Category Archives: Drama

Drama, Mystery

Where the Crawdads Sing

Leave a comment
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Date watched: August 13, 2022
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2022

Review

When I saw that Reece Witherspoon’s production company (Hello Sunshine) was behind this film, I knew it was something that I wanted to see. Witherspoon’s name carries great weight to quality storytelling on film and television following the successes of Wild, Gone Girl, and Big Little Lies. She also champions an area that I am very passionate about, female-driven stories.

Set in the late 1950s / early 1960s, Where the Crawdads Sing follows the story of Kya. A young girl from a poor family, who grows up in the marshlands of North Carolina on her own, after being left abandoned by her family. As she grows up, she becomes known as “The Marsh Girl” by the local community.

It’s based on the best-seller novel by Delia Owens, which I hadn’t read prior to seeing the film. The woman sitting next to me in the cinema did tell me that she thought it was a good adaptation.

The film starts off with the discovery of a body in the marsh and uses the technique of flashbacks to delve deeper into how Kya finds herself on trial for murder of the body found. We spend a lot of time looking back before being brought back into the present for short bursts, giving clues to the audience along the way.

It’s through the flashbacks that the film also tackles several confronting themes including domestic abuse, assault, and rape.

While there are some red herrings included (as any murder mystery does) I don’t feel that they were explored far enough to be a legitimate option although it does provide reasonable doubt. If you pay attention, there are clues along the way that hint how the ending will play out. I had the ending worked out around halfway through.

This didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the conclusion, it’s still quite a remarkable and satisfying end. I like trying to work out the riddle and am delighted when I am correct (who isn’t I guess).

However perhaps for this reason, I did feel like the ending dragged out much longer than it needed to. It was almost agony waiting for the reveal. At one point I thought that it wasn’t going to happen, which would have been disappointing as confirmation is a must for this story! The audience deserves it.

Even though most of the story takes place while Kya is on trial, the film leans more into the mystery component than a courtroom drama. This is because a lot of the onscreen time takes place in the flashbacks. I did enjoy the courtroom scenes and would have liked to see a little more of the film in this setting. Kya’s lawyer Tom Milton also gave off some Atticus Finch vibes, down to the white suit.

I found the cinematography very crisp and showed the beauty of the southeast of America. It’s a very clean looking film and it’s that juxtaposition against the topics that are addressed that demonstrates while things may look pretty on the surface, there can be ugliness hidden underneath. Many of the characters are judged based on their appearance but their actions speak volumes as to who they really are.

If I had to take my pick, I’d probably go with Gone Girl over Where the Crawdads Sing. While an unfair comparison as they are based on novels by different authors, that’s just where my personal preference lies.

Where the Crawdads Sing is an enjoyable film that I’d recommend. Probably not one that you need to see at the cinema though.

Rating:  Good

Drama

Sundown

Leave a comment
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Date watched: August 7, 2022
Date Reviewed: August 16, 2022

Review

I’ve had ‘Sundown’ on my watchlist ever since I first saw the trailer a couple of months ago and the Sunday morning session I went along to turned out to be the right atmosphere for this type of film.

It is quite a different film to what is out there, which I found refreshing. Just be aware however that this may not be to everyone’s tastes.

Sundown is a difficult film to summarise as the more you talk about it, the more it gives away, which takes away from the experience. From the very first scene your given the first piece of the puzzle without knowing what the picture is.

I’ve decided not to reveal any spoilers here as this review would turn into an analysis of my interpretation of the film. And I’d much rather let you experience the joy of discovery that I had.

For me, watching this film felt like I was curled up on vacation reading a good book. As the film progresses, the layers of the story start peeling away, slowly answering some questions about what is happening.

I think it would be interesting to see a second time, knowing how it plays out, and seeing what one might additionally pick up on or see from a different point of view.

I don’t think the film would have been as successful if it were not for the performance of lead actor Tim Roth. The character he plays (Neil) can at times be difficult to empathise with and his motivations questionable, yet Roth’s performance is captivating, providing insight to the character even when he is not delivering dialog.

It’s a slower paced and at times uncomfortable watch but if you like films that make you think and feel, you’ll enjoy this one.

Rating:  Good

Australian, Drama

Looking for Alibrandi

Leave a comment
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Date watched: July 29, 2022
Date Reviewed: August 15, 2022

Review

Warning: This review contains SPOILERS.

A couple of weeks ago I went to see a stage production of Looking for Alibrandi and decided to rewatch the film first, for a bit of a refresher. It was such a pleasure going down this trip of memory lane, one that I haven’t been on for at least a decade.

