PACIFICO

Featuring: Christian Gibson, Chris Gooley, Charlie Wilmoth and Minnie Piccardo.
Directors: Andreas Geipel, Christian Gibson.

Available to rent or own worldwide from October 1 on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Prime Video, Vimeo on Demand.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

An experiential odyssey through the land, culture and humanity of Latin America, Pacifico chronicles the impact upon two young Australian men seeking meaningful connection beyond our desk-bound, web-dependent society. Cloaked under the aesthetics of a surfing doco, kindred spirits Christian Gibson and Chris Gooley front a remarkably poignant, visually gorgeous travelogue that captures true beauty, both natural and emotional.

Welcomed by the voice of 20th century philosopher Alan Watts reciting his new-age anthem, The Secret of Life (“Let's have a dream which isn't under control, where something is gonna happen to me that I don't know what it's gonna be... And finally, you would dream where you are now”), we meet the Melbourne-based Gibson bemoaning the sale of his stalled internet start-up. The upside is that the 26 year-old is now cash healthy and determined to break down barriers to a wider world that he has unwittingly erected around his cloistered western life.

Gibson meets up with Gooley and is soon swept up in their journey of shared enlightenment, carried by their trustee steed - a decked-out van they call ‘Ulysses’. The pair cover thousands of miles across Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia and Peru, to name a few, seeking not only headland breaks and perfect barrels whipped up by the Roaring Forties, but also jungle treks, mountain trails and trout-rich rivers. While the union of man and nature is examined in earnest on their travels, so too is their own dynamic and their interactions with the villagers of the region.

Andreas Geipel, not present at all for the boy’s six month journey, earns a director credit for the skill with which he corrals hundreds of hours of footage into a singularly enriching narrative. The German filmmaker, employing introspective voiceovers from both Gibson and Gooley to help convey the life changing beauty of the land and its people, has crafted a deeply thoughtful work. 

The dual meaning of the title repping both the pulsating, life-giving ocean and the peaceful, soulful nature of the region’s population, Pacifico is a film about journeys. Gooley ponders his connection with the waves that have travelled thousands of nautical miles to carry him for a few joyous moments at a time; the young men bring a sense of discovery to two generations of local men when they hand over the control of Ulysses on a vast salt lake; and, in sweetly-captured glimpses of new love, Gibson commits to a journey of the heart when he falls hard for Argentinian beauty, Minnie.

Citing as the inspirational life force of the journey the spirit of Andean goddess Pacahmama (‘Mother Earth’), Pacifico resonates with the courage required to take that first step beyond the way of life to which one becomes accustomed. It is a call to arms for adventurers, those seeking profound discovery of both body and soul.

OLDER

Stars: Guy Pigden, Liesha Ward-Knox, Astra McLaren, Harley Neville, Samantha Jukes and Michael Drew.
Writer/Director: Guy Pigden.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

A very adult film about how hard it is face adulthood, director Guy Pigden’s maturing man-child comedy/drama Older has been gestating longer than the grown-up inside his lead character, frustrated filmmaker Alex Lucas. Shot in 2013 and toyed with over the past half-decade as the multi-hyphenate channelled crowd funds and downtime into its post-production, what emerges is an engaging, Apatow-esque study in how some young, white, middle-class guys take a bit longer to realise just how f**king fortunate they really are.

Which is not a slight, in any way. In fact, Pigden’s sophomore feature (his 2014 debut, the undead romp I Survived a Zombie Holocaust, became a midnight-movie favourite) embraces a beloved cinematic tradition of privileged, self-pitying protagonists who learn to rely upon love, luck and introspection to snap them out of an existential funk (some recent favourites include Orlando Bloom in Elizabethtown, 2005; Hugh Grant in Music & Lyrics, 2007; and, Paul Dano in Ruby Sparks, 2012).  

Directing himself, Pigden picks up Lucas’ life as it stagnates in his parents’ home. The twenty-something has lost touch with his creative potential; he was a sort-of promising director, but he’s now embracing a new lease on his old life - daytime booze and bong hits, hours of video game indulgence and a lot of routine wanking (the film might have premiered sooner had Kleenex negotiated a product placement deal). 

