Territory Stories

Sunday Territorian 18 May 2014

Details:

Title

Sunday Territorian 18 May 2014

Collection

Sunday Territorian; NewspaperNT

Date

2014-05-18

Notes

This publication contains may contain links to external sites. These external sites may no longer be active.

Language

English

Subject

Community newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin.; Australian newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin.

Publisher name

Nationwide News Pty. Limited

Place of publication

Darwin

File type

application/pdf

Use

Copyright. Made available by the publisher under licence.

Copyright owner

Nationwide News Pty. Limited

License

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042

Parent handle

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/250745

Citation address

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/552844

Page content

SUNDAY MAY 18 2014 REVIEW 43 V1 - NTNE01Z01MA VERDICT: MAYHEM WILL IMPRESS FANS All the rage on monstrous scale GODZILLA 123 minutes (M) Director: Gareth Edwards (Monsters) Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn Reviewer: Leigh Paastch *** VERDICT: EXCELLENT AUSSIE DRAMA Jailbirds soar in a story with real wings Don Hany with a wedge-tailed eagle in a scene from Healing HEALING 107 minutes (MA15+) Director: Craig Monahan (The Interview) Starring: Hugo Weaving, Don Hany, Xavier Samuel, Anthony Hayes, Jane Menelaus, Tony Martin Reviewer: Leigh Paastch *** NOW he has turned 60, Godzilla is very much the elder states-monster of the modern creature-feature. Like countless veteran rock bands, this radioactive reptile has always been big in Japan. Courtesy of almost 30 sequels, spin-offs and reboots, the Zilla has never lost his appetite for destruction. Nor his unlikely appeal as a screen hero. On many occasions, Godzilla has indirectly come to the aid of millions of us hapless humans. Particularly those held to ransom by everything from rogue robots to insects the size of jumbo jets. While he might be a heroic brute, Godzilla is also a powerful brand. So it should come as no surprise a major US studio is yet again repurposing his celebrated legend. This all-new, same-old Godzilla is an aggressively agreeable pile of pulp, both cagier in approach and ragier in execution than the last time Hollywood ventured here. (The 1998 Godzilla starring Matthew Broderick has gone down in history as one of the most dull and inert monster movies of all time.) The new film proceeds very cautiously at the outset, perhaps with one eye trained too conspicuously on building a solid franchise. Therefore we have to wait two-thirds of an eternity in action-blockbuster movie terms at least to get a good long look at the star of the show achompin and astompin as only he can. Thats right. The first two acts of Godzilla are all about the tease, rather than the shock and awe. Sure, there are plenty of generous glimpses of the Zilla. Most of the time, he can be spotted getting quite aggravated at a polite distance from the epicentre of the chaos. But he wont be making his proper entrance until 40 minutes from the close. By which time, most viewers may have had their fill of the human characters and their bumnumbing backstories. Bryan Cranston stars as Joe, a frazzled former scientist. This bedraggled fellow is quite correctly convinced the world is under threat from radiationmagnified species of ill repute. They have been gestating since all those atomic tests in the Asia-Pacific region in the 50s. Naturally, the world thinks Joe is just a crazy conspiracy theorist. Even his son, Ford, (Aaron Taylor- Johnson), a decorated soldier, thinks the old man is a loon. While this father-son friction stuff is a bit of a snooze, the Godzilla-less portions of Godzilla are still lively enough thanks to the arrival of the creatures that prove Joe is no mad voice in the wilderness. They are codenamed MUTOs short for Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms and they thrive by sticking strictly to an all-nuclear diet. There are only two MUTOs. One is male, the other female. Yep, you guessed it: Soon it will be breeding time. The