Movie reviews: MARRIED LIFE
(US/Canada, 2007) Stars Chris Cooper, Patricia Clarkson, Rachel McAdams, Pierce Brosnan. “ .. love’s journey does not necessarily travel in a straight line to its destination of happiness, according to Ira Sachs beguiling comedy of manners. There’s a touch of film noir and melodrama, but what I like about the film is that like real life, all the characters are unpredictable and do surprising things,” says Louise. “ .. an ode to Hollywood movies of the 40s and 50s, with its rich story, its post-war middle class mores of US society, its production design and its characters blundering around a moral dilemma. Ira Sachs pays tribute to his favourite period in film with care,” says Andrew.
REVIEWS
Interview: IRA SACHS - Ira Sachs wanted to tell a strong story in a domestic setting – very much like Hollywood movies of the 40s and 50s did, he explains to Andrew L. Urban. INTERVIEW
THE SQUARE
Win one of 30 double inseason passes to The Square, starring David Roberts, Claire van der Boom, Joel Edgerton, Anthony Hayes, Lucy Bell, Paul Caesar, courtesy Roadshow. In Cinemas July 31, 2008.
THE SQUARE
THE BANK JOB
Win one of 20 double inseason passes to The Bank Job, starring Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Stephen Campbell Moore, courtesy Paramount. Only at the movies from July 31, 2008.
THE BANK JOB
Movie reviews: THE X FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE
(US, 2008) Stars David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly. “The fans will lap up this thrilling new feature that has gestated in the belly of the hugely popular series for years. From its no holds barred start to its heartfelt finish, the film is compelling entertainment, thanks in part to a great script and in part to the top performances,” says Andrew. “Nothing is simple: from the tense plot involving severed body parts and animal tranquilisers to Billy Connolly’s remorseful pedophile priest whose psychic visions are punctuated by tears of blood. And not least is the complexity of Mulder and Scully’s multi-layered relationship… While the issues canvassed onscreen are significant, it is the even larger imponderables that propel the story into something more intriguing in this thought provoking and thrilling film,” says Louise.
REVIEWS
Movie reviews: FORBIDDEN KINGDOM
(US, 2008) Stars Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Michael Angarano. “The two veterans bring experience – and quite a set of expectations. The latter is not fully met, though, not due to any shortcomings on their part (except perhaps their fractured English) but the weaknesses in a screenplay that is not as engaging as it should be. On the positive side, all of the Chinese locations are spectacular, and the production design is wonderfully ornate. Woo-Ping Yuen’s masterful choreography also adds weight to the spectacle and the thrills,” says Andrew. “The first onscreen meeting of screen legends Jackie Chan and Jet Li is possibly reason enough to see this fantasy…. Of course the action sequences are central to our focus and there are many including backdrops of a bamboo forest, ancient temples and a garden of cherry blossoms to quote but a few. We are a bit more blasé these days where wire work is concerned and how legitimate the martial arts sequences are, however these scenes are shot impressively with plenty of drama and illusion,” says Louise.
REVIEWS
Movie reviews: THE SAVAGES
(US, 2007) Stars Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Bosco, Peter Friedman. “Tamara Jenkins’s film tackles the difficult subject of facing up to an ageing parent’s mental and physical demise with overt sensitivity but no punches are spared. While Philip Bosco’s demented Lenny Savage may be the story’s catalyst, the film is not really about him. It’s about the two damaged siblings who are conscripted into emotional purgatory as old wounds are reopened, life freezes in limbo and the future seems terrifyingly nebulous,” says Louise. “For all that, the screenplay is flawed and incomplete in some of its story and character elements as it tries to fill out the main plot with its subtexts. But Tamara Jenkins has a clear grasp of the nuances and details of her characters, and makes the most of those to give us satisfying drama,” says Andrew.
