ODDBALL - film

Based on a true story, this is a remarkable family film about an otherwise naughty dog coming good when he finds his niche guarding penguins in Warrnambool. 

It's delightful - highly recommend for school holiday viewing with the kids.

For more on the film, check out this three star review in The Guardian.

Trailer here.

EVEREST - film

Based on a true story, this film follows a group attempting to trek to the peak of Mt Everest.

It did have a bit of a 'gents climb the mountain while the ladies fret at home' vibe but since it's based on a true story, I guess I shouldn't quibble.

It certainly paints a clear picture of how incredibly challenging the expedition is. I spent most of the time thinking to myself WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE DOING THIS?! But then, I'm not exactly known for a desire to push myself to the brink physically so I guess I can't relate!

The cast includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Robin Wright, Keira Knightly (whose  attempt at a New Zealand accent is dreadful), Sam Worthington and more. I was totally invested in their journey, much more so than I expected to be.

No spoilers here, just see it if adventure thriller is your thing. If it's not, you can probably give this a miss. I guess I'm saying it's good and I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected, but I can't say I'd encourage you to race out for it.

Four stars from The Independent UK and two stars from The Guardian. Probably somewhere in the middle for me.

Trailer here. In cinemas now.

HOLDING THE MAN - film

This is one of the best Australian films I've seen, certainly in recent memory.

Based on a 1995 memoir about growing up gay in Australia in the 1970s by Timothy Conigrave, it's a spectacularly beautiful love story. 

Ryan Corr as Timothy and Craig Stott as the love of his life John, both give stunning performances. There's a few laughs but this is no comedy. It's a very sad film and I'd urge you to take tissues!

There's an impressive supporting cast too - Anthony La Paglia, Sarah Snook, Guy Pierce, Geoffrey Rush and young Melbourne comedian Tegan Higginbotham with a small role.

This review in The Age gives it 3.5 stars but it's more like 4 for me. (More on the film & story in this review also if you want further reading.)

Trailer here.
 

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON - film

Allow me to start with a confession.

What I know about Compton can be summarised by this picture:

Yes they're cheerleaders, but they're financially challenged cheerleaders.

Anyway the point is, the film Straight Outta Compton, which chronicles the rise of hip hop group NWA, is arguably not my cup of tea. I may or may not have told someone it was about The Beastie Boys before I'd really read up on it.

I really thought I wouldn't enjoy it at all but the great joy of low expectation is the potential for it to be exceeded, as it was when I watched this film. Same can be said of the friend I saw it with. Double endorsement!

I enjoyed watching the dramatisation of how this group of young guys fought to make their musical dreams come true in the face of considerable adversity. That said, at 2.5 hours long it was 1 hour too long.

It's going gangbusters at the US box office which is a great sign. And The Guardian's Mark Kermode gave it 3 out of 5 stars which is about right for me. 

Trailer here.

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.