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Lemonade Stand (2012)
A delightful comedy that deserved its Tropfest win!
"Lemonade Stand" is a quirky, crowd-pleasing, Australian comedy that won First Prize at Tropfest, the world's largest short film festival, in 2012.
The winner the previous year, "Animal Beatbox", was popular with its audience on the night but lacked narrative and characters.
With "Lemonade Stand" we have a strong narrative and interesting characters, underdogs whose humble lemonade stand is under threat.
Tropfest founder John Polson has often said that short films should really be seen as a springboard to something bigger. This film gives clear indication of what lies ahead in features for its writer, director and producer: engaging narrative, unusual characters and clever comedy.
I Am Bish (2009)
Low-budget fun
It's unfair to judge a film for what it doesn't set out to achieve. Those who compare this film to "Two Fists One Heart" have really not been exposed to the wide range of films made in Australia.
"I Am Bish" is low-budget fun. It's certainly unconventional in style - the plot is disjointed, the visual effects are deliberately tacky, the combination of interview and drama is unusual - but that's the nature of the beast. It's not "the worst film ever". Bishop has set out to make a patchwork spoof and he entertains. It's a crude, comic romp and those wanting more should look elsewhere.
Few features are made in Perth. There are a number of films that have received funds from the local government funding body in recent years and still haven't gone into production. We must support those filmmakers who have the courage to make films and at their own expense. Bishop is a confident emerging director and deserves our encouragement.
Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger (2008)
Some interesting things to say but it's unsure just how to say them
Esther Blueburger (Danielle Catanzariti) is thirteen. She's from a Jewish family and attends a private school where she's an outsider. Her classmates cartwheel, dance and eat with geometric precision, while the victimised Esther spends her lunchtimes watching them from the confines of an upper-storey classroom.
Esther crosses paths with Sonni (Keisha Castle-Hughes), an offbeat teen who attends a neighbouring State school. A friendship develops and it's not long before Esther decides to enrol at Sonni's school, without her parents knowing. There she enjoys a newfound popularity and very quickly uses it to victimise other outsiders. This doesn't impress Sonni one bit.
The awkwardly-titled HEY HEY IT'S ESTHER BLUEBURGER sits uncomfortably between a Saturday morning children's television show and a more intense, coming-of-age drama. The supporting characters, like Esther's gullible parents, teachers and peers are caricatures, which is quite alright as they represent real people with which we're familiar. Esther's change of schools is far too easy for her. While many obvious questions about this are left unaddressed, we're willing to accept it because we understand this approach to story telling.
But when Esther tries to prove her worth by fellating a boy in a dark alley one night, it just doesn't gel with what's gone before. It feels as though the screenplay needed some toughening up and the writer responded by throwing in this seriously out-of-place scene. And surely someone must have pointed out at the script stage that this would severely restrict the film's target audience, the tweens. (Footnote: Does anyone remember an equally unnecessary fellatio scene in Michael Thornhill's BETWEEN WARS (1974)?)
Esther loses her appeal as the film progresses and we really don't care for her at all by the end. Yes, teenage years are confusing times but her use of her new popularity to belittle others makes her unlikeable. The rift between Esther and Sonni is of Esther's making. And the friendship between the two isn't explored anywhere near as well as it could have been. Neither is the difference between private and State schools. Neither is Esther's religion. The sad tale of Esther's duck, however, is most effective.
Toni Collette appears briefly as Sonni's "cool" biker Mum. But the situation involving her character at the film's end is also gravely misplaced. So too is the final school assembly scene but by this stage, anything goes.
HEY HEY IT'S ESTHER BLUEBURGER is the work of first-time writer/director Cathy Randall and first-time producer Miriam Stein. It shows. Comparisons to THE BLACK BALLOON, another recently released, coming-of-age Australian film are to be expected. THE BLACK BALLOON is vastly superior because its screenwriters have a much keener sense of character construction and plot development.
HEY HEY IT'S ESTHER BLUEBURGER has some interesting things to say but it's unsure just how to say them. And I'm tired of films where the story continues as the credits roll. It's a sign of indecisiveness. Do we really need to hear about Esther's braces being removed? Maybe it makes a difference to the next boy she blows in a back alley.
Cloverfield (2008)
Effective
New York, present day. A group of friends in their twenties is throwing a going away party one evening when their apartment is shaken by what appears to be an earthquake. They rush outside and find the Statue of Liberty's head has been blown off and is hurtling towards them. The city is under attack.
