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.

THE CHAPERONE - film

Based mainly in the 1920s, The Chaperone is based loosely on the true story of Louise Brookes, a 15 year old girl in Wichita who dreams of becoming a famous professional dancer in New York.

The Chaperone is a really pleasant film to watch. It’s not mind-blowing five stars good, but easy-to-watch, enjoyable 3-3.5 stars good.

Louise (Haley Lu Richardson) is accepted to study at a modern dance school in New York but her parents insist she cannot go without a chaperone… enter Elizabeth McGovern as Norma Carlisle who many will recognise from her role as Cora Crawley in Downton Abbey.

The two women head to New York with their own plans; Louise to dance her way out of small town Wichita and Norma to find her biological parents who put her up for adoption. No spoilers here about how all that turns out.

If you’re looking for a pleasant way to spend 108 minutes and like a period drama (or 1920s fashion!), then I’d happily recommend this one. Here’s a 3-star review from the Fairfax press if you want to read more.

The Chaperone opens 25 April and is rated PG. Trailer here.

TOP END WEDDING - film

This Australian rom com is completely delightful. It’s not perfect but I can very happily recommend it to you as a film that will make you laugh and maybe even shed a few tears.

Miranda Tapsell stars as city lawyer lady Lauren and Gwilym Lee as her pom soon-to-be husband Ned; both shine brightly in this film directed by Wayne Blair, the man also behind the film The Sapphires.

Lauren and Ned live in Adelaide and when they get engaged, they race to be married in Darwin 10 days later but on arrival discover Lauren’s mum has gone AWOL. Though she doesn’t have loads of screen time, Lauren’s mum is a really significant player in the film and her story is very moving. I definitely did shed a few tears but no spoilers here!

Lauren’s dad has more screen time and though the character is quite loveable, I’m mystified why they cast an English actor to play him, Huw Higginson. (You, like me, might recognise him from his long stint on the TV show The Bill. Anyone else forced to watch it with their parents on Saturday nights in the ‘90s?!) The only theory I can come up with for the strange casting is that they want a known face to help sell the film in the UK. I gather he relocated to Australia in 2014 and though his Australian accent is pretty good, it’s not perfect. This and the strange plotline involving Lauren’s boss going from office bitch to wedding saviour (!) are my only significant criticisms of the film. It’s otherwise pretty damn lovely.

I’m not sure if Tourism NT tipped any money into producing the film but given it paints a stunning picture of the Northern Territory, I sure hope they did! I certainly left wondering why the hell I haven’t spent more time exploring that part of Australia.

For more on the plot check out this three star review in The Guardian, which I reckon is a tad harsh but in many ways fair. For me this one is more like 3.5 or 4 stars worth of goodness.

Watch the trailer here. Top End Wedding opens 2 May and is rated M.

LITTLE - film

Reviews of this film were embargoed til release day. When this happens it typically means one of two things. Either it’s a massive blockbuster that will definitely be a big success and they want to keep some mystery OR the film is a massive dud and they want to stop poor word-of-mouth from affecting opening weekend ticket sales. It’s sadly definitely the latter in this case.

Little is pretty terrible. In light of that, I won’t labour over telling you too much about it but in summary, scary corporate boss lady somehow (I’d tell you but it’s dumb) winds up inhabiting the body of her 13 year old self when she learns life lessons that help her to be less nasty when she’s returned to her adult body. Yeah, look, it sounds stupid because it is.

As I was watching this film thinking about how bad it is and how much I’d like to leave (I never do if I’m blogging about a film - you can’t be fair if you haven’t seen the whole thing), I wondered if I just hated it because I’m not the target audience. So I turned my mind to my nieces who are aged between 12 and 17 - what I presume is in large part the target - and wondered what they’d think. I think it’s safe to say the younger ones would find it funnier than I did but the older ones would just think it was a bit lame. And frankly any film with ‘jokes’ about ‘crack babies’ and trans people is not something I’d support them watching anyway. It’s a real pity because a film with so much diversity in the cast would be really welcome if it were actually any good.

In the interests of fairness, not everyone dislikes this one as much as me. For example, Fairfax has given it 3.5 stars which is 1.5 stars too many in my opinion… which incidentally aligns with what The Guardian has given it.!

Little opens today and is rated PG. Trailer here.

THE MAN WHO KILLED DON QUIXOTE - film

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is a comedy film created by Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame starring Adam Driver.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog you will know that very occasionally I ask you to do some self-reflection to help understand whether a film is for you. This is one of those times.

If you’re a bit of a film snob - arthouse cinema over shopping centre chain, for example - then I reckon you’ll really dig this. If you’re more of a mainstream type, then you will think this is boring and pretentious.

If you fall into the former of these two and this has piqued your interest (no shame in this, arthouse cinema-goers welcome!), there’s some interesting background on the plot and history of how the film (finally) got made here. Alternatively, here’s a three star review in The Guardian with fewer plot spoilers if you prefer.

