Romance

FROM HILDE, WITH LOVE (IN LIEBE, EURE HILDE)

Directed by Andreas Dresen
Starring Liv Lisa Fries and Johannes Hegemann

By virtue of the sheer volume of lives taken and devastatingly impacted during The Holocaust, it more than understandably and deservedly is central to almost all WWII films set in Europe, especially in Germany. There are, however, other stories too. Stories that certainly do not match the magnitude of true accounts to emerge from the years-long genocide of European Jews (yes, I’m referencing you, Schindler’s List) yet demonstrate that if people were not actively supporting the Nazi agenda, they were against it and treated as an enemy. From Hilde, With Love presents one of those other stories.

It is 1942 in Berlin when a heavily pregnant young woman, Hilde (played by Liv Lisa Fries from TV series Babylon Berlin and the new Anthony Hopkins film, Freud’s Last Session) is taken from her home by members of the Gestapo, interrogated, and imprisoned indefinitely. They have reason to believe that Hilde, together with her husband Hans (Johannes Hegemann), is part of a German resistance group to Nazism. From Hilde, With Love details Hilde’s imprisonment as she awaits a trial date and learns of her fate while providing regular flashbacks centred on her passionate romance with Hans.

Taking nothing away from Holocaust films and the devastating, powerful and consequential true stories they often present, it was refreshing to view a WWII film set in Germany that portrays the true account of another victim of the war the world is far less acquainted with. As a production, From Hilde, With Love contains all of the content required to support the significance of its story, which is enough on its own to pack quite an emotional punch. However, the manner in which this story has been packaged unfortunately lets it down. The frequent flashbacks to various and unspecified timelines prior to Hilde’s imprisonment pull viewers out of the state of uncertainty, anxiety, and limbo she is stuck in. The events depicted prior to her being detained are absolutely of importance to the central story, the characterisation, and also change the tone of the movie by way of infusing it with plenty of romance. Instead, they often feel like an unwelcoming and interrupting distraction, slow the overall pace of the film in an uncomplimentary way and left me wishing this story was told in chronological order. One noteworthy aspect that does remain a more positive contribution all throughout though is the anchoring performance of Liv Lisa Fries.

From Hilde, With Love is showing in selected cinemas across Australia as part of the HSBC German Film Festival from the 10th – 29th of May.

Moviedoc thanks Palace, the HSBC German Film Festival, and Miranda Brown Publicity for the invitation to the screening of this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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THE TASTE OF THINGS (LA PASSION DE DODIN BOUFFANT)

Directed by Anh Hung Tran
Starring Juliette Binoche, Benoît Magimel, Galatéa Bellugi, and Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire

There have been many foodie films to come before The Taste of Things, but if one truly deserves to be labelled the most gourmet cinema experience of them all, this refined French romantic drama dishes plenty to salivate on its plate.

Truth be told, the various mouth-watering meals that are served to their seated patrons happens to be the least gourmet part of this experience, as delectably designed as they are when dished out. The Taste of Things is here to forcibly slow our busy lives and hand-feed its viewers a literally breathtaking exhibition of the entire process from cultivation to consumption.

Our cooks for the next two hours and fifteen minutes are Eugénie and Dodin, played by the once married in real-life pairing of the evergreen Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel, respectively. She is an esteemed cook who has worked for Dodin for over 20 years, and he is a fine gourmet chef considered to be “the Napoleon of culinary arts”. In fact, Dodin is based on a fictional character from a 1924 novel by a Swiss author and that novel is in turn loosely based on a real-life renowned French gourmet and gastronome, Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826).

That aforementioned piece of trivia is perhaps testament to the roots of purity this film is dedicated to. Clearly, that is best showcased via its food scenes, but the characters are also pure of heart, and the setting in which they reside, and cook is a stunning grand manor set on landscapes as picturesque as everything we see on a plate. Most of the first half of this film focuses largely on the detailed preparation, creation and artistry of every meal, side dish, and accompaniment that is served. The Taste of Things undoubtedly works mighty hard behind the scenes to earn viewer appreciation, but for someone who has gone completely off cooking, it effortlessly earned mine and had me inspired to pen an internal shopping list of ingredients for my next grocery store visit! The second half of the movie spends more time developing the 20-year partnership of our chefs while still cooking up the occasional storm.

With a welcome abundance of attention to detail placed on food, in a general sense, it essentially becomes this film’s central character. A similar amount of background, development, and richness is not applied to the human characters in this film. Consequently, during scenes where there is less eating and more talking, The Taste of Things struggles heavily at times to engage.

Nevertheless, to observe and be present with such a sumptuous spectacle on the big screen such as this is perhaps worth the price of admission alone. Especially if you’re fortunate enough to savour your own in-cinema gourmet experience whilst viewing another.

The Taste of Things is showing in selected cinemas across Australia from May 2nd.

Moviedoc thanks Rialto Distribution and Annette Smith: Ned & Co for providing a screener link to watch and review this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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Leigh’s Best & Worst Movies, Moments and Performances of 2023

An annual accomplishment I enjoy sharing is the volume of motion pictures released in Australia I have seen. As of now, that number for 2023 stands at 168 films with around 30 movies still to be seen on my watch list! But that will begin to change in 2024!

Perhaps this can be considered a New Year’s resolution of sorts, but I am opting for quality over quantity in 2024 and also more carefully selecting the movies I watch according to both personal taste and reliable word of mouth rather than seeing endless spin-offs and sequels out of self-directed obligation. The motivation for this change is to enable myself to see a number of older and classic films I ashamedly have never viewed and to experience films at film festivals, which never manage to be a priority due to my current new release watch list at the time.

