“You’re welcome. Truly.”: Seth Rogen and Olivia Wilde in ‘The Invite’.
THE INVITE ***1/2 (107 minutes) MA
Any adult with any life experience will recognize the swirl of mixed emotions and awkward encounters so caustically captured in The Invite, a cutting, often very funny social satire about how the pretence of neighbourly cordiality and the desire to “get along” can sometimes buckle under the strain of unpleasant truths and surprise revelations.
Mired in the rut of an aimless marriage that is teetering, Angela (director Olivia Wilde) invites their free-living, free-loving apartment neighbours Pina (Penelope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton) to dinner.
She hasn’t told husband Joe (Seth Rogen) though, and his reluctance to have them over sets the jagged tone for what is to become an unpredictably bumpy evening.
Particularly grating for him is the racket they make while making out, an issue Angela doesn’t want her bellicose hubby to air.
Entirely set in their apartment, Wilde keeps the soiree from looking like a photographed stage play with some creative camera placements and wily editing.
Performances-wise the piece is rock-solid, with Norton especially impressive as the rug-loving, Zen-minded calm in the gathering storm. It contrasts neatly with his more famous, fiery work in films such as Fight Club and American History X.
A splendid four-hander teeming with acidic banter and caustic barbs, the film offers a well-upholstered evening of fun and mind games for those unfortunate adults who can readily relate to the goings-on at what was supposed to be a pleasant night in.
MOANA *** (115 minutes) PG
Just when you thought Disney was running out of remakes we now have Moana, an extremely pretty, extremely expensive, scrubbed up hi-res colour photocopy of the beautiful 2016 animated neo-classic smash hit musical.
As everybody should know by now the tale of Moana tells of our brave titular girl who ventures into the ocean wild in search of demi-god Maui who can help save her disease-ridden island home.
Slavishly following the narrative contours of the 2016 film with meticulous attention to replicating the same story beats, the movie unspools as a perfectly fine family film. Perhaps it runs a little long – the original was a tight 107 minutes – but why whinge?
With Dwayne Johnson playing Maui, the character he originally voiced, the film brings us Catherine Laga’aia (daughter of Jay, aka Typho from Star Wars Eps 2&3) who does a sterling job nailing the big numbers and anchoring all the CGI with some emotion. Perhaps she could have been a bit more cheeky in her banter with Rock but, again, why whinge?
Speaking of CGI, the work here certainly looks great – ILM and WETA were the main VFX houses involved – yet some of the dazzle will remind the ancients in the audience of other movies.
To wit:
The many water tentacles that arc up out of the sentient ocean look like they were spawned from the one in The Abyss;
The giant lava monster looks like the first cousin from the one in Thor: Ragnarok;
All the catamarans, canoes and other assorted seacraft make you half-expect Kevin Costner to come springing up out of the water. (Oh, come on. Are there really grown people who don’t get the Waterworld reference?)
And though the film is being referred to as a “live-action” it really isn’t. It features a mostly human cast but the film is around 90% VFX, so it’s essentially an animated film, only starring humans instead of cartoon characters.
But why whinge? Besides, the people watching who matter most couldn’t care less about what Jurassic journos think. The filmmakers know that, too.
And just a quick note about Rock.
He also produced the film, proving what a smart operator he is as he stands to make so much lettuce once the film hits he’ll be able to afford a second four-slice toaster.
We all love the guy, for sure, but the guy is everywhere. Everywhere. Is Moana a case of too much Dwayne Johnson being, well, too much Dwayne Johnson?
Alas, the downside of movie ubiquity is that your adoring audience can become a tad weary of watching you age on screen.
And there is an irksome aspect to the film with his name appearing before Catherine Laga’aia in the opening and closing credits.
How nice it would have been for him to insist on the order being reversed. Just saying.
SACCHARINE ***1/2 (113 minutes) MA
Hot on the heels of Leviticus lands yet another gleaming testament to the affinity local filmmakers have with horror, with this nifty, extremely well-made little number occupying that select corner of the genre clearly marked “body”.
After straining to no avail at the gym Hana (Midori Francis), a meek medical student with body image issues takes a Substance-like shortcut when a lithe, formerly-fat friend gifts her some off-market pills she promises will make the kilos drop.
They work, but at a huge psychotropic cost. This involves binge eating and repeated visits from a corpulent apparition, a manifestation of the key ingredient in her magic weight-loss pills.
Shot in Melbourne with a love for creepy low angles that make buildings look like oppressive monoliths, writer-director Natalie Erika James leaves no “ick” factor untouched, with close-ups complementing the top-tier special effects work. Lotsa “Ewwww!” moments.
Indeed, Hana’s grumbling tummy could signal your own reaction to the film’s more vivid scenes. Those intending to eat while watching this movie should be cautioned.
Grounding the whole soiree, Midori Francis logs the type of convincing, committed performance that prompts one to consider just how totally an actor needs to buy into a scenario this warped.
Another terrific quality of Saccharine is how, like Leviticus, it’s an exemplary demonstration of how to weave topical issues into a horror narrative.
The film has a bunch of stuff to say about body image, impulse eating and so forth. That’s all good so long as focus is not lost and the film never neglects its prime directive, which is to unsettle and frighten.
That is certainly the case with Saccharine. It’s a very well done spookfest that’ll have you groaning for all the right reasons.
It’s also, one must register, a huge improvement on 2020’s Relic, which was critically lauded despite it being rather insipid.
With all this said, a big question arises: should you go see Saccharine in the cinema or wait for it to stream?
It’s an increasingly common decision these days when it comes to films made by streaming platforms. Saccharine is a Stan Original, so you’ll soon be able to order it from your couch.
Now, the cost of a cinema ticket, which allows you to watch the film once, is 2-3 times the cost of one month’s subscription to Stan, where you’ll be able to watch it as many times as you like.
As good as the film is, the math can make a ticket buy tough to justify, especially for those enduring a budget squeeze.
FIRST LIGHT *** (112 minutes; subtitled) M
Following the accidental death of a young man on a construction site in the Philippines, veteran holy woman Sister Yolanda (Ruby Ruiz) becomes aware of the odd circumstances of his final moments at which she happened to be present.
Matters of Catholic conscience press against the realities of under-resourced regional settlements where her crumbling convent resides.
Set at a leisurely pace with some beautiful cinematography graced by natural lighting and verdant landscapes, debut writer/director James J Robinson does a strong job teasing out the good Sister’s inner turmoil.
He also paints a subtle, telling portrait of the soft power wealthy people can wield over the poor, their money and contributions to the community affording them privileges and latitude when things go awry.
Hopefully, this won’t be another fine Australian film that breathes twice in cinemas before vanishing. A co-production between Australia and The Philippines, perhaps it’ll perform strongly there. Here’s praying.