BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID;X-RICAL-TZSOURCE=TZINFO:-//com.denhaven2/NONSGML ri_cal gem//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN VERSION:2.0 BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140217T102200Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140217T083000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140217T083000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3081 DESCRIPTION:After a solo feature and a stint alongside superpowered teamm ates in The Avengers\, Thor makes a triumphant return in this bona fide sequel that continues the God of Thunder’s epic adventures\, along with Marvel’s incredible streak of shrewdly interconnected and ridiculously e ntertaining films.\n\nWhen astrophysicist Jane Foster (Portman) stumbles upon an ancient weapon long thought lost and inadvertently puts her lif e at risk\, Thor (Hemsworth) returns to Earth to reunite with – and save – his mortal beloved. Little does he know that the discovery of the wea pon has awoken the all-powerful Dark Elf Malekith (Eccleston)\, who will stop at nothing to reclaim what was once his. With even Asgard falling at the hands of Malekith’s army\, Thor has no choice but to turn to an u nlikely ally for help: his brother Loki (Hiddleston).\n\nDirector Alan T aylor (TV’s “Game of Thrones”) takes the reins for Thor’s second solo ou ting\, bringing a gritty realism to the otherworldly proceedings that’s a far cry from the first film’s squeaky-clean campiness. Hemsworth once again impresses\, bringing a unique charm and gravitas to the role\, val idating his uncannily perfect casting. But it’s the devilish Hiddleston that ultimately steals the show (again) as the disgraced Loki\, imprison ed by his own father following his misguided attempt to take over Earth in The Avengers.\n\nOf course\, being a Marvel movie\, you should know b y now to stick around til after the credits\, as there’s not just one\, but two exciting bonus scenes tacked on. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!\n\ n\n- Adrian Ma URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140217.html#film-3081 SUMMARY:Thor: The Dark World (Free Screening) LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140220T105600Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140220T083000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140220T083000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3082 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nKatniss Everdeen (Lawrence ) survived the 74th Hunger Games – but she’s still very far from safe. A victory tour sees her paraded through the Districts where her fallen co mpetitors came from – and exposes her to a growing rebellion\, ruthless suppressed by the Capitol’s peacekeepers. Her for-show-only romance with Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson) as she has to smile and wave for the cameras becomes increasingly difficult. When it’s announced that a special 75th Hunger Games will be selected from previous victors\, Katniss’s return to the arena is inevitable. With a new arena\, and a range of ruthless c ompetitors\, the battle to survive is on again…\n\nThe Hunger Games was a surprise package – the recent plethora of young-adult-adaptations has seen a lot of fairly shallow films with middling acting\, contrived love triangles and half-hearted fantasy\, science fiction or supernatural th emes. And while The Hunger Games seemed to follow that lead\, Lawrence’s strong central performance and a script that touched on themes of media manipulation and political suppression made something a tad more though t provoking than expected. And Catching Fire is a worthy follow up – it’ s obviously part of a series (the opening doesn’t give you a lot of time to catch up on prior events\, and the finale leaves us on one hell of a cliffhanger\, to be followed up in November this year with Mockingjay – Part 1)\, but it’s a hell of a fulfilling movie along the way.\n\n- Simo n Tolhurst URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140220.html#film-3082 SUMMARY:The Hunger Games: Catching Fire LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140221T100800Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140221T083000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140221T083000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3083 DESCRIPTION:The quality of Woody Allen’s films in recent years has been v ariable. But\, in a film which has been described as ‘the best thing he has done in years’\, a highly-credentialed cast assembles for a new take on Tennessee Williams’s “A Streetcar Named Desire” – and it proves Wood y can still hit the mark.\n\nCate Blanchett\, along with a number of oth er actors who have been associated with “Streetcar” in the past\, perfor m brilliantly in this dramatic story of flawed characters and personalit ies who have within them the seeds of their own self-destruction.\n\nThe story is told in flashback through the eyes of Jasmine French (Blanchet t)\, looking back on a life of luxury and loss. She is a wealthy sociali te from New York married to Hal (Baldwin)\, who regularly showers her wi th expensive gifts. But the silver lining drops out of the cloud and the presents dry up when Hal\, a financial high-flyer\, is disgraced for co mmitting fraud.\n\nJasmine moves in with her sister Ginger (Hawkins) in an apartment in a poor part of San Francisco and struggles ineffectively to adapt to her changed\, impoverished circumstances. Ginger also lost money because of the fraud perpetrated by Hal but does not resent her si ster.\n\nSome critics say Allen has made the most resonant film of his l ater years and Cate Blanchett’s performance\, leading a cast of very bel ievable characters\, is ‘jaw-dropping’.\n\nThis is a film which provides everything movie-goers look for. It is engaging\, entertaining and stim ulating.\n\n\n- John Rogers URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140221.html#film-3083 SUMMARY:Blue Jasmine LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140221T123000Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140221T101800Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140221T101800Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3084 DESCRIPTION:Cecil Gaines (Whitaker) has been the Chief Butler for eight c onsecutive US presidents\, from Eisenhower to Reagan. Not a bad career t ransition for the son of cotton-picking Deep South slaves. Throughout Ga ines’s time at The White House\, America is moving through the hard slog of The Civil Rights Movement’s struggle\, with its victories and cruel defeats. Not only is this observed through his Commanders-In-Chief\, but Gaines’s own family feel the pressure of the times\, with one son going off to war and another partaking in the more radical movements (Freedom Riders\, Black Panthers).\n\nEssentially a history lesson on 80 years o f African-American culture\, The Butler also boasts some solid performan ces throughout. Most significant is Oprah Winfrey as Gaines’s wife Glori a (she reminds us that she was an Oscar-nominated actress before she bec ame the ruler of the chat shows). Whitaker is stoically solid as the cen tral cypher\, and some of the standouts in the large supporting cast are Jane Fonda (as Nancy Reagan)\, Vanessa Redgrave (as a kindly slave owne r)\, Robin Williams (as Eisenhower)\, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howa rd (as Gaines’s work colleague and family friend respectively).\n\nDirec tor Lee Daniels has proven himself to be a talented director with his tw o previous movies (Precious and The Paperboy) and he continues his good run here.\n\n\n- Travis Cragg URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140221.html#film-3084 SUMMARY:The Butler LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140222T101400Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140222T080000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140222T080000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3085 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nCaptain Phillips is based on the true story of the hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged m erchant ship Maersk Alabama and the kidnap of her captain as the vessel transported cargo through the waters of the Gulf of Aden in the Indian O cean. It was the first hijacking of an American cargo ship in 200 years. \n\nThe film is directed by Paul Greengrass (the Bourne film series) so it was in good hands from the start. It steers clear of descending into any triumphant whooping for the might of the American navy and armed for ces\, instead showing the pirate villains to be paupers with few options due to the exploitation of their in-shore fishing waters. In fact the f ilm is very much the story of the motivation of the pirates led by Abduw ali Muse (Abdi\, a Somali-American actor) in an extraordinary film debut for which he has earned a Screen Actors Guild nomination.\n\nThe pirate s make two attempts to hijack the ship\, failing on the first but succee ding on the second\, capturing the captain on the bridge while most of t he crew hide in the engine room. From then on it becomes clear that the pirates cannot go back as they desperately seek an insurance company ran som\, driven by pressure from drug lords in Somalia\, and take the capta in hostage in a lifeboat launched from the ship.\n\nActing performances are top grade as are the direction\, screenplay\, production values and cinematography. Tom Hanks\, in the title role\, has further entrenched h imself in the ranks of the world’s top actors in this story which will h old you enthralled for more than two hours.\n\n- John Rogers URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140222.html#film-3085 SUMMARY:Captain Phillips LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140222T121300Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140222T102400Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140222T102400Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3086 DESCRIPTION:2 Guns is an action comedy from Icelandic director Baltasar K ormákur\, who previously worked with Wahlberg on 2012’s Contraband\, and is an adaptation of Steven Grant’s graphic novel series of the same nam e.\n\nWashington and Wahlberg excel as DEA and naval intelligence office rs forced to go on the run together after botching an undercover assignm ent. Wahlberg fully develops his character\, making Stigman appear as th e kind of soldier who would sell his soul for his country. When criticis ing Washington for his lack of commitment\, much of his dialogue is hila rious. As expected\, Washington is his usual smooth self\, exciting the ladies while also maintaining a laid back\, lone wolf persona. Together\ , they generate a more than workable onscreen partnership\, delivering t heir fair share of quick-witted banter and sarcastic quips.\n\nInitially \, 2 Guns might seem as though it is a standard buddy action film\, perh aps something we’ve seen numerous times before. The real surprise is tha t the script is strong and has more to it than the average action advent ure film. It has a much more clever and intricate plot than most of the standard offerings in the genre and manages to save the most powerful pa y-offs until the end. While there’s much more to the film\, fans of the action adventure won’t be disappointed\, it still has everything there\, just more of it and better done.\n\n\n- Robert Bourke URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140222.html#film-3086 SUMMARY:2 Guns LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140226T102400Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140226T083000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140226T083000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3087 DESCRIPTION:After our planet was almost stolen from us by a race of alien s called the Formics (who are exactly what they sound like)\, the world’ s leaders decide that what we need to defend us from the inevitable seco nd attack is a generation of child warriors (or teenagers will do at a p inch). Children have always been better at the video games that the new interstellar warfare seems to resemble\, so the most promising candidate s are whisked off into totalitarian boot camps and set to work playing g ames against one another.\n\nThe most promising of these children is an unnervingly rational boy called Ender (Butterfield). Ender is given more games to battle and puzzle his way through than the other recruits\, an d outside the games is given the even bigger game of fighting for respec t and survival in the social pecking order. He’s quite a creation: most of the time\, we know exactly what he’s feeling\, and – up to a point – thinking\, and we understand and empathise with him perfectly. But he ne ver seems to belong to quite the same species we do – which makes him al l the more fascinating to watch.\n\nThere’s a heavy level of suspense ev ery time we see Ender’s eyes flicker and wonder if his next move will be enough to keep him in the game. Many characters forget the larger issue s in these games. We in the audience at times do\, too. The question is: will Ender?\n\n\n- Henry Fitzgerald URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140226.html#film-3087 SUMMARY:Ender’s Game LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140227T102200Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140227T083000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140227T083000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3088 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nAfter a solo feature and a stint alongside superpowered teammates in The Avengers\, Thor makes a t riumphant return in this bona fide sequel that continues the God of Thun der’s epic adventures\, along with Marvel’s incredible streak of shrewdl y interconnected and ridiculously entertaining films.\n\nWhen astrophysi cist Jane Foster (Portman) stumbles upon an ancient weapon long thought lost and inadvertently puts her life at risk\, Thor (Hemsworth) returns to Earth to reunite with – and save – his mortal beloved. Little does he know that the discovery of the weapon has awoken the all-powerful Dark Elf Malekith (Eccleston)\, who will stop at nothing to reclaim what was once his. With even Asgard falling at the hands of Malekith’s army\, Tho r has no choice but to turn to an unlikely ally for help: his brother Lo ki (Hiddleston).\n\nDirector Alan Taylor (TV’s “Game of Thrones”) takes the reins for Thor’s second solo outing\, bringing a gritty realism to t he otherworldly proceedings that’s a far cry from the first film’s squea ky-clean campiness. Hemsworth once again impresses\, bringing a unique c harm and gravitas to the role\, validating his uncannily perfect casting . But it’s the devilish Hiddleston that ultimately steals the show (agai n) as the disgraced Loki\, imprisoned by his own father following his mi sguided attempt to take over Earth in The Avengers.\n\nOf course\, being a Marvel movie\, you should know by now to stick around til after the c redits\, as there’s not just one\, but two exciting bonus scenes tacked on. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!\n\n- Adrian Ma URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140227.html#film-3088 SUMMARY:Thor: The Dark World LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140228T102400Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140228T083000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140228T083000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3089 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nWalter Mitty (Stiller) lea ds a completely dull outer life\, as a lowly “Life” magazine employee in charge of the negatives that their photographers submit from all over t he world. However\, like all of us\, he leads a secret inner life.\n\nIn this second adaptation of the short story by James Thurber\, Walter’s h eroic fantasies are brought to vivid life\; contrasted with his humdrum real-life existence\, where he lacks the courage to even speak to attrac tive co-worker Cheryl (Wiig). One of his fantasies even involves him res cuing the inhabitants of a burning building.\n\nWe find out that the mag azine is moving to an online version\, which means that Walter and many others will be losing their jobs. When a negative by genuine adventurer and the magazine’s ace photographer Sean O’Connell (Penn) meant for the final cover goes missing\, Walter’s chance to have a real adventure may finally have come. If he can find the courage to take it\, his fantasy l ife may come into the real world at last.\n\nWith thrilling special effe cts and a heartfelt story\, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a well-de served summer hit\, and another triumph for actor/director Ben Stiller.\ n\n- Katie Taylor URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140228.html#film-3089 SUMMARY:The Secret Life of Walter Mitty LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140228T120700Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140228T103400Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140228T103400Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3090 DESCRIPTION:It is unfortunate that we won’t see more movies starring Jame s Gandolfini as his best years exploring the roles he could take on were still before him. Best known for his hardline roles as gangsters (his p ortrayal of Tony Soprano in “The Sopranos” continues to be lauded as one of TV’s greatest roles) and underhanded sleazy bosses (like his roles i n Killing Them Softly & 8mm)\, Gandolfini surely was only starting to ex plore his repertoire. His performance in the romantic comedy Enough Said ventures into the sweet and softly spoken side of this gruff actor\, wh ich is pleasantly surprising.\n\nHis presence in this movie beams a char ming light on a story that is heartwarming but not hokey enough to be vo mit-inducing. Louis-Dreyfus plays Eva\, a masseuse who is plagued by mid dle-aged singledom but finds an unlikely attraction for Albert (Gandolfi ni) when she meets him at a pool party.\n\nThey’re both imperfect\, but they discover more about each other’s unique quirks and tolerate them in a very believable\, down-to-earth way. The relationship runs into troub le however\, when Marianne – one of Eva’s clients – is discovered to be Albert’s ex-wife and questions get answered as to whether those unique q uirks are actually becoming issues.\n\nEnough Said is a mature\, thought -provoking adult dramedy that doesn’t stay within the lines of the rom-c om movie rules\, which is pretty refreshing to see. The plus of seeing o ne of Gandolfini’s finest performances is an added delight.