L'Amour fou - Movie Poster

L'Amour fou

3.0 Anne Murphy

Explores the relationship between fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent and his lover, Pierre Berge.

Filmed after the death of Yves Saint-Laurent "L'Amour fou" provides a candid look into the life, the breathtaking art collection amassed by the couple and its eventual auction to benefit an AIDs charity. The narrative provides as glimpses into a privileged lifestyle without exploring too deeply. Interesting are revelations of an ongoing struggle with depression and resulting addictions, perhaps one of those being the central objects d'art. Archival film footage stills and interviews are used to effect and reveal much about the troubled man of fashion. Melancholic.


Lou - Movie Poster

Lou

3.0 Anne Murphy

Lou, a young girl, develops affection for the grandfather she'd never previously met when he comes to live with her and her mother and sisters.

All of the action in this beautifully crafted movie happens within the emotional relationships of the characters. The plot is a little underdeveloped, and there's no crescendo or culmination of action, just day to day experiences of the central family. There's plenty to hold the interest of the audience - the moody and realistic performances of the cast, the Australian landscape, the soundtrack - if only there was a dramatic climax. "Lou" is lovely but could have blossomed into more.


Becoming Chaz - Movie Poster

Becoming Chaz

3.0 Anne Murphy

A documentary following Chaz, formerly Chastity, Bono's gender transition.

Allowing a camera, and the crew required to operate it, to follow your gender transition might seem like a curious decision. Then again if you have grown up in the spot light of the public eye then this might a good chance to inform about transgender dilemmas and the process of change. "Becoming Chaz" is not only informative, it also documents a courageous protagonist who is an advocate for having enough sense of self to really be on the outside who you already are on the inside. A tough path walked on the way to Chaz.


Morning Glory - Movie Poster

Morning Glory

3.0 Anne Murphy

An upstart television producer accepts the challenge of reviving a struggling morning show program with warring co-hosts.

"Morning Glory" is as cute as a kitten, and just as fluffy and playful. Audiences will find it either predictably amusing or predictably irritating, as it it sticks to a tried and true formula, offering no surprises and delivering on all expectations. This is a bright funny film with a big name cast, who appear to enjoy acting like cornflakes. It bubbles along with all of the snap, crackle, and pop that many enjoy in the morning.


Amreeka - Movie Poster

Amreeka

3.0 Anne Murphy

A drama centered on an immigrant single mother and her teenage son in small town Illinois.

Warm and funny, "Amreeka" covers important issues of diversity and tolerance with a light and humorous touch. In fact, it is light enough to be a little heavy-handed in delivering the message that people from the middle-east are good people. The immigrant experience looks easy in this setting - a little hardship, a touch of outrage at the attitude of the locals, and each day better than the last. In the land of the free it's possible to feel homesick while smiling. Only in Amreeka?


Villon's Wife - Movie Poster

Villon's Wife

3.0 Anne Murphy

This enticing period melodrama depicts a long-suffering woman's relationship with her brilliant but self-destructive writer husband in post-war Tokyo.

The drama is heavy going as everyone is laden with sorrow, desire and regret against a post-war back-drop that is sombre and opportunistic. The angst of the artist is captured in the husband's role and balanced by the strong-willed determination of the wife. Much can be read between the scenes, as the drama of dark themes and hard times plays out. "Vilon's Wife" is engrossing with all of the fragile and intertwined relationships of a soap opera; wretched affairs but no divorce.


Littlerock - Movie Poster

Littlerock

3.0 Anne Murphy

Siblings from Japan get stranded in a small town, Littlerock, while waiting for a replacement rental car.

Viewing American culture, through the eyes of a non-English speaker is interesting but almost insufficient to maintain feature length interest. Perhaps it is the desolate location where nothing much happens, or the listless locals, but boredom stealthily encroaches. At times it feels that not enough is happening on the screen. Even so this story of strangers in a remarkably strange land is unsettling enough to hold attention, leaving a lasting imprint. It's like looking through a magnifying glass and not a kaleidoscope.


