As the Sydney Film Festival counts down to its closing night this coming Sunday 18th June, here is a quick synopsis of the the programme that has run across Sydney for the twelve days of the festival, some of which you'll still be able to catch between now and Sunday nights closing film
'Okja' which has its Australian Premier at this showing.
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In Official Competition :
'The Beguiled', 'Felicite', 'Happy End', 'I Am Not Your Negro', 'My Happy Family', 'On Body and Soul', 'The Other Side of Hope', 'Pop Aye', 'Una', 'The Untamed' 'Wolf and Sheep' and
'We Don't Need A Map'. The latter film opened the festival on 7th June with its World Premier showing, all other films in the category have their Australian Premier.
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Australian Documentaries : ten films with
'Blue', 'Hope Road', 'In My Own Words', 'The Last Goldfish', 'Roller Dreams', 'The Pink House', 'Defiant Lives', and
'Connection to Country' all receiving their World Premier, with those others in this category, their Australian Premier.
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Feature Films : 58 films with
'Ellipsis', 'Otherlife', 'Madame' and '
Australia Day' all receiving their World Premier, with all others their Australian Premier.
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International Documentaries : 35 films with
'Chauka Please Tell Us The Time' getting its World Premier, with 29 of those remaining receiving their Australian Premier.
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Family Films : five films showing, with
'Rip Tide' getting its World Premier and
'Phantom Boy' and
'The Sun at Midnight' being screened in Australia for the first time.
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Sounds on Screen : seven films inspired by the music business being showcased, with
'The Go-Betweens : Right Here' receiving its World Premier and the other six their Australian Premier.
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Freak Me Out : six horror chiller thrillers all receiving their Australian Premier, plus a special screening of the classic
'An American Werewolf in London'.
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Short Films : forty to choose from across the duration of the festival, all of which screen before feature films and in animation programmes.
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Retrospective by David Stratton : featuring ten feature films all by acclaimed Japanese Director Akira Kurosawa, including
'Rashomon', 'Yojimbo', 'Ran', 'Kagemusha' and
'Seven Samurai'.
* Others : for something different too there is
Smash It Up - celebrating 40 years of Punk Rock with retrospective screenings of
'Jubilee', 'The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle', and
'The Filth and The Fury' amongst others;
Focus on Canada featuring seven feature films showcasing the best of new Canadian cinema; and
Europe! Voices of Women in Film featuring ten films by female Directors.
There's something for everyone at this years 64th Sydney Film Festival. For more information visit SFF.ORG.AU
Turning attention to the latest releases, we have a biographical drama of a successful and influential Rapper and his rise to international fame; a Bachelorette weekend dark comedy; a historical telling of a little known but not insignificant human tragedy of WWI; three docos centering on a controversial media personality, a songstress taken from us way too early, and two backpacking girls on a working holiday in one of Australia's most isolated towns; before we wrap up with the third instalment in a hugely popular and successful animated feature film franchise.
Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the seven new releases as Previewed below, or those as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, be cordially reminded to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and meanwhile, enjoy your cinema experience this week.
'ALL EYEZ ON ME' (Rated MA15+) - Tupac Amaru Shakur was born Lesane Parish Crooks and lived from 1971 until his death, as a result of a drive by shooting inflicting four gun shot wounds, on September 13, 1996. He was an American Rapper and Actor. As of 2007, Shakur has sold over 75 million records worldwide. His double disc albums
'All Eyez on Me' and his
'Greatest Hits' are among the best-selling albums in the United States. He has been listed and ranked as one of the greatest artists and most influential Rappers of all time by many publications, including Rolling Stone magazine, which ranked him 86th on its list of The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Now in 2017 comes this biographical drama film about this acclaimed Hip-Hop and Rap artist, as Directed by Benny Boom, and named after the prolific entertainers fourth studio album.
