February 1, 2012

The Inaugural AACTA Winners

by James Madden

An interesting ceremony (to say the least) saw the announcement of the inaugural AACTA Awards in Sydney. I’ll refrain from any analysis, as our Twitter account really said it all. Criticisms aside, whether it is an Institute or an Academy, it is important to highlight, acknowledge and celebrate the best in Australian cinema.

The winners were:

 

FEATURE FILM

Best Film: Red Dog

Best Direction: Justin Kurzel, Snowtown

Best Original Screenplay: Leon Ford, Griff the Invisible

Best Adapted Screenplay: Shaun Grant, Snowtown

Best Lead Actor: Daniel Henshall, Snowtown

Best Lead Actress: Judy Davis, The Eye of the Storm

Best Supporting Actor: Hugo Weaving, Oranges and Sunshine

Best Supporting Actress: Louise Harris, Snotown

Best Editing: Veronika Jenet, Snowtown

Best Cinematography: Robert Humphreys, The Hunter

Best Original Score: Matteo Zingales, Michael Lira, Andrew Lancaser, The Hunter

Best Production Design: Melinda Doring, The Eye of the Storm

Best Costume Design: Terry Ryan, The Eye of the Storm

Best Sound: Frank Lipson, Andrew McGrath, Des Kenneally, Michael Carden, John Simpson, Erin McKimm, Snowtown

Best Visual Effects: Grant Freckelton, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoolwe

 

DOCUMENTARY

Best Feature Length Documentary: Mrs Carey’s Concert. Bob Connolly, Helen Panckhurst, Sophie Raymond

Best Documentary Under One Hour: Jandamarra’s War. Andrew Ogilvie, Andrea Quesnelle, Eileen Torres.

Best Documentary Series: SAS ‐ The Search for Warriors. Julia Redwood, Ed Punchard.

Best Direction in a Documentary: Bob Connolly, Sophie Raymond, Mrs Carey’s Concert

Best Cinematography in a Documentary: David Parer, Out Of The Ashes

Best Editing in a Documentary: Bryan Mason, Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure

Best Sound in a Documentary: Emma Bortignon, Michael Letho, Peter Smith, Christopher O’Young,
Simon Walbrook, murundak ‐ songs of freedom

SHORT FILM

Best Short Animation: Nullarbor Alister Lockhart, Patrick Sarell, Katrina Mathers, Merrin Jensen, Darly Munton

Best Short Fiction Film: The Palace, Kate Croser, Anthony Maras, Andros Achilleos

Best Screenplay in a Short Film: The Palace, Anthony Maras

 

TELEVISION

Best Drama Series: East West 101, Season 3

Best Comedy Series: Laid

Best Telefeature, Mini Series or Short Run Series: The Slap

Best Light Entertainment Series: The Gruen Transfer, Series 4

Best Children’s Series: My Place

Best Direction: Matthew Saville, The Slap: Episode 3 “Harry”

Best Screenplay: Brendan Cowell, The Slap: Episode 3 “Harry”

Best Lead Actor in a Drama: Alex Dimitriades, The Slap

Best Lead Actress in a Drama: Sarah Snook, Sisters of War

Best Guest/Supporting Actor in a Drama: Richard Cawthorne, Killing Time

Best Guest/Supporting Actress in a Drama: Diana Glenn, The Slap

Best Performance in a Comedy: Chris Lilley, Angry Boys

Outstanding Achievement in Television Screen Craft: Herbert Pinter, Production Design, Cloudstreet

Switched On Audience Choice, Best Television Program: Packed to the Rafters

Switched On Audience Choice, Best Performance in a Drama: Asher Keddie, Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo

 

INTERNATIONAL AWARDS

Best Film: The Artist

Best Direction: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Best Screenplay: J.C. Chandor, Margin Call and George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Beau Willimom, The Ides of March TIE

Best Actor: Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Best Actress: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

 

OTHER

Best Young Actor: Laura Robinson, Cloudstreet

Raymond Longford Award: Don McAlpine

Bryon Kennedy Award: Ivan Sen

Nicole Kidman presents Meryl Streep with the International AACTA Award for Best Actress in "The Iron Lady"

 

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February 1, 2012

Review: The Sleeping Beauty, Ballet Live in HD

by James Madden

Classical ballet is brought to the big screen thanks to the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia and Sharmill Films. The second of four live performances for the 2011-2012 season sees The Sleeping Beauty on the screens of selected cinemas this February.

