Movie Club: January 2007

Movie Club Movie of the Year Poll

Sarah lounges in a mahogany coloured chesterfield basking in the glow of an open fire. She is wearing a black and gold tartan satin robe with a cravat and open heeled slippers. She is nonchalantly puffing on a Cuban cigar and occasionally nips her cognac from an oversized balloon glass; mulling over the taste with poise and reflection.

SARAH

2006. The year that was. And what a year it was. From humble beginnings Movie Club sprung and blossomed through international political turmoil, racial angst, coupled attendances, frosted conditions, misjudged Bolognese, lonely hearts of gold, heroine addictions, teen incest, poisoned leis, trout fishing, and people turning into whales. Quite a year.

Throughout the year we have bared witness to the befuddled delineation of a burgeoning cinematic genre, the expose of a husband’s true identity, the expose of Melquiades Estrada’s true identity, badly delegated nick names, ballerina’s who probably should be dead and unconvincing elections regarding the vice presidency.

Despite the hardships, the good times ran like a river of joyous over consumption as the booze flowed freely after the block party, love’s heart ache made for bittersweet melancholics to well up most Monday nights, brothers were released from institutions and found an endearing and charmingly hilarious sense of belonging amongst movie club as the numbers of swelled and bloated like Bukowski’s grog-rouged face.

And, as always, fantasy and reality have intertwined themselves so completely within my memory that it is nearly impossible to untangle the messy chaos that is the pieces of my mind.

And so I welcome one and all to the Movie Club Movie of the Year Poll for 2006.

Below is a complete list of every film we, (the collective and wide spread ‘we’ of the Movie Clubbery caliber) attended in 2006. If you wish to refresh your memory of said films please take your delicately clicking little mousey wowsey and lightly rap a tap tap the title below and it will spin you across a webbed and cybered universe, gently coming into land at the appropriate review which will also contain a link to the film’s website.

But now please enjoy, what has taken quite a number of leisure hours to compile, the movie club movie of the year poll list…

Sarah nips her cognac thoughtfully as we fade to black.

With an uncomfortable style and genre jump, we cut back to Sarah who is standing in front of a local skate park. She is wearing a tight boob tube and is wearing sunglasses. Her hair keeps getting blown into her mouth by the wind. She has an annoying forced enthusiasm for the blather she is sprouting.

SARAH

Wasn't that cool? These guys behind me at the local skate park are pretty cool too. Cause skating's cool, its so 1979.

So guys, all you have to do to vote in the Movie Club Movie of the Year Poll is click on the link that says ‘post a comment’, down below, then like type your top five, High Fidelity style, movies of the year in no particular order into the comment box. You can post your Top Five anonymously or hit the circle that says ‘other’, then type your name in then hit ‘publish comment’. Easy as pie, ey?

You can see my illuminating Top Five by hitting the comments link! Knock yourselves out! Or click here!

Ok guys that’s all for this week. When Movie Club returns good and

proper well into the new year, we’re going to be expanding, with more guest reviewers lined up and, well, a movie once a week as usual. Catch ya then! Bi-eye.

Sarah waves annoyingly and frantically at the camera.

Credits roll with soft nu punk emo esque music playing, cause we're hip and trendy at Movie Club!

Post Script…
One quality of my writing which I have noted whilst compiling this comprehensive list is that of frank and occasionally brutal shitness. The log line to the blog reads ‘rambling movie reviews from an ex-arts student with nothing better to do with her time’...I view this statement, no longer as witty self deprecation and sardonic yet sophisticated humour as originally intended. Instead, it proclaims the upfront cruelty that only the cold slap with the wet fish across the face of reality provides. The reviews themselves are misguided, rambling and often confusing. I have an annoying habit of starting one sentence structure then ending with an entirely different one which is an annoying habit I have (get it?).

Thus, dear readership, my New Years Resolution is to provide you with well informed, grammatically correct (to the best of my ability) and just plain non-crap reviews.

fin.

