Chaos Walking

Official Australian release date: 4/3/21. Viewed: 9/3/21.

Director: Doug Liman
Actors: Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley, Mads Mikkelsen, David Oyelowo
Genre: Sci-Fi / Action
Rating: M

‘Chaos Walking’ is a near-future humanity-trying-to-colonise-a-new-planet film, based on the book ‘The Knife of Never Letting Go’ by Patrick Ness, which I haven’t read. I may have to read the three books, as the unique “power” all the men on this new planet have is that their thoughts are visible – called “the noise”, shown as multi-coloured clouds around their heads. No secrets here! Or so you’d think. Todd (Holland) is a teenager raised on this planet, guided by the mayor, Prentiss (Mikkelsen) & preacher (Oyelowo), when Viola (Ridley) crash lands from the 2^nd fleet from Earth.

It’s directed by Doug Liman, who has a very interesting CV now (‘Swingers’, ‘Bourne Identity’, ‘Mr & Mrs Smith’, ‘Edge of Tomorrow’) and does a good job to keep things moving, while slowly fleshing out the characters. It’s essentially a chase film, with Todd & Viola on the run the whole time. Quebec does a good job of standing is as not-unusually-seen terrain. The “noise” can get annoying at times, but Holland’s charm helps.

I should highlight that some won’t like the few instances of animal cruelty shown on screen, so be warned. Good to see Spider-Man and Rey acting together – you can see the studio trying to cash in when they filmed this 3.5 years ago! Why there are some quite obvious reveals (reminds me more of ‘The Chrysalids’ than other sci-fi novels), and there is a little more world-building needed (I’m sure we’ll see sequels), it offers enough to leave you satisfied.

Overall: Solid, if unspectacular, sci-fi.

Gav's Rating: 3 stars.

Raya and the Last Dragon

Official Australian release date: 4/3/21. Viewed: 6/3/21.
Directors: Don Hall & Carlos Estrada
Actors: Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Izaac Wang, Gemma Chan
Genre: Fantasy / Adventure
Rating: PG

‘Raya & the Last Dragon’ is another excellent Disney Animation film (not Pixar), with strong female characters, a well-plotted story and some breathtaking animation. We’re introduced to the fantasy world of Kumandra, which is an imitation of Thailand, Cambodia, China, Malaysia and Vietnam, where benevolent dragons once lived in harmony with humans. Raya (Tran; “rie-a”, not “ray-a”) is a princess in the now-divided Kumandra, as is Namaari (Chan). To restore peace and Kumandra, Raya sets out to find the last dragon – Sisu (Awkwafina) – and the gem.

Awkwafina provides lots of the comedy as Sisu and works really well, as does Raya’s armadillo, Tuk Tuk. Along the way, Raya & Sisu are joined and helped by Boun (Wang), Tong (Wong) and some cute monkeys. Needless to say, there’s a big showdown with others that are selfishly keeping parts of the gem. Lots of great sword battles!

The pacing is great, and there’s plenty of subtle and not-so-subtle lessons laid in. Some nice character growth for Raya and Namaari. The CGI is exceptional – I don’t think kids these days appreciate it how good they have it! What they’re able to make happen on-screen is a joy to watch. Totally satisfying experience.

Overall: Visually and emotionally superb story.

Gav's Rating: 4 stars.

The Little Things

Official Australian release date: 18/2/21. Viewed: 21/2/21.
Director: John Lee Hancock
Actors: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto, Chris Bauer
Genre: Drama / Thriller
Rating: M

‘The Little Things’ is almost a straightforward murder-mystery, with Deacon (Washington), a deputy sheriff in Northern California, picking up some evidence from LAPD, where he runs into Baxter (Malek) and Sal (Bauer) and ends up helping them with a murder investigation. We slowly learn more about Deacon’s past and how there might be some links between recent murders and cases that Deacon & Sal were investigating in the past.

It’s certainly not a thrill ride or full of excitement, but is a decently paced moody film, with a great score. Sparma (Leto) comes into it as a potential suspect. Each of the main three actors get a chance to shine in their own way, with Washington able to convey so much without words multiple times, and Leto does an excellent “creepy” with his gait & I assume contacts to make his pupils larger.

There is constantly little reveals which keep things moving. The third act is truly surprising and makes you ask “why!?” a few times and certainly doesn’t wrap up as you might expect. Nothing revolutionary, but an assured film that showcases some great actors showing off their chops.

Overall: Solid murder mystery, without any pizazz.

Gav's Rating: 3 stars.

High Ground

 

Official Australian release date: 28/1/21. Viewed: 7/2/21.
Director: Stephen Johnson
Actors: Simon Baker, Jacob Junior Nayinggul, Callan Mulvey, Sean Mununggurr
Genre: Drama / Thriller
Rating: MA

‘High Ground’ is a fictionalised glimpse into events that would have happened all the time in the 18^th, 19^th & even 20^th century, as the British colonised Australia. This film is set in the 1930s, in Arnhem Land and Kakadu, and follows one Aboriginal tribe’s fight for survival, particularly Gutjuk (Nayinggul), his uncle Baywara (Mununggurr) and grandfather Dharrpa (Marika), after the shocking intro scene we see in 1919.

Involved in the 1919 attack are Travis (Baker) and Eddy (Mulvey), both NT Police who report to Moran (Thompson). It’s interesting to see their varying amounts of tolerance for the locals, including when Walter (Pedersen) comes in from Queensland to help. Thompson does a good job of pretensions Monarch-loving toff, while Baker is understated. The film starts to move when Travis and Gutjuk are sent to find and bring in Baywara, where allegiances are tested.