17 Girls - Movie Poster

17 Girls

3.0 Anne Murphy

Seventeen teenage schoolmates decide to become pregnant at the same time.

The impracticality and rebellious tendencies of adolescents is the central theme to "17 Girls". Many social themes are explored in this surprising gem, including self determination for one's own decisions, peer group pressure and individual empowerment. This is a pensive movie with many scenes depicting one of the characters in solitude, contrasting the lure of being part of a giggling gang of girls. While there is a lot for the audience to think about, there is one too many thoughtful close-ups of furrowed brows. Girls, girls, girls.


Cairo Time - Movie Poster

Cairo Time

3.0 Anne Murphy

A romantic drama about a brief, unexpected love affair that catches two people off-guard.

Cairo creates a magnificent backdrop for this movie, the mood is exotic and the scenery is breathtaking. The pace in the summer heat is languid, and the already heavy atmosphere is laden with meaningful glances. Without meaning to give anything away, the previous sentences provide a full plot description, as not very much happens. "Cairo Time" is well produced and almost serves better as a travel documentary than a romantic drama, as charming as the love story is. Slow, subtle and lingering, it might stay around for a time.


Sympathy for the Devil - Movie Poster

Sympathy for the Devil

3.0 Anne Murphy

Jean-Luc Godard's Sympathy for the Devil uses both documentary and staged sequences, alternating between an inside look at a rock band's recording process and reflections on politics.

Watching "Sympathy for the Devil" is like opening a time capsule and being transported back to 1968. The viewing is patchy as the camera moves from a recording studio to a yard of car wrecks. The Rolling Stones reveal themselves as incredibly professional as they create their magic, a stark comparison to the intellectualising revolutionaries who become quite tedious to watch. Back in those days, even Jagger didn't move like Jagger, but he was compelling musician.


A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop - Movie Poster

A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop

3.0 Anne Murphy

The owner of a Chinese noodle shop's scheme to murder his adulterous wife and her lover goes awry.

Curiosity is aroused watching the scheming characters play out this tale with pantomime action in a surreal mountainous desert setting. This movie is brightly coloured and visually splendid, a spectacular feast that will leave you a little hungry. More is promised than delivered. The action is slapstick rather than suspenseful, as the goofy cast execute their various self-interested plots and plans. The pace plods a little in this Chinese Cluedo, that's more convoluted than simply a woman, in a noodle shop... with a gun.


Tulpan - Movie Poster

Tulpan

3.0 Anne Murphy

A sailor returns to the steppes of Kazakhstan with a dream of a simple existence as a shepherd. He discovers love in the life he lives rather, than the love of his life.

"Tulpan" is a story mostly shown in real time. The director uses no special effects, and the unorchestrated soundtrack is composed of the everyday cacophony of life in a crowded yurt, accompanied by the rush of violent windstorms. There are actors, of course, but the most heart-rending scenes are played out by a sheep and a camel. The simple yet tenacious characters save this delightful drama from being pure documentary.


Waste Land - Movie Poster

Waste Land

3.0 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.


The Good Neighbour - Movie Poster

The Good Neighbour

3.0 Anne Murphy

Two neighbours discover they are lonely kindred spirits until they are involved in a hit and run and events spiral out of control.

A story of a tangled web of deception that gets more convoluted and tense with each scene. The suspense builds, and although tense cinema viewing, it is not quite edge-of-the-seat viewing. As the plot twists and turns and a sense of impending doom builds, it becomes obvious things will not end well. Even so, this well crafted movie holds plot surprises to maintain interest right through to the close. Love thy neighbour.


Eat Pray Love - Movie Poster

Eat Pray Love

3.0 Anne Murphy

A married woman realizes how unhappy her marriage really is, and that her life needs to go in a different direction.

This movie is true to the book, only with the content trimmed back as is expected of best sellers translated for the screen. It's still big with over 2 hours of viewing. A personal story of discovery, with an angst ridden heroine, fantastic shot-on-location scenery, and the obligatory happy ending. "Eat Pray Love" is so eminently watchable you will even pardon the good looking actors for being so immaculately coiffed. Readers will embrace this girls own adventure and love.