The Emperor - GG

The Emperor and the Assassin (SBS Wed midnight) is an earlier (1998) Chinese epic in the spirit of Hero or House of the Golden Flower. Directed by Kaige Chen whose other key credit is Farewell My Concubine, not only mines the great and rich history of tribal China, but perhaps “tells the world that China should not be ignored, and indeed feared. The narrative is gripping, the performances large and the action scenes filled with more extras than can be imagined.”

And with that rather meagre offering in this week’s bottle green newspaper, now is a good time to walk away from 2007. Many thanks for your readership, I hope you have found the posts interesting. I have covered as many weekly GG spots as time and quality has allowed; added a goodly number of movie reviews (of sorts); some personal reflections; blow by blow accounts of the hapless Eastern Rovers; and a few gags as well. I will ponder the off season for a new gimmick and speak to you all in the new year. Merry Christmas!

American Psycho - GG

A modern take on the Western condition or a gratuitous hack and slash film ? American Psycho (10 Sat midnight) stars Christian Bale as the mentally flawed, physically perfect Patrick Bateman, driven to destroy those around him. Based on Bret Easton Ellis’ novel of the same name, the “Wall Street excesses of the 1980s were just the beginning and the legion of wealthy young traders were interchangeable designer drones, with anti-hero Bateman distinguished only by his capacity for brutal depravity.”

Pledge - GG

Bad Santa (9 Sat 1030P) is the kind of irreverent and inappropriate send up of Christmas movies that should make it very funny indeed. Billy Bob Thornton plays the main man. This is preceded by Elf (9 Sat 830P) which is more of a child’s movie although the gangling and vacuous Will Ferrell makes the most of his oversized, fish-out-of-water, elf.
Sean Penn’s latest film in the cinemas, Into The Wild, is generating a lot of critical interest, and, not knowing much about his directorial style, will watch The Pledge (9 Sun 1030P) with interest. I expect there will be ‘intensity,’ something for which Penn himself is famous, and this may or may not be good thing !
Breaking News (SBS Mon 11P), is from my favourite Hong Kong action director, Johnny To (Election). This one has the police tracking down a gang of thieves, meanwhile dealing with its public credibility. Expect an above average action film from the HK-triad genre.
Don’t forget the AFI Awards (9 Thu 930P) and for those desperate for every nuance, the Euro 2008 Final Draw (sans England) is being telecast (SBS Sun 1040P).

Ghost Dog and Galaxy - GG

Its almost too hard to go past Wombling Free (ABC 430A Wed night/Thu morning), the 1977 “live action” feature of the Wombles of Wimbledon (“...Common are we”) who “pick up the things that we find.” Too many nostalgia memories I’m afraid. I don’t pretend for a minute it would be any good !
Lame-o comedy Christmas with the Kranks (9 Mon 830P) seems to be the most recent offering to make it to free-to-air TV (could explain why its on a Monday night), with Jamie Lee Curtis and Tim Allen. Slightly less lame-o, but still pretty lame, and not as good as its predecessor (Get Shorty), Be Cool (9 Fri 830P) with John Travolta, Uma Thurman and Vince Vaughan. I won’t be rushing.
One of the very few Jarmusch films not on the Teev last year was Ghost Dog : The Way of the Samurai (SBS Wed 1030P), starring Forest Whitaker. Will watch to round out my education. Expect a thoughtful movie that follows the journey of its characters. Don’t expect it to be about you, the viewer ! Jarmusch has been getting better the longer he is in the business. My personal fave of his is Dead Man (1995) and Ghost Dog followed in 1999.
The other highlight of the week is the A-League Club Challenge (10 Tue 830P) between Sydney FC and uber-celebrity David Beckham (oh, and his new football team, LA Galaxy) at Telstra Stadium in Sydney. Is the Becks playing SR ? No doubt he will be on Rove on Sunday, if he his in Australia.

