The March 30th release of the Federal Government's Final Report from the Convergence Review has ruffled not just a few feathers amongst the media moguls but I'd have to say the entire plume. From The Australian to The Herald Sun, commentators around the country have contributed their two cents worth focusing mainly on the negative effects...
2014 was recently described by Inside Film as shaping up to be "one of the strongest years for Australian films." In anticipation of this, and considering my lack of posts recently, I thought I would provide you all with a few more reasons as to why this claim is valid made with summaries of the films mentioned and their accompanying trailers....
Recent reports came out today speculating on the impact that Attorney General George Brandis' latest anti-piracy proposal will have on the Australian public who were recently deemed by Mumbrella to be "at the top of the world piracy ladder." Here are my reasons why the proposal, and subsequent proposals to fight those who elicit online piracy, will fail.
Redfern Now is a 6-part series produced for the ABC by Blackfella Films that tells the stories of six inner-city households in one street. In each episode, one seemingly insignificant event will completely change the course of the main characters' daily journeys. Family dramas, relationship problems, money troubles and everyday societal issues are just a few of the plot-lines explored in this series. Working closely with Jimmy McGovern (Story Producer), the producers of RN have created a series that closely follows the successful formula of the show which catapulted McGovern's career, The Street.
The thing that worked so well for me with Redfern Now was its impecable production values. Location, production design, editing, sound design and filming style are just a few elements that caught my eye and held it throughout the duration of the first episode. As a rule, I am instantly turned off my any television show or feature film that has a disregard for fine form. Redfern Now does not belong in this category. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the sheer amount of work that has gone into making this show look so damn good is a lot better than most of the drivel existing on mainstream Australian television right now (Yes, Channel 7. I am looking at you and Winners and Losers)
Many critics today will be launching into how much of a revolution Redfern Now is for the indigenous film and television community. This is a load of wirrilkaru crap. The reality is, indigenous production houses such as Blackfella Films have made some of Australia's best movies of late. In fact, our most successful home exports, particularly in the festival circuits, have come from indigenous producers. Samson and Delilah, Ten Canoes, The Sapphires, and Ivan Sen's Toomelah which was a big hit at the Sydney Film Festival last year. At the end of the day, this is a TV series to educate, inform, entertain and abolish the divide between what is "Australian" and what is "Indigenous." For me, as long as its all good TV, I don't care what you call it.
In the same way hundreds of critics applauded Hitchcock for Psycho, Scorsese for Good Guys, and Tarantino for Pulp Fiction, this movie is just one of those amazing films that needs to be written about.
Looper tells a twisted tale of time travel, assassinations and violent ends for violent beings but most of all, explores the bigger picture of how we as humans battle ourselves each day to determine what is right for the future. Starring Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt (who can not be said to be a "star" of the movie as such considering she doesn't rock up until halfway through), the film tackles many complicated themes with an equally complicated plot, the two points I will be focusing on for this analysis. There are so many amazing qualities of this movie that can be discussed - from its mise-en-scene; to its cliche-free script; to the beautiful cinematography achieved by Steve Yedlin - Looper has it all. But for me, it really was the way it dealt with some rather far-fetched themes with a plot that physically had me on the end of my seat in the last half hour that I find most fascinating.
The film's thematic development at first centres around the stories initial prognosis - "loopers" are hired as assassins in the year 2044 to kill criminal associates sent back in time from the year 2074. As a consequence of this however, loopers are warned that one day their loops will be closed meaning they will be awarded a large some of money to live out the last 30 years of their life until 2074 where they are sent back to themselves to be killed. Don't worry: it gets more complicated that that. Gordon-Levitt's character is your typical assassin cum vagabond - sly, cold, and selfish - he has no interest in the world around him or the people in it, established in the first scene where he trades his best friend's life in order to remain in possession of his wealth - first theme: money over life. This isn't dealt with in the same way other sci-fi movies usually treat this theme where money is the be all and end all of existence. That is overridden by the ideal put forth over and over again that protocol is more important than ever, no matter who you are or what you do. So when Gordon-Levitt's character meets himself at his usual looper kill-spot, his inability to remove himself from the equation leads to dramatic consequences and the next lead in the story.