\n\n\n- Phili ppe Perez URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140228.html#film-3090 SUMMARY:Enough Said LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140301T094800Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140301T080000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140301T080000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3091 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nI gather Disney had been t oying with the idea of adapting Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Quee n” for years. My first thought was: Why? The story begins on one intrigu ing track\, screeches without warning onto another\, ends a completely d ifferent way again\, and is withal so disjointed and bizarre that nobody short of David Lynch could really get to the heart of it.\n\nSo a faith ful rendition of the subject matter wasn’t on the cards\, and to be fran k\, would have been a stupid idea. What we have instead is something And ersen might have liked\, but certainly wouldn’t have contemplated writin g: a feud between two sisters\, one of whom (Anna\, voiced by Bell) is t he go-getting optimist whose fortunes we follow\; the other (Elsa\, voic ed by Menzel) is the ice princess\, holding an entire kingdom in the gri p of a fierce winter. And a visually spectacular winter\, at that. The a rtists soaked up the look of Norway – clearly the most beautiful country on Earth – so maybe the winter is more lovely than any spring could be. \n\nAnd of course\, there’s a scene-stealing animal. It’s a reindeer\, w ho could win prizes for eye-rolling.\n\nIt would be easy for contemptuou s critics to dismiss what they’ve twisted as “yet another Disney princes s story” – but\, rather surprisingly\, it’s hard to find any such contem ptuous critics at all\; the film is just too disarming\, heartfelt\, thr illing and funny for anyone to strike such an attitude.\n\n- Henry Fitzg erald URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140301.html#film-3091 SUMMARY:Frozen LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140301T114200Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140301T095800Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140301T095800Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3092 DESCRIPTION:David (Vaughn) is a loser\, working as a delivery man for his family’s meat business\, racking up parking tickets\, debts with dodgy dealers and generally failing in life. When his girlfriend Emma (Smulder s) gets pregnant\, David thinks this could be his wake up call. Then he finds out that\, due to a mix up\, the sperm he donated back in his 20s has been used to conceive over 500 children. Suddenly David’s gone from being an unexpectedly expectant father to a very in-demand one – his bio logical children are suing for his identity to be revealed to them.\n\nD avid is determined to prove to himself that he is capable of being a goo d father. So he makes it his mission to get to know some of his newly di scovered progeny – despite the misgivings of his best friend and lawyer (Pratt) – without telling them of their unique connection.\n\nThis is a hard film to describe. Despite the presence of a number of famously funn y actors\, it’s not really a comedy. If Vaughn’s comedy shtick is not re ally your thing\, I recommend giving this a go\; it’s quite a subdued tu rn for him. It is actually quite deep and moving in places\, although it doesn’t quite know whether it wants to be a heart-warming film about fa mily ties that bind or a legal drama and tries to have it both ways. It doesn’t always make it but it’s still an interesting and at times though t-provoking film.\n\n\n- Emma Petrie URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140301.html#film-3092 SUMMARY:Delivery Man LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140304T090000Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140304T070000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140304T070000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3093 DESCRIPTION:The ANU Film Group Annual General Meeting is where the big de cisions are made\, and the committee and executive positions are elected . Come along to find out what’s been happening behind the scenes at the Film Group\, hear about our future plans\, ask questions and even run fo r a position on the committee.\n\nThe AGM will be held at the Coombs The atre. Keep an eye out for notices or visit our website closer to the dat e for more details.\n\n\n- URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140304.html#film-3093 SUMMARY:ANUFG Annual General Meeting LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140306T104800Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140306T083000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140306T083000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3094 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nIt’s the late ‘70s\, and I rving Rosenfield (Bale) is a small-time hustler running banking scams on the desperate. But a chance meeting with Sydney Prosser (Adams) sees hi m increasing the scale of his scams\, and having a passionate affair at the same time. When busted by FBI agent Richie DiMasso (Cooper)\, the tw o of them are offered a deal – assisting the FBI in capturing other crim inals to avoid prosecution. The complications arise when romantic sparks fly between Richie and Sydney\, plus Irving’s wife Rosalyn (Lawrence) s hows up with her own complications that endanger everything.\n\nDavid O. Russell’s career is basically made up of two halves – his early films w ere independently minded films with a very distinctive personal view on the world (Spanking the Monkey\, I Heart Huckabees\, Three Kings)\, whil e his last three films (The Fighter\, Silver Linings Playbook and this) have told more conventional stories\, but presented with flair and style . American Hustle tells a pretty familiar story of con-men and their sca ms\, though the single largest impediment to the scheme’s success is the character’s individual dissatisfactions rather than any external nemesi s. Chock full of ’70s style (the hair alone is worthy of a watch)\, this is an entertaining look at the seedier side of life.\n\n- Simon Tolhurs t URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140306.html#film-3094 SUMMARY:American Hustle LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140307T112900Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140307T083000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140307T083000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3095 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nScorprio are back! Teaming up once again\, director Martin Scorsese and his muse Leonardo DiCaprio bring this uproarious tale of drugs\, money and the excesses of 1980s W all Street. Based on true events\, DiCaprio plays Jordan Belfort\, who s tarts out as a well-intentioned stockbroker keen on making money for his clients\, until he discovers he can live the high life himself. Soon he ’s up to his eyeballs in Quaaludes and it’s not long before the Feds are on his case for crime\, corruption and everything in between.\n\nI’m al ways thrilled when dramatic actors show off their comedy chops and DiCap rio is no exception\, demonstrating that his easy Titanic charm translat es into solid comedic timing. It’s a return to form for Scorsese too\, r evisiting his Goodfellas and Casino themes\, only this time the gangster s are also huge yuppies. It would be easy\, post-financial crisis\, to c ondemn his characters in a stern drama a la Clint Eastwood\, but Scorses e chose instead to make a satire and a pretty great one at that.\n\nFres h off his intense performance as the somewhat dour Jay Gatsby\, you can tell DiCaprio is having a lot of fun in this role\, and his enthusiasm i s infectious. Also standing out are Jonah Hill as Belfort’s willing acco mplice and right-hand man and Matthew McConaughey in a short but pricele ss appearance as the bad influence mentor who introduces Belfort to the stimulating wonders of the stockbroker’s secret weapon: cocaine.\n\nDefi nitely worth catching this on the big screen at Coombs.\n\n- Emma Petrie URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140307.html#film-3095 SUMMARY:The Wolf of Wall Street LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140308T095900Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140308T080000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140308T080000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3096 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nAnchorman: The Legend of R on Burgundy was a sleeper hit in 2004\, and has since grown in appreciat ion to cult classic status. Hailed as one the funniest and most quotable films of all time\, it catapulted the careers of all involved\, and cem ented the character of Ron Burgundy into popular culture. So Anchorman 2 : The Legend Continues has a lot to live up to.\n\nWill Ferrell returns as Ron Burgundy\, self-obsessed news anchorman\, rounding up the old Cha nnel 4 news team to be part of the first ever 24-hour news network. \nHa ppily\, the film stacks favourably with its predecessor. Anchorman 2 bot h recaptures some of the magic of the original\, whilst also breaking ne w comedic ground\; it strikes an effective balance between the two.\n\nF ans of Anchorman will rejoice at seeing their favourite characters again \, and there’s great delight to be taken in some of the scenarios that\, while lifted from the first film\, are expanded in invigorating ways (a particularly drawn-out scene featuring a slew of fantastic cameos sprin gs to mind).\n\nThe style of humour remains: Anchorman is over-the-top\, goofy\, often surreal and decidedly random. One of the emotional highli ghts is a love song to a shark. The film also features a new element of biting satire in its depiction of cable news\, which is a welcome additi on. In summary: Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is a fantastic good ti me.\n\n- Josh Paul URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140308.html#film-3096 SUMMARY:Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140308T120100Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140308T100900Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140308T100900Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3097 DESCRIPTION:‘Life is a journey you never have to take alone.’\n\nMark (Ro bbins)\, Adam (Ruffalo) and Neil (Gad) are all sex addicts at various st ages of their addiction and/or twelve step recovery. Mark has a long-ter m partner but has a strained relationship with his son. Adam is just sta rting out a new relationship\, his first in over four years. Neil is onl y just starting to come to terms with his illness\, and forms a bond wit h a fellow addict Dede (Alecia Moore aka Pink). All three are in search of the same thing: human connection.\n\nThis is a wonderful heart-warmin g observational movie. In previous films the topic of sex addiction has been presented as either tragic (Shame\, also a brilliant film) or comed ic (Choke). This one is neither – it skirts the darker elements of the a ddiction\, but is also a romantic film. The whole cast are perfect\, fro m the respected Paltrow\, Robbins and Ruffalo to the relatively new-to-t he-scene Gad and Moore.\n\nIn many ways\, it’s a companion piece to last year’s Silver Linings Playbook. That film was ‘everyone is a little cra zy’\, where this one goes for ‘everyone is a little addicted to somethin g’. It all comes down to the tagline at the start of this review\, and y ou’d be truly missing out if you skipped seeing this wonderfully humanit arian love story.\n\n\n- Travis Cragg URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140308.html#film-3097 SUMMARY:Thanks For Sharing LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140312T101500Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140312T083000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140312T083000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3098 DESCRIPTION:Inside Llewyn Davis tells the story of a week in a folk singe r’s life\, the titular Llewyn Davis. Llewyn (Isaac) is struggling to fin d his footing after his musical partner commits suicide and engages on a road trip to help find himself and save his career. He’s not in a happy place\, quite burnt by the world and often overreacting to everyday mis adventures\, but luckily he has people around him who know the happier L lewyn. He relies on the goodwill of these friends as he struggles to see the forest for the trees and realise he should really stop to count his blessings rather than wallow in his doldrums.\n\nThere are some great b ackup characters here in the film\, with the some nice cameos also\, but Isaac’s performance is superb\, and given his considerable screen time this is a credit to the performer. His musical performances are also fan tastic\, which brings me to the standout of this film — the soundtrack. Seemingly perfectly placed and with wonderful renditions these keep the narrative flowing and enhance the beautiful elements of the tale.\n\nThe Coen brothers have again delivered a well penned and softly nuanced pie ce with enough curve balls thrown in to deliver the off-kilter and sombr e telling you would expect from them.\n\n\n- Steven Cain URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140312.html#film-3098 SUMMARY:Inside Llewyn Davis LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140313T104400Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140313T083000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140313T083000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3099 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nDirector Steve McQueen is no stranger to crafting raw\, visceral films that sucker punch the audie nce into equal parts awe and submission through their deep analyses of t he darkest aspects of the human condition. After tackling martyrdom (Hun ger) and addiction (Shame)\, it therefore seems only natural that McQuee n would next turn his attention to the deplorable act of slavery.\n\n12 Years A Slave is the (unfortunately) true story of Solomon Northrop (Eji ofor)\, a born-free African-American man who was conned\, abducted and s old into slavery against his will for (you guessed it) twelve years. Nev er once wavering in his quest to return home to his family\, Northrop st ruggles to not only stay alive\, but to retain his individuality in the face of both extreme cruelty and unexpected kindness from the people he meets along the way.\n\nIf you’re looking for an uplifting\, feel-good p icture\, then you better start looking elsewhere. McQueen’s film – as wi th his first two features – is an unflinching\, brutal and sobering look at his chosen subject matter\, crafted by an expert filmmaker at the to p of his game. Ejiofor too delivers a career-best\, extraordinarily powe rful performance\, anchoring the film even opposite some amazing support ing turns from the likes of Brad Pitt\, Paul Giamatti\, Paul Dano and Be nedict Cumberbatch. But particular praise must go to McQueen-regular Fas sbender’s unforgettable turn as a terrifying plantation owner\, and newc omer Lupita Nyong’o in one of the bravest debut performances in recent m emory.\n\nYes\, 12 Years A Slave is remorseless and even horrifying at t imes\, but – as 9 Oscar nominations\, including Best Picture\, and its c urrent frontrunner status demonstrate – it is an essential cinema experi ence.\n\n- Adrian Ma URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140313.html#film-3099 SUMMARY:12 Years A Slave LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140314T111100Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140314T083000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140314T083000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3100 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nThe Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain are on a quest to reclaim their kingdom from the dread dragon S maug\, with the assistance of the reluctant hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Freema n).\n\nIn this second chapter of the trilogy of films based on JRR Tolki en’s book “The Hobbit”\, Peter Jackson brings to life Bilbo’s journey th rough Mirkwood\, right up to the Lonely Mountain and\, finally\, the con frontation with Smaug. Meanwhile\, Gandalf the Grey (McKellen) investiga tes the clues indicating a more disturbing evil lurking in the world.\n\ nLike The Lord of The Rings trilogy before it\, The Hobbit brings to bea r the best of blockbuster filmmaking technology to create this epic fant asy tale. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey set a decisively different t one to its sister trilogy\; one more child-friendly and goofy.\n\nThat’s not to say this approach is perfect\; the first film was criticised for its cartoonish-ness\, and for its low stakes. This film improves on the se dimensions\, as its dual narratives draw it inexorably to the big bat tle in the final chapter.\n\nThe highlight of the first movie was the ‘r iddles in the dark’ sequence in which Bilbo matched wits with Gollum. Th is film’s stand-out is the echo of that scene: the meeting with the stup endous creation that is the dragon. Cast off from the end-of-the-world d esperation of the Lord of The Rings trilogy\, The Hobbit finds joy in si mply being in this amazing world\, and seeing its characters come alive on the screen.\n\n- Josh Paul URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140314.html#film-3100 SUMMARY:The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140315T100500Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140315T080000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140315T080000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3101 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nWhen his daughters were yo ung\, Walt Disney made them a promise: he would one day make their favou rite books about a magical nanny into a movie. One thing his didn’t coun t on was the refusal of author P.L. Travers to surrender her character t o the Mickey Mouse Machine. Two decades later\, she finds herself needin g to reconsider and Walt flies her to the US to personally convince her\ , but finds it will take more than a spoonful of sugar to win her over.\ n\nAs an avid reader of Walt Disney biographies in my youth (I was a bit of a weird kid)\, I was not surprised that his struggle to get Mary Pop pins made has become the focus of this quasi biopic. Tom Hanks is superb as Disney\, bringing the legend to the big screen as a real person and Emma Thompson is equally brilliant as the haughty Travers\, stuffy witho ut hamming it up too much and revealing the hidden heartache behind the classic character and her creator.