Next screening "Wake in Fright" Thursday 10th December 2009

6.30pm pre-screening drink
7.00pm film screens commences
Rated M

****1/2 David Stratton **** Margaret Pomeranz 7.9/10 IMDB

"The best and most terrifying film about Australia in existence" - Nick Cave

We are very pleased to announce the Australian classic and now Cannes' classic, "Wake in Fright" will be screened.

This year Wake in Fright was inaugurated into the Cannes' Film Festival Classics after originally being nominated for the 1971 Cannes 'Grand Prix du Festival International du Film' (now know as Palme d'Or/Golden Palm). The film disappeared and it was the then editor of the film who traced the negatives to a vault in America. He found them a couple of days before they were due to be destroyed. There's a story in itself ....

Brutal, uncompromising and stunning WAKE IN FRIGHT tells is the story of a young
teacher, John Grant, who arrives in a rough outback mining town planning to stay
overnight before catching the plane to Sydney. But, on this one hot night in
Bundanyabba, Grant decides to go into a smoky, crowded pub...

However, one night stretches to five, in which he discovers gambling, ruins himself
financially and plunges headlong toward his own destruction.

When the alcohol-induced mist lifts, the educated John Grant is no more. Instead there is a self-loathing man in a desolate wasteland, dirty, red-eyed, sitting against a
tree and looking at a rifle with one bullet left...

There is no Australian film quite like WAKE IN FRIGHT. Nominated for the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival in 1971 and still as raw and fresh today as it was then, rediscover this lost cinematic masterpiece as it screens for the first time in
nearly 40 years. (courtesy http://www.wakeinfright.com/ and refer this website for history and more information)

Wake in Fright was shot in Broken Hill and Sydney at Ajax Studios, Bondi. The film is produced by George Willoughby, Bill Harmon and Howard G. Barnes, directed by Ted Kotcheff and starring British actors Donald Pleasence, Gary Bond and Sylvia Kay, and Australian star Chips Rafferty (in his last feature film). Other cast members include a young Jack Thompson in his first feature film role, Al Thomas, Peter Whittle and John Meillon. More info on our blog site, including the history of finding the film.

LINKS

http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s2590361.htm

Wake in Fright interview with Director Ted Kotcheff http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s2598365.htm

Rated M

Next Screening "There will be Blood" Thursday 19th November 2009

6.30pm pre-screening drink
7.00pm film screens commences


***** David Stratton ****1/2 Margaret Pomeranz 8.2/10 IMDB 113,655 voters


A sprawling epic of family, faith, power and oil. There will be Blood is set on the incindenary frontier of California's turn-of-the century petroleum boom.The story chronicles the life of Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), who transforms himself from a down-and-out silver miner raising a son on his own to a self-made tycoon.



Reviews and trailers

http://www.therewillbeblood.com/

http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s2143983.htm

Awards
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0469494/awards


RATED M

Next screening "Milk" Thursday 17 Sept 2009

6.30pm pre-screening drink
7.00pm film commences

***** David ****1/2 Margaret ABC’s ‘At the Movies’

Academy Award Winner Sean Penn – Best Actor

"Milk" - Never Blend In
The story of California’s first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk, who was assassinated in 1978.


In 1977, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to be voted into major public office in America. His victory was not just a victory for gay rights; he forged coalitions across the political spectrum. From senior citizens to union workers, Harvey Milk changed the very nature of what it means to be a fighter for human rights and became, before his untimely death in 1978, a hero for all Americans.

Academy Award winner Sean Penn stars as Harvey Milk under the direction of Academy Award nominee Gus Van Sant filmed on location in San Francisco from an original screenplay by Dustin Lance Black and produced by Academy Award winners Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen.

The film charts the last eight years of Harvey Milk’s life.

Above synposis courtesy Film in Focus - to continue reading more go to their website
http://www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/milk/synopsis


Trailer and review http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s2425401.htm

More info on Film in Focus
http://www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/milk/?flashsection=videos

Rated M

Heckle 'n Jeckle review of "Band's Visit"

Hello Film Buffs

Poor Jeckle was ill so it's down to Heckle to go it alone with thoughts about The Band's Visit. It took a little while for me to "get into" this film but once there I was hooked. It was a simple story about a situation which occurs all the time - two disparate groups of people accidentally thrown together. The relationship between some of the band members and their hosts, during their short time together brought some of their life choices to the fore with varying degrees of regret. However their self discovery left me feeling that all would be well for them. The film was both poignant and funny. The band members were rediculous, but dignified - very likeable. I loved the bleak, but beautiful landscape, contrasting with the blue uniforms. It was a 3 1/2 star rating for me.

