Cats - film

Oh that’s right, Cats is bONkErS! I mean the actual storyline of the musical - and of course the film - is really something else. If you Google it, this is what you’ll find:

“A tribe of cats must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life.”

Got it? Good.

Seriously though, it’s a rag tag bunch of ‘character’ cats that you learn about as they tell their story in an attempt to be chosen to ascend to something called “the Heaviside Layer” (huh?!), as selected by one old cat, in this case played by Dame Judi Dench. A Dame, like an actual DAME, dressed as an old lady cat with human hands, you say? Yes, yes I do.

Still got it? Good. Keep up!

“But is the film any good?!”, I hear you yelling at me. Well firstly, stop yelling at me! But secondly, to answer your yelly-pants question, it sort of is! But I reckon it really very much depends on who you are and what your deal is. You see, my deal is that I’m bang up for a musical and I have listened to the Cats soundtrack a million times and love it. I know the story is unhinged and I’m totally fine with that.

So reader, do you like musicals? Not just a film with a few songs here and there, I’m talking the full ALW box and dice. ALW is of course Andrew Lloyd Webber and if you didn’t know that, it’s probably a sign that you will hate this film. If you dig musicals and don’t mind a bit of ALW, read on.

The cast includes some massive names in addition to Dame Judi - Jennifer Hudson, Idris Elba, Sir Ian McKellan, James Corden, Rebel Wilson, Jason Derulo* and pop star Taylor Swift. They’re all good of course - you don’t get a gig like this if you’re not - but I want to manage your expectations about Ms Swift if she’s the reason you’re up for this film. You see, she’s really not in the film all that much and it takes a pretty long time to get to it.

A bunch of people I saw it with clearly did not fall into the “I’m fine with ALW” category. Unfortunately there were many walk-outs before the film finished. One pair even left as Jennifer Hudson weepily sung Memory. For crying out loud! Their cold, dead hearts must be, well, cold and dead.

Anyway, regular readers will know I usually try to keep my blog posts short and I’ve failed miserably on that front here. So here, finally, is the #cuttothechase version: If you like crazy musicals, this is some light, fun entertainment you’ll probably enjoy the heck out of. If you don’t, then run a flippin’ mile from this, it’s definitely not for you.

It got 2.5 stars from 5 from News Ltd and a brutally unkind 1 star from The Guardian, if you want to read more.

Cats opens on Thursday 26 December. Trailer here.

*It’s really lucky he sung his own name in that song he had years ago, back when I listened to commercial radio, because it’s literally the only thing I know of him. You’re singing it like he does in your head now, aren’t you?

1917 - film

1917 is a British war drama about two young soldiers who are sent on a special mission to save 1600 other soldiers from almost certain death during World War I.

Soaring, long, award-hunting dramas are often slow (Disagree?! So sue me!) and 1917 is no exception. Especially the first half or so. But it does come good and get more action-packed and interesting in the second half.

Some elements of this film are predictable (no spoilers!) but on the other hand, there were times where I was on the edge of my seat, almost holding my breath waiting to see what happened next. And the film is visually beautiful, there’s no doubt about that.

But back to the cons… don’t go to this if you’re a Benedict Cumberbatch fan thinking you’ll get to drink him in. He’s in the film for literally about two or three minutes. Same goes for Richard Madden, Adam Scott and Colin Firth really.

Taking into account the pros and cons it’s probably a net result of about 3.5 stars out of 5 from me. And the friend I saw it with said the same. But in the interests of fairness, you should know that The Guardian gave it five stars and The Telegraph gave it three stars - give one of them a read if you want more on the plot.

1917 opens on 9 January 2020. Trailer here.

KNIVES OUT - film

Part mystery, part drama, part comedy… Knives Out is jolly good fun! At two hours and ten minutes, it’s half an hour too long for my personal taste but other than that, I really only have good things to say about this one.

Christopher Plummer stars as Harlan Thrombey, an ageing crime author sitting on a fortune over which his family will fight when he dies. BUT WHO KILLED HIM?! Line up for questioning by private investigator Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig with a dumb accent), family and hangers on! The cast of family and hangers on is impressive - Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans and Toni Collette among them. The investigation is camp but genuinely mysterious, not unlike that in the 1985 hit motion picture Clue.

The Herald Sun has given it 5 stars which is a fraction too generous in my view. It’s more like four stars, I reckon, which is what The Independent has given it.

Knives Out opens Thursday 28 November and is rated M. Trailer here.

OFFICIAL SECRETS - film

Official secrets is a UK drama based on a true story starring Keira Knightley as Iraq war whistleblower Katharine Gun, circa 2003.

If you’re anything like me, the words ‘war’ and ‘whistleblower’ make you think of a suspenseful thriller and whilst I did enjoy this film, it was strangely lacking in that end-of-your-seat suspenseful feeling. I suppose it would lack that if you knew Katharine’s story and how it ended but I confess I wasn’t really across it so there was something else at play though I’m not sure exactly what.

Katharine was a translator working in the British security services (#spy) when she uncovered information so unpalatable to her that she leaked it via an advocate to a journalist. She struggles with guilt about the leak as well as the implications her actions have on her Muslim husband who is dragged into the saga too.

Knightley gives a good performance though this film reminded me that I’m not wild about her. I DO NOT KNOW WHY LEAVE ME ALONE OK?! Matt Smith and Rhys Ifans also bring their A-game as journalists working on her story and covering the war more generally and Ralph Fiennes is very good too as Katharine’s human rights lawyer.

I enjoyed Official Secrets but it somehow wasn’t quite as thrilling as it could and should have been. About 3-3.5 stars worth of good for me. Here’s a 4 star review in The Guardian and a 3 star review in The Independent UK if you want to read more.