Playing in the newly restored Bolshoi Theatre of Russia, the classic Brothers Grimm story is retold with the orchestral flavourings of Tchaikovsky with a new choreographic version by Yuri Grigorovich.

David Hallberg stars in the ballet and recently made history by being the first American born performer to be hired permanently by the Moscow company. Recently Hallberg was interviewed on US television show The Colbert Report whereupon host Stephen Colbert inquisitively (and satirically) questioned Hallberg about defecting to the Soviets. Other primary performers make their own mark with Svetlana Zakharova plays Princess Aurora with proper elegance and grace.

The historic theatre is a beautiful piece of grand and opulent architecture, with the detailed restoration casting a feast for the eyes. Lavish and extravagant costumes and set design add a je ne sais quoi. For ballet fans, this production and performance is a must see. For arts lovers alike, a rare opportunity into the Bolshoi and ballet company is definitely worth an exploratory look.

Sleeping Beauty will be playing selected cinemas on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 February. For more details, click here.

3.5 blergs

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January 30, 2012

18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

by James Madden

Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Melissa McCarthy drink to Scorsese!

Spoiler alert to anyone that didn’t want to know. The winners of the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were announced in a ceremony held just moments ago. Some lovely surprises came with Viola Davis winning Best Female Actor and The Help winning Best Cast in a Motion Picture. The list of complete winners is as follows:

Film:

Cast in a Motion Picture: The Help

Female Actor in a Leading Role: Viola Davis, The Help

Male Actor in a Leading Role: Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Octavia Spencer, The Help

Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Christopher Plummer, Beginners

 

Television:

Cast in a Comedy Series: Modern Family

Cast in a Drama Series: Boardwalk Empire

Female Actor in a Drama Series: Jessica Lange, American Horror Story

Male Actor in a Drama Series: Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire

Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Betty White, Hot in Cleveland

Male Actor in a Comedy Series: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Female Actor in a Television Movie or Mini Series: Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce

Male Actor in a Television Movie or Mini Series: Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail

 

Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient: Mary Tyler Moore

 

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January 26, 2012

Film Review: Young Adult (2012)

by James Madden

If you thought Charlize Theron was terrifying as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in her Academy Award winning role, then you ain’t seen nothing yet! In the role of Mavis, Theron creates a terrifying portrayal of a woman without reproach, determined to get the man of her dreams back. After the failure of her marriage, young adult fiction writer Mavis Gary decides to come back to her small home town and reclaim her former boyfriend. Mavis’ life is quiet and still. She is neutral to all that is around her and sees many nights with blind intoxication.

Patrick Wilson plays Buddy, her former beau and Patton Oswalt plays Matt, the nerd who’s locker was next to hers at high school. Twenty years after school finished, Mavis seems to have reverted back to the self-obsessed and selfish ways of teenagers. She can only think of herself, her happiness and nothing else matters. She is a traumatic character. She knows no love, and seems to be numb from the collapse of her former relationships.

Charlize Theron is as thrilling, dangerous and exciting as Mavis and does not shy away from embodying her pure self loathing. The character is an anomaly in mainstream independent cinema (which of course is where the film lives, much like Juno). Like Julia Roberts in My Best Friend’s Wedding, man-hunting actions are initially off-putting and awkward. Playing the villain instead of the heroine, they are the “morally corrupt” leading protagonists in the eyes of conventional Hollywood cinema. Unlike Roberts however, Theron does not polish up and redeem herself in the third act, which is both unconventional and somewhat refreshing.

Diablo Cody continues to delve deeper into characters, unashamedly revealing their darkness. Perhaps this will shock fans of the quirky and comparatively light-hearted Juno, which put Cody on the map. Cody’s Showtime television dramedy United States of Tara also displayed a tendency towards the darkness, with Young Adult taking the express line towards depression and inner disintegration.

