T7SoZXQe0mWpXYsvFmhJezxpjtz1Jj3XRLq3mKDf6ZQBQ4MHYxPY0xzDf3lJojbKZKeeoJxUryPq1h_N_4IRJLKS2K7MQ0cy0SdHQEPXyQz-eIBaJUFD/s2273/DRIVE%20MY%20CAR_Hidetoshi%20Nishijima%20and%20Toko%20Miura.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1516" data-original-width="2273" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0ogSRVSUHX43u6l0bLOFqi2El43dgeeZ3Yncvy1RO9Z4j6Wl41QbdZaSiBZxM8FxXX05T7SoZXQe0mWpXYsvFmhJezxpjtz1Jj3XRLq3mKDf6ZQBQ4MHYxPY0xzDf3lJojbKZKeeoJxUryPq1h_N_4IRJLKS2K7MQ0cy0SdHQEPXyQz-eIBaJUFD/w640-h426/DRIVE%20MY%20CAR_Hidetoshi%20Nishijima%20and%20Toko%20Miura.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>The car, a red 1987 <a href="https://jalopnik.com/go-watch-drive-my-car-a-movie-about-a-saab-900-turbo-1848655255?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=dlvrit&utm_content=jalopnik" target="_blank">Saab 900</a> Turbo, is a character itself. When Kafuku directs a production of Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima, his assigned driver, Misaki Watari (Tôko Miura), is an unlikely confessor as they share their personal nightmares and confront the past.</div><div>Perhaps the most graphic scene is when she takes him to the garbage plant where she worked as a truck driver.</div><div>Don’t be scared away by the three hours length or the deep exploration of emotions and identity. The vehicle of acting to tell the story should sweep you along as smoothly as Misaki’s driving.</div>Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-72370310157213221192020-11-28T17:31:00.001+11:002020-11-28T17:31:49.630+11:00Adam: A window to the inner world of women<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RO2rvCCVQLQ" width="560"></iframe> <div><br /></div><div>Adam is, as the cliché goes, based on a true story. Writer/director Maryam Touzani drew on personal experience to craft this very moving film. It is set in the narrow streets of Morocco’s Casablasnca medina, where widow Alba and her young daughter Warda reside. The arrival of homeless and very pregnant Samia changes their settled and seemingly dreary life.</div>
<div>We share the lives of three females of different ages and experience: mother, child and mother-to-be. The actors' backgrounds also mirror their characeters' life experience. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lubna_Azabal" target="_blank">Lubna Azabal</a>, who plays widow Alba, has an extensive filmography. It includes numerous awards such as the 2014 Magritte for best actress in <a href="http://cinematakes.blogspot.com/2011/05/incendies.html" target="_blank">Incendies</a>. <a href="https://www.screendaily.com/features/arab-stars-of-tomorrow-2019-nisrin-erradi-actress-morocco/5145021.article" target="_blank">Nisrin Erradi</a>, as pregnant Samia, is an up-and-coming star of Moroccan cinema and has gained international recognition for her role in Adam. Douae Belkhaouda, as Warda, gives the natural performance we might expect from a first-timer who brims with confidence. Maryam Touzani found her playing in an alley.</div>
<div>Aziz Hattab, who plays Slimani, delivers the only significant male role as Alba's admirer with a gentle touch.</div>
<div>The tension between the two women is the key ingredient of the story. In often highly charged exchanges, each woman helps the other to face her personal predicaments and choices. The lack of music during the film heightens the impact of these clashes. The music that is present is usually a key part of the process of their opening up.</div>
<div>Cooking is the main device that brings them together. Alba supports herself by selling prepared food through a counter window. Samia is a skilled cook who helps her with recipes and preparation. The dough kneading scene encapulates its emotional importance.</div>
<div>Most of the action takes place in the confined space of Alba's house or the narrow streets and alleyways of the medina. Touzani has <a href="https://strandreleasing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/adam-press-kit.pdf" target="_blank">described</a> the atmosphere as being 'akin to a theater stage, with the shop window being their one opening onto the world'.</div>
<div>I highly recommend that you join this inner world. It is no surpirise that this film was featured in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard and was Morocco's 2019 entry for the Acadmeny Award for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_International_Feature_Film" target="_blank">Best International Feature Film</a>.
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Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-60344665855386177492019-01-08T16:42:00.002+11:002019-01-08T16:46:12.163+11:00Can You Ever Forgive Me? - Too good to be true<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UvJIaNsf_bY" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<a href="http://www.foxsearchlight.com/canyoueverforgiveme/" target="_blank">Can You Ever Forgive Me?</a> has been a sleeper of sorts down under, despite its international acclaim. Its limited release is really a shame as it's a real gem. The film is based on a true story of biographer and literary forger <a href="http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/can-you-ever-forgive-me/" target="_blank">Lee Israel.</a><br />
<br />
Melissa McCarthy plays surly Lee with aplomb. Her drinking buddy cum partner in crime, Jack Hook, was a role tailored (in both senses of the word) for Richard E, Grant.<br />
<br />
Lee is chalk to Jack's cheese. He is a charmer while she has had a charm by-pass. Her wit is caustic, his self-mocking. He is ostentatiously stylish to her drabness. In addition to their homosexuality, they share a great deal. They are eccentric misfits who have reached the bottom of the barrel, financially and socially. Alcohol oils their collaboration.<br />
<br />
As always, New York City provides wonderful sets: the sleazy bars alongside the romance of quality bookshops and book dealers.<br />
<br />
For most people in the early 90s, it's just the dawn of the digital age. Letters, handwritten or tapped out on typewriters, are still the norm. Email is still to come for most. <br />
<br />
The targets of Israel's scam are easily fooled in this pre-information age, despite the high quality content screaming that it's too good to be true. Many see what they believe, some turn a blind-eye through greed, others are collectable devotees. It was a tribute to Lee's writing skills.<br />
<br />
Director <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1716636/bio" target="_blank">Marielle Heller </a>'s second feature film maintains a good balance of drama and comedy. <br />
<br />
This is not Wall Street fraud and in many ways they are victimless crimes. To really enjoy this film as I did, it is best not to dwell too long on the ethical aspects of this story. Like the protagonists, the celebrity authors are long gone.<br />
</div>Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-88725650811973933932018-08-06T10:59:00.000+10:002018-08-06T11:00:15.636+10:00BLACKkKLANSMAN: In black and white<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pFc6I0rgmgY" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
Definitely enjoyed Spike Lee's <a href="http://www.focusfeatures.com/blackkklansman" target="_blank">BLACKkKLANSMAN</a>. It's a bizarre scenario, supposedly a true story based on Ron Stallworth's autobiographical book. In keeping with his description of the film as a 'joint', its highs are not necessarily the anticipated ones. <br />
<br />
Ron is the black hero of this tale of a black cop masquerading as a white man to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan in early 1970s Colorado. John David Washington carries off this unlikely role with a winning combination of playful humour and the earnestness that the topic rightly deserves. <br />
<br />
Adam Driver as Washington's alter-ego Flip Zimmermann, is the perfect partner. He seems to stroll through his part with ease. <br />
<br />
You may feel just a tickle of guilt when laughing at comic elements given the deadly serious subject matter. But don't. Lee does not just tread lightly. <br />
<br />
The message of his movie is hardly subtle. If you're still in doubt about its currency, the 2017 news footage is a stark reminder that the alt-right (including the KKK) is thriving in Trump's America. Its inclusion by Lee is a bit of an overkill, no pun intended.<br />
<br />
It's a very strong supporting <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7349662/" target="_blank">cast</a>, especially Topher Grace as Grand Wizard David Duke and Laura Harrier as black activist Patrice Dumas. Harry Belafonte's cameo is as skilful as it is disturbing.<br />
