January 14, 2024 • 54 mins
**Host:** Alex First, movie and theatre critic **Guest Critics:** Peter Krauss and Greg King
**1. Grease the Musical: A Timeless Classic** - Discussion on the iconic roles of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in "Grease." - Comparison with other musical pairings like Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald. - Insights into the impact of "Grease" on the careers of Travolta and Newton-John. - The panel reflects on the enduring appeal of "Grease" and its significance in modern times. - Analysis of the characters, particularly Rizzo, and the appeal of playing complex roles. - The musical's staging at Her Majesty's Theatre and its historical significance. - Discussion on the new production, cast performances, and the show's overall impact.
**2. Dream Scenario: A Psychological Dive** - Nicholas Cage's performance in "Dream Scenario" as a professor who becomes a viral sensation. - The film's exploration of celebrity culture and the impact of fame. - Mixed reviews from the panel, with some appreciating the first half more than the conclusion. - Discussion on the film's themes, including the dark side of fame and its psychological aspects.
**3. Next Goal Wins: Underdog Spirit** - The story of the American Samoa football team's journey from underdogs to competitors. - Director Taika Waititi's approach to the film and its cultural aspects. - Varied opinions on the film's treatment of its characters and themes. - The panel discusses the film's humor and its portrayal of the American Samoan culture.
**4. Ferrari: Speed, Passion, and Drama** - A look into Enzo Ferrari's life, his racing legacy, and personal struggles. - Performances by Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz as Enzo Ferrari and his wife. - The film's balance between racing sequences and personal drama. - Differing opinions on the film's effectiveness in portraying Enzo Ferrari's life.
**5. The Boys in the Boat: Rowing Towards Victory** - The true story of the US rowing team's journey to the 1936 Olympics. - Director George Clooney's portrayal of the team's struggles and triumphs. - Discussion on the film's historical context, particularly its depiction of Nazi Germany. - Mixed reviews on the film's pacing and focus on character development.
**Conclusion:** - A lively discussion on a diverse range of films, showcasing the panel's varied tastes and perspectives. - The episode highlights the enduring appeal of classics like "Grease," the complexities of fame in "Dream Scenario," the underdog spirit in "Next Goal Wins," the passion in "Ferrari," and the triumph of the human spirit in "The Boys in the Boat." - Tune in next week for more insightful film discussions on First on Film and Entertainment.
www.bitesz.com
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/first-on-film-entertainment--5645288/support.
**1. Grease the Musical: A Timeless Classic** - Discussion on the iconic roles of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in "Grease." - Comparison with other musical pairings like Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald. - Insights into the impact of "Grease" on the careers of Travolta and Newton-John. - The panel reflects on the enduring appeal of "Grease" and its significance in modern times. - Analysis of the characters, particularly Rizzo, and the appeal of playing complex roles. - The musical's staging at Her Majesty's Theatre and its historical significance. - Discussion on the new production, cast performances, and the show's overall impact.
**2. Dream Scenario: A Psychological Dive** - Nicholas Cage's performance in "Dream Scenario" as a professor who becomes a viral sensation. - The film's exploration of celebrity culture and the impact of fame. - Mixed reviews from the panel, with some appreciating the first half more than the conclusion. - Discussion on the film's themes, including the dark side of fame and its psychological aspects.
**3. Next Goal Wins: Underdog Spirit** - The story of the American Samoa football team's journey from underdogs to competitors. - Director Taika Waititi's approach to the film and its cultural aspects. - Varied opinions on the film's treatment of its characters and themes. - The panel discusses the film's humor and its portrayal of the American Samoan culture.
**4. Ferrari: Speed, Passion, and Drama** - A look into Enzo Ferrari's life, his racing legacy, and personal struggles. - Performances by Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz as Enzo Ferrari and his wife. - The film's balance between racing sequences and personal drama. - Differing opinions on the film's effectiveness in portraying Enzo Ferrari's life.
**5. The Boys in the Boat: Rowing Towards Victory** - The true story of the US rowing team's journey to the 1936 Olympics. - Director George Clooney's portrayal of the team's struggles and triumphs. - Discussion on the film's historical context, particularly its depiction of Nazi Germany. - Mixed reviews on the film's pacing and focus on character development.
**Conclusion:** - A lively discussion on a diverse range of films, showcasing the panel's varied tastes and perspectives. - The episode highlights the enduring appeal of classics like "Grease," the complexities of fame in "Dream Scenario," the underdog spirit in "Next Goal Wins," the passion in "Ferrari," and the triumph of the human spirit in "The Boys in the Boat." - Tune in next week for more insightful film discussions on First on Film and Entertainment.
www.bitesz.com
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/first-on-film-entertainment--5645288/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
First on film and entertainment, andthe new year have started with a big
splash, a huge musical one thatI suppose John Travolta, Olivia Newton John
forever will be associated with and knownbecause we love them for it. We're
talking about Greece the musical. Now, gentlemen, Gregory King, Peter Krause,
you must have seen the movie ifyou had not seen the stage prey,
(00:23):
greg Yes, I've seen the movie, not the stage Prayer, and
you too, Peter. That's cool. Now, okay, can you is
there any more notable association with amusical and with a with a film?
Then you can put to those twoOlivia Newton, John and John Travolta.
(00:47):
I mean, it's kind of likeone one isn't made without the other,
and you can't imagine anybody else fillingthose roles. That's how associated I put
the two of them. And it'ssort of it's one of those things that
was one of the big It's thatfor both of them. And if you're
like, in terms of the careerof John Travolta, it really catapulted it,
(01:07):
didn't it better? Well? Yes, but what about the pairing of
Nelson Eddie and Jeanette McDonald's. Theywere a famous musical partnership in films in
the thirties in particular. Yeah,but most people who dare I say it,
there'll be very few people who arelistening to this who would be aware
of unless they're into film history.They may not even have heard of them.
(01:32):
That was Now, well, Ithink that's true, Greg, What
do you think about that? Imean the problem is that if you if
you tell somebody, well, doyou know Neil Diamond and it's jen z
or whatever, they may never haveheard of Neil Diamond. That doesn't mean
that Neil Diamond didn't exist or doesn'texist. So I'm talking about within our
(01:53):
rear shot. It's I mean,I know you were born in about sixteen
thirty three, Peter, and thereforeyou know you can go way back.
Were you born when Aristotle was firston this planet or not? I have
to ponder that hypothesis. Yes,exactly, And actually you would go back
(02:14):
to Pharaoh and the Egyptians, wouldn'tyou, and be beyond before that?
Were you there when when Adam andhe were eating the apple? I'm just
they were rotten to the core.But actually you were probably the the the
little little gull that was sitting inthe tree watching what was going on,
(02:37):
observing you were you were reporting onit, observing? Were you? Were
you giving us your opinion on whethereverything was kosher? Absolutely? I was
texting at the time. Well,yes, you were ahead of your time.
So okay, so let's get backto Greece the musical, and let's
get back to Greece in terms ofmodern times somewhere in the last three thousand
(03:00):
years. Can you think of anybodyother than what you've just given us?
Were you, Greg King? Forthat matter? Who are appearing more associated
with a movie musical? Hello?No, I'm thinking I'm thinking, excuse
me, this is radio Black's facedoesn't work on radio Greek. Sorry,
(03:22):
yes, exactly, I'm just thinkingfor the wow not necessary. Eight.
When Greece the Music came out,travol was also in Saturday Night Fever.
Remember, great. But that's thepoint that I'm making that that's exactly what
I said those Grease because I thinkwere Saturday Night Fever out first. I
think it was probably yes, seventyseven, it was, yeah, exactly,
(03:43):
So this is what I said toyou. This was the remark,
Gregory, You're listening, I amI said this cemented his staffers because he'd
already done Saturday Night with Fever.These two movies I associate very very closely
with one another. And Live.I mean, what an absolutely gorgeous Australian
she She was such a contributed tothis country, loved this country so much,
(04:06):
and the sweetest of singing voices,and she was great in Greece.
She was Did you like did youboth like the movie? Oh? Yes?
Literally Stockhard Chaining in the bad girlrole, wasn't she really well?
I mean, if you if youwant a role in a movie, I
(04:27):
would have think I would have thoughtthat Rizzo is about as good as it
gets, because you want to playbad good and that's the well, don't
you think It's? Yeah, it'swritten beautifully and you can you can really
milk a role like that. Andthis is why some actors actually go for
bad, bad boy roles right wherewhere you can really make a splash.
(04:50):
Is it? As you think aboutthe James Bond villains that they're often in
movies, they're often louded for theirthey're evil, intense. You know,
it's not a bad way to go, and you're getting well paid for being
nasty. You know, it's aninteresting one. So okay, let me
(05:11):
get onto Greece, the musical,which is on at Her Majesty's Theater.
Did you both know this is asort of a fact that it opened as
a musical in on Broadway in onlythree months before it opened in Melbourne,
which is really unusual because when youhave musicals in this country today, you
(05:32):
often have to wait many, manyyears, if not a decade or more
before somebody is willing to take arisk. Well, Harry and Miller produced
the first stage musical of Greece outsideAmerica, and that was Melbourne in nineteen
seventy two. But there you go, So here we go, if you
think about it, nineteen seventy Sothis is fifty fifty two years later,
(05:54):
right that we've now got it backat Her Majesty's Theater. So Senior High
School in the United States late nineteenfifties, In fact, nineteen fifty nine,
it's re energized. It's a colorfulnew production at her. Imagine it's
set in the fictional Riddell High School. Okay, Greg, you're a champion
of trivia. Do you know whatRiddell High was named? After or who
(06:16):
what was named after? Well,probably not Mark Riddell. No, think
about pop singers. You'd know thishaving been born in the seventeenth century,
Peter, do you mean Bobby Rydell? Very good, Thank you very much.
Yeah, take about you can takea little one of those bollipops as
(06:38):
a result of all of this.Yeah, so it's named after Bobby Rydell
fictional Rydell High School. And Ithink just trying to remember where do you
remember which state of America Greece wasset? Was it Chicago? Good question?
Yeah, maybe one of you cangoogle it while we're looking. Anyway,
(07:00):
we're talking about Rydell High or RiddellHigh. That's where the Australian blonde
beauty Sandy Dombrowski unexpectedly bumps into hersummer love the too cool for school leather
jacket of Daddy. Zuko actually saidhe was destined to attend another institution,
another school, but she switched,not realizing Danny also attends Riddell High.
(07:25):
His sweet nature when they were justwhen they were just the two of them
before they met up again at school, gives way to arrogant bravado in front
of his mates. Sandy is understandable. He put out trying to work out
why Daddy's being so mean, andin fact, several times he missteps,
much to Sandy's chagrin. Well,I can't quite figure this out. Despite
(07:46):
her anngst, she's forgiving now inthis day and age, beet, you
wouldn't be forgiving. You'd basically sendthe guy on his way, wouldn't you?
Sure? No, I mean,I genuinely that it's funny watching this
as a musical today that my actualthought, why would you give the bastard
another go? Right? He's thisto you? Is this? You not
more than? Not? Once?Twice? Several times? And she keeps
(08:09):
coming back for more? No,no, no, no, that's not
what we're taught today. Right.If my daughter was treated that shamefully,
I'd i'd tell the you know,tell her to tell the bloke to take
a long jump off a short pier, so then you wouldn't have the grease
the musical. I mean, I'mkind of it's a valid point in so
(08:31):
far as certain things date. AndI'm wondering whether I know it's a life
heart at something. Mind you.Underneath that, there's some serious topics which
I'll talk about in a few moments. But it sort of troubled me somewhat
because it's no longer you know,politic to do it this way. So
(08:56):
that doesn't mean it can't be youknow, you can't have fun with it.
