THE PICKUP GAME

Featuring: Robert Beck, Maximilian Berger, Minnie Lane, Paul Janka, Ross Jefferies, Jennifer Li, Marcus Nero and Erik Von Markovik.
Writers: James De'Val , Barnaby O'Connor, Matthew O'Connor and Mike Willoughby.
Directors: Barnaby O'Connor, Matthew O'Connor.

Premieres on Australian streaming platform iwonder, September 2020 (date tbc).

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Predatory alpha-male entrepreneurs and the vulnerable marks that they exploit are put on trial in The Pickup Game, a searing, exciting exposé of the ‘seduction coaching’ industry and the sexual snake-oil salesmen bleeding millions of dollars from desperately lonely sadsacks who equate meaningless conquest with manlihood. Directing brothers Barnaby and Matthew O'Connor’s skewering of toxic masculinity and coldhearted capitalism could not be better timed or more scalpel-like in its incisiveness.

Since self-styled seduction guru Ross Jefferies published the misogyny-laden bestseller ‘How to Get the Women you Desire into Bed’ in the mid-80s, the application of such pseudo-scientific concepts as Neuro-Linguistic Programming to bed women has boomed (mostly online, of course) yet has somehow managed to maintain a ‘Fight Club’-like secrecy. Entirely aware of the reprehensibility of their undertaking, pickup preachers like Robert ‘Beckster’ Beck and Marcus ‘Justin Wayne’ Nero hide behind terminology like ‘Higher Self Learning’ and ‘Confidence Enhancement’ to sell lengthy courses in what are essentially hunting techniques; manipulation methodology designed to identify potential victims, isolate the vulnerable and ‘close the deal’.

The O’Connors pinpoint the 2005 publication of writer Neil Strauss’ The Game as the kicker for the new wave of male self-entitlement. Strauss lived undercover with pioneers like Erik von Markovik, aka ‘Mystery’, at the height of the ‘Project Hollywood’ movement, when a group of men defined the predation process through night after night of Sunset Strip partying. Breakaways from Project Hollywood would go on the establish the insidious Real Social Dynamics (RSD), an online society that grew into a cesspool of abuse advocacy, provided the platform for misogynist/racist Julien Blanc and, ultimately, became the focus of a highly-publicised San Diego rape prosecution.

The Pickup Game presents the key tenents of seduction coaching, ensuring that its audience fully understands the principles being taught. It also offers a broad spectrum of views - MRA hero and tightly man-bunned industry leader Maximilian Berger, aka 'RSDMax', has plenty to say (much of it in defense of Blanc and the reception afforded him by Melbourne demonstrators in 2014); veteran pickup-artist Paul Janka recalls the emotional void and exhausting pointlessness of committing to a PUA’s life; and, dating coach Minnie Lane presents the women’s perspective and how learning to overcome ‘approach anxiety’ need not utilise manipulation and predation.

The film ultimately returns to where the pickup industry began - Ross Jefferies’ decision to alter the course of his life. Some time 40 years ago, it inspired an angry young man to turn his insecurities regarding women into rage-filled sex and shitty writing. In 2019, believe it or not, the reality of the life of an ageing PUA - the very life awaiting those dire modern disciples of Jefferies' drivel - is even sadder.

GRIZZLY 2: REVENGE

Stars: Steve Inwood, Deborah Raffin, John Rhys-Davies, Deborah Foreman, Louise Fletcher, Dick Anthony Williams, Charlie Sheen, Timothy Spall, Laura Dern and George Clooney.
Writers: Ross Massbaum, Joan McCall and David Sheldon.
Director: André Szöts

Reviewed online via Monmouth Film Festival, Sunday August 16.

Rating: ★ ½

...or ★ ★ ★ ★ ★, depending on what you’re expecting when you decide to take on André Szöts sole directorial effort, Grizzly 2: Revenge. Smashed together by determined producer Suzanne C. Nagy from footage shot in 1982, this belated sequel to the ridiculous (and ridiculously successful) 1976 Jaws rip-off Grizzly is barely a film; truncated scenes are poorly dubbed and edited erratically, to vainly progress a threadbare narrative that never makes sense. But in the annals of ‘All-time Great Bad Movies’, where earnest acting in the service of unspeakable dialogue is prized, Grizzly 2: Revenge gains immediate respect.

