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Reviews
Up! (1976)
Meyer's filmography is a gift that keeps on giving
Meyer's penultimate film (his final effort - a direct-to-video plotless short after a twenty plus year absent does not count) is about as zany as one could imagine.
Throwing everything but the kitchen sink in, this has it all - lush baroque European castles, resurrected fascist dictators, a Greek chorus and more nature gone wild than a David Attenborough BBC special.
Meyer's here really ridicules the revelries involved in coupling and copulating, yet his biggest target is aimed squarely at the viewer - he mocks us for being voyeurs at his cavalcade of perversions.
While not as witty or engaging as previous works, Meyer proves yet again that his main talent is his mis-en-scene. With editing skills like this, the mind wonders what kind of film he could have made if his interests laid elsewhere.....
Jesus Christ Superstar: Live Arena Tour (2012)
Be afraid....be very afraid
Musical movies may unjustly be the most harshly judged of all film genres. Some classic Hollywood masterpieces translated beautifully to stage (such as "42nd Street" and "Singing in the Rain") and others made a perfect leap from theatre to celluloid (I may mention "Grease", "Rocky Horror"). And others, sadly, never quite succeeded in either medium.
"Jesus Christ Superstar" is such an example. A concept album, originally released in 1970, the live production never quite matched the edgy counterculture light rock of its vinyl counterpart. A first film attempted in 1973 was a minor curiosity, but hardly a cinematic masterpiece. A modernised straight to DVD filmed performance from 2000 was egregiously awful with singing better suited to a fourth grade pantomime.
Now in 2012 the already dated irrelevant show is updated yet again for a turgid interminable arena spectacular that fails both interest and attention. Lord Lloyd Webber received a lot of slack for his uncompromising casting of a reality star in the lead, yet at least the man can hold a note unlike the bizarre and deplorable casting of a failed Australian worst comedian whose unrelenting use of autotune quickly wears thin. Rounding out this pathetic cast of miscast musical misfits is a former Spice Girl who, again, nevertheless reach a high c despite having the acting gravitas of rotting sheep carcass.
"Jesus Christ Superstar" may have been now considered an accurate yet eccentric representation of seventies zeitgeist, but endless flogging of the world's most deceased horse only leaves this bloated earache as enjoyable as Pilate's punishment of 39 lashes.
Alice in Wonderland: An X-Rated Musical Fantasy (1976)
As sexy as a damp dish cloth, but oddly faithful and freakishly weird and faithful Carroll adaptation
For all his eccentricities and aloofness, the socially awkward but brilliantly clever Charles Dodgson may have enjoyed this sexually charged musical extravaganza. Alice, a character rebranded and endlessly filmed now almost more times than Cinderella is (thankfully) portrayed by an adult actress whose own erotic awakening mirrors the initial journey down the rabbit hole. While the exorbitant sex scenes and instantly forgettable musical numbers hastily move the picture along, the real star here is the outlandish extravagant costumes players reciting Carroll's immortal prose against technicolor psychedelic sets guaranteed to ruffle the straightest feathers.
Not the worst adaptation of the book(s), but far from the worst.
Weekend with Kate (1990)
At times, being Australian can be an advantage
Australian cinema has a simple but checkered history. From being underrated and underfunded and underrepresented for decades, New Holland finally burst on the international film scene in the early '70s thanks to hypnotic visual feasts like Walkabout and Wake in Fright.
Following this, Australian cinema glistened with surplus films, mostly horror and sex comedies.
By 1990, the golden era of Australia cinema had somewhat waned, but there were still gems occasionally popping up.
Unfortunately Weekend with Kate is not one such gem, yet it holds up on its own unique charm. A simple predictable love triangle, this light tragicomedy has merits due to its own humbleness. Is it hilarious? No. Is it erotic? Not at all. Is it enjoyable? Well, yes but only just. Were this American or even European fare, it would easily be indistinguishable from the many similar films, but where Weekend with Kate really shines is in its own Australianess. The bush , the wilderness, the great unknown is as much the star as one of the three leads. Every outdoor shot (and there are many) are enhanced by the majesty of Down Under's glory.
Is Weekend with Kate the first film to have this? No, nor is it the finest or last. But that's why it's worth watching. The audience is not watching a jealous spat between three youngsters, but a tragedy unfold in the outback.
See it and make up your own mind.