\n\nThere is admittedly something susp ect about the story of one woman’s fight against her characters getting the Disney treatment being given\, well\, the Disney treatment. But none theless\, this is a charming film. Special mention must go to the suppor ting cast\, particularly Jason Schwartzman and BJ Novak as the song-writ ing Sherman brothers who penned Poppins’s classic songs and to Colin Far rell in a touching performance as the author’s late father. Definitely o ne to watch if you’re a Mary Poppins fan. \n\n- Emma Petrie URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140315.html#film-3101 SUMMARY:Saving Mr. Banks LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140315T123400Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140315T101500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140315T101500Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3102 DESCRIPTION:Celebrating its landmark 50th anniversary this year\, Mary Po ppins is one of that select group of films that can truly be called ‘Cla ssic’. The story\, which I think most people know\, is the tale of a mag ical nanny who brings families closer.\n\nAs a kid\, I loved this movie. I saw it again recently and I am happy to say that I still loved it for both the same reasons I did before and some new ones. With songs both s illy and sublime\, seamless intermeshing of live performance and animati on and the undeniable magnetism of the main characters it is nearly impo ssible NOT to like this film.\n\nWhile American stage and TV star Dick V an Dyke was an odd choice to play a Cockney chimney sweep\, he was a gif ted mime and physical comedian\, and had such a wholesome exuberance tha t audiences can forgive his somewhat shaky accent. But Julie Andrews\, i n her first film\, truly makes this film! Passed over by Jack Warner for the movie version of her stage hit\, "My Fair Lady" (he opted for Audre y Hepburn)\, Disney instantly decided that Andrews was the perfect Mary Poppins and approached her for the role. ‘But I’m pregnant\,’ she told h im. ‘No problem\,’ he replied. ‘I’ll wait!’ Good decision Mr Disney!So w hile it may seem precocious\, I loudly proclaim this film to be supercal ifragilisticexpialidocious out of 5.\n\n\n- Tamara Lee URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140315.html#film-3102 SUMMARY:Mary Poppins LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140320T110300Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140320T083000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140320T083000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3103 DESCRIPTION:Every parent’s worst nightmare is to lose their child\, and p erhaps the worst way for that to happen is if the child is abducted. Whe n two small girls are taken in broad daylight and the only suspect is re leased by the police\, Keller (Jackman)\, the gruff God-fearing father o f one of the missing children\, takes the desperate step of committing a n abduction of his own. Kidnapping simple-minded suspect Alex (Paul Dano ) – the only obvious culprit – Keller resorts to torture in an attempt t o make him confess.\n\nMeanwhile Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal) searches fo r the missing girls using more conventional police methods\, but his sus picions soon begin to fall on Keller himself. As the days drag by\, hope s of finding the girls alive slowly fade and Keller’s actions become mor e and more desperate and brutal. Sooner or later\, someone will crack.\n \nPrisoners could be accused of featuring one unlikely plot twist too ma ny\, but the tension throughout runs so high that most viewers won’t car e\, and the desperation of the families and the police is nearly palpabl e. Powerful and spine-tingling\, Prisoners is easily the finest thriller of 2013.\n\n\n- Katie Taylor URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140320.html#film-3103 SUMMARY:Prisoners LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140321T101000Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140321T083000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140321T083000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3104 DESCRIPTION:This reimagining of the Stephen King tale sees Carrie White ( Moretz)\, a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her religious mother (Moore)\, reign terror on her small town via telekinesis after b eing pushed too far at her senior prom. The film remains faithful to bot h the book and the original movie released in 1976\, with a few minor gl itch-fixes and added layers that were originally in King’s book.\n\nChri s (Doubleday) terrifyingly pushes Carrie to the edge in a plot to humili ate her at the school’s prom. But that goes horrifically wrong in what i s an amazingly scary affair that can be compared to Mean Girls\, with a lot of gory blood.\n\nCarrie\, as a movie\, revels in the scenes that sh ow the ultimate chaos which Carrie\, the character\, can cause. Director Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry) delivers more sensitivity in this version than the original\, which makes all the carnage more satisfying.\n\nWhile Car rie is entertaining for that carnage\, it is also intriguing as a movie as it explores themes including hormonal confusion\, teenage bullying an d religious fervour in a collected manner without going over the top – a ll with a tense feeling throughout that gives chills up the proverbial s pine.\n\n\n- Philippe Perez URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140321.html#film-3104 SUMMARY:Carrie LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140321T120600Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140321T102000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140321T102000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3105 DESCRIPTION:Insidious: Chapter 2 is a horror thriller\, the sequel to 201 0’s Insidious. It stars Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne\, who return as Jo sh and Renai Lambert\, a husband and wife who seek to uncover a secret t hat has left them dangerously in contact with the spirit world.\n\nThe f ilm’s director is James Wan with regular collaborator and fellow Aussie Leigh Whannell penning the screenplay. Previously\, the duo created the initial story and characters for the Saw horror films.\n\nThe main chall enge for a horror sequel like Insidious: Chapter 2 is that it’s more dif ficult to mystify and scare audiences the second time around. Those fami liar with the first instalment of Insidious will applaud the way in whic h Whannell has rewritten the rules when it comes to follow-up films.\n\n Featuring plenty of references to the original film as well as wrapping up all loose ends\, Insidious: Chapter 2 is a prime example of a properl y executed sequel. With all of the characters returning and all of the q uestions from the original being answered Wan and Whannell refuse to sho rt-change the audience.\n\nAnother positive aspect of this sequel is tha t it actually scares. The evil spirits are more effective as real figure s and more complex characters than simply through possessions and supern atural activities.\n\nInsidious: Chapter 2 is one of the best efforts fr om the Wan/Whannell stable of horror films.\n\n\n- Robert Bourke URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140321.html#film-3105 SUMMARY:Insidious: Chapter 2 LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140322T094500Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140322T080000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140322T080000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3106 DESCRIPTION:Last Vegas unites a stellar cast for a weekend in a town of f ast cars\, fast cash and fast women – but the fastest these guys are mov ing is on a motorised scooter. Lauded as The Hangover in 30 years I thin k that’s an easy connection to make\, though the focus is quite differen t and seriously\, these guys don’t need copious alcohol and illicit subs tances to forget what they did last night. A couple of hours afterwards they’ve forgotten what they had for breakfast!\n\nFour old school friend s are heading to Vegas for a bachelor weekend before Douglas gets marrie d. Douglas is the womanising Don Juan and De Niro the matter-of-fact tou gh guy who holds a grudge over Douglas ditching his wife’s funeral years earlier. Watching the two of them vie for the affections of the always great Mary Steenburgen in Vegas was a treat. Filling up the quartet are Kline who is still a light comedy pro and Freeman who looks to have had a wonderful time playing ‘tired and emotional’ when he lets loose in Veg as. Kline\, usually henpecked by his wife\, has a great moment when she slips him a Viagra and a condom telling him ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’.\n\nUnfortunately it does run out of steam towards the end wi th a bit too much stereotyping and safe comedy shenanigans. All involved obviously had a great time playing up\, and while you’re not delivered laugh-out-loud you do get smile-and-not-break-a-hip.\n\n\n- Steven Cain URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140322.html#film-3106 SUMMARY:Last Vegas LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140322T115800Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140322T095500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140322T095500Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3107 DESCRIPTION:On turning 21\, Tim (Gleeson) finds out that he shares a gift with all the males in his family: so long as he can find a dark wardrob e or broom cupboard somewhere\, he can shut his eyes and wish himself ba ck to any moment in his past. His past\, not necessarily the past\; he h as to have been there before in order to go there again.\n\nThe first ac t Tim performs with his newfound time-travel ability is a small\, surpri sing one\; and a hallmark of writer Richard Curtis’s cleverness and all- round niceness. He’s not trying to tie a story into complicated knots so that we get the migraine effect of looking at a four-dimensional Escher drawing. Some of Tim’s choices have profound consequences\; others (lik e his very first use of time travel) seem to have no particular conseque nces at all. (This is refreshingly unlike The Butterfly Effect\, where n obody can do anything without ruining everything.)\n\nIt’s been sold as a romantic comedy\, and that’s accurate so far as it goes – certainly\, it’s the romance (the awkward\, but surprisingly sweet and painless seri es of interactions with an unusually charming Rachel McAdams) that gener ates the funniest bits of comedy. But although Tim announces that his go al is to ‘get a girlfriend’\, his larger and real goal is to use his gif t to lead the best life he can. I think the film cheats a bit in helping Tim along with his quest. But I walked out not caring in the least.\n\n \n- Henry Fitzgerald URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140322.html#film-3107 SUMMARY:About Time LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140326T103100Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140326T083000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140326T083000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3108 DESCRIPTION:Three estranged sisters return home following the disappearan ce of their father\, Beverly (Sam Shepard). Barbara (Roberts)\, the favo urite\, is in the process of divorcing her husband (McGregor). Karen (Le wis) is unaware her sleazy fiancé (Dermot Mulroney) is more interested i n her 14 year old daughter (Abigail Breslin). Ivy (Julianne Nichsolson) has a thing for her cousin (Benedict Cumberbatch)\, who himself has a bi t of a family secret. Their mother\, Violet (Streep)\, has become a pill addict\, which she uses as a thin excuse to speak her mind at all times . You can imagine the fun the family meal becomes when they flush Mum’s stash.\n\nAugust: Osage County is one of those movies that takes an A-li st ensemble\, gives them a few juicy parts and sits back with the camera on to watch the sparks fly. The sort of sparks that make you squirm\, b ut be unable to look away. The film is a veritable grab bag of emotional manipulations that pulls off a trick script by virtue of some great per formances. The film is based on a Pulitzer-prize winning play by Tracy L etts\, the pen behind\, equally uncomfortable\, recent cult hits Bug and Killer Joe. But it’s the performances of the script that really push th is ahead of the pack\, with both Streep and Roberts nominated at most of the big awards bashes this season.\n\n\n- Adam Gould URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140326.html#film-3108 SUMMARY:August: Osage County LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140327T105100Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140327T083000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140327T083000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3109 DESCRIPTION:Nelson Mandela’s death late last year closely coincided with the overseas release of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. The biopic is a s prawling\, sumptuous tribute to the man\, primarily driven by the charis ma of its subject\, as played by Idris Elba.\n\nThe film is based on Man dela’s autobiography\, and tracks his life from his childhood and educat ion\, to his time as a revolutionary fighter under apartheid\, his 28-ye ar tenure in prison\, and subsequent rise to the South African presidenc y in 1994. A momentous historical figure\, the film proclaims to be the definitive account of his life. Thus\, all 141 minutes of its runtime ar e chock-a-block with every milestone of one of the defining figures of t he late 20th century.\n\nBut the film also gives significant focus to Ma ndela the man\; his early years are chronicled as he causes trouble\, an d chews through girlfriends and a first marriage. Another outstanding pe rformance is delivered by Naomie Harris as his second wife\, Winnie Mand ela.\n\nThe film offers a complete overview of the strength\, determinat ion and resilience of the man who brought peace to South Africa\, and in spired the world with his capacity to forgive\, and even usher in a stat e-wide policy of forgiveness. It is a must-see\, especially for those in the dark about one of the most important people of our time. Nelson Man dela is gone\, but the world will not forget him.\n\n\n- Josh Paul URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140327.html#film-3109 SUMMARY:Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140328T103200Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140328T083000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140328T083000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3110 DESCRIPTION:Privileged playboy James Hunt (Hemsworth) couldn’t be more di fferent from obsessive and methodical Niki Lauda (Brühl). But they forme d a rivalry and mutual respect that lasted from the amateur leagues of F ormula 3 to the heights of Formula 1 in the ‘70s.\n\nBefore seeing this film\, I had always respected Ron Howard as a film-maker\, but wouldn’t have said that there were any particular common themes or approaches in his works. Whilst watching this one\, however\, it occurred to me that t here was one theme that has popped up in most of his films\; or rather\, one character. The Motivated But Slightly Obsessed And/Or Autistic Male . The more Howard films I thought of\, particularly in the last 20 years \, the more occurrences of this came to me: John Nash (A Beautiful Mind) \, Richard Nixon (Frost/Nixon)\, Robert Langdon (The Da Vinci Code)\, Ji m Braddock and Joe Gould (Cinderella Man)\, even to a certain extent Gen e Kranz (Apollo 13). All men who are obsessed with an end goal\, to the extent of being slightly anti-social or withdrawn. Niki Lauda is now ano ther one to add to the list\, and Brühl’s portrayal of the man is excell ent.\n\nChalk this one up as one of Howard’s best films (up there with A Beautiful Mind). An exploration of the male ego and obsession\, this is one of the more under-rated films from last year\, and shouldn’t be mis sed.\n\n\n- Travis Cragg URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140328.html#film-3110 SUMMARY:Rush LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140328T123700Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140328T104200Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140328T104200Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3111 DESCRIPTION:He’s back! And he… mumbles something unintelligible. Sylveste r Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger team up for the first time outside of The Expendables series in this rousing romp of an action film that ha rkens back to their 1980s heydays (and in case there’s any confusion\, t hat’s a good thing).\n\nStallone plays Ray Breslin\, a structural securi ty expert who specialises in breaking out of prisons in order to identif y weaknesses in their design. For his latest job\, Breslin is tasked wit h breaking out of a top secret\, high-tech facility in exchange for a mu lti-million dollar payday that is simply too good to pass up. Before lon g\, however\, he discovers that he’s been double-crossed and is imprison ed for real in the most secure prison he’s ever encountered. Determined to find out who put him there\, he concocts a daring plan and recruits a fellow inmate (Schwarzenegger) to aid in him carrying it out.\n\nThe fi lm may not be the Alien vs. Predator/Freddy vs. Jason-style face-off we’ ve been longing for\, but seeing the two legendary musclemen team up on- screen yields equally fun results. Schwarzenegger in particular excels i n his supporting role as the charismatic and crafty Emil Rottmayer\, sho wing off some significant acting chops and even his command of German.\n \nThankfully pulling no punches when it comes to violence and profanity\ , Escape Plan is a worthy-if-predictable throwback to the edgy films of the ‘80s and a far cry from the sanitised\, PG-13 action fare of today. Don’t hit like a vegetarian and come see this film!\n\n\n- Adrian Ma URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140328.html#film-3111 SUMMARY:Escape Plan LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140329T093800Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140329T080000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140329T080000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3112 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nPhilomena Lee\, a young gi rl gives birth to a boy out of wedlock in Ireland. An Irish-Catholic\, s he is forced to give the child up for adoption when the boy is three yea rs old and to sign a contract ruling out any inquiry into his whereabout s.