After his most recent success with Up in the Air, Jason Reitman lacks a certain slickness that comes with his former films. The most notable absence from the film is a lack of score. Understandably, this exclusion seems intentional to highlight the little that Mavis has going on in her life. Rolfe Kent of Dexter theme and Election, provides quirky moments that are unfortunately few and far between.

Young Adult is a dramedy with perhaps a stronger sense of drama than comedy, despite Theron’s Comedy or Musical nomination at the Golden Globes. The film is not a redeeming story of a wayward girl, nor does it have the classic overcoming of personal odds climatic scene. It is a story of someone much more real than the typical Hollywood protagonists we are so used to seeing.

Young Adult opened theatrically on January 19 through Paramount Pictures.

3.5 blergs

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January 26, 2012

First Look: Darling Companion Trailer

by James Madden

Lawrence Kasdan is back and a trailer for his new film Darling Companion has just been released. Starring Diane Keaton as a woman who loves her dog more than her husband (Kevin Kline) who then looses the dog. Unsurprisingly, the film stars a great ensemble with Keaton, Kline, Elizabeth Moss, Dianne Wiest, Sam Shepherd and Richard Jenkins. Hopefully, Darling Companion will be in similar leagues to Kasdan’s former successes with The Big Chill, Body Heat and The Accidental Tourist.

No release date is set for the US yet, so Australia will be a tad far away. The film is being released through Sony Pictures Classics and Film Blerg cannot wait to see it!

 

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January 25, 2012

Nominees for the 84th Annual Academy Awards

by James Madden

Uttered only moments ago were the sounds of paychecks increasing and stress levels rising for publicists, managers,

On a prediction basis, Film Blerg didn’t do too bad this year, with an accuracy rate of 82%. Wasn’t it surprising to see Rooney Mara snatch a nom! Yikes! And a tad surprising to see Melissa McCarthy score a nom too. Less surprising was The Descendants and The Artist cementing its place in Oscar history.

Now the wait is on until the ceremony on February 26th at the Kodak Theatre.

The nominees are:

BEST PICTURE

  • The Artist
  • The Descendants
  • Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
  • The Help
  • Hugo
  • Midnight in Paris
  • Moneyball
  • The Tree of Life
  • Warhorse

BEST DIRECTOR

  • Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
  • Alexander Payne, The Descendants
  • Martin Scorsese, Hugo
  • Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
  • Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

  • Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
  • Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
  • J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
  • Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
  • Asghar Farhadi, A Separation

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

  • Nat Faxon, Alexander Payne, Jim Rash, The Descendants
  • John Logan, Hugo
  • George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimom, The Ides of March
  • Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zallian, Stan Chervin, Moneyball
  • Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

BEST ACTRESS

  • Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
  • Viola Davis, The Help
  • Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  • Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
  • Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

BEST ACTOR

  • Damian Bechir, A Better Life
  • George Clooney, The Descendants
  • Jean Dujardin, The Artist
  • Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
  • Brad Pitt, Moneyball

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

  • Berenice Bejo, The Artist
  • Jessica Chastain, The Help
  • Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
  • Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
  • Octavia Spencer, The Help

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

  • Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
  • Jonah Hill, Moneyball
  • Nick Nolte, Warrior
  • Christopher Plummer, Beginners
  • Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

BEST FOREIGN FILM

  • Bullhead – Belgium
  • Footnote – Israel
  • In Darkness – Poland
  • Monsieur Lazhar – Canada
  • A Separation – Iran

BEST ANIMATED FILM

  • A Cat in Paris
  • Choco and Rita
  • Kung Fu Panda 2
  • Puss in Boots
  • Rango

BEST ART DIRECTION

  • The Artist
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
  • Hugo
  • Midnight in Paris
  • Warhorse

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

  • The Artist
  • The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  • Hugo
  • The Tree of Life
  • War Horse

BEST SOUND MIXING

  • The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  • Hugo
  • Moneyball
  • Transformers: Dark of the Moon
  • War Horse

BEST SOUND EDITING

  • Drive
  • The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  • Hugo
  • Transformers: Dark of the Moon
  • War Horse

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

  • John Williams, The Adventures of Tintin
  • Ludovic Bource, The Artist
  • Howard Shore, Hugo
  • Alberto Iglesias, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
  • John Williams, War Horse

