A TOWN CALLED MALICE

This review was published in The West Australian dated Nov 5, 2015

FILM
The Dressmaker
Kate Winslet, Liam Hemsworth
Director Jocelyn Moorhouse
REVIEW RAY CHAN

Jocelyn Moorhouse's The Dressmaker brings together a stellar cast of Australian screen veterans in this adaptation of the Rosalie Ham novel, but whose main character is played by an Oscar-winning English actress.
    Displaying an admirable Aussie accent, Kate Winslet is Tilly Dunnage, the prodigal daughter who returns to the remote wheatbelt town of Dungatar, her Singer sewing machine by her side.
    Tilly has become a skilled dressmaker in the years since she was sent away from the community when a little girl, and is now determined to discover more about the reasons for her banishment, unsure if she was to blame for the death of a childhood friend.
    Her cranky mother, Mad Molly (Judy Davis), initially reluctant to acknowledge her daughter, eventually accepts her back as Tilly settles into town and wins muted approval from the overbearing local matrons for her haute couture.
    Along the way, Tilly befriends several characters who, in one fashion or another (pun intended), are outcasts as much as she is in an insular place where hatred, haughtiness and hostility are commonplace: Sergeant Horatio Farrat (Hugo Weaving) is a friendly policeman and closet transvestite who rues his part in Tilly's initial expulsion, and Teddy McSwiney (Liam Hemsworth), a handsome lad from a family of rubbish collectors who serves as Tilly's love interest.
    Ever level-headed, Tilly keeps her cool despite lingering viciousness from Dungatar's more odious citizens, such as schoolteacher Beulah Harridiene (Kerry Fox) and slippery civic leader Evan Pettyman (Shane Bourne).
    But it is Davis who steals the show, with her effulgent comedic timing and smart dialogue delivery, effectively transforming Molly from a querulous old coot into a likable, charming and noble woman by film's end, one who clearly loved her daughter but was shamed into her behaviour by a secret liaison.
    If you haven't read the book, be prepared for twists and turns along the way, as the story often meanders away from the oft-trodden track into unexpected territory.
    This is no sentimental yarn where a good-hearted individual brings inspiration and joy to a repressed, unforgiving lot. You might even say the townfolk sew what they reap, after Tilly exacts her revenge on her town of malice.
    The journey there makes for some brilliant viewing, interspersed with moments of black comedy, sadness and a fair share of unpredictability. Yet one can't help wondering how more effective it could have been had the main protagonist displayed more certainty instead of languishing between remorse and vengeance at the same time.
    Tilly's reaction at her ultimate discovery of betrayal is somewhat subdued, lessening the impact of her final act of retribution.
    Even so, it's a beautiful-looking film, and reminds us of how good Australian productions can be, with this one standing head and shoulders above the lot of science fiction, action and rom com offerings that compete for current attention.

STELLAR SUCCESS

MOVIE
The Martian
Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain
Director Ridley Scott
Review Ray Chan

The audience has barely time to get comfortable in their seats before being thrust into the meat of the movie, as US astronaut/researcher Mark Watney (Damon) gets left stranded on Mars after a mission goes awry.

    But that’s just fine, as the set-up saves on a lot of potentially pointless exposition, allowing the tale to pan out briskly, achieving a balance between humour and seriousness, as the unflappable Watney dreams up ways of returning to Earth.

    Damon is shouldered with holding most of the action on his own, and he does a first-rate job of it, his performance hitting all of the emotional beats with just the right amount of gravity (pun intended).

    He delivers a truly moving performance, and viewers can’t help but root for him as he calmly devises various solutions to escape his predicament.

    Drew Goddard’s screenplay does an admirable job of making the science jargon undemanding and digestible, while the light-hearted moments make for a welcome departure from the norm for Ridley Scott, whose dour over-seriousness has made many of his pictures a bore.

    Easily Scott’s best for years, The Martian is gloriously shot with grand landscape shots of the red planet, and the fusion between practical and CG effects is photorealistically impressive.