\n\n50 years later Philomena’s daughter\, from the family she later ha d in England\, meets BBC reporter Martin Sixsmith (Coogan) who is lookin g for a story to pursue after losing his job as a Government adviser. He meets the older Philomena (Dench) and\, although human interest stories are not his thing\, decides to help search for the boy given up for ado ption. The search takes them to the US where Sixsmith uses contacts he m ade as a journalist.\n\nThe story takes some unexpected turns before the search is resolved.\n\nJudi Dench’s film and TV performances are keenly anticipated by film lovers and admirers of the British actress. In this film\, more than ably complemented by Coogan\, an increasingly versatil e actor\, she does not disappoint.\n\n- John Rogers URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140329.html#film-3112 SUMMARY:Philomena LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140329T113900Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140329T094800Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140329T094800Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3113 DESCRIPTION:Lil (Watts) and Roz (Wright) have been friends since childhoo d (as shown in the opening scene). Lil is a widow\, and Roz’s husband Ha rold (Mendelsohn) is a drama teacher. Both have strapping young adult so ns – Ian (Samuel) and Tom (James Frecheville). All live in a small NSW c oastal town\, in beautiful idyllic houses with great beach views and acc ess (although Harold is frequently on Sydney jaunts). The paradise-like nature of their existence\, however\, is dramatically changed with one s ignificant incident\, and from that point on\, the relationships are inf initely more complicated and hard to balance.\n\nThe story by Christophe r Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons) tries to steer us through a confrontation al situation rarely covered in film (particularly mainstream fare). It c hallenges your thinking\, to consider a situation not in terms of norms and morals\, but in terms of consequences and motivations. In the past\, Watts has reserved her best performances for international movies\, but this is well and truly her best acting role in an Australian production . Mendelsohn also adds dramatic poignancy as the husband in the dark.\n\ nIf you prefer your movies to be more clear-cut and life-affirming\, the n The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is screening somewhere later down the track this semester\, and I would steer you towards it. If\, however\, y ou enjoy a more cerebral and thought-provoking experience\, then I recom mend this movie for you.\n\n\n- Travis Cragg URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140329.html#film-3113 SUMMARY:Adoration LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140401T102500Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140401T083000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140401T083000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3114 DESCRIPTION:Nebraska is bordered by South Dakota to the north\; Iowa to t he east\; Missouri to the southeast\; Kansas to the south\; Colorado to the southwest\; and Wyoming to the west. Its capital is Lincoln\, and it s largest city is Omaha. Oh\, hang on\, this is supposed to be about the film Nebraska... Hmmm\, well if nothing else hopefully you’ve learned s omething new today.\n\nNebraska is the latest film by Alexander Payne (A bout Schmidt\, The Descendants) and quite possibly his finest film to da te. It stars Bruce Dern as Woody Grant who falls for the age old winning a million dollar letter scam and wants to go to Lincoln\, Nebraska to g et the money. His family is sure it’s a hoax but eventually his son laun ches an impromptu road trip giving the two men one last chance to bond\, clear the air and learn about the family’s history.\n\nThe film tells a very good story that is sentimental\, but not sweet\, and quite slow go ing but not tedious. From a technical standpoint\, the best aspect is th e cinematography which is just beautiful\, with the choice to film in bl ack-and-white being appropriate and effective. The casting of mainly cha racter actors also really rounds out the story and draws you in. This fi lm has received fantastic reviews from critics and us ordinary people al ike so put this on your ‘films to see’ list… and give yourself an A+ for American geography.\n\n\n- Tamara Lee URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140401.html#film-3114 SUMMARY:Nebraska LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140403T104100Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140403T083000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140403T083000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3115 DESCRIPTION:It’s Germany in the 1930s and the Third Reich is reaching its peak. Liesel has just arrived at the home of her adoptive parents\, Ros a and Hans. As Liesel navigates her way through a new town and the trial s and tribulations of late childhood\, her strength and bond with her ne w parents is tested as the new regime enacts its social changes and the threat of war looms\, particularly with the arrival of a houseguest who will live in the basement and must be kept a secret at all costs.\n\nThi s is an adaptation of Markus Zusak’s remarkable novel. It is not a Holoc aust movie\, though comparisons to Roberto Benigni’s Life is Beautiful a re probably inevitable\, given the age of the protagonist. Although the story follows Liesel’s journey during the war\, it is also the story of its narrator\, Death\, and the inescapability of his presence in all our lives.\n\nAs one who adored the original novel\, I was apprehensive abo ut its translation to the big screen. As is often the case\, the film ca n’t quite live up to its source but don’t let that deter you. It’s still a great story. Geoffrey Rush gives\, as usual\, a stunning performance as a man torn between doing right by his family and doing what is right\ , and newcomer Sophie Nélisse is impressive as the titular thief. Specia l mention must also go to the underappreciated Emily Watson who is great as the brusque but loving Rosa.\n\nDefinitely bring tissues to this fil m.\n\n\n- Emma Petrie URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140403.html#film-3115 SUMMARY:The Book Thief LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140404T103600Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140404T083000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140404T083000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3116 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nA movie where a man falls in love with Scarlett Johansson while we never see her and she’s not exa ctly real? It’s a strange premise which more or less works in the direct ing mind of Spike Jonze. In Her\, Jonze directs a beautifully touching m ovie where a man falls in love with a phone. That premise for a movie so unds ludicrous\, but it is pulled off in sparklingly shot style.\n\nJoaq uin Phoenix is perfectly cast as Theodore\; a quirky\, heartwarming man who earns a living as a writer of personalised cards for other people. H e lives in Los Angeles in the not-too-distant-future\, and is intrigued by the opposite sex\, while having problems communicating with them – ex cept for a platonic relationship with a neighbour (Adams).\n\nThis is wh ere he falls in love with an ‘operating system’ (or the aforementioned p hone) called Samantha\, voiced by Johansson. We never see her\, and she is only heard throughout the movie\, but this doesn’t stop Samantha bein g full of empathy\, complex with her feelings and generally making Theod ore happy.\n\nThis film has a type of candy colour style to it within it s scenes\, which is a unique step for films set in the future\, but a br ave one. Jonze seems to like the dreamlike style of film that has permea ted through his filmography. This seems to have hit its peak in Her.\n\n - Philippe Perez URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140404.html#film-3116 SUMMARY:Her LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140404T124300Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140404T104600Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140404T104600Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3117 DESCRIPTION:It’s the not too distant future\, and urban crime is out of c ontrol. OmniCorp is a multinational company who’s been producing militar y drones\, and intends to use similar technology domestically. When Alex Murphy (Kinnaman) is critically injured in the line of duty\, OmniCorp starts their plan for a part-man-part-robot police officer – but they ne ver expected what would happen with the man they chose…\n\nRemaking an i conic story is always an artistic gamble – you get the benefit of a fami liar name\, but you’re always going to be compared to the original\, usu ally unfavourably. But pointing a highly qualified supporting cast (Oldm an\, Keaton\, Jackson) at the material\, with an interestingly sleek new design for the RoboCop outfit and a script that emphasises corporate sk ullduggery as much as heroic police action (and appears to take the mate rial a little bit more seriously than the 1987 original\, which was in p laces quite broadly satiric)\, this version has a better than even chanc e of at least putting its own spin on the character.\n\n\n- Simon Tolhur st URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140404.html#film-3117 SUMMARY:RoboCop LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140405T093500Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140405T080000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140405T080000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3118 DESCRIPTION:Flint Lockwood (Hader) returns to his home town and island\, Swallow Falls to deal with the continuing fallout of his food generating machine\, thought to be destroyed in the first movie. Not only is the m achine still operating\, but it’s developed sentience and is now creatin g food/animal hybrids called ‘foodimals’.\n\nAlong for the ride are many popular characters from the first movie like fellow geek and heart-thro b\, Sam Sparks (Faris)\, Flint’s dad Tim (Caan)\, former child star Bren t (Andy Samberg)\, Steve the monkey (Harris) and Earl Devereaux (Terry C rews). A new major character is Flint’s hero and inspiration\, Chester V (Will Forte) – a sort-of mélange of Steve Jobs and John Hammond.\n\nA n otable cast change from the first movie is replacing Mr. T with Terry Cr ews. Crews is certainly a good substitute though\, as he’s also ten size s larger than life (look him up on YouTube if you’re unsure).\n\nThe tri ppy colours and surreal environments are just as vivid as they were in t he first film\, and the wacky humour and slapstick action just as enjoya ble. If you liked the first film\, you’ll love this one too. If you have n’t seen the first one\, don’t worry\, this appeals to wider audiences t han just kids. The new foodimals characters expand the opportunities for humorous surrealism and sly sight-gags (Jurassic Park comes to mind\, a s many of its iconic scenes are paid homage to here).\n\n\n- Miles Goodh ew URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140405.html#film-3118 SUMMARY:Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140405T112800Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140405T094500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140405T094500Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3119 DESCRIPTION:‘The fact to which we have got to cling\, as to a lifebelt\, is that it is possible to be a normal decent person and yet be fully ali ve.’ - Allen Ginsberg\n\nAllen Ginsberg (Radcliffe)\, Jack Kerouac (Jack Huston) and William Burroughs (Foster) are young writers and poets at C olumbia University in 1944. Their friend Lucien Carr (DeHaan) inspires t hem into rebellion and passion. However\, through Carr’s slightly distur bing relationship with David Kammerer (Hall)\, an older man with clearly sexual intentions\, the men are entwined in a set of tragic historical events that will shape their futures.\n\nThis is the third film in recen t times\, after On The Road and Howl\, to deal with an aspect of the Bea t Generation (oh\, how I wish I was born about 50 years earlier\, for th e chance to maybe have engaged with this group). The combination of a gr oup of young actors (either starting to make their mark or trying to bre ak free from a decade of franchise) and experienced actors like Hall mak e for an engaging look at both a key time in the history of poetry and a familiar portrait of the excitement and potential of youth.\n\nWhether this will be an introduction for you to these great artists\, or a retur n to their talent\, you will enjoy this film if you appreciate what it t akes to create.\n\n\n- Travis Cragg URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140405.html#film-3119 SUMMARY:Kill Your Darlings LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140411T110500Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140411T093000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140411T093000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3120 DESCRIPTION:Sutter (Teller) is the life-of-the-party guy. Beautiful girlf riend\, confident charismatic attitude. But when an accident leaves him on the front lawn of the school’s ‘nice girl’ Amy (Woodley)\, he develop s an interest in her that blossoms into something deeper.\n\nHopefully t hat introductory paragraph doesn’t send you away groaning and imagining another teen disposable movie like She’s All That (a movie with a simila r plotline). Because this one is more in line with the quality of last y ear’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Yes\, it’s about teenage affectio n\, but in a real way that we can all relate to on some level. Miles Tel ler shows the promise he displayed in Rabbit Hole is being realised\, Sh ailene Woodley is almost playing the polar opposite of her character in The Descendants and is therefore very impressive\, Mary Elizabeth Winste ad does more great work for this director*\, and when Kyle Chandler (Coa ch from “Friday Night Lights”) shows up in the last third of the movie\, he runs away with every scene he’s in.\n\nWritten by the guys behind (5 00) Days Of Summer\, this is a heartfelt slice of life story\, about dea ling with the past\, in the present\, to shape the future. Don’t miss it .\n\n(*If you love this movie\, track down Smashed\, the first film from this director\, with an excellent central performance from Winstead.)\n \n\n- Travis Cragg URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140411.html#film-3120 SUMMARY:The Spectacular Now LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140411T132300Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140411T111500Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140411T111500Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3121 DESCRIPTION:As one could probably expect from a biopic about WikiLeaks fo under Julian Assange\, this film generated controversy way ahead of its release\, with Assange writing to Cumberbatch\, deploring the film and u rging him to rethink his involvement. Perhaps it is because biopics of t his kind are not usually conceived when the subject is still confined to an embassy behind Harrods\; or when the debate about his criminal charg es is far from over\; and perhaps when the protagonist\, despite the div erse public opinions\, is an extraordinary founder – that one can see th e difficulty in making it a less ambivalent movie.\n\nThe film is direct ed by Bill Condon (Kinsey\, Dreamgirls) and written by “The West Wing” w riter Josh Singer. The story begins as Assange and Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Brühl) team up to become underground watchdogs of the privileged and p owerful. On a shoestring\, they create a platform that allows whistleblo wers to anonymously leak covert data\, shining a light on the dark reces ses of government secrets and corporate crimes.\n\nSoon\, they are break ing more hard news than the world’s most legendary media organisations c ombined. But when Assange and Berg gain access to the biggest trove of c onfidential intelligence documents in U.S. history\, they battle each ot her and a defining question of our time: what are the costs of keeping s ecrets in a free society\, and what are the costs of exposing them?\n\n\ n- Ingrid Zhang URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140411.html#film-3121 SUMMARY:The Fifth Estate LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140412T115300Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140412T090000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140412T090000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3122 DESCRIPTION:This film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes after receiving an ove rwhelmingly positive response from the festival audience and jury. Likew ise on its French theatrical release it got rave reviews with Allociné P ress rating it 4.7 (out of 5). However that doesn’t mean that you are ne cessarily going to love it as this is a film that tends to polarise peop le so it is worth reading a little about what the film is about before y ou decide whether to come along.\n\nThis is a coming of age story about a teenage girl\, Adèle\, who discovers her sexuality and begins a relati onship with Emma\, a young woman with blue hair. Adèle’s life is changed forever as we follow her journey of discovery about who she is and who she wants to be.\n\nThe film has a long run time at around three hours\; it has a slow style that explores daily life\; and includes imagery tha t is very graphic but not presented to be voyeuristic. On the other hand \, this film has a raw and honest quality brought out through powerful a cting and an intense atmosphere. If you think this film is something you might like to see then you will probably come away loving it. If it isn ’t your cup of tea then I suggest you stay home\, have a cup of your pre ferred beverage and use the time to circle films on the ANU Film Group p rogram that you don’t want to miss.