The Artist
Anne Murphy
Hollywood, 1927: Silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion.
Prepare to be transported to a past era in Hollywood by "The Artist". There are many adjectives to describe the nostalgic venture including: charming, original, witty, surprising, and stylish. In short a captivating movie, and all the more so for daring to be all but silent and presented in black and white. It is a pleasure to be entertained by a romance that eschews modern effects and remains authentic to the period portrayed. Paints a picture.
A Few Best Men
Anne Murphy
An English groom and his three best men travel to the Australian Blue Mountains for his wedding.
Everything about a "A Few Best Men" is exaggerated. From the central romance to the panoramic Australian scenes, the lure and perils of illicit drugs for the groomsmen to the political ambition of the bride's father, this movie is larger than life and complete with a cast of clichéd characters. As is expected of wedding fairytales there is little semblance to reality. Not that there is anything wrong with cinema escapism, but some will want to escape the cinema rather than watch this celebration of matrimony. Baaa.
The Interrupters
Anne Murphy
The moving and surprising stories of three Violence Interrupters who try to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they once participated in.
This fly-on-wall style documentary was filmed over the course of a year. The camera lens is firmly fixed on the problem of street shootings and the community building interventions of the dedicated outreach group CeaseFire and their Violence Interrupters who confront the problem by talking directly with the kids in the war zone. Speaking of talking, it's helpful that some of the dialogue is subtitled, and there's no doubt about the authenticity of the content. Interrupting an epidemic.
- Genre » Documentary
- Release » Limited 15 Jan 2012
Weekend
Anne Murphy
Russell heads out to a gay club and picks up Glen just before closing time and what's expected to be just a one-night stand becomes something else, something special.
"Weekend" is a low key movie grounded in realism that presents a romance between two men who have only a weekend to spend together. The simple naturalistic style of this film is balanced by its emotional honesty. The performance from the two leads is genuine and understated, lending authenticity to this modest but deceptively intense exploration of falling in love. I've got Friday on my mind.
The Muppets
Anne Murphy
With the help of three fans, The Muppets must reunite to save their old theatre from an oil tycoon.
The Muppets are as comically endearing as ever in their return to the big screen, as the troupe get back together to sing and dance their way through a classic good vs evil storyline. This is a nostalgic romp even though the characters haven't aged, not that the audience would want them to, and they're just as corny as they ever were. The magic works, maybe because no-one is more self deprecating than the characters themselves. Absolutely the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppet-ational...
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey
Anne Murphy
Beloved by children of all ages around the world, Elmo is an international icon but few people know his creator, Kevin Clash.
It's passion more than puppet that is central to the tale captured in "Being Elmo". The puppeteer's sense of purpose is extraordinarily powerful; from childhood he knew with certainty what it was that he wanted to be when he grew up. His purpose while pursuing his goal is nothing short of awe inspiring. As documentaries go this one is as warm as it is magical. It's affirming to see that good things happen to good, hardworking, people. Tickle me pink.
- Genre » Documentary
- Release » Limited 27 Dec 2011
- Festival » MIFF 2011
The Skin I Live In
Anne Murphy
A brilliant plastic surgeon, haunted by past tragedies, creates a type of synthetic skin.
The narrative of "The Skin I Live In" is as intriguing as it is twisted, central to the plot is a contemporary and perverse Frankenstein character. This is an ethically challenging story of an obsessive patriarch, sinister gender control is stirred with psychological intrigue to create a morally unsettling but memorable movie. The nightmarish elements are balanced by the visually sophisticated and vibrant tone presented on screen. Your skin may crawl, but an imprint is left getting right under the skin.
The Women on the 6th Floor
Anne Murphy
In 1960s Paris, a conservative couple's lives are turned upside down by two Spanish maids.
The character roles are straight jacketed by class stereotypes, both the salt-of-the-earth maids and their fuss-pot employers. The movie comes close to being patronising and mightn't have worked in a current day setting, however audiences can smile nostalgically at what is a charming and humorous class-comedy set in a previous century. "Women on the 6th Floor" is best not viewed from a social political perspective, but rather enjoyed for its gentle humour and captivating plot. Hope that the women upstairs never come down to earth.