A best friend’s wedding leads to a reconnection with two ghosts of girlfriends past - the spirited, successful, sweet-natured Jenny (a wonderful Liesha Ward-Knox, the film’s scene-stealing, breakout star; pictured, top, with Pigden), a platonic high-school chum who instantly recognises Alex for what he has become but warms to him anyway; and, bombshell party-girl Stephanie (Astra McLaren; pictured, below), who reignites their on/off passion, a fate to which Alex doesn’t entirely object. All three leads offer up plenty of skin (Pigden and McLaren especially leave little to the imagination) that might push censorship boundaries in some territories.

While plot machinations unfold in a not unfamiliar manner (jealousies develop; tragedy strikes; betrayals and dishonesty emerge), Pigden's script nails some profound truths, certainly enough for the traditional ‘romantic/dramedy’ narrative structure to hold secure. As one character notes, “This moment is all that matters,” and the film embraces that ethos. The hero’s journey is bolstered by deftly-handled support players, including Harley Neville and Samantha Jukes as newlyweds Henry and Isabelle, repping the facade that is ‘suburban bliss’ for many, and Mike Drew and Michelle Leuthart as Alex’s parents.  

It is likely that the post-production passage-of-time has allowed the filmmaker to reassess the essence of Alex. The first half of the film plays rom-com giddy at times, whereas the third act feels as if the director is far more engaged with the maturing of his character. Pigden cites as an inspiration Richard Linklater, whose 2014 Oscar-winner Boyhood also benefited from an extended production schedule; both that film and Older capture the filmmaker in the early stages of their craft, then as a more wisened storyteller. 

Most importantly, Pigden never loses focus of the unlikely (if somewhat inevitable) romance at the film’s core. It is a heartfelt union made all the more affecting in the film’s final moments by characters who, like their director, have found wisdom and truth over a long journey.

OLDER is in limited release in New Zealand with other territories to follow. It is also available to rent or buy as a download on Amazon Prime, Google Play and other platforms via the official website. 

BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC

Stars: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Samara Weaving, Bridgette Lundy-Paine, Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi, Kristen Schaal, Anthony Carrigan, Erinn Hayes, Jayma Mays, Jillian Bell, Holland Taylor, Beck Bennett, Hal Landon Jr., Amy Stoch and William Sadler.
Writers: Chris Matheson, Ed Solomon.
Director: Dean Parisot

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Balancing the silly, the spirited and the soul-enriching has been one of the great triumphs of the Bill and Ted films, thanks to the depth of understanding that stars Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves bring to the characters. Frankly, it is astonishing that the pair have slipped into the roles for the first time since 1991’s Bogus Journey and lost none of their empathy and chemistry for the Wyld Stallyns duo. While it is unlikely the production foresaw it while shooting, and it’s entirely likely most audiences won’t believe it until they watch it, but the ease with which the giggles and good will flows in Bill & Ted Face the Music make it exactly the film that 2020 needs right now.

Writers Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon have guided the giddy, goofball comedy/fantasy pics since Reeves’ Ted Theodore Logan and Winter’s Bill S. Preston Esquire first paired up in 1989 for director Stephen Herek’s feel-good sleeper hit, followed in 1991 by Peter Hewett’s slightly ‘stonier’ sequel (split by two seasons of a largely-forgotten animated series in 1990). In Face the Music, middle-aged Bill & Ted have somehow stayed married to their Princess brides (Erinn Hayes, Jayma Mays) and attained a degree of middle-class suburban status, yet they are clinging to rock-n-roll dreams that have clearly passed them by; any notion that they have written the song that will unite the world is lost on everyone but them.

Everyone that is, except their daughters Thea (Samara Weaving) and Billie (Bridgette Lundy-Paine), gender-swapped versions of their dads and each filled with similar visions of fame and no idea how to get it. Opportunity presents itself in the form of Kelly (Kristen Schaal), a time traveller from a future ruled by her mother The Great Leader (Holland Taylor), bearing news that Future Earth really needs that world-uniting song, like, by this evening, or time and space will collapse in upon itself and destroy reality.