Nevertheless, I guarantee you spoiler-free reviews of various movies throughout 2024 and promise there will always be something for all tastes at Moviedoc HQ 🙂

Now, to what you’re all really here for. Here are the best & worst in movies from 2023. For the best, I’ve decided to include all films I awarded four stars or more to this year. Also, a gentle reminder that I do things a little differently to most other critics and collate my movies according to their official release date in Australia.

The 15th time director Ken Loach and writer Paul Laverty team up may very well be their last in the wonderfully empathetic drama, The Old Oak.

Joyland is an incredibly brave film from Pakistan about a married man who becomes infatuated with a transgender woman, who I mention further below as a stand-out performer.

A tie between two extraordinarily different Amazon release documentary features, the comprehensive and utterly informative 3-hour Getting Away With Murder(s) and the very touching and compact 82-minute The Defenders.

A gut-wrenching depiction of depression in The Son, starring Hugh Jackman, Zen McGrath, Laura Dern, and Vanessa Kirby.

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The moment Willy introduces the hair repair eclair in Wonka, I just knew this creatively concocted sweet treat for the family needed to be in my top films of 2023 list!

The touching true story of “The British Schindler” as depicted in One Life.

Since its July release in Australia, Aussie horror gem Talk to Me has gone on to become a huge box office success abroad, becoming American distributor A24’s highest-grossing horror film and second-highest grossing film overall. It is my runner-up for both best Australian film of 2023 and best horror film of 2023. It’s a beauty mate, check it out if you haven’t already!

As its title suggests, Sharper is a sharp, thoughtfully conceived, and well-structured crime drama/thriller. One of my few underrated movies of the year. Stars Julianne Moore and Sebastian Stan.

An inspirational and touching true story is elevated by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s (Directors of the duo of excellent documentaries Free Solo and The Rescue) smart direction to tell Nyad’s story and by the acting performances of Annette Bening and Jodie Foster, which is truly something special to behold.

At first, Maestro can appear to solely be Bradley Cooper’s entry strategy to the Academy Awards ®, if you get my drift. But in no time at all, this superbly constructed and written true story unveils its depth, becomes immersive and is impeccably acted by both Bradley Cooper and the always magnificent Carey Mulligan. After Maestro and A Star is Born, Bradley Cooper is absolutely one of Hollywood’s leading directors right now.

Undoubtedly in many critics’ top movies list for the year and probably a favourite for many of you, Oppenheimer’s outstanding production, competent storytelling and fine acting performances will earn it several Oscar ® nominations (and wins, surely) and make it mandatory to be in my top films list.

News of the ‘Brennaisance’ has sunk, but The Whale remains afloat as one of this year’s greatest releases.

Saltburn is Emerald Fennell’s follow-up to her Oscar-winning writing and directing debut feature, Promising Young Woman, is another gutsy and tremendous film experience that takes viewers on an all-new mesmerising and unforgettable journey.

Thanks largely to its characters, characterisation and writing, American remake A Man Called Otto starring Tom Hanks surprisingly surpasses the very good Swedish original.

The Origin of Evil (L’origine du Mal) is one of my personal favourites of the year. A well-crafted French dramatic thriller starring a superb Laure Calamy (who is everywhere in French cinema right now!) that features a number of devilish twists I certainly didn’t see coming!

An underrated and genuine surprise of the year was Joy Ride, a raunchy comedy with real heart that brought me to tears in more ways than one.

Ari Aster is a genius who plunges his protagonist, Beau, barely living an idyllic life to begin with, into a surreal nightmare that gets more outrageous and disconcerting with every minute of its 2 hours and 59 minutes run time. Beau is Afraid is disturbingly brilliant.

These 4-star movies thoroughly deserve their places in my top movies list and are must-watch releases.

Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated ® The Fabelmans from early in the year provided wonderful escapism and captivating storytelling that still resonates today.

Like its predecessor, Missing is entirely fun and thrilling to watch. It is a cleverly and thoroughly conceived and entirely plausible screenlife thriller filled with tantalising and intriguing twists and turns that constantly kept me guessing from beginning to end.

Air shares a wonderful story with unrivalled universal appeal, boasts a terrifically engaging script, a top-notch cast, and excellent all-round performances that culminate in the ultimate feel-good biopic.

I cried absolute buckets in Spoiler Alert, which brings to life so eloquently, realistically and beautifully the ups and downs of a long-term relationship, specifically a gay one, and how a significant health threat puts everything into perspective and can absolutely change your entire world.

They just don’t make movies like A Good Person these days. But they ought to because this involving human drama is as excellent as the pairing of Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman.

It rarely occurs that I really yearn to see a movie twice, yet Babylon’s dare, flare and energy has rendered me powerless to soon succumb a second time to its grandiosity.

An Oscar-worthy writing and directing feature film debut in what’s a highly personal story from Iranian-Australian Noora Niasari. Shayda was Australia’s entry in the Best International Feature Film category for the 96th Academy Awards ® but was disappointingly not shortlisted 😦

The following movies earned 4 ½ stars from me and are clearly among the absolute best of 2023.

I am yet to meet anyone who loved this live-action remake as much as I do. Following in the footsteps of The Lion King, The Little Mermaid seamlessly and magically adapts everything I loved about the 1989 animation to live-action realness and had me both reminiscing and falling in love all over again with its beautiful story, iconic characters, and unforgettable songs. I absolutely loved it. Also, Melissa McCarthy was born to play Ursula!

Of An Age is an Aussie gem for the ages. No film has grounded me in its present with its central characters more than this romantic drama set and shot in Melbourne.

