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andreaboltresz
Reviews
The Appleton Ladies' Potato Race (2023)
As Disappointing as Deb Instant Potatoes
Melane Tait's play deserved better than this. I'm a long-.time local and should have loved this film. Even with the added pleasure of spotting local places and faces, I struggled to make it all the way through. I loved Tait's play, which was witty and warm without being predictable or saccharin. You could say the exact opposite about this film, which wastes a stellar cast on a cliche-ridden script with predictable results. It's all the more disappointing that Kylie Needham was a script .consultant - her writing usually sparkles more than this too. Mostly, the film just tries too hard. I hope Tait's play lives long and prospers and lives down this leaden adaptation.
Three Identical Strangers (2018)
Engrossing from start to finish
What starts out as a seemingly light-hearted and mostly joyous look at the reunion of triplets, previously unknown to each other, quickly becomes a dark and intriguing tale of social manipulations, mental illness and the hubris of academics in the post-WWII period, particularly with regard to the rise of psychoanalysis and family studies at the time. It leaves many questions unanswered and definitely spurred me on to go looking for those answers myself. It's a deeply affecting story that will leave you thinking about a lot of things you've probably never considered.
Plonk (2014)
Deeply Ironic with many good laughs
There is no doubt that Plonk isn't for everyone. If you loved This is Spinal Tap, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind or most other mockumentaries, you will find a lot to enjoy in this home-grown version of the genre. If none of those appealed to you, then Plonk probably won't either and I get the feeling that other reviewers, including riccoh68 fall into the latter category. It's OK not to like something because it doesn't work for your sense of humour (or lack therefore) but not OK to pan it outright because of that. This is a show for people with a more cerebral sense of humour, and, dare I say it, a more mature audience. For one thing, you need to know something about wine, weekends away, touring regional Australia and enjoying (or laughing at) the whole winery experience, and let's be honest, there is a lot to laugh about on all those fronts. It's not supposed to be "well acted" - quite the opposite. Plonk pokes fun at so many things, on so many levels, that you'd probably have to watch it more than once to get all the gags and nuances. It takes a swipe at everything from wine-wankers to making a marginal TV show for an elite audience, so it can seem esoteric to some people. We watched both seasons in one sitting - we enjoyed it that much - with many laugh-out-loud moments, and were genuinely sorry when it ended. We especially wanted them to come to the Southern Highlands and take on our own "cool climate" wines. It's good to know that the humour and incisive intellect of the Chaser team is finding new outlets, and we look forward to seeing more from them, whatever industry they decide to take on next.