The set-up gives Matheson and Solomon (cameoing as polite blue-collar trench-demons, if you look quickly) plenty of leeway to work over both the time-travel malarkey and follow-your-dream subtext with comic precision; a big plus is the addition of director Dean Parisot, a master of sentimental silliness with both Galaxy Quest (1999) and Fun with Dick & Jane (2005) on his CV. As with past instalments, there is much fun had with the co-opting of historical figures to fix very modern, even futuristic, problems; earning big laughs this time around are Jimi Hendrix, Louis Armstrong and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, to name a few.

Of course, the film’s sweet-spot is in the casting. Not only with the return of Reeves and Winter, who clearly adore each other’s company (wait for the post-credit sequence for ultimate proof of that) and have a blast creating future versions of themselves to discover and ultimately dodge, but also in Brigitte Lundy-Paine, who nails a spot-on riff on Keanu’s ‘whoa’ persona, and the wonderful Samara Weaving, a super-sweet and fiercely protective mini-me version of Winter. Check out the original Excellent Adventure for some indication of just how precisely the actresses mimic and enhance the performances of Reeves and Winter at the corresponding age. Franchise service is paid with the totally worthy reappearance of William Sadler's scene-stealing turn as Death, denizen of the underworld and master of the 40-minute bass solo.

Here’s a spoiler alert (I mean, really? But, ok…) When the world-saving song drops and it sounds a little bit like an Arcade Fire album track, it doesn’t really matter; the message that the moment imparts is bolstered when viewed through the emotional climate of the world, circa September 2020. The narrative builds to an ending that shouldn’t hit as deep as it does, but the truth is, we need reminding of that which unifies us now more than ever. While a time-skipping 91 minute three-quel, 29 years on the boil, should not carry the weight of making the world a happier place, it suddenly finds itself doing so. And doing so most excellently.

SUPERHUMAN

Featuring: Caroline Cory, Rachele Brooke Smith, Naomi Grossman, Major Paul H. Smith, Dr. Mike Weliky, Dr. Jim Gimzewski, Dr. Tom Campbell, Dr. Rudy Schild, Ben Hansen, Dr. Glen Rein and Corey Feldman.
Writer/Director: Caroline Cory.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Caroline Cory sets herself a lofty goal by opening her third directorial effort with the existential poser, “What makes us truly fulfilled?” But for the next two hours, the scientific researcher, filmmaker and alternative science advocate presents a thrilling case for the power of the mind as a unifying social force in Superhuman, her epic thinkpiece  documentary. If some of the otherworldly imagery she utilises will be fuel for the old world naysayers, Cory counters with academic detail and rigorous scientific methodology that she wields like the crusader for expanded consciousness she clearly is.

Taking as its central premise the notion that the properties of every living cell create a ‘unification’ that binds all things, Superhuman posits the human mind and its innate consciousness as the ultimate conductor, the ‘constant communicator’, of all energies. Cory mixes old-school showmanship (actress Rachele Brooke Smith ‘reads the thoughts’ of Cory as she wanders outdoors) with a think-tank of astrophysicists, quantum biologists, neuroscientists and parapsychologists, each of whom present compelling evidence the mind’s ability to dominate matter.

Yes, Cory and her psycho-posse come down heavily for the existence of psychokinesis, a subset of ‘non-physical phenomena’, offering footage of projected energy moving inanimate objects. Equally compelling are the first-person accounts of the U.S. and Russian governments ‘remote viewing’ experiments, in which covert operatives were trained in the art of tapping the global collective consciousness to steal state secrets, and remarkable footage of masked children using projected energy to run obstacle courses, play table tennis and read books.

The depth of the detail means that Superhuman blows out to 115 minutes, filled with a lot of potentially head-spinning science for the uninitiated. Cory provides some balance with cute celebrity asides; in addition to the like-minded Smith, the production employs dancer Karina Smirnoff, actor Corey Feldman (his attire alone lightening the mood; pictured, above) and actress Naomi Grossman (the unforgettable ‘Pepper’ from American Horror Story) to partake in practical experiments that bolster the theorising. Star Trek franchise regulars Robert Picardo and Michael Dorn also weigh in, somewhat randomly.