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

  • “Man or Muppet”, The Muppets
  • “Real in Rio”, Rio

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

  • Anonymous
  • The Artist
  • Hugo
  • Jane Eyre
  • W.E.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

  • Hell and Back Again
  • If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
  • Paradise Lost 3: Puragory
  • Pina
  • Undefeated

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

  • The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
  • God is the Bigger Elvis
  • Incident in New Baghdad
  • Saving Face
  • The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

BEST FILM EDITING

  • The Artist
  • The Descendants
  • The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  • Hugo
  • Moneyball

BEST MAKEUP

  • Albert Nobbs
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
  • The Iron Lady

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

  • Dimanche/Sunday
  • The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
  • La Luna
  • A Morning Stroll
  • Wild Life

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

  • Pentecost
  • Raju
  • The Shore
  • Time Freak
  • Tuba Atlantic

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
  • Hugo
  • Real Steel
  • Rise of the Planet of the Apes
  • Transformers: Dark of the Moon

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January 24, 2012

84th Academy Awards Predictions

by James Madden

At approximately 12.30am AEST tomorrow (aka Wednesday 25th Jan), the nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards will be announced in Los Angeles.

This season, Film Blerg has not bought into too much Oscar focus. However, predictions will be made for this year’s nominees. It’s always fun predicting the nominees rather than the winners, and in past years 88% of predictions made were correct come announcement time. So here are the predicted nominees of the main categories, based on

  • a) precusor attention from critics and guilds alike;
  • b) expert opinions from dedicated Oscar followers; and
  • c) the “expert” opinion of Mr. Madden himself.

BEST PICTURE

  • The Artist
  • Bridesmaids
  • The Descendants
  • Drive
  • The Help
  • Hugo
  • Midnight in Paris
  • Moneyball
  • The Tree of Life
  • Warhorse

It’s quite likely that only 6 or 7 films may be nominated due to Academy rule changes.

BEST DIRECTOR

  • Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
  • Martin Scorsese, Hugo
  • Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
  • Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
  • Alexander Payne, The Descendants

Alternate: David Fincher, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

  • Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
  • Asghar Farhadi, A Separation
  • Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
  • Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
  • Will Reiser, 50/50

Alternate: Mike Mills, Beginners

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

  • Nat Faxon, Alexander Payne, Jim Rash, The Descendants
  • John Logan, Hugo
  • Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
  • Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zallian, Moneyball
  • Tate Taylor, The Help

Alternate: Steven Zallian, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

BEST ACTRESS

  • Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
  • Viola Davis, The Help
  • Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
  • Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
  • Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Alternate: Charlize Theron, Young Adult

BEST ACTOR

  • George Clooney, The Descendants
  • Jean Dujardin, The Artist
  • Michael Fassbender, Shame
  • Brad Pitt, Moneyball
  • Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

Alternate: Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

  • Berenice Bejo, The Artist
  • Jessica Chastain, The Help
  • Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
  • Octavia Spencer, The Help
  • Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Alternate: Carey Mulligan, Shame

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

  • Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
  • Albert Brooks, Drive
  • Jonah Hill, Moneyball
  • Nick Nolte, Warrior
  • Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Alternate: Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris

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January 24, 2012

2012 ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL

by James Madden

The word is out. This year’s French Film Festival will kick off in Sydney on March 6, coming to Melbourne the following day. Opening the 2012 ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL is DECLARATION OF WAR (La Guerre est déclarée). The film serves as France’s official Academy Award submission for Foreign Language Film at the 2012 awards. Closing night sees the Truffaut classic THE LAST METRO with Catherine Deveuve, Gérard Depardieu and Jean Poiret.

The 2012 Festival includes the following selections:

A HAPPY EVENT (Un heureux événement)
Director: Rémi Bezançon  (Cast: Louise Bourgoin, Pio Marmaï & Josiane Balasko)
This stylish, contemporary drama with a comedic tone, takes an intimate look at a woman’s most joyful, painful, terrifying and life-changing experience: first-time motherhood.

ALL OUR DESIRES (Toutes nos envies)
Director:  Philippe Lioret  (Cast: Vincent Lindon & Marie Gillain)
Claire, a 30-year-old judge at Lyon magistrates’ court, becomes locked in a fight for justice, on behalf of citizens impacted by the unscrupulous practices of the financial services industry. Her plight piques the interest of disenchanted colleague Stéphane, who becomes drawn into the case. Something emerges between them: a mixture of rebellion, outrage, and above all an urgent need to live life to the fullest.