WORDPLAY by Virginia Kay

Wordplay was fun and informative - made me want to get hardcore into puzzles
and become super intelligent - nerd style.

CHILDREN OF MEN by Virginia Kay

'Children of Men' was incredibly well shot (battle scenes shot on one
hand-held camera news-footage style), brought the war home, very clever,
moments of humour - thus not too wanky, Clive Owen and Michael Caine were
totally rad, it's really just like the movie of our time man and everyone
should totally see it (NOTE: All the dumb things in the last sentence were Sam's points, for example "...brought the war home...". All who were there
agreed (that it was a great film - not that Sam is dumb, though I haven't
asked them).

TIDELAND

Made by Terry Gilliam , animator of Monty Python, director of fear and loathing in las vegas and 12 monkeys. Weird, surreal-esque film based on the open wheat field plains of somewhere USA. Little girl, Eliza Rose: Mom dies of something, Her father and her return to grandmother's house, Dad dies of a heroin overdose (Jeff Daniels as the father: genius) girl left on her own with the crazy neighbours. I kinda liked being on this bizarre and weird journey and getting a little freaked out. I much preferred it to a David Lynch weirdness. Matt didn't like it and Sam thought it was weird for weird sake which is a good point.

STICKY CARPET

Good, worthy film about Melbourne's rock scene and our independent media. Finally a film about this stuff; good. I applaud it. However, it did feel a little exclusive and only for the people who are involved in this community. So its whole premise was the wonderful non-mainstream music and culture we have and the community which is built around it the importance of being apart of that community and of community in general, yet was made by and for people of this community and no one beyond that. Felt like it needed more of a thorughline something to pull me through, but its hard to judge this film in the relation to structure cause that's not what it's about. Quite a difficult thing to do I would imagine, make a film about community for a wider community without betraying the heart and soul of what made the first community great in the first place. Didn't feel like I got a feeling of what Melbourne is and I think sometimes the film had trouble defining what it was trying to say. Good to see the wasted old rockers on screen and the young eloquently and poetically angry about the world.

(CLICK THE IMAGE FOR LINK TO SITE)

FUNN Y HA HA

I think movie club cherry popper SophieQ summed it up by stating whilst we were dodging old women in the foyer of the Regent Theatre..."I can't believe that I enjoyed that movie so much and it was so boring"...I'm paraphrasing of course but it was along those lines anyway (I'm sure Sophie will correct me pretty quickly). Funny Ha Ha, wasn't funny ha ha or funny peculiar, it was real. It was very American in the vain of Kevin Smith's Clerks and other talky films of the early 90s, where nothing at all happens its just a snap shot of the protagonists life. Its remarkably well done. All the characters are recognisable and awkward and things feel and look the way things feel and look in real life. Wonderful performances by unknown actors. there are some really great moments in the film and some funny lines which might as well have come out your best fiends mouth. Its only until you get to know the characters that their trivial and almost banal lives become interesting. Makes you realise how trivial and banal your life really is, which is always a comforting fact! Filmnut Gin Rummy liked it and the networking cherry popper SophieQ liked it too, I just think, I like films that take me away from my trivial and banal life.

JINDABYNE

Well, last week saw cherry popper Paul Cooper exclaim as we left the nova after seeing Jindabyne:

Paul: Writing a soundtrack to a film would be easy

Me: What!? (wipes tears away from red puffy eyes) Are you a retard?

Paul: No, but a retard could write a soundtrack to a film...

Please foward all complaints to sonofjive@gmail.com

Ok! So! Moving on...pshft retard could write a sound track to a film...What. EVA.

There were mixed reviews to Jindabyne. The lovebirds (yes thats you Lu and Nick) thought it a bit heavy. And sometimes that got too much and you just didn't care anymore.

I don't necessarily agree with this but I can see where they're coming from. The movie is tense...the whole way through. There are awkward transitions between scenes at times and this sort of creates a discomfort with the filmmkaing which doesn't always completely engage you. What I found however, whenever this happened at the beginning of a new scene and my innner thoughts went *sigh* over it. don't care. By the end of the scene I was taken in again.