Official Secrets opens 21 November and is rated MA 15+. Trailer here.

AFTER THE WEDDING - film

So apparently this is a remake of a 2007 film of the same name and most of the reviews I’ve read mention this. But I haven’t seen the 2007 one and I dare say most of you readers haven’t either (that’s not a drive-by attack on you, it just wasn’t exactly mainstream) so let’s just take this on face value and forget about the original.

After the Wedding stars Michelle Williams as Isabel, a do-gooder running an orphanage in India. She has an opportunity to get funding from a super rich American woman Theresa (Julianne Moore) but Isabel has to go to the US and meet her face-to-face to persuade her to donate the cash. Once Isabel is in America we are let in on a hell of a coincidence involving Theresa’s husband Oscar (Billy Crudup). The kind of thing that made me think, oh come on this was actually quite good til you asked me to believe that. BUT IS IT A COINCIDENCE?!

Anyway, I shall say no more on the plot for fear of spoilers but I kinda liked this one. Williams, Moore and Crudup (#swoon) are all very good. It’s not 5 stars good, but probably 3.5 stars good for me. If you want to know more about the plot (they’re happy to do at least a little spoiling) check out this 3 star review in The Guardian.

Look for After the Wedding in your more arthousey cinemas from October 24. It’s rated M and runs for 112 minutes. Trailer here.

PROMISED - film

Look. Here’s the thing about Promised. It’s not terrible but it’s just not the kind of thing I can recommend you make plans to get to a cinema and dish out $20+ to see.

Set in Melbourne in the 1950s and then 1970s, this film is about a young Italian Australian couple Angela (Antoinette Iesue) and Robert (Daniel Berini) whose parents promised them to each other when they were littlies. In adulthood they are living separate successful lives but the promise hangs over their head. Will they or won’t they?! Should they or shouldn’t they?! Honestly, I just wasn’t interested enough in either of them, or their proposed union, to really care that much about how it unfolded. I hate to not be a cheerleader for an Australian film but here we are.

Paul Mercurio and Tina Arena play Angela’s parents and both give serviceable performances but even if Tiny Tina had suddenly started belting out “Sorrento Moon” for no reason it wouldn’t have made this interesting enough for me to suggest you rush out for it.

I can’t reflect on how accurate Promised is as a reflection of the experience of Italian immigrants to Australia but I did turn my mind to whether people who can relate to that story would enjoy this film more than me and I dare say they would. But even then I think I’d be inclined to say watch this on TV, which is where I suspect it would have been better placed in the first place.

Promised opens 24 October in select cinemas.

JOKER - film

Look. I just. I can’t. I’m not sure. Ummm…

So Joker is Joker from Batman. Not like the fun Batman from your childhood though. But actually there’s no Batman in this film anyway so forget about him. This film is entirely about the Joker and it. is. grim. Like, real grim.

Joker is played by Joaquin Phoenix and he is Oscar-worthy incredible. Truly, he does bleak like no one else I can think of. Joker is profoundly mentally ill and just as in real life, it’s not in any way enjoyable to watch someone spiraling out of control.

So now that I’ve covered the basics, it’s hard to know what to say to be honest. Did I enjoy watching this film? No. Is it beautifully crafted? Sure.

So to cut to the chase, if you’re a fan of the more recent Batman films and are wondering if you should see this to satisfy your curiosity, my view on that would be, yes I suppose you should. But if Batman and DC Comics are not your thing (they’re not mine, in case that wasn’t clear) then definitely, without any shadow of a doubt, give this one a miss. Even when it’s for free on the telly. Because it’ll suck the life out of you.

Joker has received mixed reviews. For example, The Guardian say it’s the most disappointing film of the year and gave it 2 stars but The Telegraph (UK) gave it 4 stars. So as with the Instagram poll that landed me seeing this film in the first place*, it can go either way.

Joker is in cinemas now and is rated MA 15+. It runs for just over two hours and the first hour felt long to me. The second hour was so chock-full of trauma that it certainly passed quickly! Trailer here.

* I had no personal interest in seeing this film so I put it to the people by way of a poll on my Instagram (@stephaniepuls). It ended up with a 54% yes vote with an alarmingly large number of voters. Life is full of mysteries.

AD ASTRA - film

The reviews for Ad Astra are largely positive and I’ve gotta tell you, it leaves me pondering if there is something wrong with me.

Ad Astra is a science fiction action film starring Brad Pitt as astronaut Roy McBride who goes into space to search for his father Clifford – until now assumed by Roy to be dead – who was also an astronaut. Despite being publicly considered a space hero, Clifford is now thought to be up to some dodgy stuff – sabotaging human life on earth, that kind of thing - from Neptune.

Set in the not-too-distant future when solar system exploration is much more common and pirates roam it with guns, Ad Astra is clearly a film for people who love sci-fi and fantasy and that ain’t me. Now, I do see lots of films for this blog that are not the kind I typically enjoy. Sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised and reminded I ought to keep an open mind but other times I’m left shrugging my shoulders and this time my shoulders were working overtime.

I thought Ad Astra was a bit of a snooze-fest to be honest. Brad Pitt’s performance left me a bit underwhelmed. I think it’s because the character he was playing was a super cool & mellow guy and he just really went so hard on the low-key mellow vibe that I found it a bit dull. The film runs for two hours and the first hour needed to be shaved in half if you ask me. Not all long films feel long but this one sure did.

In the interests of balance and if you want more detailed info about the story, check out this four star review in The Guardian. If you’d like confirmation I’m not the only one who thought it was pretty ordinary, check out this less complimentary review from the ABC.

 Ad Astra is rated M and in cinemas now. Trailer here.

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.