Golden Age Cinema and Bar Winter Program Highlights

Golden Age Cinema and Bar have just launched a new Winter program combining cult favourites and new releases as well as a range of awesome film-inspired cocktails and bar menu to match.

The venue is set within the restored Paramount Building at 80 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills, Sydney. The original 35mm film projectors remain in the projection room and there is a beautiful, intimate bar space.

Some highlights from the Winter Program include:

Golden Films at Golden Age Prices: Runs every Tuesday night and each ticket costs the same as the year the film was released. Mad Max screens Tuesday August 19 at 8.30pm and Nashville screens Tuesday August 26 at 8.30pm. 

Calvary, an Irish drama/comedy that screened at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival, follows a good priest who is faced with sinister and troubling circumstances brought about by a mysterious member of his parish. It screens Thursday 14th August at 8.30pm, Friday 15th August at 6.30pm and Wednesday 20th August at 8.30pm. Tickets are selling fast for the first two sessions. 

On Friday 29^th August you can catch two of the year’s most exhilarating films in Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel (6.30pm) and Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin (9.00pm).

Inglourious Basterds, the first of Tarantino’s historical vengeance narratives re-writes history and embeds the satisfying functions of the revenge film behind heavy historical figures and events. Screens Saturday 16th August at 9pm. 

Golden Daytime Sundays features films from the Golden Age of Hollywood, including Harvey (Sun 17^th August 3pm), Pillow Talk (Sun 24^th August 3pm) and a digitally restored vision of Chinatown (Sun August 31, 3pm).

No cinema ticket? No worries. All are welcome in the Golden Age bar. It’s open from 5pm until late, Tuesday through Saturday, and from 2.30pm until late on Sunday.

For more information about the venue and the upcoming schedule visit the Golden Age website, and be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

New Releases (14/08/14)

In cinemas this week: The Expendables 3, The Hundred-Foot Journey, Palo Alto and Postman Pat: The Movie.

The Expendables 3 - Barney (Stallone), Christmas (Statham) and the rest of the team come face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill... or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables -- but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables' most personal battle yet. Review by Matt Pejkovic, Matt's Movie Reviews.

The Hundred Foot Journey - Hassan Kadam (Manish Dayal) is a culinary ingénue with the gastronomic equivalent of perfect pitch. Displaced from their native India, the Kadam family, led by Papa (Om Puri), settles in the quaint village of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val in the south of France. Filled with charm, it is both picturesque and elegant - the ideal place to settle down and open an Indian restaurant, the Maison Mumbai. That is, until the chilly chef proprietress of Le Saule Pleureur, a Michelin starred, classical French restaurant run by Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren), gets wind of it. Her icy protests against the new Indian restaurant a hundred feet from her own, escalate to all out war between the two establishments - until Hassan's passion for French haute cuisine and for Mme. Mallory's enchanting sous chef, Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon), combine with his mysteriously delicious talent to weave magic between their two cultures and imbue Saint-Antonin with the flavors of life that even Mallory cannot ignore.

Palo Alto - Shy, sensitive April (Emma Roberts) is the class virgin -a popular soccer player and frequent babysitter for her single-dad coach, Mr. B. (James Franco). Teddy (Jack Kilmer) is an introspective artist whose best friend and sidekick Fred (Nat Wolff) is an unpredictable live wire with few filters or boundaries. While April negotiates a dangerous affair with Mr. B., and Teddy performs community service for a DUI - secretly carrying a torch for April, who may or may not share his affection - Fred seduces Emily (Zoe Levin), a promiscuous loner who seeks validation through sexual encounters. One high school party bleeds into another as April and Teddy finally acknowledge their mutual affection, and Fred's escalating recklessness spirals into chaos. 

I imagine James Franco’s collection of short stories that inspired this project are far better than his awful performance here, and this high school life/coming of age drama, overall. There are some poignant and accurate (I guess) observations of teenage life in America, but whenever it attempts to convey a message subtlety is sorely absent. Jack Kilmer (son of Val) and Emma Roberts are admittedly quite good in their roles as two confused everyday kids who are drawn together when everything else in their life blows, but the largely annoying Palo Alto is populated by poor dialogue, weak acting (and bizarre cameos) and forced, incredible drama. ★1/2

Postman Pat: The Movie - The film finds Pat, everyone's favorite postman, center stage as a contestant in a national TV talent show competition. Will success and fame tear him away from his hometown of Greendale and the friends he loves? Can Pat return to town in time to foil a sinister plot to replace him with legions of Patbot 3000 robots destined to take over the world? Only Postman Pat can save the day. 

