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Friday May 24, 2013

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New release movie reviews - 10 July

Posted by: Jim Schembri | 10 July, 2012 - 2:22 PM
Hysteria

IMAGE (RIGHT): Hugh Dancy and Maggie Gyllenhaal in Hysteria.

HYSTERIA *** (95 minutes) M
As the scientific boom of the late-19th century gathers pace, the young, ambitious, overly ethical Dr Mortimer Granville (Hugh Dancy) lands a much-needed position in the lucrative practice Dr. Robert Dalrymple (Jonathan Pryce). His specialty in treating female "hysteria", the symptoms of which largely stem from sexual frustration, involves a form of strictly professional medical massaging that brings women to a point of great satisfaction. The practice's ever-lengthening queue of very happy patients, however, takes its toll on Granville's hand. Enter his wealthy inventor pal Lord Edmund St. John-Smythe (Rupert Everett), who stumbles upon a friendly machine that becomes the prototype for the vibrator. While director Tanya Wexler tinges her kinky history lesson with liberal doses of unavoidable humour, the film thankfully refrains from getting too broad or vulgar by weaving in a strong B-story involving women's rights, championed by Dalrymple's philanthropic, proto-feminist daughter Charlotte (American actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, donning a convincing English accent). While there have been a lot of films of late involving human-machine interaction, Hysteria serves as an overdue reminder that mechanical devices can, in fact, perform helpful services that don't involve killing people or drilling through skyscrapers. (See our Top Ten Useful Movie Machines)

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Ryan Kwanten in Not Suitable For Children. (Photo: Supplied)

NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN *** (96 minutes) MA
In this wonderfully bright, smart, honest look at kidulthood, inner-city Sydney party animal Jonah (Ryan Kwanten) is shocked when a medical examination reveals he has only a few weeks of fertility left to him. Having never considered fatherhood, he is thrust upon a semi-comic odyssey of self-discovery as he desperately tries finding a woman - any woman - to impregnate. Though the presence of his attractive housemate Stevie (Sarah Snook) nudges the story onto a predictable path, this energetic and extremely well-acted film manages to avoid the cliches that beset most manch-coms (man-child comedies). The film also represents a very promising artistic fusion between TV director Peter Templeman (Lockie Leonard; Bogan Pride) and TV writer Michael Lucas (Offspring). Unfortunately, as often happens, this fine local film is prone to disappear quickly, though hopefully good word-of-mouth will help it find the audience it deserves.    

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A scene from The King Is Dead. (Photo: Supplied)

THE KING IS DEAD *** (102 minutes) MA
With suburban bliss seemingly within their grasp, perfectly decent young couple Max and Therese (Dan Wyllie and Bojana Novakovic) move into their new home, which is blessed with a  lovable, friendly family on one side. Over the other fence, however, is a brood of loud and lousy low-lifers who stay up late, argue, play music at full volume and deal drugs. What the couple at first laugh off as the colourful excesses of harmless louts gradually becomes an all-consuming problem as their quality of life deteriorates into sleepless nights and angry internet searches. With the police and the law offering little help, the pair are forced to consider more drastic measures. Black comedies rarely come as carefully measured or as full-blooded as this marvellously engaging lark, which is essentially a revenge fantasy for anyone who has ever suffered the prolonged trauma of living with a bad neighbour. The uncanny ability of veteran Adelaide writer/director Rolf de Heer (Ten Canoes; Bad Boy Bubby; The Tracker) to toggle the tone of a scene between light and dark helps deliver a few fabulous jolts amidst his tale of suburban jitters. Screens exclusively at the Nova and, as with Not Suitable for Children, is unlikely to survive long before disappearing into the nether regions of the local DVD store.

YOU INSTEAD *1/2 (80 minutes) MA
While attending a Scottish music festival, two grungy musicians (Luke Treadaway and Natalia Tena) are hand-cuffed together and forced to withstand each other for a day. What could have been a perfectly fine premise for a high-key comedy is negated by the fact that both lead characters are incalculably unappealing. The film was shot at an actual music festival, so at least director David Mackenzie (Hallam Foe; Spread) had a chance to capture the atmosphere.   

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