“These kids never stood a chance” - Owens; “Poor dumb kids.” - Sheriff Nick Hollister (pictured, above; Steve Inwood and Deborah Raffin)   

Of course, the only reason to talk about this Frankenstein-of-a-movie is because it has existed in a rarified air of mystery amongst film nerds since production ground to a halt 46 years ago in Hungary. Nagy and the late Szöts (whose other notable credit was as co-writer of David Hamilton’s soft-focus arty 1979 skin-flick, Laura) had blown a huge chunk of their budget shooting a massive rock concert, the staging of which provides the background setting and an unnecessarily large percentage of screen time in the finished film. (Pictured, below; Laura Dern, as Tina, and George Clooney, as Ron)

“You got the Devil Bear!” - Bouchard, Grizzly tracker

No money was left to fix the troublesome animatronic bear nor, ultimately, complete the film; in one of the many wild stories associated with the shoot, it is alleged producer Joseph Proctor absconded with $2million from the budget. It would not be until 2007 that rumours began circulating that a 96 minute ‘workprint’ existed (the version reviewed here peaked at 78). In 2011, journalist Scott Weinberg wrote a piece for Screen Anarchy in which he recounts his experience watching what he calls one of his “Genre Geek Holy Grails”. Nagy decided 2018 was the right time to remaster the surviving footage and hack together the man-vs-nature sequel absolutely nobody wanted.

“Getting sour by the hour. Excuse me…” - Toto Coelo, all-girl band (Lyrics)

Grizzly 2: Revenge is set in motion when a group of hunters shoot two bear cubs and wound the matriarch; all this footage is video stock, not shot in ‘83 but sourced to give the narrative a kickstart. Jump to three young twenty-somethings, played by hungry-for-work young actors George Clooney, Laura Dern and Charlie Sheen (pictured, above), hiking the woods on their way to the outdoor concert, only to be offed by said grizzly (or a handheld cameraman, if the sequence is to be taken literally, as we never see the bear). One of the few joys on offer in Grizzly 2 is future-star spotting; sharp eyes will spot Game of Thrones’ Ian McNiece and (are you sitting down?) British acting great Timothy Spall.

“Maggie Sue!” - Drunk men around a campfire, while pinching each other’s bottoms (Lyrics).

The film settles into its predisposed ‘Jaws rip-off’ mode from then on, with Louise Fletcher’s hard-nosed corporate type mimicking Murray Hamilton’s ruthless mayor; instead of keeping the beaches open for summer, she demands the rock concert go ahead, despite there being a teen-eating beast on the loose. Out-of-towner sheriff Nick Hollister (Steve Inwood, acting from his moussed hair down,in the Roy Scheider part) and Bear Management expert Samantha Owens (Deborah Raffin, going full Dreyfuss in her defense of the bear) are forced to call on legendary bear-tracker and Quint archetype, Bouchard (the always-game John Rhys-Davies; pictured, above) whose idiosyncrasies, and there are many, include speaking of himself in the third-person.

“You haven’t seen what Bouchard has seen!” - Bouchard.

As they fight the occasionally-glimpsed killer bear day and night (often within the same scene), the film cuts back and forth to the concert, which is sometimes in full flight and sometimes still being readied (let’s assume the first department to go when cash got tight was continuity). Future ‘Valley Girl’ Deborah Foreman (pictured, below), playing the daughter of Sheriff Hollister, gets a job at the event and falls for a George Michael-type synth-pop star, complete with ultra-tight short-shorts in which he both performs and jogs (watched, but not attacked, by the bear, which seems odd in hindsight).

“This grizzly is huge, obviously powerful and probably enraged.”
- Samantha Owens, Bear Management Expert.

In true schlock-movie style, there are miraculously bad decisions made along the way that translate to priceless cinema. Personal favourite amongst them is actor Jack Starret (who played mean-spirited Deputy Galt opposite Sylvester Stallone in First Blood before he made this) calculates the financial benefits of double-crossing his mates while holding a rabbit, its expression at the absurdity of what’s happening the best animal acting in the film. That honour should have gone to the titular Ursus horribilis, but she gets no respect from the surviving footage. The denouement (more precisely recalling Jaws 2 than 1) is the final slap in the face for the anti-heroine, who makes no real impact on the concertgoers (imagine the carnage had she rampaged?!) and is reduced to the butt of a stupid final-frame joke.

