THIS WEEK'S PREVIEWS
The release of a new Woody Allen is always good news for his fans.
This one I love. There are a couple of
documentaries as well: one on a reclusive author and one on wine becoming
reclusive for everywhere except China. There’s, also, an action flick where,
yet again, they destroy… the White House.
(My movie Pick of the week)
Blue Jasmine★★★★
Opens
in Australia: 5th September, 2013
OUR
THOUGHTS
Cate Blanchett
has my vote for the Best Actress Oscar.
And Woody Allen has it for Best Director. Blue
Jasmine is a very dark Woody Allen, and it’s a long way from Midnight in Paris. But I think it’s now
one of my favourites. I don't have to say much about this film. If you are not a Woody fan then you may not love it. My friends sitting with me were mixed on
it. I am a big Woody fan. For me, it’s a real gem and I will be watching it again.
STUDIO BLURB
After
venturing to Europe for his last three films, Woody Allen is back in the United
States with a drama about a Park Avenue high society wife (Blanchett) forced to
slum it with her blue-collar sister (Hawkins) in San Francisco, when she loses
everything. Her husband, played by Alec
Baldwin, gets embroiled in crooked financial dealings, leaving his wife to deal
with the economic and emotional aftermath.
She struggles to build a new life without her husband’s
illegally-obtained wealth.
Blue
Jasmine is an emotionally powerful drama – smart, tender and funny in equal
measure – that harks back to Allen’s films such as Hannah and her sisters and
Husbands and Wives. Cate Blanchett
delivers an exceptional performance that will put her in early running with
Oscar buzz.
Salinger ★★★★
Opens
in Australia: 6th September,
2013
OUR
THOUGHTS
In Australia I don’t think J.D. Salinger holds the same place in our
literary history as he
does in the U.S.A.. I’ve never read “Catcher in the Rye,”
but after watching this documentary I shall shortly remedy that. Many of the
U.S. reviewers have rated this poorly, and most of the comments centred on a
lack of depth and an over-dramatisation of segments. However, since I knew nothing of this revered
author, I actually found it enlightening, intriguing, and the dramatisation
enthralling. Salinger led an extraordinary
life, and in the end he became such a recluse that if he was seen it became a
news story. There is a revelation at the end which is quite incredible, and
until the launch of the film it has been kept very secret. This is a well made documentary and one I
think most will thoroughly enjoy. All writers or aspiring writers will find it
fascinating.
STUDIO BLURB
SALINGER
features interviews with 150 subjects including Salinger's friends, colleagues
and members of his inner circle who have never spoken on the record before as
well as film footage, photographs and other material that has never been seen.
Additionally, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Edward Norton, John Cusack, Danny DeVito,
John Guare, Martin Sheen, David Milch, Robert Towne, Tom Wolfe, E.L. Doctorow,
Gore Vidal and Pulitzer Prize winners A. Scott Berg and Elizabeth Frank talk
about Salinger's influence on their lives, their work and the broader culture.
The film is the first work to get beyond the Catcher in the Rye author's
meticulously built up wall: his childhood, painstaking work methods, marriages,
private world and the secrets he left behind after his death in 2010. (c)
Weinstein
White House Down ★★★
Opens
in Australia: 5th September, 2013
OUR
THOUGHTS
We enjoyed a treat while watching White House Down. The
wonderful people at Event
Cinemas, Innaloo, Perth, invited me and hubby to enjoy their revamped Gold
Class cinemas. They laid it on with yummy hot food, beautiful cup cakes,
popcorn, and candy while we watched.
Plus there was champers and food before.
So, I was going to enjoy White
House Down no matter what. It’s an
absolute Die Hard rip off. But it is
miles better than the woeful Good Day to
Die Hard inflicted upon us earlier this year. You’ve got Channing Tatum in a singlet, Jamie
Foxx doing his thing, and more action than you can poke a tank at. Silly fun but, sometimes, turning the brain
off makes for a perfect evening. You have been warned: Do not expect high brow.
It’s simply a popcorn action flick.
STUDIO BLURB
In Columbia Pictures’ White House Down, Capitol
Policeman John Cale (Channing Tatum) has just been denied his dream job with
the Secret Service of protecting President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx). Not
wanting to let down his little girl with the news, he takes her on a tour of
the White House, when the complex is overtaken by a heavily armed paramilitary
group.
Red Obsession ★★★ ½
Opens
in Australia: 5th September, 2013
OUR
THOUGHTS
Australian writers and directors David Roach and Warwick Ross last production
was the quality Australian war film Beneath
Hill 60. Now they turn their hand to a documentary on the Bordeaux region
and the crisis in the wine industry. It sounds "ho-hum" to us non-wine
connoisseurs but if you check out the trailer you will see it is a fascinating
story.
The photography is absolutely stunning. In fact, I suggest the French
tourist bureau pay for it to be broadcast around the world, and they won’t have
to worry about selling their wine because they will be inundated with tourist.
My only complaint is it seemed a tad repetitive (pointed out to me by my 10 year old but he was quite right), and there was a
touch of anti-Chinese sentiment I thought.
Somebody in the film actually suggested that if the Chinese increased their
per capita consumption by just a little there would be no wine left in the
world. China has gone from taking jobs from other countries to now taking all the wine. At least at the next "wineless" dinner party I can wax
lyrical about the poor Bordeaux region being taken over by the Chinese. If
anyone cares…
STUDIO BLURB
France’s Bordeaux region has long commanded
respect for its coveted wine, but shifts in the global marketplace mean that a
new, voracious consumer base in China is buying up this finite product.
Narrated by Russell Crowe, Red Obsession is a fascinating look at our changing
international economy and how an obsession in Shanghai affects the most illustrious
vineyards in France. This shift, fuelled by the East's obsession
with these illustrious vineyards, created a perfect wine storm; co-director and
vigneron Warwick Ross documented the upheaval.
Narrated by Russell Crowe, Red Obsession is an expertly told, delectable
tale of a much-coveted global commodity in times of change.
What have you seen this week? Did you find our comments helpful
or do you disagree? Share your thoughts with us.
I respect this film because it’s
experimental and is an experience as much as it is a film. Taking 17 short
stories and turning them into a film is an interesting concept. It’s also a very
long at 3 hours. There is an interval for those who are not as well-trained as
reviewers. Some of the stories are more interesting than others and the second
half definitely has the cream of the tales. I am told the screenings will also
have a programme (which I think would really enhance the experience). If you
are a cinema fanatic then go along and enjoy something different. If you are a
blockbuster fan and like your films fast and furious, then…ah…no, this one is
not for you. Still a marvelous piece for us cinephiles.
Run, run, run as fast as you can
away from this movie. It is so boring, you will sleep sleep. I made a vow not
to see any more films with Justin Timberlake. He cannot act. It’s like he’s
reading the script for the first time. But I thought how bad can it be with Ben
Affleck? The answer: Bad bad. He seems
to have lowered his acting standards in this so as not to show up Timberlake or
Jemma Arterton. I don’t even know why it is called Runner Runner. Maybe even
the studio is trying to give you a heads up. Don’t even get it on DVD. But, at
least on DVD you can turn it off. I am renaming it Rubbish Rubbish.