From here we are introduced to Bruce Willis' character, a 30-plus version of Gordon-Levitt's who has a secret agenda and a wealth of memories to overpower his younger self. That age-old battle between young and old (pardon the pun) is explored intricately in a scene between both characters at a local diner, a grounding magnet for a plot that is starting to get slightly out of hand. Levitt's character receives a strong lecture from Willis' about his self-centred behaviour and his inability to see beyond his own personal needs for that of his future self. Levitt argues that because of this knowledge he will be able to change the future just by carrying out the task he should have done before Willis' managed to escape, but this plan is thwarted when the criminal syndicate at the centre of this whole debacle interrupts their joyous reunion.
Enter Emily Blunt, a hard-nut in the middle of nowhere protecting what seems to be just a bunch of sugar canes and a rickety old house with her son, Sid. Levitt's character seeks solace with the small family and in return, provides protection against the men planning to come after him. It is at this point we discover the real reason behind Willis' return to the past which involves Blunt's son who he believes is "the Rainmaker", a force so powerful in 2074, he has managed to take control of all 5 counties without a single army. All Blunt and Levitt know is that Willis is planning on killing the boy to prevent that from happening as Sid is the younger version of the Rainmaker, a fact we do not yet know is true until a larger event later in the movie (which I shall keep a secret for all of you already holding your breath). It is at this point the movie ventures into that done-to-death ideal of the power of a mother's love and how it can influence a young boy's upbringing but how Looper does it differently is by juxtaposing the two pasts of Levitt's character and Sid, an important moment that becomes much clearer in the movies finale. The film asks, what resolutions can be concluded when this love is not evident during a child's upbringing.
The themes within this film are complicated and multiple hence why director Rian Johnson's skill in giving us all plenty of time to catch up on who and what is important to remember is a blessing for those a little behind the 8-ball. The film won't appeal to those who never got Inception - its not as complicated but if you miss 5 minutes, you won't have time to catch up before the end. In saying that, the plot handles the whole time-travel issue with excellent precision, by not focusing too much on the future for a change and rather focusing on the past and how it can influence the future. A small number of locales also help with this as we begin to recognise the importance of certain locations over others, assisting with anticipation and the stringing together of certain elements, the train station and diner being one of them. Finally, the noir-ish tone to this film lets the audience guess a little how certain things are going to pan out meaning that whilst they're watching, they're also able to forge a few ideas in their head which are then supported by what happens next in the film. Films I'd say that don't do this so well include the Zodiac Killer and Shutter Island.
My friend was not a fan of this film after the credits rolled, complaining about the fact that there were not enough twists to keep one occupied however, I disagreed with her in that the original premise of the film was not to stupify or confuse the audience, leading to an lightbulb moment at the end - but was to guide us all to the same conclusion which was the one played out on screen; the only conclusion that one could have come to in that particular position. Strong performances from Blunt and Gordon-Levitt need to be acknowledged as well as that gorgeous editing by Bob Ducsay who can coordinate timing like a sniper. I give this film a strong 4 stars and sincerely hope it receives some Oscar nominations if for nothing else than editing and cinematography and possibly best original screenplay.
I've been terrible at keeping up with this for too long now so I just decided to get straight back into it with no more apologies but lots of exciting things to keep you entertained.
This week, I wanted to give you an idea of which TV shows were currently keeping me occupied/sane in my busy hectic life. Some are local; some are international; some are good; and some are so bad it hurts but you just can't stop watching them. Tell me if you agree with what's featured below.
My love affair with LAO:SVU has spanned a good decade now but I have to admit that it has not always been constant. With the intermittent broadcasts of each season on Channel Ten at different times/days/dates etc I've found it hard to keep up with the latest season. However, when I found out Det. Elliot Stabler had left this "elite squad" for good, I had to get back into it.
I'm majorly behind the eight-ball with this one but the idea of feuding kingdoms and fantasy worlds just really didn't push my buttons. How wrong of me. GOT has to be one of the best TV series I've seen in a long time. The production value on this baby alone is enough to keep you watching but the clever intertwining of stories and plotlines has also been cleverly mastered right until the very end. I can't wait to start season 2.
Who can resist the glamour, the style and the flair of England's most outrageous city. Having cottoned on to the show late last year during season 3, I decided to return to its original roots to see how on earth something like this got started. Another reason was to see Mark Wright who signed off at the end of S3 thus ending my lubricious love affair which he is not aware of in any form.
This was a movie that redefined my teenage experience, made me look at life differently but most importantly, made me realise that everything will be ok. Channel Ten and my favorite production house Southern Star have done an amazing job of converting one of Australia's most iconic movie into a short TV series that has got the whole nation revisiting the days of yore where a "skank" was a "moll", girls were only good for Chiko rolls and an occasional root, and you could guarantee your parents weren't up to much better.