Bound for cultdom, Grizzly 2: Revenge (also called Grizzly II: The Predator and Grizzly II: The Concert over the years) is the kind of bad film celebrated just for its very being, and one can’t begrudge the old girl that honour.

GREMLINS: A PUPPET STORY

Featuring: Chris Walas

Available to stream until July 30 via the Hollywood Theatre website.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

It is clear from very early in Gremlins: A Puppet Story that director Joe Dante’s 1984 creature-feature classic means just as much to Chris Walas as it does to so many of us who were there for its blockbuster release. The visionary designer/puppeteer narrates with a warm melancholy his chronologically compiled collection of still photos and often grainy video footage, resulting in engaging, invaluable insight into how Gizmo, Stripe and their brood went from sketchbook doodlings to pop-culture icons.

As the title suggests, Gremlins: A Puppet Story is about how Walas, his crew and the craft of puppetry (and its robotic off-shoot, animatronics) were challenged by the demands of modern movie storytelling. His work on Gremlins was two-fold - he had to create characters that inspired both affection and fear and do so with effects technology, much of which had to be invented. Leading ‘man’ Gizmo (his look inspired by producer Steven Spielberg’s dog, Chauncey) would be the heart and soul of a major motion picture in a way not seen since E.T. The Extra-terrestrial.

Having worked on the scaly star of Disney’s Dragonslayer, as part of the Return of The Jedi crew and on the physical meltdown of a Raiders of The Lost Ark villain, a twenty-something Walas was still honing his craft when producer Mike Finnell sent him Chris Columbus' horror script to gauge how feasible long passages of multiple monster scenes would be. Walas recounts what a wildly improbable but thrilling production Gremlins seemed in those early drafts, a much darker small-town American nightmare than that which eventually emerged.

Walas is forthright about the joy that the production inspired in him, but also periods of depression when it was not clear whether Warners would even back Gremlins. He reveals the script was developed only because every studio wanted a Spielberg production on their lot in the early 80s.

The detail often goes deep (insider tech terms such as ‘vacuum form patterns’ and ‘repeat breakdown moulds’ spice things up) but the loveliest parts of Walas’ Gremlins story are his recalling of the shared vision and team unity that drove their creative process. The images he presents and the stories he tells evoke a wonderful time in filmmaking. Captured in detail is the genesis of a remarkable project and its journey to fruition and a man recounting a moment in his life that changed him, and his craft, forever.

BLACK WATER: ABYSS

Stars: Jessica McNamee, Luke Mitchell, Amali Golden, Anthony J. Sharpe, Rumi Kikuchi and Benjamin Hoetjes.
Writers: Ian John Ridley and Sarah Smith.
Director: Andrew Traucki

In select Australian cinemas from AUGUST 6; available on Blu-ray/DVD from SEPTEMBER 23 and early digital purchase from SEPTEMBER 16.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Few filmmakers have committed themselves so determinedly to the ‘man-vs-beast’ horror subgenre as Andrew Traucki. From crocodiles (Black Water, 2007), to sharks (The Reef, 2010), to mythical leopards (The Jungle, 2013), the Australian director has taken barebone narratives and potentially stereotypical characters and crafted solid, occasionally gripping, nailbiters. Thirteen years after his debut film hit big internationally, Traucki returns to face off against the apex Australian predator in Black Water: Abyss, a terrifically effective sequel that exhibits what a masterful teller of suspenseful stories he has become.

His latest borrows from a certain ‘shark attack’ classic in establishing early on the fatal threat posed by his reptilian villain. A pair of lost tourists stumble into the lair of a saltwater crocodile and meet an ugly demise; just as with Spielberg’s Jaws, the fate of anyone that crosses the creature’s path is firmly etched in the audience’s mind from these opening frames. Working from an appropriately lean script by Ian John Ridley and Sarah Smith, Traucki then nimbly introduces his protagonists and establishes the dynamics, before getting them in the water quick-smart.