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is playing exclusively at Cinema Nova in Melbourne and selected cinemas elsewhere in Australia. It opens 11 April and runs for 2 hours and 12 minutes. (About 32 minutes too long in my view.)

Trailer here.

ALICE FRASER - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

To a room of about 70 people, Alice Fraser appeared to deliver a show that thrilled some and bored others. It was a bit of a strange one, to be honest.

She mentioned that she’d been bitten by a spider and was having a strange reaction and when she first mentioned it I assumed it was a gag but the longer the show went, the more I thought perhaps she was serious. She referred to being able to “see eight audiences right now”, that the show had got off to a wobbly start and then later that the show was “falling apart” which didn’t help the audience feel that sense of control that allows you to sit back, relax and enjoy.

For some in the crowd there seemed to be plenty of laughs. The show is called “Mythos” and some of the material about stories, truth, lies and myths drew loud laughs from a little group of people behind me but there was people either side of me who couldn’t seem to get into it. I fell somewhere in between.

I feel like this is a show that when everything goes right and with a room full of the right people (those who like gear that’s a bit complicated and high brow) it would kill. But unfortunately that’s not what happened on the night I was there.

Get the details of Alice’s show here.

KIRSTY WEBECK - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

You might not have heard of Kirsty but this is her fifth Melbourne International Comedy Festival show and this experience shows. Her show “Chipper” is an hour of solid, very funny stand-up comedy.

Kirsty has an affable, laconic style that her audience, with whom she occasionally bantered well, seemed to really enjoy. She brings quite mundane things to life well with a long bit about how hilly Brisbane is delivering plenty of laughter being a good example.

This show got better and funnier as it went along. Towards the end, some gear about a bush walk absolutely killed.

If I were in the business of giving stars I reckon I’d put this at about 3.5; well worth the ticket price.

Get the details of Kirsty’s show here.

AARON GOCS - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

I’ve thought a lot about what to say about Aaron’s show “Divorced… with children”.

Aaron’s work regularly pops up in my social media feeds and it often makes me laugh - his online stuff paints the picture of very funny guy. I’m not sure how or why that hasn’t translated to his stand-up comedy on this occasion. There was some chuckles here and there but there was just nowhere near enough laughs to get this show off the ground.

You might be wondering if it’s just that I’m not in the target demographic but I took along my nephew who is in his twenties and he also thought it was pretty grim.

There’s more I could say about this show but I don’t think there’s much to be gained from that so I’ll leave it there.

Details of the show here.

DANIELLE WALKER (AUS) - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

It pains me to say it because I loved Danielle’s show last year but unfortunately this year’s effort, “Myths and legends” felt a bit under-cooked. Aside from anything else it’s advertised as running 60 minutes but only just made it past 40.

There was definitely still some laughs and I do love the way she chuckles at her own punchlines in such a girl-next-door kind of way, but there just wasn’t enough joy in this show for me to recommend you rush out and see it. She lost her place/train of thought a couple of times and talked about being on auto-pilot eight shows into the run without much sleep. If that’s an issue eight shows in, it’s going to be a long couple of weeks ahead.

I was reminded yet again this festival that there’s something to be said for just standing at a mic and talking funny when I couldn’t see the screen she was using because I was behind a tall person and couldn’t lean too far sideways to see it without being a creep to the person next to me.

This isn’t a bad show but I don’t think it’s Danielle at her best. My nephew came with me to this show and he was disappointed too, also knowing how great she was last year. Hopefully she can iron out some kinks as the festival progresses. Get the details here.

RHYS NICHOLSON - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

I’ve never been disappointed by a Rhys Nicholson show and this year’s “Nice People Nice Things Nice Situations” is no exception. In fact, he’s better than ever. This show is absolute gold! My twenty-something nephew said at the end “Wow, that was next level” and it sure was.

This is rapid-fire laugh after laugh based on some searing and at times shocking observations and incidents. Don’t miss Rhys Nicholson! Get the details of the show here.

LUKE HEGGIE - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Gosh I loved this show. In a way it’s something I’ve seen plenty of before - a white man at a mic - but in other ways he’s unlike any comedian I’ve seen before. Luke Heggie is in complete control every minute he’s on stage. Early on he invites the audience to wander to the bar for drinks, to the bathroom etc, noting that it won’t distract him at all and I believe it. This guy knows his material perfectly and clearly doesn’t take any shit; do whatever you want but he’ll forge ahead knowing no one has the power to derail this thing.

To a room of about 50 people, Luke talked cafe culture, holiday homes, true crime podcasts, Australians in Bali and more. They sound like familiar topics but Luke’s takes on them are full of hilarious surprises. I really laughed loads in this show and highly recommend it.

On a practical note, the room he plays at European Bier Cafe is hot and the chairs a pretty uncomfortable so brace yourself but the laughs are of course an effective distraction!

Get the details of Luke’s show here.