Empire Australasia – August 2019

KURSK:THELASTMISSION
HHH
OUT 29 AUGUST/ RATEDM/ 118 MINS
DIRECTORThomasVinterberg
CASTMatthiasSchoenaerts, Léa Seydoux,
ColinFirth

Basedonthetragic 2000 truestoryoftheRussian
submarineleftstrandedforsevendaysatthe
bottomoftheBarentsSeafollowinga seriesof
explosions,Kurskflitsbetweenunderwater
survivalsituations(freezingtodeath,diminishing
oxygen)anddry-landdramasastheRussians
refusehelpfromtheinternationalcommunity
(akaColinFirth)andthefamiliesfightfornewsof
lovedones.Script-wise,it’sstandarddisaster
movieshenanigans(aPoseidonAdventure-style
hold-your-breathswim)witha littlebitofold
schoolWorldWarI camaraderiethrownin,butit’s
wellplayedbytheEurostarcastandthecraft,
fromAnthonyDodMantle’ssnakingcameraand
inventiveuseofaspectratio/colourtoAlexandre
Desplat’s spare score, is impeccable.IAN FREER

PALMBEACH
HHH
OUT8 AUGUST/ RATEDM/ 97 MINS
DIRECTORRachelWard
CASTBryanBrown,GretaScacch,RichardE.
Grant,SamNeill,JacquelineMcKenzie

A groupoflate-middle-agefriendsdecampto
a luxuriousholidayhomeinthetitularNorthern
Sydneyenclavefora weekendaway.Theoccasion
is thebirthdayofretiredstreetwearimpresario,
Frank(BryanBrown),whichshouldbea happy
eventbut,asis thewayofsuchthings,old
secretsandcurrentanxietiessurfaceoncethe
boozebeginstoflow.Thetop-notchcast,
includingGretaScacchi,SamNeill,RichardE.
Grant,JacquelineMcKenzie,ClairevanderBoom
andMatildaBrown,areaswatchableasever,and
thesettingis gorgeousbut,despitethe
occasionalstabatdepthorresonance,youcan’t
shakethefeelingthatthesewealthy,successful
peopledon’thavemuch to complain about.
TRAVIS JOHNSON

CAMINOSKIES

HHHH

OUTNOW/ RATEDPG/ 80 MINS

DIRECTORSFergusGrady,NoelSmyth

CASTSueMorris,JulieZarifeh,FatherManny

Domingo,MarkThomson,BelliNaima

ThisNewZealanddocumentaryfollowssixKiwis

andAussiesonthefamous800kmCaminode

Santiagopilgrimagethatbeginsin Franceandends

in Spain,severalofthemusingthepunishingbut

picturesquetrekasa meanstodealwithpersonal

trauma.Thefilmlargelyfocusesonthreekey

pilgrims:70-year-oldSuewhowillsherselfonward

despitepainfuldegenerativearthritis;54-year-old

Juliewho’sdealingwiththelossoffamilymembers

andMarkwhosestepdaughterhasdied.Their

lengthyjourneybringsuppainofboththephysical

andemotionalvarietyand,likethem,attimes

you’llwonderif youcantakeanymorewalking.But

likeallgoodjourneysit offerscatharsis,paintinga

movingandinspiringportraitofpressingforward

in life, even when it feels like an impossible task.JJ

OPHELIA

HHH

OUTNOW/ RATEDM/ 107 MINS

DIRECTORClaireMcCarthy

CASTDaisyRidley,NaomiWatts,CliveOwen

Playingina similarjust-left-of-centreplaneas

TomStoppard’sRosencrantzAndGuildensternAre

Dead,TheWaitingCitydirectorClaireMcCarthy’s

lavishgothicperiodpiecereimagines

Shakespeare’sHamletfromtheperspectiveof

Ophelia,oneoftheQueen’sLadies-In-Waitingand

latertheobjectoftheDanishprince’sdesire.

UnlikeStoppard’sabsurdistcomedy,Opheliaplays

it straight;thefuntobehadis watchingfamiliar

scenesunfoldwitha differentskew.Richinperiod

detailandqualityperformance,especiallyStar

Wars’ alumDaisyRidleyasthetitularfeminist

heroineandNaomiWattsastheQueen.Onlya

wiggyCliveOwenrisksderailingproceedingsas

theKing’smurderousbrother,exudinga muscular

modernity atoddswiththiscarefullyconstructed

witches’ brew.DAVID MICHAEL BROWN

DRAGGEDACROSSCONCRETE

HHH

OUT 29 AUGUST/ RATEDR18+/ 159 MINS

DIRECTORS.CraigZahler

CASTMelGibson, Vince Vaughn,

ToryKittles

FROMITSTITLE(threewordsofpurestpulp)to

itscasting(MelGibsonasa racistcop)andits

ultraviolence(threemorewords:keyinstomach),

DraggedAcrossConcreteis outtoinspire

a visceralreaction.Inthat,it succeeds.It’s

a thrilling,grindhouse-flavouredheistmovie

withsomeingeniousplottinganda niceline

ingranite-toughdialogue;onecharacteris

describedasa “humansteamrollercovered

inspikes”.Atthesametime,it’sresoundingly

grim,withcrueltyplayedoutinslow-motion,

a disturbingportrayalofwomen(over-emotional

wrecksorthereforthecameratoogle)and,most

troubling,scenesthatseemtobackupthewhite

protagonists’perspective on other races.

NICK DE SEMLYEN

DEFEND,CONSERVE,PROTECT

HHHH

OUTNOW/ RATEDPG/ 88 MINS

DIRECTORStephenAmis

CASTDanAykroyd,PaulWatson

NarratedbyDanAykroyd,thisgrippingdoco

followsfourshipsastheysetsailtoAntarcticaon

thebiggestanti-whalingcampaigneveragainst

JapanesefleetsintheSouthernOcean.The 120

stronginternationalcrewgathertogetheraspart

oftheSeaShepherdConservationMovement,the

onlypeoplebravelypolicingthehighseasforthe

illegalslaughterofwhalesandattackingthe

problemheadon.Whatunfoldsis a battleofwits

ina three-waycatandmousechasebetweenour

crusadingenvironmentalists,thejustifiably

vilifiedJapanesewhalersandthemajestic

creaturesthemselves.Inturndistressing,

exhilarating– especiallythetensiondrenched

Davidv Goliathstand-offs– andmoving,Defend,

Conserve,Protectis a passionate call to action to

stop a barbaric practice.DMB