Welcome to the Rileys
Anne Murphy
On a business trip to New Orleans, a damaged man seeks salvation by caring for a wayward young woman.
The premise of the prostitute and the man who wants to save her is given a twist and a spin in "Welcome to the Rileys". Lost people, each burdened by their own history, find themselves by embarking on various journeys. Strong performances push the implausible just over the border into credible. This movie is rewarding on an emotional level without tugging too hard on any strings as the tale is traversed. Put out the welcome mat for the Rileys.
Littlerock
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.
Splice
Andrew O'Dea
Elsa and Clive, two young rebellious scientists, defy legal and ethical boundaries and forge ahead with a dangerous experiment: splicing together human and animal DNA to create a new organism.
"Splice" is an ambitious and provocative film that presents an intelligent take on an often visited ethical dilemma. The performances from both the leads and creature are great, and help to sustain a relatively solid story that unfortunately winds up being undercut by a perversely baffling and cumbersome climax. Competent in splicing a difficult genre and theme, this film still manages to be an engrossing yet erring blend of horror and oddball family drama.
Amreeka
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?
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
Anthony Macali
A documentary about branding, advertising and product placement that is financed and made possible by brands, advertising and product placement.
The self-proclaimed "Greatest Movie Ever Sold" is far from it, though it does provide an interesting exposé into the unfamiliar advertising industry. The director/ documenter's lack of charisma is redeemed by his resourceful and determined displays, especially when forced to sell his idea to the advertising companies themselves with the aid of some amusing place cards. In the end, it's hard to tell if the financiers or film-makers come out on top, although as an audience, we're not 100% sold.
- Genre » Documentary
- Festival » MIFF 2011
Year of the Dog
Anthony Macali
A secretary's life changes in unexpected ways after her dog dies.
Peggy is a thirty-something single women, fixated on her pet dog Pencil and finding it difficult to deal with his death. She cannot hide from her friends or the director's camera, always in her face. This style highlights the talent of the actors, whose detailed facial expressions speak louder than words. It may sound sad, but there are cute dogs and humour to be found. Peggy's transformation into crazy dog lady is both beautifully tragic and utterly hysterical. Animals aside, it's a nice story that shows the consequences of forcing our ideals on others.
Young @ Heart
Anthony Macali
A story of a group of senior citizens who perform contemporary and classic rock and pop songs.
Gimmicks are concepts to despise, and while such is the focus of this documentary, it is impossible to deny its warmth and charm. The elderly members of Young@Heart simply sing for passion and joy, as well as to keep brain cells working, all notions you must admire, irrelevant of your age. As frustrating as the early rehearsals might be, it's the final show we anticipate for the entirety, and it delivers on all accounts. Both a humorous and touching celebration, "Young@Heart " will renew your passions in life.
- Genre » Documentary Biography Music
- Festival » MIFF 2008
Route Irish
Andrew O'Dea
A private security contractor sets out to discover the truth about his friend's death in Iraq.
Although gripping at times, "Route Irish" is too often let down by pointless tangents in its story and the fact that it constantly feels the need to explain the plot rather than letting the audience figure it out for themselves. Not exactly the most effective technique when trying to heighten a 'thriller'. Combined with a melodramatic ending and characterisation that is let down by some sub-par acting, the film attempts to make a concerted political commentary on the Iraqi war that doesn't quite have the impact it should. No through-road.
Away We Go
Anne Murphy
A couple who is expecting their first child travel around the U.S. in order to find a perfect place to start their family.
This film is a road movie at heart, and disappointingly fails to connect with the audience's heart. A lot of miles are traversed by the central couple but this is a study of people met on the journey rather than the places travelled to. The characters encountered are shallow and vulgar stereotypes, and their depiction is coloured with contempt rather than wit or insight. The resultant product is slight; funny without being funny ha-ha.
Katyn
Anthony Macali
An examination of the Soviet slaughter of thousands of Polish officers and citizens in 1940.
There is no denying the importance of this film. However, its purpose invokes a rather dull and bleak history lesson. The streets of Poland are beautifully recreated on the screen, only to be lost amongst the bombardment of sporadic jumps through time. The interesting aspect of the tragedy is the taboo nature of the subject, but this is only briefly explored and serves as mere introduction to the horrifying and unyielding finalé. "Katyn" provides overdue closure to those connected with the story, but lacks the emotion to connect with the rest.
Pardon My French
Courtney Slevison
Novelist Celimene is suffering from a severe case of writers block when she discovers she is being stalked by Anaïs, a strange young woman craving attention.
"Pardon My French" is a simple story of the power that strangers can have on our lives. More a character study than traditional narrative, this film is a snapshot of Celimene's life as she struggles with being stunted both creatively and emotionally. Although the characters are likeable, they remain unengaging and don't hold the viewers intrigue. At times tedious and unfocussed, this quirky film is a pleasant experience, but ultimately forgettable.
Van Diemen's Land
Anthony Macali
The true story of Alexander Pearce, Australia's most notorious convict. In 1822, Pearce and seven fellow convicts escaped from Macquarie Harbour.
"Van Diemen's Land" plays like a horror/slasher film. The format is very simple: convicts sit by the fire hiding fears they're the next to be killed, and then proceed to walk through the forest (in the most captivating moments of the film), before one is inevitably bludgeoned to death for food. If we were able to associate more with the characters' hunger and desperation, it may have had a greater impact, but in the end it's just simple and barbaric.
Boy
Tom Jones
Set on a rural farm in New Zealand in 1984, Boy, is the story of an 11 year old with a vivid imagination coming face to face with life's realities.
This coming of age tale is sweet at heart and the unpretentious portrayal of Boy's story is endearing. The comedic moments and the uniquely Maori dialogue make this film. However, the one-incident-after-another plot wears a bit thin at times and leaves a few too many loose threads. Is Boy the man? Nah bro'!
Villa Amalia
Wendy Slevison
A woman suddenly decides to leave her partner of 15 years, after finding him passionately embracing another woman.
"Villa Amalia" tells the story of a woman who confidently and dispassionately erases everything from her existing life in order to embark on a liberating journey of renewal and anonymity. This movie is almost clinical in its lack of sentiment, and no affection or empathy for the main character is ever garnered. This is obviously the director's intention, but amidst the warmth and sun of the Amalfi coast setting, it's ultimately unsatisfying to feel so cold.
Matching Jack
Wendy Slevison
A woman struggles with her son's illness and her husband's infidelity.
Watching "Matching Jack" is a bit like spending two hours in the Oncology Ward of a Children's Hospital, and whilst compassionately acknowledging that for many families, this is their dreadful reality, it's pretty tough on the ordinary movie-goer. The film is about sick children, and in spite of a romance and a 'happy' ending, this fact leaves a slight feeling of discomfort - it's too emotionally overworked to be a documentary, but too tragically true to life to be entertaining. Tears will flow, but it just feels a bit too orchestrated... disappointing diagnosis for one of Australia's well-known film-making teams.