Reel Review Roundup

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.

Gran Turismo (PG)

Directed by: Neill Blomkamp

Starring: Orlando Bloom, Archie Madekwe, David Harbour

Review by: Julian Wright

The hugely popular racing video game takes a lap on the big screen, but in an interesting and novel twist, the game itself is not adapted, but a true story involving it.

Marketing hotshot Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom) makes a wild pitch to his bosses: launch a Gran Turismo video game competition and train the top players to be real life race car drivers.

Remarkably, they give the OK.

Passionate gamer Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), who doesn’t even have a drivers license and whose father disapproves of the time he dedicates to his gaming, wins a spot in the race car drivers boot camp for gamers.

The timid teen must defeat all odds, and over-come his lack of confidence and doubters, to rise through the ranks of the competitive and dangerous sport.

Taking on this true story is a clever way to honour the game without going down the obvious route of adapting it.

The story is almost too unreal to believe, which makes it an engaging watch, however this leans into soap opera family melodrama with dialogue and relationships that seem to have been spat out of an AI.

Where Gran Turismo soars, however, is in the racing scenes.

Director Blomkamp creates some of the most thrilling track sequences, heightening the tension and dazzling with some nifty camerawork (the dizzying moves through the stadiums are like a roller-coaster ride) and remarkable sound design.

The revs with leave you vibrating with glee.

Barbie (PG)

Directed by: Greta Gerwig

Starring: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrara

Review by: Julian Wright

The iconic toy that has had one of the greatest cultural impacts, Barbie, finally makes her feature film debut.

Bright, bubbly and aesthetically flawless “Stereotypical” Barbie (Margot Robbie) is a free spirit; thriving and loving life in BarbieLand, which she inhabits with all the different Barbie versions (President Barbie, Astronaut Barbie etc), and Kens.

It is a Barbie dominated utopia where each Barbie is the strong, confident and powerful manifestation of their owner’s imagination.

When Barbie begins to change, (pondering death out loud and her arched feet suddenly become flat), she turns to an outcast Barbie (Kate McKinnon), whose owner chopped her hair, drew on her face and leaves her in the splits position, for help.

The news isn’t great – Barbie’s owner is having an existential crisis, so Barbie heads to the real world, with hunky Ken (Ryan Gosling) in tow, to cheer her up, but they are confronted by the harsh realities of Los Angeles, California.

When Ken realises that men get all the respect and opportunities in the real world, he intends to alter BarbieLand to reflect it.

Barbie the movie is a clever exploration of the Barbie legacy, her impact (both positive and negative) on girls, young women and wider society, and what she has represented to different generations.

In fact, one may not have realised just how complex this pretty little piece of plastic shaped liked an unrealistically beautiful woman could be until this movie.

Director Greta Gerwig, who co-scripted with her hubby Noah Baumbach, is clearly having a blast with the opportunity to be creative – the sets and costumes are an eye popping rainbow of colours fit for the big screen.

And they appear to mostly have free reign with their clever, witty and exploratory script. There are of course the occasional suggestions of studio and Mattel influence that creep in (male demographic appealing Will Ferrell in a key role and Ken’s redemption arc seem in conflict with what this film is trying to say and achieve).

Of course, they could not have complete autonomy and control; this is, after all, a huge IP with tonnes of money behind it and a marketing campaign that is, and will likely remain, unrivaled.

And yet the pair acknowledge this, poke fun, and make some biting observations about soulless corporations, while still maintaining a much deeper experience than one may anticipate.

Gerwig does go hard in the final stages in delivering her messages – a sledgehammer would have been subtler.

Robbie delivers another knock out performance as the pretty face that ends up with the weight of the world and the ongoing battle against the patriarchy suddenly on her shoulders, but it is Gosling who shines with comedic flair, unafraid to be vulnerable and silly in this, in some ways, risk-taking film.

Not everything gels, but it is always an entertaining and interesting experience that encourages us to look deeper.

Joy Ride (MA)

Directed by: Adele Lim

Starring: Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu

Reviewed by: Julian Wright

How would you like a large dose of raunch with your identity crisis?

