New Releases (21/02/13)

Amour follows Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant, The Conformist, Trois Couleurs: Rouge) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva, Trois Couleurs: Bleu), retired music teachers in their 80's with a daughter, Eva (Isabelle Huppert, The Piano Teacher), who lives abroad with her family. The couple's eternal love is severely tested when Anne suffers a debilitating stroke at the breakfast table one morning after attending a piano recital of one of Anne's former students in Paris. The stroke, which paralyses the right side of her body, leaves her house-bound and completely reliant on the care and continued devotion of her husband. As Anne begins to slowly deteriorate, the result of a second stroke, both her immense suffering and the tremendous stress and heartbreak this causes Georges is more-than-effectively conveyed to an audience that can only watch in both awe at the craftsmanship on display and despair at what we are literally being forced to watch. Haneke masterfully crafts an tender, honest, exhausting and emotionally devastating portrait of the strength of human devotion, delving into the fears that everybody has about old age, whether it is suffering like Anne does, or watching a loved one suffer and being unable to help them. 

Nominees Announced in FCCA Awards

The Film Critic's Circle of Australia, of which I am a proud member, have announced their nominees in the 2012 Critics Awards for Australian Film.

Awards will be presented on Tuesday 19th March, and the following nominees are in alphabetical order.

One notable exclusion from a number of categories is Hail, Amiel Courtin Wilson's raw, uncompromising and quite brilliant docu-drama of a prisoner's struggle to return to society and his spiral into merciless self-destruction and madness/ Lore, Wish You Were Here and The Sapphires, as expected, featured the most prominently.


BEST FILM

DEAD EUROPE (Producer: Liz Watts, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning)
LORE (Producer: Liz Watts, Karsten Stöter, Paul Welsh, Benny Drechsel)
NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN (Producer: Jodi Matterson)
SAPPHIRES, THE (Producer: Rosemary Blight, Kylie Du Fresne)
WISH YOU WERE HERE (Producer: Angie Fielder)
 
BEST DIRECTOR

WAYNE BLAIR (Sapphires, The)
KIERAN DARCY-SMITH (Wish You Were Here)
CATE SHORTLAND (Lore)
PETER TEMPLETON (Not Suitable for Children)
 
BEST ACTRESS

DEBORAH MAILMAN (Sapphires, The)
FELICITY PRICE (Wish You Were Here)
SARAH SNOOK (Not Suitable for Children)
 
BEST ACTOR

JOEL EDGERTON (Wish You Were Here)
EWEN LESLIE (Dead Europe)
CHRIS O’DOWD (Sapphires, The)
 
BEST SCREENPLAY

KIERAN DARCY- SMITH & FELICITY PRICE (Wish You Were Here)
CATE SHORTLAND & ROBIN MUKHERJEE (Lore)
TONY BRIGGS & KEITH THOMPSON (Sapphires, The)
 
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

ADAM ARKAPAW (Lore)
JULES O’LOUGHLIN (Wish You Were Here)
WARWICK THORNTON (Sapphires, The)
 
BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE

MATTEO ZINGALES (Not Suitable For Children)
CEZARY SKUBISZEWSKI (Sapphires, The)
MAX RICHTER (Lore)
 
BEST EDITING

JASON BALLANTINE (Wish You Were Here)
DANY COOPER (Sapphires, The)
VERONIKA JENET (Lore) 
 
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

REBECCA GIBNEY (Mental)
JESSICA MAUBOY (Sapphires, The)
TERESA PALMER (Wish You Were Here)
 
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

ANTONY STARR (Wish You Were Here)
LIEV SCHREIBER (Mental)
RYAN CORR (Not suitable for Children)
 
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A YOUNG ACTOR

KODI SMIT-MCPHEE (Dead Europe)
HANNA MANGAN LAWRENCE (Thirst)
SASKIA ROSENDAHL (Lore)
LILY SULLIVAN (Mental)
 
BEST DOCUMENTARY

DESPITE THE GODS  (Director: Penny Vozniak, Producer: Karina Astrup)
DR SARMAST’S MUSIC SCHOOL (Director: Polly Watkins, Producer: Beth Frey)
LASSETER’S BONES (Director/Producer: Luke Walker)                                               
PAUL KELLY: STORIES OF ME (Director: Ian Darling, Producers: Susan MacKinnon, Mary Macrae, Ian Darling)

2012 Motifs in Cinema: Inevitability of Death

With thanks to Andrew at Encore’s World of Film and Television I was asked to participate in Motifs of Cinema.

Motifs in Cinema is a discourse across 22 film blogs, assessing the way in which various thematic elements have been used in the 2012 cinematic landscape. How does a common theme vary in use from a comedy to a drama? Are filmmakers working from a similar canvas when they assess the issue of death or the dynamics of revenge? Like most things, a film begins with an idea - Motifs in Cinema assesses how the use of a common theme across various films changes when utilised by different artists.

In 2012 the motif of the ‘Inevitability of Death’ has been utilized in a diversity of ways. The following discussions of Oslo August 31^st, The Grey, Looper, The Cabin in the Woods and Amour do contain specific details of the plot (spoilers).