    Although the adventure takes place in an unspecified future, Goddard makes sure Watney’s plan for surviving in an environment with no breathable atmosphere nor potable water is not addled by pseudo-scientific commentary.

    In voice-over and video diaries, Watney articulates the process of cataloguing his remaining food, creating water from rocket fuel, and using the crew’s faecal waste to fertilise rows of potatoes in the Mars space station.

    He also dismantles various pieces of equipment to attempt contact with Earth and learns that Vicodin makes a decent substitute for ketchup, while getting irritated at the amount of disco music someone programmed into the computers.

    The Martian is a film about powering on in burdensome situations, and delivers a compelling message about perseverance and fortitude in the face of depressing odds.

    It’s an inspiringly unapologetic tribute to resourcefulness and ingenuity, and helping it go down easier is undeniably Damon’s everyman personality.
    This is hardly Jason Bourne on Mars; it’s Damon as the very embodiment of American can-do spirit at its best.

#themartian

THE ENJOYABLE REMAKE AFFAIR

This review was published in The West Australian dated Aug 17, 2015.

FILM

Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer
Director Guy Ritchie

REVIEW RAY CHAN

Whether by accident or intent, the trailer screened before this movie preview was of the forthcoming Batman Vs Superman, in which Henry Cavill reprises his role as the Man of Steel. While Cavill portrays a hero with a more human streak in U.N.C.L.E., the square-jawed star certainly proves he is equally at home with a cape or a cannon.

    His team-up with the similarly angular Armie Hammer, who is also best known for playing another hero, The Lone Ranger, works a treat, and does more than a fair job of emulating the friendly fire that sparked the energy of classic pairings such as Roger Moore and Tony Curtis in TV's Persuaders, or Robert Conrad and Ross Martin of Wild, Wild West.

    A similar bond existed between Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, the stars who first played Napoleon Solo and Ilya Kuryakin - American and Russian spies paired up to prevent global threats - on the original U.N.C.L.E. TV series. This new movie match-up shows off a sound grasp of light comedy and displays a chemistry that is enjoyable to watch - Cavill with his suaveness, and Hammer with his frequent lapses of temper - so much so that we know they are destined to become best of colleagues by film's end, despite a stunt-packed opening scene which has both trying to kill each other.

    The movie is set in 1963: an era of spy gadgets, sleek cars, mod clothes and martinis. Solo (Cavill) is on a CIA mission to smuggle charismatic auto mechanic Gaby Teller (Alicia Vilkander) out of Berlin, wanted because she can help locate her missing father, an ex-Nazi scientist who'd been working for the US. KGB man Kuryakin (Hammer) pursues the duo and shows his resilience and aptitude by refusing to be shaken off the trail, no matter what manner of maneuver Solo can throw at him. Although Solo succeeds in the end, his superior (Brit Jared Harris) assigns him to work with Kuryakin to prevent a mysterious cabal, headed by Victoria Vinciguerra (Aussie actress Elizabeth Debicki), from acquiring a nuclear warhead.

    It makes for an interesting cosmopolitan cast: two Englishmen playing Americans, an American hamming it up as a Russian, and an Australian taking on an Italian role. Hugh Grant plays Alexander Waverly, the British intelligence man whose name telegraphs to long-time U.N.C.L.E. fans his ultimate role, although in the original series he was undoubtedly an American.

    Director Guy Ritchie fills his action sequences with comic interludes that raise the film's appreciation factor. Finding temporary refuge while he and Kuryakin are being fired at by pursuing henchmen, Solo helps himself to an unattended basket lunch while leaving his partner to fend for himself. Ritchie continues the chase in one tiny upper corner of the frame while in the foreground, Cavill enjoys a sandwich and some wine. In another scene, a stereotypical Nazi scientist tortures Solo in a fearsome electrical device, only for the tables to be turned when Kuryakin arrives to save the day. The villain is then tethered to his own device and kills himself after accidentally triggering it while the two agents turn their backs.