Keeping it short and sweet, yet keeping it real, Past Lives is a present masterpiece and a future romance classic that should not be missed.

It’s rare that a film can articulate its meaning with such clarity and precision in the manner Close does. The end result is beautiful, powerful, and utterly heartbreaking.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 is a near-perfect spy action film and a masterclass in the genre whose action & set-piece sequences completely blew me away. I saw this several months ago and still get goosebumps when thinking back to some of its spectacular sequences. Easily the most exciting movie I’ve watched in 2023!

The Best Motion Picture Released in 2023

In March, I wrote this in my review of Till:

“This near faultless and absolute powerhouse of a movie could very well end up being the best film of 2023”

This statement proves to be true by year’s end.

None of the 166 other movies I watched in 2023 managed to topple Till from top spot. This insightful, harrowing and impossibly involving true story is a must-see no matter what your tastes are, but if the likes of Changeling, Just Mercy and The Hate U Give are films that impacted you, then you know precisely what to expect in Till.

But wait… where is Barbie!?

The moment I firmly decided that three and a half stars was just right for Barbie, I knew it wouldn’t be making any top 20 (or so) for the year. It is undoubtedly a creatively concocted story, offers loads of fun and has genuine depth in its themes. There was just a little too much about Barbie that didn’t quite work for me and prevents it from making my best-of list.

A few other notable and potentially surprise omissions from my best-of list that also scored three and a half out of five stars include Tár, Theatre Camp, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Netflix’s The Killer. More than 60 movies I saw this year received three and a half stars, so there were many very good ones edging close to the best-of list. Reach out if one of your favourites isn’t mentioned in this post 🙂

As mentioned earlier in this post, there are around 30 movies on my watch list I am yet to see. These are the ones I believe could shake-up law and order in my current best-of list.

Napoleon
Beyond Utopia
Coup de Chance

Next are some, actually a lot, of commentary on various acting performances, filmmaking, and memorable moments in motion pictures over the year. Grab a cold drink, tea or coffee and enjoy the read 🙂

Michelle Williams is uniformly excellent in The Fabelmans, though I was deeply impressed by the lesser-known Gabriel LaBelle’s work. On that note, some of Steven Spielberg’s directing work (especially the sequence before, during and following the revelation of a big family secret) is among his very best.

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Cate Blanchett rising to the absolute peak of her powers (that we know of) in what must surely have been her most challenging role yet as Lydia Tár in the transfixing and ultra-intelligent yet ultra-pretentious and very complex feature, Tár.

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The remarkable debut performance from Aftersun’s younger star, Frankie Corio.

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It ain’t called the Brenaissance for nothing! Brendan Fraser’s towering, triumphant and Oscar-nominated performance in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale. Also, Hong Chau is splendid as his co-star.

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The trio of performances I rated most strongly in the epic Babylon belongs to Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, and Jean Smart. It is a painful oversight Jean Smart in particular was overlooked for a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 2023 Academy Awards ®. The Oscar nominations Babylon did receive though – Production Design, Music, and Costume Design, are seriously impressive.

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The collective performances of the big and not as big names among the ensemble acting up a storm in Women Talking.

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The quite extraordinary performance of Andrea Riseborough in the rags to riches to rags true story, To Leslie.

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The first-ever Oscar nomination for 73-year-old Bill Nighy for his well-measured, restrained and possibly career-best performance as Mr Williams in Living, the English-language adaptation of the 1952 Japanese Film, Ikiru directed by Akira Kurosawa.

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The truly special and inexplicably Oscars-shunned performance from Danielle Deadwyler in powerhouse true story, Till.

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The astounding acting performances from Thom Green and Elias Anton in an Aussie gem for the ages, Of An Age.

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The astonishingly adult-like debut performances from duo child actors Eden Dambrine and Gustav De Waele in Belgian filmmaker Lukas Dhont’s second feature film, Close.

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The outstanding performance from the outstanding Florence Pugh in A Good Person. Also, the coming together of two of the greatest actors of our generation, Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman, born generations apart themselves, doesn’t let down for even a second and is among some of the best casting in film for the year.

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It must have been a stressful job being the lead actor Ari Aster’s Beau is Afraid. It was certainly stressful watching everything Joaquin Phoenix’s character endured, yet this unbelievably gifted actor fully immersed himself into Beau and was mind-blowing as a result. Not to mention, the animation sequence featuring a live-action Joaquin Phoenix is one of the most awe-inspiring and extraordinary sequences I can recall seeing in any film, ever. Period.

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The entire sequence that takes place at the Arc de Triomphe intersection perfectly demonstrating why it’s an insurance company’s worst nightmare in John Wick: Chapter 4.

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Priya Kansara’s comically excellent breakout performance in the charming crowd-pleaser and laugh-out-loud action-comedy Polite Society.

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Emma Mackey’s strong performance as Emily Bronte in Frances O’Connor’s very impressive feature film directing debut, Emily.

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Madison Tevlin bringing much-needed spark to the admirable and sweet sport comedy-drama Champions.

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The 21 minutes long one-take action sequence during the first act of Netflix’s Extraction 2.

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Transgender actress Alina Khan’s incredibly brave and assertive performance in the equally brave Pakistani drama, Joyland.

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Michael’s apartment and bedroom surprise (more G-rated than I make it sound) in Spoiler Alert, plus the very real and very sexy surprising chemistry between The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons and Ben Aldridge.

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Mia Goth’s mighty monologue in prequel horror film Pearl.

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Wi Ha-joon’s menacing and deranged performance in the impressive debut feature from promising newcomer Oh-Seung Kwon, Midnight.