<br />
Lee made this on film rather than digitally, perhaps to capture some of the texture of the times. The flares, afro hairstyles and clashing colours may seem exaggerated but rang true for this babyboomer.<br />
<br />
BLACKkKLANSMAN's 135 minutes are just a little more than necessary but don't be put off. One well worth considering as they say in the racing game.<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><br />
Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-24151791645759334832018-07-16T12:24:00.000+10:002018-07-16T12:24:39.789+10:00Breath: 'You wouldn't be dead for quids'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gViRfoNmGOg" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Simon Baker's <a href="https://www.breaththefilm.com/" target="_blank">film adaptation</a> of Tim Winton's award winning Australian novel <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breath_(novel)" target="_blank">Breath</a> is a couple of hours well spent. Baker and Winton shared scriptwriting with Gerard Lee. Tim is also the adult voice of schoolboy Pikelet (Samson Coulter). <br />
<br />
Samson and fellow first-timer Ben Spence fill their contrasting roles like veterans. Coulter's performance as a sensitive and troubled teen stands out. Spence certainly does justice to his in-your-face, reckless character Loonie.<br />
<br />
The grownups do a pretty professional job too. Simon Baker gives a fairly reserved performance as Sando, an ageing surfie with a pro-surfing past. He looks the part but does not deliver the emotional range to really develop the character as we might want. He uses a middle class accent laced with some genuine Aussie: 'You wouldn't be dead for quids', 'Wonder what the ordinary people are doing?' It was customarily "poor people" so that's a deliberate thematic twist. Apparently, Baker has a surfing background from his youth on the East coast.<br />
<br />
Elizabeth Debicki brings more depth as the damaged, brooding Eva. Richard Roxburgh is solid as Pikelet's father, with Baker using understated visual cues rather than dialogue to flesh out his role.<br />
<br />
Set in the 1970s, the film was shot in the Great Southern Region of Western Australia, the area where Winton spent his teenage years. It's best experienced in a cinema, not just for Rick Rifici's stunning surfing sequences but also for Marden Dean's classy cinematography.<br />
<br />
Friendship is the central element of this coming-of-age story. It opens with Loonie daring his mate Pikelet to take foolish risks. When Sando takes the boys under his surfing wing, he challenges them to "go for it", to confront their fears by tackling increasingly dangerous waves. He urges Pikelet to reach out beyond the ordinary, to "surrender" to the moment. That's also good advice for the audience.<br />
<br />
Overall, Simon Baker should be pleased with his debut as director.</div>Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-43259232830554953122018-04-19T16:37:00.000+10:002018-04-19T16:37:49.471+10:001945: Stirring Our Collective Memory<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/scBAVpRnJWQ" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<a href="https://www.menemshafilms.com/1945" target="_blank">1945</a> is a Hungarian film that uses the personal to focus on the highly charged topic of the holocaust. Just after the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki and the Soviets declared war on Japan, two orthodox Jews arrive in a small Hungarian town. They bring two boxes with them, which supposedly contain fragrances. Their arrival sparks panic and confusion amongst many of the locals who fear that they have come to reclaim their property.<br />
<br />
The Jewish father (Miklós B. Székely) and son (György Somhegyi) say almost nothing, yet their silence says everything as they honor their dead family members.<br />
<br />
During a <a href="https://youtu.be/IPKRtjzOpWQ" target="_blank">Q&A </a>session Director Ferenc Török has described the film as “a powerful, basic story”. Its black and white format carries the audience into the brief time between the holocaust and the communist decades. Our collective memory is jabbed by haunting images evoking photos and film from the immediate post war period.<br />
<br />
The impact of the visual imagery strongly reinforces the key themes. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU63HJMePF6i9cSjBrWbTGre_ddrq-p0d1SiXjUaSct66zRNEcb5wIet8kzpiLyTQCy5OaWe2jYVZ4HBmWpA8cHsmddkvttG3tskN9XXxG_7nEwW-RBgP-I-gpIIu3HwLk0xnfJkdqJ68/s1600/DSC_8666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1051" data-original-width="1600" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU63HJMePF6i9cSjBrWbTGre_ddrq-p0d1SiXjUaSct66zRNEcb5wIet8kzpiLyTQCy5OaWe2jYVZ4HBmWpA8cHsmddkvttG3tskN9XXxG_7nEwW-RBgP-I-gpIIu3HwLk0xnfJkdqJ68/s400/DSC_8666.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria";">Hermann Sámuel (Iván Angelus) and his son (Marcell Nagy) arrive via train to a small </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: cambria; font-size: small;">village </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: small;">in Hungary full of secrets - Photo courtesy </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: small;">Lenke Szilagyi / Menemsha Films</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Two brief images of a photo album touch on a history of friendship and betrayal. Moreover, the use of smoke during the film connects poignantly to the holocaust’s crematoria.<br />
<br />
The local authorities, in particular the town clerk, the police officer and the priest, seem to have been the leading collaborators with the Nazis. However, many others were complicit and benefitted by the removal and extermination of the Jewish community.<br />
<br />
However, the villagers are divided, with families torn apart by the events of 1944. Some sympathised with and even helped their neighbours. Others are wracked by guilt for their part in the final solution. There are also those determined not to give up what is, for some, newly acquired prosperity. <br />
<br />
1945 has an exceptional <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5815492/" target="_blank">cast</a>. Péter Rudolf as the powerful town clerk István and Eszter Nagy-Kálózy as his tormented wife Anna are outstanding. Apparently the pair has been married in real life since 1990. Another veteran actor, József Szarvas, gives a faultless performance as the tortured alcoholic Kustár.<br />
<br />
Neither the cathartic climax nor the departing steam train, with all its distressing symbolism, brings real resolution. The coming clouds of communism hang over the community, with the “new world” promised by local Soviet sympathizer Jancsi (Tamás Szabó Kimmel) not far over the horizon. But that’s another story.<br />
<br />
</div>Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-22059578581411662102018-04-12T18:14:00.000+10:002018-04-14T16:31:31.293+10:00A Fantastic Woman (Una Mujer Fantástica): Validating Love<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56727910" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1000" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESMncGmIbWaWIErntCw6ORTpI6_bA0KCkRTxrWBdgLz3JYWIc0wX5mCjwDSQn89E5RuY91yLcMynKVlxNtkC1blCEvLaK_JlwDDO7SzsNgjbsURczvy7bZW19bx4YvX5jE7X_MaH0oz4/s400/Mashup+-+Francisco_Reyes_and_Daniela_Vega_%2528A_Fantastic_Woman%252C_Berlinale_2017%2529.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Francisco Reyes & Daniela Vega at the Berlinale 2017<br />
Image courtesy Martin Kraft (Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a href="https://www.afantasticwoman.co.uk/home/" target="_blank">A Fantastic Woman</a> (Una Mujer Fantástica) set two firsts at this year’s academy awards. The highly acclaimed winner of the 2018 Oscar for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/mar/05/a-fantastic-woman-wins-best-foreign-language-film-at-oscars-2018" target="_blank">best foreign language film</a> is the first such award for a Chilean film. In addition its star <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniela_Vega" target="_blank">Daniela Vega</a> was there as the first openly <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/daniela-vega-oscars-2018-first-openly-transgender-presenter-a-fantastic-woman-star-a8240691.html" target="_blank">transgender presenter</a>.<br />
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When I saw the film I was unaware of any of this, in fact only knew the title and that it's a Spanish language film. What a delightful surprise! The extravagant praise for its director/co-writer Sebastián Lelio and Daniela has been more than well deserved.<br />