    As the end of it all, we see the formation of U.N.C.L.E. It would have been a nice touch to have Teller to be revealed as April Dancer (for you newbies, Google the name), but presumably that would have quickly given the ending away. An even better touch would have been to include either Vaughn or MacCallum in cameo roles, which would surely have sent many an old fan home satisfied, this reviewer included.

    U.N.C.L.E does not have the serious thrills of a James Bond or Mission Impossible, nor does it sway to the manic outrageousness of Kingsman or Spy, but falls into a happy medium which caters for a maximum dose of enjoyment.
     The combination of Cavill's James Coburn-esque coolness and Hammer's lovable doofusness works so well it virtually ensures a sequel is on the cards … and perhaps this time they'll bring their inverted triangle badges with them.

FROM SMALL THINGS BIG THINGS COME

This review was published in The West Australian dated Jul 16, 2015.

MOVIE

Ant-Man
Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas

Review Ray Chan

Early pre-release reviews of Ant-Man were discouraging, with some proclaiming the latest Marvel Studios movie as possibly the worst in the franchise.

    Certainly, the signs weren't good from the start. The project had initially been given to Edgar Wright, the director behind Shaun of the Dead, whose passion for all things geeky and clever comedy-action approach won over many fans. But he left the movie after "creative differences", studiospeak that Marvel became wary of Wright's influence possibly veering off the formatted template used for the other Marvel offerings.

    Enter the lesser-known Peyton Reed, who was then forced to put together something from Wright's concepts, and a screenplay attributed to four writers: Wright, Joe Cornish, Adam McKay and star Paul Rudd.

    Yet, surprisingly, the result is far from unrefined cinematic chowder, as one might expect from such an unfortunate collaboration.

    The story revolves round a kind-hearted thief named Scott Lang (Rudd), who is hand-picked by scientist Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) to replace him as Ant-Man, a guise he no longer wears after his wife Janet, a heroine named the Wasp, died while the two of them were in the midst of one of their battles against forces of evil.

    Scott is asked to don Hank's miniaturising suit and thwart the ambitions of Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), Hank's former protégé who now runs his company, and who's developing his own shrink-ray technology that he plans to sell to the villainous conglomerate Hydra. Scott has to break into Cross' headquarters and steal his shrinking suit known as Yellowjacket - a plan that involves some humorous training montages and banter between Scott and Hank's daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly), who wants to wear the Ant-Man tech herself.

    Despite his early wayward venture into crime, Scott has a heart of gold and responds to every situation with a good-natured retort before getting on with the important job of saving the day. With this mix of goofiness and noble intent, he comes across as a far more likeable character than, say, someone as arrogant as Iron Man's Tony Stark, or as wisecracking as the Guardians' Peter Quill.

    Sure, the plot's familiar and recycled. Weird science; imminent danger; father/daughter conflicts; hero saves the day. The tone of the movie, however, is relatively light and predominantly faithful to the comic book feel from which it was spawned.

    There are some lovely little touches, like henchman Luis (Michael Pena) whistling 'It's a Small World' when he is waiting for Scott to infiltrate Cross' building, and when the main antagonist gets trapped in a bug zapper. Scenes like these make the movie especially enjoyable for those numbed by the endless backdrop of destruction shown in films such as Avengers, Transformers and Man of Steel, or the grittiness and seriousness of offerings like Captain America, Thor and the Dark Knight.

    The simple and fetching shrink gimmick of Ant-Man steals much of the show. The vacillations between shrinking and enlarging - the technology allows for both - leads to some spectacular effects, whether it's Scott leading an army of ants, or a toy tank being blown up to real-life, working proportions. The climactic smackdown between Scott and Cross takes place largely on a toy train set, and is particularly memorable for a Thomas the Tank Engine accidentally being expanded into gigantic size.