While I never studied the book for school, I am pretty sure that we did watch the movie. Looking for Alibrandi is the story of three generations of Alibrandi women and was one of the pivotal coming of age movies for my generation. It was the breakout film for Pia Miranda, who stars as Josie (short for Josephine) the 17-year-old whose eyes this film is presented through.

Unsurprisingly most of what has stuck with me from this film are key events that happen with Josie, as that is the character I most related to. She is smart and funny, which is what I aspired to and think I ended up with a very similar sarcastic sense of humour.

I remember very clearly John’s suicide and I think that this may have been the first film that exposed me to that topic. I still struggle to connect with why Josie rips apart what turns out to be his suicide note.

Oddly I had no memory of Kick Gurry being in this film! I remember both he and Pia Miranda being in Garage Days together but not sure why I had forgotten him in this film (sorry Kick!).

Back when this was first released, I was more a fan or at least related to the crush which Josie has on John, rather than the character of Jacob. I find that a bit weird now, as Jacob is a great character, with his own complexities. Watching it now, I really love his school captain speech.

Additionally, when I found myself rewatching the film this time around, I am now the same age as Josie’s mum; Christina (ironic, huh?). I found it really interesting that one of the quotes which really stood out this time around came from Christina. While having a disagreement with her mother and in response to Katia saying she is old and tired of fighting, Christina says:

“And I’m a young woman, I’m tired of being old.”

It’s not that I have a personal connection with that quote to my life, but it just gave me more of an appreciation of the character of Christina that I never really thought about when I was a teenager myself. The sacrifices she had to make, the difficult family life she has and continued strain on her relationship with her mother. She had to grow up very quickly without any support. Now she just wants her daughter to have a better life than she did and has to struggle with Josie having a relationship with her father after it being just the two of them for so long. It’s a lot to take.

I feel that I had a better appreciation that every character is doing it tough in some shape or manner. Just because from the outside someone’s life seems better than yours, you can’t tell what challenges they might be battling.

The film tackles many subjects from the final year of high school (which at the time, feels like the most important year of your life), multi-generational family relationships, the father-daughter relationship, tradition and heritage, and expectations. It also explores growing up with a different heritage through the Australian lens.

While being a moving and complex story, it’s also incredibly funny. A film that produces so many great lines. I especially love the nonna’s spy ring scene! It’s a fantastic cast which brings all these characters to life and the soundtrack that accompanies is a perfect reflection of who Josie is with a balance between traditional Italian and Australian modern music.

While I could go on and on, this isn’t a school essay, and we need to wrap things up.

I very much enjoyed revisiting this film. I found it to be a beautifully told story that many different nationalities will be able to relate to, not just Italians. For so many reasons, it continues to be a relevant story, which if you haven’t seen, you simply must!

Rating:  A Must See

Australian, Biopic, Drama

Elvis

Leave a comment
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Date watched: July 4, 2022
Date Reviewed: July 6, 2022

Review

Monday night I went along to an exclusive screening of Elvis for AACTA and AFI members. Unfortunately there was no Q&A session after the film this time but I was still surrounded by industry members which is pretty cool. For my guest pass I took my mum along with me, who is a big Elvis fan. As for myself, I’m more neutral. That is I like his music but am not fanatical. As such I didn’t really know much about his life.

If I were to describe the film I would look to a previous Baz Luhrmann film for the words and say it was – Spectacular Spectacular! It’s one of the best biopics I have seen in recent years.

I’m a fan of Baz Luhrmann’s style and Elvis is one of the best looking films of his that I have seen. Right from the very beginning where the Warner Brothers logo is unveiled in the sequins of an Elvis jumpsuit until the closing credits wrapped in beautiful images reminiscent of Moulin Rouge, it’s a visually stunning film fitting for the cinema screen.

The film has all the hallmarks of a Bazmark Films production from the captivating use of transitions between scenes, to the beautiful authentic looking costumes, and the stunningly detailed sets. A lot of work from both Luhrmann and Catherine Martin’s teams have gone into making this picture look as special as it does. It sure pays off, as from an audience point of view you are transported to a different place and time.

It’s really exciting for Australian cinema to produce such a blockbuster hit right here. It’s going to further enrich the amazing talent we have right across this country both on and off the screen. Keep an eye out for a number of local talent on camera!

I also liked the way some modern music was incorporated within the soundtrack. There is a scene where we first see Hound Dog being performed by Big Mama Thornton and weaved in is an original track by Doja Cat. I know that this might upset some traditionalists but it does work really well. There are a few instances of rap music being incorporated in the soundtrack and it doesn’t feel out of place. It’s like a progression of black music influences from Elvis’ era to now.