REVIEWS
Movie review: HOW ABOUT YOU
(Ireland, 2007) Stars Vanessa Redgrave, Joss Ackland, Hayley Atwell, Brenda Fricker, Imelda Staunton. “You know that warm glow that comes over you, when you’re sitting by a crackling fire? That’s how I felt watching this gentle and uplifting glimpse into the lives of four senior citizens battling against their own demons, preconceptions and phobias about ageing … a superb ensemble cast whose journey from conflict to resolution is warm, engaging, sad and funny,” says Louise.
REVIEW
Movie review: LAKEMBA
(Exempt 15+) Stars Sefin King, Chuxxen. “Emerging filmmaker Platon Theodoris has used digital technology to make a film within his financial means, telling a story that resonates universally. The film is drama, but plays like a fly on the wall doco, with the two leads effectively playing themselves with the drama volume turned up, thanks to a chance find of a handgun,” says Andrew.
REVIEW
Brisbane Int Film Fest: FEST HONOURS LEDGER WITH CHAUVEL
The late Heath Ledger – currently generating rave reviews as The Joker in The Dark Knight - will be honoured for his contribution to the Australian film industry with the 2008 Chauvel Award, Queensland Arts Minister Rod Welford announced today. Speaking at the official program launch for the 2008 St George Bank Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF), Minister Welford said Ledger would join other Australian film luminaries – including George Miller, Geoffrey Rush, Bryan Brown and Jack Thompson – in receiving the honour.
NEWS
Latest: NEWS: - Dirty Harry remastered (pic) screens on HD at Popcorn Taxi; Focus on Ozploitation, a free public discussion (Sat. July 26, 2 – 3.30pm, ACMI Cinemas) with panel including genre filmmakers Brian Trenchard Smith, Antony I. Ginnane, Richard Brennan, David Hannay and more; Preview of Nash Edgerton’s debut feature, The Square, will be followed by a Q&A with Matthew Dabner (co-writer with Joel Edgerton) at the Palace Verona in Sydney’s Darlinghurst, on July 26; Last Ride, director Glendyn Ivin’s first feature after winning the Palme d’Or for his short film Crackerbag at Cannes in 2003, started production this week, starring Hugo Weaving; The Eternity Man, the Julien Temple-directed film opera shot in Sydney, has been selected to screen in the Piazza Grande at the Locarno Film Festival; Script doctor Billy Marshall Stoneking is returning to Melbourne in August to present a one-day screenwriting seminar and a seven day workshop.
BOX OFFICE: Week, July 17 - 23: Taking almost $16 million for the week, The Dark Knight is working hard for its connections, with massive screen averages of $33,839 on 472. Note the film opened Wednesday, July 16. Together with strong holdover business has kept the top 20 steady at $30 million.
Preview trailers of many films on your own screen.
New this week: Max Payne, stars Mark Wahlberg, Chris O’Donnell;
TRAILERS
What is releasing when? UPCOMING RELEASES
[Coming in September, In Bruges, starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes. ‘A brilliantly sharp screenplay that oozes pathos, incongruity and comedy of the blackest kind,’ says Louise]
Pic: Not Quite Hollywood (Documentary); The Savages (Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman; The Square, stars David Roberts, Joel Edgerton
At a glance: TOP 20
Short and sweet (or not) opinions on the most popular current releases. An easy reference for choosing which movie to see tonight … or tomorrow … or right now! (Occasionally we also slip in a few of the editors’ favourites if they don’t make the top 20...) TOP 20
DVD OF THE WEEK: BREAKFAST ON PLUTO
(Ireland/UK, 2005) Stars Cillian Murphy, Liam Neeson, Stephen Rea. “Cillian Murphy gives the performance of his life in Breakfast on Pluto, as he portrays a transvestite in search of his identity with aplomb and endearing mischief. Riveting, bewildering and often mesmerising,” says Louise.
DVD REVIEW
WENDY HUGHES RETROSPECTIVE
On the release of the 2 disc Collectors Edition DVD of Careful He Might You for which she won the AFI Best Actor Award, we look at four of Wendy Hughes’ landmark films from the 1980s which showcase her exceptional range : LONELY HEARTS - (1981) dir Paul Cox. ‘One of the small but valuable gems of Australian cinema, Lonely Hearts is a gently ascerbic film,’ says Andrew.
