Reel Review Roundup

Drive Away-Dolls (MA)

Directed by: Ethan Coen

Starring: Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein

Review by: Julian Wright

A cheeky lesbian road trip comedy that doesn’t shy away from sexuality and bouts of graphic violence? Sign us up!

Jamie (Margaret Qualley) is wild and outgoing with a thick southern drawl while Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) is far more measured and reserved in her behaviour, yet the two are best friends.

When they decide to take a road trip to Tallahassee, the rental car they are given by the monotone owner turns out to have precious cargo sought after by a couple of violent goons Arliss (Joy Slotnick) and Flint (C.J Wilson), who begin pursuit.

Short on plot but abundant with wit, bright performances, genuinely funny gags, queer representation and a wicked sense of humour, Drive-Away Dolls is a breath of fresh air.

The leads are both knockouts, and there is a great turn by Beanie Feldstein as Jamie’s nutso ex-girlfriend cop.

Throw in a couple of amusing cameos and a cheeky twist (the contents of the suitcase is a hoot), and you have a winner.

It is also refreshing to experience a zippy comedy that is short, sharp, breezy, and to the point – at under 90 minutes, it is the perfect little distraction.

Baghead (M)

Directed by: Alberto Corredor

Starring: Freya Allan, Jeremy Irvine, Ruby Barker

Review by: Julian Wright

What would you do if you found a creepy old witchy woman who can channel the dead in your basement? For down-on-her-luck Iris Lark, it’s a chance to make big bucks fast.

Iris (Freya Allan) has no money and no home when she inherits a rundown pub after her estranged father, and pub owner, Owen Lark (Peter Mullan) dies.

Not only is it a temporary place to crash, on night two, grief stricken Neil (Jeremy Irvine) comes knocking with wads of cash wanting to clear the air with his dead wife via the creepy woman living in the locked basement.

As if basements weren’t creepy enough! But Iris sees dollar signs.

Of course, there are dire consequences that come with speaking to the dead.

This film ask a giant leap of faith of the audience, when in one single scene, Iris reconciles a crazy local, a witchy tenant, supernatural occurrences, a possession, and a lot of rules about her downstairs resident.

It is an intriguing set-up, that feels like it needed an extra beat or two to sink in.

Regardless, the atmospherics are on point and even the most hardened horror buff should get a few jolts out of it.

There are echoes of the recent Talk To Me, though where that explores flirtations with the dead as an addictive adrenaline rush, this is more about the need for closure with loved ones. Although the closure that Neil seeks offers us a delicious twist.

And there is a surprising amount of emotion weaved into this little chiller that, at first, comes off simply as a haunted pub flick.

Saltburn (MA)

Directed by: Emerald Fennell

Starring: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike

Review by: Julian Wright

Promising Young Woman creator Emerald Fennell takes a swing at the rich in this wicked, erotic and hilarious romp.

Oxford University scholarship student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) is a quiet and introverted young fellow, his awkward demeanor an indication that he doesn’t really fit the social and financial standing of his peers at the prestigious institution.

He soon befriends the rich and charismatic Felix Catton (Jacon Elordi), who invites Oliver to spend the summer at his manor with his eccentric family, mother Elspeth (Rosamund Pike), father James (Richard E. Grant) and sister Venetia (Alison Oliver).

Oliver is at first overwhelmed by how the other half live and behave, yet soon becomes quite accustomed; but the summer eventually takes a deadly turn.

After Promising Young Woman, Fennell delivers yet another darkly comic (it is pitch black in parts) and daring tale, but with a completely different vibe.

Adding sensuality and eroticism into the mix, this cheeky romp rivals Cruel Intentions in the horny rich teens sub-genre.

Saltburn is filmed in a stunning fashion, has a script that is littered with sharp, biting dialogue and has an accomplished a cast that captures every beat with pitch perfection; Pike is a scene-stealing standout, and Carey Mulligan matches her in a glorified cameo.

