Father Geek here once again with Latauro and his take on the film world downunder...
Melinda had a reputation for being Postmodern in bed.
AICN-DOWNUNDER
It´s been a long road, getting from there to here. It´s been a long time,
but my time is finally near. And I can feel the change in the wind right
now. Nothing´s in my way. And they´re not gonna hold me down no more, no
they´re not gonna hold me down. Cause I´ve got faith of the heart. I´m going
where my heart will take me. I´ve got faith to believe. I can do anything.
I´ve got strength of the soul. And no one´s gonna bend or break me. I can
reach any star. I´ve got faith, I´ve got faith, faith of the heart.
NEWS
* Cate Blanchett has just signed onto NOTES FROM A SCANDAL, alongside Judi
Dench. Based on the novel "What Was She Thinking?", the Richard
Eyre-directed film focuses on a teacher who has an affair with a fifteen
year old student. Bets can now be placed on whether Renny Harlin will
reshoot 75% of this film and release it as the fifth AMERICAN PIE film.
* Moviehole's got some potentially disturbing news on the Geoffrey Wright
adaptation of Shakespeare's "Macbeth", titled M. Apparently comedian Mick
Molloy (who AICN-D readers might remember from BAD EGGS) will take a part in
the film currently shooting in Melbourne. No word on which role he'll be
taking, but he joins Sam Worthington (Macbeth), Victoria Hill (Lady Macbeth)
and Lachy Hulme (Macduff).
* Rolf de Heer, who divides moviegoers like some sort of cinematic Moses, has
just begun shooting TEN CANOES. The film is a love story filmed in the
language of Arnhem Land's Yolngu people; with any luck, this means it'll be
more like THE TRACKER and less like BAD BOY BUBBY.
* Never to be accused of double-dipping, the makers of HERMAN: THE LEGAL
LABRADOR have gone straight to the special edition, releasing the DVD for
sale on the film's website. If you want your copy of the film (which has
been playing at festivals everywhere, and features the vocal talents of one
of the world's funniest men, Shaun Micallef), go to
http://www.nakedfella.com/buy/preorder.shtml and pick it up, along with some
other goodies!
* Hands up anyone who knows anything about the following film. Feature film
THE WIZARD OF WOZ has begun shooting in Murwillumbah, NSW. All I have at the
moment is a title, and it's piqued my interest. Write in if you have more.
* Moviehole has been absolutely nailing them lately. I'm pretty sure they're
the first ones to report that Matthew Newton has been approached by
Lucasfilm who want to "check his availability". Apparently the guy was next
choice for Anakin Skywalker after Christiansen, and Lucas wants him for the STAR WARS
TV series that will probably be shooting down here in the near future. Head
over to Moviehole for more info. (Nice work, guys!)
* Finally, condolences go out to the family of Michael Carson. Carson died
from cancer last weekend. He was a prolific director who helmed shows such
as "Police Rescue", "Janus", "SeaChange", "Something in the Air", to mention
but a few.
AWARDS AND FESTIVALS
54TH MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
According to director James Hewison, this year's MIFF will have a focus of
Chinese films. The festival kicks off on July 20 and runs until August 7.
MIFF has yet to announce its opening night film, which is, traditionally, an
Australian film.
52ND SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL
SFF, on the other hand, will premiere local film THE OYSTER FARMER (directed
by Anna Reeves, and starring Kerry Armstrong), BLACKTOWN, MOSAIC, and
MAGICIAN.
AUSTRALIAN FILM INDUSTRY AWARDS
This year, the AFI awards has cast a larger net, this time asking for
entries from people other than Cate Shortland's agent. To be eligible, your
film must have had a theatrical release between September 24 2004 and
September 30 2005. Also, you're not allowed to be Richard Wolstencroft.
BOX OFFICE
Good thing to see melodrama UPSIDE OF ANGER managing to take out third place
above action dross like XXX 2. Still, it only had one week of success. Here
comes George...
1. KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
2. THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
3. THE UPSIDE OF ANGER
4. XXX 2: THE NEXT LEVEL
5. THE INTERPRETER
RELEASED THIS WEEK
A French girl gets pregnant without the help of midichlorins, a Muslim man
falls for a Catholic woman and creates nearly as much controversy as if he
were a Jedi and she were a princess, the Tour de France looks an awful lot
like a pod race, and our ability to separate STAR WARS from everything else
becomes nearly impossible.