Superhuman may not ultimately represent the turning point in modern society’s long overdue realignment of energies, but Cory’s fascinating film will strengthen the resolve of those willing it to happen.

THE UNFAMILIAR

Stars: Jemima West, Christopher Dane, Rebecca Hanssen, Rachel Lin and Harry Macmillan-Hunt.
Writer: Jennifer Nicole Stang and Henk Pretorious
Director: Henk Pretorious

Screening at the South African Independent Film Festival on 23rd and 30th August. Released in North America on August 21st; September 11th in the UK; and, October 28th in South Africa.

Rating: ★ ★ ★

Reintegration into the peaceful stability of suburban family life proves tough for Afghanistan War doctor Elizabeth ‘Izzy’ Cormack (Jemima West; pictured, above), a guilt-ridden medic gripped by PTSD in Henk Pretorious’ psychological chiller, The Unfamiliar. When that safeplace also begins to unravel and her fractured reality is encroached upon by supernatural forces, this low-key but tightly-spun tale of terror balances the torment of a dissociative mental condition with some legitimately ghoulish scares.

Everything seems slightly off-centre upon Izzy’s arrival - stepdaughter Emma (Rebecca Hanssen) is distant; angelic preteen Tommy (Harry McMillan-Hunt) is acting out; husband Ethan (Christopher Dane), while more aggressively amorous than before, also brings too much of his work home. This proves particularly worrisome, given he is a Professor of Polynesian Culture and what he brings home includes a Hawaiian tiki that carries with it a dark spiritual presence.

There is a faint sniff of cultural appropriation in Pretorious’ premise; ‘cursed tribal artefacts’ as a plot device peaked with that Brady Bunch episode. In 2020, the notion that a Stygian symbol of Islander folklore is the kicker for a middle class white household’s torment is a bit ripe (even if the script tries to deflect). The director also draws on some familiar haunted house tropes that suggest pics like The Amityville Horror (1979, 2005), Insidious (2010) and a couple of the Paranormal Activity sequels were inspirations.

The pic finds some fresh energy when Ethan decides Izzy and the kids decamp back to Hawaii, allowing for all the supernatural forces toying with the family’s fate to fully emerge. Pretorious and DOP Pete Wallington shoot the reveal of the film’s devilish protagonist (repping stellar creature design work from makeup fx veteran Robbie Drake) with a genuinely nightmarish glee. The other ace-in-the-hole is leading lady West, who conveys first the strain of PTSD then the terror of a demonic face-off with the required intensity.

While the lack of cast starpower and workmanlike helming will keep this uneven but watchable creepshow from wide theatrical play, genre festival audiences and streaming services will certainly find space for The Unfamiliar. It is not unforeseeable that, in much the same way Freddy Krueger turned a support part in Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) into a star-making, franchise-building turn, so might Pretorious and co-scripter Jennifer Nicole Stang focus in on their creepy demon star should sequels manifest.

THE PICKUP GAME

Featuring: Robert Beck, Maximilian Berger, Minnie Lane, Paul Janka, Ross Jefferies, Jennifer Li, Marcus Nero and Erik Von Markovik.
Writers: James De'Val , Barnaby O'Connor, Matthew O'Connor and Mike Willoughby.
Directors: Barnaby O'Connor, Matthew O'Connor.

Premieres on Australian streaming platform iwonder, September 2020 (date tbc).

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Predatory alpha-male entrepreneurs and the vulnerable marks that they exploit are put on trial in The Pickup Game, a searing, exciting exposé of the ‘seduction coaching’ industry and the sexual snake-oil salesmen bleeding millions of dollars from desperately lonely sadsacks who equate meaningless conquest with manlihood. Directing brothers Barnaby and Matthew O'Connor’s skewering of toxic masculinity and coldhearted capitalism could not be better timed or more scalpel-like in its incisiveness.