Early on in Joachim Trier’s Oslo, August 31^st, the central character, Anders, a former drug addict who has been allowed a day of leave from his rehabilitation facility, attempts to end his life. We, alone, witness this. We see him load his pockets with rocks and jump into a lake. A period of time later he explodes through the surface of the water, coughing and spluttering. Could he not go through with it? Perhaps, having considered taking his life for some time, he wanted to see if he ‘could’ when the time came? We follow Anders through Oslo for the remainder of the film, aware of what the other characters he meets – old friends who he reunites with, and in some instances confronts - are not. To them, he seems to have recovered and doing well. We are unsure, but we get an unsettling sense that this could potentially be Anders’ final day on earth. By personal design. There are empathetic moments where we understand Anders’ reaction to simple pleasures purely through his facial expressions, almost as if he knows this is the last time he will feel this sensation. Trier has some surprises in stall, because the day’s trajection isn’t a self-destructive spiral (as it could have been, and usually is for these sorts of films), but actually presents an optimistic future. But, there is still that undeniable feeling of inevitability in the atmosphere of this magnificent film that unnerves us as we accompany Anders through the day.

2013 Alliance Francaise French Film Festival Review: In the House (Francois Ozon)

In the House is screening as part of the 2013 Alliance Francaise French Film Festival.
 
In the House is the new film from esteemed French writer-director Francois Ozon (Swimming Pool, Potiche) adapted from ‘The Boy in the Last Row’ by Juan Mayorga. It is a dual character study of a world-weary teacher and failed novelist, and a gifted, but evidently troubled pupil who displays exceptional writing talent. It is an unsettling drama that leaves plenty to ponder, and deals with voyeurism, professional misconduct, the blurring of reality and fiction, and the conscious manipulation of the family dynamic.

Germaine (Fabrice Luchini) is a frustrated old-fashioned English literature teacher who has all-but given up hope for the new generation when he expresses his dismay to his art-curator wife, Jeanne (Kristin Scott Thomas), at his students’ recent inept efforts. Only one pupil from his class, Claude (Ernst Umhauer), turns in anything proficient on a writing assignment. Intrigued by the boy’s interesting, but somewhat inappropriate account of his weekend (which ends with a ‘to be continued…’), he questions whether it is a recount of the truth, or if it has been influenced by his imagination. This mystery remains throughout the film as we only ever see the events unfold as Luchini is reading them out.

Germaine takes an unnervingly voyeuristic interest in the boy’s follow-up essays. We learn that Claude has befriended a classmate Rapha (Bastien Ughetto). Offering to help him with his mathematics, he manages to ‘infiltrate’ the house of what he declares to be the perfect middle class family. Soon enough Rapha’s parents (a jovial Denis Menochet and a suffocated Emmanuelle Seigner) begin to treat him like a second son. Over time his actions and intentions become more sinister, and Germaine, hooked on the story, begins to play a role in manipulating events (even procuring a test in advance to help Rapha pass math) to ensure that Claude continues to be invited into the house, and with means to elaborate on his tale.

Continue Reading at Graffiti With Punctuation.

Predictions: 85th Academy Awards (Winners)

The full list of nominees for the 85th Academy Awards can be found here. Below are my hesitant predictions for twenty one of the categories. As you will see, I am sure of about half a dozen of these.

The 85th Academy Awards are held on February 25 (Australian time).  

Best Picture

Prediction: Argo
Could Win: Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Life of Pi
Should Win: Zero Dark Thirty

Here's how I'd rank the nominees in terms of their likelihood of winning:

Argo
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Life of Pi
Zero Dark Thirty
Amour
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Beasts of the Southern Wild

Following the nominations Argo fell from equal favouritism with Lincoln to be beneath Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Life of Pi and even Amour, but in the ensuing weeks - with wins at the Golden Globes, SAG, PGA, DGA and BAFTA - it has returned to heavy favouritism. But will this translate into a win, despite the fact that Affleck didn't receive a nomination? It is looking very likely. Looking through each of Argo's other nominations, I'm not sure it is going to win any of them. It 'could' take out Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Film Editing (well, it's got this one) and Adapted Screenplay, and if it did I can see justification in the Best Picture win. I can also see Lincoln (Adapted, Supporting Actor, Actor and Director), Silver Linings Playbook (Adapted, Supporting Actor, Actress and Director), Life of Pi (Visual Effects, Cinematography, Score and Director) and Zero Dark Thirty (Editing, Original and Actress) making claims for Best Picture. I'm pretty sure Argo will take it out - I have come to learn how this race works - and though I now favour others, that's fine with me.

Head over to Graffiti With Punctuation for the rest of my predictions. 

New Releases (14/02/13)

West of Memphis - From director Amy Berg, in collaboration with first time Producers Damien Echols and Lorri Davis along with filmmakers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh comes West of Memphis, a powerful examination of a catastrophic failure of justice in Arkansas. The documentary tells the hitherto unknown story behind an extraordinary and desperate fight to bring the truth to light. Told and made by those who lived it, Berg's unprecedented access to the inner workings of the defense, allows the film to show the investigation, research and appeals process in a way that has never been seen before; revealing shocking and disturbing new information about a case that still haunts the American South.