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[Please excuse any spoilers.] When the partner of transgender woman Marina dies suddenly, her world implodes. She is brutally ostrichised by Orlando’s family as she struggles to cope with the loss. <br />
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It is difficult not to reach for the cliché kitbag. The confrontation is disturbing and painful. At the same time, her personal journey is also joyous and uplifting, love and life affirming.<br />
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Daniela’s powerful, passionate performance as Marina is one of the best of the academy year. Her talent as an aspiring opera singer brings added depth to her character. Co-star Francisco Reyes gives a strong, professional performance as Orlando. <br />
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Lelio displays the filmmaker's craft at its very best. The tight direction and script grip the viewer from the start. The backdrop of 21st Century Santiago underlines the complexity of this very modern drama. The Chilean Spanish is surprisingly easy to follow for novices. This official trailer should whet your appetite:<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s11pPHXwEFU" width="560"></iframe><br /></div>
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The film has certainly brought out not-unexpected arguments online. This exchange is just part of the reactions to distributor Curzon Artifical Eye’s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CurzonArtificialEye/videos/859863590867947/" target="_blank">preview post</a> on their Facebook page:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/CurzonArtificialEye/videos/859863590867947/?comment_id=860797367441236&reply_comment_id=861134470740859&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R9%22%7D" target="_blank">Xabier Santesteban</a>: Science says that this guy has still XY chromosomes.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/CurzonArtificialEye/videos/859863590867947/?comment_id=860797367441236&reply_comment_id=861147707406202&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R9%22%7D" target="_blank">Kaisa Mäenpää</a>: Wow, another transphobe misgendering a trans woman, how original haha. Modern science literally says gender and sex are not the same thing (check it out yourself, because you clearly haven't), and that even though sex can be determined by looking at chromosomes, gender can't.</blockquote>
Daniela raised some of the issues in a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/feb/18/daniela-vega-transgender-star-film-industry-a-fantastic-woman-interview" target="_blank">recent interview</a> for the Guardian:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“The film wants you to question where you stand in society. Are you with Orlando’s family or with Marina? Instead of answering questions, the film’s trying to ask questions about everything. What bodies can or can’t we inhabit? Which love stories are valid and which aren’t? Why is it that certain groups oppress other groups because they’re not within what they consider normal boundaries?”</blockquote>
Valeska Freire, founder of Magic Haus Films, http://www.magichausfilms.com/team has been one of many to promote this discussion:<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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Let’s have conversations about transgender people and the civil right issues they have to deal with in Latin America. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AFantasticWoman?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AFantasticWoman</a>. Best foreign language film to get an <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Oscar?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Oscar</a> 2018.</div>
— Valeska (@modestia_aparte) <a href="https://twitter.com/modestia_aparte/status/970486230529044481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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It's a topic that is trending across the globe. Recent instances include: <br />
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Sport: <a href="https://globalvoices.org/2018/02/15/hannah-mouncey-becomes-first-transgender-player-in-australian-womens-state-league-football/" target="_blank">Hannah Mouncey Becomes First Transgender Player in Australian Women’s State League Football </a> <br />
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Journalism: <a href="https://globalvoices.org/2018/04/01/marvia-malik-pakistans-first-transgender-newscaster-wants-to-change-societal-attitudes-toward-her-community/" target="_blank">Marvia Malik, Pakistan's First Transgender Newscaster, Wants to Change Societal Attitudes Toward Her Community </a><br />
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Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-1527977995422615232018-04-05T17:30:00.000+10:002018-04-05T17:30:04.385+10:00The Other Side of Hope - Toivon tuolla puolen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/asR1B7NrhQQ" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<a href="https://www.theothersideofhope.com/home/" target="_blank">The Other Side of Hope</a> is another gem from Finnish writer/director Aki Kaurismäki. It picks up some of the themes concerning refugees of his 2011 French language film <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/le_havre_2011/" target="_blank">Le Havre</a>.<br />
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Set in another port city, Finland’s capital Helsinki, it tells of the developing friendship between a Syrian asylum seeker, Khaled (Sherwan Haji) and a former shirt salesperson turned restaurateur, Waldemar Wikström (Sakari Kuosmanen). <br />
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It has Kaurismäki’s signature mix of offbeat humour and serious social issues. He makes the audience uncomfortable as we laugh at a topic which should not be a joke.<br />
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The restaurant, and its staff in particular, seems to be have time-travelled from the 1950s. The Golden Pint’s no frills décor and menu match the expectations of its working-class customers. Waldemar’s stumbling attempts to embrace 21st century hospitality bring some comic relief from the grim obstacles facing the refugees.<br />
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Nevertheless they have a common thread in their battles with authority. Even the lacklustre restaurant staff shine in comparison with Finnish bureaucracy. However, immigration security is not the only foe, as neo-nazis are lurking with intent.<br />
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Khaled’s stay at the open-door but depressing detention centre has its upside. During his journey from his home in Aleppo, he has become separated from his sister. His Iraqi friend helps with his attempts to find her.<br />
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One of the bright sides of this movie is the music, led by singer/songwriter Tuomari Nurmio. He appears in musical vignettes as a busker and lead singer for a band. There are several videos of the soundtrack online, including this glorious performance:<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4gJMKalxms4" width="560"></iframe><br />
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The <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5222918/" target="_blank">cast</a> includes several other veterans of Finnish entertainment, who help to energise the oddball collection of local characters. If their world seems quite daft, it triumphs over the unhinged reality that the refugees have fled and what they now face in exile.<br />
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Anyway, you’d have to cry if you didn’t laugh. Perhaps, that’s the other side of hope.<br />
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</div>Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-73948428671148025122017-11-13T17:45:00.001+11:002017-11-13T17:45:27.564+11:00The Ornithologist: Bizarre Flights of Fantasy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3xvyW5zXx1c" width="560"></iframe><br />
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The Ornithologist is an intriguing Portuguese contribution to the latin magical realism genre. Its opening's stunning scenes of birdlife along a river near the Portugal/Spain border have the quality of a David Attenborough nature classic.<br />
