SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK - film

All I knew about this film when I saw it in London back in November 2012 was that Jacki Weaver was in it. Enough to get me over the line since I was feeling patriotic seeing it with another Aussie on the other side of the world! Jacki was great but not the highlight I thought she'd be to be honest; I'd be surprised if she picks up an Oscar for it. Not because of her performance but just because of the size of the role. She plays the mother of the main character Pat, who is played by Bradley Cooper. (Hubba hubba! And as an aside, he speaks French... *swoon*)

Pat's trying to recover from an episode of mental illness and win back his wife Nikki, whom we discover has had an affair. I reckon it's probably a fairly realistic portrayal of a bloke in that situation (but hey, what would I know) but then Hollywood fantasy takes over and enter mysterious troubled woman, Tiffany, played by Jennifer Lawrence. Jennifer's great and there's a good chemistry between she and Bradley, which helped make this film really enjoyable. The story is generally good fun with some poignant moments too. 

Part comedy, part drama, this film delivers. Go see!

Official trailer here

ARGO - film

Argo is based on a true story from 1979 when the American embassy in Iran was invaded. The film follows the journey of six Americans who escaped the building and then had to find safe passage back to the USA. It’s directed by Ben Affleck who also stars as CIA guy Tony Mendez leading the escape operation.

The excellent news is that Affleck’s come good since the disastrous Gigli days - he's great in this. In Argo he rocks a 70s beard and shaggy hair do that are somehow quite attractive.

Alan Arkin and John Goodman steal some of the limelight as Hollywood hot shots who help Mendez create a fake feature film as part of a very unusual plan to free the six Americans. They get most of the funny lines and indeed, there’s quite a few so it’s not all nail-biting serious stuff.

The story builds to a tense crescendo and, not knowing the story at all, I was totally engrossed and desperate for a happy ending.

This film opens Thursday 15 October. Loved it, go see it!

Official trailer here.

MENTAL - film

This Australian film was given a one star review by Leigh Paatsch (News Ltd) and a four star review by Margaret Pomeranz (At the Movies, ABC TV).

I'm with Leigh.

The mate I saw it with agreed. There was only two people in the cinema other than us and with the word of mouth I'm expecting this to attract, it won't be around for long. No great shame there for mine. 

And as for Margaret's four stars... well, I can't begin to explain that...

Trailer here.

KATH & KIMDERELLA - film

I’m a big fan of the TV show that this is based on, Kath & Kim, but I went into the film with pretty low expectations because, amongst other things, the last time they went feature-length we got ‘Da Kath & Kim Code’ which was a big ol’ let-down.

The first, probably 20-30 minutes or so, was actually pretty good! They were setting up the story, which involved Kath, Kim & Sharon going to Italy, back in Fountain Lakes. There were loads of laughs, even if some of the jokes were things that fans of the show would have heard before.

The trouble started really once the ladies hit Italy because that’s when the weak story really started to unfold. The laughs subsided pretty quickly and by the time we got to the cameo by Dame Edna, well, the 25 or so people in the cinema mostly just looked at each other or the screen pretty baffled. It was the ‘jump the shark’ moment we’d all feared.

All that said, for Kath & Kim fans, it’s still worth a look I reckon. There’s laughs there and it’s still good fun to see what all our old mates, including Prue & Trude, are up to. If you don’t catch it at the cinemas (just how long it will remain in them will be very interesting as it did very well on opening day) do catch it on DVD. I can’t imagine you’d be considering it if you’re not a fan, but if you are, give it a miss. Baffled wouldn’t even begin to cover it.

Official full length trailer here.

THE CAMPAIGN - film

This film stars Will Ferrell and Zach Galafianakis & if you like their stuff generally, get on board this offering. There's plenty of laughs to be had, belly-laughs even, as their characters campaign for a place as a Republican Congressman. It doesn't break any new ground and the ending is pretty naff but if you want a good laugh and a bit of escapism, go for it as this is good fun.

Trailer here

THE SAPPHIRES - film

What an exciting treat to be able to see this at the opening night of the Melbourne International Film Festival! The film didn’t disappoint the huge crowd – I don’t think I heard a bad word uttered about it as we left the cinema and joined the party at the Regent Ballroom.

I love a film that’s based on a true story, and this one is a gem. It’s based in the late 60s when, in the most unlikely circumstances, a group of Aboriginal women travelled to Vietnam to sing for the troops. This backdrop allows the film to touch briefly on some more serious issues like the Vietnam War and the stolen generation in Australia but they’re not overriding parts of the story by any means, it generally stays up-beat and bloody good fun. Jessica Mauboy plays the lead singer and she certainly isn’t a one trick pony; her acting’s almost as good as her off-the-dial good singing. I also loved Chris O’Dowd (the Irish guy in Bridesmaids & The IT Crowd) as the group’s manager, his comic timing and delivery is just beautiful. Kudos also to Deborah Mailman who was subtly gorgeous as always and to my favourite Australian comedian Judith Lucy who also delivers nicely in her small role as a racist pub owner.

This film is that fantastic combination of being both a lovely story that’s fun to watch and one that’s delivered in a beautifully crafted way. I was so engrossed in it that when a lovely plot line reached a crescendo, I actually gave a little yelp and tugged on the arm of the mate I went with who was polite enough to indulge my excitement with a grin that said ‘yes that really happened’ and a bit of ‘wow, you’re like a nine year old right now, this is embarrassing’.

This film has pretty broad appeal and I wouldn’t be surprised if it goes the way of Red Dog where the audience builds and builds for a long run in cinemas on the back of positive word of mouth. If you see it and enjoy it, tell someone.

Check out the trailer here… it’s in cinemas from this Thursday, 9 August.

NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN - film

Thank you Twitter, for connecting me to the film Not Suitable For Children. I follow Michael Lucas who wrote the screen play for this ace film and who is also part of the team behind two of my favourite TV shows, Offspring and Tangle.

The film is just what you’d expect if you’ve seen those shows – believable, watchable, fun and with a great cast to carry the nicely crafted dialogue.

I reckon it’s an excellent sign when you aren’t inclined to look at your watch during a film and the time never even crossed my mind in this one.

I was surprised how much I loved the lead actor in the film, Ryan Kwanten, given he’s been on Home and Away, something I’ve historically not been able to get past. (Think Indiana Evans as Tatum in the ABC TV drama ‘Crownies’… Actually, don’t.) However, he’s just lovely in this role, understated but charming to watch.

Kwanten’s character is diagnosed with cancer and told he won’t be able to have children after his surgery to treat it. We then follow him for about three weeks until the operation in which he realises he wants kids and tries to find a way to make it happen. As you’d imagine, there’s some complex issues and relationships that emerge that are all a pleasure to watch. Thought-provoking but fun and gently delivered.

Sarah Snook is also excellent in this film as the flat mate of Kwanten’s character. I’ve read comparisons to Emma Stone and there’s certainly a resemblance that goes beyond the red hair. To borrow a line from Molly Meldrum, Dicky Wilkins and just about every other person who’s watched and then talked about a film, I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of her!

I was one of just four people in the cinema when I saw this on opening day which made me really sad. I desperately hope that it gets some Red Dog-esque word of mouth and the cinemas fill in the coming weeks because this is an absolute cracker. Go see it!

Trailer here