mr turner

not sure about timothy spall - his englishness is off-putting to me
but mike leigh more than compensates - another year (2010) - classic
almost universal positive reviews for this film tips it into the viewing list
besides - boxing day and hence energy levels barely registering - off we go
surprising - full house in the (small) theatre on a sunny summer afternoon
a good sign - there has to be a buzz about this film already on opening day
the film begins with a panoramic of a rural canal and 2 ambling women
they converse in a foreign language - huh - confusing - expecting england
but then panning to our man turner (spall) thumb-nailing the pastoral scenery
credits roll and done with such class the anticipation starts simmering nicely
then it's back in london as turner returns from his trip abroad to the continent
striking scenes of cobblestone streets and the attention to detail very obvious
a grunting, detached turner barely acknowledging his father and housemaid
turner senior then seen at the local art supply store buying paint for his son
a mention that some of the colours coming from as far away as afghanistan
this is england in the mid 19th century and daily life looking quite civilised
a visit from turner's ex-wife and daughter confirming his boorish nature
barely making conversation and completely impervious to her many insults
he's not good with women - seen also having a grope with his hapless maid
she clearly besotted with the man but grunting disdain the best he offers her
though a moment of humanity when he watches his father take his last breath
any doubts about timothy spall in this role now obliterated - he fully owns it
and thinking - the advantage of a bio-pic of a character from that long ago
no multi-media record to reference so the actor has free licence to explore
and spall seems to be loving the opportunity to play a total prig of a man
though there does seem to be peer respect as he shows up at art galleries
one preparing for a major exhibition of works of many painters of his era
the names are dropped as he moves around - john constable in particular
and surely most of the art seen fleetingly now famous and valuable pieces
there are great scenes also of turner in various rural settings being inspired
steam from a train, clouds, a ship under tow, escarpments all then painted
and with it a growing reputation and like/dislike of his maritime interests
frequent and long trips to the country to find the required tranquility
travelling under an assumed name (mallard) to remain anonymous
even to a landlady he seduces and then sets up in a house in chelsea
it is here that he then spends most of his remaining days as mr brook
the loyal and lovesick maid accidently discovering his alter-life - sad
it's a very long film - 150 minutes of it - but it's style is very engaging
the outdoor scenes are consistently meticulous and authentic looking
a great art history lesson also particularly for the likes of this neophyte
and what incredible acting - timothy spall - splendid - take a bow
or at least a palm d'or prize for best actor at cannes this year
totally deserved too - methinks oscars will be following
if not for timothy spall then certainly for mike leigh
exquisite film - would happily see it again too...

the hobbit

the seed has been sown and now the abundant crop is being reaped
and so it is with the producers of the lotr / hobbit mega-hit trilogies
we know and they know we are not going to stay away for this one
a sort of - well we've come this far we may as well go the distance
and with that no grand expectation of anything new or revelatory
a very clever mini-documentary pre-film showing a bit of history
starting with the 1998 announcement of the commitment to lotr
and a lot of the actors in all the films talking fondly of the trip
we're feeling all warm and fuzzy as the film proper comes on
and picking up where things ended in the desolation of smaug
smaug the dragon has been aroused by the dwarves in it's lair
and is on a mission to destroy the nearby village of laketown
the residents desperately evacuating in boats as smaug swoops
stunning scenes of the winged beast letting rip with firey breath
incinerating all in it's path and a few passes to wipe out the town
ok - it's fantasy but so well done and best summarised as - fantastic
there's also a hero - bard the bowman clambers to the top of a spire
smaug taunts him (in english) - and voiced by benedict cumberbatch
but bard has the legendary black arrow with him and takes smaug out
good/bad - the beast is dead but fears of a rush to take over the mountain
smaug's lair is there within a fortress and a fortune in gold and treasures
the small band of dwarves lead by the wealth-infected thorin digging in
and so the scene is set - this film is all about the fight for the mountain
a 5 way struggle between humans, dwarves, elves, orcs and more orcs
hence the sub-title of the film - the battle of the five armies - ok got it
but then it all starts to get quite random and at times quite confusing
the lack of prior book-consumption on my part may not be helping
though criticism of earlier installments centred around inconsistency
mainly characters with drawcard actors in the film but not the book
and here again cate blanchett and hugo weaving have cameo roles
their scenes do seem a distraction from the main story of the seige
galadriel (blanchett) seen in a strange fight with a team of ghosts
probably stunning in 3d and so now thinking it's all about effects
which of course is essential for these films - to enhance the story
back at the mountain the armies are converging for the big battle
and it begins - and it goes on - and on - and on - relentless stuff
so many ugly orcs, so many fight scenes, so many decapitations
and - so little blood - none in fact - after all this is a family show
and a reminder that it is all about the fantastic spectacle of it too
a set of scenes showing thorin and the orc leader slogging it out
the ultimate good vs bad - dwarf vs giant - or - david vs goliath?
(books will be written about the biblical overtones of these films)
they end up on a kind of skating rink with a prolongued fight scene
both of them dead at the end after some likely impressive 3d effects
the 2 main men - gandolf the wizard and bilbo the dwarf come and go
again looking more like necessary character drawcards than core players
but of course in the end the forces of good prevail over the nasty orcs
the gang of dwarves stay in their new mountain home but not bilbo
he is escorted by gandolf back to the shire and his previous life
then a final scene as an old man and a loud knock on the door
gandolf - the opening scene from lord of the rings - clever
brilliant ending - full circle - but phew - it's relief for me
done me dash on the whole hobbit thing - moving on
...and the same for everyone involved too i suspect...