\n\n\n- Tamara Lee URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140412.html#film-3122 SUMMARY:Blue is the Warmest Colour (La vie d’Adèle) LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140423T110000Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140423T093000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140423T093000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3123 DESCRIPTION:Writer-director Rama Burshtein has had the kind of life that seems more plausible in reverse. Born in New York\, she emigrated with h er family to Tel Aviv\, where – after a secular education – she joined t he Haredim (think ultra-Orthodox Judaism) at the age of 25. This is a fi lm set in one of the terrifyingly extreme fundamentalist communities of Tel Aviv\, told by someone who joined such a community voluntarily\, and is in fact still there. It’s a view from the inside.\nBear that in mind when I tell you what it’s about. Shira (Yaron) is an 18-year-old woman looking forward to the arranged match in store for her\, when her sister dies in childbirth. Shira’s wedding is cancelled\; and what’s more\, he r parents\, and the community\, soon decide that the right thing to do i s for Shira to take her sister’s place and marry her brother-in-law (Kle in). Neither party is thrilled about the match\, but options appear to b e limited.\nBurshtein is certainly on Shira’s side\, but she also loves the society she’s showing us\, and wants us to love it\, too. Maybe this is what makes Shira’s situation more real than it would in the hands of a more secular (that is to say\, saner) director. We are\, as I said\, taken inside the community\; and the bars of a prison look much more sol id from the inside.\n\n\n- Henry Fitzgerald URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140423.html#film-3123 SUMMARY:Fill the Void (Lemale et ha’halal) LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140426T105600Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140426T090000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140426T090000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3124 DESCRIPTION:It’s a tradition\, it seems\, for Danish males in this part o f the world to mark their coming of age by joining the local deer hunt. But of course that’s not the ‘hunt’ the title has in mind.\n\nLucas (Mik kelsen) works in a local kindergarten where he gets on well with the chi ldren – too well\, it turns out\, for his own good. His favourite pupil\ , and best friend’s daughter\, Klara (Wedderkopp) forms a crush on him\, which he gently deflects. With the fierce but highly temporary fury of a small girl scorned\, she tells a couple of lies about him to her paren ts – lies which mean nothing to her\, copied from the ‘adult’ conversati on of her older brother. The next morning she’s all but forgotten them. But Lucas finds himself under suspicion of child abuse.\n\nHe’s visited by various authorities\, then by the police\, although it’s soon clear t hat the police aren’t the real threat\; of everyone in the town\, they’r e the ones least convinced by the thin evidence against him. His problem is not getting arrested but being able to relate to anyone else – his e x-wife\, ex-girlfriend\, ex-best-friend – or being able to so much as bu y groceries without being molested.\n\nI can’t see how a better film cou ld have been made from these elements: slowly building tension and socia l ruin\, one or two acts of shocking violence – and also one or two love ly acts of courage bringing sunlight into the film when we least expect it.\n\n\n- Henry Fitzgerald URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140426.html#film-3124 SUMMARY:The Hunt (Jagten) LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140426T124100Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140426T110600Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140426T110600Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3125 DESCRIPTION:The New Zealand studio that did so well with Whale Rider a de cade ago has taken another novella by the same author: “Medicine Woman”\ , by Witi Ihimaera. I suppose the new title has the advantage of contain ing a double meaning.\n\nThe story (set in a gorgeous north-west part of the North Island around 1920) concerns Paraiti (Black)\, who roams the country working as a herbalist and midwife for tribal communities\, out of sight of the law\; because since 1907 the practice of tribal medicine has been illegal. One day she’s approached by Maraea (House)\, a Maori housekeeper who is looking for someone willing to perform a secret abort ion for her wealthy mistress (Prebble)\, who is late in a pregnancy her husband doesn’t know about. And it turns out the pregnancy is not her on ly secret.\n\nObviously this can’t possibly be the crowd-pleaser Whale R ider was\; its mood palette ranges from grim to melancholy. And it doesn ’t seem to have been made by a particularly deft hand. Once inside the h ouse it feels a little as though we’ve stepped inside a stage play – a p lay with some pacing difficulties\, and with some lines of dialogue fall ing with a dull thud. But once given a chance it turns out to be an invo lving story – with strong central performances – and it’s certainly beau tiful to look at.\n\n\n- Henry Fitzgerald URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140426.html#film-3125 SUMMARY:White Lies (Tuakiri Huna) LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140501T111600Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140501T093000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140501T093000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3126 DESCRIPTION:Of the 62 films selected for the 2013 Canberra International Film Festival (CIFF)\, this one was chosen for Opening Night. Is that en ough encouragement for you to come along or do you need to know more?\n\ nIt is a gripping story of a lone sailor battling the elements after his boat is damaged at sea. You will sit in your seat wondering if he will survive\, or if he will be rescued.\n\nThe entire cast is Robert Redford . The only dialogue\, very limited\, is him talking to himself or trying to speak to someone on radio. His superb performance has many shocked t hat it did not receive an Oscar nomination.\n\nAs I write this the film world is mourning Peter O’Toole’s death at the age of 81. Redford\, beli eve it or not\, is only four years younger. Many ANU Film Group members will be familiar with both the O’Toole and Redford catalogues of work. R edford played the Sundance Kid way back in 1969. See how the years have treated him and admire his craft. You might not get too many more chance s.\n\n\n- Brett Yeats URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140501.html#film-3126 SUMMARY:All is Lost LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140502T111100Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140502T093000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140502T093000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3127 DESCRIPTION:Amidst a worsening political crisis in the wider world\, New York teen Daisy (Ronan) is sent to stay with her three cousins and aunt in the English countryside. There\, she falls in love with her eldest co usin Eddie (MacKay) and\, no sooner than her aunt leaves the four teens alone for ‘a few days’\, World War III breaks out\; announced with a nuc lear bomb detonating over London.\nThe teens are conscripted into the wa r effort\, but Daisy runs away and navigates the chaotic countryside hop ing to be reunited with Eddie.\nOn spec alone How I Live Now sounds a bi t like the Twilight version of The Road. To an extent the analogy is acc urate\, they’re certainly a mopey enough lot\, though How I Live Now is much more mature in the way it plays out than that amalgam sounds like i t would. Also in common with the bulk of the Twilight series\, the film is very light-on for special effects as it focuses strongly on the chara cter relationships rather than any action going on in the wider world.\n The film comes across as a modernised version of the ‘Kids get sent to t he countryside during World War II’ trope\, which is surprisingly relata ble even if farfetched.\n\n\n- Adam Gould URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140502.html#film-3127 SUMMARY:How I Live Now LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140502T130000Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140502T112100Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140502T112100Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3128 DESCRIPTION:The Lim family decides to take on a maid to help with both th eir housework and the care of their young son\, Jiale. Teresa is a Filip ino\, and this new job is a chance at a better life. After a rocky start \, Teresa and Jiale form a unique bond\, which is threatening to the boy ’s mother. All this is set amongst the Asian Financial Crisis (AFC) of 1 997\, which eventually starts to affect the parents.\n\nDirector Anthony Chen won the Camera d’Or at Cannes last year for this film\, a prize aw arded to a first-time feature-length filmmaker (Australian Warwick Thorn ton won the same prize a few years ago for Samson and Delilah). It was a lso Singapore’s official entry for the Foreign Language Oscar this year\ , no mean feat for a country not renowned for its film industry.\n\nIt’s a film that has heart\, as well as providing a glimpse into the struggl es of the AFC. It is so well-acted and shot\, it could rival most mainst ream fare for its professionalism. If you’re looking for proof that our geographical region has much cinematic talent\, then come along for this slice-of-life drama.\n\n(P.S. the title refers to the province of The P hilippines that the maid comes from. Small detail\, but I was curious af ter first seeing the movie myself.)\n\n\n- Travis Cragg URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140502.html#film-3128 SUMMARY:Ilo Ilo LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140503T104200Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140503T090000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140503T090000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3129 DESCRIPTION:300: Rise of an Empire is the follow-up to the 2007 film 300 – just in case you didn’t notice the similarity in the film titles – wit h Zack Snyder\, who directed and co-wrote the original film\, acting as writer and producer this time around. So to cut a long review short\, if you hated/liked/loved 300 then you are most likely going to hate/like/l ove 300: Rise of an Empire.\n\nBased on Frank Miller’s latest graphic no vel “Xerxes” and told in the amazing visual style of 300\, this new chap ter of the epic saga takes the battlefield to the sea as Greek general T hemistokles (Stapleton) attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the c harge that will change the course of the war. Themistokles is pitted aga inst the massive invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes (Santoro) and Artemesia (Green)\, vengeful commander of the Persian nav y.\n\nThe content of Rise of an Empire takes place before\, during\, and after the events of 300\, and also covers some of the back story of Xer xes and how he became ‘the God King’. As with 300\, if you are going to watch this film then you really should do it on the big screen so you ca n fully appreciate the styling. And\, of course\, the ANU Film Group is the best place to do that\, so don’t miss it. \n\n\n- Tamara Lee URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140503.html#film-3129 SUMMARY:300: Rise of an Empire LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140503T124500Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140503T105200Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140503T105200Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3130 DESCRIPTION:Some might say that the reputation of vampires has been somew hat tarnished over the last few years. Instead of vampires being scary b lood-sucking beasts\, they have become caring creatures who fall in love and glisten in the sunlight. This film sits somewhere in the middle. Go ne are the days when holy water\, crucifixes\, and other church relics w ere used to repel vampires\, but you won’t find them galloping up trees\ , dashing through the woods or just spending their time working on looki ng forlorn either.\n \nA mother and daughter flee London and seek refuge in a run-down coastal resort. The mysterious Clara (Arterton) meets lon ely Noel (Mays)\, who provides shelter in his deserted guesthouse\, Byza ntium\, and schoolgirl Eleanor (Ronan) befriends young Frank (Jones) and tells him their lethal secret. They were born 200 years ago and survive on human blood. As knowledge of their secret spreads\, their past catch es up with them… with deathly consequences.\n \nWhat really works here i s the dark mood of the film and the engaging characters. The heroes are flawed and complicated\, while the villains\, for the most part\, have m otivation and even sympathy (which doesn’t necessarily come easily for a murderous\, vampiric prostitute). If you like vampire movies then this is a must-see. However if your interest in vampires doesn’t include a wi llingness to see quite a bit of the ‘red stuff’ then maybe re-watching e pisodes of “Buffy” or the Twilight films might be the way to go to avoid extended periods of eye-covering.\n\n\n- Tamara Lee URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140503.html#film-3130 SUMMARY:Byzantium LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140509T114600Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140509T093000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140509T093000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3132 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nAfter the events of The Av engers\, Steve Rogers (Evans) aka Captain America remains a man out-of-h is-time trying to adjust to the modern world – now working for S.H.I.E.L .D. but increasingly uncomfortable with their covert approach to interna tional security.\nIn a world where the difference between right and wron g isn’t always clear-cut\, his discovery of a scheme that may endanger t he globe leads him into an increasingly shadowy world where he’s uncerta in who he can trust. He joins forces with the Black Widow (Johansson) an d a new ally\, the Falcon (Mackie)\, to confront this new\, Winter-y foe .\nAnother Semester\, another Marvel Movie. Except\, of course\, they’re never the same film each time\, which is why they’re so interesting to watch – each dive into a different genre and add super-heroics to the mi x. And this time it’s the conspiracy thriller\, as shadowy men lurk arou nd Washington whispering dark secrets. A new threat from old history eme rges: the unexpected and formidable Winter Soldier.\nRobert Redford’s ca sting is a deliberate link back to these films\, given his history with films like All the President’s Men and Three Days of the Condor\, and it gives a fresh flavour to the superheroic action.\n\n- Simon Tolhurst URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140509.html#film-3132 SUMMARY:Captain America: The Winter Soldier LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140509T135700Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140509T115600Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140509T115600Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3133 DESCRIPTION:Lone Survivor tells the story of Operation Red Wings\, a part icularly notorious operation in the relatively recent Afghanistan war in which a small team of US Navy SEALs were ambushed in heavy woodlands du ring an assassination operation\, only to have things go from bad to wor se when an extraction team was sent in to help. Based on the first-hand account of a surviving team member\, originally told in a bestselling bo ok of the same name\, Lone Survivor does an excellent job of balancing t he drama of the situation with gritty\, and occasionally gruesome\, acti on.\n\nThe film boasts an excellent cast\, with Marky Mark leading a ver y different Funky Bunch (Emile Hirsch\, Taylor Kitsch and Ben Foster)\, sent into action by ‘our’ Eric Bana. All do an excellent job of portrayi ng the strained team dynamic their predicament leaves them in\, as well as carrying the action side of things well.\n\nRather than dwell on the political side of things\, or even the wider story of the war itself\, L one Survivor tells the soldiers’ tale. By avoiding the soap-boxing that many other films about the same piece of recent history feel obliged to throw in\, writer/director Peter Berg has crafted a far more engaging mo vie than most of its peers and one that is far more likely to stand the test of time.\n\n\n- Adam Gould URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140509.html#film-3133 SUMMARY:Lone Survivor LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140510T104000Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140510T090000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140510T090000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3134 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nAs Hollywood gets more and more focussed on remakes and cross-licenses\, it’s remarkable how fresh and vibrant this film feels. It is in fact a new story and the first Le go feature film yet made. Nevertheless the visual style draws heavily on the string of “Lego X” video games (arguably all essentially the same g ame with different levels and graphics assets). There’s also a sprinklin g of Warner Brothers properties in cameo (DC superheroes Batman\, Superm an\, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern).\n\nThe main character is Emmet (Pr att)\, an everyman nobody who is mistaken for being the messianic ‘Speci al’. Emmet joins a fellowship of minifigs seeking to stop the evil Presi dent Business (Ferrell) as he seems to control the universe (though he’s only got a loose grip on his private life).\n\nJoining Emmet on this jo urney are Batman (Arnett) and Wildstyle (Elizabeth Banks)\, a cyberpunk reminiscent of Trinity from The Matrix series and main champion of Emmet . Supporting characters are Vitruvius (Freeman)\, an archetypal bearded wise man and Good Cop/Bad Cop (Liam Neeson).\n\nThe film is directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller\, the duo behind the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs films and 21 Jump Street (as well as producing episodes of “Ho w I Met Your Mother”).