RIDE LIKE A GIRL - film

Ride Like a Girl is based on the true story of Australian jockey Michelle Payne being the first woman to win a Melbourne Cup. It’s bloody delightful!

I knew just a little of the Michelle Payne Melbourne Cup Fairytale (TM) before I saw this so it was great to learn more about just how hard she worked, how many barriers she broke down and how many setbacks she overcame to achieve such an incredible feat.

Payne is played by Teresa Palmer, her father Paddy by Sam Neill and her brother Stevie is played by Stevie himself which is pretty cool - they are all fantastic and bring the story to life. Accomplished actors Magda Szubanski and Sullivan Stapleton have smaller roles and are also both very good of course but I’m saving a special shout out for Genevieve Morris who I think is a really underrated Australian actress. You might not know the name but I bet you know her face - she’s been in loads of Aussie TV shows and some iconic ads.

After the premiere I saw Australian actor, producer and radio host Jane Kennedy say something along the lines of “don’t let the PC reviews put you off” in a tweet praising this film which filled me with dread to be honest. There is an obvious point to which you can object - I know many people think horse racing is cruel. If you fall into that category, of course don’t see this one. If you can live with it then I reckon you’ll love Ride Like a Girl. I laughed and cried! For what it’s worth, Jane deleted the tweet and replaced it with something like “support Australian films”.

The one thing I would say by way of caution is that for much of the film I was thinking it would be a great one for my nieces to see (aged between 12 and 18) because I think they’d like it and be inspired by it. However when Michelle started eating only one orange in a day and wrapping herself in cling wrap and sitting in her car with the heater on to get herself down to 50 kilograms to achieve her dream I thought better of that. I’m all in favour of working hard to achieve your goals but that’s not something I want them to see and idolise. Based on that - even though it’s rated PG - this one is for grown-ups who can be objective, I reckon.

Ride Like a Girl opens Thursday 26 September and runs for 96 minutes (YES! I hate long movies!). Trailer here.

DOWNTON ABBEY

Like many people, I loved the TV show Downton Abbey. I tried to keep my expectations in check for the film figuring it would be hard for it to live up the TV show and so it was.

I’m going to approach this blog assuming that if you have enough interest in this film to read this blog, it’s because you’re familiar with the TV show. If you’re not, stop reading now because this film is barely for people who loved the TV show so it’s certainly not for people who didn’t.

The storyline could have worked - the King and Queen are coming to Downton to visit! - but it was hammed up in such an excruciating way that I really found it very difficult to enjoy. Mr Bates said very little which was a plus but Mrs Bates was suddenly plotting a coup against the King and Queen’s own staff and the whole thing was just implausible and silly. Yes, yes, I know it’s a drama and these things are often implausible but trust me, they really stretched the friendship on this one. I’m talking people being drugged and locked in rooms, ok?!

The Crawley family played to type of course. The arrival of a cousin of Robert’s (Imelda Staunton/Delores Umbridge) brought a little intrigue but really only a little. Carson comes out of retirement (I was reminded how insufferable he got as the show went on) which frees up Barrow to have an interesting mini subplot but it was such a small part of the film it just wasn’t enough to suck me in. For me there was too many storylines left too undercooked - do less and do it better, I reckon.

The film is set up in a way which so obviously leads to another film that when it finished I just thought, no, please don’t do that. You’re ruining a great thing.

I saw this with a friend who is also a Downton Abbey TV show fan and we were completely on the same page about how disappointing it was and both thought it’s worthy of only 2 stars out of 5. Some proper critics have been a little more generous giving it 3 stars but it doesn’t get much better than that. In the interests of balance, here’s a three star review in The Guardian and here’s a summary of early reviews if you want a broad spectrum.

Downton Abbey opens 12 September and is rated PG. Trailer here.

THE AUSTRALIAN DREAM - film

The documentary is partly a bio of Aboriginal AFL player Adam Goodes and party a look at racism in Australia. It’s beautifully made, reflective and poignant. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

I will say that I haven’t seen the doco on the same topic that was recently on TV. A friend who I saw The Australian Dream with had seen it and felt this one didn’t offer any significant insights that the one on TV already had however in sharing that observation with others who’ve seen both, they disagreed. In fact one described this film as significantly better, not just a little better.

