Change Your Image
Tongilulu
Reviews
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)
No guilty pleasure
I first saw this film in 1980 in the midday movie spot. After many subsequent viewings (and purchase of the video) it still makes me laugh out loud.
Yes, it's a relic of another age - a domestic comedy set in affluent middle class America - but well executed is well executed. But it's also a document of its age - a celebration of post-war optimism, the baby boom and the nascent consumer age. This film is no "guilty" pleasure.
Three wonderful sophisticated leads actors - urbane Melvyn Douglas; bemused Cary Grant; daffily determined Myrna Loy - complement each other and a memorable team of characters.
My favourite scenes - "It means we gotta blast" and "Miss Stellwaggen" and "This little piggy".
Love it.
55 Degrees North (2004)
More than clichés
Given how much crime drama is on TV, I don't know how programs avoid using genre formulae and "cliches" - but this show has a charm of its own. I was pleasantly surprised by it.
The charm is due in large part to Don Gilet, who provides an attractive focal point. Clichés though they are, I like the "chalk and cheese" relationship with the old-timer in uniform; the urbane at-home mentor; and the sexual tension with the lawyer (although I like the flirting with the policewoman better).
Themes of corruption and racism add some edge to the mix.
I've only been through Newcastle a few times - but the night settings not only add to the mood of this show, they also give the city an allure that might not come across so well in daylight.
We've just had the first series here in Australia. I hope it continues.
Maya (2001)
Tension slowly builds to a brutal climax that is genuinely shocking
The story unfolds slowly - maybe a little too slowly - but overall is beautifully told. Two cousins - a boy and girl - are caught up in a ritual triggered when the girl starts to menstruate. The brutal climax of the ritual is genuinely shocking. The girl, Maya, is raped by holy men. This is part of the ritual, and guests feast outside the temple while it's happening. The adults in the story see such rapes as rites of passage and celebrations of family prestige.
Perhaps characters and attitudes are too black and white; metaphors are a bit heavyhanded; and there is little nuance, but this film has considerable qualities too - not least that it tackles an important and current issue - and does it well.