Florence Broadhurst - GG

Red Eye (7 Sun 830P) might be okay for a Hollywood thriller, directed by Wes Craven. Stars Cillian Murphy who seems to play his fair share of psychopaths (Jackson Rippner anyone?), and pretty well too. He has Rachel McAdams in his sights and by all accounts the last third has good tension but the first two-thirds are ordinary.
Over on SBS, Unfolding Florence : The Many Lives of Florence Broadhurst (Sun 9P) is Gillian Armstrong’s biographical documentary on a larger than life character. The feature is a mix of animation, reconstruction and interview to explore the truth of “an enigmatic eccentric”. Through the 1920’s Broadhurst was a singer and dress maker and engaged in “creative self-description” to talk and act her way up through Sydney’s social circles to finally become a much sought after wallpaper designer later in life. Her mysterious and violent death in 1977 remains a mystery. A preview article from today’s GG here.
And in what seems a rare event these days, an Australian soccer game on SBS. An Olympic qualifier between Australia and Iraq (SBS Sat 1015P) from Gosford - good to know we're not getting it live. Olympic matchs are mostly U23 so will not be the full gamut of Socceroos.

Sin City / JSA - GG

Sin City (Fri 7 1130P) is Robert Rodriguez’ film adaptation of Frank Miller’s comic strip of the same name. All the acting was done in front of green screens and filled in by Rodriguez’ computers later on. The comic strips have been lovingly realised and the actors playing in them (Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen) closely matching their 2D counterparts. Sin City tells three of Miller’s stories which is set amongst a pulpy, film noir world of seedy underbellies and impossibly slender babes. It’s a comic strip after all. But beware, it has provoked wildly different reactions. Roger Ebert scored it 4/4 while our very own Adrian Martin 0/5. How can two very astute movie commentators react so differently? Certainly the heavy use of CGI in place of actual sets, extras, environment etc might be a turnoff. On the other hand, a good story with interesting characters makes for engaging storytelling. Compare this with another 100% CGI film, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and that looked fake and was boring, so computers are not the answer to everything.
If you’ve just visited the border between North and South Korea (just in case you have) then you will get a bit extra out of Joint Security Area (SBS Mon 12midnight), Park Chan-wook’s (Lady Vengeance) first feature. An interesting insight into the geography that divides the split country, it also provides an insight into the attitudes that separates the two Korea’s via an improbable friendship between opposing border guards.

Downfall - GG

Downfall (SBS Sun 930P) is a German film that focuses on Hitler in his last days, holed up in his bunker as the might of the Russian army draw near. Bruno Ganz gives an extraordinary performance and this film was nominated in the foreign language category at the 2004 Oscars. Not surprisingly this film has attracted a lot of attention because of its subject matter and is noteworthy if for no other reason than because it is one of very, very few German films to deal with the second world war. GG comments, “that this film is one of countless films that that are constantly revealing a new Germany, one embracing tolerance, cultural diversity and calm.”
The Incredible Shrinking Man (2 Sat 2P) is everything you want a movie to be : premise, script, acting. A lot of modern day ‘special effect’ movies give you that and nothing else. This sci fi classic from 1957 does it all right with the hokey 50s special effects thrown in for free.
And, the one you have all been waiting for (even those who do not realise it yet), Shaun of the Dead (10 Sun 1030P), following the ARIAs. Made by the same jokers who put together last year’s Hot Fuzz (Rise Tall : “Best film of the year”) it is a perfectly credible zombie movie that makes the most of its comedic potential.

Seasons change

Pre-season
The pressing of the ‘stop’ button on the stopwatch. A small pump of the fist. Two minutes lying absolutely, physically spent on the grass, under an Elm next to the running track. A time of 16:35 recorded.

My preparation leading up to last Wednesday’s assault on The Tan was about as good as I could have hoped. Short runs on Saturday and Monday, a long one on Sunday with other gym sessions spaced inbetween. Wednesday came and the temperature was pleasant without being overbearing. No breeze to speak of. I spent some time warming up and stretching. I was almost afraid to start. I knew what was going to be asked of my body to record my best time. I also knew that to miss out on a sub-17 minute time (again) was going to leave a bitter disappointment longer lasting than the physical pain of running it.