But I think there are reservations orI had those reservations. Greg,
can you understand that thought of Yeah, and by the way, this is
Chicago. It is Chicago. Thereyou see, I get a lollipop.
(09:16):
Now that's very good, thank you. So okay, well, getting back
to the missteps. At the sametime, Sandy's goodie two shoes persona rubs
the cynical tough girl Rizzo up thewrong way, and Rizzo heads up a
click known as the Pink Ladies,and she's got a love hate relationship with
one of Daddy's boys. I thinkthey're known as the Tea Birds. Whose
(09:37):
name is KANICKI k E n IC k I E. I haven't heard
Kaniki at any other stage in mylife other than in Greece. Is Kaniki
a name? Not that I'm awareof, right, So it's a made
up name or could be these daysthey think could be made up. Okay,
So Greece follows ten American working classteenagers. They navigate the complexities of
(10:01):
relationships. And Okay, so I'vesaid it's light and fluffy, but it
does touch on serious issues. You'vegot rebellion, you've got gang violence,
you've got friendship, love, teenpregnancy. I was thinking gang violence.
I mean, one of the mostpopular musicals of all time is West Side
Story, which of course deals withgang violence as well. But anyway,
(10:22):
the book, the music, thelyrics of Greece. The musical are by
Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, andthere are additional songs by Barry Gibno Lesson,
John Ferra, Louis and Louis andScott Simon. Look that the music's
great. The toe tapping tunes continueto resonate, and I really like the
big chorus numbers. Greece is thewords summer Night's grease, lightning. Songs
(10:43):
like that really go down a treat, and there are show stoppers in the
finale, which it finishes on areal high because you've got a series of
vignettes if you like that are spicedtogether and the crowd goes bonkers. It's
wonderful. Annalise Hall, she playsthe sweet voice Sandy Joseph Spanty brings swagger
(11:05):
to Danny and this is the sortof new generation. Now. Look,
they're good fun. But I'm afraidI can't see I'm blinked here. I
can't see past the two that Imentioned at the outset, because you know,
we love our live and John Travoltais terrific. So having said that,
(11:26):
Annalise and Joseph bring a new newproclivity to Sandy and Danny. But
Kenzie done, Wow, she's terrificas Rizzo, she really is a scene
stealer. She brings attitude, shebrings sas and Keanu Gonzalez is very slick
as Kiniki and as good as allof these people are. Now, I
(11:48):
don't think that there is a andI'm not sure how old she is,
but she'd be seventy. She'd haveto be seventy. Marsha Heines is there,
and okay, cally sexist. Isthere a better voice? Is there
a better looking seventy year old thanMarsha Hines? She looks magnificent, She
(12:09):
sings absolutely phenomenally. She just stealseverything as teen Angel. Now only two
songs, but the best two songs, and they dress her in magnificent whites
with she's got the angel wings andthere's a if you like, a sort
(12:33):
of a plate around her midriff.I think it's silver. She looks a
Midian bucks in really really sensational,flawless. She continues to excite and excel.
And on top of that, you'vegot the hless Patty Newton, and
she really has fun. She's lively, she's really appealing as teacher Miss Lynch.
(12:54):
So you've got two of the bestknown performers in Greece. The musical
really large set which rotates, andit rotates too frequently. You can overdo
something and I reckon. They keptit kept on turning, right, and
it's based around sports ground bleacher seating, you know what I'm talking about there.
(13:16):
Yeah, And so that's fine,but it doesn't have to keep turning.
It can turn three or four times, not ten times. You know.
It just bothered me after a while. But there's a to die for
period red sports car which is usedas a prop with red and it's got
(13:37):
black wheels, a bit of white. We'll we'll ignore that. I call
it my Essendon car. Pieter,Right, Gregory, you'd call it a's
and kill the car, but itis fantastic, looks brilliant. Okay.
Costuming, the whigs, they takeus back to the ero. The set,
the costuming and the weig designer byJames Brown with an E on the
end of Brown. The rousing dancethrough sines. They're the work of the
(14:01):
choreographer whose name is Eric gian Coohlaand the resident choreographer Madeline Mackenzie. The
lighting designed by Trudy deal ge Gleaseis fabulous. It's vibrant, it's a
dynamic good on you, Trudy dalGleish so too. The big sound sound
designers by Michael Waters, which especiallysuits the ensemble pieces. And Dave Skelton
is the musical director with an elevenpiece band. So here we are fifty
(14:26):
two years later, still smiling,clapping, singing along, having great time,
having fun. That's even though Iwould have advised Andy to have given
Danny DeVito as soon as he mistreatedher. Direction by Luke Joslyn, resident
direction Frudy Dunn. It runs fortwo hours, including a twenty minute interval.
(14:46):
It's play at Her Majesty's Theater untilthe tenth of March. It is
Greece, so as far as I'mconcerned. Greece is still the word Gregory
or do you do ad jokes?Yeah, you're the one to know one,
Alex Gregory. I've always known thatsecret feelings. This is what you're
expressing to the world, Is thatright, greg something like that? All
(15:09):
right, So that's Greece the musicallet. We've got lots of movies that
we can get to. All ofthese we'll get to as many as we
can on J eighty eight FM.If you want to subscribe fifty is it
fifty two or fifty four bucks?I get that confused, But there you
go. Go to jdash air dotcom, do au and we'll tell you
all about it. Great programming twentyfour hours a day, lots of good
(15:31):
music, but also hopefully intelligent programming. Now what I wanted to start with
was I mean as an actor,if you think about what he's done over
a long period of time, you'dhave to say that he stood the test
of time. Some people like him, other people don't. I'm talking about
(15:54):
Nicholas Cage. Are you a fanor not? Peter? As an actor?
About the film. If he's notbad, he can be over the
top many times. What about you, Ray Oh, look, I like
some of the films he's done.He's had very many sort of career changes,
you know, from the action hereof the nineties church you off beat
(16:15):
Pomonies and all that kind of stuff. Some films are a bit off him
and miss so I think sometimes withhis choices. Well, I think Dream
Scenario, which is the movie we'regoing to talk about, suits him.
It's m rated in one hundred andtwo minutes. It's intriguing and bizarre.
I mean, he plays this nondescriptingedprofessor who becomes an overnight viral sensation,
(16:38):
as you would in this day andage. He plays a balding, bespectacled
evolutionary biology lecturer by the name ofPaul Matthews, and he's passionate about his
chosen area, Paul Matthews, buthe struggles to attract the same interest from
his students. He resents the factthat a former classmate is muscled in on
a theory he propagated, and nowshe's about to be published in prestigious Nature
(17:03):
magazine because Matthew's always thought he hada book in him, but hasn't started
writing it. He's married to Janet, played by Julianne Nicholson, and the
pair has two school age daughters,Hannah played by Jessic Clement or Clement and
Greta star Slade. Suddenly, thoughMatthews, this rather nondescript professor, starts
(17:26):
appearing in regular dreams had by hisstudents, colleagues, and associates, even
a former girlfriend. And in thesedreams the dreamers are inevitably seen in rather
in vidious circumstances. Matthews walks intoframe but fails to help them. You
(17:47):
know they're in trouble, but hedoes nothing. Word of this bizarre happening
the dreams spreads rapidly, and evenmore see him in their dreams. Suddenly,
his classes a few with inquisitive students, and he finds global fame.
Seemingly everyone wants to see him,meet him and knowed him. Even his
(18:08):
wife's boss gives her a leg up, while her younger daughter wants him to
drive at a school. All ofa sudden, nobody, least of him,
least of all him, can explainhow or why he appears so frequently
in others' subconsciousness that that matters,not though, because a new age marketing
(18:29):
agency is looking to cash in andthen the script flips, it certainly does,
and Matthew's newly found picture perfect lifegoes into free fall. So okay,
what do I make of all ofthis? While I was totally captivated
by the first half of Dream Scenario, I wish the loopy premis could somehow
(18:51):
be true. I appreciated that anotherwise grounded, everyday man could find himself
in the limelight. The writer anddirector Christopher Bordley has done well establishing Matthew's
family and work day dynamic, andNick Cage and Julian Nicholson are credible and
compelling. His husband and wife repletewith insecurities. The opening scene, which
(19:14):
propels the narrative I found eye catching, So so far, so good.
Then we moved to the dioxide.Now though I can buy into it,
even applaud the twist, the filmmakertakes a dive off the ten meter platform
and does not quite land the entrypoint. In other words, I felt
(19:34):
that he pushed and pushed and pushed. It endeavored to school big, and
as a result, the film compromisedsome of the credibility that it established.
That's not to say the Run Homedidn't have its moments. It did,
but in fact, there are stillthere are a number of memorable scenes,
only that some of the traction waslost, as what I would call the
(19:55):
previously well measured time frame was hastened. Nevertheless, this darkly comedic, psychological
horror film retains plenty of bite,and I reckon it's well worth a look.
What do you think, Greg Oh? There's an interesting take on our
obsession with celebrity on social media andthe impact that has, and also what
(20:17):
happened when now fifteen minutes of Famewere up, and I thought Nicholas Cage
gave one of his better performance thisyear. But it does turn typically unhings
as a longer film goes on there, especially when he tries to capitalize on
his new found fame and the dreamsturned Nastia there and he has more of
a malevolent presence there, and theway he sort of dressed here, you
(20:40):
know, very adelaid Nicholas Cage,yet the receding hairline, the slash posha,
the shabby dress, that all thatkind of stuff that Greek. I
think it's fantastic that he's taken onsomething a bit different and I like it,
but it's different from what we normallysee him as but yeah, as
a dark comedy, I like you, Alice. I thought, look,
(21:03):
they didn't land ending there. Itwas an interesting premise. I had a
lot of unexpensive turns, but we'renever sure where it's happening. But I
don't think the director to sustained intensityfor the duration in film. And I
thought it fell away in the thirdact a little bit. Yeah, exactly.
Well, okay, so I hesitateto ask Peter, what did you
(21:27):
Okay, I'll gently gently broached this. Do you think it fell away?
Do you think that the first halfwas better than the second? Look?
Yes, to some extent, that'strue. Right. The premise of the
film is an interesting one, especiallythe idea of infiltrating dreams and the consequences
(21:47):
of that. I mean, whenyou think of films like Being John Malkovich,
which does that, I think reallywell, and Michelle Gondry, who's
so good in his films like Signsof Sleep, where the whole notion of
dreams and manipulating and maneuvering dreams incertain ways has more resonance. This film
(22:10):
starts off with a reasonable premise,and Nicholas Cage is quite good in the
role. But I just found itfell away because it tried to be too
mundane and too predictable by the end. And yeah, I was a little
disappointed by it. I thought itwas going to be much better than it
turned out to be. Yeah,but when you say you thought it was
going to be much better based onthe first half being pretty good, that
(22:34):
I presume that's what you're saying.You didn't go into the cinema knowing necessarily
what it was about, but onceyou saw the first half you thought that,
our god, it's a good Itstarted off rather well. Let's hope
it cannil the ending, but itdoesn't, is that what you're saying?