Laura Linney carried the film and I think she did it extremely well, I really felt for Claire who was trapped not only by what to believe and this weird thing that the man she loves did but also by her past, and some instability that she has had in the past. Man that sounds like such a shit review form some ex-arts uni student. What I loved about Claire's plight was this whole friction between feminine emotionality and masculine rationality...neither of these things actually exist becuase emotionality and rationality are of course linked...they have to be. But women's emotional states are still often described as unstable, over reacting or mentally ill particularly in comparison to the no bull shit ways of the Australian male...And now we come to the poor old Aussie males who never get a good wrap in Aussie films...they are always destined to fail in some way. And Jindabyne continues this, what is called the, AFC tradition.

I love John Howard. Always have always will...if there any quips about the motherfruiting (fully aware of work related coarse language filters here) roostersucking dispassionate American bottom fiddling evil evil man who leads our country and not the actor I will have your heart cut out with a spoon...

"Why a spoon? Why not an axe?"

Becuase it's dull you twit it'l hurt more!

Anyway Chris Haywood, well, he's a good actor and I recently saw a beautiful performance from him at the 11th hour Theatre in King John but he seems to be pretending to be Tom Long (you know the dopey police officer in Seachange). I reckon, only because I have enjoyed watching him perform in The Proposition, Candy and Australian rules, but I reckon Tom Budgee (is that his name?) would have done something really interesting with this character. Chris seems to go for the obvious almost cartoon like options for his innoscent character Billy.

Jindabyne is very similar in its 'its for older people' styled narrative to Lantana. But it feels more complex and interesting to watch. the pictures are very pretty too. Its pretty easy to get good pictures when your in that incredible landscape of Koziosko National Park. OH! I amost forgot, watch out for the little girl, shes a genius, slightly evil, but beautiful and innoscent all at the same time...Tom the son, is really good as well, but he's juct so cute that it makes me wary of him and his powers of manipulation.

TRISTRAM SHANDY: A COCK AND BULL STORY

Tristam Shandy was genius...Steve Coogan? Genius. Rob Bryton? Mega Genius...Soooo Post Modern (that one's for you Dad!)...

Hilarious...

I must admit I got a widdle bit uncomfortable to begin with cause...well...the actors play male actors so well! And...well...I have been known to be a bit dramatic in my time or least have had to deal with some unresonable egos or have asked people to deal with my unreasonable ego before! So its cringe worthy in that sense. BUT in that regard this is film performance at an amazing and dizzingly height! For instance, Steve Coogan plays the 'actor' Steve Coogan who is playing Tristam Shandy . Now that doesn't sound too hard...but...its done with some much delicacy, subtlty and hilarity that every comment, moment and movement is completely right for the film.

AND. A-N-D Dylan Moran is in this film...can it get any more divine!?

No. I don't think so is the answer to that question.

The story is based around the film crew and actors who are making Tristam Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story. So the narrative jumps between actual film of Tristam Shandy and a sort of mockumentary about the making of the film...everyone is perfectly cast and the absurdity of film making is really brought to the fore with such grace!

There were no inappropriate falling alseep although my laugh for some reason seemed to be the only one in the cinema...it wasn't there was just a Barbara Strisand joke that brought my house down.

My ratings: Five Vinos!

FACTOTUM

APOLOGY: To guest reviewer Matichu Pitchu (or MattyF) for the font-o (instead of typo for you hard to humour types) in last week's movie club email. MATT ONLY REVIEWED SO I MARRIED AN AXE MURERER AND NOT DAVID BOWIE'S COCK IN THE LABYRINTH that was all me!

MOVIE CLUB:

An important thought to remember is that a 6 o'clock dinner for 6 people with a 7 o'clock movie is not quite enough time! But I guess that's only for the cultured university educated filmy sophisticates to worry about. Life's hard really.