The first 1 km was about equal with previous weeks, about 4:20. Brisk but not flat out. The run up Anderson Street was also quite strong and judging by my relative placing to others, about the right pace. I passed my first marker a little over and the second marker (12:30) about right. The difference this time was I knew I was running stronger, felt fitter and had a lot to give at the end. At the 3km marker I lifted my intensity to come home. Legs pumping, gut screaming and the same thought at the same corner: "a taxi would be so much easier."

This was my best time by 26 seconds. I was proud of the achievement but without resting on my laurels, the next target is 16:29 (my boss’ best time). He has been on holidays this last two weeks. Hopefully he has drunk beer and eaten chocolates. Somehow I suspect he will come back fitter and faster than ever. Oh well. I’ll be trying.

GG
This week’s GG recommendation is Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter … and Spring (SBS Wed 1030P). A part of SBS’ South Korean festival, this was an art house hit in 2003/04 by director Kim Ki-duk who is also responsible for Time and 3-Iron.

Set in a small Buddhist temple, in the middle of a river, a young monk follows the seasons of his life (hence the allegorical nature of the title). This film is beautfilly shot and is very contemplative in parts. The themes are very accessible even if some of the plot points are a little obvious : from innocence to knowledge to repentance to wisdom.

Motorcycling Batman - GG

While I love the Lord of the Rings movies, Return of the King (7 Fri 830P) cannot be GG movie of the week as 1) it is four hours filled with advertisements, and 2) it is not the extended edition (which is four hours on its own without the ads). You will need to have had a passing interest LOTR I & II to get the most out of this one.
Batman Begins (9 Sat 930P) has Christian Bale bring a new intensity to the role that Michael Keaton never quite managed to fill and devolved into farce with Val Kilmer and George Clooney. Despite the obligatory “everything blows up in the end” ending, Katie Holmes and the somewhat dubious Liam Neeson character, it is hard and vigourous enough to be worthwhile.
Alternatively The Motorcycle Diaries (SBS Sat 1015P) tracks two friends as they criss-cross South America on a motorcycle. Gael Garcia Bernal rarely turns in a bad performance and is appealing as a young Che Guevara.
And I hope you’ve been taking note of SBS’ South Korean film festival on Wednesday nights. A Good Lawyer’s Wife (SBS Wed 1030P) presents a well acted and racy story of one family where everyone leads an errant lifestyle but the story, under the surface, is serious and nuanced.

Kingdom of Kenny - GG

Did Channel 10, or one of its affiliates, have a hand in the funding of Kenny (10 Wed 830P), the 2006 Aussie comedy ? For it to hit free to air TV so soon after release (usually 3 years) would suggest so. Kenny, the man behind the name, played by Shane Jacobson (and directed by his brother Ronald) is the latest in a long line of naïve, knock-about, basically lovable Aussie blokes just doing their job. His line of work is in Port-a-loos which dot the landscape at every public event and function.
What makes Kenny fun to watch is that it gets good mileage out of its poo jokes in the first half hour and then settles down to present a character comedy as Kenny deals with his estranged wife, cantankerous father, indifferent employees and all the while trying to relate to his near teenage son in a respectful and responsible way.
I have also found that I regard the otherwise unremarkable Port-a-loo out in the real world in a whole new way after seeing this film!
Also on first run is 2005’s Kingdom of Heaven (7 Sun 830P). From director Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Gladiator) it stars Orlando Bloom as the shattered young man, Balian, who rides off to fight the barbarians in the Crusades; it co-stars Liam Neeson and Jeremy Irons. At the time of its release, the reviews wanted to be positive but just couldn’t quite. The action scenes are good, performances okay and the story line manages to blend enough fiction into the fact to render the fact meaningless ! GG seems surprised that “Bloom can only hold the camera for a few seconds before his internalised grief gives way to blankness.” For those of us who have followed his career since Fellowship of the Ring, there is no surprise. He can’t act !

