PUCCINI FOR THE SCREENIE
cinema reviews
Manon Lescaut is an absorbing and powerful retelling of Prévost’s famous novel and it made the young Puccini’s name. This striking new production, led by director Jonathan Kent, is from the same creative team behind The Royal Opera’s highly acclaimed and popular Tosca. Kent’s striking interpretation of this drama of a young girl who faces temptation in the big city will resonate with many of today’s audiences, and illustrate that Manon’s story is still relevant in our own times. Puccini’s sumptuous, richly coloured score is characterised by youthful vitality and filled with glorious melodies. Royal Opera House music director Antonio Pappano continues his exploration of Italian repertory at Covent Garden, conducting Manon Lescaut for the first time for the Royal Opera. Palace Cinema on Sunday at 1pm and Wednesday 23 July at 11am. Tickets $21–24 available now at the Palace box office, or online at www.palacecinemas.com.au.
By John Campbell
DRIVING MISS DAISY TICKETS
Whether you missed the theatrical production of Driving Miss Daisy: The Play or just want to experience it all over again, the critically acclaimed production is coming to Palace Byron Bay for a limited time from 2 to 3 August. Driving Miss Daisy: The Play tells the affecting story of the decades-long relationship between a stubborn Southern matriarch and her compassionate chauffeur and stars Angela Lansbury and James Earl Jones. Audiences will have the added opportunity to learn more about the Broadway legends during the bonus Q&A recorded in London especially for the film. The film will screen at Palace Byron Bay at 1pm on August 2nd and 3rd. To enter and for a subscription to Echonet daily, simply email gigscomp@echo.net.au with subject header ‘Daisy’.
TUESDAY
15 JULY to
WEDNESDAY
23 JULY
OPENS THURS!
OPENS THURS!
CALVARY (MA15+) (No Free Tix) Thu 17-Sat 19, Mon 21, Tue 22: 11:20, 1:45, 6:40 Sun 20: 12:35, 4:10, 6:30 Wed 23: 11:40am, 2:30pm, 6:50pm UNDER THE SKIN (MA15+) (No Free Tix) Thu 17-Sat 19, Mon 21, Tue 22: 5:00, 8:50 Sun 20: 4:15, 8:45 Wed 23: 1:50, 9:00 POB: PUCCINI'S MANON LESCAUT (CTC) (No Free Tix) Sun 20: 1:00 Wed 23: 11:00 SEX TAPE (MA15+) (No Free Tix) Thu 17-Sat 19, Mon 21, Tue 22: 3:00pm, 7:15pm, 9:15pm. Sun 20: 2:45pm, 7:30pm, 9:30pm. Wed 23: 4:50pm, 7:30pm, 9:30pm NT LIVE: A SMALL FAMILY BUSINESS (CTC) (No Free Tix) Wed 16: 1:00pm DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (M) (No Free Tix) Tue 15: 11:10, 4:00, 6:40, 9.15 (3D) Wed 16: 1:20, 3:55, 6:50, 9:25 Thu 17-Sat 19, Mon 21, Tue 22: 3:40, 6:20, 9.00(3D) Sun 20: 11:20, 6:20, 9.00(3D) Wed 23: 2:10, 6:30, 9:10pm (3D)
OPENS THURS!