It’s not easy to watch. I cried. And if you’d told me AFL great Nathan Buckley would offer one of the most searingly painful observation of the film I wouldn’t have believed you but here we are. It took my breath away.

If you’re interested in sport, Australian culture, Indigenous history, AFL or media I think you will find this film fascinating and well worth your time and hard-earned. Here’s a 3.5 star review in the Fairfax press if you want more details.

The Australian Dream is in cinemas now. Take a friend who you think could do with seeing it. Don’t pretend you don’t know what I mean.

(As a bit of an aside, it reminded me that Aboriginal former AFL player Gilbert McAdam is bloody good media talent and should be in mainstream media coverage of the game way more often.)

LATE NIGHT - film

Late Night is a comedy (more on this later) about a late night talk show host Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson) who is trying to revitalise her show and career. She hires Molly (Mindy Kaling) to the shows’s writing team in an attempt to breathe life into the material which had, until Molly’s arrival, been written by a team of men. Molly’s fresh perspective is an affront to the writing team and her honesty an affront to Katherine, who has terrified her team into a bunch of yes-men over many years.

The film is based on a screenplay by Kaling and directed by Nisha Ganatra. Regular readers will know I often don’t talk about the directors of films but in this case it’s relevant to my views in that there’s a whole lotta woman power behind this film and it made me want to love it and support it.

Sadly I can’t give this film a big pump-up. It’s a solid idea and excellent cast but the execution fell a bit flat for me. The laughs that are there are very good but there’s far too few and in moments where they tried to pull at some heart-strings (Katherine betrays her ill husband, played by John Lithgow) I just felt very little empathy. I hadn’t bought in and I didn’t care enough.

I actually looked the film up on the distributor’s website to see if they were selling it as a comedy, wondering if perhaps it was meant to be a funny drama and I’d misunderstood but nope, comedy it is. They claim.

Late Night isn’t terrible but it’s not as good or funny as I hoped it would be or as it could have been. It’s a pleasant enough film (say, three stars) but one which I’d be inclined to wait and see when it pops up on Netflix or similar.

I want to see more amazing films starring women, about women, created by women, celebrated by women but Late Night hasn’t given me enough to sing from the rooftops about. What a pity.

Here’s a three-star review in The Guardian if you want to read more.

Late Night is rated M, runs 102 minutes and is in cinemas now. Trailer here.

PALM BEACH - film

Regular readers will know it pains me to say negative things about an Australian film so I’m sad to report that there’s pain a comin’ here.

Palm Beach is an Australian drama that follows a group of old friends gathering for a weekend for one of their birthdays. Happily birthday boy (Frank - Bryan Brown) is loaded and lives in Palm Beach in Sydney’s northern beaches so the scenery is stunning and the booze and great food is flowing freely. If nothing else this film will make you crave some delicious grilled prawns and a glass of expensive champagne.

The group are all battling various dramas life throws at you, especially as you age. Think an actress being offered the part of a grandmother for the first time, a guy not being able to get an erection anymore and a woman battling breast cancer, for example. Of course there’s a secret among them and things appear to be about to blow up when one of them (Leo - Sam Neill) declares to another (Charlotte - Greta Scacchi) that he’s not inclined to keep said secret anymore. No more for fear of spoilers but I’ll say that I never really felt invested in the drama or mystery to feel compelled to care much about the fate of the characters.

I wanted to love Palm Beach reeeaaal bad. The cast is chock full of impressive names - Richard E Grant, Jacqueline McKenzie in addition to those already mentioned - but they didn’t have a compelling enough storyline to work with in my view. There were times it was hard to escape the conclusion that it was a bit of a soap opera… an episode of Home and Away with far superior production values, if you will. The friend I saw it with concurred.