Since self-styled seduction guru Ross Jefferies published the misogyny-laden bestseller ‘How to Get the Women you Desire into Bed’ in the mid-80s, the application of such pseudo-scientific concepts as Neuro-Linguistic Programming to bed women has boomed (mostly online, of course) yet has somehow managed to maintain a ‘Fight Club’-like secrecy. Entirely aware of the reprehensibility of their undertaking, pickup preachers like Robert ‘Beckster’ Beck and Marcus ‘Justin Wayne’ Nero hide behind terminology like ‘Higher Self Learning’ and ‘Confidence Enhancement’ to sell lengthy courses in what are essentially hunting techniques; manipulation methodology designed to identify potential victims, isolate the vulnerable and ‘close the deal’.

The O’Connors pinpoint the 2005 publication of writer Neil Strauss’ The Game as the kicker for the new wave of male self-entitlement. Strauss lived undercover with pioneers like Erik von Markovik, aka ‘Mystery’, at the height of the ‘Project Hollywood’ movement, when a group of men defined the predation process through night after night of Sunset Strip partying. Breakaways from Project Hollywood would go on the establish the insidious Real Social Dynamics (RSD), an online society that grew into a cesspool of abuse advocacy, provided the platform for misogynist/racist Julien Blanc and, ultimately, became the focus of a highly-publicised San Diego rape prosecution.

The Pickup Game presents the key tenents of seduction coaching, ensuring that its audience fully understands the principles being taught. It also offers a broad spectrum of views - MRA hero and tightly man-bunned industry leader Maximilian Berger, aka 'RSDMax', has plenty to say (much of it in defense of Blanc and the reception afforded him by Melbourne demonstrators in 2014); veteran pickup-artist Paul Janka recalls the emotional void and exhausting pointlessness of committing to a PUA’s life; and, dating coach Minnie Lane presents the women’s perspective and how learning to overcome ‘approach anxiety’ need not utilise manipulation and predation.

The film ultimately returns to where the pickup industry began - Ross Jefferies’ decision to alter the course of his life. Some time 40 years ago, it inspired an angry young man to turn his insecurities regarding women into rage-filled sex and shitty writing. In 2019, believe it or not, the reality of the life of an ageing PUA - the very life awaiting those dire modern disciples of Jefferies' drivel - is even sadder.

GRIZZLY 2: REVENGE

Stars: Steve Inwood, Deborah Raffin, John Rhys-Davies, Deborah Foreman, Louise Fletcher, Dick Anthony Williams, Charlie Sheen, Timothy Spall, Laura Dern and George Clooney.
Writers: Ross Massbaum, Joan McCall and David Sheldon.
Director: André Szöts

Reviewed online via Monmouth Film Festival, Sunday August 16.

Rating: ★ ½

...or ★ ★ ★ ★ ★, depending on what you’re expecting when you decide to take on André Szöts sole directorial effort, Grizzly 2: Revenge. Smashed together by determined producer Suzanne C. Nagy from footage shot in 1982, this belated sequel to the ridiculous (and ridiculously successful) 1976 Jaws rip-off Grizzly is barely a film; truncated scenes are poorly dubbed and edited erratically, to vainly progress a threadbare narrative that never makes sense. But in the annals of ‘All-time Great Bad Movies’, where earnest acting in the service of unspeakable dialogue is prized, Grizzly 2: Revenge gains immediate respect.

“These kids never stood a chance” - Owens; “Poor dumb kids.” - Sheriff Nick Hollister (pictured, above; Steve Inwood and Deborah Raffin)   

Of course, the only reason to talk about this Frankenstein-of-a-movie is because it has existed in a rarified air of mystery amongst film nerds since production ground to a halt 46 years ago in Hungary. Nagy and the late Szöts (whose other notable credit was as co-writer of David Hamilton’s soft-focus arty 1979 skin-flick, Laura) had blown a huge chunk of their budget shooting a massive rock concert, the staging of which provides the background setting and an unnecessarily large percentage of screen time in the finished film. (Pictured, below; Laura Dern, as Tina, and George Clooney, as Ron)