Besties since they bonded as children over being the only Asian children in town, Audrey (Ashley Park) and Lolo (Sherry Cola) are opposites.

Audrey, who feels stuck between two cultures as an adoptee of a white couple, is a studious lawyer and Lolo is an outgoing, struggling artist.

When Audrey scores a work trip to Beijing, Lolo comes along, but brings her awkward K-pop loving cousin Deadeye (Sabrina Wu), and the three meet up with Audrey’s college roommate Kat (Stephanie Hsu, who stars in a hit Netflix series.

The new location gives Audrey the opportunity to track down her birth mother, but complication abound and the foursome find themselves in a few spicy situations.

Mixing the best parts of Bridesmaids and Girls Trip, Joy Ride is about four adult women getting up to adult shenanigans.

The stars are an absolute dream of chemistry and comic timing, and director Adel Lim is unafraid let them loose.

Lim’s own eye for comedy is not to be overlooked (the vagina POV shot is a comedic highlight) and she manages to balance the filthy with the heartfelt.

While we have seen comedies about female friendships before, what this one looks at it through a identity crisis lens, offering a new dimension.

But with full frontal nudity, a threesome, coarse language and more, this is a gloriously filthy celebration of funny women in film.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (M)

Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie

Starring: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames

Review by: Julian Wright

Tom Cruise runs, leaps, flies, plummets and drives through another smashing entry in the M:I series, that refuses to take a breath.

Governments around the world are in a race to come into possession of both halves of a key that, when put together, can access a powerful AI that is becoming increasingly and dangerously aware and manipulative.

MIF agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team Luther (Ving Rhames) and Benji (Simon Pegg) are on the case to recover the two halves, but so is renowned thief Grace (Hayley Atwell) who has been hired to steal one half.

The mission brings Hunt face to face with an old enemy Gabriel (Esai Morales) who is hell bent on making life miserable for Hunt.

The seventh in the series is a long, tense and suspenseful tease in the build up to the breathtaking action sequences and stunts.

 Here, director Christopher McQuarrie spends the first half focused on conversations, building the plot, stakes and tension before gifting us his glorious action.

And even when he shifts to action, he is still intent on sustain the drama by embracing and leaning into tragedy, something so few blockbusters do these days. Let’s just say a favourite character does not make it until the end this time.

They have struck gold with Atwell, who is a bright addition to the series, as she exudes star appeal and can keep up with the athletic Cruise.

About the only detractor in this film is how hard it works to paint Hunt as a saintly hero, always putting others ahead of himself, even those he has only just met (particularly female, of course).

This is only half the story and part two cannot come soon enough.

The Flash (M)

Directed by: Andy Muschietti

Starring: Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle

Review by: Julian Wright

The Flash’s first solo outing in the DC universe has a few pleasant surprises up its sleeve but it zips from great to messy.

With his Mum Nora (Maribel Verdu) dead and innocent father Henry (Ron Livinsgton) on trial for her murder (and it is not looking good for him), Barry/The Flash uses his speed to go back in time and prevent the tragedy.

But he bumps into his younger self, and thus begins a domino effect of change that could be beyond his expertise to fix.

Barry’s actions don’t just impact the future, but also events previous to his interference.

He must navigate the multiverse with a different version of Batman (Michael Keaton), Kara Zoe-El aka Supergirl (Sasha Calle) and his newly flashed-up alternate version to stop General Zod (Michael Michael Shannon) from destroying the planet.

What starts as a clever, funny, imaginatively helmed adventure (the hospital sequence is a superhero movie all-timer!) eventually devolves into an over-long, heavy handed, overwhelmingly loud and hectic slog.

In his attempt to mesh Marvel whimsy with Zack Snyder’s senses assaulting action, director Andy Muschietti loses his way and the film buckles under the pressure of his own ambition.

Though Miller is undoubtedly troubled, the impressive range he displays from goofily charming to sinister as the various iterations of Barrys is what holds this entire thing together.

The Easter Eggs and cameos are a hoot, but the very apparent and distracting CGI is a huge let down , with characters often looking like video game creations from the early 2010s.

The Flash is a smashingly entertaining ride, so long as you switch it off at about the two hour mark.