I’m conscious I’m not the target audience for this film (I assume it’s aimed primarily at the 50+ market who can relate to the main characters) so I pondered whether my parents would enjoy it and I just don’t think they would to be honest.

In the interests of fairness, here’s a 3.5 star review in the Fairfax press and a 2 star review in The Guardian.

This isn’t a dreadful way to spend an hour and a half but I can’t put my hand on heart and recommend you rush out for it. Maybe when it pops up on TV.

Palm Beach opens 8 August and is rated M. Trailer here.

THE PUBLIC - film

The Public is a excellent drama by writer, director, producer and star Emilio Estevez, whom I can scarcely believe is 56 years old!

It’s the story of the homeless community of Cincinnati who flock to the local public library for warmth, friendly faces and something to occupy their days. But when the days and nights turn bitterly cold, they stage a protest to try to secure permission to sleep in the library at night.

Estevez stars as librarian Stuart Goodson who has experience living on the streets himself leaving him deeply sympathetic to the protesting homeless community. Alec Baldwin and Christian Bale also star in the film and like Estevez they are effective as always.

The Public isn’t perfect - it can be overly simplistic and sanctimonious at times - but I reckon it’s worth your time. It’s on at only a handful of cinemas in cities around Australia so you’ll have to look a little further afield than your local megaplex on this one. If you don’t catch it on the big screen, keep an eye out for it on the telly in future.

Check out this review in the New York Times if you want to read more on this one.

The Public opens on 1 August and is rated M. Trailer here.

COME FROM AWAY - musical theatre

Come From Away is a musical about what happens in Gander, a small town in Canada, when 38 planes and 7000 people were diverted there following the September 11 terror attack in New York.

If you’re wondering how on earth something so bleak could be turned into a jolly musical it’s a fair question but take my word for it when I say, they’ve done it with aplomb!

Come From Away is remarkable. You’ll laugh and cry and think about things that never crossed your mind back on that fateful day in 2001. I can honestly say I’d never turned my mind to what happened to planes that couldn’t land but there were so many interesting stories on those planes - poignant, tragic, funny - and they’re bought to life in a respectful and uplifting way.

Come From Away is completely charming and we’re so lucky to have it here in Melbourne. Don’t miss it!

THE LION KING - film

This is a remake of the 1994 animated Disney film The Lion King. It’s hard not to compare them and for me, this new one comes out the poor cousin. You know, the one who’s fine in the scheme of things but a bit of a bore to chat to at Christmas lunch*?

The voice cast includes high profile stars including Beyonce, Seth Rogan, John Oliver, Donald Glover and Billy Eichner. Eichner gets all the fun lines and delivers them beautifully and whilst the rest of the cast are perfectly good, the material they had to work with was a bit ho hum. Again with the ‘fine in the scheme of things but a bit dull’ thing.

There seemed to be fewer songs in this remake and to my great disappointment, the wonderful song from the ‘94 version “Be prepared” is basically spoken rather than sung. *sigh*

If you’re thinking about taking kids I’d leave your fraidy-cats at home because it’s a bit scary, like the original, but feels even more real owing to the very good graphic technology.

Finally, a warning for cranky old folks like me… the cinema will likely be full of people in their late teens and early twenties back for the nostalgia and this cohort are the kind who will look at their phones constantly, talk and eat KFC through the film. If you do want to see this one I’d make it at an arthouse cinema at a time unattractive to these animals. Say, Sunday morning?

Here’s a three-star review from news.com.au if you want to read more. It’s probably about a half star too generous for me.

The Lion King (2019) is rated PG and goes for about two hours. Trailer here.

*I mean this in the ‘depicted in movies and TV shows’ way, not in reality because of course all my cousins are fabulous and this definitely is not about any of them!

YESTERDAY - film

Yesterday is a completely charming UK comedy about an aspiring young musician Jack (Himesh Patel) who, following an accident, inexplicably remembers the band The Beatles when no one else does. To (almost*) everyone but him, it’s as though they never existed.

