A WALK IN THE WOODS – film

Based on author Bill Bryson’s autobiography of the same name, this film follows Bill (Robert Redford) and his childhood friend Katz’s (Nick Nolte) hiking journey of the 1000 mile Appalachian Trail in America.

Cue light-hearted gags about old guys doing things they might not be up to.

If you thought it would be tough for a Robert Redford-type to walk 1000 miles through the bush (complete with snow at times), spare a thought for the Nick Nolte-type. Crikey, that guy has done some rough livin’.

Exhibit A:

 

I read a review of this film that called it “pleasant enough to watch, but by no means riveting or revolutionary” and I thought it a perfect summary.

Trailer here.

LAST CAB TO DARWIN - film

 

This Aussie film follows Rex, Michael Caton, on his journey to Darwin, undertaken after discovering he has terminal cancer and that the NT is legislating to allow medically supervised euthanasia.

Knowing that about the film I'd prepared for it to be sad & packed a bunch of tissues but it's really quite uplifting. I didn't cry once actually, though there was some poignant moments. It's a drama but told with wry Australian humour so there is some laughs to be had.

There was one let-down for me. AFL commentator Brian Taylor plays a football coach and how the fact that he cannot act very well escaped the notice of the film makers is beyond me. 

Michael Caton, on the other hand, was excellent.

I was surprised to find about 40-50 people in the same suburban cinema as me when I went to see it. Perhaps this film has more legs than most Australians films of late. I enjoyed it but it probably doesn't make it up into rush-out-and-see-this territory.

A 3.5 star Leigh Paatsch review in the Herald Sun here if you want to read more.

Trailer here.

MR HOLMES - film

Ian McKellen as an ageing Sherlock Holmes. The guy is good. Soooo good. 
Truly, I don't think I've seen McKellen be better. 
I mean, I'm not across his back catalogue or anything, but you get the idea.

This film is current day 93 year old Holmes living with housekeeper Laura Linney and her young son. Holmes and the young boy form a lovely bond though it's a bit sad that it's often in unity against Linney's Mrs Munroe. It's a nice story of connection between the two but the other story running through the film is better, to my mind. As current day Holmes is increasingly losing his memory to dementia, he's trying to remember an intriguing case from back in the day for a book he's writing. The two stories run together pretty effortlessly.

I suspect it's a fairly sugar-coated depiction of dementia but I guess given everyone's experience of the disease is different, it's not for me to judge.

Here's a four star review from the Sydney Morning Herald if you want to know more. Happily recommend this.

Trailer here.