The film’s rated MA for a reason and there are a few devastating scenes. But they’re put there to make us confront and acknowledge what happened in Australia for 150 years after white settlement. The film does this well by letting us see through Gutjuk’s eyes – Nayinggul does well as both a literal and metaphorical translator. Drones are used to great effect to capture the stunning scenery and the score and soundtrack are both good. Certainly not fun, but a well-made film and story.

Overall: Australian racial tension contrasted with natural beauty.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars. 

Occupation: Rainfall

Official Australian release date: 28/1/21. Viewed: 5/2/21.
Director: Luke Sparke
Actors: Dan Ewing, Jet Tranter, Lawrence Makoare, Daniel Gillies
Genre: Sci-Fi / Action
Rating: M

‘Occupation: Rainfall’ is a sequel to the low-budget Australian-alien-invasion film from 2018 – but this time it’s bigger and better – in all respects. Returning from the first film, attempting to save Sydney, are Matt (Ewing), Amelia (Tranter, in place of Jacobsen), Marcus (Go) and Dennis (Gerred), who are joined again by Peter (Morrison) & Bella (Stevens) in the third act. This time, they’re helped by General Abraham (Roberts), Wing Commander Hayes (Gillies), Captain Wessex (Coles Smith) and Gary (Makoare), one of the ‘greys’. The film wastes no time is setting up where things are – the aliens have essentially destroyed most of the world, and only small pockets of resistance remain, such as Sydney. The survivors then evacuate to the Blue Mountains.

Director Sparke has a much bigger budget this time, and isn’t afraid to use it, with the aliens being a good mix of costumes and CGI, and the spaceships and air battles are really well done. This is definitely not a Hollywood film, but he does well to blend all the film’s inspirations – ‘Star Wars’, ‘Avatar’, ‘Predator’ – into a mostly-cohesive whole. At the film’s core is Matt – hero from the first film who despises the “maggots” – being forced to team up with “Gary”, one of the aliens who is now on the humans’ side. Gary is also the most well-rounded character – and gets some good fight scenes too!

As always with Aussie cinema, it’s good to see local scenery, although a bit of it is CGI-Sydney in ruins! Still the Blue Mountains look nice – but I’m not sure why it’s not snowing there if it is snowing where the small village is, presumably near Jindabyne. Near the end, Bud (Jeong) and Steve (Issacs, another alien) provide some comedic relief and a futile battle takes place, leaving everything set up for a third film. Doesn’t always hit the mark, some stilted dialogue, but a good score, some well-made battles, believable alien villains, a bigger question of “do humans deserve our planet?” and an undercurrent of “what would I do in this situation?”

Overall: Mostly fun, action-packed sci-fi.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars. 

The Dry

Official Australian release date: 1/1/21. Viewed: 6/1/21.
Director: Robert Connolly
Actors: Eric Bana, Genevive O’Reilly, Keir O’Donnell, John Polson
Genre: Drama / Mystery
Rating: MA

 

‘The Dry’ is a very well put together Australian murder-mystery (disclosure – I haven’t read the novel), set in north-western Victoria (in the fictional town of Kiewarra), where Aaron Falk (Bana), an AFP agent, returns to after 20 years, to attend the funeral of his childhood friend, Luke. This leads to him digging a bit further and uncovering things from this case and his past, with the help of Sergeant Raco (O’Donnell) and Scott (Polson), the school principal.

There’s well-placed flashbacks of Aaron, Luke, Ellie (Bettencourt) and Gretchen (O’Reilly) when they were teenagers. This is used as a great tool to contrast the change in the Australian environment, with the creeks now dry and the wheat fields replaced with dust, as well as the change in the fortunes of the four friends in adulthood.

This is a very well-paced and directed film, with a strong plot, good score, strong acting and great cinematography – as good as Connolly’s ‘Balibo’. I didn’t figure it out exactly until right near the end. Great to see Bana back in a great piece of Aussie cinema.

Overall: Assured crime mystery which keeps you engaged.

Gav's Rating: 4 stars. 

Wonder Woman 1984

Official Australian release date: 26/12/20. Viewed: 27/12/20.
Director: Patty Jenkins
Actors: Gal Gadot, Pedro Pascal, Kristen Wiig, Chris Pine
Genre: Action / Sci-Fi 
Rating: M

 

‘Wonder Woman 1984’/‘WW84’ is, like most sequels, fine without being exceptional. It is noteworthy for being my first time at the cinema in four months, and only the 11^th time this year, well down from the 33/year average! The film starts with an excellent Olympics-style challenge on Themyscira, with a pre-teen Diana against other Amazonian warriors. It’s exciting and fun and segues nicely into “modern day” Diana (Gadot) in action in a very-80s shopping centre.

We’re introduced to Barbara Minerva (Wiig) and Max Lord (Pascal), who are both solid supports and bring their own charms. While I admire the attempt to have no “big baddie” by having misguided/sort-of-well-intentioned characters instead, sometimes an outright villain is useful. Some of Pascal’s over-the-top-ness is fun to watch. The action scene is Cairo is good, as is how Wonder Woman gets there.

I guess the main issues are the length (2.5 hours), with plenty of slow scenes, the whole concept of Steve (Pine) coming back to life from essentially a magic lamp and the sometimes overbearing score. Gadot is good again, but it didn’t seem like she actually had that much to do for large parts of the film. Satisfactory ending and I hope they give her another solo film set before ‘Justice League’.

Overall: OK second outing, but nothing extraordinary. 

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.