The film traces his early days growing up in New York and the influences that his parents and other close family members had upon him (both parents were active members of the Black Panther Party - the revolutionary black nationalist and socialist organisation that was active from 1966 until it was dissolved in 1982) to his rise to super stardom as one of the worlds most recognised and influential voices. Against the odds, Shakur's raw talent, energy, powerful lyrics, and revolutionary attitude led to his rise to fame, and also ultimately to his imprisonment, and his controversial albeit prolific signing to Death Row Records. Starring Demetrius Shipp Jnr. as Tupac Shakur, Danai Gurira as Afeni Shakur (Tupac's mother), Jamie Hector as Mutulu Shakur (Tupac's stepfather), Annie Illonzeh as Kidada Jones (whom Tupac was engaged to at the time of his death) and others in the roles of The Notorious B.I.G., Jada Pinkett, Puff Daddy, Snoop Dog and Dr. Dre. The film was made for US$45M and also gets its US wide release this week.
'ROUGH NIGHT' (Rated MA15+) - this dark comedy offering is Directed, Co-Written and Co-Produced by Lucia Aniello and surrounds five best girl friends who all get together for a ten year college reunion gathering over a Bachelorette weekend down Miami way. Things start to unravel when a male stripper they hired gets accidentally killed by them, and amidst all the craziness that ensues in trying to cover up their rather significant misdemeanour, the five besties from way back when are ultimately brought closer together when the chips are down and their backs are against the wall. Starring Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon, Jillian Bell, Zoe Kravitz, and Ilana Glazer as the five best mates, with Demi Moore and Ty Burrell. The film is also released Stateside this week.
'THE PROMISE' (Rated M) - Directed and Co-Written by Terry George whose previous credits include
'Reservation Road' and
'Hotel Rwanda' here turns his attention to the last days of the Ottoman Empire and the Armenian Genocide which occurred between 1915 and 1922 marking the beginning of one hundred years of modern genocide by launching the world into a cycle of violence and denial that has resulted in millions of lives lost, destroyed and displaced. This is the story of Michael (Oscar Isaac), a brilliant medical student and small village dwelling apothecary, who meets Ana (Charlotte Le Bon) at the Imperial Medical Academy in Constantinople where he has gone to train. Their shared Armenian heritage sparks an attraction that explodes into a romantic rivalry between Michael and Ana’s boyfriend Chris (Christian Bale), a famous American photojournalist dedicated to exposing political truth. As the Ottoman Empire crumbles into war-torn chaos with the outbreak of Word War I their opposing passions must be put to one side as they join together to get their people to safety and survive themselves. The film Premiered at TIFF in early September last year, was released in the US in late April, and has been a Box Office bomb taking just US$9M of its US$90M budget outlay. The film has however, been praised for its historical accuracy and for not downplaying the enormity of the lesser known Armenian Genocide that took place.
'RISK' (Rated M) - this documentary film was first shown during the Directors' Fortnight at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, and went on release in the US in early May. Made by acclaimed American Writer, Producer and Director of documentary films, Laura Poitras whose previous credits include 2014's
'Citizenfour' concerning Edward Snowden and the NSA Spying Scandal which picked up the Academy Award for Best Documentary Film. Here Poitras turns attention to Julian Assange and was given unprecedented access to the WikiLeaks founder and Editor-in-Chief over a six year time frame, most of which has been spent holed up in a small corner of London's Ecuador Embassy in a state of self-imposed imprisonment whilst dodging British, American and Swedish authorities. In candid interviews and voiceovers Assange seems largely undeterred by the legal jeopardy he faces as it seeks to undo the organisation he founded and leads, and dismantle the movement he has inspired. This film is a study in power, truth, sacrifice and betrayal and is a fascinating story that needs to be told, despite the elusive nature of Assange and the fact that he and his cohorts have distanced themselves from the film and rubbished it . . . which only serves to make it more compelling!