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The mounting tension on the face of Sydney Sweeney in Reality, in what is a riveting re-enactment of the real-life figure.

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The Italy car chase sequence and the Austrian Alps train scene finale in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1. The latter is arguably the best set-piece sequence staged and shot in any film released this year.

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The hilariously scene-stealing performance from Kate McKinnon in hot-pink form as weird Barbie in Barbie.

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Many components that comprise the ultra-impressive Oppenheimer could be called out, but the stand-out for me is Robert Downey Jr.’s excellent performance, which I say might earn him an Oscar ® nomination.

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The perfect precision of Past Lives‘ writing. An outstanding film debut from writer and director Celine Song.

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The pairing of James Morosini and Patton Oswalt in the surprising and admirable comedy, I Love My Dad.

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The writing and directing feature film debut of Noora Niasari and the Oscar-worthy ® outstanding lead performance from Zar Amir Ebrahimi in Australian drama Sundance winner Shayda.

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Lola Campbell’s impressive first film appearance in delightful dramedy Scrapper.

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The Burial’s fabulously flamboyant Foxx performance.

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The razor-sharp, raunchy yet mature performance of Jennifer Lawrence in the razor-sharp, raunchy yet mature comedy No Hard Feelings.

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Laure Calamy’s layered and superb work in the twisty-turny and underrated French dramatic thriller, The Origin of Evil and her equally superb performance in Annie’s Fire. Actress of the year for me goes to none other than Laure Calamy.

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The brave and brilliant Barry Keoghan and the equally hideous and hilarious characterisation & dialogue of Rosamund Pike’s Elspeth in Saltburn.

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Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’s star performer, Ella Graham in the supporting role of Nancy. The young lady playing Margaret, Abby Ryder Forston is also very competent. In fact, due to this movie’s straight to home viewing release in Australia, I envisage it flying under the radar. Make no mistake, this follow-up to writer and director Kelly Fremon Craig’s excellent writing & directing debut, The Edge of Seventeen, is very, very good.

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The very impressive Netflix animation Nimona barely made a dent in the top 10 most watched films during its release. Such a disappointment and deserved so much more. I hope I’m wrong, I can’t help but feel a gay lead character in a family animation is the reason why families avoided this.

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Don’t be dismissive due to the lack of big names in the equally entertaining and humorous true story, BlackBerry.

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Annette Bening and Jodie Foster’s performances in Nyad are truly something special to behold.

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On paper, it might be a hard sell, but the unapologetically bloody and B-grade comedy-horror Renfield more than works! Deliciously wicked performances and genuinely comical writing that lends itself to this genre very well deserve for it to be seen.

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The impeccable acting of Maestro director Bradley Cooper and the always magnificent Carey Mulligan in Cooper’s equally excellent follow-up to A Star is Born.

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The “That’s Life” TV program studio sequences in the touching true story One Life.

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If you’re still reading this post, well done and thank you! It’s mammoth, even by my lengthy standards. To finish, here are the film titles along with an accompanying sentence of films I didn’t like this year.

I’ll start with the underwhelming and disappointing Maggie Moore(s). The appealing synopsis, genre and lead cast were enough to convince me to give this a shot, despite its poorer ratings. Trust those poor ratings in this instance.

EO is an Oscar-nominated ® arthouse film that was clearly well beyond my realm of appreciation. I was utterly tedious watching what was ultimately a pointless, albeit short film.

Why? Just why did they need to create a follow-up to what is and remains one of the greatest and most frightening horror films ever made? The Exorcist: Believer (review by Zak) is a completely unnecessary sequel that would have William Friedkin rolling in his grave.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 hands us a Greek platter consisting of exaggerated acting and mundane developments that result in the film being as stagnant as it is stale. Most of this comedy works as well as dancing the Zorba to a death metal tune.

After reading the IMDB premise and seeing the film poster, I had hoped and expected Runner to be a Lithuanian version of German classic Run Lola Run, albeit with an extra twist or two. In the end, Runner slows to an unmemorable crawl I wish I’d never taken a chance on.

How the heck can you possibly screw-up a movie where your leads are none other than Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal? Foe is how.

I’ll be having none more of The Nun II, thank you very much.

Mafia Mamma fell well short of my already lower expectations. Terrible dialogue, cringeworthy over-acting and absent directing plague this way off comedy from start to end and don’t make a single element of its improbable plot likeable or work.

Don’t be sucked in like I was by the mostly false claim God is a Bullet is a true story. Films that depict cults ordinarily strongly arouse my interest. This near 3-hour timewaster never did. Just awful.

If it weren’t for the casting of Channing Tatum reprising his role of Mike in Magic Mike’s Last Dance, this absolute borefest third instalment would feel like a completely separate movie.

It’s not uncommon for me to be less amused by an American comedy. What came as a surprise in Strays though was just how sad it both is and made me feel!

Compiled by Leigh for Moviedoc

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SALTBURN

Written and Directed by Emerald Fennell
Starring Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Alison Oliver, and Archie Madekwe

Emerald Fennell’s follow-up to her Oscar-winning writing and directing debut feature, the gutsy and tremendous Promising Young Woman, is another gutsy and tremendous film experience that takes viewers on an all-new mesmerising and unforgettable journey.

As is the case with many movies, Saltburn is especially one where the less you know prior to seeing it, the more you are guaranteed to get from it!