Goodbye Lenin - seen by Heckle and Jeckle at the Nova - but we'll be there with bells on to see it again. Don't miss it!! Once again a sad but funny film. It's about a loving family protecting their dying mother from the truth about the fact that Lenin is no longer.

Next screening "Good Bye Lenin!" Thursday 23 July 2009

"This Award-winning and audience-pleasing film - it stunned the box office in Germany - has impressive performances and a lovely premise."Margaret Pomeranz, The Movie Show

**** David Stratton, The Movie Show

"one of the most original and brilliant films this year." The Observer/BBC

"A heart-warming German blockbuster, Good Bye, Lenin!, dominated the European Film Awards, taking six top prizes at the 16th annual competition" Sydney Morning Herald

Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJb4efZcFUM

Synopsis (courtesy Madman films)
The German Democratic Republic lives on -- in 79 square meters!

The year is 1989 and East and West Germany are still divided. Alex (Daniel Bruhl) and his sister Ariane (Maria Simon) live in East Germany with their single mother, Christiane (Katrin Sass) who is a staunch Socialist. When Alex's mother witnesses his arrest on a protest march, she suffers a heart attack and falls into a coma for eight months, just enough time for the Berlin wall to come tumbling down along with all of East Germany's ideals.When Chrisiane wakes up - things have changed. The doctors warn Alex that any shock could bring on a fatal heart attack, so Alex devises a plan to convince his mother that her beloved Communism has not been overthrown but is in fact triumphing over Capitalism. Alex sets out to recreate every detail of the old East inside the four walls of their tiny council flat. What begins as a little white lie, soon turns into a major deception with hilarious consequences.

Rated M
In German with English subtitles

Director: Wolfgang Becker
Cast: Daniel Brühl, Katrin Sas, Chulpan Khamatova, Chulpan Khamatova, Chulpan Khamatova

Trivia from IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0301357/trivia

Reminder - our AGM is just before the film at 5.30pm

Next screening “Bikur Ha-Tizmoret (The Band’s Visit)” from Israel

Thursday 25th June 2009

6.30pm pre-screening drink
7.00pm film commences

*****1/2 David **** Margaret

"I'm giving it four and a half. I love this film" David Stratton

A Egyptian police band arrives in Israel to perform at the Arab Arts Cultural Centre, only to find themselves in the wrong town...

The eight members of the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Band, led by Toofik, (SASSON GABAI), arrive at an airport in Israel and find no-one is there to meet them.They are here to play at the Arab Culture Centre in a provincial town, but the town they arrive at, by bus, is the wrong one – a dot in the desert where culture of any kind is non-existent. However there IS Dina, (RONIT ELKABETZ), who runs a local café.Dina invites Toofik and Khaled, (SALEH BAKRI), who is a bit of a ladies’ man, to stay at her place; the others find friendly locals who accommodate them. (courtesy ABC 'At the Movie's review)

Rated M
Written (in Arabic, English and Hebrew, with English subtitles) and directed by Eran Kolirin;

Filmed at Yeruham, Negev Desert, Israel

Trailer and ABC's At The Movies review http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s2265615.htm

Director’s interview
http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s2265627.htm

“Sukkar Banat (Caramel)” Thursday 14th May 2009

**** David ***1/2 Margaret

Thursday 14th May
6.30pm pre-screening drink
7.00pm film commences

“Caramel” has an optimism born not of dreamy romanticism but of resilience and a degree of hard-headedness. Life for these women is not easy or especially fair, and each of them faces moments of humiliation, loneliness and potential heartbreak. But in the best melodramatic tradition, their toughness, good humor and loyalty see them through. Those qualities, and Ms. Labaki’s evident affection for the battered panache of her native city, make “Caramel” hard to resist. A O Scott, New York Times

Synopsis
A Beirut beauty salon is the setting for the ups and downs of romantic life for a group of Lebanese women in CARAMEL. Layale is the owner of the salon who is unsatisfactorily involved with a married man. Her salon colleagues Nisrine and Rima are sympathetic and supportive, while local policeman Youssef is secretly besotted by her.Nisrine has problems of her own, she’s about to get married and is worried that her husband will find out she’s not a v_rg_n and Rima is ambivalent about her own s__uality. Meanwhile salon clients Jamale and Rose are concerned about aging and lost opportunities.

