ENTERTAINMENT
CINEMA REVIEWS COLD PURSUIT
BY JOHN CAMPBELL
Liam Neeson made a goose of himself by saying that, before he was famous and still living in Belfast, he ‘went looking for a black guy to beat up’ after the rape of a relative. Frankly, I didn’t believe the story for a minute, instead seeing it as an ill-advised contrivance intended to attract publicity for his latest revenge flick. It was dumb and unnecessary, for the movie is a ripper, with a deep vein of dark humour constantly bringing to mind the Coens’ classic Fargo. And, as Norwegian director Hans Peter Moland has virtually re-made his Kraftidioten (2014) for a broader market, its Scandi-noir flavour, with snow all around, is also prominent. Citizen of the Year in Colorado’s freezing Kehole, upstanding Nels Coxman (Neeson) is devastated to learn that his only son has died from a heroin overdose. Convinced that the boy was not a junkie, Nels sets about unearthing the truth and, with little ado, exacting ruthless retribution on those responsible – it’s a theme that is now bread and butter for the craggy Irish actor. The killings start early, but Moland manages a tongue in cheek savagery that is almost comical, particularly when ‘Viking’ (Tom Bateman) goes into villainous overdrive. In the background there is a local cop on the case (Emmy Rossum, à la Frances McDormand in Fargo) and, as a novel twist in the genre, a crew of native Americans
who are also involved in drug-running – in an ethereal moment, their chief (Tom Jackson), watching skiers swish down a mountainside, is re-connected with his spiritual forebears. The violence is at times extreme, particularly when Nels is bashing a bad guy’s head to pulp, and the last scene shoot-out is so predictable, but the plot is watertight and the primitive morality agreeably wrong-minded. This is a film that a lot of people will dismiss because of its subject matter, but if you’re willing to step out of your comfort zone you’ll be surprised how good it is – and Neeson nails it.
ESCAPE ROOM The action kicks off immediately with a fellow falling into a room where the walls start closing in on him, before then flashing back to show what led up to the mayhem. It’s been so long since I’ve seen the old ‘moving walls’ trick (was it Jimmy Olsen about to be pulverised?) that I was briefly transported to another age and missed much of the preamble of this gamer’s brain-strain. Not that the underpinning story is very important, although there is an ironic twist at the end. In the meantime there are six ‘players’, seemingly chosen at random, who find themselves trapped in a chamber that is heating to the point where they will be cooked alive if they cannot interpret subtle clues that will open the door to another room, where they will be confronted by another challenge… etc, etc. The guy from the first scene is there, along with a shy black girl, a woman who served in Iraq, a nerdy Indian(?) boy, a black executive, and
a bloke with a beard. They are all sole survivors of accidents in which others lost their lives, so there is a reality-TV feel to it – a bit like Get Me Out Of Here, I’m A Celebrity, only with fatalities. You don’t have to be Nostradamus to foresee who will survive as, one by one, they fall victim to the fiendish traps set for them, but the visual cleverness of the movie is diverting enough. My favourite room was a bar in which everything is upside down and Petula Clark’s Downtown is being played on an endless loop (love that song!). As the gang’s number is whittled away, you inevitably begin to wonder what the point is, and who is overseeing their plight? It turns out that the mastermind (this is a spoiler, but the kids who will flock to this flick don’t read reviews) is creating games of ever-increasing bizarreness to cater to clients who want more and more… MONDAY 18TH FEBRUARY VALENTINES DAY SPECIAL: much like this type of film. )(&((Ye Klgje :gq >JGE +HE& <AFAF? >GJ LOG HDMK EGNA= LAP 9F< )*&((he Ben Is Back <JAFCK -(& KAF?D= *-& :GLLD= G> KH9JCDAF? OAF= *&(-he Let The Sunshine In +(& - <JAFC O' EGNA= LAP&
,&((he Green Book .&+(he Free Solo THURSDAY 14TH FEBRUARY SATURDAY 16TH FEBRUARY 0&+(he Mary Queen Of Scots 1&,-Ye Klgje :gq 1&,-Ye Klgje :gq TUESDAY 19TH FEBRUARY ))&,-Ye Ben Is Back ))&,-Ye The Mule 1&-(Ye Eighth Grade )&-(he Green Book *&((he Ben Is Back ))&,-Ye Let The Sunshine In ,&*(he Let The Sunshine In )&,(he The Mule ,&(-he Green Book .&+-he Let The Sunshine In .&)-he The Mule +&--he Ben Is Back 0&+(he Mary Queen Of Scots 0&+(he Mary Queen Of Scots .&((he Mary Queen Of Scots >MDD E=FM 9L HA?@GMK= >DA;CK >9;=:GGC&
