This week on The Couch

• Xfactor contestant and Perth singer Luke O’Dell performs Live www.facebook.com/lukejohnodell
• Meet Darren and Brett Patten from Sportfm 91.3 , Court Talk www.courttalk.com.au
• Barbara Kendell has another of her Living Healthy in 2012 segments www.barbarakendell.com.au
• We talk to Kath Mazzella from the Gynaecological Awareness Information Network www.gain.org.au
• Perth Harmony Chorus comes in for a chat and sings for us www.perthharmony.com.au
• We give another lucky home viewer the chance to win big on Spin It To Win IT.
• Allphones gives you a chance at winning another Samsung Galaxy Tablet worth $700

YOU know that something very unusual is happening, when a silent, black and white movie about the Hollywood of late 19^th Century and early 20^th Century wins eleven Oscar nominations. Is it a case of nostalgia, or is that The Artist is a really great movie, and does it deserve the acclaim it’s receiving? Firstly it’s beautifully crafted movie, technically near perfect and full of ironic humour, which makes it a lot of fun. While it does deserve acclaim, it’s the nostalgic factor which is a major driver, which is clouding the understanding of this movie. The fact that it’s full of fine performances is another driving factor.

Written and directed by Paris born writer, director and actor Michel Hazanavicius who wrote and directed the OSS 177 series. France’s answer to Britain’s James Bond, Special Agent 007 with Jean Dujardin in the lead role. Bérénice Bejo, who won a César (French Oscar) as Most Promising Young Actress in 2000, gives a bubbly performance as Peppy Miller a dancer looking for work in Hollywood. John Goodman and James Cromwell, seasoned Hollywood actors give life and reality to the supporting roles, of Valentin’s studio boss and his chauffer. With the rest of the cast made up of known American and British character actors, together with Oscar nominations for the lead male actor, cinematography, directing, editing, original music, production and the original screenplay, this is a movie which Hollywood is in love with.

However, if Hollywood made half a dozen silent, black and white movies every year, there wouldn’t be so much fuss and adoration. What this movie has is its novelty, its uniqueness, in an era when colour and talking, not forgetting 3-D, which is now standard filmmaking technology. This French-Belgium co-production shot in Hollywood, made for a poultry $15 million is already a winner in more ways than one. It also comes with the hidden story of Hollywood’s treatment of many European actors, who having fled political and economic turmoil in Europe, became the darlings of Hollywood and loved by movie audiences. But when Hollywood had perfected the technology of talking pictures in 1927, the first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but it wasn’t till 1927 that sound motion pictures were made commercially practical, and those actors with their foreign accents became unacceptable.

It’s 1927 in Hollywood , and silent movie star George Valentin’s (Jean Dujardin) career is at it’s peak, he’s the most popular male star in Hollywood, but he’s worried that the coming of the talkies will see his popularity fade into oblivion. Contracted to a studio run by Al Zimmer (John Goodman), a chance public meeting with Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), a young dancer whom he gracefully gets a small part for in one his movies. At the same time she gives him a view of his future, to which he doesn’t respond, and to her the movie break she needed.

With Peppy working on her first starring role in a 1929 talking movie, the stock market crash and being fired by Al Zimmer, George Valentin uses what remains of his fortune to make a silent movie. When it fails at the box office, and Peppy’s succeeds, she becomes Hollywood’s biggest female star. When Valentin’s partner Doris (Penelope Ann Miller) moves out his mansion, only his chauffer Clifton (James Cromwell), unpaid for 12 months, sticks with him.

As Peppy’s career blossoms, Clifton’s firing by Velentin, sees him becoming Peppy’s chauffer. Having pawned his dress suit, and sold off all his trophies and household effects, Valentin is desperate and takes desperate action. Is all lost? How will it end, and can there be any future for Valentin?