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João Pedro Rodrigues pulls off a hat trick: director, screenwriter and actor. Auteur with attitude. This film has echoes of some of the work of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federico_Fellini" target="_blank">Federico Fellini</a>.<br />
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Unfortunately, the film loses much of its meaning and impact if you don't know the religious <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ornithologist_(film)" target="_blank">backstory</a>. It is difficult not to slip into spoilers. Our birdman Fernando, played convincingly by Paul Hamy, has a tortuous journey along the river after a mishap. It draws on a bizarre mixture of elements: pilgrimage; Greek epic; and even the John Boorman classic <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068473/" target="_blank">Deliverance</a>. <br />
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He faces a series of trials that ultimately produce a phantasmagorical transformation. The range of languages used gives an indication of the strange characters we encounter: Portuguese, English, Mandarin, Mirandese, Latin. We are taken somewhat seductively somewhere between a spirit world and a spiritual one.<br />
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Rodrigues has called his intentions blasphemous and irreligious. There is little doubt he meant to offend some and delight others. If you're looking for something a bit different, then join his flight of fantasy.<br />
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</div>Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-84989312193830398162017-11-06T18:19:00.001+11:002017-11-06T18:19:12.768+11:00Darkest Hour: "Here's to not buggering it up!"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HnBqp2L77oY" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<a href="http://www.focusfeatures.com/darkesthour" target="_blank">Darkest Hour</a> joins <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5013056/" target="_blank">Dunkirk</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2674454/" target="_blank">Churchill</a>, as the third major film this year to tackle World War II from a British perspective. [At this stage your reviewer has foregone the pleasure of the other two war sagas but couldn't resist the free preview seats from NBCUniversal.]<br />
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Director Joe Wright and screenwriter Anthony McCarten have skilfully recreated the world of Westminster in May 1940, as Winston Churchill achieved arguably his finest hour. Not only did he have to grapple with Germany's seeming military invincibility. He was determined to torpedo negotiations with Hitler, without losing his newly won and long coveted prime-ministership. Both his predecessor Neville Chamberlain and his main rival Viscount Halifax favoured peace talks with the Nazis.<br />
<br />
It is a familiar story for many baby boomers. The wartime Prime Minister had mythological status in our formative years. The filmmakers faced the difficult task of appealing to a wide audience with very different levels of knowledge and understanding of either the man or the moment. [Film reviewers face the same challenge.] How many millennials would know about Churchill's role in the Gallipoli debacle, for instance.<br />
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A tight script and coherent direction weave considerable personal and political detail into the 125 minutes. His iconic speeches are handled economically and we spend a minimum in the map room or following Winston's relentless pacing with cigar and cane at the ready.<br />
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The film covers much of his legend: the heavy drinking and depression; his aristocratic eccentricities and remoteness from ordinary Britons; his stubbornness and recklessness; his iron will and temper; and his theatrical self-promotion.<br />
<br />
Overall it is visually engaging: his private lift rises through a black screen, taking the solitary PM up to 10 Downing street; Churchill is driven to Westminster through busy London streets, cocooned from the frenetic life outside. The atmosphere is often claustrophobic, underlining both the pressures and his political isolation.<br />
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Inevitably, the movie is trite and clichéd at times. The trailer shares an almost identical opening scene with the movie Churchill, as his Rolls Royce/Bentley arrives at the arched entrance to parliament. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000198/" target="_blank">Gary Oldman</a>'s mimicry of the old man is quite effective, though he is sometimes put in situations that can only be described as caricature at best. The meet-the-people scene on the London underground is hyper-melodramatic, going way beyond disbelief. It sets the record for the longest journey between two adjoining tube stations. The stale joke about babies is unforgivable, as is the overacting.<br />
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His interactions with wife Clementine (played with her usual flair by Kristin Scott Thomas) and personal secretary Elizabeth Layton (Lily James) help to humanise his titanic personality. So do the glimpses of his humour, toilet jokes and all. It is disappointing that there are no exchanges with Winston's ally of the time, Anthony Eden, who grins or frowns silently throughout the cabinet room battles.<br />
<br />
Australian Ben Mendelsohn does a very serviceable job as King George VI. His strong frame and presence more than fill the role, seemingly at odds with king's character. Nevertheless, his relationship with Winnie is one of the more endearing aspects of the film.<br />
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The blurred line between apocrypha and actual events is inevitable in historical fiction. The first tense encounter between Winston and Elizabeth is apparently based on fact. It's a pity that she did not join his staff until the following year. Stephen Dillane (Halifax) gets to deliver journalist Ed Murrow's famous line that Churchill had "mobilised the English language and sent it into battle".<br />
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Nevertheless, most of the story seems an accurate representation of the actual machinations within cabinet and the parliament. Wikipedia has a thorough article on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_1940_War_Cabinet_crisis" target="_blank">May 1940 War Cabinet crisis</a>.<br />
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Finally, the safe, somewhat conservative approach to this crucial episode in twentieth century history may be explained by the Churchill family toast on his accession: "Here's to not buggering it up!"<br />
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</div>Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0Melbourne VIC, Australia-37.8136276 144.96305759999996-39.415753599999995 142.38127059999997 -36.2115016 147.54484459999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-32859207132272441662016-10-12T15:30:00.001+11:002016-10-13T08:33:03.515+11:00The Queen of Ireland: Champion of Same Sex Marriage<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.towleroad.com/2015/01/panti/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQCTsp74gZdwEpig_ReNmcKD6t7aZG0uKvtvJhJuCLWL_iAlCUdxcqSsYU_ZP-znVZvtOIai607Sx6Trl5Zb0CgSStXJbDh_Ct1f2XAZEwoQUgek0UeJD33sFF8TZZbrRAVhqpaM370k/s400/Panti+Bliss.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #000e39; font-family: "Noto Sans", sans-serif; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.towleroad.com/2015/01/panti/" target="_blank">Panti Bliss Gets Standing Ovation for Fierce TED Talk on Homophobia</a></span></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>We were on our way to see The Queen of Ireland at Carlton's Cinema Nova when we came across a political march in Melbourne's CBD. Seems everything is connected these days.<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Marriage Equality Rallies Hit Sydney And Melbourne <a href="https://t.co/tU4DzfFdts">https://t.co/tU4DzfFdts</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/marriageequality?src=hash">#marriageequality</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/noplebiscite?src=hash">#noplebiscite</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/auspol?src=hash">#auspol</a></p>— Alastair Lawrie (@alawriedejesus) <a href="https://twitter.com/alawriedejesus/status/784857035116417024">October 8, 2016</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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This documentary is promoted by <a href="http://www.transmissionfilms.com.au/films/the-queen-of-ireland" target="_blank">Transmission Films</a> as 'An uplifting documentary about Ireland's superstar drag queen Panti Bliss as she rises from ‘giant cartoon woman' to one of the highest-profile activists in the LGBTIQ community.'<br />