Pretty much? So, yes,see, exactly right. It started well
and then sort of peed it out. Yees. So I mean basically all
(22:56):
of us have got similar opinion itand it's such a shame. And this
gets again again in my opinion,he gets back to the writing. Okay,
direction here you've got the same writerand director. But if it was
written better, it could have beenplayed better because Nicholas Cage showed us that
he's quite capable of doing something outof the ordinary and landing the role and
(23:22):
nailing the role. So it Wasn'tNicholas Cage's fault, was it, Peter?
No, No, it's always aboutthe script, yes, exactly.
All right, Well, I meanI'm still going to rate it rather highly
because I like the first you know, until he turned to the dark side.
So I think, Peter, you'llgive it the low score. So
what is it for dream Scenario ratedm other than two minutes? Okay,
(23:45):
Look, it's not bad. I'dgive it six out of ten. Okay,
Greg, same for me as well. Yeah, I'm much higher because
I I thought this was going tobe a really good film, So I'm
giving it a seven and a halfbecause I'm still I'm excused. I'm not
excusing it, but I'm saying Iwas. It was heading towards the eight
(24:06):
and a half to nine territory forme until it fell away, and that's
why I marked it down. Okay, Well, from Nicholas Cage to I
mean, New Zealand does make decentfilms and we've known that for quite some
time, and I reckon there've beenif you're like more consistent, this is
(24:26):
a generalization, more consistent than Australianshave in terms of the ups and downs.
Now we make more movies here thanthey do in New Zealand. But
what do you think about that?As a gross generalization? Do you think
over the I'm talking about over thedistance, do you think New Zealand has
been more consistent in it's movie makingor is it just that we see the
(24:48):
better ones here? Look, yes, you're right, they don't produce as
many films, but the films thatthey do produce have very good scripts attached
to them, so overall their strikerate of quality film it is my tire.
Yeah, and would you agree withthat, Greg? Yeah? I
agree they see seeing a punch abovetheir weight with the films that they've reduced,
although there's probably few that they'd reducedthat we don't get to see here,
(25:11):
but on the whole apology of whatwe see here is certainly superb.
Yeah, exactly. So let's talkabout Next Goal Wins, which is m
rate in one hundred and four minutes. I'll start with a fact in the
two thousand and one World Cup qualifiers, and you saw this film and this
shows me, Peter, that deepdown in your subconscience you are a sports
(25:32):
love Or is that true? No, now let me try it again.
You saw Next Goal Wins this isa movie about the round ball game,
which the best of my knowledge isa sport. Is that correct? Yes?
But a film if so facto,If they make a movie about Australian
(25:52):
rules football and it's released in thecinemas, you will go and see it,
of course, because I see allfilms correct, So I reckon that
I need there needs to be asurvey. No, there needs to be
a push to make more sporting moviesto get you more into sport. It'd
work, wouldn't it. Now you'vegot you'd gain great insight beta into what
(26:18):
into what makes sport great? Allright? So now, in the two
thousand and one World Cup qualifiers,Australia handed out the worst drubbing in that
history of international soccer? Did youknow that before entering the cinema? Veta,
yes, because I've seen the documentarythat this film is based on.
Fantastic Okay, who was it?Two American Samoa and the result itself thirty
(26:41):
one nil. You would call thata route in anybody's language. So things
for the island nation really didn't improvethereafter either, and a decade later,
American Samoa is still a laughing stockof world football. So next go wins
is the story of what happened thereafter, told as a comedy. The first
(27:03):
up, the president of the AmericanSamoan Football Federation sacks the coach. Then
he engages the services of a badtempered frontman who's been sacked from three similar
roles, and among those that askedhim from his most recent position was his
ex wife, who's now taken upwith another member of the selection committee that
(27:25):
sacked him. What he is confrontedwith, he being the sacked coach when
he lands reluctantly on the island,is a basket case of a football side
now playing hardball, which is whathe's used to. Doesn't work? Did
you like that Greg? As abad dad joke? It's not good work.
(27:49):
Excuse me, I think we're playinghard ball. It worked beautifully,
then it veda o nixt goal loses. Thank you. Now, Among the
team members that this new coach hasto deal with are a goalie who trips
over his own feet and a forwardwho doesn't seem to know where the goals
are. And that's not to overlooka sensitive player who is transitioning that all
(28:14):
the president of the American Samoa FootballFederation is looking for is a single goal,
which would be an international first forAmerican Samoa. Getting it. Though
it will be anything but straightforward,it'll certainly test the new coach's staying power
more than once. Tiger Watiti hascrafted a small, feel good movie which
(28:37):
his heart felt. It's funny,it's entertaining. He wrote Next Goal Wins
with Ian Morris and he directs thefilm, and it presents the American Samoa
as his sol of the Earth,happy people who don't take life too seriously.
In fact, the picture particularly playsup that trait, and as much
as the President wants to break theteam's perennial Duck is more interested in the
camaraderie that comes with being a memberof the team. I thought several of
(29:02):
sight gags will laugh alout funny.It's the characters that make the piece,
and there are no shortage of those. Hard to go past Oscar Nightly as
the is it Knightley or Kitly Kitly? Kit Yeah? Kiti rather Nightly as
the good natured President ta Vita,and he plays his character is intent on
retaining the essence of what it isto be an American Samoan. Nothing seems
(29:26):
to phase him, and he likesit that way. Michael Fassbender plays the
important coach Thomas Rogan. He playsit like a fish out of water that
he is, and Rongan gets angryand belligerent, but he comes to learn
that there's more than one way toskin a cat fuss. Spender really does
have a lot of fun with arole, and he leans into it.
(29:47):
Kaimara brings sensitivity to her role astransitioning footballer Jaya, and You've got a
ridiculously over the top handlebar Mustachio TaikaWatiti Nara the maximum comic impact, and
he plays the role of a priestand I reckon Next Guy Wins are simply
joyful and buoyant, and it's truthtelling with a decidedly humorous bent. And
(30:14):
as far as I'm concerned, Greg, it scores. I don't joke.
You like that, okay? Yeah, got to keep it going. We
can keep it going if you like, you can keep it going. I
like this one. Did you likeNext Go Wins? I didn't mind it
unlike you. I didn't like thatcheaper waky booking. The book ended the
(30:38):
film like I thought that was whenyou were sorry. But there's a nice
underdold sporty story there. I likesome of the characters there, nice I
thought genial Oscar Clietly had a genial, likable presence there as the head of
the Samoa Football Federation, my oldfast and he doesn't nor to do comedy
(31:00):
there. He's got much more ofan intense persona there, but he ranges
it in a little bit here,and I think he has a good good
role here with his volatile temperament andget issues. But we learned a little
about the character and why he islike he is, which sort of softens
him a bit and gives it makehim a bit more sympathetic. And I
like the subplot of the transitioning athletethere, Jaya Salula. She she was
(31:26):
a really good character, I thought, and could have been developed even more
preserved. Journey is important as well, and almost the serving him its own
film there, and we know thatwe see he injected an irreverent touch into
the Marvel cinematic universe with Thor Ragluropthere, and he's got a light touch
here which is perfect for this film. Take some liberties with the fact that
(31:48):
dramatic effect there, and I likethe way it gently poked fun at this
sleepy Samoan culture and the people there, you know that without being nasty about
it. So I thought it wasquite good. And the fact that we're
shot, you get shot on locationof why I thought it looked good there.
Sisult of a Laughlin Milon did agood job there, and there's plenty
(32:08):
of training montages see building exercises orbuilding towards and uplifting conclusion here and I
thought it worked for the most part. But as I said, as an
enjoyable crowd pleaser, trying true formula, we're seeing it all before. But
I didn't like that bit about whatCD and that unnecessary appearance the bookends the
film that limit put it down.When that came on, I just quinged,
(32:31):
Peter, do you reckon gets inthe back of the net? Not
quite. I was actually quite disappointedby this film. I remembered, don't
you have a funny bone? Yes, but I've buried it at the moment.
Yes, you're already starting the yearbeing being a council trend. Yes,
go on, what didn't you likeabout hl wins Peter? First minute,
(32:54):
second minute, third minute, fourthminute. Anyway, that's that minutes.
So we're going to go through thetime alphabet. Do you do you
want me to test you on yourtimes table? Do you thank you very
much? Yes, you're multiplying mycomments all right now. I remember the
vividally the original documentary, which wasso much more interesting, and the cultural
(33:17):
story and the question people haven't seenthe documentary judge this as a film on
its own. Based on my viewthat the documentary was fast superior, this
one was disappointing. Tagawak Titty isgood at unusual and different and acerbic comedy
at times. I mean Jojo Rabbit, I thought was an excellent film and
(33:39):
that so well in a difficult sortof situation. This one, I think
tends to me to be somewhat patronizing. Didn't treat the American Samoan people particularly
well, more as laughingstock. Ithink the transitioning character who should have been
(34:00):
more prominent in the film. Shewas so good, but yet was treated
more as an object of fun ratherthan being an integrated part of the team.
There were just too many aspects.I mean, even Michael Fassbender as
the coach didn't work for me atall. Someone like Chrystal Waltz or someone
(34:20):
else with a European background that wouldhave that sort of grit and perhaps would
start to get more in tune withthe team as the story develops. Might
have been a better choice. Idon't think fas Spender at all fitted in
well. And Elizabeth Moss as hisex wife or his wife and someone was
(34:42):
treated very badly in the film.She's pretty much dismissed in a role where
she's sort of there as a wayto make him look good. Look,
there's just too much I didn't likeat this film. You're taking it too
seriously. I think, in factit's funny because in a sense you've got
to sense of humor and you appreciateit from a sensitive point of view.
(35:02):
I think it paints the American Samoansas being beautiful people. It's interesting.
I totally took it a different way. And again, if you hadn't seen
the docco, do you think itwould have been as harsh. Probably I
would have, because I still thinkthat the treatment of the of the Simon
American Simon culture was very patronizing.But it'd be very interesting to see what
(35:25):
they actually think, you know,to speak to a number of American Samoans
and think what they made a movie, Because I'd be surprised if they don't.
Don't see it the way you've justdescribed it anyway, I mean I
understand what you've said. It's verydifficult because humor is in the eyes of
the boulder, isn't it, Andhumor can be very offensive. Yes,
(35:50):
there's a much funnier, better clevererfilm on that has great humor, which
is The Holdovers, Yes, whichwe hopefully going to get to, if
not this week, the next week. So okay, you're going to lay
ball this as well, then Peternext goal wins M one o four minutes
your school. I can barely giveit five out of ten. Wow,
(36:15):
Greg, I gave it SIPs theSIPs and a half out of ten and
I gave it seven and a halfagain. See I'm a generous reviewer.
What can I say? Is that? Right? I thought it was a
lot of fun, and get overyourselves, boys, this is fun anyway.
That let on eighty eight FM we'retalking racalcitr and to others and me.
(36:39):
That's it. I want to moveinto Greg, I talked to you
about my dream car in Greece,right, the Essendon car, my real
dream car, my real dream Essendoncar goes room room, and it's a
red Ferrari with jet black wheels.Mag magnificent. If ever, I got
(37:02):
to be a multi billionaire, whichwon't happen. Ferrari a drop top,
Ferrari's top of the list, Greek. Is that all right? Well?