FILM SCHEDULE 14 FEBRUARY 20 FEBRUARY 2019 ..0- -0*0 ooo&ha_`gmk]Û a[ck&[ge&Ym 1 Skinners Shoot Rd, Byron Bay
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SUNDAY 17TH FEBRUARY
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1&,-Ye Eighth Grade ))&,(Ye Ben Is Back )&,-he Mary Queen Of Scots ,&)(he Let The Sunshine In .&(-he The Mule 0&*(he Green Book
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Adults $15 Concession & Kids $10 Tuesdays all tix $10 La[c]lk YnYadYZd] gfdaf] gj Yl l`] Zgp g^Ú []& www.echo.net.au/byron-echo Byron Shire Echo archives
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STARS BY LILITH
ARIES: Your Valentine, my Aries friend? Stand in front of the mirror and recite Kamand Kojouri’s poem: When I die, my epitaph will neither commemorate who I was nor what I did, but will read: ‘She loved. And loved. And loved.’ And so, I smile now, because that is no small thing. TAURUS: Aromatics are considered the gift of Venus Aphrodite, your ruling planet. The Tauran sense of smell is legendary, so make this week lovely with essential oils,a rose petal bath, scented candles. And Taurus Charlotte Brontë: There is no happiness like that of being loved by your fellow creatures, and feeling that your presence is an addition to their comfort. GEMINI: We’re all constantly writing the book of love, so handwrite yourself and someone else a love poem this week, in coloured ink on perfumed paper of course. And that was when you realised the fire was inside you all the time. And that was the miracle. Just that. Gemini Michael Chabon. CANCER: Time for you caretakers to give yourself some fabulous nurturing. As Cancerian Tom Robbins observed: ‘The world is a wonderfully weird place; consensual reality is significantly flawed; no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion, but love does work; and in the end it’s love and love alone that really matters. LEO: This week’s Leo Valentine quote for your mirror, fridge, wherever: ‘A loving way to start the day is being grateful when you wake up that you’re alive, that your mind and body work, you have clothes, shelter and enough to eat. Realising how lucky you are it’s much easier to be loving to whomever you meet. VIRGO: Get some earth love this week: a hot rock massage, warm oil, sundried herb-scented towels and Virgo Mary Oliver’s reminder: ‘You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.’
MARS IS IN TACTILE TAURUS, VENUS IN CLASSY CAPRICORN, AND MERCURY IN POETIC PISCES, SO LET’S CELEBRATE THE DAY OF THE BIG RED HEART STYLISHLY, WITH LOVE LETTERS TO YOU ALL… LIBRA: On midmonth’s day of sweethearts and floral offerings, surround yourself with flowers, and the words of Libran mystic Rumi: ‘Through Love all that is bitter will be sweet, through Love all that is copper will be gold, through Love all dregs will become wine, through Love all pain will turn to medicine’. SCORPIO: The Indian poet Kabir wrote: ‘You’re looking for love? It’s sitting beside you, leaning its shoulder against yours… Love is all around us. Every time someone does you a kindness, that’s a gift of love: something they didn’t have to do, but wanted to. Try listing ten things or people you love, then expressing your appreciation. SAGITTARIUS: Take the Valentine picnic rug, cushions, wine, and tea lights out into nature; take a breath, and open your wild heart to Sagittarius Rainer Maria Rilke: ‘For one human being to love another: that is perhaps the most difficult of our tasks; the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation. CAPRICORN: Venus in your sign takes the work of love seriously, viz: Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who treat you spitefully (celebrity Capricorn Jesus Christ). And Capricorn Martin Luther King: Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. AQUARIUS: Love songs are caresses set to music and air sign Aquarians are particularly attuned to sound, so how about chanting the heart chakra mantra YUM as a sonic Valentine to planet Earth? And consider Aquarian Alice Walker’s protest: I’m mad about the waste that happens when people who love each other can’t even bring themselves to talk. PISCES: Your water sign Valentine? A liquid ritual at beach, pool or bath, involving foot massage and Pisces Anais Nin’s guidance: We don’t see people as they are. We see people as we are. You cannot save people. You can only love them. It is easy to love and there are so many ways to do it.
DĕćſƖëſƷ ǨǪ ǩǧǨǰ The Byron Shire Echo 37