'WHITNEY : CAN I BE ME' (Rated M) - Written and Directed by Nick Broomfield, this documentary film charts the phenomenal singing talent that was Whitney Houston, from her early days as a fifteen year old singing backing vocals for Chaka Khan and Jermaine Jackson amongst others, to her worldwide recording contract with Arista Records, and her meteoric rise to global fame. So talented was she that her voice was described as one of the greatest of the last fifty years, but behind the international super stardom there lay a tale of tragedy, drug use, broken love affairs and scandal that ultimately led to her untimely death in 2012 at the age of 48. Surrounded by those who cared more about the money making machine that was Whitney Houston, rather than the fractured and tortured human being, the songstress and Actress rarely had the opportunity to be herself, instead putting on a show for her millions of adoring fans, the world's press and the media spotlight. Featuring open and honest interviews with those closest to her on a daily basis - backing vocalists, make up artists, hairdressers, bodyguards, marketing people etc. and footage of a never released documentary about Whitney's 1999 Tour by Director Rudi Dolezal, this film presents a compelling behind the scenes insight into the very sad and tragic life, and wholly preventable death, of an entertainment icon.
'HOTEL COOLGARDIE' (Rated MA15+) - Coolgardie is a small remote town located in Western Australia about 600kms east of Perth, the State's capital city. It is a former gold mining town of about one thousand population now. Directed by Pete Gleeson, this documentary film tells the story of two Finnish backpackers, Lina and Steph who have been lured to Australia's most isolated town on the promise of a true blue Aussie outback experience, live amongst the locals, pour and replenish beers at the only watering hole in town, and earn some much needed cash in the process. Every three months new female foreign talent (what the locals affectionately term 'fresh meat'!) arrives at this outback tavern to serve at the bar. Hassled almost immediately by their overbearing boss, the publican, and the booze induced patrons, the girls receive a baptism by fire, quickly realising that to meet expectations out in the remotest of country communities, that they'll have to do more than simply serve drinks to quench the thirst of the locals as their working holiday becomes a test of endurance. This jaw dropping doco by debut film-maker Gleeson portrays an Australia that you won't see on any prime time holiday travel show.
'DESPICABLE ME 3' (Rated PG) - this computer generated animated film is the third instalment in the franchise that has seen ten short films, a prequel spin off in 2015
'Minions' that took US$1.16B at the global Box Office off the back of a US$74M budget, three video games and a Universal Studio's Florida and Hollywood theme park ride.
'Despicable Me' was released in 2010 and made US$543M at the Box Office prompting 2013's
'Despicable Me 2' which took US$971M. Now in 2017 they're back for more, with this instalment that sees the principle cast reprising their roles from previously, namely, Steve Carell as Felonious Gru; Kristen Wiig as Lucy Wilde, Gru's wife; and Miranda Cosgrove and Dana Gaier as Margo and Edith respectively, the Gru's eldest and middle adoptive children. Directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda this story sees Gru, the former villain-turned Anti-Villain League agent facing off against Balthazar Bratt (voiced by Trey Parker), a former child star who has grown up to become obsessed with the character that he played back in the day and who seems hell bent on world wide domination. Gru meanwhile gets into some sibling rivalry when he meets his long-lost charming, cheerful, and more successful twin brother Dru (also voiced by Steve Carell) who wants to team up with him for one last criminal heist to steal the diamond that Bratt has stolen, and prevent his world domination plans from becoming reality. The film Premiers at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France this week, goes on general release in the US at the end of this month, but we get a two week jump start here in Australia, so be amongst the first to catch it!
With a big seven new release films to tempt and tease you out to your local Odeon in the coming week, covering everything from biographical drama, to a girls on tour dark comedy, to a historical drama of a lesser known tragedy, to three very different documentaries, and winding up with an animated feature that is number three in this successful franchise, you have plenty of reasons to catch a movie of choice. When you have done so remember to share your thoughts with us here, and in the meantime I'll wish you happy viewing, and we'll see each other sometime somewhere in the week ahead at your local Odeon.
-Steve, at Odeon Online-
Alberto Giacometti was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draughtsman and printmaker who lived from 1901 until 1966, when he died in Paris, France from heart disease and chronic bronchitis. This film 'Final Portrait' by Director, Writer and Actor Stanley Tucci (in his fifth Directorial outing) tells the story of Giacometti over a three week or so period in 1964, when the world renowned artist asked his American art critic and biographer friend James Lord to sit for him for what turns out to be his final portrait. I saw this film as part of the Sydney Film Festival last weekend, having had its Australian Premier at the Festival on 10th June. It had its World Premier at the Berlin International Film Festival in February this year, is due for release in the UK in early August, and not until early October for its general release in Australia. The film is based on the biography by James Lord 'A Giacometti Portrait', adapted for the screen by Stanley Tucci.
