The cultural capital of Australia, Melbourne is inarguably the premiere location for film fans down under (no matter what anyone from Sydney tells you). These weekly posts will take you beyond the multiplex and highlight the Top 5 movie alternatives worth checking out each week.
1. The Wizard of Oz // Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (The Astor)
What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than at the Astor with two of the best and trippiest family films ever made? Plot descriptions are hopefully redundant…just know there’ll be a lot of singing and weird technicolour shenanigans. Both films are presented in 35mm. (Sunday, January 20)
2. The French Connection // The Hustler (The Astor)
Well, if you’re already at the Astor, why not make a day of it? This double feature is probably a little less suitable for the younger members of the family though. Starts with William Friedkin’s Oscar winning crime film about a New York City narcotics investigation, and finishes with the Paul Newman classic (which I’m personally very much looking forward to seeing for the first time. (Sunday, January 20)
3. Django Unchained (Moonlight Cinema)
Yes, I know, it opens wide next Thursday. But I’d be willing to bet there are no shortage of Melbourne Tarantino fans out there who would be more than happy to catch QT’s latest – a typically bloody tale of vengeance set in the American South in the years before the abolition of slavery – two days earlier than everyone else. And here’s their chance. (Tuesday, January 22)
4. Laurence Anyways (ACMI)
Corey said it last week when he picked Xavier Dolan’s Laurence Anyways as one of his films to watch out for on the Toronto scene: this film, about a transgender romance, is by all accounts excellent, and beautifully made. And you can rest assured that the Australian Centre for the Moving Image is about the only place Australia wide you’re likely to get the chance to catch it on the big screen. (Fri Jan 18 – Sun Feb 3)
5. Hail + Q&A (The Shadow Electric)
Local filmmaker Amiel Courtin-Wilson’s Hail, about an ex-con trying to make ends meet, has proven extremely divisive – he told me in an interview late last year that people “seem to either really love it or fucking despise it.” For my own part, I was put off by the film’s harsh experimental style, but found myself compelled by the barebones narrative and incredible lead performance. Ultimately, I’m recommending this as much for the Q&A, which will feature Courtin-Wilson and Danny P. Jones, the ex-prison inmate who stars in the film, and whose life and stories provided inspiration for the plot. (Wednesday, January 23)
2 thoughts on “Melbourne Top 5 (1/18/13-1/24/13)”
Great post as always Tom! I went and caught Berberian Sound Studio this week, definitely worth it even though I didn’t truly love.
May check out one of those Astor doubles too!
Thanks Alex, glad you dug it! I wasn’t totally in love with BSS, but the sound design and general atmosphere is great. And I’m hoping to be at AT LEAST the evening double on Sunday, so maybe I’ll see you there!