Film Shapes

So this, the penultimate episode of the Marvel Avengers series (the third phase at least), is pretty ballsy work. Discretion precludes me from spewing forth on all the stuff that goes on here, but if you don't mind the cat escaping the bag, the podcast below is full of spoilers. I reckon it's safe to say that the ballsiness of the story may well be softened by the end of the 4th film (whatever that may be called). But here, at the midpoint of the two films, misery and desolation rule the roost. Enough said for now. Onto the star of the film - Thanos. This is the guy that has been hanging around in the background for most of the previous MCU films, at least while the Infinity Stones have been in play. He's been referred to, glimpsed, even had a line or two in post-credit stings. But in  Infinity War  he really gets his supernatural funky out down there (apologies to Cinema Prague). Thanos as a universal Malthusian Check is one of the neater conceits in the MCU. In fa...

Monday morning. Kids at school. $10 tickets at the Galleria. All looking good. And then.... Ready Player Wonka. This is Steven Spielberg's latest. It's about a boy, Charlie Bucket Wade Watts, played by Tye Sheridan, who lives in an impoverished rural  urban setting and dreams of being elsewhere. Enter a mysterious, man-child savant with poor social skills and a hugely popular business enterprise. Said fella wants to give away 'the keys to the kingdom' for one reason or another. Loads of people scramble to find the golden ticket keys. Shit, there's even a scene of the protagonists floating in a cylindrical chamber that's very reminiscent of the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory . Like most Spielberg films, this is put together with the skills of a professional technician who knows what he's doing and can call upon the cream of the industry to help him. He has some pull, this guy. But also like most Spielberg films, it doesn't do anyth...

Here's a new thing. I usually only put up entries for films that I see at the cinema (save the occasional 'best of' or some such) but as this streaming idea begins to take hold, I thought I'd join the party. The caveat is that Annihilation was released in cinemas in the US, Canada and China, and Netflix in other 'territories' so it's actually a ridgy digde theatrical release anyway. Not sure how to play it with films like Bright and Mute , which were Netflix originals (though not much chop). We'll see. So, to the film itself. This follows a few years after the great Ex Machina and is imbued with similar weighty, thought-provoking qualities. It stars Natalie Portman and Oscar Isaac, both of whom are top drawer, basically their default setting. It's creepy, well-paced and it ends with some nice ambiguity. So why didn't I like it as much as I thought I would? Don't get me wrong, it's a good film. But I wasn't blown away. Nor was I...

$19.50 for a ticket? Check. Small but comfortable screen? Check. Foreign language film? Check. Choc bomb? Check. Hairy companion (Liam) alongside? Check. Ahh, this must be the Luna in Leederville. Just like old times. Actually, it appears they're adding some screens in the building next door. Good news for the independent cinemas. Hope it all works out. Anyway, In the Fade , literally 'Out of Nowhere' but the title comes from a Queens of the Stone Age song from 2000. Josh Homme, singer, etc wrote the soundtrack for the film. The background of the film is juicy, abhorrent ground. It's based on the true story of 10 murders in Germany between 2000 and 2009, committed by a group of right-wing neo-nazi cunts called the National Socialist Underground. This from the Junkee website: The movie is based on the true story of killings that were allegedly carried out by the National Socialist Underground between 2001 and 2009. German Public Radio film critic Patrick Wellinsk...

Just got around to seeing this little cracker about a year after its initial release. It was shown once or twice at the Moonlight outdoor cinema in Kings Park and I was lucky enough to score another freebie (thanks again sis). In fact, I may not have paid to see this as I'm not a big fan of this kind of genre film. At least, I suspected it was a genre film - a schlocky horror throw-away in the same blue-red vein as Paranormal Insidious Annabel 4 or whatever the fook. But this was a sneaky little bugger. A creepy, social commentary slash thriller couched in horror. And full of the smarts too. On a side note, this is the first time we've done the podcast before I've had a chance to park it and spew keyboard waffles all over the www. Consequently, as I feel like I'm treading on old ground, I'm probably going to make this a short one. Lacking spoilers. Listen to the pod below for a more detailed dissection of Get Out . But suffice to say, I had a pretty good t...

Reading Cinemas Belmont with Merv, Roly and Bryony. Busiest screening I've been to in a while, I reckon. This may have been because  Black Panther  had only opened a few days before. The general consensus among the group was positive. Now, I'll try to include fewer spoilers than in the podcast at the bottom of the entry. If you want to hear more spoilery details, have a listen. Black Panther  is astutely directed by Ryan Coogler, who's proven himself with a couple of decent-sized films prior to this. I thought the film buzzed with energy and it really revelled in its own world building (the country of Wakanda, in this case). For me though, it took a little while to get going, perhaps due to the relative 'newness' of the players, people we kind of needed to get to know. At the time of watching, I thought the ceremonial challenges to King T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) were a bit naff but I'm starting to think they act as a kind of bluff for the film to cha...

Following on from the best, here are the ten worst films I saw in 2017. Safe travels. 1. Assassin's Creed (2016)  Why? 2. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016) Tom, Tom, look at the subtitle! Mug-handed tripe with a cringingly mawkish ending. 3.  Crying Out Love in the Centre of the World (2004) Boring piffle that may have played well to the teen angst market but not for this jaded old curmudgeon. 4. The Dark Tower (2017) Still don't know what the fuck was going on in this boring mess. 5. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) Too many things wrong here to mention but lowlights are the cardboard stars. Daikon for dinner, anyone? 6. Kong: Skull Island (2017) A massive ape. Tom Hiddleston. Samuel L. Jackson. Brie Larson. John Goodman. And yet..... 7. Allied (2016) Star wattage with Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard but a wet fizzler nonetheless. 8. The Mummy (2017) Another Cruise vehicle driving on nonsense fumes. Seems like the wheels have fallen off Universal...

Time for the best films of 2017 (which may or may not have been made or released in 2017). Ere we go. 1. Dunkirk (2017) Almost impossibly tense depiction of a pivotal point in history, told with ingenious time layering by the master, Christopher Nolan. 2. Logan (2017) Hard-edged, warm and poignant with great 'closing' performances by Jackman and Stewart. And probably the best comic book film ever made. 3. Blade Runner 2049 (2017) Deliberately slow-paced, atmospheric child of Scott's original that teems with the DNA of its predecessor. Denis Villeneuve an inspired choice to direct. 4. Sing Street (2016) Joyful, funny, with a great soundtrack and some real kitchen sink stuff going on in the background. 5. Rogue One (2016) Great stand-alone Star Wars film. A lesson for other directors on how to make a gripping, bleak and worthy film within that universe. 6. Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) Bristling with rage and energy and some really co...