    The movie also reveals connections with the Avengers that will please Marvel fans, and includes a cameo by an unexpected character. For comic book readers, the movie is replete with references that will be familiar, such as the mention of Tales to Astonish, and the use of the name Milgrom. As well, the post-credits scene offers prospects of a revival of the Ant-Man/Wasp team.

    Ant-Man is sure to entertain audiences of all ages, particularly the younger ones tired with the grim and dark exposition of many other super-hero releases. Ultimately, though, it feels more like an appetising piece of finger food - appropriately enough - than a full meal. It's a tasty morsel that Marvel is serving up while we wait for the main course of the next super-sized action-hero movie.

MORE CHEEK TO BEAR

This review was published in The West Australian dated Jul 1, 2015.

MOVIE

Ted 2
Mark Wahlberg, Amanda Seyfried

Review Ray Chan

I loved Seth Macfarlane's A Million Ways to Die in the West, even though many critics and viewers didn't. But judging by the guffaws at the preview of Ted 2, it seems the creator's gutter, sophomoric humour conveys itself better through animated characters such as his Family Guy line-up, or via the lips of a cuddly teddy bear come to life.

    Certainly, there's an abundance of the trademark gross-out sight gags and scatological jokes in this sequel to the surprise 2012 hit about the profane, pot-smoking sentient doll. But perhaps its's the odd mix of innocence and vulgarity that makes the growing Ted franchise weirdly enjoyable, even by those who don't wish to admit it. But hey, in the dark, no-one can see you laugh.

    The movie kicks off with the marriage of Ted to childhood sweetheart Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth), before evolving into a splendid Busby Berkeley routine that captivates the audience's attention from the start. But there's trouble a-brewing (or even a-bruin) in paradise, with the couple embroiled in so many quarrels that they figure only having children will help restore domestic bliss.

    Towards this end, Ted's deficiency is obvious, so they choose to adopt a child, which immediately raises a red flag with the Government about the bear's rights as a person. Together with thunder buddy John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) and Sam L Jackson (Amanda Seyfried), Ted takes the case to court, where he rules proceedings with his mix of well-meaning but crass commentaries.

    There are many choice moments along the way, such as a Disney-esque song scene in the middle of a deserted farm, Morgan Freeman playing the sort of suave, sensitive soul he has often been stereotyped as, and a visit to a comedy improvisation club where Ted and company shout inappropriate suggestions, both cringeworthy and hilarious at the same time.

    Perhaps the only unnecessary element was the return of Giovanni Ribisi's unlikeable character from the first movie, with the villain intent on capturing Ted and making copies of him, including one of his very own to keep. But it does allow Macfarlane the opportunity to unleash his inner geek and shoot scenes at the New York Comic Con, where ultimately various cosplay characters end up fighting each other as the film moves to its climax.

    With the movie premiering in the same week as Perth's SuperNova comic convention, the timing could not have been better for it to gain some valuable word-of-mouth promotion. Certainly, more than a few convention enthusiasts would have left the theatres with broad grins on their faces.

    The film is precisely what viewers familiar with the original would expect, no less and certainly no more. Yet while it is among the funniest movies to be released this year, its place in the galaxy of cinematic comedies will barely register a cosmic ripple. Macfarlane may have tapped his formulaic seam of pop culture-influenced, off-colour buffoonery to its fullest, and it will be interesting to see if he brings anything new to his next project.

A WIN FOR THE ONLY GAYS IN THE VILLAGE

This review was published in The West Australian on  July 1, 2015

FILM
Pride
Ben Schnetzer, Imelda Staunton
Director Matthew Warchus
REVIEW RAY CHAN