Its opening sequence retrospectively collates a summary of Oliver’s (Barry Keoghan) time spent with Felix (played by rapidly rising Australian star Jacob Elordi) that will soon be elaborated upon. What we know for sure from this brief overview is that past events have left Oliver looking to label the love he has of his friend and that Felix is seemingly no longer in the picture. Upon his arrival at the prestigious Oxford University, Oliver is very clearly immediately infatuated by the charming and popular Felix. It’s easy to understand why. Oliver’s upbringing and family are the polar opposite of the aristocratic Felix’s. When they formally meet by chance encounter, Felix is extremely receptive to Oliver’s kindness and soon invites him to his family’s lavish estate that changes the course of both their lives forever.

A pinch or two of Babylon and sprinkles of Get Out ground in Pride & Prejudice! That is how I would summarise Saltburn in a sentence. It’s a film where Emerald Fennell again achieves precisely what she sets out to, though admittedly not everyone will have equal appreciation for her final product. To be truthful, that hardly matters as Saltburn continually evolves in depth of story, characterisation, and genre making it an increasingly alluring, intriguing, and exciting film to watch to the end. A great example of this occurs when Oliver first becomes acquainted with Felix’s personal life and meets each eccentric member of his immediate family. The propensity for romance heats up in strange and sensual ways, a twisted sense of humour forms, and an unmistakably sinister presence emerges. Saltburn’s invigorating screenplay provokes audiences to ponder potential reasons behind the strange ways of its characters, draws utmost curiosity to discover how Oliver will respond and to witness what the consequential impact will be on his newfound friendship with Felix. Perhaps the themes to be extracted from this wildly unpredictable feature aren’t incisive or abundant in nature, but there is something to be said about privilege and communication. Or lack of the latter. Finally, further compliments must be given to the acting performances in this film, which are all superb. Special mentions go to the brave and brilliant Barry Keoghan, to Carey Mulligan in a supporting role playing a stylish family friend who may have overstayed her welcome, and to Rosamund Pike as Felix’s mother, Elspeth, whose characterisation and dialogue are as hideous as they are hilarious. Trust me when I say you won’t be forgetting these colourful characters or this daring film in a long while!

Saltburn is showing in cinemas across Australia from November 16th.

Moviedoc thanks Universal Pictures for the invite to the screening of this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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FOE

Directed by Garth Davis
Starring Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal, and Aaron Pierre.

My home city of Melbourne, Victoria is renowned for many things. Its eclectic and marvellous food culture and its outstanding coffee, to name a couple. The state of Victoria is also the birthplace of AFL (Australian Rules Football) and also happens to be where Foe is entirely shot. In AFL, when a team is consistently among the best in the competition for 2 or more years running, we like to say that team is in their ‘premiership window’, meaning they stand a high chance of winning the grand final in that year. Substituting AFL for the competition of the global film industry now, this is precisely where I consider phenomenal actress Saoirse Ronan currently being ranked at her chances of winning a first-ever Academy Award ®. After all, she has already been nominated 4 times in her just 29 years of age! Sadly though, Foe will definitely not be the film to earn Saoirse her 5th nomination, due to no fault of her own.

Based on a novel of the same name by Iain Reid, Foe sets itself in futuristic Midwest America where climate change has had severe repercussions on habitable life on Earth. In fact, habitable land and water are our most precious commodities. On a remote farm, the unhappily married Hen (Saoirse Ronan) lives only with her irritable husband Junior (Paul Mescal) in his 5th generation family home. It’s a sheltered existence until one night a stranger pulls up in the driveway, knocks at the door, and requests to come in for a conversation. Terrance (Aaron Pierre), a government official, brings unwelcoming news to Hen and Junior that will completely change their quiet existence, for better or for worse.

I am being truthful here when I say I really don’t like to be too critical of films. I appreciate a lot of people spend a lot of time working hard on the project that is the director’s vision and/or dream. When criticising, I often lean more towards constructive criticism over simply slamming and shaming a movie to oblivion. It’s just how I prefer to roll. This self-given assignment becomes a greater challenge though when encountering a film as poorly conceived, written, and executed as Foe! I also keep my reviews spoiler-free. I will honour this core component of my writing but do feel I need to mention a little more than I ordinarily prefer to in order to justify my critiquing of the movie.

The first thing I must say is that Foe is flat-out boring. A complete and utter snoozefest. Should I fly long-distance over the Christmas period and have trouble sleeping, I hope the airline has Foe available for viewing. Yes, it is THAT boring. Next, its premise, plot development and conclusion. Despite developing its initial premise at snail pace during a bloated first act, it does present some intriguing ideas. That is until it dawned on me that Foe has no intention of actually taking us where it suggests, both visually and thematically. Instead, the film uses Terrance’s forced proposition to explore and try to resuscitate an already dead relationship that ultimately renders its original premise, ideas, and its futuristic setting redundant. To add to its pointlessness, several rather absurd developments occur that make the film even more distancing and incongruous than it is already becoming. It’s difficult to think of ways Foe could’ve become more watchable, but I believe it would at least be a better movie if it had made its location and time setting more of a feature than it does. Taking us to their slaughterhouse (are there even enough people left to eat all those chickens!?) and diner (in the middle of bloody nowhere!) workplaces for the occasional brief excursion are never enough to convince it is 2065 in Midwest America. Foe could have conceived and utilised so much of Hen and Junior’s surrounds (aside from the isolation) in its exploration of their relationship and made this, among other facets, an integral part of the story. Not to mention, it’s a complete waste of the immense talents and appealing pairing of Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal.

Foe is showing in selected cinemas across Australia from November 2nd.