\n\n- Miles Goodhew URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140510.html#film-3134 SUMMARY:The LEGO Movie LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140510T130000Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140510T105000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140510T105000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3135 DESCRIPTION:Director Mira Nair brought us the wonderfully rich Monsoon We dding from India. Now she has done even better with this story of Change z\, brilliantly portrayed by Riz Ahmed\, a Pakistani Muslim who goes fro m Princeton University to success in the corporate world of Wall Street. Life changes for him after the 9/11 Twin Towers destruction.\n\nThis is a serious outsider’s look at America. It is a strong experience of cros s-cultural conflict\, of alienation and discrimination which will have y ou thinking for weeks. We observe his life in New York where he has all that capitalism can offer. We see Lahore where Pakistan is trying to ada pt to the modern quest for profit maximisation and wealth accumulation.\ n\nNair manages to explore the conflict between these two cultures. Comp are the extremism of ultra-high finance with religious fundamentalism. S he challenges preconceptions about the West and the East. We get an intr oduction into the life of a terrorist and we see how the US forces prote ct their security. While you can understand that in today’s world many p eople are suspicious of bearded Muslim men here you get to see what it i s like from the other side.\n\nWe don’t get the answer here but the film is full of colour and music and vibrant life. It was voted best film by the audience at two film festivals\, an indication of how successful it is.\n\n\n- Brett Yeats URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140510.html#film-3135 SUMMARY:The Reluctant Fundamentalist LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140513T105500Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140513T093000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140513T093000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3136 DESCRIPTION:Based on the true story of the shooting of a young black man named Oscar Grant III\, Fruitvale Station recalls the end of his life wi th a fictional depiction of his last day on earth.\n\nEarly on New Year’ s Day in 2009\, 22 year old Oscar Grant was shot and killed by a BART Po lice Officer\, after being pulled off the train for getting into a fight . The circumstances of his death are controversial – with the officer ap parently intending to tase the man while he was restrained\, but instead drawing his pistol and accidentally shooting him.\n\nThis movie is not about all that messy business surrounding the shooting\; rather\, it ser ves as a celebration of a man’s life. Director Ryan Coogler has set out to make a film that would humanise the names in the paper\, and humanise he does.\n\nThe film opens with actual cell-phone footage of the shooti ng\, which hammers home the tragedy of the event\, and undergirds the dr ama of the rest of the film. The rest of the film is\, for the most part \, the portrait of a man’s life in one day\; specifically on the cusp of a new year. He’s trying to get his job back\, he’s trying to give up ma rijuana\, he’s visiting his girlfriend and he’s celebrating with family. \n\nWe see his strengths\, his flaws\, his struggles and apprehensions. We see a young man\, full of life\, full of potential. And in this portr ait of promise\, the tragedy hits all the harder. \n\n\n- Josh Paul URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140513.html#film-3136 SUMMARY:Fruitvale Station LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140515T112700Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140515T093000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140515T093000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3137 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nMatthew McConaughey contin ues his long-deserved career renaissance in this tale of a rather shady bloke who finds himself infected with AIDS in the 1980s and forms a disc rete partnership with other sufferers to import unapproved medication fr om Mexico to combat their illness.\n\nGiven 30 days to live\, coke-head Ron Woodroof (McConaughey) hears about the clinical trial of a medicatio n called AZT from his doctor (Garner). After a cash-under-the-table tran saction with a hospital worker Ron tries the drug\, but his health worse ns and he is forced to head for the border to try and score some more. W hen he gets there he discovers the existence of alternatives that are no t yet approved for human consumption in the US. Drugs that seem to work well. Drugs that he can see a black market for. A black market that he’l l need if he’s to pay the increasing cost of keeping himself alive. Relu ctantly teaming up with a transgender sufferer named Rayon (a nearly unr ecognisable Leto\, although that seems to be his stock in trade nowadays )\, the pair form a network they dub the Dallas Buyers Club.\n\nAs marve llous as shirtless Matt’s Golden Globe-winning performance is\, the real show-stealer is emo-wunderkind Jared Leto\, whose bizarrely dedicated p erformance netted him the Supporting Actor Golden Globe for his troubles (and they must have been troubles). French-Canadian director Jean-Marc Vallée does well to rope in what could have been either depressing or ou tright outrageous performances to something surprisingly relatable\, and find a surprisingly amiable drama in what seems on the surface to be a depressing tale.\n\n- Adam Gould URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140515.html#film-3137 SUMMARY:Dallas Buyers Club LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140516T123000Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140516T093000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140516T093000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3138 DESCRIPTION:Here is an opportunity for you to do something patriotic. Com e and see The Turning\, 180 evocative minutes (plus an interval) telling 17 short stories written by Tim Winton.\n\nWinton has been officially c elebrated by the National Trust as a National Living Treasure for his bo oks including “Cloudstreet” and “Dirt Music”. More culturally rewarding than an Australia Day barbecue\, this ambitious endeavour has been descr ibed as ‘not easy viewing but it is beautiful viewing’.\n\nSee some of o ur finest directors and actors putting truly Australian scenery and expe riences on screen. Space doesn’t allow a full listing so I will name onl y a small selection: Directors – Robert Connolly\, Warwick Thornton\, St ephen Page and Mia Wasikowska. Actors – Cate Blanchett\, Rose Byrne\, Mi randa Otto\, Colin Friels\, Richard Roxburgh and Hugo Weaving.\n\nTo quo te four time artistic director of Canberra International Film Festival a nd ANU Film Group member Simon Weaving:\n\n‘As the segments unfold\, the subtle connections between the films emerge – characters portrayed at d ifferent ages\, place and time that could be anywhere in Australia in th e past 40 years\, images of fire and sand. Collectively they create a ha unting and powerful sense of Australia as people tied to place through m emory\, and it’s this that makes it a very special cinema event.’\n\n\n- Brett Yeats URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140516.html#film-3138 SUMMARY:The Turning LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140517T105800Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140517T090000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140517T090000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3139 DESCRIPTION:As the Nazis cut across Europe\, they also took possession of most of Europe’s significant artworks. And as the war drew to a close\, there was a significant threat that the Nazis may destroy the work they ’d captured\, or that the work may become collateral damage. A special u nit was created to look after these works – made up largely of art histo rians\, not normally considered the most action-packed and heroic of pro fessions – often moving ahead of the front-lines of battle to safeguard the artwork.\n\nBased on a true story\, also called ‘the greatest treasu re hunt in history’\, it saw over five million cultural assets recovered \, identified and returned to their country of origin.\n\nGeorge Clooney ’s film walks a careful line between light comedy (as the older and less physically capable art historians find themselves rushed through basic training) and deeper drama as they risk their lives repeatedly for the p rotection of cultural treasures. With an outstanding cast including Cate Blanchett and Matt Damon\, a script by Clooney and long time-collaborat or Grant Heslov\, and a reasonable amount of wartime action\, it’s a mix of high-culture and high-action that should keep you entertained and ed ucated in about equal measure.\n\n\n- Simon Tolhurst URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140517.html#film-3139 SUMMARY:The Monuments Men LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140517T124700Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140517T110800Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140517T110800Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3140 DESCRIPTION:ANU Film Group has strived for almost 50 years to bring the b est of film to Canberra. The record shows that we have succeeded. Docume ntaries are an important part of the mix. This semester we are showing f our excellent ones and this could be the best.\n\nMany people will be fa miliar with British director Ken Loach. His well-earned reputation for g ritty\, passionate dramas taking the side of the less privileged members of society started with his powerful 1967 film Poor Cow. You may have s een his last film The Angels’ Share in Semester 1\, 2013.\n\nThis is a l ook at England after World War 2\, how the British Bulldog spirit and co mmunity goodwill helped the country to rebuild and recover. There was a powerful united front determined to co-operate and avoid some of the pre -war poverty. Loach moves forward to compare this with the Thatcher era which he asserts was more combative and more selfish. Don’t expect a bal anced comparison – Loach has a definite point of view and he puts it str ongly. He makes some important points about societies and the role of go vernments.\n\nIf you would like to see more documentaries in our future schedules please support our offerings this semester. We will be monitor ing attendances.\n\n\n- Brett Yeats URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140517.html#film-3140 SUMMARY:The Spirit of ’45 LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140521T111000Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140521T093000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140521T093000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3131 DESCRIPTION:** NOTE: THIS SCREENING HAS BEEN POSTPONED FROM ITS ORIGINALL Y SCHEDULED DATE **\n\nThis is a retelling of the Brothers Grimm fairyta le “Snow White”\; albeit set in 1920s Spain\, as a silent-era movie and in black and white. It’s actually a very clever set up for this fairytal e world with the new telling taking on a life and a momentum of its own. Blancanieves centres around Carmen and her attempt to reclaim a childho od stolen from her by the villainous and diabolical Encarna.\n\nAntonio (Cacho) is Spain’s most successful bullfighter but one day is caught and gored by a bull and must retire. His wife dies in childbirth and in rem orse he sends his newborn child\, Carmen\, to live with her grandmother. Antonio marries his nurse\, Encarna (played incredibly evilly by Verdú) \, who takes in Carmen after her grandmother’s death but mistreats her t erribly\, forcing her to work hard all day and sleep in a dank room at n ight. When one day Carmen chases after her pet chicken into a forbidden area of the mansion she comes across her father\, chairbound in an upsta irs room. They reconnect and he teaches her about bullfighting\, but whe n Encarna hears of this\, she puts a dark plan in motion.\n\nThis ‘child ren’s tale’ is certainly dark and atmospheric at times\, but in contrast the narrative is followed through from an almost childlike perspective and succeeds in creating wonderfully haunting visuals. The only sound pr esent is a flamenco-infused score and there are few title cards used\, y et you are drawn in like a bull to a cape.\n\n\n- Steven Cain URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140521.html#film-3131 SUMMARY:Blancanieves LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140522T115200Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140522T093000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140522T093000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3141 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nIn The Amazing Spider-Man 2\, we find Peter Parker (Garfield) delicately balancing the responsibil ity of being Spider-Man with the obligations of his regular life. His re lationship with Gwen Stacy (Stone) is going great\, despite going agains t her late father’s final wishes\, and his childhood friend Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) has just returned after years away at an overseas boardin g school.\n\nBut normalcy doesn’t last long for Peter\, with a whole hos t of formidable villains – including the electricity-wielding Electro (F oxx)\, the armour-clad Rhino (Giamatti) and more – soon wreaking havoc a ll over the city. Peter eventually comes to realise that all of his new enemies\, as well as his father’s unresolved disappearance\, have one th ing in common: Oscorp\, the mysterious company that his friend Harry is heir apparent to.\n\nDirector Marc Webb once again spins a tale worthy o f everyone’s favourite wall-crawler\, continuing the ‘untold story’ allu ded to in the first film\, even if the packed plot may deviate a bit muc h from the webhead’s comic origins for some fans’ liking. Real-life coup le Garfield and Stone make sparks fly again too\; their Peter-Gwen relat ionship was one of the best parts of the reboot\, and it doesn’t disappo int here.\n\nOf the fantastic supporting cast\, Foxx is clearly having a blast as a nerdy Spidey fan turned supervillain\, while DeHaan cements his reputation as an actor well worth watching\, following fantastic (an d dark) turns in films like Chronicle\, The Place Beyond the Pines and m ost recently this semester’s Kill Your Darlings. Not to be missed.\n\n- Adrian Ma URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140522.html#film-3141 SUMMARY:The Amazing Spider-Man 2 LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140523T111900Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140523T093000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140523T093000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3142 DESCRIPTION:‘When you’re in the middle of a story\, it isn’t a story at a ll but rather a confusion\, a dark roaring\, a blindness\, a wreckage of shattered glass and splintered wood\, like a house in a whirlwind or el se a boat crushed by the icebergs or swept over the rapids\, and all abo ard are powerless to stop it. It’s only afterwards that it becomes anyth ing like a story at all\, when you’re telling it to yourself or someone else.’\n\nThis key quote from the movie pretty much encapsulates what it is all about. It starts out as a trip through director Sarah Polley’s c hildhood\, focusing particularly on her mother\, via interviews and arch ival footage\, but soon turns into something else entirely (which I’m no t going to spoil for you here).\n\nStories We Tell has won a slew of Bes t Documentary awards and nominations over the past few months\, mainly d ue to the unorthodox way it tells the story. It’s essentially an exposé of truth\, and the flexibility it can have depending on what people inte rpret from their experiences and memories.\n\nThe director of Away From Her and Take This Waltz has once again shown her talent at creating an i ntriguing and thought-provoking piece of cinema.\n\n\n- Travis Cragg URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140523.html#film-3142 SUMMARY:Stories We Tell LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140523T130600Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140523T112900Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140523T112900Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3143 DESCRIPTION:In an alpine resort in Switzerland\, Simon (Klein) a 12-year- old from the valley\, steals ski gear from the rich to sell on the black market. He lives with his big sister and guardian Louise (Seydoux)\, wh o is unable to hold down a steady job. When he forms closer relationship s with both a mountain-top restaurant worker (Compston) and a holidaying ski mother (Anderson)\, he glimpses another world from the grimy surviv al one he lives in.\n\nA winner of a Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Fest ival\, and Switzerland’s official entry for last year’s Academy Awards\, this film juxtaposes the worlds of the rich and the struggling with apl omb. It’s also a film about character and relationships\, and many scene s will stay with you after the credits roll. The only recognisable face here is Anderson’s (although you would have become more familiar with Se ydoux if you’ve watched our screening of Blue Is The Warmest Colour)\, b ut praise must be directed to the young protagonist. It’s also a film th at has a strong sense of place\, with the Swiss Alps location adding muc h to the film\, both metaphorically and visually.\n\nIf touching\, meani ngful\, relationship-driven cinema is what you enjoy\, then make sure yo u are here for Sister.\n\n\n- Travis Cragg URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140523.html#film-3143 SUMMARY:Sister (L’enfant d’en haut) LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140524T105300Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140524T090000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140524T090000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3144 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nThe foam and felt supersta rs aka the Muppets are back on a global tour\, selling out grand theatre s in Europe such as Berlin\, London and Madrid. When it turns out the wo rld’s number one criminal\, Constantine\, is Kermit’s doppelganger\, con fusion is inevitable – besides a vaguely Eastern European accent and a b lack facial mole\, they are virtually indistinguishable. With that\, a w hole heap of Muppetty Mayhem is sure to ensue!\n\nA tribute to old-schoo l crime caper movies\, this is a follow-up to the successful 2011 relaun ch\, with the same director and co-writer and additional songs from Flig ht of the Conchords member (and Oscar Winner and Lord of the Rings / Hob bit elf) Bret McKenzie.