Film Screening 1st April, 2000

Poster for Two Hands

Two Hands 

8:00 PM, 1st April, 2000
No Guests

  • MA
  • 103 mins
  • 1999
  • Gregor Jordan
  • Gregor Jordan
  • Bryan Brown, Heath Ledger, Rose Byrne, Susie Porter

Set in Kings Cross, this film has a plot that may be familiar - boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy finds himself in trouble with the wrong people when he stuffs up a job and all hell breaks loose - but the story is more than that. This film is stylishly done, suspenseful, entertaining and genuinely funny. The casting and acting are impeccable, and with the help of a well-written script, it is easy to see Brown as Pando, a gang boss and family man, or Ledger as Jimmy, the would-be hoodlum who finds himself on the wrong side of Pando. Also watch out for Jimmy's bouncer friend (Kiri Paramore), a Canberra boy on the big screen.
There are some unnecessary bits in the film, such as the narration by Jimmy's dead brother. But, in this short film, there's still much to like. Jordan's direction is multi-layered, with impressive production elements and the cinematography, the music, the camera shots, and the editing all give the film a truly cinematic feel. The violence is at times shocking, but there is also hilarity to most of it. The jokes are funny and memorable, particularly in some of the show-stealing scenes involving the two little street kids, the bank heist, and the reaction to radio 2-HOT's spotter car. Two Hands is one of the best Australian films for years so even if (like me) you aren't usually a fan of Australian films, you should still come along and check this one out.

Tamara Lee

Poster for Arlington Road

Arlington Road 

9:43 PM, 1st April, 2000

  • M
  • 117 mins
  • 1999
  • Mark Pellington
  • Ehren Kruger
  • Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack, Hope Davis

Michael Faraday (Bridges) is a college professor whose wife is killed by a right-wing group. Becoming obsessed with the culture of these groups, he starts to suspect his new neighbours, the all-American couple, Oliver and Cheryl Lang (Robbins and Cusack). As he investigates further, he finds that the mystery only deepens, and the question looms - is Faraday just a paranoid, grief-blinded man; or is there some foul conspiracy being hatched on Arlington Road?
Throughout the movie, the audience is kept guessing about the true nature of whatever secret the Langs may have. A suspense-filled mystery, the movie examines friendship and betrayal, trust and deceit, and good and evil.

Chris Banks