CAREFUL HE MIGHT HEAR YOU - (1983) dir Carl Schultz. ‘From the very first shot it’s clear that cinematographer John Seale contributes enormously to the film’s success,’ says Andrew.
AN INDECENT OBSESSION -
(1985) dir Lex Marinos. ‘Colleen McCullough knows how to cook up a recipe for effective melodrama and Lex Marinos knows how to direct one,’ says Andrew.
WARM NIGHTS ON A SLOW MOVING TRAIN -
(1985) dir Lex Marinos. ‘Colleen McCullough knows how to cook up a recipe for effective melodrama and Lex Marinos knows how to direct one,’ says Andrew.
MY LIFE AS A DOG (1985) – stars Anton Glanzelius, Tomas Von Bromssen, Anki Liden. “the frequent collision of comedy and drama is breathtakingly real, and Anton Glanzelius is terrific as Ingemar, a smart 12 year old with a philosophical bent,” says Andrew
THE SHOES OF THE FISHERMAN (1968) – stars Anthony Quinn, John Gielgud, Oskar Werner, Leo McKern. “Settle back and let this old fashioned but entirely enjoyable epic (from Aussie writer Morris West’s novel) take you on a journey that is in many ways every bit as relevant today as it was then,” says Andrew.
SHOUT AT THE DEVIL(pic, 1976) - stars Lee Marvin, Roger Moore, Barbara Parkins. “Adapted from one of the most popular novelists in Wilbur Smith, Shout at the Devli puts our protagonists in wildly dangerous situations, in which they have to survive everything from crocodiles to the Germans,” says Andrew.
MY SON THE FANATIC – stars Om Puri, Rachel Griffiths, Akbar Kurtha, Stellan Skarsgard. “ .. story of cultures clashing in 90s England, amidst the assimilated Pakistani community and their agitating offspring who regard English society as debased, immoral and corrupt,” says Andrew.
STEP UP 2 THE STREETS - stars Briana Evigan, Robert Hoffman, Adam G. Sevani. “A robust addition to the street dance sub genre of movies, Step Up 2 The Streets offers plenty of exhilarating routines and a feasible storyline,” says Andrew.
AUTUMN DVDs WRESTLING ERNEST HEMINGWAY - stars Robert Duvall, Richard Harris, Shirley MacLaine, Sandra Bullock. “This is a film of two superlative performances from Richard Harris and Robert Duvall, who play an odd couple drawn together by their common loneliness as they become friends in the winter of their lives,” says Louise.
AWAY FROM HER - stars Gordon Pinsent, Julie Christie, Olympia Dukakis. “A heartbreaking and profound film about an impossible love, Away From Her is a portrait of a relationship struggling to endure Alzheimers. Helpless is the song that k.d. lang sings through the closing credits, and helpless is the key emotion transmitted,” says Louise.
Winners: THE SAVAGES
To win one of 30 double inseason passes to The Savages, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney, courtesy Roadshow, we asked With who among family or friends would you share a home in case of need and why? The Savages releases in Cinemas July 24, 2008. Jarad Morrison: Definitely go back to mum and dads. Cooking, washing, ironing, cleaning all done for you. It’s a wonder I ever moved out in the first place!
WINNERS
Winners: THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL DVD
To win one of 15 copies of The Other Boleyn Girl on DVD, starring Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, courtesy Universal Home Entertainment, we asked With who among family or friends have you competed for someone’s attention and why? Nicole Scott: With my husband, for the attention (and warmth) of our dog on these cold winter nights. We both tempt him with treats to see whose feet he will sleep on!
WINNERS
Every Australian film we have ever reviewed (film / video release), or have reported from the set, or featured in any way, is listed here, going back to films made even before the launch of Urban Cinefile, such as The Piano, Romper Stomper, Muriel’s Wedding, The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert and dozens more. Over 300 films. [Pic. Chris Cudlipp's Dear Claudia, starring Bryan Brown, Aleksandra Vujcic. Released February 25, 1999]AUSTRALIAN FILMS
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