Everyone, boys and their toys andcrisis speaking here, alexdon me midlife crisis
approach you. Well, yeah,no, no, it's funny. Okay,
(37:25):
I've got to tell you this tale. Gregory, sit back right back
in your laps, is your headis your head on the pillow? And
you two, Pieter, mister Rackelson, Trent. When I this was I'm
just trying to remember how long agowe're talking about, more than twenty years
ago now, I in fact,it was the year two thousand. I
(37:47):
needed to buy a new car,and I have no idea have you ever
done this? I basically, forsome reason, I'd never even contemplated this,
and I walk into a dealership andI'm not sure what provoked me to
walk into the dealership, and Isaw a red Alpha Romeo Spider with black
(38:10):
wheels, and I basically bought thecar on the spot. And I never
had any intentions of buying that carat a all and I just happened to
see it and walked in and boughtit. So yeah, those things happened.
I can't do that with a Ferrari. It's a bit pricey, I'm
afraid, but yeah, it's interesting. So I've always appreciated red cars,
(38:36):
and I don't know whether it ismy Essendon sort of bent, but I
think it probably is. So youknow, a drop top Ferrari, Greg,
I think you'd be struggling to buyone for under six or seven hundred
thousand dollars, right, and youcan buy Ferrari's at more than a million
dollars. So do you want tolend me the money? No, I
(38:57):
was hoping you'd be a line mademoney time you learned to you, thank
you very much. Indeed, well, look the power, the glory,
the horrors associated with one of theworld's most prestigious marks in Ferrari is on
show in this movie, which isone hundred and forty six minutes in length
and is M rated, and theprimary focus is on its controlling founder,
whose name is Enzo Ferrari and hewas born in Maderna in Italy on the
(39:21):
twentieth of February eighteen ninety eight.You were just a spring chicken then,
weren't you, Peter. No,no, no, you're an old man
because you were born in the seventeenthcentury. So you'd remember Enzo. Was
he your personal friend? Was he? Oh? Look, I met him
in my corolla and we had agreat time. Yes, exactly, yes,
Well, he was having troubled withhis business at that time, so
(39:43):
maybe he would have sort of wantedto thumb a lift with you. Anyway.
Enzo would go on to become aracing car driver, and he retired
at the age of thirty three.He and his wife Laura started the Ferrari
motor racing team in nineteen forty seven, and the film picks up his story
ten years later. He was knownas a womanizer, and as a result,
(40:07):
Enzo and Laura, his wife,have a volatile relationship. Now she
controls the books with an eagle eye, and unfortunately Ferrari the business is leaking
money. On the personal front,the peir Enzo and Laura are barely on
speaking terms. They continue to grievethe death of their son, Alfredo known
(40:30):
as Dino, who was born innineteen thirty two and died of muscular dystrophy
in nineteen fifty six, so isbut a young man. Unfortunately, Enzo
has a long standing secret mistress whosename is Lena Lardi, whom he met
during the war and with whom hehad a son called Piero in nineteen forty
(40:54):
five. Piero is a bright childwhom his mother would like to carry the
name, but the situation surrounding Enzo'swife makes that far from a straightforward proposition.
On the racing front, Ferrari's onlyway out of its financial quagmire is
to win races, among them thenineteen fifty seven Mila Miglia, where the
(41:17):
real shread comes from Maserati. Andbear in mind this is an era in
which death among the motor racing fraternityis not uncommon. Enzo, in self
sti still mourns the deaths of twocompatriots twenty five years earlier. Still,
Ferrari paints Enzo as a driven gregdad Joe pragmatist, A driven pragmatist,
(41:44):
yes, yeah, of ignoria alexare with a you're having revenue up enough
yet, thank you very much,with a win at all costs mentality.
Now his life is a constant juggleto try to stay on top of the
unraveling thread. So Ferrari the moviepowerful, at times horrific portrait of the
(42:05):
race to be the fastest and tostay afloat. Adam Driver impresses with the
lastly humorless predominant portrayal of Enzo manon a perpetual tight rope, and he
continues to walk tools throughout. DoesAdam Driver Penelope Cruise well, she's a
force of nature. As his wife, a woman not to be taken lightly,
Cruise is well positively ferocious as Laura. Shaleen Woodleigh displays the patience of
(42:31):
job as his mistress, Lena,intent on looking out for their son.
The movie was written by Troy KennedyMartin, who was responsible for the Italian
Job. The film based on thebook Enzo Ferrari, The Man, The
Cars, The Races, the Machineby brock Yates. Michael Mann, who
executive produced Ford Versus Ferrari in twentynineteen, steps behind the camera as the
(42:54):
director on this one. And let'sface it, he's used to bringing heat.
Thank you very much much, Greek. Another joke you like that,
I'll ignore you again. Still,what do I have to do? Anyway?
He's used to bringing here, andthere's an intensity about Ferrari as a
movie too. He man adroitly balancesthe Ferrari business with the complexities of Enzo's
(43:17):
personal relationships. As a result,Ferrari the movie leaves an indelible imprint.
Did you and this is again amovie about racing, Peter? I mean
this is sporting. You clearly loveyour sport, don't you, my friend?
Oh? NonStop? Yes, absolutely, yes, get to the ages
out of twenty right, I meanthere's a cricket movie coming up. Will
(43:42):
you be seeing it? Yes,you'll say, Peter Uia Closet sports lover.
Did you like? I must admitI was disappointed by Oh no,
of course you were. And letme tell you the part of the film
I liked were the rating sequences.They were really well handled and well directed
(44:04):
by Michael Mann. Where the filmloses it for me is the over the
top melodrama that goes on behind thescenes between Adam Driver, whose accent is
somewhat spurious, and Penelope Cruz,who overacts to the extreme. No,
she's a woman who's been scorned.You can be scorned and not have to
(44:30):
eat the scenery at the same time, looks. It's one of those films
where I think it's a hybrid whichdoesn't quite sorry about the kind of which
I don't think particularly well serves thestoryline. It should have been a much
(44:51):
stronger film, a much more Isuppose, dramatic film in some respects.
But also it sort of dismisses theidea of how important this race was and
the outcomes of that race, etcetera. It's I don't know. It
was a disappointment for me because itjust it just didn't quite hit the mark
(45:14):
for me at all. I'm disappointedto hear that, Greg, did you
think more of it? Did?Did it revy your engines? I think
the car racing sequences, I'm likePeter, they came alive for me.
I thought the rest was a bitdreary and conventional, the ratio of the
relationship between Hinzo and the Penelope crewcharacter. And I thought Chileen Wood,
(45:35):
who was largely wasted with a thanklessrole there. Yeah, Michael Man is
much better as the director of actionand that kind of thing. So,
but although he was a reasonable fitfor the symbesterious relationship between the Enzo and
his wife there. But I thoughtthe muscular direction of the car racing sequences
(45:57):
was where he came into his ownthere. Thought the tone O raw was
a bit ponderous, a little bitthere when she's surprisingly given the energy which
which she stretched films like he there, I thought lack drama for mutually running
time. But those cha rasiterd sequenceshad tensions, and I thought cinema to
olgrapher Eric missus Smith has done agood job with on being named the life
(46:23):
as well is a pilot O right, it's a joke. Driver offered as
a strong physical presence on the screen, passed a little bit against type here,
I thought, as the sor inZo Ferrari there and through make up
his age to a bit jam player'susual strong screen persona. I agreed that,
(46:49):
but on crews, actually I'd quitelike her performance here volatile, ferocious,
emostly raw and passionate. I thoughtshe was good there, and I
thought the production design was really quitegood to the claps in the year,
and especially noticeable was the use ofthose fifty fifty Ferrari rastcards, whis further
enhanced than the authentics in your cereal. So yeah, yeah, exactly,
(47:09):
give me one of those, please, that'll be fine too. I'd handle
that. Okay, that's that's agood so greg score out of ten.
No, actually, well I thinkagain, Peter will Localness says he's done.
He's been really consistently bad, Sogo on, what is it?
Peter Ferrari m rated one hundred andforty six minutes. I'm wondering with those
(47:30):
Ferrari cars, where do you putthe shopping anyway? So you tie it
to the back of the car andyou drag it along the ground. Just
you're just egging me on. Allright. I think it's it's a fair
film. It should have been muchstronger. Six out of ten, all
(47:51):
right, so Gregory, I'll gowith six out of ten as well.
Oh no, I'm giving it aneighth. I enjoy did I did?
I thought it was fun. Okay, you mentioned that Michaelman executive produced Ford
and Ferrari. I thought there wasa much better film, so oh yeah,
(48:12):
no, I really like for versusFerrari. I agree. I thought
that was it. But I knowI thought this was this. This intrigued
me. So yeah, anyway,I was bored for some of it,
were you. Wow? Okay,that's that's really saying something okay, The
Boys in the Boat George Clooney anothersporting movie. Exactly, Peter, I
(48:37):
mean one and after another. Comeon, you've turned, haven't you.
You're just getting into my skull Iam. I am very good, indeed,
thank you. So okay, whatare we going to get? Ah?
It's a movie about sinking or swimming. So what do we think of
(48:59):
your Clooney is a director overall?Again? Yes, no, I'm competent
director. Yeah, you'd agree withthat. It depends on the script.
Well, yeah, but that it'sabout also the choice of script. As
a director, I presume he'd beapproached quite frequently to do something. How
(49:20):
many films has he actually directed?I'd I don't think I'm looking it up.
I'm looking out as we talk.I don't think it's all that many
anyway, PG rated arted in twentythree minutes, fourteenth of August nineteen thirty
six. You'd remember very well,Peter, Oh I was there. Yeah.
(49:44):
I would have been disappointed if youweren't very good. Now, Actually
we're limited in time, guys,So I'll be some twelve films as a
director. Wow, much more thanI would have thought. Okay, So
on the fourteenth of August nineteen thirtyse and will move this along. The
US eight's rowing crew did something veryspecial at the Berlin Olympics, and this
(50:04):
is their story, led by oneof their number, Joe Rantz played by
Callum Turner, a student of engineeringwho lived in a dilapidated car and could
barely make ends meet. The eight. The rowing eight, plus an alternati
and a cox were drawn from workingclass stock during the Depression era, and
they were hand picked by well meaningand decent University of Washington coach al Ulbrigson
(50:30):
played by Joel Edgerson, who himselfwas a more than handy rower back in
the day. Rance's mother died whenhe was young. His father left him
to his own devices before he reachedthe age of fourteen, and although it
was enrolled in university, he struggledto find the money to pay for his
tuition, so he was at severerisk of being kicked out when a classmate
(50:51):
presented him with a possible solution,join a rowing crew and receive a wag
on board. So what Rants didn'trealize was how stiff the competition was to
be selected. He was up forthe challenge. He became a member of
the university's new junior crew, andthat's when the heat started intensifying even further.
He forged to close bond with aboat build called George Pocock played by
(51:14):
Peter Peter Guinness rather but he wasn'tthe only one under pressure. The University
of Washington hadn't beaten their arch rivalsCalifornia State for a couple of decades,
and so it was that the futureof the coaches, along with the crew,
was on the line. And whathappened next was the stuff of dreams.