Has anyone else read Bukowski? I never had before I saw the film but I have been a support for friends of mine who have been through this experience that seems to effect people in ways one can't explain too articulately. The hard drinkin, mysoginist, unreasonable, "life is loss" Bukowski is an intoxicating (all pun intended) and facinating character. He is also, it must be put forth, hilarious, with a deeply dark, midnight black even, humour.

Like the library geek that I am I decided to borrow some books so I could read up on this infamous Art- TEE- st after the film. This extraciriccular reading has effected my review. And by the end of the review don't be surprised if you find me in a strip club and sucking down a bottle of burbon.

Factotum began with Matt Dillion as Mr Chinaski thumping ice with a jack hammer. As soon as I saw him in my fast-to-judge-and-"prove-to-me-your-worthy"-arrogant-film-critic mind I thought "oh shpfft I don't like Matt Dillion as Mr Chinaski". Then in my "come-on-lets-be-reasonable-dont-be-quick-to-judge" mind I thought I should let the film continue at least until he speaks to judge him.

The film is not immediately accessible; it doesn't open it's arms wide like with the well known set up and development that most films lovingly lay out for you. The narrative thus is merandering and is a sequence of events placed one after each other with no real climax or character "journey". This results in two things; firstly the first third or quarter of the film feels quite distant and difficult to be involved in. Secondly, the film feels incredibly close and intimate with the text and Bukowski's work and it is for this reason that Factotum the film is a masterstroke and really an awesome* film. Matt Dillion is really very good and his performance unwillingly and begrudgingly carries the film as many of the characters in Bukowski's stories do. They are anti-heroes not in their self destructiveness but in their pure unenthusiasm to be the main focus of a story. Marisa Tomey is of course the star of the film and she is only in it for a couple of scenes (but I'm a big fan of Marisa Tomey I may be biased). The other actress whose name has escaped me (my deepest apologies for disrepecting this actress by not crediting her properly due a lack of time)**, is also utterly convincing. The film manages and weaves through Bukowski's humour, darkness and poetry with every line, performance and visual artistry. I would reccomend reading Bukowski either before or after some of his writing because not only is it a great film it is also a respectful and genius adaptation.

* awesome in the "to inspire awe" sense of the word.

**Lilli Taylor is the name of the actress

TEN CANOES

Hello All! (I am trying to appear more cheerful than I feel. right now I just feel cold, that kind of cold that gets into your bones...but I have a roof over my head many many warm clothes and a heater so I no complain...but this heater is a piece'o's*#t its sitting bout three inches away from me and the fruitcaker still can't keep me or my room even remotely safe from the chill. - please note I would swear firecely like some sort of man from the sea but some of the esteemed movie club members have proper jobs and the proper jobs have these filters that are very conservative and don't like swear words).

OK! So last's weeks film was Ten Canoes and I went into the cinema with quite alot of unnecessary cynicism because I don't want to be one of the cultural elite who like films about black people simply because they have black people in it. Thats a bit patronising and tokenistic I think. First and foremost is it a good film? Then we can start asking questions about the importance and significance of the film.

But Ten Canoes is a sophisticated film that works on many levels and espouses the essense of storytelling.

One of the lines that you would have heard in preview or read in the newspapers is repeated a number of times in the film; "This is not your story, it's my story". This is a really poingant line not as a 'I'm aboriginal and your not' kinda way but in a device which allows the audience to accept how the story is being told and addresses any discomfort or awkwardness when watching this very foreign film. And we are constantly reminded that we are a white audience watching an aboriginal story, not in a patronising or mean way. Just a gentle reminder, that its ok that this story chops between three time zones two of which are ancestral, that the pace is different to most western classical narrative structures and that stories are connected to the people who are connected to the land which is connected to the stroies that are connect to the people...dig it?

I would really love to ramble on about this film cause there is lots of things to say about it. We can look at it from a post modern perspective (oh come on! You can look at it as a post modern film even though the story is from a very long time ago. I am a cinema studies graduate and the only use I have for what I learnt so far are these movie club reviews so back off cynical bastidos!), or look at its simularities with French new wave (see above!), or talk about David Guilpil and his son's performances or how the photography seemed to rewrite the Australian landscape in Australian cinmea, or the reasons why the filmmaker replicated historical photos within the film but I don't really have time today.