Moviedoc thanks Transmission and TM Publicity for the invite to the screening of this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3

Written and Directed by Nia Vardalos
Starring Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Louis Mandylor, Elena Kampouris, Elias Kacavas, Lainie Kazan, Andrea Martin, Maria Vacratsis, Melina Kotselou, Anthi Andreopoulou, and Stephanie Nur

They say laughter is the best form of medicine. I don’t disagree one bit. Especially when that laughter can be derived from something saddening, such as the passing of Toula’s father. As it turns out though in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, this comedy needs a heavy dose of the medicine prescribed by Moviedoc in this review in order to have produced more laughter and joy than it ultimately does.

This third (and hopefully final) instalment in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise does mark a couple of firsts. First, lead actress and writer Nia Vardalos takes a seat in the director’s chair. The other is the fact that My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is the first of the three movies to go back to its roots and be set and shot in Greece. What is the catalyst for this Portokalos overseas family vacation you might wonder? It is none other than a journal left by the late Gus prompting an extended family reunion in a tiny Corfu village with a population of 6. Yes, 6! No time is wasted getting to Greece, but as soon as the Portokalos’ arrive, buried family secrets and surprise developments await!

Let me start on a positive note. The initial ideas ostensibly driving this film; utilising the passing of real-life actor Michael Constantine to bring the characters of the franchise together again, setting the scene for a reunion and transporting them and us to Greece, are all great ones for multiple reasons. The forthcoming wedding, when it arrives, feels incidental in nature but is nonetheless special and gorgeously presented. I wish I could be more complimentary than that and genuinely wanted this third Greek Fat Wedding to be better than its awkward predecessor and a really good rom-com, just like the original. Unfortunately, this is where anything complimentary comes to an end and where the rest of the film works as well as dancing the Zorba to a death metal tune.

There is a distinct lack of creativity and imagination beyond the opening act that severely restricts this film in so many ways. It opts to confine itself to the same few locations and several main characters rather than utilising these facets to inject a fun sense of adventure into the comedy. This decision is especially inexplicable given the opportunity to showcase the stunning settings the filmmakers are surrounded by, yet we seldom and fleetingly see. Or how about digging a little deeper into the passing of Gus to generate genuine emotion and humour from this source as opposed to being mawkish and avoiding of his death? I concur turning My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 into a dramedy may not have been everyone’s preference if taken, but it would surely make for a more satisfying experience otherwise. Perhaps even exploring and showing us in a clever and endearing manner how being Greek in Greece differs from being Greek in America. No’p, none of these initiatives are thought of let alone seized upon.

Instead, we’re gifted a Greek platter consisting of exaggerated acting and mundane developments that result in the film being as stagnant as it is stale.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is showing in cinemas across Australia from September 7th.

Moviedoc thanks Universal Pictures for the invite to the screening of this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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PAST LIVES

Written and Directed by Celine Song
Starring Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro

“Because Korean’s don’t win the Nobel Prize for Literature”

This is the reason given by a young girl to her male childhood sweetheart for her family’s decision to emigrating from South Korea to Canada.

To this day, that statement proves itself to be true, with the only Korean ever winning a Nobel Prize being former President Kim Dae-jung, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in the year 2000.

Thankfully though, Korean’s do win Academy Awards, with 2019s Parasite becoming the first non-English language film to win Best Picture. Word of mouth and my view has it that the superior romantic drama Past Lives may very well be the next to accomplish just that.

A semi-autobiographical writing and directing feature film debut by New York theatre playwright Celine Song, writer of the first season of Amazon’s “Wheel of Time”, Past Lives is mostly set in New York 12 years after Nora first emigrated to Toronto. An independent and ambitious playwright, Nora (Greta Lee) reconnects virtually with Jung Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), a student engineer still living in Seoul who deeply misses his childhood crush and remains extremely fond of Nora. Though their early interactions feel like they are seamlessly picking up where they left off all those years ago, their realities soon confront them. Despite clearly still sharing a special bond, the decisions and commitments they’ve made in their respective lives since, coupled with the extra long-distance that separates them, causes certain conundrums that rewrites what was once ostensibly their given fate.

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Whoa!

An enthusiastically made comment that is repeated during Nora and Hae Sung’s interactions, which also happens to echo my sentiments of the flawlessness of this relatable, intimate, and incredible film.

Like many movies, Past Lives is written to a high standard that enables its dialogue and story trajectory to strongly involve its audience in its characters journeys from start to end. But unlike many movies, it’s what Past Lives conveys without words and empowers its viewers to perceive without assumption that makes it so impressive and powerful. All the more when you remember this is from someone who has never written and/or directed any film before! Both the directing and writing are simply outstanding, but especially the writing. Classily yet not cryptically restrained, exhibiting perfect precision, and utterly rewarding in what can be read between the lines. Whoa indeed! Though these compliments apply to the film in its entirety, they elevate during the stunning and unforgettable third and final act of the film. I must also mention just how much I found myself embracing the realness and honesty of these characters. They lead by example the importance and value in first being honest with ourselves, then with others.

Past Lives is a present masterpiece and a future romance classic that should not be missed.

Past Lives is showing in selected cinemas across Australia from August 31st.

Moviedoc thanks Studiocanal and Annette Smith: Ned & Co for the invite to the screening of this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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THE BLUE CAFTAN (Le Bleu du Caftan)

Directed by Maryam Touzani
Starring Saleh Bakri, Lubna Azabal, and Ayoub Missioui

Most films that opt for a more restrained way to tell their story have that freedom of choice. The Blue Caftan, however, is restrained in all departments out of necessity.

