THIS
WEEK'S PREVIEWS
This week the Perth Lottery West
Film Festival opens for the summer with Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing. Until April, Perth folk will be lucky enough
to catch some fabulous, quality films in breathtaking outdoor cinema
surroundings. You can drink wine, eat yummy food and feel so very avant-garde. If
you live overseas, it’s worth coming here just for this.
Two other good movies open this
week as well. Horror fans, the very good remake of Carrie is here. Apocalyptic fans… How I Live Now is for you as a very dark take of a future war.
(My movie Pick
of the week)
Joss
Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing ★★★★ ½
PERTH LOTTERY
WEST FILM FESTIVAL
Somerville 25 Nov-1 Dec, 8pm
Joondalup Pines 3-8 Dec, 8pm
Other
Countries: Release Information
First, let me share that if you
are in Perth, Western Australia you need to attend one of
OUR THOUGHTS
Allow me to fill you in if you
are not a geek fan of Joss Whedon’s work.
He’s the director and writer who brought us the record-breaking Marvel’s The Avengers, the highly fun Cabin in the Woods, cult-hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the
current TV series my son loves, Agents of
S.H.I.E.L.D.
So, you just wouldn’t take him
for the kind of guy to delve into Shakespeare.
But delve he does in a highly unique take. In fact, the film was shot in
the director’s own home in 12 days, in the time between the conclusion of
principal photography on Marvel’s The
Avengers and his director’s cut of the film.
I just marvel that over four
hundred years later we are still laughing at this comedy and the relevance it
still maintains. It’s been modernised and shot in black and white and I laughed
more in this than most of the romantic comedies I’ve seen this year. It’s a
treat and one I hope to enjoy again in the wonderful surroundings at either
Somerville or Joondalup Pines. Bravo to
Lottery West Film Festival for choosing this film as their opening film for the
season. It is perfect. If you miss this, you are missing something
special.
STUDIO BLURB
As clear and light as a
California wine, Shakespeare’s most sparkling dialogue meets its match in
Whedon.
Joss Whedon, cultural icon and director of The Avengers and Buffy
the Vampire Slayer, brings his signature style and an infinitely sexy
ensemble cast to this wildly fresh reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s most
playful comedy. Moving from slapstick to calamity and back with dizzying speed,
the screen crackles with a charmingly wayward energy that recalls the classic
romantic sparring of the studio era. Will love prevail?
How
I Live Now ★★★★
Opens in
Australia: 28th November, 2013
Other
Countries: Release Information
Perth, Australia: See at Luna Cinemas
OUR THOUGHTS
How I Live Now is
the adult version of all these YA dystopian films arriving en masse to the
cinema screens ever since Twilight
revealed teens like to watch teenagers in fantasy/sci-fi stories translated
from books.
It’s hard-hitting, emotionally draining and grim, and even
though there is a teen love story, it’s meshed between the horrors of a future
WW3. When I say horror think Nazi films horror.
And therein lays its problem. It’s going to struggle to find
an audience. Adults will find it difficult to identify with the teen love story
and teens won’t enjoy the exposure to the terrible drama surrounding the
children. There are some scenes that left my friend and I quite devastated.
The feelings at our media screening were very mixed. A few of us enjoyed it—well not enjoyed, but
found it interesting and absorbing—while others thought the story was
problematic and couldn’t identify with the lead Daisy (Saoirse Ronan). But
director, Kevin McDonald (Last King of Scotland, State of Play) isn’t known for
pulling punches, and he doesn’t here either. In a way, I am grateful for that.
It’s good to watch non-homogenised stories sometimes. Go see this knowing it’s
going to punch you in the emotional chest. And don’t take your tweens. It’s not
that kind of love story.
STUDIO BLURB
Set in the
near-future UK, Ronan plays Daisy, an American teenager sent to stay with
relatives in the English countryside. Initially withdrawn and alienated, she
begins to warm up to her charming surroundings, and strikes up a romance with
the handsome Edmund (George MacKay). But on the fringes of their idyllic summer
days are tense news reports of an escalating conflict in Europe. As the UK
falls into a violent, chaotic military state, Daisy finds herself hiding and
fighting to survive. (c) Magnolia
Carrie
★★★ ½ stars
Opens in
Australia: 28th November, 2013
Other
Countries: Release Information
OUR THOUGHTS
Carrie is a disturbing, horror film. Pretty nasty, actually. Lots of blood, too. So, if you like that sort of thing, you will
like this. The reviewers didn’t like it very much. In fact, I think every one
of them has written that it’s a pale imitation of the original 1976 Brian De
Palma classic telling of Stephen King’s first book. But, let’s keep in mind that this 2013
version is aimed at a teen audience whose parents or even grandparents were the
ones screaming in ’76 when Sissy Spacek copped the bucket of pig’s blood. So, I
don’t really think they care which one was better. They will probably never see
the original and why shouldn’t they get to enjoy a little pig’s blood for their
generation. It would also work well for
an “anti-bullying” campaign.
There are some rather harrowing
scenes and my friend (who was hugely eager to come along) had to cover her eyes
for a bit until I told her it was safe to look again. Sorry, I can’t remember the scene as I was
too amused by her to pay attention.
Chloe Grace Moretz does a good job as the odd-girl-out Carrie. She
is a talent to watch. Julianne
Moore, sporting very bad hair, slightly overplays her crazy Mom, but it is Carrie so we shall forgive her. All in
all if you are looking for a forgettable but well executed one trick horror
film this is it.
STUDIO BLURB
Carrie White
(Chloë Grace Moretz) is a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her
deeply religious mother (Julianne Moore), who unleashes telekinetic terror on
her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom. Based on the
best-selling novel by Stephen King.
What have you seen this
week? Did you find our comments helpful or do you disagree? Share your thoughts
with us.
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