the water diviner

the thing is you know russell crowe can save a film
so even a pretty average flick can be given a bit of spark
but - this one seemed interesting even without the crowe factor
set 100 years ago shortly after world war one and mostly in turkey
the opening scenes showing the turks in a final assault on the anzacs
saving private ryan or fury it is not - the action is a bit short of conviction
ditto the cgi scenes of the anzac forces withdrawing from gallipoli via ship
but let's go with it - the first main character introduced - turkish major hasan
then we cut back to rural australia and main man connor (crowe) at work
using his divining skills to find water and then dig himself a deep well
cynicism suppression required as we see him complete it in one session
returning home to the little lady and an insistence he reads to 'the boys'
bedtime stories completed - but no boys - a ritual for their lost sons
killed 5 years earlier at anzac cove - flashbacks of them leaving seen
connor carrying some guilt for letting them go - she even more troubled
she drowns herself - from him a graveside promise to 'bring the boys home'
a 3 month journey by horseback and boat to turkey filled up with flashbacks
showing the 3 boys fighting side by side against some serious machine-gun fire
at least one dead and the other 2 seemingly seriously wounded - did they die?
first stop for connor is constantinople (istanbul) and a chase through the city
he in pursuit of a small boy who cleverly grabs his suitcase to get his business
they arrive at an exotic looking hotel managed by the boys now widowed mother
she is quite beautiful and the likely ending of the film rung out loud and clear
then some argy-bargy at the british consulate to secure access to anzac cove
and a side-trip to the stunning blue mosque with connor (crowe) seen inside
yep ok - accepted - some filming done in turkey so we've got some authenticity
connor arrives at anzac cove at the same time major hasan is there as an advisor
he brought in to provide expert advice to locate the burial sites of killed soldiers
we're all friends now the war is over though there is still some benign hostility
stereotyping of british officers (stuffy) and aussie diggers (manly) maximised
hasan and connor buddy up when it is discovered elder son arthur survived
greek nationalists are on the march and they and other turks escape via train
director russell crowe would want us to believe we are in turkey - na - aussie
them's there eucalyptus trees in the background of the desert-traversing train
an ambush by the greeks and hasan and connor in turn save each others life
and ride off zorro and tin-tin style on horseback as the guns blaze at them
they want to locate arthur and stumble on a likely town of his residence
connor knows this as he spots a windmill that mirrors one he has built
sure enough arthur is found at work painting frescos in the local church
father and son embrace and then more flashbacks as arthur comes clean
one brother killed by enemy fire - the other shot in the head by arthur
he mortally wounded and begging for death at the hands of his brother
the tears flowing on screen and off (i suspect) with this revelation
but the greeks are closing in so they escape together - miraculously
high up a in a village they leap into a well and then seen in a river
soon after rocking up at the hotel seen prior in the opening scenes
and yep - the beauty is a-waiting and a-vailable - and has a friend
father and son set up with the women folk of their prior enemies
saw it coming but still just a little bit too cosy/happy ending-ish
the credits roll leading with a few sobering facts of world war one
not the least being the millions of lives lost and families torn apart
a reminder also of russell crowe director and james packer producer
explaining the australia-centric and tugging of nationalistic heartstrings
but the overriding thinking - it should have been an abc tv mini-series
awards for this one unlikely but there will be lots of bums on seats
all the right buttons pressed to provide appeal across the board
for me - appreciate the context and sincerity but...average flick