Bespoke caftan store owner Halim (played by Saleh Bakri) uses an outdated yet pure method of tailoring his craft. A craft that he inherited from his father who owned the store he manages with his wife and salesperson, Mina (played by Lubna Azabal). Located in a medina of Salé, Morocco, Halim and Mina are well-behind in their orders and under pressure from demanding clients, yet these external pressures are hardly a bother for Halim compared to the internal ones he’s dealing with.

The daily presence of a younger and attractive apprentice, Youssef (played by Ayoub Missioui) is quietly and gradually drawing Halim’s inhibited desires and needs. This undeniable attraction is mutually felt by Youssef too. Meanwhile, Halim’s wife is well-aware that there is something in the air and is coming to terms with her own irrevocable fate.

This gradually paced film does make central elements of the story it is weaving foreseeable from early by adopting a few clichés, yet they never resulted in a loss of interest in the film overall courtesy of where this story is situated (gay relations remain forbidden in Morocco to this day) and in anticipation of just how each of the three main characters lives will eventuate.

As you would expect from a man who hides his real feelings both at home and from the outside world, Halim is very reserved, and Saleh Bakri plays him to perfection. In fact, each of the three central performances in the film are beautifully nuanced and they elevate too from the time one of them shares another withheld matter being kept close to the chest.

There are two points I must make that I believe would have given The Blue Caftan rainbow-coloured dimension. During one conversation in the film, Halim mentions his father’s sentiments of him. I feel as though there was greater opportunity to explore and elaborate upon the professional and personal impacts this has on Halim now. Furthermore, I wish we could have gained some insight into Halim and Mina’s life before Youssef started working for them and consequently witnessed that part of their evolution as a married couple.

Despite my thoughts there, The Blue Caftan finds and delivers beautiful meaning and is a victorious production given it was Morocco’s official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 2023 Academy Awards ®.

The Blue Caftan is showing in selected cinemas across Australia from May 18th.

Moviedoc thanks Potential Films for providing a screener link to watch and review this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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OF AN AGE

Written and Directed by Goran Stolevski
Starring Thom Green, Elias Anton, and Hattie Hook

One morning during the Australian summer of 1999, a young female awakes on a beach at an unknown location in a distressed state and desperately searches for a telephone booth to make an urgent call for help. At first, it may seem and would certainly read on screen as though something truly awful has happened to her at a party she attended the night before. As it turns out, Ebony (Hattie Hook) simply had too much to drink and is due to compete at the finals of a local dance competition starting in an hour with her more than dedicated dance partner, Kol (Elias Anton). After a heated exchange, Ebony instructs Kol to accompany her brother Adam (Thom Green) to find and pick her up in hope they can make the championships in time. On the way there in Adam’s brown Holden Kingswood, the two guys engage in playful banter; Adam poking fun at Kol’s chosen attire and Kol being enlightened by Adam’s taste in music. Shortly before arriving at their destination, Adam and Kol unexpectedly begin to develop feelings for one another.

Of An Age is an Aussie gem for the ages. A film where simply living in the moment with its characters and being a part of the connection that forms between the two men is movie magic in itself. What truly stood out to me in this on-screen romance was the approach to the foundation of their mutual attraction – the connection between the young men is born from simply having real and relatively unreserved conversation. You can truly feel the chemistry between them coming off the screen as it builds just as much, if not more, than you can in any Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan romance from the nineties. But bear in mind, this undeniable and palpable attraction between Adam and Kol must be kept privy from homophobic surrounds and may only have its present moment to survive.

This is such a beautifully directed movie by Goran Stolevski and it feels personally written too. Or at least written by a man who has lived some of what transpires and genuinely feels his own material. While I can’t find that there is any truth to this work of fiction, many similar striking parallels are drawn to my own life and I’m sure many others in my current age bracket who lived in less affluent suburbs or regional towns and had their gay sexuality awakening around the time Of An Age is set. This and the stinging realism during its finale is something I was not ready for or expecting to find in Of An Age and it left me rather speechless.

Intimately shot and scored and featuring astounding acting performances from Thom Green and Elias Anton, Of An Age is a film I will never forget and will always treasure.

Of An Age is showing in selected cinemas across Australia from March 23rd.

Moviedoc thanks Roadshow Films for the invite to the screening of this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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The Best & Worst Movies, Moments and Performances of 2022

I’m not sure about you, but soon after the final covid lockdown ended, life gradually became non-stop hectic! Somehow, I think I got rather used to the slower pace of daily life and having far less to do than usual! Though I miss having a less busy lifestyle and wish I had more time for more movies, I certainly do not miss watching those dreaded press conferences where snap lockdowns intended to last for just days were extended by weeks, months even. Hallelujah then that those days are now well and truly past!

Despite the busier year, especially the last 6 months, I still managed to watch 156 movies released in 2022! That’s only 7 less than the same time last year! Unsurprisingly, movies thankfully saw an uptick in quality this year compared to last. 32 films received 4 stars or more from me and I am yet to see quite a few movies that I have lofty hopes for (more on that below). One thing I will briefly mention, however, is just how disappointing I am finding animated films from Disney to be in recent years. A decade ago, I could label certain films as timeless classics and would rank them as high as older classics such as The Lion King and The Little Mermaid. But lately, I feel that at best we get fleeting moments or a couple of scenes that are of similar quality, innovation and creativity as older Disney and Pixar pictures (think along the likes of Wall-e, Ratatouille) in their heyday. I guess what I’m trying to say for now is that I really miss not having an animated classic appear in my best of list each year as I once routinely would.

I’ve opted for a slightly different approach this year compared to previous years with collating the best and worst movies of the year. I start with the ‘distinctive dozen’, move on to the ‘best of the rest’ before then finishing with 5 movies that truly sucked!