(51:34):
And the boys in the boat isthis moving underdog story involving triumph against
seemingly insurmountable odds. So even ifyou're totally unaware of what happened to his
rowing crew back in the day,it doesn't take a genius to figure it
out. But I did find myselfheavily invested in The Journey screenplays by Mark
L. Smith, who did TheRevenant, from a book by Daniel James
(51:54):
Brown, and as we've mentioned,George Clary direct look he milks the emotion
of the times to positive effect.I thought it was a very good film,
with one noteworthy exception, and Iwas not in any way sold on
the casting or the representation of Hitlerin Nazi Germany, which was really clunky
(52:16):
and I thought was not well handledat all. Overall, the visuals,
other than that of the boys bendingtheir backs, is magnificently captured, often
in close up by the cinematographer MartinRue who did the Midnight Sky. The
production design as well, by KalinaIvanov, which transports us back to the
(52:37):
period, is really meritorious. Theevocative score by Alexandra desk Platt. The
performances of the leads were very good, so it's a good film with that
one reservation, Peter, what aboutyou and keep it brief please. Okay,
we know what the outcome of thisfilm is, and the rowing sequences
are well staged, but they goon far too long. The film becomes
(53:00):
tone deaf when it reaches Berlin andNazi Germany. Dispisses Jesse Owens with one
line. It a major disappointment forme. This could have been a much
stronger socially politically, in terms ofthe time period that the film was set
in and the German politics at thetime. Greg, again, keeping it
(53:23):
very brief your thoughts, I thoughtthis was another crab Please underdog story there
partrom three or four of the charactersare, you know, the sense of
who the characters are though as centersof that Joe Rad's character who is I
thought it was quite strong there.I like the Belle Giddis character as well
as a vuncture boat builder, andI thought joeliges and did a good job
(53:45):
as well. I didn't particularly likethe romantic subplot there. I thought that
slowed it there a little bit there, and they could pressed three years worth
of training all that into one year, which doesn't give it a sense of
urgency, but didn't work for me. And obviously maybees documentary on the story
(54:05):
as well, which I thought wasmuch more interesting, all right, Peter
score out of ten five out often for the Boys in the Boat g
are rated as a film and itruns further than twenty three minutes. Greg,
I'll do it six out of ten, and again I'll hi balling it.
I'm still giving it a seven anda half out of ten. Boys.
We are done for another week.We will do it all again in
(54:28):
seven days time. Thank you verymuch for your involvement, Peter. Sports
loving Peter, Oh, may yousee many more sports movies and Greg May
you lose your white and become redand black. In twenty twenty four,
you've been listening to First on filmand entertainment. Be good to one another,
be kind to one another, andwe'll speak to you again in seven days
First on film and entertainment, andthe new year have started with a big
splash, a huge musical one thatI suppose John Travolta, Olivia Newton John
forever will be associated with and knownbecause we love them for it. We're
talking about Greece the musical. Now, gentlemen, Gregory King, Peter Krause,
you must have seen the movie ifyou had not seen the stage prey,
(00:23):
greg Yes, I've seen the movie, not the stage Prayer, and
you too, Peter. That's cool. Now, okay, can you is
there any more notable association with amusical and with a with a film?
Then you can put to those twoOlivia Newton, John and John Travolta.
(00:47):
I mean, it's kind of likeone one isn't made without the other,
and you can't imagine anybody else fillingthose roles. That's how associated I put
the two of them. And it'ssort of it's one of those things that
was one of the big It's thatfor both of them. And if you're
like, in terms of the careerof John Travolta, it really catapulted it,
(01:07):
didn't it better? Well? Yes, but what about the pairing of
Nelson Eddie and Jeanette McDonald's. Theywere a famous musical partnership in films in
the thirties in particular. Yeah,but most people who dare I say it,
there'll be very few people who arelistening to this who would be aware
of unless they're into film history.They may not even have heard of them.
(01:32):
That was Now, well, Ithink that's true, Greg, What
do you think about that? Imean the problem is that if you if
you tell somebody, well, doyou know Neil Diamond and it's jen z
or whatever, they may never haveheard of Neil Diamond. That doesn't mean
that Neil Diamond didn't exist or doesn'texist. So I'm talking about within our
(01:53):
rear shot. It's I mean,I know you were born in about sixteen
thirty three, Peter, and thereforeyou know you can go way back.
Were you born when Aristotle was firston this planet or not? I have
to ponder that hypothesis. Yes,exactly, And actually you would go back
(02:14):
to Pharaoh and the Egyptians, wouldn'tyou, and be beyond before that?
Were you there when when Adam andhe were eating the apple? I'm just
they were rotten to the core.But actually you were probably the the the
little little gull that was sitting inthe tree watching what was going on,
(02:37):
observing you were you were reporting onit, observing? Were you? Were
you giving us your opinion on whethereverything was kosher? Absolutely? I was
texting at the time. Well,yes, you were ahead of your time.
So okay, so let's get backto Greece the musical, and let's
get back to Greece in terms ofmodern times somewhere in the last three thousand
(03:00):
years. Can you think of anybodyother than what you've just given us?
Were you, Greg King? Forthat matter? Who are appearing more associated
with a movie musical? Hello?No, I'm thinking I'm thinking, excuse
me, this is radio Black's facedoesn't work on radio Greek. Sorry,
(03:22):
yes, exactly, I'm just thinkingfor the wow not necessary. Eight.
When Greece the Music came out,travol was also in Saturday Night Fever.
Remember, great. But that's thepoint that I'm making that that's exactly what
I said those Grease because I thinkwere Saturday Night Fever out first. I
think it was probably yes, seventyseven, it was, yeah, exactly,
(03:43):
So this is what I said toyou. This was the remark,
Gregory, You're listening, I amI said this cemented his staffers because he'd
already done Saturday Night with Fever.These two movies I associate very very closely
with one another. And Live.I mean, what an absolutely gorgeous Australian
she She was such a contributed tothis country, loved this country so much,
(04:06):
and the sweetest of singing voices,and she was great in Greece.
She was Did you like did youboth like the movie? Oh? Yes?
Literally Stockhard Chaining in the bad girlrole, wasn't she really well?
I mean, if you if youwant a role in a movie, I
(04:27):
would have think I would have thoughtthat Rizzo is about as good as it
gets, because you want to playbad good and that's the well, don't
you think It's? Yeah, it'swritten beautifully and you can you can really
milk a role like that. Andthis is why some actors actually go for
bad, bad boy roles right wherewhere you can really make a splash.
(04:50):
Is it? As you think aboutthe James Bond villains that they're often in
movies, they're often louded for theirthey're evil, intense. You know,
it's not a bad way to go, and you're getting well paid for being
nasty. You know, it's aninteresting one. So okay, let me
(05:11):
get onto Greece, the musical,which is on at Her Majesty's Theater.
Did you both know this is asort of a fact that it opened as
a musical in on Broadway in onlythree months before it opened in Melbourne,
which is really unusual because when youhave musicals in this country today, you
(05:32):
often have to wait many, manyyears, if not a decade or more
before somebody is willing to take arisk. Well, Harry and Miller produced
the first stage musical of Greece outsideAmerica, and that was Melbourne in nineteen
seventy two. But there you go, So here we go, if you
think about it, nineteen seventy Sothis is fifty fifty two years later,
(05:54):
right that we've now got it backat Her Majesty's Theater. So Senior High
School in the United States late nineteenfifties, In fact, nineteen fifty nine,
it's re energized. It's a colorfulnew production at her. Imagine it's
set in the fictional Riddell High School. Okay, Greg, you're a champion
of trivia. Do you know whatRiddell High was named? After or who
(06:16):
what was named after? Well,probably not Mark Riddell. No, think
about pop singers. You'd know thishaving been born in the seventeenth century,
Peter, do you mean Bobby Rydell? Very good, Thank you very much.
Yeah, take about you can takea little one of those bollipops as
(06:38):
a result of all of this.Yeah, so it's named after Bobby Rydell
fictional Rydell High School. And Ithink just trying to remember where do you
remember which state of America Greece wasset? Was it Chicago? Good question?
Yeah, maybe one of you cangoogle it while we're looking. Anyway,
(07:00):
we're talking about Rydell High or RiddellHigh. That's where the Australian blonde
beauty Sandy Dombrowski unexpectedly bumps into hersummer love the too cool for school leather
jacket of Daddy. Zuko actually saidhe was destined to attend another institution,
another school, but she switched,not realizing Danny also attends Riddell High.
(07:25):
His sweet nature when they were justwhen they were just the two of them
before they met up again at school, gives way to arrogant bravado in front
of his mates. Sandy is understandable. He put out trying to work out
why Daddy's being so mean, andin fact, several times he missteps,
much to Sandy's chagrin. Well,I can't quite figure this out. Despite
(07:46):
her anngst, she's forgiving now inthis day and age, beet, you
wouldn't be forgiving. You'd basically sendthe guy on his way, wouldn't you?
Sure? No, I mean,I genuinely that it's funny watching this
as a musical today that my actualthought, why would you give the bastard
another go? Right? He's thisto you? Is this? You not
more than? Not? Once?Twice? Several times? And she keeps
(08:09):
coming back for more? No,no, no, no, that's not
what we're taught today. Right.If my daughter was treated that shamefully,
I'd i'd tell the you know,tell her to tell the bloke to take
a long jump off a short pier, so then you wouldn't have the grease
the musical. I mean, I'mkind of it's a valid point in so
(08:31):
far as certain things date. AndI'm wondering whether I know it's a life
heart at something. Mind you.Underneath that, there's some serious topics which
I'll talk about in a few moments. But it sort of troubled me somewhat
because it's no longer you know,politic to do it this way. So
(08:56):
that doesn't mean it can't be youknow, you can't have fun with it.
But I think there are reservations orI had those reservations. Greg,
can you understand that thought of Yeah, and by the way, this is
Chicago. It is Chicago. Thereyou see, I get a lollipop.
(09:16):
Now that's very good, thank you. So okay, well, getting back
to the missteps. At the sametime, Sandy's goodie two shoes persona rubs
the cynical tough girl Rizzo up thewrong way, and Rizzo heads up a
click known as the Pink Ladies,and she's got a love hate relationship with
one of Daddy's boys. I thinkthey're known as the Tea Birds. Whose
(09:37):
name is KANICKI k E n IC k I E. I haven't heard
Kaniki at any other stage in mylife other than in Greece. Is Kaniki
a name? Not that I'm awareof, right, So it's a made
up name or could be these daysthey think could be made up. Okay,
So Greece follows ten American working classteenagers. They navigate the complexities of
(10:01):
relationships. And Okay, so I'vesaid it's light and fluffy, but it
does touch on serious issues. You'vegot rebellion, you've got gang violence,
you've got friendship, love, teenpregnancy. I was thinking gang violence.
