I wanted to really like this movie. It’s Australian, it has a young cast, it’s quirky and has a great sense of style. It’s set beautifully in the 70s; the fashions and decor making me want to go out there and redecorate. It starts off with an oddball lightness and a great sense of colour and framing but then veers into darker territory and seems to lose its way. I was left unsure as to which demographic the film is aimed at and how authentically it explores the anxieties of contemporary teens. Continue reading
Tag Archives: miff16
MIFF 2016 – days four to ten
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It was pointed out to me tonight that I haven’t been documenting my MIFF days as I did last year. I started out thinking I would be able to post something each day on top of the film reviews but have found it too much work as I’m seeing more films this year. So far I have seen 35 films and, if I don’t drop any of them, I have 28 more to see. Continue reading
Killing Ground (2016)
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MIFF has ‘night shift’ screenings around 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays and tonight I went to my first one. I had booked to see Baskin, a Turkish high-gore horror, but lost my nerve and swapped for the only other screening, Killing Ground. It’s an Australian thriller that will make many a city person afraid to go camping in the bush. Continue reading
Contemporary Color (2016)
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What a wacky wacky world. For a start, they moved the Planetarium. I had booked to see a Fulldome Showcase – short films projected on the planetarium dome – but didn’t check the venue location. Didn’t it used to be at the State Library? Probably not. Now it’s in Spotswood. Blimey, too far to walk. Too, too far. So I booked another one based on last minute availability and venue alone and so got to see Contemporary Color, a US documentary about color guard. About what? I didn’t know what it was either. Continue reading
Captain Fantastic (2016)
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I don’t want to put people off this film. It’s actually a pretty good, solid family film and I think it will be well-liked. Just look at that photo – quirky outfits, cute kids and Viggo Mortensen. It starts out well. We see Viggo (Ben) and his six children living in the forest, almost completely self-sufficient. They hunt, climb, make their own clothes, read and discuss world issues at a sophisticated level and follow the rigorous training regime of their father. We soon discover that their mother is not there, she is ‘sick’ in hospital, and this is the first sign that not all is well in their world. Continue reading
Chevalier (2015)
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At last, a five star film. I had hopes for Chevalier as it is co-written by Efthymis Filippou, the co-writer of The Lobster and Dogtooth, two brilliant films by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos. And you know how much I loved The Lobster. Set on a luxury yacht off a nameless Greek Island, six men, with various connections with each other, dive, fish and share food, wine and stories. Slowly at first and then with greater intensity, they begin to compete for the prize of the “best man in general.” Continue reading
The Lure (2015)
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Some films are built for entertainment rather than deep thought and The Lure is one of them. Described as a “loony genre mash-up of musical, romance and 80s-style horror”, this messy, delightful Polish film about two mermaids who emerge from the deeps to discover adventure in a strip club is a fun and occasionally gory ride. Continue reading
I, Olga Hepnarova (2016)
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I love contemporary black and white films. It’s the beauty of the tone and the other-worldliness it creates. I, Olga Hepnarova is a quiet, thoughtful film. Based on history, Olga was the last woman executed in Czechoslovakia, at the age of 22, for deliberately driving a truck along a crowded footpath. This portrayal attempts to create some context to her life and glean the psychology behind this act. Continue reading
After the Storm (2016)
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I was a little tired watching this pleasing Japanese drama. I think if it had been an 11am session and had a coffee in hand I would have engaged with it a lot more. As it was, it reminded me a little of a few others I have seen so far – What’s in the Darkness, The Demons, Harmonium – quiet, observational studies of family life where not a lot happens but we get to understand a little about cultural expectations of parenting, what has led the main characters to the situation they are now in. Continue reading
The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki (2016)
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Black and white – that adds half a star to my rating. Shallow, I know, but there is something about black and white that suffuses me with pleasure. This lovely Finnish film is about a boxer, Olli Mäki, who has the potential to be world champion, a first for Finland in 1962. That beautiful black and white camera follows Olli as he trains, grapples with the publicity and pressure and falls in love with Raija. Continue reading
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