This Cannes-winning film mines a formulaic shaft used frequently in recent times, one based in British industrial strife and seemingly always set in quaint little villages.
    Some of the experiments have worked wonders, others not quite so. But while it sounds an exaggeration, Pride is an uplifting, sure-fire crowd-pleaser that may well be the best of them all.
    The feel-good offering from director Matthew Warchus, suffused in 80s music and nostalgia, is taken from the real-life 1984 dispute between prime minister Margaret Thatcher and the National Union of Mineworkers over coalmine closures.
    With the miners standing firm and embarking on a protracted and debilitating strike, a band of gay activists - seeing similarities in the way both groups are pilloried by PM, press and police - opt to show their support by raising money for the strikers and their families.
    Despite encountering initial resistance, the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners - led by activist Mark Ashton (Ben Schnetzer) - find support from a small town in Wales' Dulais Valley, after a misunderstanding with a confused local woman seals the unexpected alliance.
    But once arriving in the village of Onllywyn, the group - despite presenting the funds they have thus far collected - are treated with disdain by most of the miners, whose self-respect has already been whittled away by their increasing reliance on their wives.
    In an era when homosexuals were reviled and communities were grappling with the onset of AIDS, the prospect of accepting welfare from "poofs", as one of the gay characters states, proves too hard to stomach for most of the community, except for a small group headed by benevolent striker Dai (Paddy Considine) and old- school village elder Cliff (Bill Nighy), plus a bevy of good-hearted working-class matriarchs, including the outspoken Hefina (Imelda Staunton).
    It is the ensuing culture clash that provides much of the film's entertainment, as both sides come to grips with the nuances of one another, the frippery and flamboyance of the gays clearly contrasting with the dourness of the miners.
    In a show-stealing scene, the theatrical Jonathon (Dominic West) demonstrates some spectacular dancing moves to the womenfolk, who in turn are inspired to move out of the shadows of their husbands.
    Encouraged by a fiery Hefina at the helm, a group of drunken village women later wander though the gay bars of London with a game sangfroid belying their obvious naivete, culminating in a sleep-in at Jonathon's pad where they encounter a sprinkling of male centrefolds and sex toys.
    There are a lot of names and faces to handle but Warchus ensures the audience is able to differentiate between all the personalities, a task made easier by fine performances from the stellar cast. The story, as intricate as it is, is filled with moments of great emotional power, triumphs and tragedy.
    Amid the jokes about miner machismo and lesbian cuisine, writer Stephen Beresford doesn't shy from addressing the devastation that will face the miners if the pits close. Nor does he ignore the fear the gay community feels at the threat of HIV, a point made all the more poignant when it is revealed at the end of the film that, in real life, Ashton died from the disease when only 26.
    While the movie sometimes meanders close to cliches and sledgehammer humour, Warchus directs strongly, ensuring it never falls into schmaltz, managing to circumvent them with wholesome open-heartedness and the core message of solidarity: that standing together makes for the strongest union of all.

AUSSIE EDGE TO FEEL-GOOD FARCE

This review was published in The West Australian dated June 18, 2015.

MOVIE
Alexander's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, Ed Oxenbould
Director Miguel Arteta

Review Ray Chan

The live action adaptation of Judith Viorst's highly amusing children's book has finally made it to the screen, after a checkered start which involved a change of film studios and director.

    But while the Walt Disney Studio's picking up of the movie from 20th Century Fox because of budgetary reasons is nothing more than an occupational hazard in the business world, what's surprising is acclaimed independent creator Miguel Arteta's decision to fill the chair left vacant by Lisa Cholodenko, who also happened to write a first draft of the screenplay (eventually completed by Rob Lieber).

    Renowned for his innovative television and movie filmmaking, Arteta shows little of this edginess as he plays it safe with this feel-good comedy that delivers more than this reviewer, at least, expected as he walked warily through the cinema doors.

    The premise of the story centres on young 11-year-old Alexander, who feels as if every single one of his days is terrible, horrible and no good, particularly when compared to the almost-perfect lifestyles of his parents and siblings.

    But when Alexander tells his upbeat family about his misadventures, he finds little sympathy and begins to wonder if bad things only happen to him.

