THE TINDER SWINDLER (M)THE ONE WHERE THE CON IS ALWAYS ON***NETFLIXYes, it’s been out for a month, but it’s worth jumping on the bandwagon if you missed surfing the first viral wave. If you want this fascinating doco to fully pack the right kind of guilty-pleasure punch promised by its catchy title, it might be wise to avoid learning much about the staggering tale it has to tell until you see it for yourself. (Especially do not search for any advance info on the internet.) This is the extraordinary case of a cunning catfisher who called himself Simon Leviev. This dude engineered the perfect scam to make millions from dating apps, such as Tinder, simply by targeting certain types of women who would fall for a certain type of story. Without going into too much detail, the Israeli-born Leviev (not his real name, but the most used of his many aliases) posed as the high-flying heir to a diamond fortune. The best thing about the doco is the trio of past victims who sit before the cameras and tell their stories with hefty helpings of honesty, humour and of course, heartbreak. They also hand over all the text messages, voicemails, pics and videos with which the predatory playboy plied his trade.WEST SIDE STORY (M)THE ONE DOING THINGS THE RIGHT WAY AND THE SONG WAY****DISNEY+, FOXTEL or PREMIUM RENTALA remake of West Side Story, one of the greatest movie musicals of all time? That does not sound like much of a good idea. A remake of West Side Story, directed by one of the greatest filmmakers of all time in Steven Spielberg? Now we’re talking. In collaboration with award-winning playwright Tony Kushner (Angels in America) and ace choreographer Justin Peck, Spielberg has tactfully, yet emphatically, crafted a different version that stands (and indeed dances) on its own two feet. However, what remains crucial to the irresistible nature of the West Side Story effect – the glorious musical score, the unique storytelling beauty of each individual song and the mid-20th century urban setting – has not been tinkered with to any notable degree. While the key lead roles of Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Maria (Rachel Zegler) do not quite command our full attention here, the adrenalised song-and-dance sequences – boosted by some truly superb camera work – never once fail to connect, entertain, and often, truly excite.THE LOST DAUGHTER (M)THE ONE NOT HERE TO MAKE PLEASANT CONVERSATION****NETFLIXAs if there is not already enough evidence that Olivia Colman is one of the greatest performers at work today, here comes yet another powerhouse display from the British Oscar-winner. Colman plays a middle-aged academic having a miserable working holiday in the Greek Isles. Colman’s character goes by the name of Leda, and it would something of an understatement to peg her as the kind of person who does not suffer fools gladly. In fact, Leda seemingly lives to detest anyone and everyone in her eyeline – it is almost as if she loves the very act of hating someone – all of which makes her about as approachable as a grenade with the pin missing. Once it is time to go hunting for explanations as to how a person can become so bitter and twisted, Colman leads the audience on a devious and rather intimidating chase. A subtly devastating psychological drama which marks a significant directorial debut for well-known actor Maggie Gyllenhaal. Co-stars Ed Harris, Peter Sarsgaard, Jessie Buckley.THE TENDER BAR (M)THE ONE THAT’S A GEM TO BE TREASURED***1/2AMAZONThey don’t really make movies like The Tender Bar anymore. Someone, somewhere has deemed that simple, yet striking coming-of-age pieces like this – unpretentiously filmed and acted – just is not what people want any more. Thank heavens, then, that George Clooney didn’t get the memo. Serving as both director and co-producer of this fine little flick, Clooney guides an openly committed cast along a gently arresting storytelling path. Oh, and it’s pretty much a true story, too, adapted from a memoir by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer J.R. Moehringer. The movie dovetails smoothly between the author’s childhood (where he is played by gifted newcomer Daniel Ranieri) and late teens (a task well handled by Tye Sheridan). The constants linking these two eras are the young protagonist’s deadbeat dad (Max Martini), a perpetually absent radio DJ who will reappear at the worst possible times, and J.R.’s Uncle Charlie (Ben Affleck), an always present bar owner who will steer his nephew towards his true calling as an writer. Lovely low-key stuff that rarely puts a foot wrong, thanks largely to the casually inviting pitch of Affleck’s anchoring performance.KIMI (M)THE ONE THAT WILL GET ON YOUR NERVES***FOXTEL, BINGE or RENTThis unsettling contemporary thriller takes its name from a digital lifestyle algorithm most would recognise as a close relative of Alexa and Siri. Angela (Zoe Kravitz) not only relies on Kimi to keep her world in order. Angela also works for the company that programs Kimi, listening in to user’s queries and then explaining them to the algorithm so that they are immediately understood. Then, one day Angela listens in on a user query that sounds awfully like a violent assault is taking place. Or perhaps even worse. Angela needs to raise the alarm, but there are two major complications in play: her employers would rather not know (as Kimi is about hit the stock market) and she finds it almost impossible to leave her apartment (a few Covid lockdowns will do that to a person). What follows is a jumpy, jolty and ever-intensifying journey into the unknown, conducted under the expert filmmaking eye of Steven Soderbergh (Magic Mike, Unsane).DREAM HORSE (PG)THE ONE THAT HITS THE WINNING POST WITH A SMILE***BINGE, FOXTEL, AMAZON or RENTThis unapologetically uplifting feel-good flick is a clever combo of the only-at-the-races and the only-in-the-movies. Based on a true story that still has thoroughbred racing fans scratching their heads, Dream Horse follows a remarkable Welshwoman named Jan Vokes (a delightful Toni Collette). Despite her experience of any type of racing being confined solely to homing pigeons, Jan decides she will conquer the turf with a noble steed she will breed herself. From this small beginning, a big plan is hatched, and virtually everybody in Jan’s home village comes along for a ride that will take them all the way to finish line of the Grand National Hurdle. Co-stars Damian Lewis.SPIRAL: FROM THE BOOK OF SAW (R18+)THE ONE TO STAY WAY AWAY FROM*FOXTEL, BINGE or RENTAnd here we all were, thinking we had seen the last of that terrible torture-porn franchise Saw. Thankfully, the reanimation of this cinematic corpse proves to be alarmingly unsuccessful, to the extent where it would be highly doubtful if they dare make another one for a decade or so. Stand-up comedy legend Chris Rock is woefully miscast as the hard-bitten detective engaging in grisly gameplay with a psycho serial killer. Rock has plenty of company on the awful-performance front, but the abysmal acting actually serves as light relief from all the constant severing, dismembering and burning. Worst film of the past 12 months? Abso-bloody-lutely.
Powered by WPeMatico