A COMMON THREAD
AE FOND KISS
HELL ON WHEELS
STAR WARS - EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH
REVIEWS
I caught REVENGE OF THE SITH for the second time last night, on what I
believe is the largest screen in the southern hemisphere, definitely the
largest screen in Australia. I gotta say, I was nervous going in as MENACE
and CLONES were considerably worse the second go around. SITH, upon second
viewing, rocked just as hard as it did the first time. I was hoping for
better, I was expecting worse, but I'm happy to report complete and total
maintenance: it still kicks fucking arse. It was better seeing it with a
proper crowd, too, with cheers, laughter, applause, the works. Very happy
with that!
MELINDA AND MELINDA
A lot of the reviews I've been reading of this film tend to focus on the
fact that it's the best Woody Allen film in years. Critics are thankful that
he's returned from the slump of HOLLYWOOD ENDING and ANYTHING ELSE. The
thing is, I can't speak to those. We never got ANYTHING ELSE here, and
HOLLYWOOD ENDING barely got five screenings at one cinema down here.
Apparently his latest films have been so bad that we're not even allowed to
see them! Well, all I can talk about is how it stacks up against the rest of
his filmography.
Okay, so it's no ANNIE HALL, but being the perfect film that it is, nobody
expected that. It is, however, closest to ANNIE HALL than anything else he's
done, at least structurally and tonally. It centres on a not-quite-normal
woman dealing with relationship issues, and the fourth wall is continuously
broken down as the film draws attention to itself. If you don't know, the
plot revolves around two writers at a dinner party, arguing over the merits
of comedy versus tragedy. Someone else at dinner tells them a story that
happened to a friend of his, and immediately the two playwrights begin
retelling the story in either a comedic or tragic way. We flip between these
two stories, between the dramatic Melinda and the funny Melinda.
It's a terrific conceit, and one that suits Allen's style perfectly. The
only problem, really, is that Woody Allen is such a gifted comedian that, as
good as the dramatic scenes are, part of you just wants him to get back to
the jokes. It doesn't debilitate the film, as the dramatic scenes are very
well handled.
It's also one of the best Woody casts ever. Radha Mitchell plays both
Melindas, and she's phenomenal. I've seen her in very little, and,
surprisingly, given her Australian beginnings, all I've seen her in has been
American. She carries the film brilliantly, taking the role that Diane
Keaton would have taken if it had been made twenty, thirty years ago, and
doing it just as well, if not better. Will Ferrell is very funny, obviously.
The only thing that bothers me about his performance is the fact that he's
doing a Woody (flashback to the shark in TOY STORY: "Hey, everybody! I'm
Woody! Howdy, howdy, howdy."). I know everybody does it. Kenneth Brannagh
kicked off the tradition in CELEBRITY when cast in the "Woody" role, and no
doubt original choice Robert Downey Jnr would have done the same, but part
of me would have liked the Ferrell performance. Still, if it's a new sub-set
of acting styles, then I'll go along with it and say that Will Ferrell gives
an excellent Woody Allen. I've never been mad on Chloe Sevigny or Jonny Lee
Miller, but both work very well here.
Aside from Radha Mitchell, the real standout in the film is Chiwetel
Ejiofor. Between his performance in this and DIRTY PRETTY THINGS, I think
someone should pass a law that he should be in everything ever made. It's
got me even more excited about his turn in SERENITY. The man has an
astounding amount of talent, charisma and screen presence, and if he chooses
the right roles (as he seems to be doing so far), he's going to be very big
one day.
One thing running through my mind as I made my way to the screening was how
many people I know who only think of Woody through his notoriety in the
tabloids. I thought of how sad it was that people weren't able to see past
that and, at very least, acknowledge that they don't have all the facts and
can't possibly know what it is he did or went through. Can't people divorce
themselves from that public side of him and enjoy his films? I mention this
because there is an awful lot in here that carries meaning if you have some
inkling of his personal life. These moments don't dominate the film, but
it's one of those rare moments where knowing a little something about the
director's personal life makes the scene you're watching all the more
poigniant.
It's a very enjoyable film. Not close to being vintage Woody, but I got a
kick out of watching it all the same. It had a week-long run in a local
Melbourne cinema a few weeks back, and will go wider as of this coming
Thursday. If you're a Woody fan, definitely check it out.
NEXT WEEK
- Alan Alda to star in a film following a group of international
humanitarian doctors who are forced to remain sober amongst the ravages of
war in DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDEAUX
- Liza Minnelli makes her directorial debut on the remake of LUST FOR LIFE,
signing on Michael Douglas and Aiden Quinn
- Matt Damon, Josh Brolin and Taylor Hawkins to star in ITALIAN JOB ripoff,
MINI DRIVERS
Peace out,
Latauro
AICNDownunder@hotmail.com
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