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The film is actually about Rory O'Neill whose occupation is that of old fashioned <a href="http://www.pantibar.com/" target="_blank">drag queen</a>. His life intersects dramatically with the successful Irish referendum on marriage equality in 2015. The connections between his private story and his public exposure as a champion of the cause climax in his triumphant return to his hometown of Ballinrobe.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eMvSkweYFvw" width="560"></iframe><br />
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The Queen far exceeded my expectations. Plain-clothes Rory is a thoughtful, engaging person, quite unlike his alter ego in many ways. Director <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1305230/?ref_=tt_ov_dr" target="_blank">Conor Horgan</a> gives us a very sympathetic portrait. The documentary deserves the praise it has received.<br />
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The Australian situation, with a proposed plebiscite on same sex marriage, appears to parallel Ireland. However, having this vote has been opposed by most of the LGBTIQ groups down under. A referendum is not required to change the law, as was the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty-fourth_Amendment_of_the_Constitution_of_Ireland" target="_blank">case in Ireland</a>. Nor is a plebiscite binding on the Australian parliament. Former PM Tony Abbott and opponent of same sex marriage adopted the policy as a tactic to delay giving his government members a free parliamentary vote. His successor Malcolm Turnbull supports marriage equality but agreed to the proposal to <a href="https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/frank-brennan--plebiscite-only-option-if-turnbull-is-to-retain-leadership,9401" target="_blank">placate</a> the right-wing of his party.<br />
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The Labor Party opposition has rejected the proposal, arguing for a free vote in parliament, citing both the cost ($A 200 million) and the negative social and psychological impact on gay people and their families. The plebiscite bill is likely to be blocked in the Senate. The Guardian reported recently:<br />
<blockquote>Advertisements for the anti-marriage equality case in the Irish referendum caused a majority of LGBTI people to feel angry and distressed, according to a new study.<br />
<br />
The survey of 1,657 Irish LGBTI people also found that only a minority of respondents would be prepared to face the referendum again if they did not know about <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global/live/2015/may/23/counting-underway-for-irelands-referendum-on-marriage-equality" target="_blank">the eventual successful outcome</a>.</blockquote></div><br />
Rory/Panti refers to this aspect when meeting referendum supporters after the result. <br />
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His journey is one that is well worth following.<br />
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</div>Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-21725275793414231822016-02-14T14:56:00.000+11:002016-02-14T14:56:43.593+11:00Spotlight: Suffering the Silence<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://spotlightthefilm.com/" target="_blank">Spotlight</a> is an old-fashioned movie about an old-fashioned craft - investigative journalism. Director and co-writer Tom McCarthy has stuck to the proven formula for this kind of story telling so effectively mastered in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074119/" target="_blank">All The President's Men</a> forty years ago. It is based on actual events and keeps to a straightforward narrative.<br />
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The Boston Globe's 2001 Spotlight team is bigger and has a woman on board (Sacha Pfeiffer well played by Rachel McAdams). A quick scan of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1895587/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast" target="_blank">the cast</a> shows how nearly all aspects of this shameful epidemic were male-dominated. Clergy and laity, police, lawyers and judges, and journalists: all played their part in the systemwide sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests and the collusion or silence of those who should have made it their business to expose it.<br />
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The two Spotlight male leads, Mark Ruffalo as Mike Rezendes and Michael Keaton as Wally 'Robby' Robinson, give very creditable performances. Liev Schreiber as the new Jewish outsider newspaper editor Marty Baron is hardly recognisable as his character from Wolverine. The beard helps.<br />
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This isn't a film about paedophile priests or its coverup by the highest levels of the Catholic church. Nor is it about "a bunch of lawyers turning child abuse into a cottage industry". It is a story about journalism, its power and importance. The sort of journalism that is much less common now under the current financial and other pressures on newspapers and other old media.<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1895587/" target="_blank">IMDb</a> has tagged the film as Biography, Drama, History and Thriller. It is primarily a crime investigation. As the credits indicate, it has been a global crime wave. Its 'survivors' suffered a long time in the silence that denied them justice.<br />
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Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-46194841888598792212016-01-07T16:51:00.001+11:002016-01-07T16:51:22.834+11:00Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict #FilmReview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kqe1kFb0xTk" width="560"></iframe><br />
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I certainly wasn't looking for twentieth century art when visiting Venice in June 1980. But wandering the backstreets I stumbled across a house that seemed to double as an art gallery. The name Guggenheim rang bells but Peggy had not been on my philistine radar. We went in not knowing what to expect. The place was deserted much like the rest of Venice in early June in the good old days. It was a delight beyond imagining. Picasso, Pollock, Miro and Marcel Duchamp were just a few amongst a feast of modern artists in her <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peggy_Guggenheim_Collection" target="_blank">Collection</a>.<br />
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It was still very much a home as well as a personal museum. Peggy had died only six months earlier. My strongest recollection over the years has been of the courtyard garden where the ashes of many of her dogs were buried. She has since joined them in the wall. It was a secluded spot then.<br />
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On a return visit in October 2015, being the first there was not enough to avoid the crushing crowds that packed the place by mid-morning. A gate now leads from the garden to the temporary exhibition rooms and a restaurant. The house has been extended by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_R._Guggenheim_Foundation">Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation</a> Foundation to display more recent artists' work.<br />
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Lisa Immordino Vreeland's documentary <a href="http://www.peggyguggenheimfilm.com/" target="_blank">Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict</a> helps to give some idea about whether Peggy would have approved of the changes. The film covers her very full life of 81 years in considerable depth. 95 minutes is not enough to mention all her lovers, not even the famous artists but Peggy wrote detailed accounts for those interested (now in a single edition): Out of This Century: Confessions of an Art Addict. Must get a copy, if only for the Gore Vidal foreward.<br />
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Peggy is not spared the criticisms of some of her contemporaries. Some of the more biting comments on her personality and her artistic endeavours probably tell us more about art connoisseurs and critics. Two of her regular guests in Venice confirm that the catering at her palazzo left much to be desired.<br />