Weekly Recommendation: The only film I have seen from this line-up is Palo Alto, and I hated it. The only way I know Postman Pat is out is because the Internet tells me. With Chef and The Lunchbox already in cinemas this year, I don't think The Hundred Foot Journey is going to offer too many surprises. Mirren is always watchable and I have enjoyed Hallstrom's films over the years, but I am going to give this one a miss. There is no chance I am going to see The Expendables 3. I despised the first one and didn't bother with the apparently worse sequel. So, it looks like I'll be having a week away from the cinema. Unless I watch Lucy again.    

Top Five Films Based on Alternative Comic Books

Stan Lee is laughing all the way to the bank with every blockbuster film that’s based on a Marvel title. And while Spider-Man and company have gotten a lot of big-screen exposure in recent years, there are a wealth of films out there that were based on lesser known comic works that don’t get the attention they deserve.

Here’s guest writer Brandon Engel's top five movies based on alternative comics:

5. Snowpiercer (2013)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX5PwfEMBM0]

Based on the French comic La Transperceneige, the film takes place in a dystopian future where climate change has wiped out the global population, except for the microsociety that has  formed aboard the Snowpiercer (a commercial train). The story focuses largely on the issues and class warfare that becomes a problem on the train itself. The film features excellent performances from Tilda Swinton, Chris Evans, and John Hurt.

4. Heavy Metal (1981)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMNjdCel8L8]

This classic animated feature based on the adult-fantasy publication Heavy Metal (which was itself based on the French publication Métal Hurlant). The film is an anthology of pulpy science-fiction and fantasy stories, each involving the Locnar, a strange green orb that has magical powers. It’s got a little something for everybody, and by everybody, I mean 14 year old boys: cartoon sex, buxom warrior women riding pterodactyls, zombies aboard a World War II bomber, and vintage heavy metal music. However gendered and overwrought with cliches, the animation is excellent, and it evokes the paintings of Frank Frazetta and the sword and sorcery pulp literature of Robert E. Howard. A must watch for genre fans.

3. Fritz the Cat (1972)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kf7diA3Rcp8]

Animator Ralph Bakshi purchased the rights to underground comic Robert Crumb’s Fritz the Cat in the seventies and set about making the world’s first X-rated animated feature. Crumb himself didn’t shy away from vulgarity, and Bakshi seems to revel in it. The film reflects much of what the counter-culture was starting to develop a reputation for, and it is filled with profanity, animated nudity, and blatant references to sex and drug use. It was an extremely audacious piece of filmmaking, although Crumb was famously displeased with the film.

2. Tank Girl (1995)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb8OqoMraMI]

Lori Petty plays Tank Girl, the heroine of the underground English comic series who is sort of like a riot girl vigilante in a post-apocalyptic world where water is scarce. She’s part of a team that tries to steal water from the corporations who hoard it (and the villains like Kesslee [Malcolm McDowell] who harvest it from human bodies). Although the film Tank Girl was met with lukewarm reviews upon it’s initial release, it’s being re-embraced by a whole new generation of young viewers, thanks largely to the fact that it’s streamable online (check this website) and it’s recently been re-released on Blu-Ray.

1. The Crow (1994)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA6GYAtvNcs]

This is the film that will, unfortunately, be best remembered as Brandon Lee’s final film (Lee died tragically during production when the shell of a blank penetrated into his stomach). The film is an adaptation of a comic by James O’Barr, which tells the story of Eric Draven, a young musician who is murdered alongside his girlfriend. Draven is resurrected by a crow (a spiritual median in the story) so that he may take revenge on the gang that harmed him. The film is one of a kind, creating a world that is almost evocative of Tim Burton’s work, without all of the cutesy elements.

Review: Lucy (Luc Besson, 2014)

Lucy is the latest film from French writer/director Luc Besson. Besson, who directed the incredible Leon: The Professional and sci-fi cult favourite The Fifth Element back in the mid 90’s, has been a more prolific screenwriter and producer in recent years. Mostly involved with mediocre action films. His last two directorial efforts were the critically reviled The Lady and The Family. But, with Lucy, he is back in exciting form, creating an absurdly ambitious and defiantly goofy action sci-fi, bringing high-concept universal and existential hypothesizing to the crime thriller genre. With a kick-ass heroine who evolves from hapless captive to skilled super-entity, Bresson’s colourful and inventive visual style and obscure sense of humour gives this a unique and bizarre tone. Think of it as a blend of Salt and The Tree of Life, with more than a few Limitless ingredients.