Fennell came out of the gate strong with a clear message in Promising; some may say her message was far too obvious and heavy-handed.

On the flip side, it is difficult to ascertain what her message is with Saltburn.

Sure she takes damning swipes at the rich and how they treat the less fortunate, but this isn’t exactly revelatory.

But hey if her goal was to simply deliver a fun, beautifully looking romp for adults, there is nothing wrong with that and she has certainly delivered.

Copa 71 (M)

Directed by: James Erskine, Rachel Ramsay

Starring: Elvira Aracen, Brandi Chastain, Birte Kjems

Review by: Julian Wright

Directors James Erskine and Rachel Ramsay uncover a long-buried event and milestone in women’s sport with heartwarming and heartbreaking results.

Not that we would know it now, but women’s sport was once thriving, with clubs bursting with female members and players, and matches drawing huge crowds.

There was even enough demand for women’s sporting competitions, that a Women’s Soccer World Cup was held in Mexico, in 1971, decades before FIFA sanctioned its first in 1991.

The pioneering women from the international teams that participated in this event, which played out in a packed 110,000 capacity stadium, finally have a chance to tell their story; the dizzying highs and devastating lows.

This is a crowd-pleasing documentary if ever there was one, with a cast of loveable interviewees eloquently relaying their memories with cheeky humour and pathos, nail-biting archival footage and enough injustice to leave one frustrated, but also with a sense of hope.

These powerhouse women are such lovely company to keep that you feel you could listen to more stories. The camaraderie between them is just beautiful and something you rarely see among male athletes.

There is a sense of melancholy as this documentary ends, for all the potential talent buried, opportunities missed and dreams unfulfilled because a handful of men decided to quash women’s sport.

Had women been allowed to continue, the landscape of sporting could be completely different today; possibly more inclusive, open and supportive.

One of the more shocking revelations to all of this is that not even current women’s world cup champions had never heard of this chapter of sporting history.

This is one piece of history you will want to learn; watch it and share it.

Copa 71 is playing as part of Perth Festival Lotterywest Films from November 20 – 26

The Exorcist: Believer (MA)

Directed by: David Gordon Green

Starring: Leslie Odom Jr., Ann Dowd, Ellen Burstyn

Review by: Julian Wright

Another anniversary, another resurrected horror franchise; from the team behind the recent Halloween trilogy/requels, the 50th anniversary of seminal film The Exorcist is celebrated with a new story tenuously tied to the original.

When two young girls Angela (Lidya Jewett) and Katherine (Olivia O’Neill) go into the woods after school to get up to some harmless mischief, they re-emerge three days later with no recollection of the missing time.

Their parents are understandably mystified, which is only enhanced when the two girls begin exhibiting unusual behaviour.

When the signs point to possession, Angela’s dad Victor (Leslie Odom Jr.) turns to Chris MacNeill (Ellen Bustyn), whose daughter Regan (Linda Blair) was possessed by the devil and underwent an exorcism in the 1970s.

Chris has spent the time since studying all cultures and the way they deal with similar situations, but her best-selling book drove a wedge between her and Regan, who has cut all ties.

The Exorcist: Believer sets up an intriguing story with the two girls, offers a couple of effective jolt scares, and builds unsettling tension as the girls’ behaviour becomes more erratic (particularly Angela, who gets more dedicated screen time in this area).

Alas, despite the film’s promise of more bang for our buck with two possessions (double the spewing, double to foul language, double the crucifix masturbation!), director Green retreats into the opposite direction.

As if convinced that he doesn’t have the creativity or skill-set to come anywhere near close to matching the original, he makes almost no attempt to shock or rattle.

Instead, what we end up with is possibly the tamest and safest exorcism film, let alone Exorcist film, ever made.

Of course, we are not demanding a copy and paste of a film that has managed to terrorise generations, and still to this day has the ability to stun, but to not even try to recreate what made it so terrifying begs the question: what is the point here?

