ENTERTAINMENT
BY JOHN CAMPBELL
A DOG’S WAY HOME My family’s lore included the oft- told tale of how Bob the kelpie found his way home to Tempe with bleeding paws after being lost in the Blue Mountains – leaving not a dry eye in the house. This movie follows that well-worn path, but with a surprise new chapter in the odyssey: a big-hearted determination to be racially inclusive (Wes Studi, the veteran Native American actor, gets a gig as the good cop) and an empathy towards those who have been damaged, in body and soul, after serving overseas in the military. It all starts with the pup Bella (spoken by Bryce Dallas Howard) growing up with a bunch of cats in the wreckage of a house in Denver. She is taken in by Lucas (Jonah Hauer-King), who lives with his mother Terri (Ashley Judd), a returned soldier in therapy. All’s well until an overzealous council ranger forces them to take her out of the city. Bella takes flight from her new backyard and embarks on the 400-mile trek back to Lucas. Howard’s childish voiceover soon becomes cloying, but Bella’s journey, which is essentially episodic, is neatly put together and beautifully shot by cinematographer Peter Menzies Jr. Having said that, it is a downside of the advances in CGI that you might often find yourself wondering if a particular image might have
BY LILITH
been ‘shopped’ for visual effect. Scenes with Baby Cat, the abandoned cougar that grows up under Bella’s protection, are beautiful, but the enchantment is partly nobbled by nagging doubts about its authenticity. Their brief sliding, stumbling play on a frozen lake must be real, though, and it’s a joy. Refreshingly, the people Bella meets along the way are not the expected stereotypes; they include a homeless man who ties her up to use as a prop when begging, and two gay guys who adopt her into their wine-sipping lifestyle. There is nothing cutting-edge about Charles Martin Smith’s film, but the ‘I am Spartacus’ ending and Bella’s reunion with Lucas are enough to warm the cockles.
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK Based on James Baldwin’s book, the movie is prefaced by his quote that ‘every black American was born in Beale Street.’ Which, being a metaphor for struggle, explains how it comes to be set in New York’s Harlem, not New Orleans. It is 1962 and ‘Fonny’ Hunt (Stephan James) is in the slammer, charged with a rape that he did not commit, while his pregnant partner Tish (KiKi Lane) is desperately trying to have him acquitted. Barry Jenkins, director of the lauded Moonlight, has made a dreary and soppy film out of a story that inherently bristles with the question of racial discrimination while promising the climax of a gripping courtroom drama – but it’s all dissipated by mawkish sentimentality. Instead of committing himself to
strong social comment, he prefers to focus on the intimacy of Fonny and Tish’s relationship, expressing it through an excessive use of full-screen close ups in which both characters look directly into the camera (resulting in tedious gushiness) and a couple of tepid sex scenes that are not so much passionate as timewasting. I wanted to tap him on the shoulder and say ‘mate, I know Fonny and Tish love each other, but what’s happening with the crime investigation?’Regina King won an Oscar for her performance as Tish’s mother Sharon and, indeed, she does well with a script that may have worked better on stage than it does on the screen. An explosive incident of domestic violence early in the film, during which caricature predominates, BF Baby Friendly MONDAY 18 MARCH is perturbing not merely SP Special Presentation BABY FRIENDLY SCREENINGS EVERY MORNING 10:00am BF How to Train Your PS Private Screening because it depicts a physical SPECIAL PRESENTATION: INNUENDO Dragon: The Hidden World 12.00pm Capharnaum FRI 15/3 WITH DIRECTORS Q&A 2.20pm If Beale Street Could Talk attack on a woman, but because the viewer is not 4.35pm At Eternityʼs Gate FEAT: SAARA LAMBERG. certain whether or not 6.40pm Free Solo 8.30pm The House That Jack Built Jenkins is okay with it – I THURSDAY 14 MARCH SATURDAY 16 MARCH could not shake the horrible 10.00am BF How to Train Your 9.45am BF How to Train Your TUESDAY 19 MARCH Dragon: The Hidden World Dragon: The Hidden World feeling that he saw the 09.45am BF How to Train Your 12.00pm If Beale Street Could Talk 11.45am Green Book Dragon: The Hidden World man’s thuggery as being 2.10pm Three Identical Strangers 2.10pm Capharnaum 11.45am Free Solo justifiable. And the repeated 4.10pm At Eternityʼs Gate 4.30pm If Beale Street Could Talk 1.40pm Capharnaum 6.20pm Capharnaum 6.40pm At Eternityʼs Gate flashbacks to the toddlers 4.00pm Three Identical Strangers 8.45pm The House That Jack Built 8.45pm The House That Jack Built 5.45pm PS The Map to Paradise: sharing a bath in singlets(!) (Refer to website) FRIDAY 15 MARCH SUNDAY 17 MARCH FILM SCHEDULE is a farcical example of 8.15pm The House That Jack Built 9:45am BF How to Train Your 10:00am BF How to Train Your THURS 14 MARCH – Hollywood’s prudishness. WEDNESDAY 20 MARCH Dragon: The Hidden World Dragon: The Hidden World WED 20 MARCH 2019 A monotonous and intrusive 11:40am At Eternityʼs Gate 12.00pm At Eternityʼs Gate 10.00am BF Green Book 1.50pm Free Solo 2.05pm Capharnaum score consisting of about 12.30pm If Beale Street Could Talk 6685 5828 3.45pm Three Identical Strangers 4.25pm Three Identical Strangers 2.45pm Capharnaum three notes acts like a 5.45pm SP Innuendo with 6.15pm If Beale Street Could 5.45pm PS Crazywise www.pighouseflicks.com.au lead weight on Director Q&A feat: Saara Lamberg. Talk or Green Book (Refer to website) 1 Skinners Shoot Rd, Byron Bay 8.15pm The House That Jack Built 8.30pm The House That Jack Built 8.10pm The House That Jack Built what is already a ponderous, Adults $15 Concession & Kids $10 Tuesdays all tix $10 self-pitying Tickets available online or at the box office. venture.