It is story within a story within a story. And the actual story was not incredibly interesting and I didn't like the use of black and white for the second tier of the story but I understand why they did it I guess. I did like the listening to the language, watching the faces and the landscape and the final death dance is really beautiful and facinating to watch.

It must be noted that Tim inappropiately fell alseep during the film! The pace is very slow! But these are black people we are watching Tim!

A very warm welcome must be formerly and offically extended to Damien my equally useless cinema studies compadre!

SO I MARRIED AND AXE MURDERER & THE LABYRINTH

SARAH: Well this week sees guest reviewer MattyF...or as his is known to me with our poochy woochy namey wamey's Matchu Pitchu...not the cutesy wootsest name ever seeing as it is a big lump of dirt in South America...but...I have no excuse or reason for the pet name actually...here tis

MATCHU PITCHU: So I Married An Axe Murder follows the story of Charlie Mackenzie falling in love with Harriet who he comes to believe will eventually dismember him with an axe. His fear of commitment (ending prior relationships for reasons such as suspicions of the girls being kleptomaniacs as his cat went missing, another being involved with the cosa nostra because she was unemployed and another that smelt exactly like beef and vegetable soup) is quickly overcome when he meets Harriet because the title of the movie wouldn't've made sense if they didn't get married. However he suspects that Harriet is the notorious axe murderer when his mother points out an article in the Weekly World News (8^th highest circulation in the world I'll have you know). So that's the story, but the only reason I've seen this movie a bunch of times is because of the characters. Well maybe just the one. Mike Myers genius comes out in also playing his own fiercely Scottish father Stewart. This particular character actually has a cult following of his own. Unfortunately though, it's only a bit part but includes passionate renditions of the Bay City Rollers (Saturday Night) and Rod Stewart (You're in My Heart) and virtually everything he says can be quoted between fans for good times (see potential attachment). Hilarious cameos by Phil Hartman and Steven Wright get it over the line.

****

4 stars: if you don't like this movie you need to lighten the hell up.

SARAH: I must add that the Labyrinth was also very fantastic - most things Jim Henson has his hand up are - yet even with my rich and varied experience (please note sarcasm) with doodles that David Bowie's cock is still a massive (yes quite massive) distraction even after all these years of maturity and refinement (no sarcasm)!

THE CHUMSCRUBBER

The problem with being late for movie club emails is that I have pretty much forgotten the movie we saw last week... maybe that's a good thing, maybe it just proves my sieve for a memory..

"sorry your name was?"

"Matt"

"oh...and why did I wake up next to you?"

"cause I'm your boyfriend"

"oh right yeah OK... how long..."

"11 months."

"And do I..."

"do this every morning...yes."

"OK cool. love you!"

liddle insight into my private life... now onto the review

OK so it was The Chumscrubber that we saw. There are similarities to Donny Darko but its not sci fi...I guess its a similar mood...actually its the main character who is that angst ridden smarter than everyone else, moody, brooding, flawed, not necessarily likable but one can relate to type character which is emerging from these semi-teen weirdo moo-fies that is the similarity between the two films. I can only say this in retrospect - I saw both films without knowing much about them so I guess that gives me some perspective - but Donny Darko is more of a teen film than The Chumscrubber...The chumscrubber's adult character's - I would argue - are much deeper and interesting to watch than the teen characters and the adult characters of Donny Darko (except of course the appalling but sexy actress Drew Barrymore who is forgiven for most things for her east to west USA drug bender when she was 12 years old...COOLEST. CHICK. EVA.