Watch the trailer

The Artist is in cinemas February 2

The Movie Hound’s Picks

• Martha Marcy May Marlene [MA15+] (Four and a Half Stars – in cinemas February 2)

Tucked away, off the beaten track in a collection of old buildings, lives a cult of young people led by its charismatic leader Patrick (John Hawkes). Patrick is a typical cult leader, a control freak, and all the young women soon find he demands they service him. Two years ago Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) ran away from home to join the cult, she likes the home grown food, the sustainable lifestyle, but not Patrick’s invasions. When Max (Christopher Abbott) expects the same treatment as Patrick, Martha decides it’s time to leave. One night she does, and phones her estranged sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson), who comes and takes her home with her. Their parents are now dead and Lucy is married to Ted (Hugh Dancy). Ted has a good job and they have a nice house near a lake. Martha can’t settle but loves to swim in the lake. Also she’s unwilling to tell why she left home, and also fears Patrick and the others might come after her and find her. As Ted becomes annoyed by Martha’s behaviour, and attitude of dependency. Lucy decides Martha needs professional help. This darkly foreboding and scary story plays like a psychological thriller, and is most revealing of cults. Holding the audience in a state of fear and high tension, as to what is going to happen next.

• Journey 2: The Mysterious Island [PG] (Three Stars – in cinemas now)

As a follow-up to the 2008 worldwide hit Journey to the Center of the Earth, this new 3-D family adventure, it won’t be the big hit number one was. Young Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) gets a coded satellite distress message from his grandfather (Michael Caine), who is stranded on a mysterious uncharted island which is about to sink. With his mother’s boyfriend Hank (Wayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson) they go to this mysterious island, a land of strange life forms, mountains of gold, deadly volcanoes, and more than one secret. As a family movie, its harmless fun, exciting and in its way quite educational, literature wise.

• Underworld: Awakening [MA15+] (Two and a Half Stars – in cinemas now)

This fourth in the franchise is all about Kate Beckinsale, star of the first two Underworld movies, who returns in her lead role as the female vampire warrior Selene. Escaping imprisonment she find herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of both the Vampire and Lycan clans, and are waging all out war to eradicate both immortal species. Now in 3-D, the reason the Underworld franchise works is Kate Beckinsale’s role as the unforgiving sexy black clad vampire. She’s always cool, she never wines, or moans when she gets beaten up. She just comes back harder and more determined to survive, especially now she’s found her daughter.

Lotterywest (PIAF) Film Festival

Romantics Anonymous [M]

• Written and directed by Jean-Pierre Améris
• Starring Benoît Poelvoorde, Isabelle Carré, Lorella Cravotta, Lise Lamétrie, Swann Arlaud, Pierre Niney & Stephan Wojtowicz
• Runtime 95 minutes
• Four Stars

When the emotionally challenged Angélique (Isabelle Carré) attends meetings of Emotions Anonymous, she tells the other attendees about her deal with France’s male master chocolatiers to remain anonymous and secretive about her award winning chocolate making abilities, because as a woman it might put them to shame. Seeking a job as a chocolate maker she applies at a small family owned chocolate factory. Interviewed by the owner Jean-René (Benoît Poelvoorde), another who is emotionally challenged, and after a most confusing interview, Angélique is hired, not as a chocolate maker, but as the company’s sales representative.

Jean-René has daily sessions with his Psychologist who gives him special tasks to complete, from which Angélique soon falls in love with him, and he with her, but neither of them is able to express their true feelings. Talking to customers Angélique soon discovers the company is heading for bankruptcy, because it hasn’t changed its product line since the time when Jean-René’s father ran the business. So she sets out to create a new line of chocolates, which finally exposes her secret deal with the master chocolatiers. Unfortunately for the lovers, their debilitating shyness begins to drive them apart, but eventually they manage to overcome their lack of self confidence, and make commitments to each other.

Written by Jean-Pierre Améris and Philippe Blasband, and directed by Jean-Pierre Améris. This French-Belgium co-production is a classic example of comic schadenfreude. This mixture of French romance and Belgium chocolate with its hilariously amusing screenplay, and the performances of Benoît Poelvoorde and Isabelle Carré this is one of the funniest films ever to come out of Europe. Let’s hope Hollywood doesn’t try to make an English language version of it, because like so many French language movies that Hollywood has tried to remake, it would probably fail to be as funny. Not just a feel good after the film type movie, you could split your sides laughing.

