TOMORROWLAND ✪✪✪✪ (Opens 28th May most cinemas)
I was always going to love this film. It’s
about imagination and the places it can take you, pretty much the Walt Disney
mantra. It’s not an animation. There are real live actors in this film, most
notably George Clooney as the cantankerous, disillusioned Frank. I just mention
that because a few people have asked me about Tomorrowland as an animated film.
The CGI is colorful and beautifully done,
and the ideas behind the futuristic world are fascinating. Where it does fall
down is the plotting. It’s aimed at all ages but feels skewed very young, from
around eight to fourteen. Unintentional I think. There are parts where the
characters are fighting robots that have a real Home Alone feel. That’s fun, but a little old fashioned. In fact,
the whole film seems very nineties. Think the feel of Jumanji and Zathura.
In saying all this, if you are young-at-heart,
the message behind the film will find a home with you. It did with me, and
that’s why, for the past week, I’ve worn my Tomorrowland
badge, which Disney kindly gave us at the screening.
What I also find interesting is that a few
weeks ago, my son’s high school English teacher told me that the English
curriculum is now changing to include more narrative storytelling. During my
boys’ primary school years I was horrified to discover narrative writing time
had been almost totally removed from the curriculum to make way for more life-skill
writing such as letter and report writing; analytical thinking was replacing
imagination-stretching. I even wrote a passionate post entitled, Throwing
Imagination Out With The Bath Water, pointing out this was a
mistake. That essay has been the most popular post I’ve ever written with over
14,000 reads and still climbing.
The Education Department has since
discovered, as I predicted, what they were turning out were people who couldn’t
think outside the box, that imagination was one of the most important skills a
human being can possess. So there seems to be a thought process going on around
the world that while great grades and education is important, as emotively shown
in Tomorrowland, nothing is as
important to success as imagination. Long
live Imagination, without it, we’re still trying to make fire, right?
Film Blurb
From Disney comes two-time Oscar (R) winner Brad Bird's riveting,
mystery adventure "Tomorrowland," starring Academy Award (R) winner
George Clooney. Bound by a shared destiny, former boy-genius Frank (Clooney),
jaded by disillusionment, and Casey (Britt Robertson), a bright, optimistic
teen bursting with scientific curiosity, embark on a danger-filled mission to
unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space known
only as "Tomorrowland." What they must do there changes the world-and
them-forever. Featuring a screenplay by "Lost" writer and co-creator
Damon Lindelof and Brad Bird, from a story by Lindelof & Bird & Jeff
Jensen, "Tomorrowland" promises to take audiences on a thrill ride of
nonstop adventures through new dimensions that have only been dreamed of.(C)
Walt Disney
SAN ANDREAS ✪✪✪½
(Opens 28th May most cinemas)
I don’t need to tell you about this movie. The name
and the poster say it all. It is every disaster movie rolled into one. We’ve
got Towering Inferno, The Perfect Storm,
Earthquake, Tidal Wave, 2012, Daylight and The Impossible. There’s even touches of Meteor and Deep Impact,
no aliens or meteors, but a lot of people trying to get out of cities and head
to higher ground. Value for money, you certainly get a lot of bang and
destruction for your cinema buck.
The makers jump headlong into the genre with
wild special effects, a body count that defies, well, counting, while playing
the impossible heroism of the two parents (Dwayne Johnson and Carla Gugino) attempting
to locate their daughter in a devastated and crumbling San Francisco, as a bit
of an outrageous satire. Director Brad Peyton understands the script is
ridiculous, but his only concern clearly seems to be to deliver an entertaining
ride with the subtext Don’t look for the
plot holes, we know, just have fun with it.
So go along and have fun. Make sure you take
popcorn, and, ah, no need to count the “Oh my
God’s. I’ve done it for you. There’s six. Let me know if you get a tally
on the body count. The last line was a real belly laugh: We will rebuild. Yeah, good luck with that! And, please, Hollywood,
don’t make a number two, even if it does well. We’re all good.
Film Blurb
In the aftermath of a massive earthquake in California, a rescue-chopper
pilot makes a dangerous journey across the state in order to rescue his
estranged daughter.