CLOVERFIELD is told entirely by a video camera carried by one of the characters. The opening scenes are unbearable: constantly moving, badly framed, hand-held camera work sure to make many cinema goers motion sick. The party scene is rather routine: we've seen these characters and situations many times before.
But when the attack begins, the film really takes off and we're thrown into the chaos. We travel through the dust-covered streets, a setting with which we're all too familiar after September 11. We travel through a subway tunnel, through a military hospital set up in a department store and to a high-rise building that is collapsing onto the building nearby - something I haven't seen in a film before.
The journey has a real authenticity and I don't think it would have worked any other way than as this verite-style mockumentary. You really feel the panic and are willing to believe - most of - the incredible situations. But as the film progresses and we witness one narrow escape after the next it becomes harder to want to believe. And I'm not convinced the character with the camera would continue shooting footage for as long as he does. Perhaps this would work better if the character were a seasoned documentary maker.
There are flashbacks, achieved when the video tape is stopped at certain points in the film. We see brief moments of what was recorded on the tape earlier in happier times and this contrast serves the story well.
Comparisons to THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and 28 DAYS LATER are inevitable. Like these films, CLOVERFIELD is very effective at creating a sense of dread by immersing the audience in the character's world.
P.S. I Love You (2007)
Unashamedly reaches for the heart and fails to grasp. Unless you want it to.
A film aimed squarely at a female audience, P.S. I LOVE YOU.
Holly Kennedy (the handsome Hilary Swank) is a young widow who finds that her late husband (Gerard Butler) has left her a series of letters to help her start a new life. She follows the instructions in the letters and, with the help of her friends, embarks on a journey of self-discovery.
Films about love and human relationships are films that I enjoy most. Sadly, I was not able to connect with this film on any satisfactory level.
The film starts perfectly. The opening minutes show a dispute between Holly and her husband and this is well done, energised by hand-held, sometimes out of focus camera work. But the scene is far too drawn out and, after five minutes, starts to feel like a rough cut and becomes tiring.
In fact, the whole film is too drawn out and, at times, rather clumsy. Some scenes labour to be moving, smothered in sorrowful music, which only serves to distance the audience.
There's comedy in the form of Lisa Kudrow playing a supportive friend, a leprechaun singing telegram and an Asperger's suffering love interest (Harry Connick Jr.) who says exactly what he thinks without any consideration for those around him.
There's a certain unfairness to the late husband's letters. While they are well-intentioned, Holly develops an unhealthy dependence on them. And the subplot involving her father's separation from her mother (Kathy Bates) feels "thrown in" and makes the film uneven.
Equally poor is the use of coincidence late in the story and the final scene which involves a meeting.
P.S. I LOVE YOU constantly, unashamedly, reaches for the heart - without any tact or subtlety - and fails to grasp. Unless you want it to. Unless you are willing to overlook its very contrived scenes and clumsy construction and go along for the ride, to indulge in the tissues.
The Black Balloon (2008)
Sterling
Thomas (Rhys Wakefield) has just started at a new high school. His father serves in the armed forces and the family has to relocate regularly. His brother Charlie (Luke Ford) has severe Autism and Attention Deficit Disorder. He's not able to speak and because he's the size of an adult, caring for him is not easy. At the start of the film we see him grunt with delight as he tramples a newly-bought carton of eggs into the kitchen floor.
While Thomas's mother (Toni Collette) has accepted her son's condition, Thomas has not. He wants to keep his brother a secret from his new schoolmates but when one student (Gemma Ward) learns of his sibling, she's not put off.
It's been a number of years since I've connected with an Australian film to the extent that I did with THE BLACK BALLOON. From the interesting title sequence at the start, we're drawn into the challenges of life with a family member suffering a developmental disability. While, I suppose, an outsider could never fully appreciate just how demanding such a life could be, the film gives us a very good idea.
One of the film's many accomplishments is its successful blend of drama and comedy. It could quite easily have been a depressing affair but many of the brother's outrageous acts prove most amusing. On other occasions, they're heartbreaking.
Equally fine is the performance by Luke Ford. Playing a handicapped character is a challenge for any actor, but Ford is totally convincing as Charlie. Never do we consider he's an actor playing a role.
Toni Collette is first-rate as the ever-loving mother. She's heavily pregnant and when complications arise from her pregnancy, we can't help but wonder if the third child will be like Thomas or Charlie.