AND IF WE ALL LIVED TOGETHER (Et si on vivait tous ensemble)
Director:  Stéphane Robelin  (Cast: Guy Bedos, Daniel Brühl, Geraldine Chaplin & Jane Fonda)
Annie, Jean, Claude, and Jeanne have been friends for more than 40 years. So when the possibility of being consigned to an old-age home rears its ugly head, they rebel and decide to cohabit.

BELOVED (Les bien-aimés)
Director:  Christophe Honoré  (Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Chiara Mastroianni & Ludivine Sagnier)
Starring Catherine Deneuve and her real-life daughter Chiara Mastroianni, this sly and exquisitely romantic musical-drama spans four decades as it follows a mother and daughter’s twin misadventures in love.

POINT BLANK (A bout portant)
Director: Fred Cayavé  (Cast: Gilles Lellouche, Roschdy Zem, Gérard Lanvin & Elena Anaya)
In this classic wrong-man scenario, an innocent nurse-in-training whose career is on the rise, finds himself entangled in a web of violent chaos when his wife is kidnapped, before his very eyes, from their apartment one evening.

PRESUMED GUILTY (Présumé coupable)
Director:  Vincent Garenq  (Cast: Philippe Torreton, Noémie Lvosky & Wladimir Yordanoff)
This chillingly raw account of one of France’s most famous miscarriages of justice, tells the true story of Alain Marécaux, an average family man from a small village in the north of France who, along with 17 other people, was wrongly accused and jailed for paedophilia in 2001.

OMAR KILLED ME (Omar m’a tuer)
Director:  Roschdy Zem  (Cast: Sami Bouajila, Denis Podalydès & Maurice Bénichou)
Based on a true story, this compelling drama revists a famous murder case in which a poorly educated Moroccan immigrant was imprisoned for a crime that he may not have committed.

ROMANTICS ANONYMOUS (Les émotifs anonymes)
Director: Jean-Pierre Améris  (Cast: Benoît Poelvoorde & Isabelle Carré)
Two shy chocolate makers find the perfect recipe for love in this moving comedy.

THE ART OF LOVE (L’art d’aimer)
Director: Emmanuel Mouret  (Cast: Emmanuel Mouret, Pascale Arbillot, Ariane Ascaride, François Cluzet, Julie Depardieu & Gaspard Ulliel)
In this charming comedy, we follow the romantic and sexual misadventures of four Parisian couples.

THE CONQUEST (La conquête)
Director: Xavier Durringer  (Cast: Denis Podalydès, Florence Pernel & Bernard Le Coq)
This part fictional, part factual biopic gives an account of the rise of President Nicolas Sarkozy to power. The film opens on the night of Mr Sarkozy’s election victory, 6 May 2007.

THE WELL-DIGGER’S DAUGHTER (La fille du puisatier)
Director: Daniel Auteuil  (Cast: Daniel Auteuil, Kad Merad, & Jean-Pierre Darroussin)
At the onset of WWII, a young and beautiful country girl has a chance encounter with a seductive and handsome pilot from a bourgeois family that leads to a fleeting romance and future heartbreak.

The ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL screens nationally in:

  • SYDNEY: 6 – 25 March– Palace Verona, Palace Norton Street, Chauvel Cinema & Hayden Orpheum Cremorne
  • MELBOURNE: 7 – 25 March– Palace Cinema Como, Palace Balwyn, Palace Westgarth, Palace Brighton Bay & Kino Cinemas
  • BRISBANE: 14 March – 1 April– Palace Centro & Palace Barracks Cinema
  • CANBERRA: 14 March – 1 April – Greater Union Manuka & Arc Cinema, National Film & Sound Archive
  • ADELAIDE: 20 March – 8 April– Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas
  • PERTH: 21 March – 9 April– Cinema Paradiso, Luna on SX & Windsor Cinema

For more details, head over to: http://www.affrenchfilmfestival.org/default.aspx

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January 24, 2012

Film Review: Weekend (2011)

by James Madden

How long does it take to fall in love with someone? Does love at first sight exist? Can a simple shag lead to much, much more? Writer/director Andrew Haigh effectively poses these questions in his new film Weekend.