GEMMA BOVERY ✪✪✪✪½
(Showing at Luna Cinemas from 28th
May)
The French films, I love them so. This film is
a delight; I always seem to be calling French films “a delight.” It reminds me
of a Shakespearean comedy of errors or a Jane Austen comedy of polite relationships
and misunderstood circumstance. In any case, it’s a wonderful comedy and drama.
It’s also beautifully filmed and shows a slice of French provincial life where
the smelling of bread is almost a sensual experience and life at a slower pace
invites more time for neighborly eavesdropping.
Gemma Arterton is
stunning as the precocious English ex-pat whose love decisions find her digging
herself deeper into a bad situation which may end in disaster. Martin Joubert
(Fabrice Luchini), a literary fan, is wonderful as the neighbor who becomes
obsessed with Gemma and decides Gustave Flaubert’s 1856 famous book Madame Bovary
is playing out in his own backyard.
Go see it and fall
in love with French cinema, as this is as fine an example as you will see.
Delicious!
By the way Fabrice
Luchini starred in the 2013 French film In
the House, which is another great example of fabulous French film. If you
enjoy Gemma Bovery seek that one out,
too. It’s a gem.
Film Blurb
Life begins to imitate art in uncanny ways when
earthy British beauty Gemma (Gemma Arterton) and her furniture restorer husband
Charles Bovery (Jason Flemyng, X-Men: First Class, The Curious Case of Benjamin
Button) move to the very same Norman village where the graphic novel was
written. Local baker and Flaubert fan Martin Joubert (Fabrice Luchini) falls
for the lovely and charming newcomer and sets out to be her mentor. It doesn't
take long before his wild imagination leads him to draw parallels between the
literary and real life woman, as he insinuates himself into her life. She soon
finds herself at a crossroads that seems to be fulfilling Joubert's worst fears
that her destiny is mirroring that of Flaubert's doomed heroine. Director Anne
Fontaine's clever adaptation of the graphic novel is at once a cheeky literary
mash-up, a sensuous romance, a witty feminist commentary, and a heady
celebration of French provincial life. (C) Music Box Films
PARTISAN ✪✪✪
(Showing at Luna Cinemas from 28th
May)
Partisan is a layered film requiring some
thought. It’s very European in style, yet its written and directed by Melbourne
born 30-year-old Ariel Kleiman and filmed in Australia. It stars Vincent Casell
(Black Swan, Oceans 12 & 13, Birthday Girl) as the leader of what seems to
be some kind of cult. The group has taken up residence in a ramshackle
dilapidated, isolated stone-mountain compound outside a large city. Ten years
after the first resident arrives with her child, and with the camp now filled
with children and mothers, it becomes obvious things are not as wonderful and
peaceful as they seem.
If you don’t pay
attention, you can easily miss a few of the key points in the plot and become
hopelessly lost. It is a story of morals and the dangers of naivety. The
negatives were that some points in the film were overly long. If those had been
cut, then the suspense would have been more taut and the film would have
benefited greatly.
Still, for a first
time director, it’s an impressive film, despite its faults. The lead child
actor Jeremy Chabriel gives an extraordinary performance as the eldest child in
the commune who begins to challenge the authority of the king. Partisan is not for
everyone. It’s definitely a festival-type film. If that is your cup of tea,
then this film will have you pondering its theme long after the credits.
Film Blurb
Alexander is like
any other kid: playful, curious and naive. He is also a trained assassin.
Raised in a hidden paradise on the outskirts of town, Alexander has grown up
seeing the world through the eyes of his father, Gregori. As Alexander begins
to think for himself, creeping fears take shape and Gregori's idyllic world
unravels.
SPECIAL EVENTS
14th AUDI FESTIVAL OF GERMAN FILMS
Location: Cinema Paradiso
A Journey into the Heart of
German Cinema
The
Audi Festival of German Films is bringing new German-language films to
Australia this May, sure to thrill audiences with an exhilarating program of
features, shorts and documentaries in addition to exciting special guests from
Germany. In its 14th annual season, the festival will showcase the incredible
breadth, dynamism and creativity of the German film industry.