I mean, one of the mostpopular musicals of all time is West Side
Story, which of course deals withgang violence as well. But anyway,
(10:22):
the book, the music, thelyrics of Greece. The musical are by
Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, andthere are additional songs by Barry Gibno Lesson,
John Ferra, Louis and Louis andScott Simon. Look that the music's
great. The toe tapping tunes continueto resonate, and I really like the
big chorus numbers. Greece is thewords summer Night's grease, lightning. Songs
(10:43):
like that really go down a treat, and there are show stoppers in the
finale, which it finishes on areal high because you've got a series of
vignettes if you like that are spicedtogether and the crowd goes bonkers. It's
wonderful. Annalise Hall, she playsthe sweet voice Sandy Joseph Spanty brings swagger
(11:05):
to Danny and this is the sortof new generation. Now. Look,
they're good fun. But I'm afraidI can't see I'm blinked here. I
can't see past the two that Imentioned at the outset, because you know,
we love our live and John Travoltais terrific. So having said that,
(11:26):
Annalise and Joseph bring a new newproclivity to Sandy and Danny. But
Kenzie done, Wow, she's terrificas Rizzo, she really is a scene
stealer. She brings attitude, shebrings sas and Keanu Gonzalez is very slick
as Kiniki and as good as allof these people are. Now, I
(11:48):
don't think that there is a andI'm not sure how old she is,
but she'd be seventy. She'd haveto be seventy. Marsha Heines is there,
and okay, cally sexist. Isthere a better voice? Is there
a better looking seventy year old thanMarsha Hines? She looks magnificent, She
(12:09):
sings absolutely phenomenally. She just stealseverything as teen Angel. Now only two
songs, but the best two songs, and they dress her in magnificent whites
with she's got the angel wings andthere's a if you like, a sort
(12:33):
of a plate around her midriff.I think it's silver. She looks a
Midian bucks in really really sensational,flawless. She continues to excite and excel.
And on top of that, you'vegot the hless Patty Newton, and
she really has fun. She's lively, she's really appealing as teacher Miss Lynch.
(12:54):
So you've got two of the bestknown performers in Greece. The musical
really large set which rotates, andit rotates too frequently. You can overdo
something and I reckon. They keptit kept on turning, right, and
it's based around sports ground bleacher seating, you know what I'm talking about there.
(13:16):
Yeah, And so that's fine,but it doesn't have to keep turning.
It can turn three or four times, not ten times. You know.
It just bothered me after a while. But there's a to die for
period red sports car which is usedas a prop with red and it's got
(13:37):
black wheels, a bit of white. We'll we'll ignore that. I call
it my Essendon car. Pieter,Right, Gregory, you'd call it a's
and kill the car, but itis fantastic, looks brilliant. Okay.
Costuming, the whigs, they takeus back to the ero. The set,
the costuming and the weig designer byJames Brown with an E on the
end of Brown. The rousing dancethrough sines. They're the work of the
(14:01):
choreographer whose name is Eric gian Coohlaand the resident choreographer Madeline Mackenzie. The
lighting designed by Trudy deal ge Gleaseis fabulous. It's vibrant, it's a
dynamic good on you, Trudy dalGleish so too. The big sound sound
designers by Michael Waters, which especiallysuits the ensemble pieces. And Dave Skelton
is the musical director with an elevenpiece band. So here we are fifty
(14:26):
two years later, still smiling,clapping, singing along, having great time,
having fun. That's even though Iwould have advised Andy to have given
Danny DeVito as soon as he mistreatedher. Direction by Luke Joslyn, resident
direction Frudy Dunn. It runs fortwo hours, including a twenty minute interval.
(14:46):
It's play at Her Majesty's Theater untilthe tenth of March. It is
Greece, so as far as I'mconcerned. Greece is still the word Gregory
or do you do ad jokes?Yeah, you're the one to know one,
Alex Gregory. I've always known thatsecret feelings. This is what you're
expressing to the world, Is thatright, greg something like that? All
(15:09):
right, So that's Greece the musicallet. We've got lots of movies that
we can get to. All ofthese we'll get to as many as we
can on J eighty eight FM.If you want to subscribe fifty is it
fifty two or fifty four bucks?I get that confused, But there you
go. Go to jdash air dotcom, do au and we'll tell you
all about it. Great programming twentyfour hours a day, lots of good
(15:31):
music, but also hopefully intelligent programming. Now what I wanted to start with
was I mean as an actor,if you think about what he's done over
a long period of time, you'dhave to say that he stood the test
of time. Some people like him, other people don't. I'm talking about
(15:54):
Nicholas Cage. Are you a fanor not? Peter? As an actor?
About the film. If he's notbad, he can be over the
top many times. What about you, Ray Oh, look, I like
some of the films he's done.He's had very many sort of career changes,
you know, from the action hereof the nineties church you off beat
(16:15):
Pomonies and all that kind of stuff. Some films are a bit off him
and miss so I think sometimes withhis choices. Well, I think Dream
Scenario, which is the movie we'regoing to talk about, suits him.
It's m rated in one hundred andtwo minutes. It's intriguing and bizarre.
I mean, he plays this nondescriptingedprofessor who becomes an overnight viral sensation,
(16:38):
as you would in this day andage. He plays a balding, bespectacled
evolutionary biology lecturer by the name ofPaul Matthews, and he's passionate about his
chosen area, Paul Matthews, buthe struggles to attract the same interest from
his students. He resents the factthat a former classmate is muscled in on
a theory he propagated, and nowshe's about to be published in prestigious Nature
(17:03):
magazine because Matthew's always thought he hada book in him, but hasn't started
writing it. He's married to Janet, played by Julianne Nicholson, and the
pair has two school age daughters,Hannah played by Jessic Clement or Clement and
Greta star Slade. Suddenly, thoughMatthews, this rather nondescript professor, starts
(17:26):
appearing in regular dreams had by hisstudents, colleagues, and associates, even
a former girlfriend. And in thesedreams the dreamers are inevitably seen in rather
in vidious circumstances. Matthews walks intoframe but fails to help them. You
(17:47):
know they're in trouble, but hedoes nothing. Word of this bizarre happening
the dreams spreads rapidly, and evenmore see him in their dreams. Suddenly,
his classes a few with inquisitive students, and he finds global fame.
Seemingly everyone wants to see him,meet him and knowed him. Even his
(18:08):
wife's boss gives her a leg up, while her younger daughter wants him to
drive at a school. All ofa sudden, nobody, least of him,
least of all him, can explainhow or why he appears so frequently
in others' subconsciousness that that matters,not though, because a new age marketing
(18:29):
agency is looking to cash in andthen the script flips, it certainly does,
and Matthew's newly found picture perfect lifegoes into free fall. So okay,
what do I make of all ofthis? While I was totally captivated
by the first half of Dream Scenario, I wish the loopy premis could somehow
(18:51):
be true. I appreciated that anotherwise grounded, everyday man could find himself
in the limelight. The writer anddirector Christopher Bordley has done well establishing Matthew's
family and work day dynamic, andNick Cage and Julian Nicholson are credible and
compelling. His husband and wife repletewith insecurities. The opening scene, which
(19:14):
propels the narrative I found eye catching, So so far, so good.
Then we moved to the dioxide.Now though I can buy into it,
even applaud the twist, the filmmakertakes a dive off the ten meter platform
and does not quite land the entrypoint. In other words, I felt
(19:34):
that he pushed and pushed and pushed. It endeavored to school big, and
as a result, the film compromisedsome of the credibility that it established.
That's not to say the Run Homedidn't have its moments. It did,
but in fact, there are stillthere are a number of memorable scenes,
only that some of the traction waslost, as what I would call the
(19:55):
previously well measured time frame was hastened. Nevertheless, this darkly comedic, psychological
horror film retains plenty of bite,and I reckon it's well worth a look.
What do you think, Greg Oh? There's an interesting take on our
obsession with celebrity on social media andthe impact that has, and also what
(20:17):
happened when now fifteen minutes of Famewere up, and I thought Nicholas Cage
gave one of his better performance thisyear. But it does turn typically unhings
as a longer film goes on there, especially when he tries to capitalize on
his new found fame and the dreamsturned Nastia there and he has more of
a malevolent presence there, and theway he sort of dressed here, you
(20:40):
know, very adelaid Nicholas Cage,yet the receding hairline, the slash posha,
the shabby dress, that all thatkind of stuff that Greek. I
think it's fantastic that he's taken onsomething a bit different and I like it,
but it's different from what we normallysee him as but yeah, as
a dark comedy, I like you, Alice. I thought, look,
(21:03):
they didn't land ending there. Itwas an interesting premise. I had a
lot of unexpensive turns, but we'renever sure where it's happening. But I
don't think the director to sustained intensityfor the duration in film. And I
thought it fell away in the thirdact a little bit. Yeah, exactly.
Well, okay, so I hesitateto ask Peter, what did you
(21:27):
Okay, I'll gently gently broached this. Do you think it fell away?
Do you think that the first halfwas better than the second? Look?
Yes, to some extent, that'strue. Right. The premise of the
film is an interesting one, especiallythe idea of infiltrating dreams and the consequences
(21:47):
of that. I mean, whenyou think of films like Being John Malkovich,
which does that, I think reallywell, and Michelle Gondry, who's
so good in his films like Signsof Sleep, where the whole notion of
dreams and manipulating and maneuvering dreams incertain ways has more resonance. This film
(22:10):
starts off with a reasonable premise,and Nicholas Cage is quite good in the
role. But I just found itfell away because it tried to be too
mundane and too predictable by the end. And yeah, I was a little
disappointed by it. I thought itwas going to be much better than it
turned out to be. Yeah,but when you say you thought it was
going to be much better based onthe first half being pretty good, that
(22:34):
I presume that's what you're saying.You didn't go into the cinema knowing necessarily
what it was about, but onceyou saw the first half you thought that,
our god, it's a good Itstarted off rather well. Let's hope
it cannil the ending, but itdoesn't, is that what you're saying?
Pretty much? So, yes,see, exactly right. It started well
and then sort of peed it out. Yees. So I mean basically all
(22:56):
of us have got similar opinion itand it's such a shame. And this
gets again again in my opinion,he gets back to the writing. Okay,
direction here you've got the same writerand director. But if it was
written better, it could have beenplayed better because Nicholas Cage showed us that
he's quite capable of doing something outof the ordinary and landing the role and
(23:22):
nailing the role. So it Wasn'tNicholas Cage's fault, was it, Peter?
No, No, it's always aboutthe script, yes, exactly.
All right, Well, I meanI'm still going to rate it rather highly
because I like the first you know, until he turned to the dark side.
So I think, Peter, you'llgive it the low score. So
what is it for dream Scenario ratedm other than two minutes? Okay,
(23:45):
Look, it's not bad. I'dgive it six out of ten. Okay,
Greg, same for me as well. Yeah, I'm much higher because
I I thought this was going tobe a really good film, So I'm
giving it a seven and a halfbecause I'm still I'm excused. I'm not
excusing it, but I'm saying Iwas. It was heading towards the eight
(24:06):
and a half to nine territory forme until it fell away, and that's
why I marked it down. Okay, Well, from Nicholas Cage to I
mean, New Zealand does make decentfilms and we've known that for quite some
time, and I reckon there've beenif you're like more consistent, this is
(24:26):
a generalization, more consistent than Australianshave in terms of the ups and downs.
Now we make more movies here thanthey do in New Zealand. But
what do you think about that?As a gross generalization? Do you think
over the I'm talking about over thedistance, do you think New Zealand has
been more consistent in it's movie makingor is it just that we see the
(24:48):
better ones here? Look, yes, you're right, they don't produce as
many films, but the films thatthey do produce have very good scripts attached
to them, so overall their strikerate of quality film it is my tire.
Yeah, and would you agree withthat, Greg? Yeah? I
agree they see seeing a punch abovetheir weight with the films that they've reduced,
although there's probably few that they'd reducedthat we don't get to see here,
(25:11):
but on the whole apology of whatwe see here is certainly superb.
Yeah, exactly. So let's talkabout Next Goal Wins, which is m
rate in one hundred and four minutes. I'll start with a fact in the
two thousand and one World Cup qualifiers, and you saw this film and this
shows me, Peter, that deepdown in your subconscience you are a sports
(25:32):
love Or is that true? No, now let me try it again.