The aptly cast Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, Under the Skin), whose roles this year are becoming more interesting by the film, stars as Lucy, a 25-year-old American woman living in Taipei. She is tricked by her dodgy boyfriend into becoming a drug mule, and is captured by the associates of a Korean drug kingpin named Mr Jang (Choi Min-sik, Oldboy). When she is brought before him she learns that she was carrying a highly valuable synthetic drug called CPH4, an advanced version of a toxin that assists the growth of a fetus in the womb. A bag of the drug is sewn into her abdomen and she is forced to transport it to Europe for sale. When she is held captive and beaten, the drugs are released into her system and she develops enhanced physical capabilities and powerful mental abilities. She can no longer feel pain, absorbs large volumes of information immediately and can perform telekinesis, just to begin with. She discovers that she will never survive without replenishment, so she sets about retrieving the other bags and makes contact with Prof. Samuel Norman (Morgan Freeman), whose research makes him a candidate to explain to her just what is going on. 

Continue reading at Graffiti With Punctuation.

Review: Begin Again (John Carney, 2014)

Written and directed by John Carney, the man responsible for Once, Begin Again is an enthusiastic musical drama/romantic comedy that embraces the role that music, and collective inspiration and creativity, can have in the emotional rehabilitation of people who are need of a fresh start. Mark Ruffalo is the kind of actor who oozes carefree charm and utilizes natural mannerisms to give his affable characters added humanism and complexity. In Begin Again, like many projects before, he makes everything look easy, and he always seems to play characters I end up being a little jealous of. Ruffalo-led films, with the exception of last year’s terrible Thanks For Sharing, rarely go sour, and he is a prominent reason why I enjoyed Begin Again so much. Also convincing is Keira Knightley, who I am slowly becoming a fan of. Though it is dubious to call the musical performances ‘live’, it is Knightley on the vocals and the toe-tapping songs are great.

From the opening minutes, we know that Dan (Ruffalo) is currently a shadow of his former shadow. He has a teenage daughter (Hailee Steinfeld) that he never sees, and he has just awoken with a hangover from an epic bender, brought on by the recent termination of his position as an executive of a record label. The label had been struggling, and when he turns up to a meeting drunk, it is the last straw for his frustrated partner Saul (Mos Def).

The events of the previous night are revealed in flashback, and it seems there is a silver lining. At one of the bars in the East Village the very drunk Dan is smitten with Gretta (Knightley), an independent singer/songwriter who is planning to leave New York following a break-up with her partner and successful musician Dave (Adam Levine from Maroon 5). Though they write together, and she matches his talent, he has become the star. The song she performs re-ignites Dan’s creative spirit and he offers to sign her to the label, a promise he no longer can guarantee. At first she refuses, but after a change of heart the pair become friends, and Saul is impressed by the demo they bring to him. After recruiting a team of talented musicians, Dan and Gretta decide to record their album at public locations around New York City, grappling with their feeling for one another along the way.

Continue reading at Graffiti With Punctuation.

New Releases (07/08/14)

In cinemas this week: Guardians of the Galaxy, Begin Again, And So It Goes and Bethlehem (Nova).

Guardians of the Galaxy - This action-packed, epic space adventure, expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits - Rocket (Bradley Cooper), a gun-toting raccoon, Groot (Vin Diesel), a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista). But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a desperate stand, with the galaxy's fate in the balance.

Begin Again - The latest film from writer-director John Carney (Once), Begin Again is a soul-stirring comedy about what happens when lost souls meet and make beautiful music together. Gretta (Keira Knightley) and her long-time boyfriend Dave (Adam Levine) are college sweethearts and songwriting partners who decamp for New York when he lands a deal with a major label. But the trappings of his new-found fame soon tempt Dave to stray, and a reeling, lovelorn Gretta is left on her own. Her world takes a turn for the better when Dan (Mark Ruffalo), a disgraced record-label exec, stumbles upon her performing on an East Village stage and is immediately captivated by her raw talent. From this chance encounter emerges an enchanting portrait of a mutually transformative collaboration, set to the soundtrack of a summer in New York City.  Review to come to GWP soon (★★★★).

And So It Goes - There are a million reasons not to like realtor Oren Little (Michael Douglas), and that's just the way he likes it. Willfully obnoxious to anyone who might cross his path, he wants nothing more than to sell one last house and retire in peace and quiet -- until his estranged son suddenly drops off a granddaughter (Sterling Jerins) he never knew existed and turns his life upside-down. Clueless about how to care for a sweet, abandoned nine-year-old, he pawns her off on his determined and lovable neighbor Leah (Diane Keaton) and tries to resume his life uninterrupted. But little by little, Oren stubbornly learns to open his heart - to his family, to Leah, and to life itself.

