Tag: entertainment

Jojo Rabbit

Jojo Rabbit is set some seventy five years ago but is strangely relevant today given the current politically and culturally climate. Alt-right racism and unabashed narcissism may seem a long way from 1940’s Germany but perhaps it’s a reminder of what can happen when we fail to rein it in. Maybe it takes a film like Jojo Rabbit. We are witness to a kid who sees it for what it is but also manages to deliver the humour.

Liberal use of the Panzerfaust anti-tank theatre prop places the drama nearer the end of the war. It adds a certain supra boy scout kudos. You get the feeling this kind of thing intrigues audiences – the cultural and technical peculiarities of the Weinmach. Continue reading Jojo Rabbit

Terminator: Dark Fate

Ok, I admit I’m not a Terminator diehard but I’d like to think this affords me a fresh take on the latest release.
Terminator: Dark Fate is the 6th instalment and the formula is now honed and updated sufficiently for contemporary audiences. I had my suspicions. Action and brawn, predictable scripts with uninspired acting and little else. Not so. Arnold Schwarzenegger has come of age. His acting has improved and that’s not surprising since he’s been around for years (or maybe the experience as California’s ‘Govern-ator’ changed him). He manages to portray T-800 Terminator in a new light and to make it/him ‘more human’. In true celluloid tradition he is able to give full expression and without saying a word. Continue reading Terminator: Dark Fate

Joker

Beyond the criticism surrounding the movie Joker there is a story that sets out to challenge the status quo. While there may be some unappetising moments, the difficulty lies in a comic book character lost in genre translation rather than Joaquin Phoenix’s performance. Acknowledging the criticism, I believe the movie successfully portrays a dark and foreboding character.
Director Todd Phillips’ intention is a fresh take on the Joker character and to interpret it in a social realist way so as to delve into the layered depth of the personality. This in itself is challenging because the context is made unfamiliar. But ultimately Todd Phillips is successful in doing so. Continue reading Joker

Apollo 11

The fifty year anniversary of the moon landing has finally arrived (and you can almost hear the sceptics and conspiracy theorists kicking and screaming).
But haven’t we seen all the existing footage numerous times? Todd Douglas Miller’s Apollo 11 is special because much of it consists of rediscovered 70 mm film left in canisters from the National Archives. The angles are new, the faces, the rooms and people all seem from now and not then but for their ’60’s clothing. The effect is disconcerting because the colour and the fresh intensity of the Florida light is beguiling and you are immediately thrust into the magnitude of the event. Continue reading Apollo 11