We Have a Pope
Anne Murphy
A story centered on the relationship between the newly elected Pope and his therapist.
The basis of the plot is intriguing and shows the potential human fragility of a man confronted with being elected into a daunting role. The story is potentially fascinating but a little underdeveloped. We don't get to know the characters sufficiently to empathise with any of them. Add to that the episodic character of some scenes which start unexpectedly and stop too suddenly to link coherently to the central thread of the story and the movie never quite realises it's potential. Do we have a Pope?
- Genre » Documentary
- Release » Limited 01 Dec 2011
Waste Land
Anne Murphy
Contemporary artist Vik Muniz takes us on an emotional journey from the world's largest landfill on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro to an art auction in London.
Beauty is found by engaging with people who create livelihoods recycling garbage picked from a vast waste dump. In working with the artist, the director shows how truly awesome the human spirit is. They respect the subjects of the art project that is central to this documentary. The thoughtful approach and the time taken to encounter people through a lens of humanity, rather than stereotypes, is uplifting. A work of art.
- Genre » Documentary
- Release » Limited 01 Dec 2011
Restless
Anne Murphy
The story of a terminally ill teenage girl who falls for a boy who likes to attend funerals and their encounters with the ghost of a Japanese kamikaze pilot from WWII.
"Restless" is an original take on the often used story of love in the shadow of a looming death. This film falls into an unlabelled genre that is the antithesis of a rom-com, and it does that with a quirky grace. The main characters are burdened with troubling life experiences that underscore the earnestness in their encounters, but it's the gentle grimness as the inevitable approaches that is most disquieting. Emo and edgy.
The Ages of Love
Anne Murphy
Three chapters tell three interconnected love stories that illustrate the three ages of man, Youth Maturity and Beyond.
A rom-com is that bit more enjoyable for being Italian, the stories and characters are less stereotypical than their Hollywood counterparts. The content ripens and matures as the movie progresses through the ages of man, each delivering more depth than the previous story. None are too deep, all deliver some fun and are refreshing for their European sophistication. The comedy is it is light and agreeable, there’s nothing to tax an audience in the storylines. Ti amo.
- Genre » Romance Comedy
- Release » Limited 24 Nov 2011
- Festival » Italian Film Festival 2011
The First Grader
Anne Murphy
The true story of an 84 year-old Kenyan villager and ex Mau Mau freedom fighter who fights for his right to go to school for the first time to get the education he could never afford.
"Based on a true story" the opening credits report, so prepare to learn about Kenya's recent and bloody past. "The First Grader" revisits a brutal episode in history while focused on a redemptive story line, complete with extraordinary African backdrops. The feel good meter runs high while watching this incredible story of one man's experience and his determination to learn to read and write. Elementary.
The Tall Man
Anne Murphy
A documentary, set on Palm Island where on the day Cameron Doomadgee was arrested for swearing at a policeman and was found dead in a watch-house cell forty-five minutes later.
"The Tall Man" is a documentary that persuasively recreates a death in custody one statement at a time through interviews and first person accounts. As each witness account is carefully scrutinised, a grim and unsettling story emerges. Trials and inquests are revisited and accounts unravel. We may not be able to determine exactly what happened on that one night in 2004, but we can definitely draw our own conclusions. Short on truth.
- Genre » Documentary
- Release » Limited 17 Nov 2011
Burning Man
Anne Murphy
An English chef with a restaurant on Bondi Beach is trying to put his life and his relationship with his son back on track.
"Burning Man" is a pastiche of scenes that don't follow a sequential time-line but nonetheless build into a sorrowful narrative. Forget chronological sequencing, this is a compelling portrayal of grief, a time when events don't evolve in a linear sequence, and emotion reigns. It's just in time for the audience that the jigsaw of memories piece together and the emotional impact of the story is felt, packing a punch. Tears will quench the flames.