NME NT
BY LILITH
the scene – even Cher singing Fernando at the end works (can you see her face move? I couldn’t). Because it is all about mother and daughter, the blokes are relegated to support status, but Pierce Brosnan is easily believable as the father who comforts Sophie when she needs a hug. For all its bounciness and effervescence, however, its joyous choreography and candy-coloured cinematography, it felt
to me that the film was underpinned by sadness – a sort of Proustian melancholy in remembrance of ‘le temps perdu’, which, despite myself, I found extremely moving. It’s adorable – and better than its predecessor.
BLACKKKLANSMAN Without anybody really noticing, something we hoped had been vanquished by the cultural and social enlightenments of the last century has found a new, strident voice. Through the agency of America’s conniving baby/man president and the likes of our own sub-humans, Peter Dutton and Fraser Anning, racism is again on the rise with, incredibly, white supremacists believing that they are its victims. Spike Lee’s latest joint is an uncompromising and provocative reminder that turning the other cheek when confronted by such depravity is no longer an option. Based on the amazing true story of how, in the late 1970s, a black cop from the Colorado Springs Police Department infiltrated the Ku Kux Klan, Lee’s movie, peopled by the most chilling characters and leavened by occasional dark humour, proceeds to a final act of almost unbearable tension before arriving at a climax that makes you want to jump up and cheer. Detective Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) rings the local chapter of the KKK, pretending to be a white guy who hates ‘niggers,
36 August 22, 2018 The Byron Shire Echo
Jews, spicks, faggots’. Invited to attend the next meeting, he sends fellow officer, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), in his place. The cruel ironies of ‘identity’ have Stallworth acting undercover among the Afro-American followers of Kwame Ture (aka Stokely Carmichael) while Zimmerman must deny his Jewishness in order to be accepted by the Klansmen. It is from Zimmerman’s eyes that the scales fall – ‘I had never thought of myself as a Jew before,’ he confesses, until he had been exposed to such vile anti-Semitism. Lee doesn’t pull any punches in linking the knuckledragging bigots of the KKK with supporters of Donald Trump – there are frequent references to making America great and to ‘America first’, and in one scene a Klan wife, when planning a bombing, says excitedly, ‘This could be a new Boston tea party’. All the while, the clock is ticking for Zimmerman and his perilous subterfuge. Lee’s fantastic movie demands that we all decide whose side we are on. As the Queen of Soul sang; R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
ENTE
STARS
MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN I love Abba’s greatest hits. With gorgeous harmonies and irresistible melodies, they are perfect little gems of pop music. They were also enough to sustain a hugely feelgood movie (and I don’t use the adjective as a snide pejorative) in 2008, but could the songs left over do the same again, I wondered? The problem has been solved by simply recycling the classics and supplementing them with a few neglected but not unworthy ‘B-sides’. Richard Curtis is prominently listed among the writers, so you know you are in for a big dollop of cheesecake, but you can also rely on being drawn into a carefully crafted, cleverly balanced script. The story is split between Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) establishing her hotel on the Greek island where we left off last time, and the amorous adventures of her mother as a young woman (Lily James) on her way to that same island in 1979. An opening party is being prepared at which Sophie’s three possible dads and the girls with whom she first partied in Greece will be reunited, but a pall is cast over the event when she splits up with her boyfriend Sky (Dominic Cooper). Cue One Of Us, a song that, though unfamiliar to me, fitted the moment like a glove. Context counts for everything in musicals and the Benny Andersson/Björn Ulvaeus compositions are slotted in as precise accompaniments to the mood of
RTAI
BY JOHN CAMPBELL
WITH WORDSMITH MERCURY BACK ON TRACK IN THE SIGN OF THE LION, EXPECT LESS ROARING AND GROWLING, MORE PURRING…
ARIES: Keep some free space in this week’s social schedule for the interesting influx of invites about to inundate your inbox. As interpersonal dynamics grow more compatible and the current transit showcases your unique skills, clear insights, and original ideas, others come through for you in heart-warming ways. TAURUS: Beginning to realise recent readjustments aren’t nearly as uncomfortable as you expected – actually quite enjoyable? There’s really no shortage of love, money, opportunity or information, so sharing has plenty of pluses this week, with generosity and goodwill returning to you multiplied. Luck and blessings are all around, eager to be recognised. GEMINI: With Mercury on the move in the sign of charisma, you’re eloquent and expressive. But others may be equally persuasive. So while you’re having Venusin-Libra fun this week, don’t fall into the trap of only hearing what you want to hear and buying something… oh well, you already know the end of this sentence. CANCER: While retrograde transits can sometimes seem like tiresomely retracing steps or replaying old stories, their bright side offers fruitful reunions, illuminating rediscoveries and creative renaissance, with this week refreshing affairs of the heart and delivering a dramatic reboot to your sense of adventure. Ready for a romp? LEO: Mercury turning direct in your sign takes the last week of Leo birthdays out on a high, handing you the mic to MC this week’s proceedings. If that means dealing with an unexpected turnaround in your private or professional life, then lead by stylish example. In differences of opinion, demonstrate what it means to be a class act. VIRGO: Been feeling a bit lacklustre, pedestrian and uninspired? With Mercury your mentor planet in forward gear again and Venus inviting your inner artist out to play, this week sees your creative imagination fabulous, fierce and free ranging. Joint efforts get an energy boost too, even more if they’re for a cause.
LIBRA: Communication tensions loosen and rapport with others expands this week, as love magnet Venus encourages precisely what you do best: join forces, team up, work in tandem – all the better if it’s to make a difference. Compliments are, as always, your best social accessory, and there might even be a windfall… SCORPIO: You’ll be all fired up and raring to make your point this week, but if others are provocative, do you really need to take the bait? If you’re able to drop your agenda around something you feel strongly about, it will be much easier to see things clearly, think objectively and act accordingly. SAGITTARIUS: As frustrating delays and patience-testing complications taper off, Mercury’s forward move has you gathering ideas, sourcing information, networking and connecting. While you can rely on ties with a proven track record, new connections could also be unexpectedly helpful, but it’s still worth having a backup plan in place. CAPRICORN: Capricorn Cuba Gooding Jnr spoke for the whole Goat clan with his famous movie phrase: Show me the money! And if asked charmingly, this week probably will. Pillow talk also takes a frisky turn, and with Venus in a majorly flirty mood, what hasn’t been working so well lately could morph into Go mode. AQUARIUS: Complaining about something basically means nonacceptance of a person as they are or situation as it is. Aquarian Eckhart Tolle suggests changing the situation if possible; if not, then leaving it. Or else accepting it, which means altering your own attitude towards said situation. Not always easy, but usually worthwhile. PISCES: Health, finances, and friendships all find a firmer footing this week as new information surfaces, and reasons for odd opinions and strange behaviour become clearer through the understanding that there are always more facets and intricacies to any situation than we know. Just because someone isn’t on your path doesn’t mean they’re lost.
Byron Shire Echo archives: www.echo.net.au/byron-echo