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IN 1822, eight desperate convicts escaped from the harshest penal colony in the world on the remote west coast of Tasmania. Based on the shocking confessions of an Irish thief named Alexander Pearce, Van Diemen’s Land details the men’s arduous journey, and explores the darker side of human nature.
Stark cinematography and a haunting score give the film an ominous feel right away, and it never lets up. It’s an impressive directorial debut from Jonathan auf der Heide, and the acting from the ensemble cast is terrific. Oscar Redding (who co-wrote the script with auf der Heide) delivers an impressive, slow-burning performance as Pearce and Arthur Angel is frightening as the cold and calculating Robert Greenhill.
Van Diemen’s Land probably won’t do much for Tasmanian tourism – unless dark, forbidding forests are your kinda thing – but it’s a fascinating story from Australia's blood-stained past that raises interesting moral questions about how far people will go in order to survive.
PURPORTING to be making a documentary on the nature of love, stand-up comedian Charlyne Yi travels across the US interviewing real people about romance. Along the way, she meets Hollywood star Michael Cera (Superbad, Juno) and the quirky pair start dating, even though Yi is convinced she will never fall in love.
Paper Heart is an interesting experiment in combining fantasy and reality. Yi and Cera were actually in a relationship during the making of the film, and while director Nicholas Jasenovec is a major character in the movie, he’s actually played by an actor (an excellent performance from Jake M. Johnson). Trying to figure out what’s real and what’s not is half the fun.
The obviously genuine interviews with happily married couples, divorcees and even an Elvis-impersonating Las Vegas minister are fascinating, and it’s impossible not to be drawn in. Paper Heart is unique and almost indefinable, much like its subject matter.
ANVIL is the biggest rock band you’ve never heard of. Formed in Toronto, Canada in 1978 by best friends Steve 'Lips' Kudlow and Robb Reiner, they influenced the likes of Slayer, Metallica and Anthrax, but fame and fortune somehow eluded them.
However, Kudlow and Reiner never gave up, and this engrossing doco follows the 50 year olds as they prepare to release their 18th album. Along the way, they must endure a disastrous European tour, financial troubles, and a commercial music industry that wants nothing to do with them. The film includes interviews with Lars Ulrich (Metallica), Scott Ian (Anthrax), Slash (Guns n’ Roses), and a host of other heavy-metal heavyweights.
A very human tale about the importance of perseverance and following your dreams, Anvil! is equal parts hilarious, sad and inspirational. Rock on!
THE word ‘epic’ gets thrown around a lot, but it certainly applies to John Woo’s spectacular Red Cliff. Set in China in 208AD, the movie is based on historical events that led up to the pivotal Battle of Red Cliffs and the eventual demise of the Han Dynasty.
After naming himself Prime Minister, a ruthless warlord named Cao Cao (Fengyi Zhang) convinces the meek Emperor Han to allow him to invade the kingdoms of Xu in the west and East Wu in the south. Fearing annihilation by Cao Cao’s army of nearly one million, the rulers of the threatened territories form an alliance and decide to fight. Two figures soon rise to prominence in the struggle – Zhou Yu (Tony Leung), East Wu’s talented commander, and Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro), Xu’s brilliant military adviser.
Red Cliff opens with an impressive action sequence, and Woo never lets the tempo drop. It took more than a year to plan the final battle scene, and the results are jaw-dropping. Add to that excellent acting, fantastic costumes and beautiful scenery, and you’ve got one helluva cinematic experience
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FRANK (Brian Cox) is a lifer in a tough London jail, where a vicious bastard named Rizza (Damian Lewis) runs the show, dealing drugs and enforcing the criminal pecking order while the guards turn a blind eye.
When he learns that his daughter is critically ill, Frank decides to stop playing the model prisoner and make a break for it. He enlists the help of a few well-chosen cellmates (including a menacing Joseph Fiennes) and they set about planning their daring escape.
There’s more of a sense of claustrophobia and fear in The Escapist than in many other jailbreak movies, and the acting is good, particularly from British screen stalwart Cox, who sinks his teeth into a rare starring role
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BASED on the novel of the same name by Nobel Prize-winning author JM Coetzee, Disgrace is a brutally honest look at post-Apartheid South Africa, as seen through the eyes of a disillusioned university professor.
After getting into trouble for seducing one of his students – and refusing to apologise – David Lurie (John Malkovich) leaves his home in Cape Town and goes to visit his daughter Lucy (Jessica Haines) on a remote farm. Following a sickening crime, David tries to convince Lucy to seek relative safety in the city, but she refuses to leave, even when it transpires that her new neighbour (Eriq Ebouaney) is harbouring one of the perpetrators.
