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Magazine
Wednesday, September 25, 2019 - Page 51
Movies, DVDs with Jim Sherlock, Aaron Rourke What’s Hot and What’s Not in Blu-Rays and DVDs FILM: WILD ROSE: Genre: Music/Drama. Cast: Jessie Buckley, Matt Costello, Jane Patterson, Julie Walters. Year: 2018. Rating: MA15+ Length: 100 Minutes. Stars: **** Review: The story of Rose-Lynn Harlan, fresh out of prison and reunited with her son and daughter, and all she wants is to get out of Glasgow and make it as a country singer in Nashville, however, Rose's mother is forced to take strict responsibility, but when Rose gets a job, she finds and unlikely champion in the middle-class lady of the house. Outstanding show-business fairytale of family and ambition overflows with pure heart and soul, a Celtic cracker of a movie totally void of cliché, cynicism, pandering and repetition set in the backstreets of Glasgow that draws you with an overwhelming honesty, emotional force and firm grip that doesn't let go until the final flow of hard earned tears have been wiped away. Irish born (Killarney) Jessie Buckley, recently seen in the acclaimed "Chernobyl" (2019), gives a dazzling and awe-inspiring "A Star is Born" star-making turn as the star-struck Rose-Lynn Harlan, a raw, ballsy, stirring and utterly compelling warts-and-all awards worthy tour-de-force performance, and aided by a stellar supporting cast all in top form including Sophie Okonedo as the sympathetic Susannah, and veteran Julie Walters as the mother, as well as cameo appearances by singer-songwriters Kacey Musgraves and Ashley McBryde, as well as English music presenter Bob Harris (The Old Grey Whistle Test). Director Tom Harper, screenwriter Nicole Taylor and star Jessie Buckley (with a towering voice) have composed a stirring, tough, funny, gutsy, melancholy, poignant, heart-warming and intoxicating journey on family and chasing your dream that pushes all the emotional buttons at the right time, a crackling surprise sleeper of which the biggest crime would be to miss it, at your own peril! FILM: RED JOAN: Genre: Biography/Drama. Cast: Dame Judi Dench, Sophie Cookson, Stephen Campbell Moore. Year: 2018. Rating: M. Length: 101 Minutes. Stars: **½ Review: Inspired by the true story Joan Stanley (real name Melita Norwood), a specialist in physics employed as a British government civil servant who many years supplied nuclear bomb secrets to the Soviet Union's KGB beginning in the mid 1930s, which enabled them to keep up with the west in the development of atomic weapons, who was exposed as the KGB's longest-serving British spy, and remained undetected as a spy for over a half a century. A fascinating, simple and old fashioned spy yarn, the antitheses of James Bond and numerous other super-spies, and remindful of WWII wartime espionage romantic-thrillers over the decades, evoking the feel and tone of such spy dramas as "Bridge of Spies" (2015), "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" (2011), "Charlotte Gray" (2001), and only barely succeeds for the most part on a time, a place, beliefs and characters and their human weaknesses during an extraordinary period in 20th Century history. Dame Judi Dench gives a passable performance as the elder Joan Stanley, who was arrested in her 80s, and makes the journey of reliving her past as a lovelorn idealist, and is aided by Sophie Cookson (Kingsman: The Secret Service) as the younger Joan as independent woman of youthful conflict and determination, as well as a mostly British supporting cast that includes Stephen Campbell Moore (The Bank Job), Tereza Srbova and Tom Hughes, among others. An antidote to the big CGI action-adventures, and unlikely to set the box-office on fire by lacking punch but interest, nonetheless, this little known story of a woman and her exploits that have been until recently buried deep in the archives history, an interesting drama on the execution and shattering of ideals and past imperfections, a story of the last spy of the atomic age, and a film that could have been and should have been far better, but clearly isn't.
Rourke’s Reviews
Top 10 Lists SEPTEMBER 22-28
THE AUSTRALIAN BOX OFFICE TOP TEN: 1. DOWNTON ABBEY. 2. IT: CHAPTER 2. 3. THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE 2. 4. ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD. 5. ANGEL HAS FALLEN. 6. THE LION KING (2019). 7. THE FAREWELL. 8. AMAZING GRACE. 9. FAST & FURIOUS: HOBBS AND SHAW. 10. A DOG'S JOURNEY.