unhappy couple appear to heading by sea towards the west coast of the US. So too is Godzilla, arguably more athletically amphibious than many of his fans would formerly recall. All that really matters is what will happen when these three hit dry land. Thankfully, the extended monster v MUTO smackdown that transpires on the streets of San Francisco justifies the long wait. This set-piece skirmish (boosted by convincing SFX work and a booming sound mix) is apocalyptic in scale, and apoplectic in temperament. Anyone who has loved or admired Godzilla in any of his many guises are going to get a major rush from how the majestic mega-lizard handles the mayhem depicted here. A ROCK-solid Australian drama that is hard to fault on any front. Just one false move, and this authentically affecting tale of long-term prisoners bonding with injured birds might have stopped ringing true. That cannot and will not happen thanks to Hugo Weaving. His shrewd anchoring presence in a key role guarantees Healing shall remain in robust health throughout. Just as impressive is prolific Australian TV actor Don Hany (Offspring, The Broken Shore), whose astutely pitched performance should put him in the frame for many more local features in years to come. Hany (above) plays Viktor, a veteran prisoner of Iranian heritage rumoured to have committed murders inside and outside jail. Good behaviour for the last four of his 18 years in the slammer has earned Viktor a move to a minimumsecurity facility up-country. Viktors arrival at the farm coincides with the introduction of a new rehabilitation program driven by wildlife officers in the region. Birds that are injured in the surrounding forests are taken to a special unit at the farm, where prisoners nurse the stricken patients until they are ready for release back into the wild. While the allegorical link between wounded birds and social outcasts is an obvious one, writer-director Craig Monahan and his co-writer Alison Nisselle resist the temptation to relay the message to viewers in capital letters. Its the small details lodged within the fine print of their screenplay that earns Healing respect and admiration. Prepare for major monster mayhem in Godzilla CITY GODZILLA (M) 3D SUN - WED 4.20, 9.20PM 2D SUN - WED 11.20, 1.50, 6.50PM BAD NEIGHBOURS (MA15+) SUN - WED 10.30, 12.40, 2.45, 4.50, 7.15, 9.20PM BELLE (PG) SUN - WED 10.15AM CHEF (M) SUN - WED 1.30, 4.00, 6.20PM HEALING (M) SUN - WED 11.00, 4.50, 8.40PM THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (M) AD SUN - WED 8.50PM THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (M) CC AD SUN - WED 10.25, 12.30, 2.35, 4.40, 6.45PM THE OTHER WOMAN (M) SUN - WED 12.20, 2.35, 7.15, 9.30PM CASUARINA GODZILLA (M) 3D SUN 10.30, 1.00, 3.30, 6.00, 8.30, 9.30PM 3D MON/TUE 10.30, 1.00, 3.30, 6.00, 7.45, 8.30PM 3D WED 10.30, 1.00, 3.30, 8.00, 8.50PM 2D SUN 11.30, 2.00, 4.30, 7.00, 9.00PM 2D MON 11.30, 2.00, 4.30, 7.00, 9.30PM 2D TUE/WED 11.10, 1.40, 4.10, 6.40, 9.10PM CHEF (M) SUN 10.30, 12.50, 3.45, 7.15PM MON 10.30 , 1.00, 2.35, 6.30PM TUE 10.30, 1.00, 2.35, 6.30PM WED 10.30, 12.30 , 2.50, 6.30PM BAD NEIGHBOURS (MA15+) SUN 10.30, 12.35, 1.55, 2.55, 4.00, 6.10, 6.55, 9.00, 9.55PM MON/TUE 10.50, 1.00, 1.50, 3.10, 4.05, 5.20, 6.15, 7.25, 8.25, 9.30PM WED 10.50, 1.00, 1.50, 3.10, 4.05, 5.20, 6.15, 7.25, 8.45, 9.30PM CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (M) SUN 4.35PM MON/TUE 4.55PM WED 5.10PM THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (M) SUN 12.55, 6.10, 8.25PM MON/TUE 10.45, 3.30, 8.50PM WED 10.45, 3.30, 8.20PM DIVERGENT (M) SUN - WED 11.00AM THE OTHER WOMAN (M) CC AD SUN 3.10, 5.25, 7.40, 9.35PM MON/TUE 1.40, 4.10, 6.40, 9.00PM WED 1.40, 4.10, 6.30, 9.25PM MR PEABODY AND SHERMAN (PG) SUN 10.55AM MUPPETS MOST WANTED (G) SUN 12.35PM THE LEGO MOVIE (PG) SUN 10.35 , 2.35 , 4.55 PM MON/TUE 10.35 , 12.35 PM WED 10.30 , 12.50 PM NO FREE TICKETS FAMILY PASS AVAILABLE CC CLOSED CAPTIONS AD AUDIO DESCRIPTION FAMILY WEEKEND FLICK BRING YOUR BABY Session times are subject to change without notice. Session Times Copyright 2014 - EVENT Cinemas. FOR UPDATED SESSIONS AND TO BUY TICKETS VISIT birch.com.au