Enjoy reading 🙂

The Distinctive Dozen

Link to Jell’s Review – She Said . For me, She Said is this year’s Spotlight.

Apple TV+ churn out another beauty to follow-up last year’s Oscar-winning little gem, CODA.

This remarkable documentary is available for streaming on Disney +

Link to my review – Quo Vadis, Aida?

The movie event of the year! Everything Everywhere All At Once may not be my #1 film of 2022, but it sure is the most unexpected and welcomed surprise smash-hit that is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before and something you’re unlikely to ever experience again! A must-see – it was very recently added to Prime Video!

Austin Butler’s star-making performance together with Baz Luhrman’s trademark visual energy make for an unforgettable and exhilarating cinematic experience. Link to Leigh’s review – Elvis.

One of the most striking Viking productions I’ve ever witnessed. Link to Leigh’s review – The Northman. Available for streaming via Prime Video.

To any fellow Melbournian or Australian who labels our recently re-elected state premier ‘Dictator Dan’. Perhaps this harrowing documentary can demonstrate what a real dictatorship looks like? Available for streaming via Paramount +.

Not a single scene is without clear intended purpose. Such a beautiful movie in every way possible.

Never would I have believed that Robert Pattinson could master the role of Batman the way he does in this. A sublime casting choice and all-round movie from director Matt Reeves. Available to stream via Netflix.

#1 THE BEST FILM OF 2022 #1

It was going to take some kind of superhero to dethrone Batman from #1. Well, who better than the man who survived a failed assassination attempt by Russian President Vladimir Putin than this man!? It might seem underwhelming to make a documentary, a political documentary, my number 1 movie of the year. But believe me, this is more riveting to watch than almost any feature film. Navalny is available to stream now via SBS on Demand.

Now to the ‘Best of the Rest’. Remarkably, two of the movies to feature in this part of my list are set and shot almost entirely in a single room! However, each of these 4 star films are simply too good to not mention among the finest to be released this year.

Best of the Rest

The Good Boss (El Buen Patron)
After Love
Blaze
Good Luck To You, Leo Grande
Barbarian
Full Time (A Plein Temps)
The Stranger
Hustle
Top Gun: Maverick
Mass

Now to the worst movies of 2022. These movies really sucked…

A rare screw-up from Marvel.

This from the director of the legendary 2001 French hit Amélie!? Non!

Rebel Wilson isn’t solely to blame for this awful mess.

Shot in Melbourne, Australia during one of our several COVID lockdowns. This movie was worse than all lockdowns combined! Liam, stop. Just stop. Link to Leigh’s review – Blacklight.

As I said, those movies sucked. But this one really, really sucked. I absolutely loathed, totally detested…

#1 THE WORST FILM OF 2022 #1

Last, but certainly not least, here are my favourite moments, scenes, performances and key call-outs from feature film releases that did not quite make my above best-of lists in 2022.

The ravishing Penelope Cruz’s emotional performance in Spanish master filmmaker Pedro Almodovar’s Parallel Mothers

Kristen Stewart’s easily best performance to date portraying Princess Diana and director Pablo Larraín’s picture-perfect vision capturing his star player in Spencer

Jessica Chastain’s transcendentally brilliant portrayal of Tammy Faye in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, and the film’s hair & make-up also gets a big shout-out

The beautifully poetic Peter Dinklage performance charming our socks off in the underrated, immensely entertaining and contemporary musical romantic drama, Cyrano

The wonderfully awkward sequences earlier in Turning Red involving Meilin’s mother outing her daughter’s crush and then mistaking Meilin’s ‘turning red’ for something else! As I was saying, this was reminiscent of classic Pixar releases!

A German-speaking Dan Stevens playing a robot to razor-sharp perfection in I‘m Your Man (Ich Bin Dein Mensch)

That energising and diverse soundtrack in the underrated soon to be cult hit Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon

Bros for being the first film to be distributed by a major film distributor in Universal with an entire LGBTQ lead cast and mainstream gay-rom-com. Despite the disappointing box office result in the U.S and here in Australia, it remains a major step forward and paves the way for others to follow

The intense and confronting ‘army tank’ sequence in German anti-war drama, All Quiet on the Western Front, and some of its stunning imagery throughout too. Though, it did fall a little short on my lofty expectations and is no 1917 or Hacksaw Ridge

Triangle of Sadness’ most stand-out of its small handful of outstanding sequences. The messy, grotesque and utterly hilarious amalgamation of fine dining on a luxury cruise for the rich and famous during a very rough night at seas! You can never un-see this scene. I’m still gagging and laughing.

Colin Farrell’s nice work as nice guy Pádraic in Martin McDonagh’s very good, but not great, black tragicomedy The Banshees of Inisherin

A brilliantly butchery performance from my current personal favourite actor or actress right now, Emma Thompson as Agatha Trunchbull in Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical that would have The Handmaid’s Tale Aunt Lydia taking notes! Also, the entire ‘revolting children’ sequence was quite outstanding

Mark Rylance’s wonderful work in feel-good comedy-drama The Phantom of the Open, doing to golf something similar to what Meryl Streep did for opera in Florence Foster Jenkins

A star-making performance from Thuso Mbedu alongside the woman king of acting herself, Viola Davis, in The Woman King

Finally, a couple of letdowns

Considering the outstanding ensemble cast, See How They Run was disappointing and never quite came to life as its premise, genre and cast had promised

Jared Leto’s ridiculously over-the-top Italian accent and performance in the huge let down film, House of Gucci

Compiled by Leigh for Moviedoc

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