Anna Karenina - The third collaboration of Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley with acclaimed director Joe Wright, following the award-winning box office successes Pride & Prejudice and Atonement, is a bold, theatrical new vision of the epic story of love, adapted from Leo Tolstoy's timeless novel by Academy Award winner Tom Stoppard. The story powerfully explores the capacity for love that surges through the human heart. As Anna (Ms. Knightley) questions her happiness and marriage, change comes to all around her.

The Sweeney - Tearing up the streets of London, The Sweeney is a stylish, exhilarating action thriller proving sometimes you have to act like a criminal to catch a criminal. Armed and dangerous, the Sweeney Flying Squad are old school crime fighters enforcing the law. Led by legendary detective Jack Regan (Ray Winstone) and his loyal partner, they have their own unique way of operating and always get results. With a bank heist in progress and his old enemy making a reappearance on the London crime scene, Regan will do whatever it takes to get the job done, even defying orders from his no-nonsense boss (Damian Lewis).  

Safe Haven - An affirming and suspenseful story about a young woman's struggle to love again, Safe Haven is based on the novel from Nicholas Sparks, the best-selling author behind the hit films The Notebook and Dear John. When a mysterious young woman arrives in a small North Carolina town, her reluctance to join the tight knit community raises questions about her past. Slowly, she begins putting down roots, and gains the courage to start a relationship with Alex, a widowed store owner with two young children. But dark secrets intrude on her new life with such terror that she is forced to rediscover the meaning of sacrifice and rely on the power of love in this moving romantic thriller.

Weekly Recommendation: West of Memphis. No film this year so far - not even Django Unchained - was as anticipated as this. A documentary probing further into the case of the West Memphis Three, now released after over a decade in prison. Their story was chronicled in the extraordinarily powerful Paradise Lost trilogy, but this provides further insight into the case, and examines new-found evidence. Produced by one of the imprisoned, Damien Echols. 

Review: I Give It A Year (Dan Mazer, 2013)

I Give It A Year hits cinemas February 28.

Dan Mazer (the writer of Borat and Bruno) makes his directorial debut with a bawdy and irreverent romantic comedy, I Give It A Year, packing this sharply observant insight into the realities of a young marriage with plenty of hilariously awkward sketches. The characters are likable, with Rafe Spall’s bumbling klutz the most idiotic but endearing of them all, the writing is genuinely funny and Mazer even attempts to subvert the genre while aware of adhering to the most obnoxious of tropes.

Sparks fly between Nat (Rose Byrne), an ambitious PR, and Josh (Spall), a housebound novelist working on his sophomore piece, after meeting at a party. Much to the shock of their family and friends, who have already spotted the mismatch, they are married within the year. Everyone fears the worst, questioning whether they will survive their differences and make it through the notoriously tumultuous first year of married life. Suffering from writer’s block and cabin fever, Josh reunites with ex-girlfriend Chloe (Anna Faris), who left their relationship for a multi-year international humanitarian  venture, and Nat finds herself removing her wedding ring for the purposes of flirting with a handsome, high-profile American client, Guy (Simon Baker), only to find reciprocated fascination. These attractive alternatives result in the couple’s trials and tribulations, forcing them to consider the life-changing decision.

Continue reading at Graffiti With Punctuation. 

Review: Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (Tommy Wirkola, 2013)

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is a blend of fantasy adventure and horror, and a reworking of the Grimm Brothers fairy tale ‘Hansel and Gretel’. Written and directed by Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow), a product of the Gary Sanchez Productions (Will Ferrell and Adam McKay), Hansel and Gretel is a brainless sometimes-fun splatter fest about sibling witch hunters who are hired to rid a village of a witch plague and find eleven abducted children. I have a very vague memory of the fairytale (something about breadcrumbs and a gingerbread house?) but this unnecessarily gratuitous slasher version (which pushes the rating into MA territory, eliminating the accessibility to part of the clear target audience) has lots of unpleasant things - witches, trolls, Sabbaths, a disposable supporting cast and frequent doses of woman beating.

Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) are the titular orphans who have honed their gun and bow skills (and learned how to be indestructible, seemingly) following their infamous killing of a witch in their youth. Inexplicably left alone in the forest by their parents in the middle of the night they stumble across a house made entirely of candy. Lured in by the sugary delights they find themselves confronted by a witch who locks away Hansel and forces him to devour more treats – resulting in lifelong diabetes and required EpiPen injections – before she is stabbed and burned by Gretel. Following the title sequence, where we are informed about their celebrated professional endeavours and their vengeful bloodlust, we are taken to the small town of Augsburg. Having stopped the town’s Sheriff (Peter Stormare) from wrongly convicting a beautiful woman, Mina (Pihla Viitala), of suspected witchcraft, they are hired by the mayor (Rainor Bock) to seek out and eliminate those responsible for the abduction of the children. Along the way they learn of an approaching Sabbath and uncover some secrets about themselves and their past.