“You got the Devil Bear!” - Bouchard, Grizzly tracker

No money was left to fix the troublesome animatronic bear nor, ultimately, complete the film; in one of the many wild stories associated with the shoot, it is alleged producer Joseph Proctor absconded with $2million from the budget. It would not be until 2007 that rumours began circulating that a 96 minute ‘workprint’ existed (the version reviewed here peaked at 78). In 2011, journalist Scott Weinberg wrote a piece for Screen Anarchy in which he recounts his experience watching what he calls one of his “Genre Geek Holy Grails”. Nagy decided 2018 was the right time to remaster the surviving footage and hack together the man-vs-nature sequel absolutely nobody wanted.

“Getting sour by the hour. Excuse me…” - Toto Coelo, all-girl band (Lyrics)

Grizzly 2: Revenge is set in motion when a group of hunters shoot two bear cubs and wound the matriarch; all this footage is video stock, not shot in ‘83 but sourced to give the narrative a kickstart. Jump to three young twenty-somethings, played by hungry-for-work young actors George Clooney, Laura Dern and Charlie Sheen (pictured, above), hiking the woods on their way to the outdoor concert, only to be offed by said grizzly (or a handheld cameraman, if the sequence is to be taken literally, as we never see the bear). One of the few joys on offer in Grizzly 2 is future-star spotting; sharp eyes will spot Game of Thrones’ Ian McNiece and (are you sitting down?) British acting great Timothy Spall.

“Maggie Sue!” - Drunk men around a campfire, while pinching each other’s bottoms (Lyrics).

The film settles into its predisposed ‘Jaws rip-off’ mode from then on, with Louise Fletcher’s hard-nosed corporate type mimicking Murray Hamilton’s ruthless mayor; instead of keeping the beaches open for summer, she demands the rock concert go ahead, despite there being a teen-eating beast on the loose. Out-of-towner sheriff Nick Hollister (Steve Inwood, acting from his moussed hair down,in the Roy Scheider part) and Bear Management expert Samantha Owens (Deborah Raffin, going full Dreyfuss in her defense of the bear) are forced to call on legendary bear-tracker and Quint archetype, Bouchard (the always-game John Rhys-Davies; pictured, above) whose idiosyncrasies, and there are many, include speaking of himself in the third-person.

“You haven’t seen what Bouchard has seen!” - Bouchard.

As they fight the occasionally-glimpsed killer bear day and night (often within the same scene), the film cuts back and forth to the concert, which is sometimes in full flight and sometimes still being readied (let’s assume the first department to go when cash got tight was continuity). Future ‘Valley Girl’ Deborah Foreman (pictured, below), playing the daughter of Sheriff Hollister, gets a job at the event and falls for a George Michael-type synth-pop star, complete with ultra-tight short-shorts in which he both performs and jogs (watched, but not attacked, by the bear, which seems odd in hindsight).

“This grizzly is huge, obviously powerful and probably enraged.”
- Samantha Owens, Bear Management Expert.

In true schlock-movie style, there are miraculously bad decisions made along the way that translate to priceless cinema. Personal favourite amongst them is actor Jack Starret (who played mean-spirited Deputy Galt opposite Sylvester Stallone in First Blood before he made this) calculates the financial benefits of double-crossing his mates while holding a rabbit, its expression at the absurdity of what’s happening the best animal acting in the film. That honour should have gone to the titular Ursus horribilis, but she gets no respect from the surviving footage. The denouement (more precisely recalling Jaws 2 than 1) is the final slap in the face for the anti-heroine, who makes no real impact on the concertgoers (imagine the carnage had she rampaged?!) and is reduced to the butt of a stupid final-frame joke.

Bound for cultdom, Grizzly 2: Revenge (also called Grizzly II: The Predator and Grizzly II: The Concert over the years) is the kind of bad film celebrated just for its very being, and one can’t begrudge the old girl that honour.