Bethlehem tells the story of the complex relationship between an Israeli Secret Service officer and his teenage Palestinian informant. Shuttling back and forth between conflicting points of view, the film is a raw portrayal of characters torn apart by competing loyalties and impossible moral dilemmas, giving an unparalleled glimpse into the dark and fascinating world of human intelligence.

Weekly Recommendation: A thin week of releases, but a strong one. Guardians of the Galaxy is as entertaining as the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever been. For the most part, it buckles the formula, combining exciting intergalactic action sequences with sharp (and frequent) humour. Plus, the cast is a riot. Begin Again is a pleasant and exceedingly watchable rom-com about how music can bring people together and inspire. Ruffalo and Knightley are terrific together. Bethlehem screened at last year's Jewish Film Festival. The complex, fraying relationships at the core of this thriller, and the authentic insider look at both the agendas of the militant revolutionaries and the procedures of the Israeli secret service, make for grim but powerful viewing. I actually preferred it to the similarly-themed Oscar-nominated Omar. I have yet to hear one positive comment about And So It Goes, despite the Douglas/Keaton pairing, so I am not going to rush out and see that.   

Highlights From The 9th Sydney Latin American Film Festival

Cinema and Latin lovers are invited to experience a distinctive film program by vanguard directors at the forefront of Latin American cinema at the 9th Sydney Latin American Film Festival. Share in the unique stories as you explore the music, dark humour, drama and hopes of Latin America, all through a contemporary Latin American lens.

The festival will span 8 days (3-10 September), screening a high-calibre selection of new-release features, documentaries and short films from Cuba, Costa Rica, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Peru, USA, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Australia.

Launching the festival at Event Cinemas on George Street on Wednesday 3rd September will be the Cuban Film BEHAVIOUR (Conducta), an insightful and unembellished look into contemporary Cuba that has taken the Cuban box office by storm, scored multiple awards and spurred heated debate. This film captures Cuban social reality in all its complexity, and gives a voice to their frustrations and anxieties while still offering some hope for the future. The film will be followed by a Cuban Fiesta at the Goodgod Small Club headlined by Mucho Mambo and complemented by the sounds of DJ Señor Bolivar. You are invited to feast on a delicious selection of canapés and enjoy our favourite drinks from Corona beer, Pacifico beer and Havana Club Rum.

Curator Gisselle Gallego hopes “audiences will get to see Latin America through a different lens. This year we will be showcasing bold, dark, quirky and unique stories from young and up and coming directors.”

Highlights of the festival program include Brazil’s winner at the 61st International Film Festival, A WOLF AT THE DOOR (O lobo atrás da porta) - a nerve-rattling tale of a kidnapped child inspired by real events. A thriller reminiscent of Fatal Attraction, Brazilian filmmaker Fernando Coimbra’s suspenseful feature debut captures the darkness that ensues when panic breeds suspicion and love turns to hate.
 
The very first feature from Haiti STONES IN THE SUN (Woch Nan Soley), winner of the Sundance Time Warner Storytelling Award and Special Jury Mention at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival, is an impassioned debut by film director Patricia Benoit that thoughtfully unveils stories of damaged love and the desire to return to a home that no longer exists.

In Costa Rica’s feature film ALL ABOUT THE FEATHERS (Por las plumas), Neto Villalobos’ first feature film is a subtle, absurdist comedy that impressively hinges on the stellar performances of the (mostly amateur) cast and exceptional observational cinematography. This feature is a black comedy about Chalo, a lone security guard who acquires his first gamecock and discovers the bittersweet taste of friendship. It raised $16,522 through the crowdsourcing platform Indiegogo.com.

From Puerto Rico comes THE COWS WEARING GLASSES (Las vacas con gafas) directed by one of the most talented emerging filmmakers coming out of the new wave of Puerto Rican cinema, Alex Santiago Pérez. A story about the emotional awakening of a man who is nearing the end of his days, Marso is a solitary and eccentric painter and art professor. He has a disease that will make him lose his sight at any time and that has forced him to rethink the relationship with his daughter, while taking stock of a life full of professional success but unsatisfactory on the personal level.

For lovers of Reggae music, SONGS OF REDEMPTION will be screening - a moving story of rehabilitation of inmates from the General Penitentiary in Jamaica, featuring riveting interviews and powerful Reggae music created and performed by the inmates and wardens. After the screening, let DJ Señor Bolivar take you to a journey through Reggae soundscapes.Kids and adults alike can also join in the festivities, with pre-screening fun and games on offer by Pistachio Entertainment before the beautifully animated film ANINA, a multi-award winning gem filled to the brim with humor and empathy.