Set in Paris in 1964 we are told in voiceover by American biographer and art critic James Lord (Armie Hammer) of Alberto Giacometti (Geoffrey Rush) and his work as a celebrated world renowned sculptor, painter and artist, and that the famed Giacometti has asked him to pose for him, in order that he can paint his portrait. Of course, this is a great honour for Lord, and he can only but oblige his old friend by agreeing, even though he has a flight scheduled back home to the US in 48 hours.
After the first sitting, Giacometti says that his sitting may take a little longer than expected and if he could put his flight back 24 hours. Of course, easily done responds Lord - well, really what else can he say? However, Lord soon comes to realise that the work of a genius cannot be hurried, and it is Giacometti who decides on a whim when it is time for work, drink, food, doubt, destruction, flirtation or laughter in his studio. After the first three days have lapsed, Lord again is asked to delay his flight, but only for a few more days. 
Giacometti is an established artist whose works fetch record prices. When he is paid for his work he hides huge bundles of cash in his studio, fearing the banks as being untrustworthy. He often forgets where he has hidden his wads of cash. He is a man of modest means living in your average Parisian two up two down terrace house with a ramshackle studio. His nonchalant attitude to money is just one of the causes of many an altercation with his wife Annette (Sylvie Testud), another being that his young attractive prostitute mistress and quasi-muse Caroline (Clemence Poesy) receives all his attention. She is his reason for being, his motivation and his incentive to carry on with his life and his work, and she too is mid-way sitting for him for a portrait in progress. His brother Diego (Tony Shalhoub), is also an artist and working in an adjacent studio, is more than familiar with his idiosyncrasies, his mood swings, and his at times unpredictable temperament. 
As another week goes by, Lord is asked to postpone his flight home again due to slow progress with the painting, or it not being upto Giacometti's standard. Often, the artist will start to paint, and then interrupt proceedings with the desire to go for a walk to talk, or to visit the local bistro for something to eat, or drink, or to take rides in the car, or to meet with Caroline. Lord puts on a brave face but becomes increasingly frustrated by the slow progress his artist friend is taking - but what can he do, other than play along, and pacify those in the US who seek his return home. 
Meanwhile Lord has to postpone his flight once more, asking 'how long can this go on for'. By now we are two weeks in, and Diego who overhears Lords rhetorical question says months, years, perhaps for ever, as Alberto seeks perfection in his work, which he knows is in reality unattainable. As three weeks almost clock up and yet more flight postponements, the day comes when Lord has to bite the bullet and leave. Giacometti bids him farewell, Caroline has disappeared off somewhere else with her pimps, leaving the artist and his wife Annette to go about their business, and Giacometti to consider his unfinished portrait.
Here Rush inhibits the character of Giacometti, much as he did with his portrayal of pianist David Helfgott in 1996's 'Shine', and he makes his character study intricate, grounded and nuanced as we laugh at his jokes, relish at his idle gossip, his habits and his foibles, his inconsistent work routine, his preferred watering holes, his insistent chain smoking, his dishevelled appearance, the razor sharp wit of his conversation and his sarcasm and his down beaten studio where everything is presented to us looking in in various shades of black, white and grey. Armie Hammer puts in a subdued but nonetheless commendable performance as the subject of the artist, showing restraint, politeness and conservatism even as time marches on and repeated postponements to his schedule. As for Stanley Tucci in his fifth turn as Director he here depicts Giacometti as a genius showing us his strengths and weaknesses of his chaotic work life, his self-doubt, and his inner strength to destroy that which he is not completely satisfied with and start over again. A comical, entertaining and engaging study of one of the great artists of the 20th Century, that has been highly praised by Critics.