GREMLINS: A PUPPET STORY

Featuring: Chris Walas

Available to stream until July 30 via the Hollywood Theatre website.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

It is clear from very early in Gremlins: A Puppet Story that director Joe Dante’s 1984 creature-feature classic means just as much to Chris Walas as it does to so many of us who were there for its blockbuster release. The visionary designer/puppeteer narrates with a warm melancholy his chronologically compiled collection of still photos and often grainy video footage, resulting in engaging, invaluable insight into how Gizmo, Stripe and their brood went from sketchbook doodlings to pop-culture icons.

As the title suggests, Gremlins: A Puppet Story is about how Walas, his crew and the craft of puppetry (and its robotic off-shoot, animatronics) were challenged by the demands of modern movie storytelling. His work on Gremlins was two-fold - he had to create characters that inspired both affection and fear and do so with effects technology, much of which had to be invented. Leading ‘man’ Gizmo (his look inspired by producer Steven Spielberg’s dog, Chauncey) would be the heart and soul of a major motion picture in a way not seen since E.T. The Extra-terrestrial.

Having worked on the scaly star of Disney’s Dragonslayer, as part of the Return of The Jedi crew and on the physical meltdown of a Raiders of The Lost Ark villain, a twenty-something Walas was still honing his craft when producer Mike Finnell sent him Chris Columbus' horror script to gauge how feasible long passages of multiple monster scenes would be. Walas recounts what a wildly improbable but thrilling production Gremlins seemed in those early drafts, a much darker small-town American nightmare than that which eventually emerged.

Walas is forthright about the joy that the production inspired in him, but also periods of depression when it was not clear whether Warners would even back Gremlins. He reveals the script was developed only because every studio wanted a Spielberg production on their lot in the early 80s.

The detail often goes deep (insider tech terms such as ‘vacuum form patterns’ and ‘repeat breakdown moulds’ spice things up) but the loveliest parts of Walas’ Gremlins story are his recalling of the shared vision and team unity that drove their creative process. The images he presents and the stories he tells evoke a wonderful time in filmmaking. Captured in detail is the genesis of a remarkable project and its journey to fruition and a man recounting a moment in his life that changed him, and his craft, forever.

BLACK WATER: ABYSS

Stars: Jessica McNamee, Luke Mitchell, Amali Golden, Anthony J. Sharpe, Rumi Kikuchi and Benjamin Hoetjes.
Writers: Ian John Ridley and Sarah Smith.
Director: Andrew Traucki

In select Australian cinemas from AUGUST 6; available on Blu-ray/DVD from SEPTEMBER 23 and early digital purchase from SEPTEMBER 16.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Few filmmakers have committed themselves so determinedly to the ‘man-vs-beast’ horror subgenre as Andrew Traucki. From crocodiles (Black Water, 2007), to sharks (The Reef, 2010), to mythical leopards (The Jungle, 2013), the Australian director has taken barebone narratives and potentially stereotypical characters and crafted solid, occasionally gripping, nailbiters. Thirteen years after his debut film hit big internationally, Traucki returns to face off against the apex Australian predator in Black Water: Abyss, a terrifically effective sequel that exhibits what a masterful teller of suspenseful stories he has become.

His latest borrows from a certain ‘shark attack’ classic in establishing early on the fatal threat posed by his reptilian villain. A pair of lost tourists stumble into the lair of a saltwater crocodile and meet an ugly demise; just as with Spielberg’s Jaws, the fate of anyone that crosses the creature’s path is firmly etched in the audience’s mind from these opening frames. Working from an appropriately lean script by Ian John Ridley and Sarah Smith, Traucki then nimbly introduces his protagonists and establishes the dynamics, before getting them in the water quick-smart.

Hero-guy is Eric (Luke Mitchell), an outdoorsy, adventurous type who coerces his significant other, Jennifer (Jessica McNamee), into a caving trip in Northern Australia. Along for the material is their travel journo friend Viktor (Benjamin Hoetjes) and his up-for-the-experience girlfriend, Yolanda (Amali Golden), the party of four entirely under the laddish leadership of local guide, Cash (Anthony J. Sharpe). After blowing off a storm warning (“Nah, it’s headin’ south”), the group plunge themselves into an underground cavern system, an environment prone to a) flooding and b) tourist-eating reptiles.

