The Catholic Weekly 31 May 2020

catholicweekly.com.au 21 31, May, 2020 VISTA WILL BE TAKING A SHORT BREAK ... But watch this page for more interesting news locally and from around the world New releases offer everyone something THE FOLLOWING are cap- sule reviews of new and re- cent video releases available on DVD and/or Blu-ray – as well as for online viewing in this time of lockdown. Brahms: The Boy II (2020) After being traumatised by a violent home invasion, a British businessman (Owain Yeoman), his American wife (Katie Holmes) and their young son (Christopher Con- very) temporarily relocate from London to a house in the English countryside where the lad unearths an antique doll that turns out to be more ter- rorist than toy. Returning director William Brent Bell’s follow-up to his 2016 film alternates between the occasional good jolt and long periods of tedium, with the silliness of the premise never out of the frame. While there’s little to ob- ject to in a horror flick that most teens can likely handle, there’s not much entertain- ment value to the proceedings either. Occult themes, some styl- ised violence, a few gruesome images, veiled references to marital sexuality, a single in- stance each of profane and crude language. Emma (2020) Delightful screen version of Jane Austen’s classic novel in which the young British gen- tlewoman of the title (Anya Taylor-Joy) tries her hand at matchmaking on behalf of a fortuneless friend (Mia Goth) while flirting with a visitor (Callum Turner) to her small country town and repeated- ly locking horns with an old friend (Johnny Flynn). Director AutumndeWilde’s feature debut captures per- fectly Austen’s droll insights into human nature, from the medical paranoia of Emma’s father (Bill Nighy), with his perpetual fear of drafts, to the good-hearted dullness of a trivialities-spouting neigh- bour (Miranda Hart). Only the momentary intro- duction of a bit of visual earth- iness, presumably meant to balance off the overall painter- ly elegance of the picture, need give parents pause. Possibly ac- ceptable for older teens. Fleeting rear male and partial female nudity in a nonsexual context, an illegit- imacy theme, one mild oath. Spanish titles optional. A-III – adults. Onward (2020) Using a spell, two teen- age elven brothers (voices of Tom Holland and Chris Pratt) bring their father back from the dead for 24 hours. But the magic goes awry so that he is only resuscitated from the waist down. To acquire the mystical gem that can restore him fully, they embark on a haz- ardous quest, trailed by their fiercely protective mum (voice of Julia Louis-Drey- fus), her centaur boyfriend (voice of Mel Rodriguez) who’s a police officer, and a lion-like creature (voice of Octavia Spencer) who has the ability to defeat the drag- on that, unbeknown to the boys, guards the jewel they seek. Though it reaches a heart- warming conclusion, direc- tor and co-writer Dan Scan- lon’s animated adventure is loaded down with an overly detailed mythos, values fo- cused primarily on self-em- powerment and a passing allusion to a same-sex rela- tionship that, though brief, amounts to propaganda aimed at youthful viewers. Occult themes, consider- able peril, a reference to ho- mosexuality, one mild scat- Redemption on the court: Ben Affleck and Melvin Gregg, above, star in TheWay Back. Anya Taylor-Joy, be- low, is Emma in the latest film version of Jane Austen’s timeless novel. PHOTOS: CNS ENTERTAINMENT WITH A stronger point of view, the documentary Space- ship Earth (Neon), might have pointed out that its subject, the two-year experiment called Biosphere 2, never came close to producing anything in the way of enduring knowledge. Instead, it was a lot of ballyhoo abettedby sedulous anddecid- edly incurious news coverage. The early 1990s come off like a quaint prelapsarian age before the internet and when news came exclusively from network TV and print outlets. If a billionaire decided to fund a 140,000-square-foot sealed conservatory, it was treat- ed with all the solemnity of a space shuttle launch. And if, as unlikely as it seems, someone managed to attract seven others willing to have themselves locked away there, and could get them to mention that the place would be a combination of Noah’s Ark and the Garden of Eden, all the better. Director Matt Wolf does the best he can with archival film, and his interviewees in- clude John Allen, the some- times-playwright who led the experiment, and a few of its “crew” members. Allen, a charismatic gradu- ate of the Colorado School of Mines with a Harvard business degree, had a burgeoning in- terest in sustainable farming and ecology. He also had a knack for finding the financing for his ventures. Built in the US state of Ari- zona, the A$230 million facility was financed by Texas oil bil- lionaire Edward P Bass. It exists still, operated by the University of Arizona as an environmental lab. And what a utopia it was meant to be, with a manmade rainforest and savannah, a tiny ocean and a small farm with goats and chickens. It was also intended to be a showcase of water and nutrient recycling, and oxygen through photo- synthesis, with 64 separate projects. But it never worked as intended. As an ecological entertainment, certainly. As science, no. For streaming information go to: https://neonrated.com/ films/spaceship-earth#virtu- al-cinema. - CNS Weird tale of gullible people all locked up ological joke. A-III – adults. The Way Back (2020) Director Gavin O’Connor’s sports drama tells a story of hope and redemption after devastating loss. When the basketball coach at the Catho- lic high school he attended suffers a heart attack, a former hoops star-turned-alcohol- ic-construction-worker (Ben Affleck) reluctantly agrees to take over the program. As he exerts a positive in- fluence on the players (most prominently Brandon Wilson and Melvin Gregg), he finds a new sense of purpose and be- gins to heal. The film, penned by Brad Ingelsby, does nothing to break free of the traditional formula of sports movies. Yet Affleck carries the proceed- ings with able acting and the younger members of the cast, especially Wilson, give believ- able performances as well. An upbeat tale, though one permeated with off-colour dialogue. Mature themes, in- cluding alcoholism, a few in- stances of profanity, frequent crude and crass language, a vulgar sexual reference. Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) There’s something oddly mechanical and even mala- droit about this adaptation of the Sega videogame. On a lengthy road trip from rural Montana to San Fran- cisco, the super-speedy ex- traterrestrial character of the title (voice of Ben Schwartz) interacts with various hu- mans, most prominently a sheriff (James Marsden) he’s befriended, while being pur- sued by his nemesis, a mad scientist (Jim Carrey). Onto this mix of animation and live action has been lard- ed considerable sentiment in the form of a subplot involv- ing the protagonist’s improb- able yearning to belong to a family. Director Jeff Fowler’s film doesn’t constitute original comedy gold, but children should find some level of fas- cination. Intense action se- quences, a single scatological reference. A-II – adults and adolescents. - CNS ¾ ¾ John Mulderig ¾ ¾ Kurt Jensen