Resident film buff Lezly Herbert reviews four of the month’s biggest films for our September issue.
The Wolfpack (M)
Directed by Crystal Moselle
When Crystal Moselle met the six Angulo brothers on the street in New York, they were all wearing Reservoir Dogs suits and sun glasses. Then when she found out that they were on a rare outing from their apartment, the brothers (there’s also a sister who is rarely seen) became the subjects of her award-winning documentary and she became the first guest to visit their permanently locked apartment. Their domineering Peruvian father had kept his children protected from the world and one year they didn’t even leave the apartment. Home-schooled by their mother, they learnt about the world by watching copious amounts of films and making their own recreations. The doco is fascinating and disturbing, though it doesn’t venture into the darker sides of this family. We watch these charismatic boys become young men who rebel against their imprisonment and venture out into the world. It is compelling viewing.
Southpaw (MA)
Directed by Antoine Fuqua
Actor Jake Gyllenhaal makes an impressive leap from the subdued and somewhat creepy characters he is famous for. He lost a huge amount of weight to play last year’s intense ambulance chaser in ‘Nighcrawler’ and now he has bulked up with rippling muscles to become boxer Billy Hope. The 34 year old’s character takes a pummeling as he fights for much more than a boxing title. Boxing has brought Billy’s life from an orphanage to having it all, including a loving wife Maureen (Rachel McAdams) and beautiful daughter Leila (Oona Laurence). Of course when things get tough, he loses everything he has worked for and his friends all desert him. With the help of the owner of a run-down local gym, former fighter Tick Willis (Forest Whitaker), the left-handed boxer attempts to climb back up again. The fight scenes are raw and bloody as the emotional rollercoaster of Billy’s fortunes batter the audience.
Ricki and the Flash (PG)
Directed by Jonathan Demme
Meryl Streep channels Suzie Quatro and Joan Jett as the aging rocker who left her three children in search of rock‘n’roll fame and fortune. Ricki Rendazzo (Meryl Streep) didn’t end up with the fame or fortune, even though she did get her lead guitarist (Australian rocker Rick Springfield) as a love interest. She also got three resentful adult children – Julie (Mamie Gummer) who is suicidal after a recent break-up, Josh (Sebastian Stan) who is about to get married and Adam (Nick Westrate) who is gay. When Ricki visits her ex-husband Pete (Kevin Kline) and her estranged children, she has to face the music. The film is an awkward mix of comedy and drama that resorts to the healing power of rock‘n’roll to solve all the problems. Fortunately it has the ultimately watchable Meryl Streep at the centre it is great to watch Streep on screen with her real life daughter Mamie Gummer.
The Gift (M)
Directed by Joel Edgerton
Soon after moving into their new upmarket house in Los Angeles, Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall) bump into someone Simon was at high school with. Simon doesn’t recognise Gordo (Joel Edgerton) at first, but when he does Gordo sends gifts to their house – each one topped with a red rosette. It is an uncomfortable situation as the Simon and Robyn tolerate the overly friendly Gordo for quite a while before putting a stop to his intrusions. Slowly the three main characters reveal more of their personalities until events from the past are revealed and the audience’s sympathies are thrown into upheaval. Best not to reveal too much of this fantastically intimate thriller, other than there is only one scream-out-loud moment. Written and directed by Australian actor Joel Edgerton, this first feature film will shoot him into the stratosphere of the Hollywood elite and should not be missed.
Lezly Herbert