You saw Next Goal Wins this isa movie about the round ball game,
which the best of my knowledge isa sport. Is that correct? Yes?
But a film if so facto,If they make a movie about Australian
(25:52):
rules football and it's released in thecinemas, you will go and see it,
of course, because I see allfilms correct, So I reckon that
I need there needs to be asurvey. No, there needs to be
a push to make more sporting moviesto get you more into sport. It'd
work, wouldn't it. Now you'vegot you'd gain great insight beta into what
(26:18):
into what makes sport great? Allright? So now, in the two
thousand and one World Cup qualifiers,Australia handed out the worst drubbing in that
history of international soccer? Did youknow that before entering the cinema? Veta,
yes, because I've seen the documentarythat this film is based on.
Fantastic Okay, who was it?Two American Samoa and the result itself thirty
(26:41):
one nil. You would call thata route in anybody's language. So things
for the island nation really didn't improvethereafter either, and a decade later,
American Samoa is still a laughing stockof world football. So next go wins
is the story of what happened thereafter, told as a comedy. The first
(27:03):
up, the president of the AmericanSamoan Football Federation sacks the coach. Then
he engages the services of a badtempered frontman who's been sacked from three similar
roles, and among those that askedhim from his most recent position was his
ex wife, who's now taken upwith another member of the selection committee that
(27:25):
sacked him. What he is confrontedwith, he being the sacked coach when
he lands reluctantly on the island,is a basket case of a football side
now playing hardball, which is whathe's used to. Doesn't work? Did
you like that Greg? As abad dad joke? It's not good work.
(27:49):
Excuse me, I think we're playinghard ball. It worked beautifully,
then it veda o nixt goal loses. Thank you. Now, Among the
team members that this new coach hasto deal with are a goalie who trips
over his own feet and a forwardwho doesn't seem to know where the goals
are. And that's not to overlooka sensitive player who is transitioning that all
(28:14):
the president of the American Samoa FootballFederation is looking for is a single goal,
which would be an international first forAmerican Samoa. Getting it. Though
it will be anything but straightforward,it'll certainly test the new coach's staying power
more than once. Tiger Watiti hascrafted a small, feel good movie which
(28:37):
his heart felt. It's funny,it's entertaining. He wrote Next Goal Wins
with Ian Morris and he directs thefilm, and it presents the American Samoa
as his sol of the Earth,happy people who don't take life too seriously.
In fact, the picture particularly playsup that trait, and as much
as the President wants to break theteam's perennial Duck is more interested in the
camaraderie that comes with being a memberof the team. I thought several of
(29:02):
sight gags will laugh alout funny.It's the characters that make the piece,
and there are no shortage of those. Hard to go past Oscar Nightly as
the is it Knightley or Kitly Kitly? Kit Yeah? Kiti rather Nightly as
the good natured President ta Vita,and he plays his character is intent on
retaining the essence of what it isto be an American Samoan. Nothing seems
(29:26):
to phase him, and he likesit that way. Michael Fassbender plays the
important coach Thomas Rogan. He playsit like a fish out of water that
he is, and Rongan gets angryand belligerent, but he comes to learn
that there's more than one way toskin a cat fuss. Spender really does
have a lot of fun with arole, and he leans into it.
(29:47):
Kaimara brings sensitivity to her role astransitioning footballer Jaya, and You've got a
ridiculously over the top handlebar Mustachio TaikaWatiti Nara the maximum comic impact, and
he plays the role of a priestand I reckon Next Guy Wins are simply
joyful and buoyant, and it's truthtelling with a decidedly humorous bent. And
(30:14):
as far as I'm concerned, Greg, it scores. I don't joke.
You like that, okay? Yeah, got to keep it going. We
can keep it going if you like, you can keep it going. I
like this one. Did you likeNext Go Wins? I didn't mind it
unlike you. I didn't like thatcheaper waky booking. The book ended the
(30:38):
film like I thought that was whenyou were sorry. But there's a nice
underdold sporty story there. I likesome of the characters there, nice I
thought genial Oscar Clietly had a genial, likable presence there as the head of
the Samoa Football Federation, my oldfast and he doesn't nor to do comedy
(31:00):
there. He's got much more ofan intense persona there, but he ranges
it in a little bit here,and I think he has a good good
role here with his volatile temperament andget issues. But we learned a little
about the character and why he islike he is, which sort of softens
him a bit and gives it makehim a bit more sympathetic. And I
like the subplot of the transitioning athletethere, Jaya Salula. She she was
(31:26):
a really good character, I thought, and could have been developed even more
preserved. Journey is important as well, and almost the serving him its own
film there, and we know thatwe see he injected an irreverent touch into
the Marvel cinematic universe with Thor Ragluropthere, and he's got a light touch
here which is perfect for this film. Take some liberties with the fact that
(31:48):
dramatic effect there, and I likethe way it gently poked fun at this
sleepy Samoan culture and the people there, you know that without being nasty about
it. So I thought it wasquite good. And the fact that we're
shot, you get shot on locationof why I thought it looked good there.
Sisult of a Laughlin Milon did agood job there, and there's plenty
(32:08):
of training montages see building exercises orbuilding towards and uplifting conclusion here and I
thought it worked for the most part. But as I said, as an
enjoyable crowd pleaser, trying true formula, we're seeing it all before. But
I didn't like that bit about whatCD and that unnecessary appearance the bookends the
film that limit put it down.When that came on, I just quinged,
(32:31):
Peter, do you reckon gets inthe back of the net? Not
quite. I was actually quite disappointedby this film. I remembered, don't
you have a funny bone? Yes, but I've buried it at the moment.
Yes, you're already starting the yearbeing being a council trend. Yes,
go on, what didn't you likeabout hl wins Peter? First minute,
(32:54):
second minute, third minute, fourthminute. Anyway, that's that minutes.
So we're going to go through thetime alphabet. Do you do you
want me to test you on yourtimes table? Do you thank you very
much? Yes, you're multiplying mycomments all right now. I remember the
vividally the original documentary, which wasso much more interesting, and the cultural
(33:17):
story and the question people haven't seenthe documentary judge this as a film on
its own. Based on my viewthat the documentary was fast superior, this
one was disappointing. Tagawak Titty isgood at unusual and different and acerbic comedy
at times. I mean Jojo Rabbit, I thought was an excellent film and
(33:39):
that so well in a difficult sortof situation. This one, I think
tends to me to be somewhat patronizing. Didn't treat the American Samoan people particularly
well, more as laughingstock. Ithink the transitioning character who should have been
(34:00):
more prominent in the film. Shewas so good, but yet was treated
more as an object of fun ratherthan being an integrated part of the team.
There were just too many aspects.I mean, even Michael Fassbender as
the coach didn't work for me atall. Someone like Chrystal Waltz or someone
(34:20):
else with a European background that wouldhave that sort of grit and perhaps would
start to get more in tune withthe team as the story develops. Might
have been a better choice. Idon't think fas Spender at all fitted in
well. And Elizabeth Moss as hisex wife or his wife and someone was
(34:42):
treated very badly in the film.She's pretty much dismissed in a role where
she's sort of there as a wayto make him look good. Look,
there's just too much I didn't likeat this film. You're taking it too
seriously. I think, in factit's funny because in a sense you've got
to sense of humor and you appreciateit from a sensitive point of view.
(35:02):
I think it paints the American Samoansas being beautiful people. It's interesting.
I totally took it a different way. And again, if you hadn't seen
the docco, do you think itwould have been as harsh. Probably I
would have, because I still thinkthat the treatment of the of the Simon
American Simon culture was very patronizing.But it'd be very interesting to see what
(35:25):
they actually think, you know,to speak to a number of American Samoans
and think what they made a movie, Because I'd be surprised if they don't.
Don't see it the way you've justdescribed it anyway, I mean I
understand what you've said. It's verydifficult because humor is in the eyes of
the boulder, isn't it, Andhumor can be very offensive. Yes,
(35:50):
there's a much funnier, better clevererfilm on that has great humor, which
is The Holdovers, Yes, whichwe hopefully going to get to, if
not this week, the next week. So okay, you're going to lay
ball this as well, then Peternext goal wins M one o four minutes
your school. I can barely giveit five out of ten. Wow,
(36:15):
Greg, I gave it SIPs theSIPs and a half out of ten and
I gave it seven and a halfagain. See I'm a generous reviewer.
What can I say? Is that? Right? I thought it was a
lot of fun, and get overyourselves, boys, this is fun anyway.
That let on eighty eight FM we'retalking racalcitr and to others and me.
(36:39):
That's it. I want to moveinto Greg, I talked to you
about my dream car in Greece,right, the Essendon car, my real
dream car, my real dream Essendoncar goes room room, and it's a
red Ferrari with jet black wheels.Mag magnificent. If ever, I got
(37:02):
to be a multi billionaire, whichwon't happen. Ferrari a drop top,
Ferrari's top of the list, Greek. Is that all right? Well?
Everyone, boys and their toys andcrisis speaking here, alexdon me midlife crisis
approach you. Well, yeah,no, no, it's funny. Okay,
(37:25):
I've got to tell you this tale. Gregory, sit back right back
in your laps, is your headis your head on the pillow? And
you two, Pieter, mister Rackelson, Trent. When I this was I'm
just trying to remember how long agowe're talking about, more than twenty years
ago now, I in fact,it was the year two thousand. I
(37:47):
needed to buy a new car,and I have no idea have you ever
done this? I basically, forsome reason, I'd never even contemplated this,
and I walk into a dealership andI'm not sure what provoked me to
walk into the dealership, and Isaw a red Alpha Romeo Spider with black
(38:10):
wheels, and I basically bought thecar on the spot. And I never
had any intentions of buying that carat a all and I just happened to
see it and walked in and boughtit. So yeah, those things happened.
I can't do that with a Ferrari. It's a bit pricey, I'm
afraid, but yeah, it's interesting. So I've always appreciated red cars,
(38:36):
and I don't know whether it ismy Essendon sort of bent, but I
think it probably is. So youknow, a drop top Ferrari, Greg,
I think you'd be struggling to buyone for under six or seven hundred
thousand dollars, right, and youcan buy Ferrari's at more than a million
dollars. So do you want tolend me the money? No, I
(38:57):
was hoping you'd be a line mademoney time you learned to you, thank
you very much. Indeed, well, look the power, the glory,
the horrors associated with one of theworld's most prestigious marks in Ferrari is on
show in this movie, which isone hundred and forty six minutes in length
and is M rated, and theprimary focus is on its controlling founder,
whose name is Enzo Ferrari and hewas born in Maderna in Italy on the
(39:21):
twentieth of February eighteen ninety eight.You were just a spring chicken then,
weren't you, Peter. No,no, no, you're an old man
because you were born in the seventeenthcentury. So you'd remember Enzo. Was
he your personal friend? Was he? Oh? Look, I met him
in my corolla and we had agreat time. Yes, exactly, yes,
Well, he was having troubled withhis business at that time, so
(39:43):
maybe he would have sort of wantedto thumb a lift with you. Anyway.