After spending a drunken night together, Russell (Tom Cullen) and Glen (Chris New) notice that an initial flirtation leads to something more substantial. The only problem sees that Glen is departing indefinitely to America in a couple of days. Deciding to forgo most of their scheduled commitments, the two spend the remaining time together and their relationship rapidly develops. Their difference in personal lifestyle choices create necessary narrative conflict, but also seems irrelevant as the relationship is working at its own accelerated speed.

Establishing the strong chemistry between the two main characters is extremely difficult and one not without challenges. Both risky and ambitious in his aspirations, Haigh manages to create a connection of sorts, but does not pull it off flawlessly. There is an awkwardness and tension between the two which works in some moments but not consistently so. While it is hard to believe that such an unstoppable force exists between the two relative strangers, both actors work well with what they are given. Particular credit should be given to relative newcomer Tom Cullen who gives an impressive and effective performance as Russell.

Sex scenes compliment the bold and uncompromising dialogue as well as exhibiting a particular tenderness at the same time. Much of Weekend is explicit in its dialogue, which is interestingly contradicted alongside the silence and stillness of its storytelling. A lack of sound often envelops the film, leaving the two leading men as the primary source of attention.

Themes of sexuality and public perceptions feature as part of Weekend’s storytelling, but do not dominate it, thankfully leaving the strong bond as the main focus. Discussions surrounding publicly gay versus closeted see an awkward moment in the film’s storytelling, and an awkward moment in the developing relationship, which is of course overshadowed by the overwhelming love story. Connections and how we go about avoiding and confronting our reticence toward them are where Weekend‘s strengths lie. Seemingly located in a gay sphere, Weekend is not necessarily specific to gay audiences, although it is imaginable that it may be slated as so. Occupying the personal, Weekend is emotionally deep and moving despite not reaching its desired heights.

Weekend opens in Australia on January 26 through Rialto Distribution.

3 blergs

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January 20, 2012

FAFA: A Few Best Men (2011)

by James Madden

Muriel Heslop is dead. A nation mourns. Darryl Kerrigan and his family have sold out their sought after castle and made a mint. A nation grieves. The three famous drag queens wandering the desert have moved onto broader pastures and Australian cinema is in dire need of their return.

This may sound rather dramatic and even polemic, but Australian films just are not what they used to be. Despite this criticism, A Few Best Men is a fine, playful film. Caught in a recent string of big budget pre-wedding films with the likes of Bridesmaids and The Hangover, Australia seems to offer its own version.

David (Xavier Samuel) meets Mia (Laura Brent) while on holiday on a tropical island. They quickly decide to marry and David flies down from England with his three best mates (Kris Marshall, Kevin Bishop and Tim Draxl). Mayhem naturally ensues as the three best mates are bumbling imbeciles and Mia’s father is a politician.

Dean Craig, screenwriter of Death at a Funeral, sees the usual set of uncouth and inappropriate narrative conflicts that allow the protagonist and his sidekicks into crass and crude situations. Stephan Elliott, director of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, also follows the standard, generic codes with ample aptitude.

Xavier Samuel is affable but rather bland, cast as the tolerable straight man. The female cast lacks in discernable character too, with another one dimensional sassy weirdo character for Rebel Wilson to play and a bride character that has nothing interesting to say or do, but to be a vision of David’s desires. The three groomsmen get the best/only laughs, with the standout being Tim Draxl.

The usually squeaky clean Olivia Newton-John appears as Mia’s mother in a partial Grease “final-scene-drastic-character-change” recreation. This time the catalyst for change is not buoyant adolescent friskyness but a chemical addiction. Unlike Grease however, the results while initially comical, soon get old.

Despite being no revelation in its comedy, performances or storytelling, the film is enjoyable for what its worth. The beautiful Blue Mountains of New South Wales give perhaps the best performance in the film, existing as images akin to tourism material found in Oprah’s down under tour.

A Few Best Men opens theatrically on January 26, 2012 through Icon Films.

3 blergs

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