    Finally, Alexander can take it no more. On a day when he wakes up to gum in his hair, accidentally mangles his baby brother's favourite bumblebee pacifier in the sink disposal unit, misses out on a window seat in the car pool (yet again), gets unflattering Photoshopped images of him distributed to his friends, sees his birthday plans usurped by a student who promises a more extravagant celebration, and almost destroys the school lab in an effort to impress his crush, Alexander wishes that everybody else could experience his misfortunes.

    Aussie Ed Oxenbould makes a fine movie debut as Alexander, who from that wish on sees his family encounter mishap after mishap, enough to convince him that it was his selfish whims which somehow cast a spell of disaster on everyone's day.

    If the surname sounds familiar, it should; Ed is the nephew of Australian actor Jason Oxenbould, who played the teenaged Ben in the TV sitcom Hey Dad!

    Indeed, there is a distinctive Australian flavour to the film. A running gag throughout the book involves an exasperated Alexander repeating several times that he wants to move to Australia (presumably because he thinks it's better here).

    In the movie, Alexander's preoccupation with Australia is extended to an obsession, with his bedroom surrounded by all manner of Australian paraphernalia, while a dalliance with Vegemite on toast causes his sister to coil in disgust.

    As Alexander's father, the accomplished Steve Carell waltzes through the role in his inoffensive, charismatic, slapdash fashion, while the performances of the rest of the cast are solid, although one might not expect any less given the less-than-challenging material.

    Arteta ensures the overtures of familial affirmation are not conveyed with too much saccharine, while the many comedic interludes carry through successfully without slipping into slapstick.

    The movie runs a little less than 85 minutes, not too long to have the younger audience fidgeting, but is also filled with enough fast-paced fun and frivolity to sustain the attention of the older moviegoers.

    There's enough use of tweets, mobile phones and Gen Z whiz kids to give this interpretation of Alexander's THNGVBB a modern-day twist, but the message remains ostensibly the same; that, in Alexander's words, "you have to have the bad days so you can love the good ones", helped by "steering the ship with positivity".

    Hardly terrible, horrible or no good, the film is enjoyable family fare, right from Alexander's first disaster to the grand Aussie-themed finale, which could arguably do more for this country's tourism prospects than any of its recent high profile advertisements.

HIT THE ROAD, MAX

MOVIE
Mad Max: Fury Road
Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron
Director George Miller
Review Ray Chan

HOLY COW. This movie, surely one of the best action films of all time, must put Aussie director George Miller on the pedestal with the greats.
    Mad Max: Fury Road is a relentless, nonstop and breathless post-apocalyptic thriller, starring Tom Hardy as Max, who wanders the desolate wasteland of his shattered world simply trying to survive.
    It makes up for what it lacks in storyline and character development with a groundbreaking blend of battle flick tropes and death-defying stunts atop a constantly moving canvas of motor-driven insanity.
    Even the set design astounds, with imaginatively redesigned vehicles such as tanks with caterpillar tracks for wheels and long-spiked dune buggies, ridden astride by drivers on collapsible stilts and catapults, and led by manic punk rockers blazing out heavy metal riffs on killer guitars.
    Indeed, the cars themselves are fully developed characters, exemplified by the Gigahorse, a six-wheeled behemoth made up of two fin-tailed Cadillacs stuck together with mounted rifle stands attached on its back.
    Miller, the creator and director of all of the Mad Max films, delivers a shamelessly badass rock ‘n’ roll dystopian chase movie, and the viewers are taken on the ride right from the start.
    Fury Road moves at breakneck speed from beginning to end, offering only the merest of brief respites when the viewers can catch their breath to prepare for the next jaw-dropping sequence.
    The picture’s depth lies in its blistering backbeat of fast-paced action fulfilled by a cast of gnarly Wild West-inspired characters “living to die and dying to live”, in a setting where a lack of water and oil has turned humanity into hordes of people living by their primal instincts.
    And then there’s the focus on feminism, with Charlize Theron’s uncompromising bionic-armed heroine, Imperator Furiosa, leading the lion’s share of the action.
    Oil truck driver Furiosa turns a fuel delivery into a rescue mission to transport five mistresses away from Immortan Joe (played by Hugh Keays-Byrne in a franchise return), the demonic despot who controls the flow of water to the starving masses.
    Furiosa and her femmes are no slouches at holding their own, and often Max is simply along to serve as facilitator with his muscle and proficiency with weapons.
    This is truly a movie in which action speaks louder than words. Miller and his production team fill the screen with a wide variety of amazing and impressive stunts, which will have you gaping in disbelief, while holding the dialogue to a minimum.
    Fury Road is a thoroughfare lined with road rage and mayhem, wit and touches of grace and humanity that will make you want to go on a return trip.


