PARDON MY FRENCH
4/10
Well acted story about an author with writers block and a school girl fan who is obsessed enough with her to try and assist her in any way possible. Unfortunately it didn't seem to have any direction, and the author spent the film wandering around in her self-centred world while being pandered to by those around her. Not worth the time.
I NEED THAT RECORD! THE DEATH (OR POSSIBLE SURVIVAL) OF THE INDEPENDENT RECORD STORE
6/10
I'm into technology and I'm into music. As someone who has spent waaay too much on records and CDs in the past 20 years, and watched with interest how the independent record stores struggle to survive. They're competing with the Internet (both for online ordering and online music distribution, both legal and illegal) and major record companies who clutch to extinct models for doing business as long as they can. This documentary gets full marks for trying and half marks for execution. While it was interesting to see the point of view from record shop owners who were closing down for one reason or another, I didn't really feel that all sides of the story were explored. We heard a lot of musicians and record shops bitching about the majors, but never did we get to hear the opinion of someone from a major. Furthermore, the cause of closure of one of the shops was a landlord who'd booted them. We never got to hear why they didn't just re-open somewhere else. Some arguments were flawed too I think - they were arguing how 'big box stores' like walmart only carry rubbish music, not a full range, but then go one to complain how the big box stores sell CDs at below cost. The idea of an independent record store being a community type experience is fair, but I don't think it just applies to music. Finally, the quality of this film was not cinema-grade. Hopefully they'll show it on TV soon, but I wouldn't recommend spending the money seeing it at a theatre. I've not been there yet, but as I departed the theatre staff from Sunshine and Grease, a record shop at 117 Little Bourke St were handing out flyers, so go check them out. And buy the music you love, in whatever media type and style you happen to choose.
AWAY WE GO
9/10
Ken Loach was a massive whiney sook and pulled his film from MIFF for political reasons, not before he agreed for it to be shown at MIFF. Nor was it before the guide was printed or tickets on sale. Nope, it wasn't even pulled before before both sessions of his film sold out. That's right, he waited until after all that before deciding to go all Sting on us. This is for you, Mr. Loach.
Anyway, the silver lining was that Away We Go was the replacement film for the session, and is my favourite of the festival (though MOON was still great!). This Sam Mendes film was the replacement for Ken Loach's film, and tells the story of a young couple who are expecting their first child. When they realise that they have no reason to stay where they're living, they decide to set out on a trek to find a better home to raise their unborn child. Along the way, they meet with various friends/family/ex-co-workers, and get a good dosage of the range of philosophies and beliefs parents choose to raise their children by. It's often hilarious and always entertaining. With a slightly different ending, I'd give it 10/10.
TREELESS MOUNTAIN
7/10
Cute Korean film about two young girls who are being raised by their mother. The father has been out of the picture for some time, and when the mother decides she needs to go and find him, she leaves the girls with family. She gives the girls a piggy bank and says that if they're good, they'll be given a coin each to put in the bank, and promises she'll return when the bank is full. The film takes on the perspective of life from the girls' point of view and offers many different slices of Korean life as the film unfolds.
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