\n\nIt also throws in three new humans to play al ongside our goodies – Ricky Gervais as Constantine’s evil associate\, Do minic Badguy (pronounced ‘Bad-gee’\, it’s French)\; Ty Burrell (“Modern Family”) as Interpol inspector Jean Pierre Napoleon and Tina Fey as Nady a\, the head of a Russian Gulag.\n\nWith more cameos than you can poke a stick at (including big names such as Salma Hayek and Tom Hiddleston)\, and a whole lot of additional silliness\, you can expect an evening of filmic fun. \n\n- Simon Tolhurst URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140524.html#film-3144 SUMMARY:Muppets Most Wanted LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140524T131400Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140524T110300Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140524T110300Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3145 DESCRIPTION:It’s hard to believe that the very first “Need for Speed” rac ing game came out twenty whole years ago. Back then\, the ability to cus tomise and race exotic sports cars was the next best thing to actually o wning one of the cars. Video games have come a long way since\, with rec ent offerings rivalling films in their realism\, cinematic scope and mul ti-faceted narratives. Hollywood\, on the other hand\, appears to be goi ng in the opposite direction\; churning out sequels\, reboots and adapta tions that scrape the bottom of the creative barrel… which brings us to this film.\n\nBased on one of the most successful video game franchises ever made\, Need For Speed follows a blue-collar car mechanic (Paul\, in his first major leading-man role following his breakout success on TV’s “Breaking Bad”) who specialises in customising fancy cars and also happ ens to be an ace street racer (surprise!). When he gets involved with th e wrong people\, he is framed by his dastardly business partner (Cooper) for a crime he didn’t commit and\, upon his release from prison\, sets out on a cross-country journey to settle the score.\n\nNeed For Speed sh owcases an impressive array of cars and\, perhaps even more impressively \, lots of spectacular driving sequences and practical (read: not comput er generated) stunts. Assemble these together and the end result is a sl ick\, well-oiled machine that speeds along and doesn’t overstay its welc ome\, making for a fun ride that is well worth taking a spin in (all car puns fully intended).\n\n\n- Adrian Ma URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140524.html#film-3145 SUMMARY:Need For Speed LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140529T112900Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140529T093000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140529T093000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3146 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nDoes the name Wally Pfiste r ring a bell? Well\, it should. Chances are you’ve seen a film or two s hot through his lens over the past few years. Pfister is an Oscar-winnin g cinematographer best known for his work with Christopher Nolan\, havin g worked with him on all his films since Memento in 2000. Now it appears he’s caught the directing bug\, and Transcendence is his directorial de but (and one which bears remarkable similarities to the high-concept fil ms that Nolan excels at\, so if you’re not excited by now\, you should p ut this down and seek help).\n\nDr. Will Caster (Depp) is an artificial intelligence researcher whose life goal is to create a sentient machine that possesses the collective intelligence of everything ever known. His work is revolutionary but controversial\, and has made him the target o f radical anti-technology extremists. After an assassination attempt on Will fails but leaves him terminally ill\, he is driven more than ever t owards his goal\, ultimately uploading his mind into a super-intelligent computer in a final act of devotion. But what begins as a breakthrough beyond even Will’s wildest dreams quickly evolves into an insatiable que st for power – and there may be no way to stop him.\n\nIn addition to De pp doing his most compelling work since his pre-Jack Sparrow era\, Pfist er has also assembled a remarkable cast including Paul Bettany\, Kate Ma ra and fellow Nolanites Morgan Freeman\, Cillian Murphy and Rebecca Hall . That\, along with a top-notch\, thought-provoking script and mind-bend ing special effects makes for one hell of a film. Unmissable.\n\n- Adria n Ma URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140529.html#film-3146 SUMMARY:Transcendence LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140530T110300Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140530T093000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140530T093000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3147 DESCRIPTION:Short Term 12 is one of the best films of 2013. The story is original and smart\, and tears the audience from emotional highs to lows at breakneck pace.\n\nGrace (Larson) is a supervisor at a short term fo ster-care facility for troubled teenagers. Along with her long-term boyf riend Mason (Gallagher Jr)\, and the other carers at the facility\, they struggle alongside children facing all manner of psychological\, emotio nal\, personal and family problems. As they console and care for the kid s\, they also face their own demons\; particularly reflected in 18-year- old Marcus\, who is soon to leave the centre\, and new arrival Jayden\, whose problems reflect Grace’s own.\n\nThe film is wonderful for its per formances\, especially Larson as the passionate\, stubborn and sometimes rash Grace. It is wonderfully executed with great camerawork\, cinemato graphy\, editing and lighting. Most of all\, it is wonderful for the way that all of these technical aspects work together to let us in to the h eadspace of the characters.\n\nAt its heart\, Short Term 12 is a film ab out people: people at their most raw\, coping with insecurities\, possib ilities\, frustration and triumph that comes in waves of tempestuous mag nitude and baffling unpredictability. Day by day\, they work through the ir struggles\, as life pushes them this way and that. They soldier onwar d.\n\n\n- Josh Paul URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140530.html#film-3147 SUMMARY:Short Term 12 LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140530T125200Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140530T111300Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140530T111300Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3148 DESCRIPTION:This semester we are offering you an opportunity to compare t wo very different films looking at a similar story – the hijacking of a cargo ship by Somali pirates. Elsewhere you can read about the big budge t Hollywood film Captain Phillips starring Tom Hanks based on the true s tory of a US vessel.\n\nA Hijacking\, from Denmark with subtitles and al so inspired by real events\, tells the story of the taking of a Danish f reighter and the subsequent interaction and negotiations between the cre w\, the pirates\, the owners and the families. Somehow I found this film more realistic\, more believable\, more interesting and ultimately a be tter film than Captain Phillips.\n\nFans of the TV series “Borgen” will not be surprised at how strong this film is. They share the talents of a ctors Pilou Asbæk and Søren Malling. The emphasis here is much more pers onal – how the characters deal with the pressure\, with the slow passage of time.\n\nWhen you learn that the first demand from the hijackers is for a ransom of $15\,000\,000 and the response is just $250\,000\, it is not surprising that the process takes about six months to resolve. Watc h the tensions and the frustrations rise. Observe how the corporate worl d balances the value of the boat and the crew in ‘the deal’. Compare the endings.\n\nThis was another great success at the Canberra Internationa l Film Festival 2013. See if you agree.\n\n\n- Brett Yeats URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140530.html#film-3148 SUMMARY:A Hijacking (Kapringen) LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140531T111800Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140531T090000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140531T090000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3149 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nAcademy Award winner Russe ll Crowe stars in director Darren Aronofsky’s gritty and epic re-imagini ng of the hit 2007 film Evan Almighty… or something along those lines.\n \nDespite being one of its best-known fables\, Noah’s ark actually takes up only a very small section of the Bible. Aronofsky’s film naturally t akes some liberties in order to flesh out the film’s running length\, bu t true to its source\, Noah (Crowe) remains an ordinary family man chose n by God for a great task when an apocalyptic flood threatens to destroy the world and all its sins. But it’s also impossible to neglect the cle ar parallels the film draws between Noah and environmentalists of today. Noah and his family are ostracised and intimidated by an army of locals led by an oppressive non-believer (Winstone)\, and he is ultimately for ced to exact some Gladiator-style righteousness upon those who get in hi s way.\n\nCrowe impresses with his usual rugged charisma and physicality \, leading a stellar cast including his A Beautiful Mind co-star Connell y as Noah’s wife and Anthony Hopkins in his latest advice-giving old sag e role as Noah’s grandfather. Make no mistake\, however\; this is Aronof sky’s film through and through. The director had been working on Noah fo r years even before the major successes of The Wrestler and Black Swan\, and the dedication shows in the end result. From his unique stylings to the stellar cast he’s assembled\, and the awe-inspiring visuals when th e flood finally comes\, your eyes won’t be able to leave the screen.\n\n - Adrian Ma URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140531.html#film-3149 SUMMARY:Noah LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140531T125700Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140531T112800Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140531T112800Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3150 DESCRIPTION:Nick (Broadbent) and Meg (Duncan) return to Paris to celebrat e their 30th wedding anniversary. This film will appeal more to those AN U Film Group members who love Paris\, are over 60 and have been married for a long time (yes\, I plead guilty) but there is plenty in it to appe al to you younger people. It is so much more than a romantic comedy. It is ‘an insightful look at a lifelong commitment’ which ‘explores the wri nkles of marriage with humour and honesty’. The film has also been descr ibed as ‘hugely entertaining\, utterly charming and emotionally engaging ’.\n\nJim Broadbent continues to satisfy. Someone said of Duncan ‘her ey es alone could educate an entire drama school’. She is eerily reminiscen t of Julie Delpy. The pedigree of Le Week-End includes writer Hanif Kure ishi (My Beautiful Laundrette) and director Roger Michell (Notting Hill) . In my opinion this film is superior to the Before Midnight / Before Su nrise / Before Sunset trilogy by Richard Linklater. It has also been fav ourably compared with the Woody Allen genre\, especially Blue Jasmine.\n \nLe Week-End is definitely worth 89 minutes (plus travel time) of your weekend. Beautiful views of Paris and French restaurants are a bonus.\n\ n\n- Brett Yeats URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140531.html#film-3150 SUMMARY:Le Week-End LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140607T101900Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140607T090000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140607T090000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3151 DESCRIPTION:One of 2013’s most acclaimed documentaries\, Blackfish acts a s a chilling exposé of what really goes on at SeaWorld. After a killer w hale named Tilikum killed one of his trainers\, documentarian Gabriela C owperthwaite investigated SeaWorld’s claims that the victim was to blame for her own gruesome death and ultimately produced this film\, which un covers the true consequences of subjecting intelligent creatures to trau matic capture and imprisonment.\n\nThe film features candid interviews w ith several former SeaWorld employees\, as well as the man who originall y captured Tilikum as a calf\, who nearly breaks down in tears at the me mory. Perhaps the movie’s only shortcoming is that there are no dissenti ng opinions offered by SeaWorld\, but according to the filmmakers their repeated attempts to obtain interviews with a spokesperson from the orga nisation were all refused.\nIf the documentary is one-sided\, SeaWorld o nly has itself to blame. As it is\, the interviews offered\, along with truly horrifying footage of attacks by captive killer whales\, are both powerful and shocking.\n\nWhether you agree with the film’s conclusions or not\, Blackfish will make you think twice about ever visiting SeaWorl d – or make you regret it if you already have.\n\n\n- Katie Taylor URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140607.html#film-3151 SUMMARY:Blackfish LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140607T130800Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140607T102900Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140607T102900Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3152 DESCRIPTION:Pancasila Youth was a pro-regime paramilitary group in Indone sia in the ’60s. Members of the group were responsible for the murder an d torture of over a million alleged communists\, ethnic Chinese and inte llectuals. Chief amongst the leaders of the group was Anwar Congo\, and he and his followers are to this day proud of their deeds (which\, to da te\, have gone unpunished) and are acclaimed as national heroes. When th e filmmakers of this documentary ask them to re-enact the murders in the style of the American movies they love so much\, they take to the chall enge with enthusiasm\, using hired actors and elaborate sets and costume s to create lavish musical numbers and thrilling crime dramas (amongst o ther styles).\n\nAs much as I have a small reluctance to say ‘You HAVE t o see this’ for a documentary about mass political killings… you HAVE to see this movie. Particularly if you believe that there are no original concepts in movies these days. But the movie is more than a depiction of terrible events from half a century ago. Oppenheimer’s film becomes a d issertation on identity and memory\, and how pop culture shapes and is s haped by societies.\n\nIt is complex\, unnerving stuff (an audience memb er after a screening in Berlin said that what the director had done was ‘like having SS officers re-enact the Holocaust’. Oppenheimer responded that it is not the same at all because ‘the Nazis are no longer in power ’) and a must-see from the programme.\n\n\n- Travis Cragg URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140607.html#film-3152 SUMMARY:The Act of Killing LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140614T112100Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140614T090000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140614T090000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3153 DESCRIPTION:After decades of decadent parties\, seduction and lavish nigh tlife\, Jep Gambardella (Servillo) has had enough of the superficiality of his life (particularly after a shock from the past). He embarks on an exploration of his home city\, Rome\, and takes more notice of the absu rdity and beauty that surrounds him.\n\nDirector Paolo Sorrentino is pro bably best known for his English language film This Must Be the Place (o ne of the best films of 2011) starring Sean Penn. This film confirms he is one of the most interesting directors making films today. An examinat ion of grotesque beauty along the lines of many Fellini films (the class ic director has been name-checked in almost all reviews of this movie)\, including La Dolce Vita and Felllini Satyricon\, but even better (discl osure: I am not a big Fellini fan). I have never been to Rome\, but have been assured that the beauty of the city that comes through here is an honest tribute to one of the greatest ancient cities of the modern world .\n\nAt the time of writing\, this film is one of the frontrunners to ta ke out the Best Foreign Language Oscar this year. If it does (or has)\, then it is one of the rare cases where a true classic has taken that awa rd. Not for those whose cinema diet consists of only superhero and teen franchises\, but for those who love true beauty\, it’s a must-see.\n\n\n - Travis Cragg URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140614.html#film-3153 SUMMARY:The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza) LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140614T130200Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140614T113100Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140614T113100Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3154 DESCRIPTION:One of the most popular films at the Canberra International F ilm Festival 2013\, La Cage Dorée is set in Paris. Portuguese couple Mar ia and Jose arrived 30 years ago and have worked hard. They live modestl y in the ground floor of a chic apartment where Maria is the on call (an d indispensable) concierge. Jose’s work ethic and craftsmanship has been the basis for the success of a multimillion dollar construction company . They have raised two children and supported in-laws and made many peop le happy. News arrives of an inheritance which means they can return to comfortable retirement in their beloved homeland. Not everyone is happy with this turn of events and pressure is applied to the lucky couple to stay in Paris.\n\nThis is a warm-hearted cross-cultural comedy with a wo nderful ensemble cast. The thoroughly appealing central couple are portr ayed with tenderness and affection. There is a great feel to this film w hich has been compared with The Intouchables\, surely one of the best fi lms to come out of France in recent years. This little indie film has bl itzed the French box office. While thousands of films are made in France each year\, very few attain distribution in Australia. I believe those that do are automatically worth watching. See if I am wrong.