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The discovery of interviews taped by her authorised biographer, Jacqueline Bogard Weld, gives the documentary a personal, winning touch. Peggy claimed that she was never "afraid". Her art collecting campaign in Paris at the outbreak of the second world war attest to her courage, drive and determination.<br />
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Her rich and famous family had an exceptional number of tragic deaths but she reveals very little in the interviews. Director Vreeland commented in an <a href="http://www.peggyguggenheimfilm.com/" target="_blank">interview about her film</a>, "she wasn't someone who was especially expressive; she didn't have a lot of emotion". Nevertheless, her sharp sense of humour is evident throughout.<br />
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What is revealed about Peggy explains how she left such a spectacular legacy: "It was really ballsy of her to have been so open about her sexuality; this was not something people did back then. So many people are bound by conventional rules but Peggy said no. She grabbed hold of life and she lived it on her own terms." This was especially true about the art and the artists she collected and promoted. "Peggy's life did not seem that dreamy until she attached herself to these artists. It was her ability to redefine herself in the end that truly summed her up". <br />
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A life definitely worth sharing.<br />
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</div>Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-22147736643952151892015-11-29T18:29:00.002+11:002015-11-29T18:29:41.017+11:00The Dressmaker: revenge served hot<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uPCyjqGH914" width="560"></iframe><br />
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It is easy to see why <a href="http://www.thedressmakermovie.com.au/" target="_blank">The Dressmaker</a> has such immediate appeal down under. Its director Jocelyn Moorhouse and co-writer/producer P.J. Hogan have given us such treats as Proof, Muriel's Wedding and Mental. <br />
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This film has lots of parts: part mystery, psychological drama, love story, farce, tale of revenge, and soap. Plus some zany numbers knocked up on the iconic Singer sewing machine. And above all comedy.<br />
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In 1951 Myrtle 'Tilly' Dunnage (Kate Winslet), returns to the small Victorian country town, which she was forced to leave as a child. She is a beguiling mixture of vamp and seamstress. Her quest is to uncover the truth behind her exile and to throw off the curse that haunts her. On her arrival the town is united against Tilly, even her mother Molly (Judy Davis). The exceptions are Teddy McSwiney (Liam Hemsworth) and his brother Barney (Gyton Grantley). No spoilers - even though the plot is essentially irrelevant like any self-respecting melodrama.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2910904/" target="_blank">cast</a> includes a host of old Aussie troopers such as Hugo Weaving, Barry Otto, Julia Blake, Rebecca Gibney, Shane Bourne and Shane Jacobson. There is more than one allusion to their filmographies but only Barry's hunchback falls a bit flat.<br />
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Came away feeling that the spirit of Yahoo Serious (and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096486/" target="_blank">Young Einstein</a>) lives on in Australian cinema. Thank heavens!<br />
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</div>Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-16409080912374855032015-07-18T13:29:00.000+10:002015-07-18T13:30:37.034+10:00Marshland: Old-fashioned crime<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Director and co-writer Alberto Rodríguez has come up with a classy crime mystery in <a href="http://www.filmfactoryentertainment.com/ficha.php?id=111" target="_blank">Marshland</a> (La isla mínima, 'Minimal Island'). The Spanish language film swept the Goya awards for 2014. It is set in the south west of Spain in 1980 as two detectives track down the brutal murderer of two sisters. <br />
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In the process they uncover the dark side of this rural community. They are an odd couple. Pedro (Raúl Arévalo) is trying to get back to work and family in Madrid and Juan (Javier Gutiérrez) has a cloud over him from his days as one of Franco's 'Gestapo'. They are just the tip of a very professional <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3253930/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast" target="_blank">cast</a>.<br />
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It is just five years since the Generalissimo's death. Their relationship is strained by Juan's use of vigorous interrogation methods honed during the dictatorship.<br />
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The film has a very convincing late 70s atmosphere. Rodríguez seems to have borrowed both from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071315/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Chinatown</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060176/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Blowup</a> for his inspiration. Photography is a key element linking both the crimes and the investigation. In addition the cinematography captures the bleakness of the environment and the despair of the local people whose lives are dominated by poverty and unemployment. This is especially true of the young women who are desperate to escape the traditional family and social bonds.<br />
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This a an old-fashioned movie with a very modern edge. It's film noir without the wit or the femme fatale. <br />
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Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-59003529592545036112015-07-14T11:15:00.001+10:002015-07-14T11:15:53.783+10:00Wild Tales: Mad as Hell<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fTXKTj4XCs8" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Writer/director Damián Szifron's so-called black comedy <a href="http://www.relatos-salvajes.com/en" target="_blank">Wild Tales</a>" (Relatos Salvajes) is a real hoot. This collection of six short stories has lashings of the classic elements of melodrama mixed into its contemporary contexts.<br />
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"Pasternak" mixes vengeance with everyone's airliner nightmare.<br />
"Las Ratas" ("The Rats") also plays on revenge, as a nasty loan-shark meets his match in a diner.<br />
"El más fuerte" ("The Strongest") takes road rage to new heights and depths.<br />
"Bombita" ("Little Bomb") lives out all drivers's fantasy when trapped by the parking police. Our hero is as mad as hell and isn't going to take this anymore.<br />
"La Propuesta" ("The Proposal") is another auto-related drama based on a hit-and-run.<br />
"Hasta que la muerte nos separe" ("Until Death Do Us Part") has the archetypal wedding party where betrayal is a double-edged sword for the bride and groom.<br />
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These modern day morality plays have an excellent Argentine <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3011894/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm" target="_blank">cast</a>, too numerous to single out.<br />
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There is plenty of biting social satire complete with the obligatory stereotyping. The rich, big government, police corruption, family relationships, lawyers: all cop a pasting.<br />
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</div>Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-29889323163089422932015-02-12T17:31:00.000+11:002015-02-12T17:31:57.566+11:00Ida: Poland's Haunting History<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/102481386?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/102481386">IDA</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user27758685">Opus Film</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div><br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2718492/" target="_blank">Ida</a> is a small but powerful gem from Poland. It has been nominated for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2015 Academy Awards. Set in 1962 and directed by co-writer Pawel Pawlikowski, it is a mere 82 minutes in length.<br />