Romantics Anonymous screens at the Somerville, February 13-19, and at Joondalup Pines, February 21-26

Watch the trailer

Passione [PG]

• Directed by John Turturro
• Starring John Turturro, Max Casella, Mina, Pietra Montecorvino, Massimo Ranieri & Lina Sastri
• Runtime 95 minutes
• Four and a Half Stars

They say, “see Naples and die,” but John Turturro’s wild, colourful and sexy ballad to the music and people of Naples, is more about the vigour of life than death. As the film journeys from nostalgic memories to reconstructions, from singing carousels to street voices, from the Neapolitan melodramas to video clips. From the history of songs to the stories and songs of the past, original images of the great singers of the past, mingle with those of today’s performers, who are able to carry on the glorious tradition of recreating and renewing it.

Whether or not you are a lover of ancient cities and of music, this is a sheer delight of a film. A feel good movie which is so full of life, it’s invigorating. Living in the shadow of Mt Etna, Europe’s most active volcano, Naples has been invaded over the centuries by just about every Western nation. Even the Americans who purged it of Fascism in 1944, and left it with so may black and coffee coloured children. Some of whom grew up to become Jazz musicians, bringing yet another type of music to Naples.

Passione screens exclusively at Joondalup Pines, February 14-19

Watch the trailer

Email your comments to: themoviehound@gmail.com

This week on The Couch

• Box Party perform Live for us www.lovehatemusic.com/wa-musicians.html
• Music News with Tayla Divitini
• Cara Walker is back with another Talking Green , this week she has Pip Brennan from Community Midwifery WA in as her guest.
• June Kelly is in hosting another Talking Fashion thanks to Shero Fashion, this week its all about handbags.
• Cliff Reeve from Radiowest and Rob Nixon host another Fresh and Local thanks to Chicken Treat.
• Chloe-Allyn has a look at all the new Movie releases in Australia thanks to Reading Cinema.
• We give another viewer the chance to win some grea prizes on Spin It To Win It.
• Theres also another opportunity for you to win a Samsung Galaxy Tab worth $700 thanks to Allphones.

FOR a Clint Eastwood movie, J. Edgar is a bit of a disappointment, brilliant in many ways, such as the shadowy cinematography and darkly authentic production design, which gives the film the authenticity of the times, but not the ageing make-up work, especially of Hoover’s lover and number two man in the FBI Clyde Tolson. How the story is told is a bit of a mess, and a real negative. Is this the story of J. Edgar Hoover, or the story of the FBI which Hoover created and grew it into the most powerful law enforcement organisation in the Western world? Or is it a love story, about a weak, vulnerable and indecisive man who needs a man, someone he can trust and close to him. who is both loyal and who can help him make decisions? Well it’s a bit of both really!

Directed by Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino; Million Dollar Baby; Unforgiven), whose lumbering direction, makes the film too long. Written by Dustin Lance Black who won an Oscar for his screenplay for Gus Van Sant’s Milk, but this unfortunately is not up to the same standard. While Black’s clumsy and ponderous screenplay, reveals the influence Hoover’s mother had on him, and her hatred of homosexuals (what she called daffodils), something she refused to accept about him, but in her heart of hearts she must have known. The real truth and depth of his love for Clyde Tolson, and his platonic relationship with his trustworthy secretary Helen Gandy. The deviousness of his biography dictated by him in office hours to a chosen FBI agent.

On the other hand Black doesn’t venture into the effect Hoover made on the lives of ordinary Americans. The full extent of how he cut corners and broke the law, especially in times of internal conflict and protest, like during the Vietnam war. The lengths he went to investigate and keep secret files on Presidents, celebrities and those whom he thought could harm his position as head of the FBI. Actions which showed that he was not only corrupt, but a small minded man who was scared of just about everyone around him.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance as J. Edgar Hoover is outstanding, as is Armie Hammer’s as his lover and deputy, Clyde Tolson. Both Naomi Watts as Helen Gandy and Judi Dench as Hoover’s mother are perfectly cast. Unfortunately, their performances cannot make up for the clumsy screenplay and the unprofessional make-up of Clyde Tolson’s face, after he suffers a stroke.