Hero-guy is Eric (Luke Mitchell), an outdoorsy, adventurous type who coerces his significant other, Jennifer (Jessica McNamee), into a caving trip in Northern Australia. Along for the material is their travel journo friend Viktor (Benjamin Hoetjes) and his up-for-the-experience girlfriend, Yolanda (Amali Golden), the party of four entirely under the laddish leadership of local guide, Cash (Anthony J. Sharpe). After blowing off a storm warning (“Nah, it’s headin’ south”), the group plunge themselves into an underground cavern system, an environment prone to a) flooding and b) tourist-eating reptiles.

It is in this enclosed environment that Black Water: Abyss spends most of its running time and really hits its stride, with Traucki and his skilled DOP Damien Beebe creating a vivid sense of geography and often nerve-jangling tension. The crocodile, its presence always felt, is only fleetingly glimpsed; one underwater sequence, during which an ill-fated character’s torch slowly reveals the creature laying in wait, it’s mouth agape, is pure nightmare material. 

There is no denying that crocodiles and alligators, with their ruthless carnivorous drive and prehistoric visage, make for great movie ‘bad guys’ (see, Alexandre Aja’s Crawl, 2019; Greg McLean’s Rogue, 2007; Steve Miner’s Lake Placid, 1999). However, animal lovers will appreciate that Traucki doesn’t go all out to demonise his crocodile co-stars (at least, not until the final confrontation), instead applying some science to explain their actions and treating them as wild animals merely doing what wild animals do. 

The pic benefits from solid acting across the board and a humanising subplot that adds just enough backstory to the four friends to distract audiences from guessing who’ll next be dealt the infamous ‘Death Roll’. Credit also due to Traucki and his writers for continually finding plausible ways to get the cast off that rock ledge and back in the water and to editor Scott Walmsley for his precise skill in clipping together some of the best jump-scares in recent memory.

THE VERY EXCELLENT MR. DUNDEE

Stars: Paul Hogan, Rachael Carpani, John Cleese, Chevy Chase, Wayne Knight, Jacob Elordi, Nate Torrence, Kerry Armstrong, Roy Billing, Charlotte Stent, Julia Morris and Olivia Newton-John.
Writers: Robert Mond and Dean Murphy.
Director: Dean Murphy.

Rating: ★ ★

It seems entirely appropriate that The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee, Paul Hogan’s latest feature film comedy, bypass cinemas to premiere on pay-platform Amazon Prime. Not only because ‘Hoges’ made his name as a small-screen comic 50+ years ago (a legacy that the production drives home in a nostalgic credit sequence), or because his only profile for many years was during the 6 o’clock bulletin. But because, under regular collaborator Dean Murphy’s static direction and a leaden script that asks too much of the leading man’s still-roguish charm, The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee plays like a sitcom pilot destined not to be picked up.

The 80 year-old Hogan plays a version of himself one suspects is not too far removed from real life. Still ensconced in the L.A. lifestyle, he has become a relic of 80s-era celebrity, not relevant at all since the second Crocodile Dundee film made some money a long while back. He is still taking meetings, discussing a new project with fawning Hollywood suits who think pairing him with Will Smith in a father-son premise is plausible (such is the level of industry satire in Murphy’s and Robert Mond’s script).

The big development in Hogan’s life is an invitation to accept an honour from Her Majesty, a ceremony that will only take place if he does what is demanded of him by his manager Angie (a game Rachael Carpani) - stay out of trouble. Cue trouble, largely in the form of Hoges’ inability to handle modern life, his largely befuddled state humoured by such celebrity pals as Chevy Chase, Wayne Knight, Reginald VelJohnson and Olivia Newton-John in cameo bits that fall flat. The only co-star who ups the ante is John Cleese, who riffs on his own tarnished celebrity as an alimony-burdened Uber driver willing to do anything for money.

The Very Excellent Mr Dundee is a particularly strange beast, in that it demands you recall what made Paul Hogan a global star, however briefly, then buy into why it has been a mixed blessing all these years. The takedown of a lifetime of celebrity trappings by a figure who has sought to exploit the very same feels awkwardly disingenuous. A sharper focus on the fleeting nature of celebrity or the long, dark shadow it casts might have worked; instead, the narrative dawdles and stumbles towards a contrived and convenient denouement. 

That said, as the final act in the career of a beloved industry patriarch, one can (sort of) forgive the sentimentality and melancholy that plays out in the film’s final frames. The Very Excellent Mr Dundee wraps on a fairytale high that Hogan’s legion of fans undoubtedly believe he has earned in real life; too bad it is denied his movie alter-ego, who deserves a better send off than this.

