Goldstone

“Are you a cop? Sometimes.”

Ivan Sen has found recognition both at home in Australia and abroad, particularly with his features that draw on his Indigenous heritage; Beneath Clouds, Toomelah and Mystery Road. His latest feature, Goldstone is a sequel to the last of those and once again follows Indigenous Detective Jay Swan.

We open with a montage of sepia pictures from the gold rush as strings soar over the top. We see a society that’s divided by both race and class - a very deliberate foreshadowing to open the film. Many years later, we see Detective Jay Swan (Aaron Pedersen) driving along an open road in a desolate outback. He’s pulled over by Josh (Alex Russell), the local cop from nearby town/roadstop Goldstone. Obviously drunk, Josh takes the detective into the precinct. Soon it becomes clear that Jay’s in Goldstone on federal business, to follow up on a missing persons report. However that is far from the only suspicious occurrence happening in this small desert outcrop, and soon Jay’s detective skills are put to the test.

I’d been looking forward to Goldstone for quite a while now, not just because it feels that we’re still in a quality film drought as we move into the second half of the year, but also because I appreciate great films that come out of our own industry. Goldstone looked to me to fit both those bills, but in the end I left decidedly underwhelmed. I think Ivan Sen is a talented writer/director and obviously has immense skills in other areas (more on that later) but unfortunately Goldstone falls into the familiar Australian crime/drama trap of overburdening the story with stereotyped characters. Be it the creepy mine manager with a bad haircut and outdated glasses who bribes his way through life with wads of $50 notes (David Wenham), the equally corrupt mayor who avoids suspicion with sweet talk and baked goods; “I’m just an old lady who likes to bake pies” (Jacki Weaver), or the redneck hermit who’s incapable of stringing a sentence together without a handful of f-bombs (Max Cullen). It’s difficult to take a film seriously when the lead - and Aaron Pedersen is extremely good - stands out like a sore thumb in a sea of caricatures.

The core elements of the plot, the missing persons inquiry and the prostitution ring, I thought were interesting and worked to flip some of the preconceptions people may have about the outback. However, its execution was a bit hit and miss. The conversations between May (Michelle Lim Davidson) and Josh were some of the best scenes in Goldstone and was where Sen’s dialogue peaked, however in other parts it had a tendency to fall into cliched phrases - as always, test this by seeing how many sentences you can finish. The other side-stories/happenings - as few as there were - just didn’t work as well, and there’s not much mystery involved either, just a constant tension. The story picks up speed in the final act but can’t make up for the up-and-down pacing that dominates the first part of the film.

Parts of Goldstone are helped along by the superb performances from Aaron Pederson and Alex Russell, with the relationship between the two cops one of the better takeaways from it. David Gulpilil also manages to do a lot with his relatively small screen time. However, you can’t escape the aforementioned stereotypes, and the ridiculous, pretentious portrayals from some of the supporting cast are really the worst parts of Goldstone, Jacki Weaver in particular. I normally really like her performances but her Mayor here just felt like a reincarnation of her homely psychopath ‘Smurf’ from Animal Kingdom, only on overdrive. Beyond that, the character actually just doesn’t feel like she fits in with the rest of the Goldstone community.

Others have suggested that Sen - who as usual also shot, edited and composed on top of his directorial duties - should have taken a step back and reeled in some of these issues, and perhaps we need to have a discussion about how much the multiple roles of filmmakers like Sen (Robert Rodriguez does a similar thing) actually affects the end result of their films. As an amateur filmmaker myself I can appreciate the desire to put your stamp on each part of the process, but that doesn’t rule out the process of collaboration. I also thought personally that whilst the film is very beautiful, there could be more done creatively with such a stunning backdrop, and perhaps a dedicated cinematographer could have given the film an extra edge - although of course the aesthetics are always subjective and what I might yearn for, could turn away other audience members.

If you’re a fan of Mystery Road, then Goldstone is probably worth checking out, and it’s far from a terrible film. It’s just not as exciting, not as moving, and not as mysterious as it could have been.

Last Cab to Darwin

There are certain Australian films that are totally immersed in our cultural relevance; The Castle, The Dish and Kenny among others. However it's rare to find a film from our homegrown industry which balances social issues, local folklore, comedy and raw emotion quite as well as Last Cab to Darwin, Jeremy Sims' and Reg Cribb's long-running project, starring Darryl Kerrigan himself, Michael Caton.