Its a weird one The Chumscrubber, lots of strange things happen in a Prozac fuelled suburb. Its a myriad of character stories which are interwoven and connected through, and to, the main character whose name has completely escaped me. At the end of the film I had to decide whether I liked it or not it doesn't tell you what you should think, what it was trying to say or why the film even existed (possibly another similarity with Donny Darko). I think I choose to like it. There were some really great moments in the films and the writing was also very good. Most of the older actors were very great digging there teeth into some interesting characterisations that pretty much hit the mark. The younger actors, however, although they were strong actors I think they were misdirected in some parts choosing not so subtle or intricate approaches to some scenes, instead falling back on some stereotypical performances. there is also a pretty boring ending to the 'love story', which feels a little executive producer influenced, but as a whole it is worth a look. It feels a little longer than it actually is but that is due to how much narrative information they pump into one movie which is never confusing but enjoyable in its complexity...

BALLET RUSSES

Yes! I am late. Got drunk on Wednesday night and slept in... whatever. I now have a degree...so I can sleep til noon and learn to play the sitar because I am now...officially...a creative artist.

SARAH'S DAD: So...what exactly are you going to do Sarah?

SARAH: Um...ah...Create Art?

SARAH'S DAD: I mean for money darl?

slight pause.

SARAH: Not exactly sure yet Dad.

SARAH'S DAD: Ok darl. Let me know when you do.

SARAH: Thanks Dad.

Anyway!

Whell! Ballet Russes! not a film I would recommend. Now don't get me wrong, I loved the film. But I love nature documentaries as well and I love hearing old people talk about when they were young and beautiful. I love seeing 83 year old eccentric creative types flopping their wide girth's around the rehearsal room and I love it when they forget to flounce properly and I love when they are asked why they keep dancing they reply they couldn't do anything else. I also love ballet (but have alas never been to the ballet)

SARAH'S MUM: Don't lie, hon. I took you to see Sleeping Beauty.

SARAH: Mum, I was 6 months old.

SARAH'S MUM: Yes. And you enjoyed every minute of it. Didn't cry once. That's probably where your love of dance came from.

SARAH: Yeah probably.

I have never been to the ballet live and YES that is a hint to anyone hocking ballet tickets...not sure who would 'hock' tickets to the ballet but that's not something I can judge. Anyway my review, as warped and strange and late as it is, is if you're like me you'll probably dig it but if you have any sense of what's cool and hip you probably won't.

SARAH'S MUM: I know what's cool and hip dude and it sounds like I would like the film.

SARAH: yes mum you are very cool and hip. You are the exception.

TROS ENTERREMENTS

Sería bueno si una vez que usted hubiera tomado la época de traducir esto había algo hilarantemente que agujereaba como "él era bueno. * * * *. vaya lo ven "pero alas me he tomado otra vez y mi lugar en el mundo... los tres entierros de Melquiades Estrada era demasiado seriamente una película realmente maravillosa. Me recordó un poco la película París, Tejas de Wen el Wender clásico. Es épico, casi bíblico, el cuento del asesinato, la venganza y el rescate que le envolvieron y le dibujaron mientras que usted montó con las heces Jones de Tommy con la frontera mítica del postre de Tejas y del paisaje mexicano. ¿Había comparado siempre las heces Jones de Tommy con su carácter del mal individuo en el ayudante personal que la película... puede cualquier persona ayudarme hacia fuera? ¿Pero su funcionamiento en los tres entierros de Melquiades Estrada era sutil y elocuente... atrévase me dicen hermoso? Un tacto me mordió de largo - con el palmo de atención desarrollado inferior - pensamiento. Una película de hombres, no en términos del bruteness infantil sino de una manera endurecida del vaquero. Era buenas cuatro estrellas. Vaya lo ven.

In other words:

Ahh.. babel fish doesn't work...here's proof...

It would be good if once you had taken the time to translate this were something very laughingly bored like "him were good. * * * *. it goes see it "but wings I have taken myself again and my place in the world... the three burials of Melquiades Estrada was too much seriously a really wonderful film. The Paris film remembered a little to me, Roofing tiles of Wen the classic Wender. He is épico, almost Biblical, the story of the murder, the revenge and the rescue that surrounded to him and drew to him whereas you mounted with the lees Jones de Tommy with the mythical border of the dessert of Roofing tiles and the Mexican landscape. It had always compared the lees Jones de Tommy with his character of the badly individual one in the personal assistant who the film... can any person help me towards outside? But its operation in the three burials of Melquiades Estrada was subtle and eloquent... it atrévase say to me beautiful? A tact bit to me of length - with the developed handspan of attention inferior - thought. A film of men, not in terms of bruteness infantile but of a hardened way of the cattle tender. It was good four stars. Go see it.

