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Reviews
The Huntress: Rune of the Dead (2019)
Dark, interesting and compelling Medieval Norse tale
I really quite liked this film; steady, minimalist, evenly paced narrative with good acting, good direction, close camera work and creditable editing, and great score achieving measured suspense without being cheap or obvious.
Rune of the Dead is no Hollywood blockbuster, but that's in its favour; the composer tells me it was filmed in two weeks on virtually no budget, and I can see that to be the case. That's a tight schedule.
Not only for film students but discerning audience, its consistently dark mood carries the plot really very well, captures the pain and grief respectfully and without apology, with an intensely satisfying end.
I am not one to slam low budget films, but discuss their work with the producer and director as much as I can, especially seeking to encourage new young creatives to be inspired to get in and have a go.
I came away from this film looking forward to further collaboration between Rasmus Tirzitis and Simon Kölle, should be interesting.
The Godfather (1972)
Louis Restaurant subtitles
I hope nobody minds, but there was some discussion about missing English subtitles in the Louis Restaurant meeting scene with Michael and Sollozzo, and I had difficulty finding any apart from a general translation found here which does little to help beat and continuity.
I think this effort does the trick, it fits the dialogue as far as I can tell, not being even passing fluent in Italian. But I don't think subtitles should be exact translation anyway; different languages have their own feel to them.
If I am in breach of anyone's copyright after all these years, please let me know.
1:25:25.23,1:25:26.21: I'm sorry
1:25:26.21,1:25:27.04: Leave it alone.
1:25:31.13,1:25:35.02: What happened to your\Nfather was business.
1:25:37.22,1:25:42.04: I have much respect\Nfor your father.
1:25:42.05,1:25:45.14: But your father,\Nhis thinking is old-fashioned.
1:25:47.07,1:25:51.08: You must understand\Nwhy I had to do that.
1:25:51.12,1:25:54.50: I understand those things...
1:26:09.40,1:26:15.53: I had the unspoken support\Nof the other Family dons.
1:26:16.07,1:26:21.07: If your father were in better health,
1:26:21.15,1:26:23.07: without his eldest son running things,
1:26:24.15,1:26:26.07: no disrespect intended,
1:26:26.14,1:26:27.25: we wouldn't have this nonsense.
1:26:30.21,1:26:32.21: How do you say
?
1:28:50.17,1:28:52.01: Everything all right?
1:28:53.08,1:28:55.01: I respect myself, understand,
1:28:55.19,1:28:57.01: and cannot allow another\Nman to hold me back.
1:28:59.11,1:29:02.11: What happened was unavoidable.
1:29:03.14,1:29:06.21: We will stop fighting until your father\Nis well and can resume bargaining.
1:29:06.42,1:29:08.54: No vengeance will be taken.
1:29:09.19,1:29:09.19: We will have peace,
1:29:10.15,1:29:13.21: but your family should no longer interfere.
Thanks, and kindest regards,
Gil
Amy George (2011)
This is an exceptionally good film, by a sensitive and well-informed director leading a fine young actor.
This film is right out of the box, carried not only by candidly true-to-type female antagonists but by Yonah's continuity and direction, both assisted considerably by Gabriel's fine acting ability.
Gabriel plays Jesse to a tee and Yonah and certainly the camera crew respond, but more than that Gabriel's obvious discretion, wit and intelligence add spontaneous mastery and authenticity to a pubescent role and character-type too often stylised, distorted and dismissed as such in contemporary cinema.
I left primarily hoping to see a great deal more of this very talented young actor, and on short reflection many more movies like this. The world will be a better place for it.
Satellite Boy (2012)
Reliable and well done
Having been raised myself in the remote inland, taught by old bushmen and experienced in finding my way around, using firearms and able to feed myself off the land well before the age of 10, I found nothing lacking in the way of authenticity in this film beyond taking the viewer on a tour through different parts of the country where the actual track is far more prosaic.
This film does not compare with the old 'Walkabout', for example, but the more recent 'Ten Canoes', all featuring Gulpilil. His wise and engaging info-comic touch is unmistakable. The story isn't about survival in harsh terrain or dire consequences of making mistakes. That particular country is good during the dry with nothing dramatic to endure. From the beginning it is about Pete simply remembering his lessons, keeping a cool head, and knowing in which direction to travel.
Ten is a good age for healthy active boys to be out and about, as boys that age would have been traditionally in any culture. The clever young up-and-comers would be starting out by 7-8, and certainly all of them by 12-13. The singular disappointment is that Kalmain is lost by then, and off to child detention.
The contrasting loss of Indigenous culture or more reliably taking up contemporary Western mass-consumerism is thus shown for what it is; not great tragedy but self-centred, materialistic, pointless. Retaining the traditional bush lessons of elders on the other hand restores a sense of authentic self and belonging, capability and self-worth.
I thoroughly recommend this film, especially pitched as it is to children and young adults.