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Ida is memorable just for the two main performances. Agata Trzebuchowska gives a haunting portrayal as Anna/Ida, while Agata Kulesza excels as the haunted Wanka. <br />
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Anna is a novice nun who learns about her Jewish origins from her aunt Wanka, a former Stalinist prosecutor. The holocaust legacy, communist rule and the dominance of the Catholic church are all part of the complex backdrop to this quest. Ida's personal search for identity is further complicated by coming face to face with an alien, but enticing secular culture.<br />
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The black and white production reflects the bleaker elements of the story and the times. Similarly, the jazz soundtrack underlines the growing alternative spirit amongst youth at the time. <br />
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Anyway, in the old cliché, this film is about questions not answers. It's about the personal choices we all must make and their consequences.<br />
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</div>Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-5363556992776063952015-02-09T16:29:00.000+11:002015-02-09T16:32:23.790+11:00Birdman: New York with Mexican twists<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pNovp3HbSbU" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Director and co-writer Alejandro González Iñárritu, of Babel fame, has created a very classy film in <a href="http://www.birdmanthemovie.com/" target="_blank">Birdman</a>.<br />
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Forget Hollywood - this is New York cinema with Mexican twists. <br />
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There are multiple layers. We have actors playing actors. Michael Keaton, star of Batman, plays Riggan Thomson, a once and possible future super-hero. Edward Norton, Naomi Watts and Andrea Riseborough join him in Riggan's play within a screenplay, an adaptation of Raymond Carver's 'What We Talk about When We Talk about Love'. The bleak realism of Tennessee Williams vies with Latin American magical realism and extraordinary flights of fantasy. This is Streetcar meets Who's Afraid, both on stage and in the dressing rooms.<br />
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Emma Stone, as his daughter Sam gives a memorable performance, duelling with both her father and Norton's bad boy character Mike.<br />
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It's a visual delight without the bonus of its Birdman special effects. The venue/set is the interior and exterior of Broadway's St. James Theatre. The claustrophobia generated by shooting in the actual building is amplified by the seeming one take direction.<br />
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Lindsay Duncan makes a strong if clichéd job of theatre critic Tabitha. Her exchange with Thomson cuts deep. Some of the storyline is a bit predictable but it's easy to forgive. Its classification as a comedy/drama is definitely misleading. It is witty without being sidesplitting. The social media jokes lack bite after a while. Iñárritu is at his best when he wanders the dark side of identity and relationships.<br />
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The movie has received multiple Academy Award nominations. Alejandro seems a cert for best director oscar.<br />
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[Spoiler: Those who went to see Midnight Cowboy expecting a western were misguided to say the least. Don't expect a comic book blockbuster.]<br />
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</div>Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-30623685033094863362014-11-05T14:48:00.004+11:002014-11-05T14:48:52.495+11:00Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed: Innocence Regained<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It should be hard not to like writer/director David Trueba's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2896036/" target="_blank">Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed</a> (Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados). Antonio (Javier Cámara) sets off on a quest to meet John Lennon who is making a film in Almería, Spain. It's 1966 but this middle-aged teacher of English and Latin would be an unlikely Beatles fan except that he's a dreamer, but that's another song.<br />
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He picks up two hitchhikers, both lost souls like himself: young hairdresser Belén (Natalia de Molina) and sixteen-year-old Juanjo (Francesc Colomer). Speaking of souls, the film is set against the backdrop of Franco's fascist regime, with its all pervasive police and religious controls. We are reminded that Lennon had said that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus". <br />
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The journeys of the three central characters typify the rebellious sixties that John symbolised for those looking for a better way, in particular in contesting the authority of church, state and family. Trueba is not preaching but his messages are clear, if gently delivered.<br />
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Cámara lives up to the quality you would expect from the lead in Pedro Almodóvar's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0287467/" target="_blank">Talk to Her</a>. His young offsiders give equally controlled, understated performances. They are matched by Ramon Fontserè as Ramón, a bar owner and Rogelio Fernández as his son Bruno who has cerebral palsy.<br />
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Of course, the title comes from Lennon's lyrics for Strawberry Fields Forever. The adventures of this unusual triangle are about innocence lost and innocence won. It would be a great story even if it weren't based on <a href="http://digitaltintero.wordpress.com/2014/09/27/and-the-oscar-goes-to-a-honourable-english-teacher-juan-carrion-ganan/" target="_blank">Juan Carrion</a>'s actual experiences. <br />
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Definitely a film for baby boomers seeking to regain some of their lost innocence from the sixties. Various Gen X-Zs, who are given a yardstick to measure how far we've come, may also reflect on the courage needed to bring about change. Here endeth the review.<br />
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Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-75621894969398044952014-01-25T15:50:00.001+11:002014-01-25T15:50:52.542+11:00The Rocket: Festival of Hope<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Australian writer/director Kim Mordaunt's <a href="http://www.therocket-movie.com/" target="_blank">The Rocket</a> is a little gem. He <a href="http://media.wix.com/ugd//5bff1d_79666a296fcd5d0e6a8e1f4db726b984.pdf" target="_blank">sees</a> the film as "a rite of passage story of a boy’s journey through grief, guilt and self-doubt - set against the timely universal themes of the displacement of people by industry and the legacy of war". It certainly fits that description but in many ways it is a classic fantasy, a young boy and his family's quest to regain the life they have lost, symbolised by finding a place to plant the mother's mangoes.<br />
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It's a feel good movie with fun and humour. However, at its core is a very serious drama. It has been banned in Laos, where it is set, apparently because it deals with <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/exclusive-oscar-hope-the-rocket-gets-banned-in-laos-20131114-2xib0.html" target="_blank">the dispossession</a> of villagers from their land to build dams. The film was Australia's nomination in the Best Foreign-language category for the 2014 Oscars but didn't make it to the short list. <br />
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The two children go well beyond the cliché of stealing the show. Sitthiphon Disamoe as 10 year-old boy Ahlo romps through the film with boundless energy, displaying the rare ability to handle comic and dramatic moments with equal ease. Loungnam Kaosainam gives her 9 year-old character Kia a real edge. Her full-on attitude is as infectious as Sitthiphon's. <br />
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Former stuntperson Sumrit Warin as Ahlo's father Toma, gives a rock-solid performance that matches his chiselled countenance, saying lots with minimal dialogue. Bunsri Yindi as grandma Taitok and Alice Keohavong as the mother Mali have the kind of presence you'd expect of skilled, experienced professionals.<br />