CANDY

Candy was quite good...Amanda had a teary, I had an inappropriate 'I wonder how much heath ledger got paid for this film' thought while he was shooting up and the starnge girl next to Matt sniffed the whole way through. Heroine is bad people! But it can make quite a good film. Couple of Movie Club cherry poppers and some old favourites in attendence, just the way I like it.

NEIL YOUNG: HEART OF GOLD

I am wasn't a huge Neil Young fan before I went to the movie. Of course I can totally be appreciative of his music and enjoy it when I do listen to it (thinking of Glendbln, Cass and me in a car to Lakes for New Years 2004). I even contemplated buying his latest record but I have never before been enthused enough to actually go out and buy a Neil Young record. I figured, however, I am always a fan of music doco's so why not trot along to this flick. If anyone has read anything about this film they probably would have known that this isn't in fact a documentary but just a Neil Young concert. Just a Neil Young concert discredits this movie...or Neil Young or his band or Emmy Lou Harris' amazing on screen presence or the experience of witnessing the divinity of music or the strong connection between these now old musicians or something like that anyway. It didn't feel like just a Neil Young concert. It didn't make me leap for joy or cry with compassion. It didn't even make me wanna go out and buy a CD (the way walk the line did with Live at that prison Johnny Cash played in, now that's something I should know. Anyone?...Folsom?). It did, however make me aware, conscious of and grateful for the preciousness of creating. Whether it be through playing music, writing stories, performing plays, painting, photographing, cooking and so on. Having that thing that you can't get out of your system and you have to do it or else...well there is no or else really. But now I'm just being poetic/melancholy Sarah. The real beauty is that he has been doing, he has been able to fund it, for so many years! dreams can come true...ok I'll take my sappy hat off now.

DRAWING RESTRAINT #9

So everyone is pretty gald they missed the 2 and half hour EPIC that was Drawing Restraint 9....It was too long. What I like about seeing films that are 'art' (not art house thats something different again) is that they make absolutely everything look good. Every piece of furniture or costume or (dare I say) mise en scene has been thought about, placed and composed with presision and accuracy. But it was too long....it was set in Japan so everything was 'ritualistic', similar to a tea ceremony...all of which took a long time. And the costumes (the retarded bear type scenarios) looked ridiculous most of the time except for the scene they designed for. Bjork (I thought because I dont find her annoying) was goregous but I don't think Barney should be an actor...and it was so serious... all the time! I was trying to remember Daniel Kitson's words that being pretentious and taking stuff seriously isn't a bad thing. Its not a the bad thing that people (esp Australians) seem to make it out to be....but...you know...come on! You are walking on boney type wooden thongs and you have stumbled a couple of times, thats funny...obvisously I was the only one who thought so in the theatre! Laughing inappropriately seems to be my schtick

DAVE CHAPPELLE'S BLOCK PARTY

Oh. My. God! Block Party was very ace, I'm THE biggest whitey in the world but I wanted to bounce, put my hands in the air, say yeah and get wit da homies...(I am talking about the black people of course for those who haven't seen the film). Gondry does a great job at creating such an energetic mood and not making David Chapelle come across as too annoying! Fun was had by all.

Note for self: do not get too drunk after movie club and not go to school the next day...bad form! Also do not stay at Meyers place until close and annoy Miss Amanda...sorry lady!