Jack can’t resist the opportunity to perform their music, claiming it as his own, but lives with guilt about taking credit for their work. There’s a love story woven in nicely with his small-time manager Ellie (Lily James) increasingly unable to ignore her feelings for Jack, even once he hits the big time in America and she’s back being a school teacher in England.

I really enjoyed this film. It’s light, fun, funny and if you’ve forgotten, as I had, how great The Beatles are, this will remind you!

I took along a friend who is a big fan of The Beatles and a very talented musician himself and since that’s a different perspective to my own, I want to share a few of his observations… “I loved the way Jack re-imagines The Beatles’ songs. The music (chords) were about 80 per cent right, which is how you would recreate them as a musician if you were in the same position.” He also noted that the trajectory of Jack’s path to fame was very fast indeed, but I guess that’s just a result of trying to fit it into a two hour film. Speaking of the length, I was sufficiently engrossed in this as to not ponder the time or length of the film once, which is actually pretty unusual for me.

If you’re a The Beatles nerd like my buddy, there’s some special gags in the film just for you; gags which he had to explain to me as they went completely over my head! For example, at one point when Jack and his roadie arrive at Liverpool Airport, the sign on the front of the airport says “Liverpool Airport” instead of “Liverpool John Lennon Airport”, as I’m told it’s actually called! My friend also pointed out that when Jack searches the internet for references to Oasis when he’s trying to establish what else has disappeared from the world, that the fact they too no longer exist is likely a reference to the fact that Oasis wouldn’t exist if The Beatles didn’t, as they’re famously accused of ripping off The Beatles.

Finally, I’d like to offer a little kudos for Ed Sheeran who has a mid-sized role in this film and proves to be a serviceable actor. Good on him for coming to the party. Kate McKinnon is also in it and nails the ‘mean but amusing LA music manager’ vibe.

So there’s the fan and non-fan perspectives for you. Yesterday is a pleasure to watch, whichever of these categories you call into.

Here’s a four star review in The Guardian if you want to read more.

Yesterday opens 27 June and is rated M. Trailer here.

*no spoilers, just enjoy the ride.

MYSTIFY: MICHAEL HUTCHENCE - film

/// content warning re suicide ///

Mystify: Michael Hutchence is, of course, the story of Australian singer Michael Hutchence. I suspect there’s two types of people who will see it; fans of Michael and INXS those with more of a passing interest. I fall into the latter category but the friend I saw a preview of this with falls into the former so happily we can cover all bases.

Michael Hutchence is best known as the lead singer of the Australian rock band INXS who were formed in the late 1970s and had international success in the mid 1980s and early 1990s. This documentary is a fascinating, sensitive, well-crafted and, I think, honest portrayal of a charismatic and complex man. I really loved this film and my friend, the fan, loved it too.

Michael died by suicide in 1997 and the film does explore this and in fact contains a significant revelation about something that happened to him that caused or perhaps exacerbated depression and ultimately led to him taking his own life. (More on that here.) At the risk of stating the obvious, it’s very sad but it’s important to say that it’s discussed in a sensitive and respectful way.

The film maker Richard Lowenstein has interviewed a number of Michael’s family members, romantic partners, friends and professional collaborators to create a full picture of the man. Two of his high-profile former partners Helena Christensen and Kylie Minogue speak more extensively than ever before about him and his relationship with Paula Yates is also explored. The voices of all these people in Hutchence’s world are heard but their faces are not seen, with Lowenstein often preferring to use footage of Hutchence and INXS on stage throughout the film to remind us how charismatic Hutchence was. Some home-movie style footage is also included to powerful effect.

My friend the fan really loved the film and was very moved by it. I’d recommend not opening, as I did, with “I liked it way more than I expected to!”* when you commence debriefing with someone who is similarly moved. Try something a little more sensitive and subtle, I guess. *sigh*

Here’s a review in Variety magazine if you’d like to read more about this one.

Mystify: Michael Hutchence opens on 4 July. Trailer here.

PS. If you’re a fan of Michael Hutchence, I’d recommend listening to episode 61 of the Sun Sessions podcast produced by The Sun Theatre in Yarraville. My friend Kris is one of the co-hosts and she’s interviewed Richard Lowenstein about the film and it was a fascinating add-on to the experience of seeing the film.