LE CHOC DU FUTUR

English: THE SHOCK OF THE FUTURE

Stars: Alma Jodorowsky, Philippe Rebbot, Geoffrey Carey, Teddy Melis, Clara Luciani, Laurent Papot, Nicolas Ullmann, Xavier Berlioz and Elli Medeiros.
Writers: Marc Collin and Elina Gakou Gomba.
Director: Marc Collin.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

MARCHE DU FILM 2020: The international music scene was ripe for rebirth by the late 1970s. Disco was dead; punk had self-immolated; the decade’s rock mega-groups had peaked. As Marc Collin’s thrilling, giddy Le Choc du Futur paints history, the global musical new wave that emerged from that stagnant period, dominated the next ten years and influenced the next forty, was borne out of smoky Parisian apartments and the pulsating, youthful energy of young women musicians determined to forge their own paths.

A composer/music producer making his feature film directing debut, Collin is not telling one woman’s true story, instead utilising his narrative to filter the experience and legacy of pioneering synth-pop names like Clara Rockmore, Pauline Olivieros and Beatriz Ferreyra (and a dozen or so others, all listed at the end of the film). It proves rich source material; Collin and co-scripter Elina Gakou Gomba craft a lead character that honours extraordinary drive and creativity.

Twenty-something Ana (Alma Jodorowsky; pictured, top) is bedsitting a very small apartment (the setting for the bulk of Collin’s film). She wakes, lights a smoke, stretches, dances to Cerrone's Supernature; she is a young, free, contemporary, feminine spirit. She is also established as a modern electronic-music composer, booked to write ad music by her manager Jean Mi (Philippe Reboot, bringing ‘70s music biz sleaze in spades), but her talent is not developing, frustrating her output and stifling her motivation.

Three fateful moments alter the course of Ana’s life and the direction of modern music in the process. When her synthesizer breaks down, a technician visits her with a state-of-the-art Roland CR-78 beatbox; her music guru friend (Geoffrey Carey) avails her to the rich sounds of such artists as Throbbing Gristle, Aksak Maboub and Human League; and, a voice-over artist (Clara Luciani; pictured, above) turns out to be an equally talented lyricist, penning powerful words to Ana’s new sound.

There is not a great complexity to the plot, so nuance and shading falls to Collin’s leading lady. The granddaughter of legendary director Alejandro, Alma Jadorowsky is an electrifying central presence; everything about Ana’s creative process, determination and self-doubt stems from Jodorowsky’s natural screen presence and warmth. 

The story’s relevance comes in its depiction of music industry misogyny; alone in her apartment, Ana fends off three leery male visitors in the opening twenty minutes. Jodorowsky is bound by the 1979 setting in forming her reactions, but the strength she displays in overcoming finely-honed microaggressions (“You’re pretty, just be a singer”) provides a true modern heroine’s arc.

Le Choc du Futur is mostly about the music, of course, and Collin (whose multi-hyphenated approach to filmmaking sees him handle the synth score as well) fills extensive sequences with pulsating beats and fluid aural soundscapes, as envisioned by Ana. It is a rousing story, underplayed to near-perfection, made grand by the sense of artistic discovery it conveys.

THE LEGEND OF THE FIVE

Stars: Lauren Esposito, Gabi Sproule, Leigh Joel Scott, Nicholas Adrianakos, Deborah An, Beth Champion, Eric James Gravolin, Matthew Pritchard and Tiriel Mora.
Writer: Peter McLeod
Director: Joanne Samuel

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ½

The Breakfast Club go to Ferngully in The Legend of The Five, the new Aussie Y.A. indie romp that leans heavily on the ‘80s teen movie beats to soft-sell a contemporary and urgent environmental message. Director Joanne Samuel and writer Peter McLeod show a lot of respect for their target audience, those socially-aware, issue-driven young people who look to Greta Thunberg in the same way their parents looked to Molly Ringwald.

