MARY MAGDALENE

Set in the Holy Land in the first century C.E., a young woman leaves her small fishing village and traditional family behind to join a radical new social movement. At its head is a charismatic leader, Jesus of Nazareth, who promises that the world is changing. Mary is searching for a new way of living, and an authenticity that is denied her by the rigid hierarchies of the day. As the notoriety of the group spread and more are drawn to follow Jesus’ inspirational message, Mary’s spiritual journey places her at the heart of a story that will lead to the capital city of Jerusalem, where she must confront the reality of Jesus’ destiny and her own place within it.
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MARY MAGDALENE was better than I thought it would be and not as good as I thought it would be.

What I liked about it: The story is told through the eyes of Mary Magdalene. She is the main character in the story, which is excellent given that the New Testament (NT) gospels are written from a male perspective (we don’t know who wrote the NT gospels, but the view is obviously male). Mary is portrayed as challenging the religious and cultural patriarchy of the first century CE. And she, unlike the male disciples of Jesus, is the only one who “gets” what Jesus mission is about.

I also appreciated that the supernatural elements of the NT gospels are underplayed and, while they are present, they play a minimal role in the narrative. MARY MAGDALENE is a provocative retelling of the traditional story and, the director is apparently not bound by tradition. MARY MAGDALENE is a fresh take on the story. We know that the NT gospels are not historical fact — they were written by anonymous authors decades after Jesus lived who constructed them to make Jesus look as though he had fulfilled Old Testament narrative patterns and to make theological points for the readers of the first century. The director of MARY MAGDALENE follows in that tradition, telling a story that critiques contemporary assumptions about gender, belief, doubt, and faith. Joaquin Phoenix does a gentle but powerful version of Jesus. The cinematography is beautiful.

What I didn’t like: I think Mara Rooney was miscast as Mary Magdalene. She’s never quite authentic and seems a little uncomfortable with the role. The script is a bit dull at times and drags a bit. A bit more passion would have been welcomed.

Christians who read the gospel texts insisting that they are literal history probably won’t like MARY MAGDALENE. For others, there is a lot to think about in this of contemporary significance. The more a person knows the traditional telling of the story of Jesus, the more they will appreciate the variations in this movie. A worthy, if uneven, film that takes a middle road between preachiness and sensationalism.

THAT’S NOT MY DOG!

THAT'S NOT MY DOG is a joyous comedy that celebrates our love of joke telling. The film centres around the loveable Shane Jacobson (playing himself) who is throwing a party. Invited are the funniest people Shane knows comprising of Australia's biggest stars along with several Australian music legends playing their biggest hits live, right throughout the party. The invite that goes out is clear. Don't bring meat. We'll provide the beer. Just come armed with nothing but the funniest jokes you've ever heard. Shane will take care of the rest. It'll be a night of great friends telling the world's funniest jokes over a beer and BBQ. —Sounds Write Productions

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Give it a miss. Watching 1½ hours of people standing around telling jokes that I can find in any joke book at a newsagent was boring. Some of the music was ok, and a few of the jokes were funny, but if these jokes are the best that these “funniest people” can come up with, then I don’t hold out much hope for Australian comedy. Fortunately, the really good Australian comedians obviously weren’t invited — they must have been out making shows that were worth paying for. A lazy piece of cinema.

CATCH-UP RATINGS

|Every so often, I get a bit behind in reviewing movies I’ve seen. So, here are my star ratings for a few recent movies.|

12 STRONG - 12 Strong tells the story of the first Special Forces team deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11; under the leadership of a new captain, the team must work with an Afghan warlord to take down for the Taliban. ***½

THE MERCY - Yachtsman Donald Crowhurst's disastrous attempt to win the 1968 Golden Globe Race ends up with him creating an outrageous account of travelling the world alone by sea. ***

THE SQUARE - A satirical drama reflecting our times — about the sense of community, moral courage and the affluent person’s need for egocentricity in an increasingly uncertain world. ****

DEN OF THIEVES - A gritty crime saga which follows the lives of an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff's Dept. and the state's most successful bank robbery crew as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank. ***½

MOLLY’S GAME - Molly Bloom, a young skier and former Olympic hopeful becomes a successful entrepreneur (and a target of an FBI investigation) when she establishes a high-stakes, international poker game. ***

PHANTOM THREAD - In the glamour of 1950s post-war London, renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock and his sister Cyril are at the centre of British fashion. Women come and go through Woodcock’s life, providing the confirmed bachelor with inspiration and companionship, until he comes across a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who soon becomes a fixture in his life as his muse and lover. Once controlled and planned, he finds his carefully tailored life disrupted by love. ****

See you at the movies!