*The only reason I wasn’t expecting to like it so much is because I wasn’t really very familiar with Hutchence before I saw the film.

TOY STORY 4 - film

Toy Story 4 is completely charming! PHEW!

I haven’t seen Toy Story 3 or maybe even Toy Story 2 to be honest, so I can speak from the perspective of someone fairly fresh to this. You don’t need to have seen any of the previous ones to enjoy this fourth installment in this animated franchise.

If you’re not familiar with the Toy Story world, in the previous films a bunch of toys owned by a kid Andy come to life when they’re not around humans and have all sorts of adventures. The main fan-fav toys are Woody (a cowboy doll) and Buzz (a space ranger) and they’re definitely back for Toy Story 4 along with the rest of the crew. The context is different now - our time with Andy is done. The toys are owned by another kid so there’s plenty more adventures to be had!

I won’t tell you about what they get up to in this one because all you need to know is that if you’re a fan of the franchise I reckon this will bring you joy and if you’re new to it, it’s easy to get on board now with the kids and come to love it.

Keanu Reeves appears in the voice cast as the lovely Canadian stuntman toy Duke Caboom, joining Tom Hanks (Woody), Tim Allen (Buzz), Tony Hale, Joan Cusack, Christina Hendricks, Kristen Schaal, Jordan Peele and way more.

Here’s a 3.5 star review from news.com.au which I reckon is pretty fair, maybe even up at 4 stars actually. Have a read if you want to know more about the story.

Toy Story 4 is in cinemas now. Trailer here.

BOOKSMART - film

Gosh I loved this film!

Booksmart is an American coming-of-age comedy starring Beanie Feldstein as Molly and Kaitlyn Dever as her bestie Amy. They are both completely charming! (You might recall me raving about Beanie for her performance in Lady Bird.)

Molly and Amy are about to graduate high school when they realise they’ve been too busy studying to have any fun (whereas their fellow students have done both - this reveal is clever) so they want to make up for lost time by having one big night. The night is full of fun and funny ups and downs as you might expect but it’s not predictable, it’s just a pleasure to watch.

One of the things I love about this film is that it represents diversity in all sorts of ways; ways that are familiar in our day-to-day lives but have been mysteriously absent on big screens for too long. For example, Molly is larger than most women in Hollywood movies and Amy is gay but neither of these are laboured plot points, they just are what they are and the story forges ahead regardless. It’s actually pretty sad how refreshing that is.

This four star review in The Guardian which describes Booksmart as wild, warm, funny and filthy is worth a read if you want to know more about the film. I concur with 4 stars.

Booksmart also stars Lisa Kudrow and Jason Sudeikis in small but crowd-pleasing roles and it’s directed by actor/director Olivia Wilde. It opens 11 July and is rated MA 15+.

Trailer here.

WILD ROSE - film

Wild Rose is a UK drama about a young Glaswegian woman Rose-Lynn Harlan (Jessie Buckley) with grand plans to become a county music star. Unfortunately for her, the country music scene is Glasgow isn’t exactly thriving so something’s got to change for her dreams to come true.

The film starts as Rose is let out of prison having done some time for drug dealing. Her two kids have been in the care of her loving but frustrated mother Marion (Julie Walters) who wants Rose to settle down and become a more present mother, rather than chasing her country music dreams.

Buckley shines in this and has a beautiful singing voice. (Must track down the soundtrack!) Walters is a wonderful actress and is of course good in this but perhaps a bit underutilised.

No spoilers about what happens to Rose and her dreams but I really loved this film. It’s not predictable and Rose isn’t an entirely likeable character who you always want to rise up and fulfil her dream. She’s complicated and in fact at times very unlikeable but it’s a nice reminder that things are seldom straightforward in this life. This doesn’t feel like a saccharine story of triumph over adversity straight out of Hollywood and the film thrives because of it.