The core group of characters are a demographically-diverse lot, clearly designed to appeal to as many corners of a modern high-school courtyard as possible. The key protagonist is displaced American Zoe (Lauren Esposito), whose dad has chosen to move to Australia to help cope with the death of Zoe’s mom. A loner at her new school, Zoe crosses paths with perky alpha-girl Caitlin (Gabi Sproule); her jock bf, Javier (Nicholas Adrianakos); dark, arty type Kaylee (Deborah An); and, bespectacled book-worm Brit, Owen (Leigh Joel Scott).

On a school excursion to a museum, the group find themselves in possession of a mystical wooden shaft (introduced in a thrilling prologue, set in 1922 and straight out of an Indiana Jones-type spectacle), that soon hurtles them across space and time into a woodland fantasy realm. Here, an ageing wizard (the great Tiriel Mora) sets their quest in motion - the chosen five are ‘elementalists’, representative of nature’s forces, and they must seek out The Tree of Knowledge (recalling James Cameron’s own enviro-epic, Avatar) and save it from an evil sorceress (Beth Champion) before the forest, then the world, is destroyed.

Gen-Xers will have a blast spotting nods to the films of their youth that have provided inspiration for Samuel’s first directorial effort, coming 41 years after she played Max’s wife Jessie in Dr. George Miller’s iconic 1979 actioner, Mad Max. The bickering besties are cast a little older, but they could be The Goonies, or its more fantastical offshoot, Explorers (both 1985). The creatures of the make-believe world (stunningly shot amongst Sydney’s Blue Mountains by DOP Casimir Dickson) recall Ridley Scott’s Legend (1985), Jim Henson’s Labyrinth (1986) and, more recently, Andrew Adamson’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005).

Where Samuel and McLeod most successfully stake their claim as strong, legitimate voices for the younger generation is in a sequence that takes their characters deep into a darkness where they must confront their own negative selves. The scene highlights teenage fears, jealousies, grief and insecurities in very real terms, utilising the fantasy setting as a means by which to conquer those forces that bear heavily on young minds and emotions. 

It is a bold narrative sidestep that adds resonance to a film that might have otherwise played too simplistically for the 13+ age bracket. As it stands, The Legend of The Five is solidly-packaged, all-ages Australian entertainment with strong international prospects.

THE LEGEND OF THE FIVE will play a limited Australian theatrical season from June 25; other territories to follow.

WHAT GOES AROUND

Stars: Catherine Morvell, Jesse Bouma, Gabrielle Pearson, Charles Jazz Terrier, Taylor Pearce, Aly Zhang, Maximilian Johnson and Ace Whitman.
Writer/Director: Sam Hamilton.

Currently available globally via Prime Video, Genflix and Vimeo on Demand.

Rating: ★ ★ ★

The cinematic DNA of ageing ensemble shockers Scream (1996) and I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) is coursing through the bloody veins of Sam Hamilton’s What Goes Around. Hinting at the cyclical nature of the slasher movie fad from the title on down, this splattery, silly but undeniably entertaining reworking of shopworn stalk-&-stab tropes will wear some deep critical cuts but also prove a blast for audiences for whom the ‘90s is that distant decade in which their parents got married.

Aiming for a demographic smart enough to know its horror movie references but not so gratingly ironic as to dismiss them outright, Hamilton’s feature directing debut talks the talk to today’s 20-somethings - his cast drink a lot of coffee (and milkshakes), text all the time, converse (and dance) awkwardly at parties. Out front is Erin Macneil (the terrific Catherine Morvell, recalling Emily Blunt by way of Kerry Armstrong; pictured, top), a socially withdrawn film-school student who remains in touch with her bff, Rachel (Gabrielle Pearson). 

The ol’ high-school gang are also around, including tart-mouth stirrer Marnie (Ace Whitman), upwardly-mobile jerk Cameron (Charles Jazz Terrier), his doormat gf Cara (Aly Chang), and support players Jake (Taylor Pearce) and Tom (Maximilian Johnson), for whom these sort of movies never end particularly well.

Erin’s documentary-class crush is Alex Harrison (Jesse Bouma; pictured, above), the narrative’s ‘Skeet Ulrich’-type, who somewhat suspiciously leaves his laptop right where Erin can find it. Find it she does, and soon spying upon his private emails is she. Things turn ugly when Erin opens an email from ‘Snuff Boy’, and a brutal killing-video unfolds before her disbelieving eyes. As with even the best of this genre (throw in Urban Legend, Halloween H20, The Faculty, all the Scream and Summer sequels), the plot moves forward based upon one or more characters making bad choices; here, Erin ignores said snuff footage and allows herself to be wooed by Alex. 