44 The Byron Shire Echo March 13, 2019
EUREKA! URANUS, THE PLANET OF ELECTRIFYING INSIGHTS IN TAURUS, SIGN OF MONEY AND CLIMATE CHANGE, GIVES US ALL A TASTE OF WHAT’S IN STORE FOR THE NEXT SEVEN YEARS…
ARIES: Uranus only visits each sign every 84 years, and it’s settled into your financial sector for a sevenyear stint of sweeping changes to the way you work, and learning new ways to earn. But innovation’s an Aries superpower and according to marketing guru Amy Porterfield, the riches are in the niches. TAURUS: Uranus in your sign redesigns the practicalities of partnerships, and this year it’s delivering a double dose of adventurous, enterprising energy to relationships: a radical revamp that sees you more assertive, authentic and unapologetically outspoken. Meanwhile, this week’s best connections with others are, believe it or else, made during technical disruptions. GEMINI: Uranus in your house of closure, completion and healing asks you to examine what you might be holding on to and why, before the liberating planet syncs with your sign in 2026. All kinds of interesting people are about to provide insights into your inner self, though best let Sensible Twin make final decisions. CANCER: Uranus arriving for its once-in-a-lifetime stint in your zodiac zone of teamwork, technology and humanitarian efforts initiates a pushpull dynamic between the planet of radical change and Cancerian clinging to time-tested traditions – but with this all happening in your collaborative zone, you won’t be going it alone. LEO: With the planet of radical makeovers in your house of long-term goals and professional recognition, you’ll want your work to make a difference. Game-changer Uranus in this position calls on all your expertise in working with control, and attracts intriguing allies to show you a whole new leadership style. V IRGO: Spending seven years in each sign, Uranus has just jetted into your ninth house of adventure. So adjust your perspective to wide angle and buckle your seat belt in preparation for situations requiring spontaneity, adaptability and quick thinking, and for learning, teaching and spreading your message through the latest, cuttingedge technologies.
L IBRA: Unconventional Uranus kicking off its seven-year stay in your astro-zone of joint ventures, strong emotion and extremes could make it challenging finding the famous Libran middle ground. That said, expect a rollercoaster ride of self-discovery through relationships, a potentially profitable financial partnership and a final severing of connections that don’t serve you. S CORPIO: Ready, steady, let go… as shock jock Uranus, the cosmic transformer, in your house of relationship makeovers shakes up whatever might have been running on autopilot or following the same old scripts. When the planet of radical renovations meets what’s not working, something’s gotta give – and guess who? Yes, you. SAGITTARIUS: With Uranus in your house of work and health you’ll be busy plugging time leaks to streamlined efficiency using techno power tools, taking your fingers for a walk across the keyboard. Reducing stress is also important this week and since you love nature, chill out your highly excitable self in the great outdoors. CAPRICORN: Uranus spending the next seven years in your house of fun and flamboyance, passion and play, confidence and charisma, leadership and creativity – could there be better news? The only caution is sudden and unexpected temper ignition, so steer clear of drama hooks. Meanwhile, this week’s Venus in experimental mode invites a romantic reinvention… AQUARIUS: Aquarians like change when it’s their idea – when you aren’t in charge, not so much. Water-pourers’ ruling planet Uranus in your astrological zone of home, family and emotional security aerates anything sluggish in these areas, so get ready for duelling desires between novelty and security, autonomy and community, vision and practicality, independence and responsibility. PISCES: Spontaneous Uranus, synonymous with unruly free-range behaviour, is about to give your mindset and the way you present your message a major makeover. If you’ve learned from the past seven years of Uranus in your financial sector, then you’ll naturally be ready for an innovative new cycle of entrepreneurship.
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