#madmaxfuryroad

SPY-JINKS

MOVIE
Kingsman: The Secret Service
Taron Egerton, Colin Firth 
Director Matthew Vaughn
Review Ray Chan

The best parodies are the ones done with the right amount of homage and humour, and you’ll find no better example than Kingsman: The Secret Service.
   Based on The Secret Service comic book created by Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar, and directed by Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, X-Men First Class), the movie is a pastiche of the secret agent franchise done with deliberate comedy, élan and obvious affection.
    It centres on a British spy organisation staffed by Savile Row-suited toffs, including the impeccably mannered Harry Hart (Colin Firth), who recruits the young son of an ex-colleague for whose death in a Middle East conflict he feels responsible.
    The curiously-named Eggsy (Taron Egerton) is initially rough at the edges and on the cusp of criminality in his London council estate, where he lives with his mum and her violent boyfriend.
    The first part of the movie deals with Eggsy's induction and training, where he's constantly pranked by the typical ineffectual bravado-filled Kingsmen recruits; of course they turn out to be more faint of heart than hardened when the chips are down, while Eggsy shows he has the right stuff.

    Once his mettle is proven and he is signed on, the clichés abound as Eggsy enters an ultra-secret underground world through a false door in a tailor's shop, filled with gizmos and weaponry that any self-respecting espionage emissary  would be proud to own – a deathly signet ring, shoes with a killer blade, a bulletproof umbrella – overseen by Mark Strong as the techie overlord Merlin, the equivalent of James Bond’s Q.

    The villain of the piece is madman billionaire businessman Richmond Valentine (Samuel L Jackson with a comical lisp), whose megalomaniacal vision is to control the world's population through mobile phones, abetted by his martial arts mistress Gazelle (Sofia Boutella), who bears  Oscar Pistorius-style lower limbs with ultra-sharp blades that she uses to great effect in several bloody action sequences.

    There are some great cameos as well. Mark Hamill (yes, him) shows up as a genius scientist, while Michael Caine plays the spy agency’s chief, as opposed to a spy itself, a role he has portrayed many times.
    Harry and Eggsy have to stop Valentine's dastardly plan, involving a blitz of explosions, shoot-outs, thrilling stunts and the rescue of a Scandinavian princess who, by intent or otherwise, resembles a certain Danish queen of Australian descent.

    All in all, Kingsman is dashing fun, what-ho. Every character, every frame, and nearly every line of dialogue is delivered with glee, turning every spy thriller cliche on its head, milking them for maximum amusement.
    Silly and cartoonish, the movie has its tongue firmly and delightfully in its cheek, and will delight as a well-executed mash-up of espionage and true cinematic excitement.


#kingsman

DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE

This review appeared in The West Australian dated February 2, 2015.