Although Malkovich’s accent falters, it doesn’t make his understated performance any less powerful, and Haines is a revelation in her first movie role. Disgrace is a confronting film with family values at its core, and a portrait of a country that still has a long way to go
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FIVE years ago, Aussie writer/director Adam Elliot won an Oscar for his short claymation film Harvie Krumpet. Now he’s back with his first feature-length movie and an all-star cast of voice talent.
Toni Collette is Mary Daisy Dinkle, a lonely eight year old living in a small Melbourne suburb who finds an unlikely pen pal in Max Jerry Horovitz (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an obese 44-year-old New Yorker with mental problems and a passion for ‘chocolate hotdogs’. As Mary grows up, Max remains the only constant in her life and the pair’s long-distance friendship sustains them both through tough times.
The claymation is terrific and Barry Humphries does a great job as the narrator of the tale, but don’t expect it to put a smile on your face. While there is some humour, Mary And Max is undeniably melancholy
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IN 1941, the Belarusian Bielski brothers took on Hitler’s invading army and managed to save more than a thousand fellow Jews from certain death at the hands of the SS and Nazi sympathisers.
Daniel Craig plays Tuvia Bielski, the leader of an ever-growing group of refugees and resistance fighters who take to the forest, determined to survive against overwhelming odds. When Tuvia’s more militant brother Zus (Liev Shreiber) disagrees with his methods, he leaves to join a band of Soviet partisans. The two groups form a loose alliance and continue the struggle for two years, not only against the Germans, but also against hunger, disease and the harsh eastern European winter.
It’s surprising that this incredible true story hasn’t been told on film before now, and it’s refreshing to see Jews being portrayed as heroes and survivors rather than just victims. Craig’s accent falters occasionally and the movie could perhaps be slightly shorter than its 136 minutes, but neither of those minor criticisms makes the tale any less fascinating
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FILMED during the lead-up to the 1975 Mr Universe and Mr Olympia bodybuilding contests in Pretoria, South Africa, the main reason this well-made documentary is considered a classic is because it features Arnold Schwarzenegger long before he became The Terminator and the Governor of California. At 28, he’s out to win his sixth My Olympia crown, and doesn’t mind talking up his chances: “I have no weak points,” he quips on the eve of the tournament. However, even through his extraordinary arrogance – and thick Austrian accent – you can see his star quality, and it transforms this honest little film about muscle men into a fascinating historical piece.
Although the focus is definitely on Arnie, many other notable bodybuilders appear, including another future actor in Lou Ferrigno, who went on to star as The Incredible Hulk on American TV and continues to work in Hollywood. Just as intriguing as the rivalry between Arnold and Lou is that which exists between Americans Mike Katz and Ken Waller, who battle it out for the amateur Mr Universe title. And then there’s Franco Columbu, a charismatic Italian who goes bicep-to-bicep with Arnie and impresses the crowd by blowing up a hot-water bottle like a normal person would blow up a balloon. It really is the ‘golden age’ of bodybuilding, and the fans lap it up.
I’ll let Arnold have the final say: “It’s as satisfying to me as coming is, you know? As having sex with a woman and coming. And so can you believe how much I am in heaven? I am like getting the feeling of coming in a gym, I’m getting the feeling of coming at home, I’m getting the feeling of coming backstage when I pump up, when I pose in front of 5000 people, I get the same feeling, so I am coming day and night. I mean, it’s terrific. Right? So, you know, I am in heaven
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FOR his directorial debut, Hollywood star and all-round top bloke Eric Bana picked a subject close to his heart – his first car. The result is an emotionally charged documentary about the Melburnian’s 25-year love affair with a 1974 Ford XB Falcon Coupe he calls The Beast.
With the help of his three best mates, Bana gets the machine ready to race in the daunting Targa Tasmania rally, but tragedy strikes, forcing him to think more deeply about what the Falcon really means to him. On hand for their insights and opinions are US talk-show legend Jay Leno (wait till you see his car collection!), Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson and TV psychiatrist Dr Phil.
The cinematography and music are great, and you don’t have to be a revhead to enjoy Love The Beast. It’s a real-life drama about passion and relationships that’s every bit as engaging as anything else Bana has done
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Comment by Cameron Murray
on How To Lose Friends And Alienate People
The Legless Critic
I fully expected the film to devolve into a typical romantic comedy, so it didn't really bother me.