THE MANUAL OF LOVE

So Manual of Love was...Italian. It told a number of stories about
love in its different forms. Breaking up, abandonment etc. It began
with young love, the best kind. It used a number of Italian visual and
character cliche`s but thats what we went for. We ('we' as an
Australian audience) wanted to see an 'Italian' film. And so did all
the quite vocal Australian Italian audience. When you hear someone
completely involved and taken by the film you tend to appreciate it
more (I know whenever I cry at a film people tend to remember it) or
you think that the person is a dickhead for liking it. But it was the
former rather than the latter for me last movie club.

In a shorter version of the review...I cried at the end so film did
something right.

Tsotsi

The conseus after the last movie club was that Tsosti (that's pronounced sot-see) was quite slow moving; "didn't grab me by the testicales" as Mr Ford delicately stated. But Presley Chweneyagae's (Tsotsi) performance was stunning and Terry Pheto (Mirium) was a hottie so those two qualities made up for the pace. Personally being the ignorant and uncultured Australian I am I was interested just to see the metropolis of Johannesberg...they have train stations there you know...once again I laughed inappropriately. There are a multitude of massive billboards that read: "We Are All Affected By Aids" (perhaps it was effected), in the trainstations and in the back ground. i laughed not because its funny that everyone in Johannesberg is affected by HIV but just the massive-ness and yellow-ness of the sign with a group of smiling faces bearing down from on high, boarded on the ridiculous...imagine getting off the train in the morning on your way to work and having that bellowing at you. Weird.

big grand voice:"We Are All Affected By Aids"

Businessman walking to work: Ah yes! of course! right. Thanks. Forgot for a moment that we are all affected. Glad we're not infected by Aids. That would be reallly weird. Thanks for reminding me though. My dad recently past away due to HIV so its always a good reminder of the truth!. Isn't it grand that we live in a semi third world country. We are all afffected by aids yippee...Thanks big grand voice and smiling faces, I was close to happiness for a moment there!

Anyway Tsotsi was a gritty social realist film, it had its moments and we can all see why it one the oscar. But despite the fact that it came from South Africa it was actaully quite a lovely film. And Yes! I cried at the end.

THE SQUID AND THE WHALE

The Squid and The Whale is a beautiful little film. In the same vain
as 'You and Me and Everybody we know' and 'Thumbsucker' even 'Garden
State'. That American Suburbia 'the ordinary is the most interesting'
chararcter based drama...inspired slightly I think by Wes Andersen in
his quirky sense of film making and character development but more
'real', even Tom Solondz but less harrowing and cuter. In
summery...its a good film, go see it.

THE HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

The consensus, about The History of Violence, from everyone involved, was that it suck arse! David and Margaret apparently loved it.And I am sure Geoff Mayer form La Trobe Cinema department loved it too. Yes the main character conflicts with normal hollywood charcater trajectories. Yes the ending is ambiguous. Yes the exploration of the inextricable link bewteen the American Dream and violence. But it was shit and the whole audience was with us. A very animated night where everyone simultaneously either sighed with frustration, laughed at the melodrama or scouffed with disbelif at how preditcable or retarded the plot twists were.

MARCH OF THE PENGUINS

Well those who attended last meeting will remember quite a successful Movie Club indeed....the motion to have name badges was passed and anyone leaving the club will have their name badge stripped off them....I feel that sentence is grammatically incorrect...anyone anyone?

SO! Penguins were cute and fluffy but a residual feeling of "not informative enough" was the consensus...(geeks!). "Many questions were unanswered" was one comment and a promise to "google it" was another. Sheesh!

A couple of things have occurred after last movie club...1) The president (that's me) has to remember the time which to meet at Nova. 2) Drinks afterwards isn't mandatory but I think should occur for anyone willing....Thank you to Television's Kynan Barker for the second note...also 3) Ryan Swenson is now vice-president of movie club...he carried my bags into the cinema and saved seats for pre-movie pissers....

CRASH

Well the moral of last weeks movie club film, Crash, was thus: Everyone in L.A. is racist (yes even those menacing blacks!) who might as well be dead and if they're not they should kill themselves. AND that this movie is merely a microcosom for the United States as a whole so don't worry the country will soon self destruct...keep faith and stay happy =).

Movie Club

Tuesday, January 09, 2007