kane strang

part 4 in the series of portil presents...at the havana lounge
live music winning over film as the popular choice it seems
so tonight back to solo-singer-songwriter mode with kane strang
seen several times around the traps (pubs) and certain of his appeal
i.e. get him in theatre mode in front of a bunch of discerning listeners
good for him and surely an appealing performer in our series of shows
you would think - but despite email and text drops a very low/slow takeup
3 days out and only 5 tickets sold - cancellation/postponement is considered
but the promise of a handful more sales convinced us to hang in and stick with it
everyone also advising - typical dunedin - no-one wants to commit too far out
yep - a late flurry in the last 2 days sees us sell out the exact number of seats
phew - relief - but playing a bit of havoc with the catering arrangements
no issue with the punters though - plenty of plates delivered and devoured
most people well fed and well imbibed when kane kicks off spot on time
he seated with guitar and amps left and right - small lamp, large backdrop
that a psychedelic brightly coloured movement of large bubble shapes
house lights down, every seat and more occupied - looking very good
an attentive audience as our performer launches into his set of tunes
a few feedback issues in the first number given some quick attention
loud applause at the end of that suggesting the crowd is very happy
a significant easing of the nervousness detected on our man's face
and an announcement of a few new tunes being presented tonight
with it a quite aggressive guitar style - his acoustic is being pushed
string - snap - fortunately towards the end of the tune - but - problems
no spare guitar here and a performer looking like the proverbial rabbit
expletives are flowing - some advice from this observer - relax - it's ok
a casual air is wanted anyway - the audience takes up polite conversation
giving kane the time needed to re-string, re-tune and relax before resuming
a favourable result too - we are all in it together and we now carry him on
a pervasive sense of let it be good - and so it is - kane then goes to work
favourite (old) tune up early in the set with the totally memorable line -
yes she was the best i ever had - i told it to her face and i told it to her dad
a few other tunes also recognised from previous outings but mostly new
mesmerising too - he has a very skilled and quite unique guitar style
very comfortably and confidently adding in random riffs and sounds
making each song different to every other - there's a major talent in there
tonight a little subdued vocally at least with the guitar sound dominating
the memory of his vocals loud and clear making it easier for me at least
and thinking - this is where a live sound engineer makes the difference
a minor quibble in what is a totally impressive hour long set tonight
an encore called for and provided - that also receiving long applause
but he's done enough and un-plugs to indicate show-time is over
a quick exchange of words with an excited kane -  he is buzzing
conversations over lemon-curd madaleines and positive feedback
the guitar/vocal mix the only issue else there is general agreement
we have witnessed a very special performance here on this night
and me thinking my earlier promotion should prove to be accurate
one day we will talk of the night we saw kane strang with 30 others
but for tonight they seem to be content to linger, talk, eat and drink
eventually the crowd disperses - we load up the car and head off
in daylight - love it - home - unload - collapse - another big tick
not sure where to from here but this is getting to be addictive
hopefully that is the case with the punters also...we shall see

nightcrawler

a film straight out of hollywood - literally - set in los angeles
normally avoided or attended begrudgingly or occasionally willingly
the later in this case - big reviews, positive feedback and even oscar talk
a film about tv viewers and hence channels obsession for violent stories
opening scenes of l a at night - full moon - a city twinkling in the desert
lou bloom (jake gyllenhaal) introduced as a man desperate for cash
seen cutting wire from a fence and trying to sell on to a scrapyard
no questions asked as lou and the owner quick-fire negotiate a price
then lou cranks out a very impressive spiel to try to score some work
thinking - is lou on drugs, super-intelligent or just a well-drilled actor
whatever it is gyllenhaal has nailed the character and set things up well
his job request rejected - 'i don't employ thieves' - lou with a wry smile
on his way home he is amongst the first on the scene at a freeway accident
stands back dispassionately observing a film crew capturing close-up footage
a few words exchanged with the crew to learn that freelance film is saleable
lou then seen stealing a valuable cycle and pawning that for video equipment
included in the deal is a police radio scanner so he is set up for his new career
the final requirement - a driver - the hapless rick interviewed and appointed
lou once again demonstrating his verbal dexterity to offer an internship
i.e. no pay but the opportunity of a job offer - common place practice?
another reminder that though fictional this film is based on some truth
their first outing gets them to an accident scene and some close-ups
lou's inexperience and determination delivering up some gory footage
gladly taken on by a local tv channel and news director nina (rene russo)
she then demanding first option on all future footage and thus setting lou up
better cameras, editting equipment and a bright red ford mustang purchased
in his spare time he has soaked up motivational and business advice videos
so every spoken word in every situation seems instilled with some quote
lou robotic-like in his rote delivery and with his wide-eyed piercing eyes
no soul at all in this character - he is driven by a want/need to succeed
not much to like about this character or the world (city) he operates in
mission accomplished then - the director wants us to look on with distaste
and into the final act - 3 murders in a botched houseraid in rich white suburbia
lou and rick there first well in advance of the police - they film the hoods escape
then lou enters the house and does close-up filming of the 3 bloodied victims
my first thought - na - that wouldn't happen - second thought - yep - tv rules
nina of course laps it up and milks it on her news shows for all its worth
adhering to the often repeated tv news mantra - 'if it bleeds - it leads'
lou basks in the glory of his audaciousness but he has another angle
he follows the murderers to a restaurant, calls the police and waits
then films the shootout and gives chase to one of them escaping
being hotly pursued by police vehicles with multiple pileups
not usually a fan of car chases but this one seems...ah...real
more bloodshed as it ends - his sidekick rick gets in the way
lou dispassionately films him being shot and dying - creepy
more so as the murderer is gunned down by a volley of shots
the footage makes prime-time viewing so more plaudits for lou
seen then with a couple of vehicles and employees primed for action
me thinking - surely not a setup for a sequel or series - no thank-you
but it is hollywood after all - anything goes - as proven in this film
very clever film - brilliant acting - oscar should be knocking,,,