Where’s the shockingly offensive language coming from these sweet and innocent little girls mouths? Where’s the eye-covering horror? Where are the obscene acts? This could almost pass with an M-rating.

Not only are the visual and visceral horror elements missing, but this film side-steps any depth, with every character (and there are several introduced) given little to no substance, only that which is dropped in clunky exposition-heavy dialogue.

Remember in the original how Father Karrass (Jason Miller) battled his own demons, wracked with guilt over his mother and questioning his own faith? Nothing like that here.

It eventually becomes depressingly clear what the point is: to cash-in on a popular IP and the last chance to finally see now very aged Burstyn step back into her most popular role.

Added salt to the wound is Chris MacNeill’s fate, which is almost unforgivable and the film’s only attempt to shock its audience.

And there are supposed to be two more of these, which could mean room for improvement, but we wont hold out breaths.

Saw X (R)

Directed by: Kevin Greutert

Starring: Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Synnøve Macody Lund

Review by: Julian Wright

Self appointed moral police and (not quite) serial killer Jigsaw returns to the big screen for the 10th entry in the franchise with a chapter that sits between the first and second films, for more carnage.

Facing brain cancer and only a few months to live, John Kramer (Tobin Bell) turns to experimental and expensive treatment run by the sympathetic Dr Cecilia Pederson (Synnøve Macody Lund) and her team in Mexico.

After undoing surgery and taking the prescribed medication, John discovers the treatment was a sham and the team are scammers who target the sick and vulnerable. Big mistake.

He tracks them down, locks them up and has them endure a range of potentially deadly traps to make them learn a valuable lesson.

It may sound drearily familiar, particularly to those who have kept up with the seemingly un-killable Saw series over the years, which was key in introducing the torture porn sub-genre in 2004.

But after a slew of very average sequels and a fascinatingly strange but not completely successful reboot (written by and starring Chris Rock), Saw X takes a different tack.

The long, drawn out story about John and his medical saga plays more like a disease of the week drama (without the heart string tugging) in a surprising change of pace for the series.

Some may even begin to check their watch and wonder when the carnage will kick in.

When the blood does begin to spill, the story strengthens the mentor/mentee relationship between John and former victim Amanda (Shawnee Smith), focusing on character as much as nausea-inducing ways of desecrating the human body.

While still unable to capture the shock and awe of the first couple (those twists really left an impact), Saw X does provide more opportunity for food for thought and far better performances than this series usually allows – a pleasant surprise this far into the game.

Dracula – Voyage of the Demeter (MA)

Directed by: André Øvredal

Starring: Corey Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi, David Dastmalchian

Review by: Julian Wright

Instead of another straight-forward adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Troll Hunter director André Øvredal takes the reins on this expansion of one particular chapter that charts the vampire’s voyage from Carpathia to England.

The crew of the Demeter have some unusual cargo to take along with them on the treacherous seas – a giant wooden box with mysterious markings.

When one crew members sees the markings and quits, it leaves an opening for Clemens (Corey Hawkins), a doctor by trade who needs a ride, to join the crew.

Not only does Clemens clash with the tight-knit group of rough-edged seamen, he finds himself trapped in a deadly situation – someone or something is slaughtering the food supply, and eventually the crew members, at night.

With nowhere to go, the remaining crew members must face the predator with a strong thirst for blood – Dracula.

Voyage of the Demeter is a hit and miss experience, but what is does successfully is make Dracula scary again.

It keeps him in the shadows, only slowly revealing the physicality of the character in glimpses for the longest time a la Alien.

Øvredal aims for suspense and drawn out tension ahead of cheap shocks and thrills, and he does achieve a mostly spine tingling chiller, utilising every creepy corner of the eerie location.

The characters leave a bit to be desired, though the cast do their best to inject some appeal when the story becomes drawn out and repetitive.

After vampires were romanticised in the Twilight series and Dracula lampooned in this year’s Renfield, it is refreshing to see the most famous blood sucker strike terror into audiences again.