It is in this enclosed environment that Black Water: Abyss spends most of its running time and really hits its stride, with Traucki and his skilled DOP Damien Beebe creating a vivid sense of geography and often nerve-jangling tension. The crocodile, its presence always felt, is only fleetingly glimpsed; one underwater sequence, during which an ill-fated character’s torch slowly reveals the creature laying in wait, it’s mouth agape, is pure nightmare material. 

There is no denying that crocodiles and alligators, with their ruthless carnivorous drive and prehistoric visage, make for great movie ‘bad guys’ (see, Alexandre Aja’s Crawl, 2019; Greg McLean’s Rogue, 2007; Steve Miner’s Lake Placid, 1999). However, animal lovers will appreciate that Traucki doesn’t go all out to demonise his crocodile co-stars (at least, not until the final confrontation), instead applying some science to explain their actions and treating them as wild animals merely doing what wild animals do. 

The pic benefits from solid acting across the board and a humanising subplot that adds just enough backstory to the four friends to distract audiences from guessing who’ll next be dealt the infamous ‘Death Roll’. Credit also due to Traucki and his writers for continually finding plausible ways to get the cast off that rock ledge and back in the water and to editor Scott Walmsley for his precise skill in clipping together some of the best jump-scares in recent memory.

THE VERY EXCELLENT MR. DUNDEE

Stars: Paul Hogan, Rachael Carpani, John Cleese, Chevy Chase, Wayne Knight, Jacob Elordi, Nate Torrence, Kerry Armstrong, Roy Billing, Charlotte Stent, Julia Morris and Olivia Newton-John.
Writers: Robert Mond and Dean Murphy.
Director: Dean Murphy.

Rating: ★ ★

It seems entirely appropriate that The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee, Paul Hogan’s latest feature film comedy, bypass cinemas to premiere on pay-platform Amazon Prime. Not only because ‘Hoges’ made his name as a small-screen comic 50+ years ago (a legacy that the production drives home in a nostalgic credit sequence), or because his only profile for many years was during the 6 o’clock bulletin. But because, under regular collaborator Dean Murphy’s static direction and a leaden script that asks too much of the leading man’s still-roguish charm, The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee plays like a sitcom pilot destined not to be picked up.

The 80 year-old Hogan plays a version of himself one suspects is not too far removed from real life. Still ensconced in the L.A. lifestyle, he has become a relic of 80s-era celebrity, not relevant at all since the second Crocodile Dundee film made some money a long while back. He is still taking meetings, discussing a new project with fawning Hollywood suits who think pairing him with Will Smith in a father-son premise is plausible (such is the level of industry satire in Murphy’s and Robert Mond’s script).

The big development in Hogan’s life is an invitation to accept an honour from Her Majesty, a ceremony that will only take place if he does what is demanded of him by his manager Angie (a game Rachael Carpani) - stay out of trouble. Cue trouble, largely in the form of Hoges’ inability to handle modern life, his largely befuddled state humoured by such celebrity pals as Chevy Chase, Wayne Knight, Reginald VelJohnson and Olivia Newton-John in cameo bits that fall flat. The only co-star who ups the ante is John Cleese, who riffs on his own tarnished celebrity as an alimony-burdened Uber driver willing to do anything for money.

The Very Excellent Mr Dundee is a particularly strange beast, in that it demands you recall what made Paul Hogan a global star, however briefly, then buy into why it has been a mixed blessing all these years. The takedown of a lifetime of celebrity trappings by a figure who has sought to exploit the very same feels awkwardly disingenuous. A sharper focus on the fleeting nature of celebrity or the long, dark shadow it casts might have worked; instead, the narrative dawdles and stumbles towards a contrived and convenient denouement. 

That said, as the final act in the career of a beloved industry patriarch, one can (sort of) forgive the sentimentality and melancholy that plays out in the film’s final frames. The Very Excellent Mr Dundee wraps on a fairytale high that Hogan’s legion of fans undoubtedly believe he has earned in real life; too bad it is denied his movie alter-ego, who deserves a better send off than this.