Wild Rose is a great film and I’d happily recommend it. Here’s a 3.5 star review from Fairfax which you will see I don’t agree with entirely, but it’s a different perspective if you want to read more. I think 3.5 stars is fair though it’s maybe even nudging 4 for me - this film isn’t perfect but it’s a pleasure to watch.

Wild Rose opens Thursday 13 June and is rated M. Trailer here.

TOLKIEN - film

Tolkien is a three-parts drama to one-part fantasy film about the life of John Tolkein, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

It’s not unpleasant but a bit ho-hum. Nicholas Hoult (*feathers up*) plays John very well indeed but even his talent and handsome face can’t lift this to soaring heights.

Tolkien’s life is interesting and I can see how someone thought it worthy of a film (from orphan to Oxford scholar to best-selling author - though the film doesn’t even cover that last bit) but sadly things move slowly in the film and I was never really invested in what happened to John. There was a moment or two towards the end that ought to have induced tears from an old wimp like me but they didn’t. And I cry at bank ads with Eva Cassidy soundtracks guys, it really doesn’t take much.

I reckon I’d give this 2.5 stars out of 5. Not terrible, not fabulous, just in middle ground that probably warrants a TV watch but not an at-the-movies watch. And at 112 minutes long, it could do with a shaving of 20 minutes, I reckon.

The reviews aren’t glowing. Here’s a pretty brutal two star review from Rolling Stone magazine and a three star review in The Guardian if you want to read more.

Tolkien opens on 13 June and is rated M. Trailer here.

X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX - film

The X-Men movies have been around since 2000 - long enough to either know this franchise or not. I’m in the ‘not’ category here. I mean, when I heard the name “Charles Xavier” spoken, I felt like I should know who that is but I didn’t. (I just think of this. Niche interest/bogan alert!)

But here’s the thing. I kind of enjoyed this! It’s as silly as all get out but it’s a world of fantasy so if you can be open to it, the sillier the better, really. There’s action, cool effects and big-name actors (Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, Jessica Chastain, Sophie Turner et al) … if that’s all you need then this will be right up your alley. If you need a good storyline, you’re barking up the wrong tree.

But here’s the other side of the coin… I’m hearing that fans of the series are hating this film. I clearly can’t reflect on it from that perspective (is it really pronounced e-Xavier?! Whhyyyy?!) so you might wish to read this two star review in The Guardian or this more generous three star review in Timeout.

For some comic relief, please know that in this film Jessica Chastain is channeling me* when I’ve left it too long between lash tints:

X-Men: Dark Phoenix is in cinemas now and is rated M. Trailer here.

*If I were significantly thinner and hotter.

ALADDIN - film

*sigh*

This live-action adaptation of the 1992 animated film Aladdin sure has a lot to live up to. I watched the old animated version many, many times and confess I occasionally still listen to the soundtrack. I’m a fan! So sue me!

Sadly this version is a bit *meh* … it’s not dreadful, it’s not terrific, it’s just *meh*.

The handsome young chap who plays Aladdin, Mena Massoud, delivers a serviceable performance but in my view doesn’t live up to that of the stunning Naomi Scott who plays his love interest Jasmine. Will Smith plays Genie and to say he struggles to live up to the vocal performance of Robin Williams in the animated version is an understatement but to be fair, that’s a really high bar.

So if you loved the animated version I reckon you’ll be a bit underwhelmed. There’s plenty of colour and fun for little kids however at a running time of 2 hours and ten minutes plus almost 20 minutes of trailers and previews, if you arrive at the advertised start time it’s a very long haul for the little ones.

More on the plot in this three star review in the Fairfax press.

Aladdin is rated PG and is showing in cinemas now. Trailer here.

ROCKETMAN - film

This Elton John biopic contained a couple of surprises for me. Firstly, it’s got some elements of fantasy about it which I didn’t particularly dig and secondly, it’s a musical! Now, I know what you’re thinking… “of course it’s a musical, he’s Elton flippin’ John, you moron”. But the thing is, I knew his music would feature in the film but I just didn’t realise people would be talking to each other then suddenly start singing their feelings.