Proudly
presented by the Goethe-Institut in association with German Films, screening
partner Palace Cinemas and with the support of Audi, the 2015 festival takes
place over two weeks in ten cinema locations across Sydney, Melbourne,
Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, Byron Bay and Hobart. Spanning social
dramas, corporate thrillers, quirky comedies, an Alpine western and historical
romance, the wide-ranging program presents a rich world of German cinema, with
a majority of screenings as Australian premieres.
EXHIBITION: THE IMPRESSIONISTS
Date: 30-31 May
2015
Location: Cinema
Paradiso
From Paris, London and the USA. Uncover the
story of art’s greatest revolutionaries.
Featuring work by Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, Degas, Pissarro and many more. Monet, Ceaznne, Degas, Renoir: some of the
world’s most popular artists. Their works, and that of their contemporaries,
fetch tens of millions of dollars around the globe. But who were they really?
Why & how exactly did they paint? What lies behind their enduring appeal?
To help answer these questions, this unique
film secured unparalleled access to a major new exhibition focusing on the man
credited with inventing Impressionism as we know it: 19th century Parisian art
collector Paul Durand-Ruel. This eagerly anticipated international exhibition
is possibly the most comprehensive exploration of the Impressionists in
history.
It was Durand-Ruel’s brave decision to
exhibit the Impressionists in New York in 1886 that introduced enlightened
wealthy Americans to this modern French painting. In doing so, he not only
filled great American galleries with Impressionist masterworks, but kept
Impressionism alive at a time when it faced complete failure. This energetic
and revealing film will tell his remarkable story along with that of the
Impressionists themselves. Featuring universally loved masterpieces by Monet,
Degas, Cezanne, Renoir, Pissarro and many more.
Elaine Page: I’m Still Here
Date: 30-31 May 2015 1:00pm
Location: Windsor Cinema
The incomparable Elaine Paige brings her
sell-out Farewell Concert ‘Elaine Page: I’m Still Here’ A 50th
Anniversary celebration from the Royal Albert Hall to the big screen
accompanied by a live set featuring special guests. Filmed for cinema, the concert
features the BBC Concert Orchestra, with Elaine performing the highlights of
her extraordinary 50 year career, including Memory, I Know Him so Well and As
If We Never Said Goodbye.
Full of great musical memories the evening will
finish with a pre recorded Q&A and an intimate performance from Elaine,
with special guests (which are soon to be announced), as Elaine creates
all-new memories, performing and chatting live from London reflecting on her
illustrious career.
Catch an Oldie
JAWS 40th Anniversary Screening #2
Date: Saturday June 20
Location: Backlot
Studios Time: 6pm
Based on Peter Benchley's
best-selling novel, Steven Spielberg's 1975 shark saga set the standard for the
New Hollywood popcorn blockbuster while frightening millions of moviegoers out
of the water. One early summer night on fictional Atlantic resort Amity Island,
Chrissie decides to take a moonlight skinny dip while her friends party on the
beach. Yanked suddenly below the ocean surface, she never returns. When pieces
of her wash ashore, Police Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) suspects the worst, but
Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton), mindful of the lucrative tourist trade and the
approaching July 4th holiday, refuses to put the island on a business-killing
shark alert. After the shark dines on a few more victims, the Mayor orders the
local fishermen to catch the culprit. Satisfied with the shark they find, the
greedy Mayor reopens the beaches, despite the warning from visiting
ichthyologist Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) that the attacks were probably caused
by a far more formidable Great White.
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
Date: Sunday June 7
Location: Backlot
Studios Time: 2pm
Accessreel.com is proud to present SAVING PRIVATE RYAN in
a stunning digital presentation at The Backlot Perth.
Following the Normandy
Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a
paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.
Directed by Steven Spielberg. Starring:
Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Vin Diesel,
Giovanni Ribisi, Geremy Davis, Matt Damon, Ted Danson and Paul Giamatti.
Going, going…
These films will be leaving
our screens shortly, so catch them this weekend if you don’t want to miss out.
A ROYAL NIGHT OUT
AGE OF ADELINE
UNFRIENDED
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