After witnessing the scene of an anarchist’s bombing attack as a youngster, Hoover realises that in the 1920s, police detection is sloppy, and evidence at crime scenes is left uncollected, and often contaminated by the investigating police themselves, if and when they do collect it. After graduating from university Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) joins the US Justice Department and proposes to a department typist Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts) but she has no intention of getting married to anyone, she wants a career. Dodging the political sackings of some of those in higher positions than him, he’s is given the job of starting an investigation branch which soon becomes the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

With his secretary Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts), Hoover creates a fingerprint database and having seen how some of his past bosses where sacked, starts secret files on those above him and others he thinks could put his rise up the greasy pole of power, in jeopardy.

 J. Edgar is in cinemas January 26

The Movie Hound’s Picks

• Journey 2: The Mysterious Island [PG] (Three Stars – in cinemas now)

As a follow-up to the 2008 worldwide hit Journey to the Center of the Earth, this new 3-D family adventure, it won’t be the big hit number one was. Young Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) gets a coded satalite distress message from his grandfather (Michael Caine), who is stranded on a mysteriou uncharted island which is about to sink. With his mother’s boyfriend Hank (Wayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson) they go to the mysterious island, a land of strange life forms, mountains of gold, deadly volcanoes, and more than one secret. As a family movie, it’s harmless fun, exciting and in its way quite educational, novels wise.

• The Darkest Hour [M] (One Star – in cinemas now)

Some young Americans find themselves stranded in Moscow during a worldwide attack by unseeable aliens. The special effects and 3-D are minor pluses, the dialogue and storyline are major minuses. This could well make the worst ten movies of 2012 list. Made for a teenage audienc, we can only hope some teenagers will want more for their pocket money.

Lotterywest (PIAF) Film Festival

Goodbye First Love [TBC]

• Written and directed by Mia Hansen-Love
• Starring Lola Créton, Sebastian Urzendowsky & Magne-Håvard Brekke
• Runtime 110 minutes
• Three Stars

TEENAGE puppy love seemed like an interesting subject for French filmmaker Mia Hansen-Love (Father of My Children) to make a film about, and Goodbye First Love (Un amour de jeunesse) is the result. As the film opens Hansen-Love reveals the depth of 15-year-old Camille’s (Lola Créton) love for her slightly older boyfriend Sullivan (Sebastian Urzendowsky), both physically and emotionally. Sullivan has just told her and his mother that he’s dropping out of school to take a ten-month trip around South America. Camille is heartbroken and desperate, very nearly to the point of suicide. For Sullivan, Camille’s obsession with him is cramping his freedom, but he loves the sex, she is beautiful and great in bed. So it’s toss up between her and South America, but he’s already bought the ticket.

As Sullivan leaves on his trip, telling her he’ll be back soon, they agree to regularly write to each other. Back at school Camille still misses Sullivan and it shows, but his letters soon dry up. After a couple of years she’s at university studying architecture. Impressed by architectural ability her tutor Scandinavian architect Lorenz (Magne-Håvard Brekke), who’s in the middle of a divorce, employers her in his firm as his project manager. Soon she’s sharing his bed, and soon they’re married. So when Lorenz has to head North about some family business, Camille conveniently runs into Sullivan’s mother, who tells her he now lives with his wife and child in Marseilles, but is back in Paris on a visit. When they meet they both realise they’re still in love with each other, but what can they do about it?

This is a story that has been better told so many times before. It’s too long and drawn out, and eventually becomes a bit of a bore. With no outstanding performances, scenes of beautiful French countryside are a plus, but Lola Créton’s irritatingly exaggerated posturing is a definite minus. While she’s beautiful, with a great body, which we get to see a lot of, some might see this as a plus. So do two pluses cancel out a minus?

Watch the trailer

Goodbye First Love screens exclusively at the Somerville, February 6-12.

Email your comments to: themoviehound@gmail.com