Movie descriptions are from IMDB or TMDB unless otherwise stated.

TOMB RAIDER (2018)

Lara Croft, the fiercely independent daughter of a missing adventurer, must push herself beyond her limits when she finds herself on the island where her father disappeared.

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An excellent piece of entertainment! I really enjoyed this remake. It’s fast-paced, great action sequences, and Alicia Vikander, who plays Lara Croft, is outstanding. Vikander is one of my favourite actors and she brings a believability to her performance and makes the story more grounded than the originals. Norwegian Roar Uthaug direction is spot on. I’ve taken ½ a star off for the inevitable plot holes. But who really cares when it’s such a joy to watch. Check it out on the big screen. Can’t wait for the next one.

DEATH WISH (2018)

Dr Paul Kersey is an experienced trauma surgeon, a man who has spent his life saving lives. After an attack on his family, Paul embarks on his own mission for justice.

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Bruce Willis is tired and his acting is terrible — almost cringe-worthy at times — in this remake. The plot is predictable and clichéd. And the worst thing about the movie is its promotion of vigilantism — something we don’t need with the ongoing mass shootings in America. At times, it feels as though the NRA in the US has backed the movie with its focus on guns and getting vengeance because the police don’t do a good enough job. There’s one scene in a gun store that comes across as satirical. It’s hard to know whether it was intended that way because nothing else in the movie has the same feel. If the movie had been directed as a satire, it may have had some redeeming quality. As it is, it is not worth watching.

LOVE, SIMON

Everyone deserves a great love story. But for seventeen-year-old Simon Spier it’s a little more complicated: he’s yet to tell his family or friends he’s gay and he doesn’t actually know the identity of the anonymous classmate he’s fallen for online.
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It’s good to see stories being made about the experiences of gay teens. But this one is typical Hollywood — superficial, clichéd, stereotyped, and saccharine. The cast does a good job of acting their parts, but the script is predictable and superficial. It does make some good points about cyber-bullying. There’s a warmth that is endearing but it’s clearly made for an American teen demographic. Jon Frosch, of The Hollywood Reporter, describes it as ‘… an expertly carved chunk of cheese.’ Pretty accurate.

FINDING YOUR FEET

On the eve of retirement a middle class, judgmental snob discovers her husband has been having an affair with her best friend and is forced into exile with her bohemian sister who lives on an impoverished inner-city council estate.
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Despite exploring some timely themes about ageing, grief, and relationships, FINDING YOUR FEET is clichéd, predictable, and “nice”. It’s typical British comedy drama which is ok — but that’s all. Same actors that seem to be in everything British who do an adequate job. Sweetly undemanding.

RED SPARROW

Prima ballerina Dominika Egorova faces a bleak and uncertain future after she suffers an injury that ends her career. She soon turns to Sparrow School, a secret intelligence service that trains exceptional young people to use their minds and bodies as weapons. Egorova emerges as the most dangerous Sparrow after completing the sadistic training process. As she comes to terms with her new abilities, Dominika meets a CIA agent who tries to convince her that he is the only person she can trust.
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The best spy thriller in ages! Jennifer Lawrence is mesmerising (as usual) and Joel Edgerton is a worthy support actor. The plot is complex and intelligent and directed with subtlety — this is a clever movie and avoids all of the clichés of the big, brash, modern spy thrillers like Atomic Blond. There is more talk than action — which is a refreshing change. And what action there is, is believable. The book, on which the film is based, was written by a former CIA operative. There’s a great twist at the end. A slow-burn, satisfying movie.