The most likable of the characters is Thomas's classmate and later girlfriend, Jackie, played by Gemma Ward. Her acceptance of Charlie and her solid support for Thomas makes her most appealing. It's interesting to note that while Thomas sees Charlie as a burden, his formal introduction to Jackie and the development of their relationship has much to do with his brother.
THE BLACK BALLOON is the work of first-time director Elissa Down, who studied film-making in Perth. She has done a sterling job. Having grown up with two Autistic brothers, it must be a profoundly personal work. The screenplay, by Down and Jimmy the Exploder, is honest and moving and the photography by Denson Baker is fine. I particularly appreciated his low- angle wide shots.
THE BLACK BALLOON won the Crystal Bear at this year's Berlin Film Festival. It's an important film and deserves to be seen. The Australian Film Industry, sadly, does not have a good reputation, at home or overseas. But if we make films like this one, that's sure to change.
Irina Palm (2007)
A poorly handled, mess of a film. No pun intended.
DESPERATE PEOPLE DO DESPERATE THINGS: IRINA PALM.
Marianne Faithful plays Maggie, a middle-aged English widow whose young grandson is dying. His only hope is medical treatment in Melbourne but the family doesn't have the money to pay for the airfare. Unable to get a bank loan and not taken seriously by a job recruitment company, Maggie takes work at a sex parlour, stimulating men with her hands. Her soft touch and firm technique make her a surprise success and punters have to get in line to be serviced by "Irina Palm".
IRINA PALM asks an important question: How far would you go to help someone you love? But the film completely fails to explore this question satisfactorily.
The premise is flawed. Maggie makes little effort for a personal loan, visiting only one bank. With the abundance of credit card companies willing to hand out money to anyone these days, I'm surprised this isn't an option. And I would much prefer to have seen her look harder for a decent job. Granted, it's not easy being an older, unskilled worker but Maggie simply doesn't try.
While I'm not familiar with her line of work, I find it very hard to believe she could make anywhere near the amount of money she does at the sex parlour, especially with the glory hole being coin-operated. The premise is a construct.
IRINA PALM also has problems with genre. Is it a drama or a comedy? It certainly centres on a serious subject, a boy's life is at stake. But with its cavalier attitude towards sex, you can't help wondering if it's meant to be funny. If so, watching an unhappy, uncomfortable woman perform sickening sexual acts is the most base form of humour.
There are some moments that are amusing: Maggie's attempt to personalise her workspace, her silencing of a noisy couple making love in car outside her house and the playful manner in which she tells her disapproving friends about her new job. But the film is slow-paced and its constant fade-to-blacks make it feel very disjointed.
Maggie's intentions are noble but we don't feel for her, not even when her son becomes aggressive after learning of her new job. "I'm not a whore!" she insists. I can imagine Woody Allen's response to this: "No, only by the dictionary definition."
With its contrived premise, confusion of genre and slowness of pace, IRINA PALM is a poorly handled, mess of a film. No pun intended.
Dan in Real Life (2007)
Unsatisfactory
Dan Burns (Steve Carell) is the writer of a popular newspaper column. He is also a widower and raising three very difficult girls. On a short holiday with his extended family, he meets Marie (Juliette Binoche) and the two have coffee. Later that day he learns that Marie is his brother's girlfriend.
DAN IN REAL LIFE is a disappointment. Not that my expectations of any film starring Steve Carell have ever been high.
Acceptance of the story will depend on whether or not one believes in love at first sight. I don't, at least not in the scenario presented here. The two have a cute meeting, there's some connection and they start to get to know each other over coffee. It is only an hour or so later that he discovers she is his brother's girlfriend. Can we really be sympathetic to his disappointment and support his pursuit of her after such a brief encounter?
There are a few humorous moments: Dan's bedroom in the laundry and his date with an old school acquaintance are most funny. These scenes aside, the film is only mildly amusing and much of its comedy is derivative.
I can't say I've had the pleasure of raising teenage girls, though I do wonder if more assertive parenting on the part of Dan would prevent the princess bitchface syndrome his daughters suffer. They're spiteful brats and watching them treat him the way they do really isn't funny. Are we meant to feel sorry for him when he tolerates such behaviour?
The cast is large and we're not acquainted with many family members. And with the majority of scenes confined to the one house, the film becomes tiring.
DAN IN REAL LIFE will appeal to some. I found it most unsatisfactory.