As the bodies pile up and the group’s backstory comes into focus, Hamilton’s skill at moving his story along at a clip (the pic is a thankfully tight 78 mins) is appreciated; implausibilities are pushed aside and the cool stuff that slasher fans pine for moves centre-stage. The kills are staged with efficiency and build with intensity; come the final frames, nail-guns and hacksaws feel about right.

Bring a few grains of salt. The gruesome murders all take place in a middle-class Australian suburb with seemingly no police force; despite several bloody deaths amongst their core group and a cyber-crime component which places it under federal jurisdiction, no character is ever interrogated or seeks counselling. Things move pretty fast in slasher movies, rarely allowing for such affectations as mourning or police procedural work.

Not that the lack of such subtleties proves an anchor for What Goes Around, as Hamilton knows what makes the genre tick. The balance of charismatic performers, a bloody bodycount and the occasional wink to the audience in service of the mid-level mystery plot is what rejuvenated the slice-&-dice romp 25 years ago, and may do again.

What Goes Around | Official Trailer from Bounty Films on Vimeo.

HIDDEN ORCHARD MYSTERIES: THE CASE OF THE AIR B&B ROBBERY

Stars: Gabriella Pastore, Ja’ness Tate, Davey Moore, Vanessa Padla, Donovan Williams, Kim Akia, Hunter Bills, Diane D Carter, Camilla Elaine, Ole Goode, Kevin Robinson, Edward Pastore, Jaymee Vowell, Catarah Hampshire, Carlos Coleman and Orlando Cortez.
Writer/Director: Brian C. Shackelford

WORLD PREMIERE will be held online via CYA Live on Friday June 12 (7.00pm EDT)/Saturday June 13 (9.00am AET); tickets available here. Then from June 16 on platforms including iTunes, Vudu, Google Play, Xbox, Amazon, and FandangoNow.
 
Rating: ★ ★ ★

Two winning lead performances and the present-day reimagining of well-worn tropes go a long way to smoothing over some bumpy plotting in the family franchise kicker Hidden Orchard Mysteries: The Case of the Air B&B Robbery. As Gabby and Lulu, the tweenage besties whose sleuthing reveals an ugly underside in their well-to-do suburban life, Gabriella Pastore and Ja’ness Tate are wonderful; iGen Nancy Drews dealing with the weird adults around them as best they can.

Behind the manicured lawns and upmarket homes of the middle-class American world that is Hidden Orchard, where investment in the rented residential space of the title is the hot new thing, a break-and-enter rattles the population. Gabby and Lulu see an opportunity to spark their vacation time and set about solving the crime, allowing them to peer inside the lives of their neighbours. 

What unfolds is ‘Teen Mystery 101’, de rigueur for fans of young detective staples such as The Hardy Boys or Harriet the Spy. Director Brian C. Shackelford helms competently in a manner suited for the small-screen, though is let down by wavering tonal shifts in his script (working from a story by Joyce Fitzpatrick). His lead actresses have a lovely, natural chemistry and their time on-screen is the film’s greatest asset. However, support players range from broad ‘sitcom schtick’ (Carlos Coleman and Catarah Hampshire, as the local cupcake retailers, hit OTT heights rarely seen outside of The Disney Channel) to Scooby-Doo villainy (“I would’ve got away with it if not for you meddling kids!”) and all points in between.

Most interesting are the contemporary flourishes that are clearly an effort to bring the traditional ‘teen mystery’ narrative into 2020 (and may push the film into 13+ censorship brackets in some territories). Rarely in even her most daring adventures did the Nancy Drew of old have to deal with a weed-growing mom-next-door; a gun-wielding, tough-talking baddy; extramarital liaisons (don’t worry, mums and dads, it’s all off-screen); or, most diabolically, a shady insurance executive’s pitch presentation. 

The film’s best real-world drama happens between Gabriella Pastore and Camilla Elaine as her stepmom, Cynthia, as they struggle to deal with their new relationship. While Lulu is all sugar’n’spice, Gabby is a child of divorce and has a slightly jaded world view. Pastore and Tate find a nuanced truthfulness in their girl-power bond that conveys a particularly strong kinship; their friendship feels sturdy enough to survive whatever their broadening experience offers up, and then well into adulthood. 