Trailer
http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s2350018.htm

Next screening "Lucky Miles" Thursday 19th March 2009

**** Margaret ***1/2 David

Rated MA

Thursday 19th March, 6pm pre-screening drink, 6.30pm film commences

Our first Australian movie the film society has screened. "Lucky Miles" opened the previous Adelaide Film Festival and was the winner of the Audience Award at the Sydney Film Festival. A bitter-sweet comedy was a daring approach by first time feature director, Michael James Rowland, to a phenomenon that many Australians take very seriously

SYNOPSIS:It's 1990 and an Indonesian fishing boat abandons a dozen Iraqi and Cambodian refugees on a remote Western Australian beach, promising them that a bus over the sandhills will soon come and take them to Perth. When the fishing boat sinks on its way home, the two people smugglers also end up in the empty outback. Most of the men are quickly caught, except for two of the asylum seekers and one of the fishermen. The three, Arun (Kenneth Moraleda), Youssif (Rodney Afif) and the fisherman Ramelan (Srisacd Sacdpraseuth), with nothing in common but their misfortune and determination, escape arrest and begin an epic journey through the deserted landscape. Laconically pursued by an army reservist unit, they bicker amongst themselves as they try to find a big town - like Broome or Perth - without the slightest idea of the distances involved.

Trailers
http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s1963611.htm

http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=13304&s=Reviews

Member review “Heckle and Jeckle”

We’ll be holidaying for the next film, LUCKY MILES, but don’t miss this little gem of an Aussie film. We saw it at the Nova in Adelaide and loved it. Full of poignancy and black humour, it is based on the true story of a small group of naive asylum seekers who are left on a remote West Australian shore by some unscrupulous people smugglers, who have promised them that civilisation is “just over the hill”. Their long and arduous journey to civilisation is funny and heart wrenching. We loved the characters for their tenacity, courage and optimism. The acting is fantastic, the scenery is magnificent as only the Australian wilderness can be and the 10 second final scene is an absolute corker
!

Nom de plume review

Two of our members - with a non-de plume of Heckle and Jeckle - are kindly reviewing our films screened.

FOREVER VESPA wasn’t the most riveting of documentaries, but learning about the history of this Italian icon was great. Judging by the general age of our fellow viewers, we suspect there was quite a bit of nostalgia wafting through the theatre. It was a real wander down memory lane for us. In the 60s, several of our fellow student nurses rode Vespa Scooters. During the interval we well recalled the night that 12 of us, having consumed a considerable amount of Barossa Pearl, crammed into and onto our friend Heather’s little red Fiat Bambino and drove around the block at the Sir Lyell McEwin hospital. Very irresponsible!!

Next Screening 'Piccolo Italian Film Festival'

Thursday 19th February - film screens 6.30pm sharp - doors close 6.35pm

Our members will be treated to two films for their February film! Our "Piccolo Italian Film Festival" will screen two films from the International Italian Film Festival that toured worldwide, including all Australian capital cities and is now screening in New Zealand. The first film to be screened is "Forever Vespa "and one TBA.

Screening night will be a little different - screening "Forever Vespa" at 6.30pm sharp, then intermission with complimentary glass of wine, nibbles and second screening. NB: Doors close 6.35pm.

Forever Vespa
The Vespa: an Italian symbol of a fresh start at the end of World War II; a picture of optimism and of growing wealth; an emblem of the family; and the witness of many love stories. Exactly 62 years after its arrival on the scene, the Vespa is still a cult object worldwide for young and old, a vehicle capable of changing its look while keeping its own familiar design. The Vespa, a mere scooter, has remained in vogue for no less than six decades. Its story runs parallel with the history of Italy and Europe from the end of the war until present day, step by step with the social and cultural changes that have taken place in the last 60 years.

The story is narrated with the help of firsthand testimonials, exclusive interviews with those who first launched the Vespa on the market, designers of various models over the years, those who have analysed the Vespa phenomenon, as well as charming interviews with collectors and fans of Vespas worldwide. (Synopsis courtesy New Zealand Italian Film Festival 2008)

Voting now open for The Secret of the Grain

Well, that one made for some lively discussion over dinner and a few reds. What did you think? One of our member's went home to couscous tonight!

Go to the right of this page and have a vote and let us know what you thought.

Next movie 19th February - more details shortly. See you all then!