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Winter's Bone
Stefan Bugryn
A young girl sets out to find the truth of her father's disappearance whilst looking after her dysfunctional family.
This is a disappointing movie that promises a lot yet delivers little. The whole story acts as a tense build up to a secret a community of drug addled Southerners are keeping. But once you get to where it's headed, you feel like it wasn't worth the time, and it plays out rather banal. The set design and acting are actually both impressive, but they do not make up for the weak storyline. Sticks, stones, and a bad film will break "Winter's Bones"... and your enjoyment.
The Messenger
Anne Murphy
An American soldier struggles with an ethical dilemma when he becomes involved with a widow.
"The Messenger" delivers emotional punches in relentless succession in a context of heartbreaking realism. More than a war film, or even a film about the army, this is a movie about loss and grief, mostly expressed by men. Harrowing exchanges made when people are at their most vulnerable are intense to witness, made no less easy by scenes where withheld emotions seethe within the characters. Thankfully there are strands of camaraderie and humour threaded throughout, and they serve to strengthen the compelling messages.
A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop
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.
Little Deaths
Anne Murphy
Composed of disturbingly sensual and terrifying short narratives, unified by the twin themes of sex and death.
Stories that usually only live in one's imagination emerge on to the screen. The quality production has a dreamlike quality. The narrative is more creative, more hedonistic, and a little more hysterical than everyday ordinary reality; needless to say it is more enjoyable too. There is more suggested than consummated on the screen, and risqué elements are implied rather than explicit. "Little Deaths" is deftly handled so the libidinous tone doesn't sink to lewd. Good Australian film making lives a little.
Made in Dagenham
Anne Murphy
A dramatisation of the 1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham car plant, where female workers walked out in protest against pay discrimination.
A historically important, political story is related in "Made in Dagenham". The birthing of an important precedent comes alive on the screen with archetypal British humour as an uplifting offering. The demarcation lines are drawn, the bad guys mired in their dark plotting as the determination of the good gals to triumph builds. The film is nostalgic and true to the era, delightfully sentimental and humorous. If they can make good in Dagenham, we can make it anywhere.
The Social Network
Anthony Macali
A story about the founders of the social-networking website, Facebook.
"The Social Network" is a telling portrayal of one the world's most unsociable guys. Expertly played, the punk billionaire is depicted as an obnoxious genius, his computer antics spurred by teenage anguish. The film is well informed and doesn't shy away from the geeky mumbo-jumbo, as it creates a real sense of the amazing scale and technical brilliance of 'The Facebook'. The first half of the movie is fast and exciting, but the second half tends to lag with unfavourable characters and court-room exposition. Nonetheless, 'FilmDude' likes this.
Summer Coda
Anthony Macali
Hitchhiking home to a family she's never known, Heidi meets Michael. In the stunning orange groves of country Australia, they embark on an adventure, discovering their secrets and lives.
"Summer Coda" is a delightful film ripe with colour. The story wonderfully captures the spirit and hospitable culture of its setting, sharing the joy and happiness of drinking and dining with newly acquainted company. The beauty of the scenery and cast is truly enamouring as they make orange picking look terribly fun. While it takes a while to hit the heavy drama, it still garners plenty of emotion when it arrives. Bright and sunny and cheerfully heart-warming.
The Town
Tom Jones
As he plans his next job, a longtime thief tries to balance his feelings for a bank manager connected to one of his earlier heists, as well as the FBI agent looking to bring him and his crew down.
"The Town" is your classic cops and robbers fare, with a little bit of heart. The robbery scenes are exhilarating and are directed in such a way that you share the thrill of being chased, and the adrenalin which comes with the risk of getting caught. The problem with this film lies in the moments between the robberies, where a story tries to develop but really only slows the whole thing down. Much like its characters, this film is a goodie and a baddie.
Canteen
Anne Murphy
The events in a night, from dusk to dawn, at a roadside kebab caravan, Kantina.
People come and go throughout the night, what brings them to the canteen is a mystery - most don't drop in for the food. What does happen is a confusion of events and characters. Greek speakers in the audience will chuckle more than the non-Greek speakers, as the subtitles seem to lose something in translation. As the canteen's patrons muddled along throughout the disjointed storyline, it's no surprise the production quality suffered the same fate and was inconsistent from scene to scene. You'll be left hungry after visiting "Canteen".
- Genre » Comedy Drama
- Release » Limited 15 Oct 2010
- Festival » Greek Film Festival 2010
City of Your Final Destination
Tom Jones
Omar Razaghi wins a grant to write a biography of Latin American writer Jules Gund. Omar must get through to three people who were close to Gund so he can get authorization to write the biography.
Despite lacking in action or drama, don't expect to become restless in your seat or repeatedly check your watch during this film. It's not boring, but relaxing. The greenery, the food, the drinks and the sounds of nature which accompany every scene add to the sense of tranquillity which is created for the audience. The high calibre cast prove why they're at the top with some impressive performances. Until you reach the city of your final destination, sit back, relax, enjoy.
Eat Pray Love
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.
Buried
Tom Jones
Paul is a U.S. contractor working in Iraq, wh After an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin.
'Tis an ambitious undertaking to make a film with only one character and only one setting, especially when that setting is a wooden box. All involved, particularly the lead who battles the worst bureaucracy to try and survive, deserve great credit for achieving this feat in such a compelling way. The suspense is sustained brilliantly. Just when the situation looks like it couldn't get anymore dire, it does, in a most unexpected and nightmarish way. "Buried" is bold, brave and breathtaking.. literally.
The Housemaid
Anne Murphy
A man's affair with his family's housemaid leads to a dark consequences.
"The Housemaid" is an erotically charged study of the ruthless politics of gender and social position. Money provides the wherewithal to dispense with morality and it is replaced with malice so calculated it's breathtaking. Power is potently portrayed. The onscreen representation of the central family's elaborate lifestyle is lavish and visually opulent. The dark suspense builds and culminates in an ending that is disquieting and memorable, with an odd epilogue tacked on the end as a jarringly surreal close. Well maid, right up to the superfluous flourish of the finish.
Ten Winters
Anne Murphy
Timing is everything as friends who are drawn to each other miss opportunities to become a couple but keep connecting by chance during a decade.
Winter in Venice looks cold, the back drops are frosty, a stark contrast to the central characters who are warm and real. There is a good deal of restraint exercised, and love-lorn resignation experienced, by the friends as they fail to connect romantically over the ten year period covered by the movie. The unrequited attraction of the couple is understated and compelling to watch as each year passes and fate conspires to keep them apart. "Ten Winters" is one great story.
- Genre » Romance Drama
- Release » Limited 01 Oct 2010
- Festival » Italian Film Festival 2010
The Tree
Anne Murphy
Fate strikes taking the father of a family of four and leaving his daughter convinced that her dad still lives in the giant fig tree growing near their house.
There is a tension between holding on and letting go, mourning and living that's central to the plot. The idea behind the story is imaginative and unfortunately the movie lacks depth on the screen as does the dialogue that fails to hold interest. Even the characters at their best are blandly stereotypical. Thankfully the Australian countryside is magnificent, as is the titular tree. It just doesn't take root.