CONCERT
Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular
West Australian Symphony Orchestra
REVIEW RAY CHAN

Suitably for a Doctor Who tribute, the majestic blue-hued Perth Arena gives the impression of being smaller than it looks from the outside.
    Fans who flocked into the tesseract-like structure on Saturday evening could be forgiven for thinking they'd wandered into their own personal Tardis, to be swept into a musical wonderland inhabited by the greatest hits from the good Doctor's TV shows.
    Perth was the second stop of the current Dr Who spectaculars, the shows featuring the music of composer Murray Gold and conducted by Ben Foster, and soprano Antoinette Halloran adding her voice on a few of the pieces.
    Each state supplies its own orchestra and WA is certainly fortunate to be served by the WASO ensemble, one of our busiest performing arts organisations, with a well-justified reputation for excellence, engagement and innovation, and who played throughout without missing a beat.
    In a sign of the playfulness to come, the performance began with a warning from the feared Cybermen for viewers to stay in their seats and to turn off mobile phones.
    Augmented by videos on the massive screens, the dramatic opening score of A Good Man introduced Halloran to the audience, as well as Peter Capaldi, the latest regeneration of The Doctor.
    Appearing through the ensuing mist, the affable Peter Davison, who played the fifth Doctor, narrated with moxie and mirth as he provided information about each piece, while injecting some humour into the proceedings, often at the expense of the sixth Doctor, Colin Baker, who has gained a bit of weight since his appearances in the role.
    The seating arrangement on the floor did seem unusual, with chairs ordered in blocks with generous gaps in between. But it was soon revealed why.
    A multitude of monsters and aliens appeared at various stages throughout the show, meandering between seats and mingling with the guests: my Whovian companion pointed out a Silurian, The Foretold, The Teller, a couple of Ood, Whisper Men, an Ice Warrior and, of course, the Daleks.
    Most of the works represented the grandiose nature of the modern series, enhanced by smartly choreographed lighting routines.
    The Doctor’s Theme spotlighted the first glimpses of the new breed, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant, only adding to the fans’ elation, while Song Of Freedom allowed the beautiful voices of the WASO choir to shine.
    A tribute suite to those who travelled with the Doctor, The Companions, again featuring Halloran, was well-received, particularly as the screens gave air time to many old friends from throughout the decades.
    Foster, now clad in Davison's Dr Who coat, led a rousing interpretation of The Pandorica Suite, while Fifty-This Is Gallifrey and the Death In Heaven Suite provided an anthemic end to the proceedings.
    Of course, the show wouldn’t be complete without a rendition of, as Davison rightly claimed, the best science-fiction theme of all time.
    Theremins are rarely used instruments but surely their presence has never been more strongly felt than in the introduction of this classic piece, which in fact was written by an Australian composer, Ron Grainger.
    Whoever was picked from WASO to play the sound generator did it well, culminating in a roaring version of the refrain by the whole orchestra and sending fans and followers into raptures, no doubt wishing the Arena was indeed a time box that could whizz them to the future when the next spectacular comes round again.

HERO, HEART AND HUMOUR

MOVIE

Big Hero 6

Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter

Director Don Hall, Chris Williams

Review Ray Chan

DISNEY’S Big Hero 6 is set in a pan-Pacific technopolis called San Fransokyo, setting the scene for a mix of American and Japanese influences throughout the movie.
    And just like that curious mix of cultures, the studio seems to have surgically implanted the plush heart of a Pixar movie into the lumbering mechanical body of a Marvel property.
    Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter) is a wayward boy genius whose equally gifted brother is killed in a freak explosion, leaving Hiro with a well of grief and his sibling’s masterwork invention, a robotic “health care companion” named Baymax, who’s amorphous, affable and emphatic.
    The initial scenes between Hiro and his new-found wide-eyed (in more ways than one) associate are among Hero‘s best, but the film shines with its climax, a smash-and-fly action fest involving Hiro, Baymax, and four research buddies who equip themselves as tech-assisted warriors to take on a masked supervillain controlling millions of tiny swarming micro-bots and a giant portal to another dimension.
    While all this kicks up a lot of narrative sediment, the story offers respite and knows when to pull back. Hiro’s sadness over his brother’s passing infuses every decision and emotional juncture in the film, and Baywatch’s non-violent programming offers an endearing counterpoint.
    At times, Big Hero 6 gets a little too noisy for its own good, but that doesn't drown out its many quieter charms.


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