Anchorman - GG

The TV shows imported from the US are all finishing their series, the movies that are on and worth watching we have all seen before and then we are taunted with the multi-channel option on Fox Sports (see p17 – Rabelwatch, you need to see this and turn green in the process) where up to four English Premier League games are played live simultaenously where you can “stuff yourself silly at the Premier League smorgasbord.”
I have no doubt that Anchorman : The Legend of Ron Burgundy (7 Sun 830P) is a B-grade comedy, it does star Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate, but it was a blockbuster B-grade comedy and so there may well be some laughs to be had.
The lesser known Scorsese film from 1999, Bringing out the Dead (7 Sun midnight) might be interesting although it does star Nic Cage and Patricia Arquette. The film follows Frank, “a paramedic whose journeys take him into the abyss of human misery.” Ebert says, “Scorsese is never on autopilot, never panders, never sells out, always goes for broke; to watch his films is to see a man risking his talent, not simply exercising it. He makes movies as well as they can be made, and I agree with an observation on the Harry Knowles Web site: You can enjoy a Scorsese film with the sound off, or with the sound on and the picture off.”

A Very Long Engagement - GG

For some reason I can’t quite fathom (there does not appear to be any cross-over promotional opportunity) Amelie (SBS Sat 930P) is followed by A Very Long Engagement (SBS Sun 930P), both directed by Frenchman Jean-Pierre Jeunet and starring Audrey Tatou. Perhaps we can put it down to lazy programming.
A Very Long Engagement is set during WW1 where a young woman refuses to believe that her fiance has died on the Western front. His back story and her quest to find out what happened to him lead us on a merry dance with eccentric characters, red herrings and unconventional story arcs. None of this should really surprise fans of Jeunet however (Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children). The palette of this film remains strong in its “period” colours of blue and green. Equally vivid is the overwhelming brightness of primary colours in Amelie. A Very Long Engagement is a mix between a mystery, a romance and a war movie with some images confronting in this context. A competantly made story with entertaining characters make this worth watching.
Not all care for Jeunet’s style however as I have discovered in recent times. After extolling the wonders and virtues of Amelie as one of my favourite romantic comedies of all time, a couple of workmates have struggled to get to the end and complained of being bored. Really ! Quelle horreur. Clearly they have no taste.

Incredible - GG

Probably the best offering for the week is The Incredibles (7 Sun 630P), another quality Pixar feature. This one about a superhero family living normal lives in suburbia until the inevitable rise and rise of uber-baddie Syndrome forces them out of retirement. Each family member has their own talent and they must all work together to save the world from destruction. Directed by Brad Bird (The Iron Giant), this is a little more dialogue driven and "mature" in its approach than your average animated feature. However, those with childers will already have seen this and own it on DVD so I don't expect anyone will watch it now !
Snatch (10 Sun 1040P) is Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels with a bigger budget, basically a heist movie where all the characters are London thugs, gangsters, thieves or hitmen. The pace is cracking, the language foul and sadly Guy Ritchie hasn't come close since.
I'm also intrigued by Arahan (Mon SBS midnight), a South Korean tribute to Hong Kong action films : "a shrewd hybrid of the updated kung-fu wire action extravaganza and a modern superhero comic adaptation, a mutation of Steve Chau's Shaolin Soccer by way of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man".

Aviator - GG

The Aviator (9 Fri 830P) is the last of the long line of Scorsese pictures that never won him an Oscar (his next, The Departed, did) although our Cate did win Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn. In keeping with Scorsese's recent pics with grand scale and ambition (say, like Kundun or Gangs of New York, unlike The Departed's less epic scale), tells part of the story of eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, "who comes to Hollywood to make movies in 1927 and eventually confronts a vindictive Senate inquiry. Leo DiCaprio is too handsome for Hughes, but he delivers the obsessive desire that Scorsese turns into his subject's defining force."

Monsieur Ibrahim - GG

The main problem with The Terminal (7 Wed 830P) is that its not that interesting. Tom Hanks plays another slightly strange guy with a funny accent, this time stranded in JFK Airport, for months on end. Catherine Zeta-Jones plays the slightly reluctant love interest and Stanley Tucci the overzealous bureaucrat. Perhaps the greatest crime about this so-so drama is that it is Spielberg at his worst with way too many schmaltzy set-ups served with an extra dousing of saccharine. The ending will make you retch. But perhaps you already suspected that.
Much better to turn over to SBS to watch a 2003 French drama, Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran (Wed 10P) which stars Omar Sharif as a Muslim, Parisian shopkeeper. RT gives this one 84% (the other one a mere 61%).