● Dora and the Lost City of Gold. clunky, self-knowing winks towards the material. A hit-and-miss affair that does have some fine moments. RATING - ***
Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark
■ (M). 108 minutes. Opens in cinemas September 26. Based on the 80s books by Alvin Schwartz, this big screen adaptation, co-produced by Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro (The Shape Of Water, Pan's Labyrinth) and directed by Andre Ovredal (who helmed the wonderful 2010 mockumentary Troll Hunter), may not offer much in the way of scares, but it sure serves up a lot of fun. Set during the 1968 Presidential election, we see a small group of high school teens deal with a deadly curse when they visit the town's notoriously haunted mansion. Each character has to deal with their own horror scenario, and while they may feel familiar, they are executed with genuine style and affection. The young cast acquit themselves well, and fans of films such as George A. Romero's classic Creepshow (1982) should find this most enjoyable. RATING - ***½
The Dead Don’t Die ■ (MA). 104 minutes. Opens in cinemas September 26. This dryly humorous take on the zombie genre from cult favourite Jim Jarmusch (Night On Earth, Dead Man, Ghost Dog) proves a frustrating viewing experience, working when it stays within the film-maker's typically deadpan universe, but stumbles considerably when it attempts pop culture selfparody. A small town is mysteriously overrun by zombies, but as the situation worsens, particular characters seem to become aware that they are in a zombie movie. A great cast, including Bill Murray,Adam Driver, Tom Waits, Chloe Sevigny and Tilda Swinton (possibly delivering her weirdest performance to date) do their best, but can't completely overcome the
Dora And the Lost City of Gold ■ (PG). 102 minutes. Now showing in cinemas. A surprisingly entertaining liveaction version of the beloved animated series, this modern updating will please the sea of fans who grew up with the young adventurer, and should embrace the fact that Dora herself has grown, now a resourceful teenager. Gently emulating Indiana Jones-style escapades, director James Bobin and co-writer Nicholas Stoller, who were behind the recent, successful Muppet movies, carry over the same kind of goofy, good-natured atmosphere here, making sure the film maintains a winning mix of innocent charm and self-deprecating comedy (only one scene resorts to modern toilet humour). Isabela Moner is perfect as Dora, and is backed up by a likeable young cast. Recommended family fun. RATING - ***
Good Boys ■ (MA). 89 minutes. Now showing in cinemas. If all you want in a comedy are three 12-year-old boys swearing their heads off and frequently indulging in sex jokes, then this is the film for you. For everyone else, this plotless, pointless, and painfully unfunny outing is yet another nadir for Hollywood, and is especially dispiriting after the excellent Booksmart and Eighth Grade gave audiences hope that the American teen comedy was alive and well. Feels like a five-minute sketch stretched out to ninety. Makes the scattershot, overlong Superbad look like a comic masterpiece. RATING - *
NEW RELEASES AND COMING SOON TO CINEMAS AROUND AUSTRALIA: SEPTEMBER 19: ABOMINABLE, AD ASTRA, DORA AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD, GOOD BOYS, MARGARET ATWOOD: LIVE IN CINEMAS, RAMBO: LAST BLOOD. SEPTEMBER 26: BUOYANCY, RIDE LIKE A GIRL, SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK, THE DEAD DON'T DIE, THE GOLDFINCH, UGLYDOLLS. THE DVD AND BLU-RAY TOP RENTALS & SALES: 1. JOHN WICK: Chapter 3 - Parabellum [Action/Thriller/Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane]. 2. ALADDIN [Adventure/Comedy/Fantasy/ Will Smith, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari]. 3. GODZILLA: King of the Monsters [Action/Fantasy/Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga]. 4. ROCKETMAN [Music/Drama/Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden]. 5. CHILD'S PLAY [Horror/Aubrey Plaza, Gabriel Bateman, Brian Tyree Henry]. 6. WILD ROSE [Drama/Biography/Jessie Buckley, Julie Walters]. 7. RED JOAN [Drama/Biography/Judi Dench, Sophie Cookson, Stephen Campbell Moore]. 8. PETERLOO [Drama/History/Rory Kinnear, Rachel Finnegan, Maxine Peake]. 9. THE HUSTLE [Crime/Comedy/Rebel Wilson, Anne Hathaway]. Also: HIGH LIFE, ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, THE CHAPARONE, TOP END WEDDING, LONG SHOT, BRIGHTBURN, WOMAN AT WAR, THE EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY OF THE FAKIR, THE CURSE OF THE WEEPING WOMAN, ALL IS TRUE. NEW HOME ENTERTAINMENT RELEASE HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK: APOCALYPSE NOW: FINAL CUT [Action/War/ Marlon Brando/Martin Sheen]. X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX [Sci-Fi/Action/Adventure/James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence]. MIB: MEN IN BLACK INTERNATIONAL [Action/Tessa Thompson, Chris Hemsworth].THE BEST OF ENEMIES [Drama/Biography/Sam Rockwell, Anne Heche, Taraji Henson]. DVD AND/OR BLU-RAY NEW & RE-RELEASE CLASSIC MOVIES HIGHLIGHTS: APOCALYPSE NOW REDUX [Action/War/ Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen]. NEW RELEASE TELEVISION, DOCUMENTARY AND MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS: CHARMED (2018): Season 1. THE WALKING DEAD: Season 9. S.W.A.T. Season 2.
DVD COLLECTION: Specialising in Classic and Hard to Find Movies, and Latest Releases Classics, Comedy, TV, Drama, Thriller, Action, Music, Adventure, Cult Classics, Horror, Documentary. All Genres for All Tastes - Box Sets and Limited Editions Collections SHOP 43, THE WALK ARCADE, BOURKE STREET, MELBOURNE. PH: 9654 3825. HOURS: Mon-Thurs 10am to 6pm. Friday: 10am to 7m. Saturday and Sunday: 10am to 5pm.