To the production’s credit, Shackelford populates Hidden Orchard with a culturally diverse group, even if some border on caricature (Orlando Cortez’s Hispanic gardener; Jaymee Vowell’s screechy redhead busy-body). The June 12 premiere of the film will coincide with the ongoing #BLM protests in many U.S. states, giving added and unexpected weight to a line spoken by white Police Chief Wellar (Corey J. Grant). In a moment of contrition, he states, “Maybe my way is not always the best way.” The ‘teen detective’ narrative is an old one, but The Case of the Air B&B, from its title on down, is a very up-to-date reworking.

BEING GAVIN

Stars: Jamie Oxenbould, Catherine Moore, Kate Raison, Ed Oxenbould, Brian Meegan and Ray Meagher.
Writers: Mark Kilmurry and Sara Bovolenta.
Director: Owen Elliott and Mark Kilmurry.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Back before superheroes and their teen fanbase ruled the box office, studios made movies for grown-ups. Names like George Segal and Walther Matthau and Dudley Moore starred in movies about marriage, infidelity and midlife crises that were funny, sad and smart. They stopped making them when the star system faded and the audience grew younger, despite being box office gold and Oscar friendly in their heyday.

Being Gavin harkens back to films like Cactus Flower (1969, with Matthau), A Touch of Class (1973, with Segal) and 10 (1979, with Moore), in which comfortably married, middle-class husbands complicate their lives by taking vibrant young lovers who complicate arrangements by falling in love. Directors Owen Elliott (helming his first feature since the acclaimed Bathing Franky in 2012) and Mark Kilmurry have crafted a contemporary, re-energised spin on a genre most considered dated, even moribund.

The titular ‘Gavin’ is the owner of a struggling cafe inherited from his ageing father (Ray Meagher). His life changes one morning when, like a personality whirlwind, struggling singer Samantha (a lovably boisterous Catherine Moore) presents herself as the life force that Gavin didn’t know he needed. Despite their wildly divergent individualism (a genre trope, to be fair) and his patchy bedroom skills, Gavin and Samantha bond with promise of much loveliness to come.

But the co-directors have a second-act twist that puts pressure on both the lovebirds and his narrative. Gavin is in a 22-year marriage, not to some some shrill ballbreaker as might have been the case four decades ago when the genre was soaring, but to Elaine (Kate Raison), a caring wife and mother, successful professional and totally undeserving of the grief that Gavin’s actions make inevitable. As Gavin’s actions become comically frantic, and with his life twisting in on itself through his lack of responsibility and awareness, Being Gavin takes on a somewhat bittersweet trajectory; things aren’t going to end well for anyone, but let’s hope it’ll be fun getting there anyway.

Gavin is played by Jamie Oxenbould, a likable journeyman actor who has earned his leading man status after decades as a respected ensemble player. He has some lovely scenes opposite his real-life son Ed Oxenbould (Paper Planes, 2014; The Visit, 2015) who plays surly teen Josh. Notably, Oxenbould Snr. channels that other significant figure of the 'reluctant philanderer' genre, Woody Allen, with a performance that mirrors the comedian's breathy delivery and nervous energy. 

The directing team also takes cues from Allen's late ‘80s oeuvre, films such as Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Another Woman (1988), Crimes and Misdemeanours (1989) and Husbands and Wives (1992); works that tackled similar themes and revealed the maturing of the Oscar winner as an insightful observer of human foibles. There is further evidence of Elliott's and Kilmurry's fondness for Allen’s classics, with a shot of fireworks against Sydney’s skyline a homage to Manhattan (1979) and the use of Allen’s iconic Windsor Light credit font.        

If the first-act meet-cute machinations feel pitched a bit high, the dramatic developments and satisfying denouement provide Gavin’s re-emergence with a heartfelt honesty. Just as importantly, the film honours Elaine and Samantha in its truthful depiction of how they love, cope with and ultimately rise above Gavin’s flaws. Being Gavin grows wiser and smarter in line with its protagonist, shifting from fidgety shallowness to self-aware maturity in a narrative arc as wholly refreshing as it is delightfully old-fashioned.

Photo credits: 76 Pictures Pty. Ltd.