Wednesday nights - GG

Rather than continuously bemoaning the lack of quality fare on regular TV or, what quality there is, is on channel repeat for repeatieth time, one must applaud channel 7 I suppose for having a “new” movie night on what used to be Sunday (and then Friday and then Tuesday and then Thursday) but is now on Wednesday. This way they at least show movies as recently made as they are allowed to (that would be 3 years) and that is commendable in and of itself. This week was National Treasure {shudder} and next week, Ladder 49 (Wed 7 830P) which can only mean we must be one week closer to a “good” blockbuster, clearing the decks with the dross first.
Ladder 49 is an “action-adventure” about a team of fireman heroes (thank-you post-9/11 America) who are ‘called’ to their duty and display courage and family values and so on and so forth. I’m sure its okay, RT does only give it 41% but I am still too scarred by Backdraft all these years later to ever see a film about firefighters again (or "fighter-fighters" as my 5 year old son used to call them which is all very endearing coming out of a 5 year old’s mouth).
I have not seen it, but Jane Campion’s Holy Smoke (9 Mon midday) is likely to hold the middle ground with respect to theme and quality between The Piano and In The Cut which were made either side. “All stories are of women in danger, powerless to stop the forces at work around them.” Stars Kate Winslet and Harvey Keitel.
You may also be tempted by Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps (ABC Wed 1245A).

GG Famine

Once again the weekly GG meal is famine and so you may as well eat junk food to avoid starvation than rely on a king’s feast which may never happen. So watch Austin Powers, or Die Hard 2, or Gone in 60 Seconds, or National Treasure. While you’re at it, in the TV stakes you may as well watch Lost : Greatest Hits followed by Lost : The Answers. In truth, the third Harry Potter movie (Prisoner of Azkaban) (Sat 9 730P), directed by Alfonso Cuaron (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Children of Men) is the best of the four (although early reports of the latest instalment suggests that #5 might be better yet) with Cuaron moving away from the “children’s film” emphasis of Columbus’ earlier efforts by putting a bit of URST into the teenage protagonists.

In the Company of the Thornberries - GG

The weekly GG’s cup certainly does not runneth over. It is hard to get excited about most films to be screened. In the Company of Men (Wed 9 12midnight) stars “charismatic” Aaron Eckhart and written and directed by Neil La Bute (Nurse Betty and 2006’s The Wicker Man). Eckhart is “smiling, square-jawed and venomous” in this film “about misogyny as an aphrodisiac and the emotional brutality of which men are capable – toward women and each other. This film remains a coiled, bloody revelation.”
The only other movie that I genuinely like is The Wild Thornberrys Movie (10 Sun 1P). The Thornberry family unit is strong and caring, the children are a real mix of independence and dependance, and while there is some character comedy (little brother Donnie, aka the child whirlwind and older sister Debbie, the disconsolate teenager) at no stage do the characters devolve into caricature. The star of the show however is Eliza who has a pet monkey Darwin and can talk to animals. Yes, its animated and yes its primarily for children, but the whimsy and strong family ties make me a fan of the TV series which this film apes suitably.
For those who did not make the effort to see Hitchcock’s Sabotage last year when it was screened and then castigated me fiercely for their missed opportunity (you know who you are), they have another opportunity (ABC Tue 2A). WARNING, my review contains spoilers !

Yolngu Boy - GG

In a barren week, Yolngu Boy (SBS Sun 1030P) might be the pick. Three Aboriginal boys trek across the desert in a journey that touches on their mateship and ties to their heritage.

Good, Bad, Ugly - GG

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (7 Fri 1130P) is Sergio Leone’s cowboy opera. It stars Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef who must work together to uncover buried gold. “[Leone’s] close-ups are exciting and confronting, [the film itself] is a visual triumph and the [story line intertwines] ethical and narrative complexities as the characters move with varying degrees of grace and incompetence through the American Civil War.”
Johnny Depp fans can enjoy either The Astronaut’s Wife (9 Sun midnight) or The Ninth Gate (10 Sun midnight). What ? Counter-programming at midnight ?