Rex (Michael Caton) is cab driver in Broken Hill, New South Wales, a local town where he's good friends with everybody. When he's not having a beer with his mates, he's at home with his dog - affectionately named Dog - or snuggling up on the porch with his neighbor and mistress, Polly (Ningali Lawford), although he's not very open about the fact that he's secretly dating an Aborigine. Despite all the people who know and love him, Rex feels alone, and to make matters worse his cancer has progressed to the stage that he only has approximately three months left to live. After hearing Dr. Nicole Farmer (Jacki Weaver) discussing the recently passed euthanasia laws in the Northern Territory, Rex decides that he'll do what he does best and drive all the way to Darwin, in the hope that he'll get a chance to die with dignity. 

About 12 years after he was telling lawyers to "go and get stuffed" and arguing over the price of jousting sticks, Michael Caton signed on to the lead role in Last Cab to Darwin, and after years of script re-writes and funding debacles, the film is getting an unusually widespread release around Australia. An international theatrical run is unlikely at this stage but I certainly hope something will come of it, because as we burgeon on potentially our best year in two decades as an industry, this film certainly sets the bar high for local productions. It's also sure to be a high-point in Michael Caton's career, because as much as I love Darryl Kerrigan, there's no doubt that this is Caton's best performance to date. The dry wit and down-to-earth attitude of a lonely, dying taxi driver is perfectly encapsulated in his portrayal, to the point that it's almost impossible not to love and sympathize with Rex.

Jacki Weaver is good as the soft-spoken, yet determined Dr. Nicole Farmer - although her role could have been more fleshed out - and Mark Coles Smith exudes charisma as the somewhat confused, but always entertaining Tilly. Some elements of the plot feel slightly too contrived, particularly when Rex and Tilly just happen to connect with a backpacker who's also a well-trained nurse, but overall this is a well-written, character driven film.

With a story that could have so easily rolled into road-trip cliche hell, Sims adroitly swerves around the obvious to tell a provocative story about Rex, and surprisingly does justice to almost all the supporting characters. There's an eloquence to the ease with which Last Cab to Darwin approaches a range of different issues - both personal and social - without blatantly commenting on the fragility of the human condition.  There's a definite mateship between Rex and his friends, even when they selfishly avoid his personal issues and choose to just natter over a beer, and on some level the film recognises the apartheid nature of the outback which we don't necessarily hear about in the coastal regions of Australia.

In a Q&A after the screening, Sims described Rex as Darryl Kerrigan's alter ego, an introvert that firmly believes that nobody would miss him if he were to be euthenised, allowing him to initially undertake the journey without too much personal struggle. "I'm a Cab driver Doc. So I'm gonna drive my cab until I can't drive it any more". In this respect, it's as much a film about learning to better understand just what we all mean to each other, as it is a spark toward the almost-dormant euthanasia debate.

Whilst central to the story, euthanasia and all the opinions around it are handled with a suitably light touch. The film convinces its audience that its a worthwhile debate but also manages to represent all the perspectives. We understand the position of Dr. Farmer, who comes off as slightly selfish in her push to support euthanasia. We see the effects of Rex's decision on those that love him, and most importantly, we're entirely sympathetic to Rex himself, no matter what decision he finally decides to make.

Last Cab to Darwin is a fantastic road film, taking a sensitive issue that will relate to a global audience and treating it with all the respect it deserves, perfectly situated in a unique setting with a character that will no doubt go down as a memorable element of Australian cinema. The message of the film isn't necessarily that everybody should have the right to die with dignity when they choose, but rather that everybody should have the right to live a gratifying life.

Magic in the Moonlight

Well after nearly fifty years of his career and nearly fifty films written & directed (quite an achievement on it's own), Woody Allen is still going strong with his latest film, the romantic period piece, Magic in the Moonlight

In 1928, Stanley Crawford (Colin Firth), the renowned illusionist, fraud de-bunker and supreme egotist is called upon by fellow performer and childhood friend Howard (Simon McBurney) to expose a spiritualist named Sophie (Emma Stone) who has won over a rich American family, the Catledges, on the French riviera, nearby to where his Aunt Vanessa lives. However, surrounded by loud-mouthed Americans whilst attempting to catch her in the act several times, Stanley faces a problem, he starts to believe that she could be the real thing.

The story, again written by Allen, is like most of his films both clever and hilarious, with genuine characters that draw you in. If I had any criticisms of it, it's that the characters views morph just a bit too readily, which can sometimes be a bit jarring. However you could argue that this is just Woody having a crack at the immutability of our beliefs.