Revisiting the 2014 Blockbuster Season

With Guardians of the Galaxy (Aug 7) and The Expendables 3 (Aug 14) still to hit screens, we are nearing the end of the 2014 Blockbuster Period.

This year I will begin the season with Noah (March 27) and end it with The Expendables 3, which I won't be seeing.

I feel like I have missed a few of the bigger budget releases along the way - I didn't bother with The Muppets Most Wanted, Divergent, Transcendence, Tranformers 4 or Rio 2 for example - but the season came on strong late with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Guardians of the Galaxy after the disappointment of Captain America and Godzilla and the completely forgettable blandness of the latest X-Men installment. 

Here's how I rank the one I saw:

Excellent (4-4.5) - The Lego Movie, Bad Neighbours, Edge of Tomorrow, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Decent (3-3.5) - Noah, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Godzilla and How To Train Your Dragon 2. 

Eh (2-2.5) - The Other Woman, X-Men: Days of Future Past and 22 Jump Street.

Ugly (0.5-1.5) - The Amazing Spider-man 2 and A Million Ways To Die In The West.

Not many people enjoyed the hilariously Seth Rogen/Zac Efron turf wars in Bad Neighbours as much as I, and it seems like X-Men is heavily favoured. So, my rankings will be topsy-turvy for many.

I know there were many out there who felt strongly about Godzilla either way, while I came out straight down the middle. The monster effects are incredible, the catastrophic scale and the effective mounting of dread impressive, but the human story was blundered badly. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is not the guy you want to lead an audience through an unbelievably convenient series of close encounters. I was rarely on the edge of my seat, but remained in constant awe of the colossal spectacle. And yet, a few hours after seeing it, I couldn't summon much enthusiasm. As it turns out, the film's best sequence appeared in that first teaser - the reason it was one of my most-anticipated films of the year.

I absolutely hated The Amazing Spider-man 2, which was as loud and overstuffed as Raimi's Spiderman 3 and was watchable only when Garfield and Stone shared the screen. 22 Jump Street successfully ran a pretty exciting reboot series into the ground with an overload of meta humour that wore out its welcome and barely masked the generic 'college' story, despite winning chemistry (again) from Tatum and Hill.

I had forgotten I had even seen Days of Future Past mere hours after watching it, and what is most angering about it is it's existence as a $200 million clean slate for the franchise. Only McAvoy turns in a performance worth mentioning, despite it sneakily being the best 'Wolverine' film to date.

Noah is the season's strangest blockbuster and for all its failures, it offers plenty that is thought-provoking. Its sensory splendour and consistent intensity demanded the cinema environment. How To Train Your Dragon 2 was a visually spectacular sequel that took a darker turn, failing to match the predecessor's sense of fun.

The Winter Soldier, an anticipated follow-up to one of the better Marvel adventures, had the worst 3D of the season and was unfortunately punishing in it's final act, despite a welcomed return for Black Widow (who deserves her own film).

The Lego Movie was bursting with colourful inventiveness, and wonderful animation, and in addition to being crazy and hilarious it manages to go into surprisingly profound territory about identity and imagination, delivering a potent message about the power of one against corporate conformity, and the limitless creativity present within us all.

Tom Cruise, after the underrated Oblivion last year, is part of another winner in Edge of Tomorrow. Liman knows the ingredients of the summer blockbuster, and his thoughtful film strikes a compelling balance of high-stakes action spectacle, character-driven drama and timely injections of humour to ensure that its clever concept never wears out its welcome. The concept draws from the best of inspirations (Groundhog Day meets Aliens) and it really worked.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is an intimate, complex character-driven sci-fi/war hybrid that offers a relentless barrage of intense, unpredictable and deeply affecting moments of moral conflict, and an astounding fusion of visual effects and choreographed battle sequences. Incredibly, the epic Dawn improves upon the surprisingly-excellent Rise in almost every capacity, offering thought-provoking commentary on humanity and the differences that may bring opponents to war – despite the mutual desire for peace – amidst unfathomably consistent tension and aesthetic spectacle.

If Dawn is the most compelling, and powerful of the blockbuster crop, Guardians of the Galaxy is the most fun. I was thoroughly entertained throughout James Gunn's strange and unorthodox MCU refresher. Such a relief that it exists. The chemistry between the core group of misfits is just one of the areas this film excels in, but that was more than enough. And how about Chris Pratt, the central hero of two of this year's most entertaining films. I loved the humor in The Avengers, but this is even funnier.

So, what were your favourites from this year's Blockbuster crop? A few years back we had The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises. Last year we had Pacific Rim, Iron Man 3, Oblivion and The World's End. This year might in fact be the strongest. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, especially, has a real shot at making my EOY Top 15.