As much as the film is about Elvis, it is also about his relationship with his manager; Colonel Tom Parker and it is through the Colonel’s eyes that the story is narrated. The opening sequence is from Parker’s perspective and there is a build up of anticipation before we finally get to see Elvis. As an audience we are teased with glimpses before the focus shifts onto Elvis, just as his rise to stardom did.

Austin Butler gives a fantastic performance in his portrayal of Elvis. He really captures the spirit of the legend and his voice both in accent and vocals are spot on. The songs early in Elvis’ career are sung by Butler before being blended with Elvis’ real vocals throughout the years. We even had a woman in our audience yell out “yeehaw” during the scene where Elvis gives his first performance in front of an audience, wiggling away!

The moment that really got me was during the sequence of Elvis’ film career. It goes from showing a variety of films that he made to suddenly being transported to a film set and for a split moment Austin Butler appears to walk out of the shot as Elvis Presley from that picture (I think it might have been Via Las Vegas).

Despite his short life, there is a lot to tap into across Elvis’ massive career, personal life, struggles, as well as the nation shaping events of the era. The film does a good job to balance a number of these elements while telling an emotionally connecting story where you don’t need to be an Elvis fan to enjoy. One can’t help but to think where his life might have gone had things played out differently.

Time to dust off the blue suede shoes because it’s time to shake, rattle, and roll into a cinema near you!

Rating:  Great

Drama, Musical

Fiddler on the Roof

Leave a comment
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Date watched: June 19, 2022
Date Reviewed: July 2, 2022

Review

June’s family movie day was back to my pick and continuing on my theme of musicals for the year, I chose Fiddler on the Roof. Which up until this point I hadn’t seen on either stage or screen. We also had to swap from our usual Friday night and instead moved to a Sunday afternoon as the film has a runtime of 3 hours.

Yet again I find myself asking why I waited so long to see it!

I didn’t know too much about the film going into it and like many in the same boat, the only song I knew was “If I Were A Rich Man”. Turns out there are a couple of other songs I knew but just didn’t know they came from this film.

This is a musical with a profound story behind it as well as great music. It’s emotional, it’s funny, and will hook you in from the very first song.

Set in pre-revolutionary Russia, Fiddler on the Roof follows the life of Tevye, a poor Jewish milkman with five daughters and a wife. They live in a small provincial village in a community of both Jews and Orthodox Christians under rule of the Czar. The film’s main focus is that of tradition and how to adapt to changing times and values, which is something Tevye struggles with throughout the film.

Topol portrays the lead role of Tevye and what a mighty performance he brings to the film. The character spends quite a bit of time talking either to us the audience (directly at the camera) or to God (eyesight off camera or to the sky) painting the picture of Jewish tradition and what it means to him. He is a playful character who does what he can to get by and has an open mind. After all, at the start he does say:

Tevye: How did this tradition get started? I’ll tell you!

[pause]

Tevye: I don’t know. But it’s a tradition… and because of our traditions… Every one of us knows who he is and what God expects him to do.

The three adult daughters Tzeitel, Hodel, and Chava as well as their mother Golde also all have strong performances by the women portraying them. Rosalind Harris, who plays Tzeitel gives a standout performance bringing so much emotion and strength to the role. She also has an uncanny resemblance to Barbra Streisand, you’d think they are related.

My favourite scene would have to be Tevye’s dream sequence. After agreeing to the matchmaker’s choice in husband for his first born daughter only to find out that she loves another boy (who is more to her age), he agrees to his daughter’s wish to give his approval for them to marry. The next step – getting his wife Golde to agree. Tevye comes up with this outlandish dream, actually nightmare, with the aim to make it seem as if it is Golde’s idea to break the matchmaker’s agreement. And it worked!

However my highlights are the amazing dance sequences including the “Bottle dance” at Tzeitel and Motel’s wedding and especially the Ukrainian traditional dancing in the song “Lechaim”. I used to be part of a Polish traditional dance group growing up and have a real love for not only eastern European dance but traditional dance in general. It’s beautiful to watch and the music is always great. I really love learning about different cultures from dance.

I could probably go on and on. Instead I’ll leave it here. It’s a classic for a reason and if like me you haven’t seen it yet, find a copy. It’ll make you laugh, cry, and gain a better appreciation of the tradition on show. There is just so much to like about it. I can’t wait to see what it is like on stage. I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes peeled next time a production is done.

Rating:  Great

Drama, War

Operation Mincemeat

Leave a comment
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Date watched: May 22, 2022
Date Reviewed: May 23, 2022

Review

I happened to stumble upon this film by chance. It was when I went to see The Drover’s Wife that on my out I noticed a poster for this film at the cinema. Having just watched The Man Who Never Was only a couple of days beforehand, what were the odds! A quick google confirmed that this was the same story. I immediately let the family know and we went along to the cinema yesterday to go check it out.