Both Firth and Stone absolutely shine in their roles. Despite his callousness, pessimism and extreme ego, Stanley is actually quite a likable character, and supremely funny, both of which come down to Firths strong performance. Stone is both charismatic and believable as Sophie. The supporting cast are also very good in this, especially Marcia Gay Harden as Sophie's unwaveringly supportive mother and Eileen Atkins as Aunt Vanessa, whose sassy wit is a joy to hear.

I find with period pieces, especially those that are set in this era, that you can often tell that it's just a facade. Here though, this is not the case where a lot of passion and care has gone into the overall design. The late 20's really come to life with the accurate costumes, lavish sets and vintage cars, all of which blossom with colourful character off the screen. All of this is complemented by a well chosen mix of period music and classical pieces.

Judging by it's current reception, not everybody enjoyed this film as much as I did. But one of the brilliant things about movies is that they're only what each and every member of the audience makes of them, and I found this to be genuinely funny, impeccably directed and surprisingly touching in parts. I really enjoyed this one.

Silver Linings Playbook

Silver Linings Playbook is an uplifting movie about mental illness. It asks us what is normal and that everyone is crazy in their own little way.

It follows the story of Pat (Bradley Cooper), who has just been released from a mental health clinic after an eight month stint there because he nearly beat to death the man who his wife was having an affair with. He is then diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, which had previously gone undiagnosed. As he is trying to re-assimilate with normal life and planning a way to get back with his wife (who has a restraining order on him) from his parents attic (played by Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver), he runs into an old friend, Ronnie (John Ortiz), who invites him for dinner with his wife. Pat reluctantly agrees to come.

At the dinner, Pat meets Ronnie's sister-in-law, Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), who has been dealing with depression since the death of her husband. She is also a recovering sex addict, after losing her job by sleeping with everyone in her office. Pat finds a kindred spirit in Tiffany, who he finds out is able to get a letter to Pat's wife. She will only do this on the condition that Pat will dance with her in an upcoming competition. He agrees to do this because he realises it will demonstrate that he has changed to his wife.

Meanwhile, Pat's father is running a bookie after he lost his job and hopes to open a restaurant with the money that he is making from the bets. He believes that Pat is his lucky charm and makes a big bet on the Philadelphia Eagles and wants Pat to be at the game. Pat has dance practice with Tiffany, but promises to go anyway, telling Tiffany that he'll be a little late to practice. At the game, Pat and his brother get in a fight with some heated Eagles fans and he ends up missing the dance practice. Pat's father loses his bet as well as all the money he wanted to use on his restaurant. Tiffany is also mad that he didn't show up so that they could try their big finishing move. She storms over to the house where everyone is and interacts with Pat's father for the first time. Pat's father is upset that Pat is spending all his time with Tiffany, as well as the fact that he just lost all his money to his friend Randy. Tiffany proposes a parlay to Randy that he will double the cash if the Eagles win the match on the same night as the dance competition. They also have to get an average of five for their routine to win the bet.

Pat thinks that this is insane and leaves. Tiffany comes up with a plan that if Pat thinks his wife will be there then he has to do it. He is convinced by it and the two continue the rest of their training until the big night arrives. They do their routine and win the bet. Pat then reveals that he had been in love with Tiffany the whole time, thus cementing that they will be together forever.

Bradley Cooper is on the rise. After his breakthrough in The Hangover, he has followed through nicely in Limitless and this film. To know that one of his idols in acting is De Niro makes the scenes that he shares with the legend all that more touching. He plays the bipolar Pat with an intensity that is sometimes needed.

I know a couple of weeks ago I said that I was in love with Emma Stone, well I think I am also in love with Jennifer Lawrence. She is an amazingly diverse actress. I have only seen her in Winter's Bone and X-Men: First Class, but she plays two polar opposites in those roles. Here she goes in another direction completely, but that's not a bad thing. Her chemistry with Cooper is electric and heartfelt as they go through the highs and lows.

De Niro is a powerhouse as usual, but he does have a vulnerable side as Pat Sr. We gradually learn that he has OCD, which explains his rituals to do with watching the Sunday games. His character feels as though he didn't give his son the time of day when he was younger and is trying to redeem that. Other stellar performances come from Jacki Weaver, John Ortiz and Chris Tucker, who plays one of Pat's friends from the mental health clinic.

Verdict: Writer/director David O. Russell has not only written a thought provoking and emotional story, but he has also pulled together a powerhouse cast that showcases past and future talent.