TERMINATOR GENISYS
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By all accounts, Arnold Scwarzenegger made a reasonable fist of his gig as governor of California (not that many would have opposed his decisions), and it’s not hard to see him as a reasonable, self-aware person. Along with Bruce Willis and Dwayne Johnson, he gives the impression that, deep down, he believes his screen persona to be a bit of a joke (which it is). So Arnie is sort of likeable for this reason, though why he felt the need to be bothered with yet another Terminator – this is the fifth – is a mystery. It’s not my type of movie, but I’ve talked myself blue in the face about the brain-dead imbecility of extravagant violence as porn and its contribution to the desensitising of society (do you think that the retards of ISIS are not Arnie’s and Vin’s and Sly’s biggest fans?). As with most franchise flicks, the earlier ones are the best (or, in this case, least bad). Time travel has always been a dicey concept for filmmakers to deal with, but in the case of T1 through to T4, and again in this, there has always been an audience willing to gobble up whatever Hollywood wishes to pass off as ‘science’ knowing that, really, all that matters is the chase and humungous shitfight at the end. The Guardian (Arnie) is back in 1984 (a subtle choice of years, huh?) with the mission of protecting Sarah (Emilia Clarke) who is destined, if Right prevails, to give birth to a hero of the future. But don’t quote me, for the storyline and plot points are almost impenetrable. Clarke is quite engaging, in a cutesy, shallow way, and even though Arnie’s acting skills have never been likely to see him play Hamlet at the Globe, in a bizarre confluence of real-life celebrity meets cartoon characterisation, they are perfectly suited to a vehicle as stupid as this. Admittedly, I saw it after visiting Stonehenge and have to say that the awesomeness of reality leaves for dead the childishness of CGI-gone-troppo.
MA
www.federalfilmsociety.com or tel 6684 9313 Federal Hall Saturday 11 July Dinner from 6.30pm Movie starts at 7.30pm
WEDNESDAY
8 JULY to
WEDNESDAY
15 JULY
MR HOLMES
Brightly turbaned Sikhs, jumbo-sized Americans and Japanese girls posing with selfie-sticks in front of a pretend Bobby at the doorway of 22B Baker Street are testimony to the enduring appeal of the world’s greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes. Guy Ritchie’s abominable attempts to re-invent Holmes as a hipster super-hero have been given a deserved boot up the rectum by Bill Condon’s introspective, dastardly clever but unexpectedly emotional embrace of the unwilling celebrity in his declining years. It is 1947 and Holmes (Ian McKellen) has been living in retirement for thirty years on his modest estate near the white cliffs of Dover. His hope is to correct the image created of him by his friend Watson – ‘I never wore a deer-stalker hat’ – while at the same time trying to unravel from his fading recollection the circumstances of his last tragic case. Travelling to Japan to gather a wild herb that might restore his deductive powers, he has witnessed the horrendous aftermath of Hiroshima and the experience triggers heartfelt but elusive connections with that case’s sad end – if only he could piece them all together. Holmes the old man, increasingly aware of his own mortality, and of his bogus existence as a character in novels and movies, finds a guide in his personal quest in the form of Roger (Milo Parker), the young son of his housekeeper Mrs Munro (Laura Linney). Condon has ventured into this realm before, also with McKellen, in Gods And Monsters (1998), a dreamy essay on love and memory’s torment and the desperate need we all have to share something of ourselves with another. It comes as no surprise to find that McKellen is absolutely engrossing as the stooped, white-haired ancient falling further into the turmoil of his own mind, so Parker’s indomitable eagerness creates the perfect counter-balance that allows McKellen to delve deeper into that grey area of the subconscious. The plot pulls on a couple of long bows, particularly in its Japanese connections, but Sherlock Holmes was never meant to be obvious.
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NOW SHOWING
OPENS THURSDAY
NOW SHOWING
MAGIC MIKE XXL (MA15+) (NO FREE TIX) Thu-Wed (15) 2.30, 4.20, 7.05, 9.20
TED 2 (MA15+) Wed (8) 8.50, 2.40, 9.40pm Thu-Wed (15) 4.50, 9.30pm
FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD (M) Wed (8) 12.25, 4.20, 7.25pm Thu-Wed (15) 10.35am, 4.45, 7.10pm
JURASSIC WORLD (M) Wed (8) 9.20, 5.10, 9.00pm Thu-Wed (15) 11.25am
TERMINATOR GENISYS (M) (NO FREE TIX) Wed (8) 11.40, 4.50, 7.10, 9.30pm Thu-Wed (15) 9.00am, 1.50, 9.00pm LOVE AND MERCY (M) (NO FREE TIX) Wed (8) 2.00, 6.40pm Thu-Wed (15) 12.10, 6.40pm Enjoy our licensed bar
Lavazza Espresso Coffee
INSIDE OUT (PG) Wed (8) 1.30, 3.20pm Thu-Wed (15) 8.30, 2.45pm MINIONS (PG) Wed (8) 8.55, 10.40am Thu-Wed (15) 8.30am, 10.20, 12.55pm
ROYAL BALLET: LA FILLE MAL GARDEE (CTC) (NO FREE TIX) Wed (8) 11.00 Gift cards are the perfect gift
Group Bookings available
108-110 Jonson Street, Byron Bay 6680 8555 | www.palacecinemas.com.au
The Byron Shire Echo July 8, 2015 29