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The other show stealer is the accomplished Thep Phongam as Purple, so named for his James Brown fixation. In Mordaunt's <a href="http://media.wix.com/ugd//5bff1d_79666a296fcd5d0e6a8e1f4db726b984.pdf" target="_blank">words</a>, Purple is "a powerful metaphor for Lao’s history. He was full of contradictions: a deep Lao heritage but also a clone of western US influence from the Secret War when the Lao Hmong tribes people were recruited by the CIA to fight for them". He is also a great clown.<br />
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The film was produced by Sylvia Wilczynski, who is the other half of the Australian film company Red Lamp Films with Kim Mordaunt.<br />
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As befits the magnificent setting in the hills of Northern Laos, we saw the movie at the Shadow Electric outdoor cinema at the former Abbotsford convent in Melbourne. Without creating much of a spoiler, it was also appropriate that the bats made their customary dusk journey overhead before the screening.<br />
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The applause at the end indicated The Rocket's impact. Not because it could have happened, but because it should!<br />
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Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-39641096648564716632014-01-17T13:04:00.000+11:002014-01-17T13:04:07.892+11:00Philomena: Forgiven but not Forgotten<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7KydfQAoyyc" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Stephen Frear's <a href="http://philomenamovie.com/" target="_blank">Philomena</a> is a quality film, directed with admirable restraint and sensitivity. It's a familiar scenario. Jaded British journalist reluctantly takes on investigation on behalf of the powerless to set right past transgressions. In this case it's an Irish mother searching for her son 'stolen' in the 1950s.<br />
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It is tempting to find out how much of this film is 'based on a true story' but that's a bit like comparing the movie with the book. Nevertheless, it is quite legit to ask how much stored knowledge of the Catholic church's adoption policies and practices of the past, if any, the viewer needs to fully understand the issues raised or the personal anguish of the girls involved and their children. My exposure to many of the issues raised has been fairly extensive.<br />
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Steve Coogan is a pleasant surprise as journo Martin Sixsmith. He was also co-writer of the screenplay. Judi Dench is as professional as ever but that cheeky, knowing look she gives somehow doesn't match Philomena Lee's old-fashioned faith and lack of guile.<br />
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Wikipedia looks at accusations of anti-Catholicism. I thought the church got off lightly but let's not go into the 'churches abusing human rights' genre - it's very extensive.<br />
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There are a couple of bizarre twists towards the end that only a 'true story' can deliver without the necessity to suspend belief. It is based on Sixsmith's 'The Lost Child Of Philomena Lee' published in 2009.<br />
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</div>Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-16558922550999072762013-11-27T16:30:00.003+11:002013-11-27T16:30:45.791+11:0020 Feet from Stardom: Music to Our Ears<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/2kgRq_pGN2g" width="560"></iframe><br />
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</div>Director/writer Morgan Neville has given us a real goodie with <a href="http://twentyfeetfromstardom.com/" target="_blank">20 Feet from Stardom</a>. Bad pun notwithstanding it lives up to its claim: ‘meet the unsung heroes behind the greatest music of our time’.<br />
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There are many great singers featured but the households names that appear such as Bruce Springsteen, Bette Midler, Mick Jagger, Sting, David Bowie, Tom Jones, Stevie wonder, Ray Charles and Michael Jackson are not the stars of this first class documentary.<br />
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That honour goes to the backup singers: Darlene Love; Merry Clayton; Lisa Fischer; Judith Hill; Tata Vega; Jo Lawry; Claudia Lennear; Oren, Maxine and Julia Waters; and more. We’ve all heard them, even if we don’t realise it.<br />
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Despite their imposing voices, most of them have not become stars in their own right. Sheryl Crow who makes a brief appearance is one of the exceptions.<br />
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It is also a nostalgia trip for baby boomers as it ranges across the post-war period of popular music. Go to a cinema with a good sound system – well worth the effort.<br />
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</div>Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-40259834732587972202013-11-21T16:42:00.000+11:002013-11-21T16:42:14.214+11:00Ship of Theseus: Sum of the Parts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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</div>Anand Gandhi's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1773764/" target="_blank">Ship of Theseus</a> is ambitious in scope and and original in treatment for a first feature-length film. As director/co-writer he is both captain and helmsman.<br />
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This movie is three stories and one, which befits Theseus' paradox that begins the voyage. 'If the parts of a ship are replaced, bit-by-bit, is it still the same ship?'<br />
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It is a overly long film at 2 hours 20 minutes. That's three-quarters-of-an-hour per story. At times the slow pace is annoying until the importance of detailing everyday life becomes clearer. <br />
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The cast is well chosen. Aida El-Kashef plays Aliya Kamal, an experimental photographer. Neeraj kabi is Maitreya, the sick monk. Sohum Shah is Navin the young stockbroker. They face their own individual searches for identity and life's meaning. But the key is the sum of the parts.<br />
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This is a bold experiment in filmmaking. Its background development is explored on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus_(film)">Wikepedia</a>.<br />
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</div>Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123136528365176069.post-28913324134454269332013-11-03T15:05:00.001+11:002013-11-03T15:05:42.747+11:00Gravity 3D: Poor Pulling Power?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://gravitymovie.warnerbros.com/#/home" target="_blank">Gravity </a>in 3D, as a space vehicle for Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, is disappointing. It is mostly action and little story. It is supposed to be Sci-fi but it contains little that is new in its technology. It is also heralded as a thriller but its predictability robs it of much of its disaster movie potential. There are not too many instances where you find yourself holding your breath.<br />
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It is a satisfying visual experience but the impact of the special effects is not groundbreaking. Its grand 3D potential was somehow lost in space. There were few wow moments.<br />
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It is basically a <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454468/" target="_blank">cast</a> of two: scientist Dr. Ryan (what kind of name is that...) Stone and shuttle astronaut Matt Kowalski. The rest are just voices. Clooney spacewalks through his role without having to extend his acting beyond chat show level. Bullock has more to do and does it competently. Director and co-writer Alfonso Cuaróncan must take the blame for the over-the-top sentimentality.<br />
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As for the scenario, the longer it went, the sillier it became. Mercifully, it lasted only 91 minutes. It was a very small audience but it's difficult to say if that can be put down to Gravity's poor pulling power. Its box office and critical reception have been strong.<br />
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Kevin Renniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873737997935813248noreply@blogger.com0