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Reviews
The Club (1980)
Not just for fans of Australian Rules Football
I first saw "The Club" in high school as the play the film was based on was part of the English required reading list. I enjoyed the film but thought that with the Australian Rules Football setting, people unfamiliar with the sport would find many of the references obscure and dislike the film. Having seen "The Club" again recently, I realised that although somewhat dated, the film is as much about the wheeling and dealing that occurs off the field as it is about the action on the field. The action that takes place in the boardroom would be instantly familiar to fans of any sport and it's in these scenes the movie comes to life. Any producer wanting to remake "The Club" with the American market in mind needs only to replace the references to Australian Rules football with baseball or basketball and the script would be ready to go into production.
The Producers would also be wise to recast Jack Thompson as the coach as he gives a great understated performance that deserves an encore.
Certainly worth a viewing on a wintry evening.
When the Whales Came (1989)
Low key drama fueled by solid performances.
On a remote, desolate island off the British coast, a community lives a hand to mouth existence, celebrating when passing yachts come to grief so they can scavenge the wood. They celebrate more when a pod of narwhales are beached, knowing they can eat in style for weeks. As the islanders ready themselves to butcher the whales, an elderly hermit appears to warn of danger if the whales are harmed, remembering an earlier time when the slaughter of a pod of stranded whales was followed by disaster.
Good performances all round, led by Paul Scofield and Helen Mirren. This is certainly not a film to get your adrenalin going but "When the Whales Came" is worthy of a viewing; for the acting, the scenery and the whales.
Love Is a Gun (1994)
Kelly Preston is the only reason to see this film
I don't know if the producers of this film envisaged that "Love is a Gun" was destined for late night cable but that's where I saw this film and that's what it deserves. A convoluted plot, a by the numbers performance by Eric Roberts and pedestrian pacing throughout unite to consign this film to mediocrity. The only factor that saves "Love is a Gun" from being a complete waste of time is Kelly Preston, who at least looks like she took the role for something other than the money.
Eric Roberts plays a photographer infatuated by Kelly Preston who is married to a much older man. Eric and Kelly become embroiled in an affair which causes Eric to start going off the deep end and perform his trade marked crazy man routine which he has honed to a perfection over the years.
R. Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket) gives a solid performance as a detective but the rest of the cast fail to make an impression.
As indicated, Kelly Preston is the star of this film and it has perplexed me why she has not become more successful than she is. She either has been stuck in second rate fare where she has little room to show her talents or she bobs up in cameos in block buster movies when she should, by all rights be in the starring role. If the Movie Gods are at all fair, she will soon be offered a role which will do her talents justice and launch her into the acting stratosphere.
Blood in the Face (1991)
Fascinating Documentary examining the far, far right in America
This is a fascinating documentary examining the neo-fascist movements in North America; the militias, the Aryan churches and the Klans. The camera mingles with Klansmen and militia members as they attend social gatherings and discuss issues like the plans for a white homeland in the northern U.S.A., the proper pronunciation of the name of the biblical figure Adam and how Hitler was actually a misunderstood man who America should have sided with during the war.
The film makers rarely intrude on the action and allow the subjects to speak for themselves, thus giving people the opportunity to make a wide range of 'these would be funny if you didn't know how serious the person was when s/he said them' comments. My personal favourite was when an elderly man was giving a speech to his brethren and wrapped up the pep talk by saying "I'm hungry, so 'Sieg Heil!' and let's eat."
In one scene the meaning of the film's title is explained to us by a member of one of the groups portrayed. He claimed black people were inferior to white people because they (black people) could not blush (show blood in the face) and therefore were unable to feel shame like god fearing white folks, a rather tenuous basis on which to claim racial superiority in my mind but there you are.
The film also contains archival footage of assassinated American Nazi Party leader George Lincoln Rockwell and Klansman turned politician David Duke, as well as toddlers parading in white Klan outfits while their mothers cooed about how cute they looked.
