Ruben Guthrie

There has been a trend recently with Australian films that get marketed as comedies, but ultimately end up being quite serious dramas that have light moments, but they ultimately leave you thinking. Brendan Cowell's latest flick Ruben Guthrie is a film that does just that. It is a film with a lot of open ended questions that can either make you hopeful that things will work out for the characters or gives you a hollow feeling that things will never change and just keep going as they always have.

Ruben Guthrie (Patrick Brammall) is on top of the world. He is a young, award-winning advertising executive with a stunning European supermodel girlfriend, Zoya (Abbey Lee), and has all the fun that a guy could have. He also has a crippling alcohol addiction that he can't acknowledge. It's only when Zoya decides to leave him and tells him to give up alcohol for a year to be with her that he decides to do something about it. But Ruben has temptations from all sides. His boss at the advertising company, Ray (Jeremy Sims), tells him the only way he's able to work is drunk, his parents (Jack Thompson and Robyn Nevin) can't admit they have their own problems with alcohol and his best friend Damien (Alex Dimitriades) thinks the only way they can have fun is by getting hammered.

The big statement that Cowell is trying to make with the film is that Australia has a drinking problem, even going so far as to call it an "alcoholic country" many times. All the main characters drink with the main purpose of getting "fucked up", although they don't all describe it as such. Ruben's father constantly sees it as a way of bonding with his son.

Patrick Brammall plays the main character of Guthrie almost as a Van Wilder-esque character, albeit with a darker, tortured soul. At many times throughout out the film I even thought he looked like Ryan Reynolds. Brammall is exquisite at playing Ruben's darker moments, showing deep characterisation (this is also a testament to Cowell's script).

The supporting cast is mainly strong. Abbey Lee does a superb Czech accent, but ultimately plays what she is in real life. Alex Dimitriades is hysterical as Damien, but also makes you laugh in some dark, inappropriate moments. Jeremy Sims is fantastic as Ray, Ruben's boss, and he has a mysterious alcoholic past that is left unanswered, but enough is hinted at to show his character's pain. Even Brenton Thwaites wasn't too annoying in this film, but then again he was playing an annoying idiot.

I feel like Ruben Guthrie is a real triumph of Australian cinema for this year. I would strongly recommend it for our international readers because it is a truly great insight into Australian culture. As for all you Aussies out there, maybe watch this film to reflect on our own drinking habits.

The Little Death

I'm just putting it out there, but I think Josh Lawson has a foot fetish. Not that that's a bad thing. In fact, if we learn anything from his directorial debut, it's probably that you should tell your significant other what you are into. Because if you don't, well, things can get ugly.

This movie is divided into segments that focus on a different couple each time. As we are introduced to these people, we are presented with a particular fetish that relates to their particular story. And if you're thinking they're as simple as the aforementioned foot fetish, you'd be wrong. We see things like dacryphilia, somnophilia and even the good old fashioned role play (except highly creative role play). If you want to know about those first two, you can find a Wikipedia article for each one, here and here (I promise you that they aren't as bad as you think).

So, I know you're probably thinking that this is you're regular gross out sex comedy, with lots of nudity and coarse language. Well, you would be entirely wrong. Lawson, who also wrote the film, manages to make a funny, tender and, at times, bittersweet movie about relationships more than anything. Oh yeah, and despite being a movie about sex, there is no nudity whatsoever, although I would probably advise against going to this movie on a first date, or second, because it will probably up the ante for the rest of your relationship.

The cast of this movie is large and apart from Josh Lawson (Anchorman 2, The Candidate), you might not recognise the actors. Unless you watch a lot of Australian TV, especially the ABC. Patrick Brammall does a fantastic job at a man who has to cry a lot, Lachy Hulme is a creepy boss and Damon Herriman gets carried away with role play. A hilarious character, played by Kim Gyngall, uses people's sense of nostalgia to distract them while telling them he is a registered sex offender.

Verdict: The Little Death (a euphemism for orgasm, look it up) is a tender and hilarious comedy about sex. It really will make you think about what you're into. I know it made me think about it the whole way home, but that's a story for another time...