JERSEY BOYS (M) Tue 15: 9:00, 1:45, 6:50 Wed 16: 9:00am, 4:00pm, 6:40pm Thu 17-Sat 19, Mon 21, Tue 22: 11:00, 4:00 Sun 20: 9:50, 4:45 Wed 23: 11:45, 4:45pm THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY (M) Tue 15: 1:25, 6:45 Wed 16: 4:40, 6:30pm Thu 17-Sat 19, Mon 21, Tue 22: 1:35pm Sun 20: 2:00pm Wed 23: 9:40am 22 JUMP STREET (MA15+) Tue 15: 4:30pm, 9:30pm Wed 16: 9:20pm Thu 17-Sat 19, Mon 21, Tue 22: 12:40pm Sun 20: 10:35am Wed 23: 4:10pm 2D RIO 2 (G) Tue 15: 11:40, 1:50pm. Wed 16: 11:10am, 1:50pm Thu 17-Sat 19, Mon 21, Tue 22: 10:30am Sun 20: 9:10am Wed 23: 9:30am 2D HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 (PG) Tue 15: 9:00, 11:15 Wed 16: 9:00, 11:40 2D TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (M) Tue 15: 3:30, 8:50 Wed 16: 9:45, 8:35pm All sessions are correct at the time of publication. Current session times: palacecinemas.com.au All sessions are correct at the time of publication. Current session times: palacecinemas.com.au
TIX ON SALE NOW
PALACE BYRON BAY JUL 25-30
www.SCANDINAVIANFILMFESTIVAL.COM
108-110 Jonson Street, Byron Bay 6680 8555 | www.palacecinemas.com.au
28 July 15, 2014 The Byron Shire Echo
DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
Following on from 2011’s Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (both of these are prequels to the classic of 1968), it is succinctly explained during the opening credits how a virus, derived from experimentation with apes, has all but eradicated our species. Cut then to the surviving colony of apes chasing game in the forest. There is a pattern emerging in the ‘noble savage’ genre that introduces its characters while they’re on the hunt, doing what comes naturally – eg Last Of The Mohicans, Apocalypto – and it immediately establishes the prevailing PoV. The mature Caesar, ten years after Rise …, is the alpha male in an odd coalition of chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans. Into their Eden stumbles a group of humans whose aim is to restore a hydro-electric dam and provide power for their San Francisco enclave. Conflict between the two tribes arises. This is a fantastic movie, albeit underpinned by the nowexhausted and fallacious ‘great man’ scenario and locked into the view that war is hard-wired into the genetic make-up of all primates (it fills cinemas, that’s for sure). Caesar’s society is in no way democratic – it is patriarchal and dictatorial, its health dependent on the hazy ideology of being led by a benevolent despot. Challenging Caesar’s leadership is Koba, scarred and embittered by harsh experience and wishing to eradicate humans, in the same way that Dreyfus (Gary Oldman) would deal with what he sees as humanity’s simian enemies. Malcolm and Ellie (Jason Clarke and Keri Russell) are the sympathetic go-betweens.
Reductionism goes hand in glove with Darwinism and if the philosophy is bleak, our daily news suggests, it is also unarguable. Director Matt Reeves has form in this field, having given us the similarly cataclysmic, and underrated, Cloverfield (2008), and if he sometimes shows a little too much relish in the battle scenes, he at least does not try to gloss over the ferocity and futility of combat. The effects are spectacular, the creatures convincing and the drama totally absorbing. And when electricity is restored, the song played is desperately moving.
RIO 2 Post the clinical and merciless evisceration of Brazil by Germany in the World Cup (the visitors rocketed in seven goals to one, if you were on another planet and didn’t hear), prints of this film are belatedly being screened in black and white to sobbing audiences in the land of Pele, Ronaldo and Neymar. O jogo bonito (the beautiful game, or just plain soccer to those of us not in the least interested) suddenly got ugly for the blokes in yellow and the meticulously planned dovetailing of it with this kids’ blockbuster was subsequently drained of much of its colour (you’re a braver man than I if you are prepared to bet that ‘Rio 3’ will not be released to coincide with the 2016 Olympics). Quite often (if you’ve not done your reading in prep), one of the most intense and diverting pleasures of animated features such as this lies in trying to identify who is voicing a part. The lines of Blu, the macaw from Minnesota who flies away to Brazil with Jewel, were spoken in a deadpan, wisecracking way that was driving me nuts! Who is it? Finding out that it was Jesse Eisenberg blew me away and (rightly or wrongly) led me to a retrospective re-evaluation of the movie. Visually, and in accordance with its very young market, it is strictly cartoonish as opposed to the stylised realism employed for older children (eg How To Train Your Dragon), but it is nonetheless beautifully drawn and splashed with daubs of primary, vivacious colours. The musical scenes are especially good and it is encouraging to note that there are such things as carnivores out there in the jungle. Rio 2 is what used to be called a bit of a romp and, as harmless fun, it can provide a decent dose of simple pleasure to whoever pulls the short straw and has to take the ankle-biters to the afternoon session.
Byron Shire Echo archives: www.echo.net.au