While I had the feeling that none of the people portrayed in this movie were members of Mensa, 'Blood in the Face' did convey to me the potential menace that such groups could cause in American society (and already have, as the Oklahoma bombing showed). This film may be dated by now but is still definitely worth watching. If nothing else it will make you think twice about visiting Idaho.
The Caller (1987)
An intriguing, claustrophobic film with gripping performances by both actors
The opening scene sets the tone for the rest of the movie - A woman (Smith-Osborne) is shopping in a deserted shopping centre and then drives her car down an equally deserted main road to her house. No explanation is given for the absence of people, nor for that matter the mysterious man (McDowell) who visits her and begins explaining his presence at the house. The woman points out inconsistencies in his story and as she does so he awards her with a point (it is mentioned that she needs ten points but we are not told the reason). We come to realise that the woman is being held hostage at the house by the man and tension builds as the woman nears ten points and the climax. The woman finally reaches ten points and well... The ending is a bit of a let down (and perhaps a touch frustrating for some) but the film is well worth watching, if only for the performances by McDowell and Smith-Osborne.
The True Story of Eskimo Nell (1975)
Little to recommend in this ponderous film
The rebirth of the Australian film industry began in the early 1970's and with it a desire to make films in the "Carry On" mold. Some of the results were quite enjoyable but unfortunately some of them turned out like the "True Story of Eskimo Nell".
The movie follows two men who go on a journey in the Australian outback in search of the fabled prostitute Eskimo Nell and find themselves in a lot of not very interesting situations along the way. The pacing is very slow as the film meanders towards the predictable finale. This is not to say that the film is a complete waste of time; one of my favorite scenes of all time is in this film, when one character, in attempting to explain why Eskimo Nell was so renowned, said "Did you ever stick your d*** in a bucket of cream and churn it 'til it was butter?" The film also features a number of actors early in their career who have become mainstays of the Australian entertainment industry. However, this can't disguise the fact that viewers will find this film tough going.
Rats in the Ranks (1996)
Riveting political documentary covering Sydney mayoral campaign
This is a great documentary covering a mayoral election in suburban Sydney where the incumbant mayor, Larry Hand, is seeking re-election in an internal council election. Larry needs 7 of the 12 Councillors' votes and we watch him attempt every ruse available to gain the support of his fellow councillors. We get a fly on the wall view of political manouvering and backroom machinations as Larry cajoles, flatters and threatens his fellow councillors into voting for him. While there are some instances where people refused to be filmed negotiating with Larry, generally we are present at Larry's side throughout his campaign.
Although we get to see first hand the duplicitous nature of Larry, we still sympathise with him and hope he defeats the evil Labor Party candidate (filmed in a very negative light) and retain his mayoral robes for another term. Rats in the Ranks features twists and turns befitting a thriller and is a great example of realpolitik.
Highly recommendable.
Wake in Fright (1971)
One of the great movies of all time
This is one of my favourite films of all time and I'm not surprised when I hear of others who also see it as one of their favourites (including singer Nick Cave and Robert Mitchum). Detailing the life of a city school teacher stuck in an Australian outback town, this movie shows in great detail the ugly side of Australian country life that the Australian tourist authorities attempt to hide. Excellent performances by all the actors, including Donald Pleasance, Jack Thompson, John Mellion and the legendary Australian character actor Chips Rafferty (in his final film) help give the film a very gritty "real" texture.
Known as "Wake in Fright" in Australia, the film is still powerful nearly thirty years after it was made, although viewers unaccustomed to the Australian lingo may need an Australian strine dictionary to get them through some scenes. I saw this film with a Polish friend who was so overawed by the film and wanted to get a copy of the movie to take back to Poland and show it commercially there.
As an interesting side note, at the end of the film, in the spot usually reserved for the caption "No animals were harmed in the filming of this movie" is instead a note stating that the kangaroos killed during the making of the movie were killed as part of an official kangaroo culling programme.
See this movie if you can.