\n\n\n- Bret t Yeats URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140614.html#film-3154 SUMMARY:The Gilded Cage (La Cage Dorée) LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140621T110300Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140621T090000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140621T090000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3155 DESCRIPTION:Having appeared in nearly thirty films since 1954\, Godzilla returns to the big screen for the first time in ten years in an awe-insp iring epic fully befitting the King of Monsters. At the helm is British filmmaker Gareth Edwards\, whose first feature was 2010’s acclaimed sci- fi indie Monsters\, a terrific thriller that followed two people trying to get through a quarantine zone in the aftermath of an alien invasion. Here\, Edwards once again gets to play with monsters except this time on the largest scale possible.\n\nRebooting the venerable franchise on its 60th anniversary\, the straightforwardly titled Godzilla retells the mo nster’s origins in the present day. Along for the ride is a stellar cast featuring the likes of Aaron Taylor-Johnson\, Elizabeth Olsen\, Bryan C ranston\, David Strathairn\, Ken Watanabe\, Sally Hawkins and Juliette B inoche. Most of these guys would seem more at home in an arthouse flick than playing second fiddle to a giant lizard\, but Edwards solidly groun ds his allegorical man-versus-nature tale in a terrifying reality and ha ving an Oscar-calibre cast on hand certainly helps sell the whole thing. \n\nRemember that ridiculous 1998 Hollywood version starring Ferris Buel ler with a Godzilla that more resembled a Jurassic Park reject? Yeah\, m e neither. The less said about that film the better. Fortunately\, a com pelling-but-faithful new take on a classic character and a top-notch cas t makes this new Godzilla a must-see spectacle on the biggest screen pos sible.\n\nI’ve heard the ANU Film Group’s screen isn’t too shabby\, so w hy not check it out there?\n\n\n- Adrian Ma URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140621.html#film-3155 SUMMARY:Godzilla LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140621T130600Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140621T111300Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140621T111300Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3156 DESCRIPTION:Grudge Match is a sports comedy starring Robert De Niro\, Syl vester Stallone\, Kim Basinger\, Alan Arkin\, Kevin Hart and Jon Berntha l (Shane from “The Walking Dead”). The film’s director is Peter Segal\, whose work includes the comedies Get Smart\, 50 First Dates and Anger Ma nagement.\n\nIn this boxing comedy\, De Niro and Stallone are rival boxe rs\; Billy ‘The Kid’ McDonnen and Henry ‘Razor’ Sharp\, respectively. Al though it is years later\, it is easy to imagine this premise as Rocky v s. Jake La Motta from Raging Bull. The two boxers despise each other and fought during their prime back in the ’80s with Sharp coming out on top . Subsequently\, Sharp retired from boxing. Now\, much later in life\, M cDonnen is looking for a rematch.\n\nWhile De Niro and Stallone successf ully manage to pull off their roles\, given their age\, it is the suppor ting cast of Hart\, Arkin and Bernthal that really shine. Hart’s comic t iming is excellent as he encourages both men to get involved. Arkin give s his usual quality performance as Sharp’s trainer. Bernthal’s character provides a new complication for McDonnen during his preparation for the bout with Sharp.\n\nGrudge Match works as an effective redemption story for both protagonists as they set out to prove to themselves and the pe ople around them that they have what it takes to get back into the ring one more time despite what life has put in front of them over the last 3 0 years. \n\n\n- Robert Bourke URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140621.html#film-3156 SUMMARY:Grudge Match LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140628T104000Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140628T090000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140628T090000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3157 DESCRIPTION:The Grand Budapest Hotel is written and directed by Wes Ander son and tells of the adventures of Gustave (Fiennes)\, a famous concierg e\, and Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori)\, the lobby boy who becomes his mo st trusted friend. Both men work at the famous European hotel\, The Gran d Budapest\, which is lucky as a film called The Ibis Budget Hotel doesn ’t really have the same ring to it.\nThe film is set in Europe in the 19 30s and follows Gustave and Zero as they get caught up in a crazy story involving a rich woman’s death\, an affair\, a valuable painting and a b unch of very annoyed would-be heirs. The cast is packed with big name ac tors\; including Jude Law\, Jason Schwartzman\, Owen Wilson\, Bill Murra y\, Edward Norton\, Willem Dafoe\, Jeff Goldblum\, Tilda Swinton and Har vey Keitel\; but it is newcomer Tony Revolori who gives the standout per formance. The story is told through Zero’s eyes as he begins a new job w orking at the hotel alongside Gustave and finds himself involved in much more than he ever thought possible.\n\nWith such a well-told and intere sting story and some really great performances there are many very good reasons to spend the evening at the Budapest Hotel (for tonight only als o known as the ANU Film Group).\n\n\n- Tamara Lee URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140628.html#film-3157 SUMMARY:The Grand Budapest Hotel LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140628T124700Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140628T105000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140628T105000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3158 DESCRIPTION:The Counselor is a crime thriller – but it’s not quite what y ou might expect it to be. Based on its trailers\, one might expect a lot of action scenes and explicit violence in a film that appears to be abo ut crime. In reality\, there is very little of either. The Counselor is actually thoughtful and philosophical – not surprising as the story come s from Cormac McCarthy\, the author of “No Country for Old Men”.\n\nFass bender puts in an impressive performance\, making the anonymous protagon ist – the titular Counselor – instantly relatable despite his quest to d o a drug deal with Bardem and Diaz. The Counselor is a complex and inter esting character\, and Fassbender hits all the right notes as the story crescendos to a hard-hitting climax. Diaz also provides a moment to riva l Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct on the bonnet of Bardem’s car.\n\nBarde m’s performance as Reiner is also noteworthy. Reiner is hopelessly addic ted to decadence and luxury. Bardem half saunters\, half swaggers around in his colorful pants\, lurid printed shirts\, rose tinted aviators and spiked hair\; lounging languidly\, sipping cocktails\, showing off his pet leopards.\n\nAs with his previous work\, most notably Blade Runner\, director Scott’s visual style perfectly complements the interplay betwe en the characters. Here\, it is subtle\, allowing the scenes to play out while letting the actors hold the audience’s attention.\n\n\n- Robert B ourke URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140628.html#film-3158 SUMMARY:The Counselor LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140705T104900Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140705T090000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140705T090000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3159 DESCRIPTION:An elite squad of DEA agents (Ah-nold\, Worthington\, Hollowa y\, Joe Manganiello\, Terrence Howard\, Mireille Enos\, Max Martini) hav e just pulled off the biggest bust of their career\, and secretly pocket ed millions of ‘surplus’ evidence for themselves in the process. As soon as the secret retirement fund is safely stashed away\, members of the s quad are one-by-one targeted for assassination. Arnie and co. tread a fi ne line as they try to help Investigator Caroline Brentwood (Williams) t rack down the culprit without revealing the obvious motive\, lest it bur y every surviving member of the crew.\nSabotage is a gritty action twist on the popular And Then There Were None / Ten Little Indians plot trope from writer/director/so-hot-right-now B-movie master David Ayer (End of Watch\, Training Day). Look out for a tense\, dramatic thriller with bi g guns and jovially snarled one-liners. The ensemble is top-shelf (well\ , top of the B-shelf) and hopefully the kick start old favourite Arnie n eeds after the stumble his comeback has faced.\nEven if it is not (and g iven that revelations of his unsurprisingly sordid personal life has man aged to kill two of his best movies to date it’s a reasonable bet ‘not’ will be the case)\, watching grampa Arnie mow down evil drug dealers wil l be a nostalgia trip for anyone who remembers the ’90s.\n\n\n- Adam Gou ld URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140705.html#film-3159 SUMMARY:Sabotage LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140705T124500Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140705T105900Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140705T105900Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3160 DESCRIPTION:It’s Taken on a plane!\n\nLiam Neeson continues his action ma n career renaissance with this edge-of-your-seat mystery thriller set en tirely on board a commercial airliner. During a transatlantic flight fro m New York to London\, US air marshal Bill Marks (Neeson) receives a ser ies of cryptic and threatening text messages on a secure communication c hannel demanding that $150 million be transferred into a specified bank account. If these instructions are not complied with\, a passenger on th e flight will be killed every twenty minutes.\n\nAt first sceptical of t he mystery messenger’s claims\, Marks is quickly convinced when a man tu rns up dead in the plane’s lavatory after the first twenty minutes are u p. Springing into action\, Marks must find the killer and stop him befor e he kills again\, all while a conspiracy begins to mount and the passen gers and crew slowly turn against him.\n\nShowing no signs of slowing do wn despite being well into his 60s\, Neeson once again uses his towering physical presence and gravelly Irish voice to great effect and gravitas as a man on a mission. Bound to draw comparisons to Neeson’s recent\, s imilar turns in the Taken series\, The Grey and Unknown (also directed b y Non-Stop’s Collet-Serra)\, the film sets itself apart with some creati ve and stylish direction and a Hitchcockian gut-wrencher of a script tha t just piles on the suspense and surprises. So if you’re jonesing for an adrenaline fix\, make sure you book your ticket for this Non-Stop thril l ride at the ANU Film Group!\n\n\n- Adrian Ma URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140705.html#film-3160 SUMMARY:Non-Stop LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140712T105300Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140712T090000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140712T090000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3161 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nEver wish that Groundhog D ay had more action\, aliens and mechanised robot suits? Well then this m ovie’s for you!\n\nIt’s the near future\, and Earth is under relentless attack from an alien race. Despite their best efforts\, no army in the w orld has been able to defeat them. Lt. Col. William Cage (Cruise) isn’t doing much to help either. Disgraced and on the receiving end of discipl inary action\, he’s put onto a plane full of new recruits and dropped in to the midst of an epic battle. Cage\, who has never seen a day of comba t\, dies within minutes.\n\nThe end.\n\nRoll credits? Not quite… Inexpli cably\, Cage wakes up\, back on the ground and about to be put onto the same plane en route to the same fatal encounter. He eventually realises that he is stuck in a time loop\, forcing him to re-live the same day ov er and over again. At first\, this mostly consists of him dying a lot\, but with each battle\, he discovers new ways to engage the enemy. He eve n finds an ally in a fellow soldier (Blunt) who may hold the key to winn ing the war for good.\n\nBased on Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s acclaimed novel “ All You Need Is Kill”\, Edge of Tomorrow is an ambitious sci-fi actioner that transcends its initial gimmick to deliver a clever\, unpredictable thrill ride. And Cruise is in top form as usual\, adding another stirri ng sci-fi film to his oeuvre alongside Minority Report and War of the Wo rlds. They’re in good company here.\n\n- Adrian Ma URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140712.html#film-3161 SUMMARY:Edge of Tomorrow LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140712T130100Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140712T110300Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140712T110300Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3162 DESCRIPTION:It’s a cold New York winter’s night in 1916\, and part-time b urglar Peter Lake (Farrell) is attempting to rob a seemingly empty mansi on. Much to his surprise\, he stumbles upon the free-spirited\, piano-pl aying Beverly (Findlay)\, who turns out to be the daughter of the house. Despite their vastly different backgrounds\, the two immediately take a liking to each other and so begins a love story… with a twist or two.\n \nFirst of all\, as Peter soon finds out\, Beverly is terminally ill\, s uffering from consumption and without long left to live. Peter’s long-te rm prospects don’t look good either: he’s being hunted down by an Irish gangster (Crowe) who wants him dead. After he catches up to Peter and th rows him off a bridge\, Peter inexplicably wakes up in present-day New Y ork. It appears that Peter has a penchant for reincarnation\, but with n o memory of who he is or where he came from\, it’s up to a single mother (Connelly) to help him find his way and somehow reunite him with his lo st love.\n\nIf miracles\, magic and star-crossed lovers are your thing\, then you’re in for a sumptuous treat. Based on Mark Helprin’s acclaimed 1983 novel\, Winter’s Tale is the feature directorial debut from Oscar- winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind\, The Da Vinci Cod e) and it shows: he’s definitely called in a few favours\, with former c o-collaborators including Crowe\, Connelly\, Will Smith and William Hurt all showing up to lend their support. So why not do the same?\n\n\n- Ad rian Ma URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140712.html#film-3162 SUMMARY:Winter’s Tale LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140719T111100Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140719T090000Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140719T090000Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3163 DESCRIPTION:[This is a No Guests screening]\n\nEveryone seems to be havin g Avengers envy these days. After Marvel’s superhero team-up mega-movie became the third highest-grossing film ever\, rival comics giant DC put into production a Man of Steel sequel set to feature none other than Bat man (Batfleck!) and Wonder Woman\, while Marvel’s other licenced-off pro perties including Spider-Man have announced plans for expanded in-univer se films too. And with six films already released and a character roster bursting to the seams\, it seems almost a no-brainer that the X-Men ser ies would be the next candidate for the kitchen-sink treatment.\n\nPulli ng double duty as both a sequel to 2003’s X-Men: The Last Stand and 2011 ’s X-Men: First Class\, this film brings together the casts from the ori ginal film trilogy and their rebooted\, younger counterparts for an epic \, time-travelling film for the ages. It’s a post-apocalyptic future\, a nd mutants are on the brink of extinction as a result of a worldwide ext ermination campaign courtesy of Trask Industries’ mutant-hunting Sentine l robots. Professor X (Patrick Stewart)\, Magneto (Ian McKellen) and the last surviving members of the X-Men make a last-ditch effort to save th eir kind by sending Wolverine’s (Jackman) consciousness back in time to his 1970s self in order to prevent a major historical event from occurri ng that puts mutants on the track to annihilation.\n\nX-Men and X2 direc tor Bryan Singer returns\, after a decade-long directorial absence\, to take carriage of this mammoth undertaking with an assured familiarity\, returning the series to greatness after a few hokey entries. With an imm ensely popular storyline from the comics as its basis and a cast that’s a who’s who of the X-Men universe (and includes 6 Oscar nominees to boot )\, X-Men: Days of Future Past is exactly as expected: utter awesomeness .\n\n- Adrian Ma URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140719.html#film-3163 SUMMARY:X-Men: Days of Future Past LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140719T125300Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140719T112100Z DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20140719T112100Z UID:anufg.org.au/films/3164 DESCRIPTION:Everyone agrees this is a landmark film\, but it’s not easy t o say in what way. I’d describe it as the first sober science fiction cl assic ever made – and it’s not as though they were particularly common t hereafter\, either. There’s no spectacle\, no eccentric inventor\, no wh imsy and no scaly rubber-looking monsters from outer space\, either.\n\n In the ‘present day’ of 1951 an alien craft lands in Washington D.C. It contains a single extra-terrestrial passenger: Klaatu (Rennie)\, an emis sary with an important message for the human race\, which he will only d eliver to all world leaders at once. The current world climate is both t he reason for his message and the reason he’s unlikely to be able to del iver it – six years since World War II ended with atomic explosions\, th ree years since the Berlin airlift\, two years since Stalin got the atom bomb too.\n\nThe US army has guns trained on the craft from the moment it lands\, and one particularly twitchy young soldier shoots Klaatu shor tly after he emerges. It transpires that Klaatu’s errand is to determine – or to help his rather shadowy masters determine – if the human race s hould be allowed to survive\; and we could hardly have made a worse init ial impression.\n\nI can assure you that\, preachy as the film is on pap er\, it doesn’t emerge that way on screen\; and naïve though the film ma y be on some points\, it’s not easy to laugh at\, either.\n\n\n- Henry F itzgerald URL:http://www.anufg.org.au/filminfo/20140719.html#film-3164 SUMMARY:The Day The Earth Stood Still LOCATION:ANU Film Group END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR