Caalong Reviews

Housewife, 49 (2005 TV Movie)

Very close to perfect

[10/10 · 26 December 2007]

I watched this because there wasn't much else on TV at the time and this seemed to be the best of a bad lot. What luck! I may otherwise have missed this beautiful and sensitive piece of television. It's a gem. Beautifully written and with excellent direction. Every acting performance, down to the smallest role, creates a real and recognizable character. The dialog is spot on and coveys so much in so few words. The changing dynamics of the relationship between husband and wife and mother and son were so real and so moving. It captures the mood of the times as described to me by older English people who lived through the war and the air-raids. I was sometimes chuckling and sometimes close to tears. I loved it. Bravo Ms Wood and bravo those who financed it and brought it to us.

The Society Murders (2006 TV Movie)

Involving

[8/10 · 20 June 2006]

This is actually a very good 'made for television' movie. Based on an true murder investigation in Melbourne Australia, it has been well adapted for television and very well directed. The casting of some excellent Australian actors has enabled the characters to be brought to life by acting that is consistently good. The viewer gets a real feeling of being in the room with the victims' family as they await the arrest of the murderer, all the time feeling it may have been one of them. The expert editing adds to the realism and the dialogue is unusually well written for an Australian production. This is not a thriller but a drama based on a family tragedy. This production serves to highlight the shame of so little investment in drama by Australian television networks. A good effort and worth watching.

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

a truly great achievement in directing

[10/10 · 6 February 2006]

This is a directing and writing masterpiece. Every scene, every character, every piece of dialogue and every look moves the story forward and adds to the involvement of the audience with these heart wrenching characters. I can't think of any other director who could, or would, been able to take what was essentially a simple short story and add such layers of complexity and tenderness. The little things like swapping of the shirt and the jacket on the hanger, Jack's tears as he drove away and on to Mexico, Jack's mother wordlessly reaching for the bag when she saw what Ennis was holding all say so much. Wow! The acting performances are all uniformly terrific. Jake Gyllenhaal owns the first third of the movie and then Heath Ledger takes over. With a sideways glance, a slight movement of his eyes or a twitch of the mouth Ledger says more than pages of dialogue ever could. While Michelle Williams is receiving more critical acclaim it was Anne Hathaway's scene on the telephone that impressed me. Across the hard façade a whole range of emotion flickers briefly and then fades. She showed pain, empathy, sadness and disappointment, each appearing for a microsecond and then back to the front Laureen was determined to present to Ennis. I must also comment on the amazing performance of Roberta Maxwell as Jack's mother. If that doesn't rip your heart out, you don't have a heart. All of these performances point to one thing – a truly great achievement in directing.

I quickly, and probably not accurately, checked the other comments. Take out the ones written by people who seemingly hadn't seen the film but were determined to rate it down on their perception of the story. Then take out those gushing emotional outpourings of people who were determined to give it 10 no matter what. The result is a higher average rating than the rating shown at the time of writing. So what? Serious lovers of cinema as an art form rate this film very highly. I will go back and see it again.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

See it more than once

[10/10 · 18 January 2006]

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. The Directing, cinematography, sets etc are all excellent but it's the acting that astounds. George Segal gives a solid performance but is overshadowed by the other three. Richard Burton adds depth and reality to an often underplayed (on stage) role. Sandy Dennis is brilliant. Watch again her reactions when the others have center stage. Her acting gives her underwritten character life and meaning and emotions beyond the script. But this is Elizabeth Taylor's film. There are three separate scenes (I'm sure you will be able to pick them) where her acting is so good that all acting students should be made to watch. If they don't appreciate the level she attains, throw them out of acting class. If they don't know what good acting is they can never be good actors. Watch this movie more than once. Each viewing will reveal another layer of meaning.

Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)

An acting lesson

[9/10 · 11 January 2006]

Robert Altman has always been able to direct his actors to deliver the very best they are capable of and this is the most obvious example. Sandy Dennis' and Cher's characters have the better written parts and the actresses shine in their roles. The best performance, however, is delivered by Karen Black. The underlying bitterness her of character slowly emerges as the story unfolds, not an easy thing for an actor to do.

While this is essentially a filmed play, it is a treat for all of who enjoy intimate cinema experiences, fine acting and good writing. Seek it out!