Enzo would go on to become aracing car driver, and he retired
at the age of thirty three.He and his wife Laura started the Ferrari
motor racing team in nineteen forty seven, and the film picks up his story
ten years later. He was knownas a womanizer, and as a result,
(40:07):
Enzo and Laura, his wife,have a volatile relationship. Now she
controls the books with an eagle eye, and unfortunately Ferrari the business is leaking
money. On the personal front,the peir Enzo and Laura are barely on
speaking terms. They continue to grievethe death of their son, Alfredo known
(40:30):
as Dino, who was born innineteen thirty two and died of muscular dystrophy
in nineteen fifty six, so isbut a young man. Unfortunately, Enzo
has a long standing secret mistress whosename is Lena Lardi, whom he met
during the war and with whom hehad a son called Piero in nineteen forty
(40:54):
five. Piero is a bright childwhom his mother would like to carry the
name, but the situation surrounding Enzo'swife makes that far from a straightforward proposition.
On the racing front, Ferrari's onlyway out of its financial quagmire is
to win races, among them thenineteen fifty seven Mila Miglia, where the
(41:17):
real shread comes from Maserati. Andbear in mind this is an era in
which death among the motor racing fraternityis not uncommon. Enzo, in self
sti still mourns the deaths of twocompatriots twenty five years earlier. Still,
Ferrari paints Enzo as a driven gregdad Joe pragmatist, A driven pragmatist,
(41:44):
yes, yeah, of ignoria alexare with a you're having revenue up enough
yet, thank you very much,with a win at all costs mentality.
Now his life is a constant juggleto try to stay on top of the
unraveling thread. So Ferrari the moviepowerful, at times horrific portrait of the
(42:05):
race to be the fastest and tostay afloat. Adam Driver impresses with the
lastly humorless predominant portrayal of Enzo manon a perpetual tight rope, and he
continues to walk tools throughout. DoesAdam Driver Penelope Cruise well, she's a
force of nature. As his wife, a woman not to be taken lightly,
Cruise is well positively ferocious as Laura. Shaleen Woodleigh displays the patience of
(42:31):
job as his mistress, Lena,intent on looking out for their son.
The movie was written by Troy KennedyMartin, who was responsible for the Italian
Job. The film based on thebook Enzo Ferrari, The Man, The
Cars, The Races, the Machineby brock Yates. Michael Mann, who
executive produced Ford Versus Ferrari in twentynineteen, steps behind the camera as the
(42:54):
director on this one. And let'sface it, he's used to bringing heat.
Thank you very much much, Greek. Another joke you like that,
I'll ignore you again. Still,what do I have to do? Anyway?
He's used to bringing here, andthere's an intensity about Ferrari as a
movie too. He man adroitly balancesthe Ferrari business with the complexities of Enzo's
(43:17):
personal relationships. As a result,Ferrari the movie leaves an indelible imprint.
Did you and this is again amovie about racing, Peter? I mean
this is sporting. You clearly loveyour sport, don't you, my friend?
Oh? NonStop? Yes, absolutely, yes, get to the ages
out of twenty right, I meanthere's a cricket movie coming up. Will
(43:42):
you be seeing it? Yes,you'll say, Peter Uia Closet sports lover.
Did you like? I must admitI was disappointed by Oh no,
of course you were. And letme tell you the part of the film
I liked were the rating sequences.They were really well handled and well directed
(44:04):
by Michael Mann. Where the filmloses it for me is the over the
top melodrama that goes on behind thescenes between Adam Driver, whose accent is
somewhat spurious, and Penelope Cruz,who overacts to the extreme. No,
she's a woman who's been scorned.You can be scorned and not have to
(44:30):
eat the scenery at the same time, looks. It's one of those films
where I think it's a hybrid whichdoesn't quite sorry about the kind of which
I don't think particularly well serves thestoryline. It should have been a much
(44:51):
stronger film, a much more Isuppose, dramatic film in some respects.
But also it sort of dismisses theidea of how important this race was and
the outcomes of that race, etcetera. It's I don't know. It
was a disappointment for me because itjust it just didn't quite hit the mark
(45:14):
for me at all. I'm disappointedto hear that, Greg, did you
think more of it? Did?Did it revy your engines? I think
the car racing sequences, I'm likePeter, they came alive for me.
I thought the rest was a bitdreary and conventional, the ratio of the
relationship between Hinzo and the Penelope crewcharacter. And I thought Chileen Wood,
(45:35):
who was largely wasted with a thanklessrole there. Yeah, Michael Man is
much better as the director of actionand that kind of thing. So,
but although he was a reasonable fitfor the symbesterious relationship between the Enzo and
his wife there. But I thoughtthe muscular direction of the car racing sequences
(45:57):
was where he came into his ownthere. Thought the tone O raw was
a bit ponderous, a little bitthere when she's surprisingly given the energy which
which she stretched films like he there, I thought lack drama for mutually running
time. But those cha rasiterd sequenceshad tensions, and I thought cinema to
olgrapher Eric missus Smith has done agood job with on being named the life
(46:23):
as well is a pilot O right, it's a joke. Driver offered as
a strong physical presence on the screen, passed a little bit against type here,
I thought, as the sor inZo Ferrari there and through make up
his age to a bit jam player'susual strong screen persona. I agreed that,
(46:49):
but on crews, actually I'd quitelike her performance here volatile, ferocious,
emostly raw and passionate. I thoughtshe was good there, and I
thought the production design was really quitegood to the claps in the year,
and especially noticeable was the use ofthose fifty fifty Ferrari rastcards, whis further
enhanced than the authentics in your cereal. So yeah, yeah, exactly,
(47:09):
give me one of those, please, that'll be fine too. I'd handle
that. Okay, that's that's agood so greg score out of ten.
No, actually, well I thinkagain, Peter will Localness says he's done.
He's been really consistently bad, Sogo on, what is it?
Peter Ferrari m rated one hundred andforty six minutes. I'm wondering with those
(47:30):
Ferrari cars, where do you putthe shopping anyway? So you tie it
to the back of the car andyou drag it along the ground. Just
you're just egging me on. Allright. I think it's it's a fair
film. It should have been muchstronger. Six out of ten, all
(47:51):
right, so Gregory, I'll gowith six out of ten as well.
Oh no, I'm giving it aneighth. I enjoy did I did?
I thought it was fun. Okay, you mentioned that Michaelman executive produced Ford
and Ferrari. I thought there wasa much better film, so oh yeah,
(48:12):
no, I really like for versusFerrari. I agree. I thought
that was it. But I knowI thought this was this. This intrigued
me. So yeah, anyway,I was bored for some of it,
were you. Wow? Okay,that's that's really saying something okay, The
Boys in the Boat George Clooney anothersporting movie. Exactly, Peter, I
(48:37):
mean one and after another. Comeon, you've turned, haven't you.
You're just getting into my skull Iam. I am very good, indeed,
thank you. So okay, whatare we going to get? Ah?
It's a movie about sinking or swimming. So what do we think of
(48:59):
your Clooney is a director overall?Again? Yes, no, I'm competent
director. Yeah, you'd agree withthat. It depends on the script.
Well, yeah, but that it'sabout also the choice of script. As
a director, I presume he'd beapproached quite frequently to do something. How
(49:20):
many films has he actually directed?I'd I don't think I'm looking it up.
I'm looking out as we talk.I don't think it's all that many
anyway, PG rated arted in twentythree minutes, fourteenth of August nineteen thirty
six. You'd remember very well,Peter, Oh I was there. Yeah.
(49:44):
I would have been disappointed if youweren't very good. Now, Actually
we're limited in time, guys,So I'll be some twelve films as a
director. Wow, much more thanI would have thought. Okay, So
on the fourteenth of August nineteen thirtyse and will move this along. The
US eight's rowing crew did something veryspecial at the Berlin Olympics, and this
(50:04):
is their story, led by oneof their number, Joe Rantz played by
Callum Turner, a student of engineeringwho lived in a dilapidated car and could
barely make ends meet. The eight. The rowing eight, plus an alternati
and a cox were drawn from workingclass stock during the Depression era, and
they were hand picked by well meaningand decent University of Washington coach al Ulbrigson
(50:30):
played by Joel Edgerson, who himselfwas a more than handy rower back in
the day. Rance's mother died whenhe was young. His father left him
to his own devices before he reachedthe age of fourteen, and although it
was enrolled in university, he struggledto find the money to pay for his
tuition, so he was at severerisk of being kicked out when a classmate
(50:51):
presented him with a possible solution,join a rowing crew and receive a wag
on board. So what Rants didn'trealize was how stiff the competition was to
be selected. He was up forthe challenge. He became a member of
the university's new junior crew, andthat's when the heat started intensifying even further.
He forged to close bond with aboat build called George Pocock played by
(51:14):
Peter Peter Guinness rather but he wasn'tthe only one under pressure. The University
of Washington hadn't beaten their arch rivalsCalifornia State for a couple of decades,
and so it was that the futureof the coaches, along with the crew,
was on the line. And whathappened next was the stuff of dreams.
(51:34):
And the boys in the boat isthis moving underdog story involving triumph against
seemingly insurmountable odds. So even ifyou're totally unaware of what happened to his
rowing crew back in the day,it doesn't take a genius to figure it
out. But I did find myselfheavily invested in The Journey screenplays by Mark
L. Smith, who did TheRevenant, from a book by Daniel James
(51:54):
Brown, and as we've mentioned,George Clary direct look he milks the emotion
of the times to positive effect.I thought it was a very good film,
with one noteworthy exception, and Iwas not in any way sold on
the casting or the representation of Hitlerin Nazi Germany, which was really clunky
(52:16):
and I thought was not well handledat all. Overall, the visuals,
other than that of the boys bendingtheir backs, is magnificently captured, often
in close up by the cinematographer MartinRue who did the Midnight Sky. The
production design as well, by KalinaIvanov, which transports us back to the
(52:37):
period, is really meritorious. Theevocative score by Alexandra desk Platt. The
performances of the leads were very good, so it's a good film with that
one reservation, Peter, what aboutyou and keep it brief please. Okay,
we know what the outcome of thisfilm is, and the rowing sequences
are well staged, but they goon far too long. The film becomes
(53:00):
tone deaf when it reaches Berlin andNazi Germany. Dispisses Jesse Owens with one
line. It a major disappointment forme. This could have been a much
stronger socially politically, in terms ofthe time period that the film was set
in and the German politics at thetime. Greg, again, keeping it
(53:23):
very brief your thoughts, I thoughtthis was another crab Please underdog story there
partrom three or four of the charactersare, you know, the sense of
who the characters are though as centersof that Joe Rad's character who is I
thought it was quite strong there.I like the Belle Giddis character as well
as a vuncture boat builder, andI thought joeliges and did a good job
(53:45):
as well. I didn't particularly likethe romantic subplot there. I thought that
slowed it there a little bit there, and they could pressed three years worth
of training all that into one year, which doesn't give it a sense of
urgency, but didn't work for me. And obviously maybees documentary on the story
(54:05):
as well, which I thought wasmuch more interesting, all right, Peter
score out of ten five out often for the Boys in the Boat g
are rated as a film and itruns further than twenty three minutes. Greg,
I'll do it six out of ten, and again I'll hi balling it.
I'm still giving it a seven anda half out of ten. Boys.
We are done for another week.We will do it all again in
(54:28):
seven days time. Thank you verymuch for your involvement, Peter. Sports
loving Peter, Oh, may yousee many more sports movies and Greg May
you lose your white and become redand black. In twenty twenty four,
you've been listening to First on filmand entertainment. Be good to one another,
be kind to one another, andwe'll speak to you again in seven days
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