Now, all that said, I did enjoy this film. About 3.5 stars worth of enjoyment for me and a “solid four” from the friend who I took along to the premiere. Though before you place any great weight on her assessment, you should know her annual Christmas movie tradition is Silence of the Lambs so make of that what you will.

Taron Egerton stars - and I mean stars - as Elton John. He’s really fantastic in this and so is Richard Madden as his manager and some-time lover. (In fact, Richard is so good at playing really nasty that it rather put in a pin in my usual swooning over him. *sigh*)

Fun fact for fans of the TV show Press Gang, the actor who played Spike Thompson - Dexter Fletcher - directed this film.

Rocketman, which is authorised by Elton himself, is a brutally honest and at times is really very unflattering but I rate that. It’s a warts-and-all account of Elton’s rise to fame and a jolly good reminder of what an incredible catalogue of songs he’s performed. Whether his family, friends and professional associates agree with how they’re portrayed is another matter entirely.

Here’s a three star review in The Guardian if you want to read more. Trailer here.

Now, I’m off to buy some of his music!

-

Rocketman opens in cinemas on 30 May and is rated M.

LONG SHOT - film

In Long Shot, Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron) is a glamorous US presidential hopeful when she crosses paths with a knockabout bloke she knew in childhood who is now an unemployed weed smoking journalist, Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogan).

The plot of this film is so utterly stupid that it’s actually quite remarkable that I enjoyed it. It’s the lolz that get it over the line - there are many. This film is not what I would call good but is what I would call light & enjoyable so if that’s what you need, then go for it.

Here’s a three star review from the Fairfax press if you want to read more. It’s a 2.5-3 star film for me.

Long Shot is in cinemas now and is rated M. Trailer here.

THE TEMPLE - theatre

Photo by Pia Johnson

The Temple is a really unique piece of theatre. I’m not going to lie - I found it quite baffling! Not in a bad way as it certainly wasn’t unpleasant to watch, just a tad confusing.

Regular readers might recall that typically I don’t read up on a film before I see it because the weight of expectation can shape the experience in a really unhelpful way.* However here’s my hot tip if you’re going to see The Temple; read this piece about it in The Age before you go!

I had the good fortune to be invited by The Malthouse to a preview and there seemed to have been lots of comedians invited along too, Judith Lucy - my fav - among them. After the show when I was having a drink in the venue bar with a friend, we saw cast member Ash Flanders emerge and greet Judith warmly indicating they’re good friends. She said to him, “I loved it! I didn’t understand it but I loved it!” and I confess I was pretty relieved. My friend and I weren’t the only ones!

To my mind Ash was one of two stand-outs in the small cast. He and Genevieve Giuffre were both very good and very funny.

The Malthouse website says of The Temple “Join an orgy of comedic performers for a short course on How to Be Human. Everything’s set for a group session of gags, traumas, banter and tantrums—each as hysterical as the last.“ It’s true, there was definitely some good laughs in this. Some in a ‘ha ha that’s funny’ way and some in a ‘ha ha what on earth is going on?’ way. Either way, it was an enjoyable way to spend an evening if you have an open mind and are up for a unique experience.

The Temple is on at The Malthouse Theatre 3-26 May 2019. Get the details here https://malthousetheatre.com.au/whats-on/the-temple

*If I’m honest it’s sometimes also because I don’t always find the time…

THE HUSTLE - film

The Hustle is an American comedy starring Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson as con-women and whilst the quality of the storyline is definitely not going to knock your socks off, it’s a bit of good fun.

The plot is unsurprisingly pretty stupid (think pretending to be vision-impaired to trick people etc) but if you can get past that you’ll find some pretty funny lines delivered with beautiful comic timing by Rebel Wilson and some good slapstick humour which is right up my alley.

So if some light, silly entertainment is what you need, then this is worth a look. If you require any sort of substance then give this one a miss! Check out this three star review (fair, I reckon) in the Fairfax press if you want to know more about the storyline. The Hustle opens 9 May and is rated M. Trailer here.