Unfortunately this telling of the story has missed the mark. I was hoping that as more time has passed since the events in 1943, there might be more about the story that could not have been included in 1956. While the two films have the same deception operation at heart, they are very different films. Both based on different books with quite a lot of details different, including fictional elements.

The thing that I liked about the 1956 film was the smaller cast, this newer film added some additional characters into the mix and what it has achieved is a confused mess where the true incredible story of Operation Mincemeat falls into the background. It felt as if the film was trying to tell too many stories, which may have suited better to a limited series than a film. They may have been aiming to flesh out the characters, giving them a more rounded tale of who they are but it didn’t pay off.

For example, Ewen Montagu’s brother was a communist activist for a brief time. It feels like someone thought that was an interesting fact and they have tried to jam it into this film. However in order to make it work they have fabricated a story to cause some tension between the two lead characters. The two men in real life had different backgrounds and I am sure may not have gotten along at times, as is human nature, I just can’t see why that storyline was added in.

One of things that was included in this film was the name of the man who become Major William Martin, as in 1997 his real name was finally released; Glyndwr Michael. While this film uses his real name in the search for a body, I felt the use of the actor in some scenes was disrespectful. There is a scene where they are attempting to take a photo for the false identification papers by propping up the dead body on a chair and in all photographs he looks dead. I’m not sure if this actually happened or was made up for the film but to use that for some comic element doesn’t feel right.

What I did like was the use of Ian Fleming as a character. It also feels like when the tele-movie of Fleming was put together this story was resurfaced and perhaps a catalyst for a new film. I do find it really interesting that a lot of intelligence officers at the time wrote espionage novels which is referenced in this film. There is a hilarious line where Cholmondeley states “they’re everywhere” and when questioned if Germans, he states “No, writers”. There are also a few James Bond references including a visit to Q-Branch.

We’ll probably never know exactly everything that happened given it was an intelligence operation and most of the key parties involved have since passed away. I enjoyed this version for the inclusion of Ian Fleming’s involvement and I liked the casting (who doesn’t like having two Mr Darcy’s in one film!). The use of narration in this film was also a highlight. I enjoyed the 1956 version for the use of tension on whether the operation would work and the respect to Glyndwr Michael.

Review:  Alright

Drama, War

The Man Who Never Was

Leave a comment
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Date watched: April 29, 2022
Date Reviewed: May 22, 2022

Review

Last month’s family movie night was my uncle’s pick with this film that I hadn’t heard of before….and it was terrific!

It was a well told drama based on an incredible true story during the second world war. Based on the book Ewen Montagu wrote of his leading role in the British intelligence deception operation code named “Operation Mincemeat”. As the admiral says in the film when being briefed of the details “It’s the most outrageous, disgusting, preposterous, not to say barbaric idea. But work out full details and be on hand at the War Cabinet Offices at 4:30 tomorrow afternoon.”

What I liked was the way the narrative is told by use of five main principal actors. As it is based on a delicate intelligence mission, you don’t need the distraction of a large cast. The story is more than enough to keep you engaged. It’s also one of those films that creates an element of suspense where it fools you into thinking there might be a different outcome – they wouldn’t have made a film if the operation failed right?

Of the main cast it is Clifton Webb and Gloria Grahame’s performances as Ewen Montagu and Lucy Sherwood that shine. Webb brings an authority to the role without coming across as arrogant, while Grahame’s performance is so emotionally powerful. Their names are billed first in the credits and deservingly so.

While there are some laughs along the way, including the idea to start with and all the possible things that could go wrong with its execution, the film pays respect to the story and the man who became Major William Martin. The way that the seriousness of the situation really hit home for me was in the scene when the body is being dressed. Each item is meticulously being placed across different pockets to build up the identity of this fictional officer. While this is happening there are bombs being dropped around the city. This just adds to the level of urgency and desperation to win an advantage in the war.

You also never see the face of the actor playing the dead man, in fact you don’t see too much of him on screen. I’m not sure if this was a conscious decision made or perhaps related to budget or makeup that might have not looked realistic on screen, given when the film was made. Whatever the reason I think this worked really well in favour of the film, as it feels to add an additional level of respect.

It was a story that I wasn’t familiar with and I’m glad to have seen this film. One of the reasons my uncle chose this film is because of the connection to author Ian Fleming, best known for writing the James Bond novels. Fleming was a naval intelligence officer and Operation Mincemeat was based off an idea he wrote in what was called the “Trout Memo”, which was a document comparing deception methods in wartime with fly fishing. There you go – your fact for the day!

Review:  Great