S03E17: Essendon’s Fall and Cinema’s Perfect Scores

**Host:** Alex First
**Guest Critics:** Greg King, Peter Krauss
**Episode Summary:**
In this lively episode, Alex First, Greg King, and Peter Krauss navigate through the highs and lows of recent film and theatre experiences. The conversation starts with a passionate discussion about the disappointing end to Essendon's season, drawing parallels between sports and cinema. The critics then dive into M. Night Shyamalan's latest thriller "Trap," followed by a review of "Alien Romulus." The episode also features an enthusiastic review of the theatrical masterpiece "Murder for Two," and a reflective discussion on the play "Jenny," which explores the life of suffragette Sarah Jane Baines.
00:00:00 " Gregory King still doesn't see connection between movies and football
00:04:02 " You and Adam were best mates when the earth was formed, weren't you
00:04:27 " Peter Dutton went to see Murder for Two on Friday night
00:08:06 " Peter and Greg discuss a new movie on J 88 FM
00:09:49 " Peter says social media has gone to hell in a handbasket
00:12:04 " Marlon Shyamalan's latest film is called trap
00:16:35 " Every time you go to a venue, every other person is checked
00:21:42 " Have you incurred any incidents like what I've just described
00:22:14 " Greg Cooper: I thought the intrigue was very well established
00:24:48 " The trailer revealed that Josh Artner is the serial killer
00:27:30 " Peter: The film loses me as soon as they leave the concert
00:31:06 " Greg Gutfeld gives the film a seven out of ten
00:32:19 " If you want to join Jair, please become a member
00:32:58 " Peter: My overwhelming feeling from this one is disappointment
00:33:38 " Peter: I think they've done it for a new generation
00:35:24 " This is the 9th movie in the franchise, right. If you include the Prometheus films
00:36:49 " Rain Carradine is the protagonist of this futuristic sci-fi film
00:40:35 " Alien Romulus rated MA and runs for 119 minutes
00:43:57 " Murder for two premiered at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre back in 2011
00:50:33 " Peter Krauss: I saw an interesting show about a suffragette
00:54:18 " Valet to Jenna Rowlands, the actress**Highlights:**
- **Essendon's Season and Cinema Parallels:** Alex, Greg, and Peter discuss the heartbreak of Essendon's season, comparing it to a promising film that fails to deliver.

• **Trap:** M. Night Shyamalan's newest thriller is dissected. Alex praises its tension and twists, while Greg and Peter critique its overreliance on plot contrivances.
• - **Alien Romulus:** The latest instalment in the Alien franchise receives mixed reviews. Alex finds it underwhelming, while Greg appreciates its horror elements.
• - **Murder for Two:** Alex raves about this comedic musical murder mystery, highlighting the exceptional performances and clever writing.
• - **Jenny:** A reflective look at the life of suffragette Sarah Jane Baines, with strong performances and insightful storytelling.
• **Closing Note:**
• This episode of First on Film and Entertainment offers a rich mix of film and theatre reviews, from the twists and turns of "Trap" to the horror of "Alien Romulus," the comedic brilliance of "Murder for Two," and the historical depth of "Jenny." Join Alex, Greg, and Peter for thoughtful commentary and engaging discussions. Tune in next week for more in-depth film analysis and lively conversations.
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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
First on Film and Entertainment. We are talking the weekend
that Essendon has finally capitulated a season that had capitulated
about eight weeks ago. Gregory King, I am mortified. Can
you understand that?

Speaker 2 (00:15):
You you ilitate it to heart, Alex when you lose?

Speaker 1 (00:18):
Oh my golly, greg I'm tearing strips off anything that's
red and black at the moment. It's shocking. You sort
of tease, you tantalize. It happens every season. Oh anyway,
last three and you know your second on the ladder,
and you plummet, and you continue to plummet, and ah,

(00:40):
the exasperation. Peter, can you understand that? Peter Grouse?

Speaker 3 (00:45):
No, I don't understand it at all. It sounds well,
it's like it's.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
Like watching a bad movie that starts out with a
lot of promise and then disintegrates. You can relate to that.

Speaker 3 (01:00):
I still don't see the connection between movies and football.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
Oh, for God's sake, man, listen, it's about it's about that.
Often you think about a script, Peter, when somebody writes
a grand script, or starts out writing a grand script
and doesn't know how to finish, that's often the case
isn't it in cinema.

Speaker 3 (01:21):
Yes, but every week there's a new match, whereas there's
only one film.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
Yes, but the point being that it's so hard to
make a consistently great film. There are ebbs and flows.
You know, when we give scores, I get in terms
of the perfect game. There's almost no such thing. Is
there such a thing as a perfect movie? It's very
very hard to achieve that. And I mean in football terms, Peter,

(01:50):
the most successful season in the history of the game
was my team in the year two thousand, where they
won with an average winning margin of ten goals, which
is a large and they won all but one game,
so it still wasn't perfect. Now, you know, my best
movie of all time, which I think was perfect a
very distressing watch, was The Benino What's the Italian Life

(02:17):
Roberto Bernini, Roberto Bernini's beautiful. I thought that was an
extraordinary movie. But there are very few films in my
history of reviewing which goes back a fair distance that
I've given the perfect score to.

Speaker 3 (02:31):
What about you, Oh, there've been a few films I've
given ten out of ten. It's there, I mean, nothing
is there for completely perfect?

Speaker 1 (02:40):
Well, that's the point that I'm making. And Greg, what
about you in terms of perfect scores of films? And
you as a lifelong since killer support, I mean, gee,
you've gone through your own grease. So you know, have
you seen the perfect football game ever played?

Speaker 2 (02:56):
I don't know, probably the nine Grand Final, wasn't it
when you were about twenty five?

Speaker 1 (03:03):
Gold kick by both teams? Yeah? Okay? And what about
movie wise?

Speaker 2 (03:08):
Yeah for you?

Speaker 1 (03:10):
Okay, so what I know we've done this before. But
the best movie you've ever seen? Greg?

Speaker 2 (03:15):
Well, I still say Shawshanky Jim, you my favorite. But
best movies would be a few other ones I like.
I'd put in their Sons of Lambs.

Speaker 1 (03:29):
Yeah, yeah, great film.

Speaker 2 (03:31):
Same in Private Ryan, where It looks.

Speaker 1 (03:34):
Yeah, I love Okay, Yeah, there's a there's I'd certainly
amongst those, No question about that. The one Flew Over
the Cooker's Nest was a pretty damn good film. Peter Grause,
what about you? Your best films of all time or
best film?

Speaker 3 (03:49):
Best film? Metropolis nineteen twenty seven, Fritz Lang's brilliant film.

Speaker 1 (03:54):
Well, you're already an old man at that stage, weren't you,
So you would have you would have seen it when
you were past your prior correct.

Speaker 3 (04:01):
I was there at the launch.

Speaker 1 (04:02):
Absolutely, well, you were there. You and Adam were best
mates when the Earth was formed, won't you.

Speaker 3 (04:10):
I was a bad apple.

Speaker 1 (04:11):
You were exactly a bad seed. So yeah, that's my
attempt to try to convince you that there's all of
the sporting endeavor in movies or vice versa. You never
know which way something's going to play out. By the way,
and I'm going to talk about this time permitting, and
I'm in fact I'm going to there. I think I

(04:33):
saw the most surprisingly great show that I've ever seen.
I saw that on Friday night. It was just amazing,
and I had this big conflict Greg because Essendon was playing.
I tried to go to all of my games and
I'd heard this was magnificent, and it was. Murder for
Two is extraordinary. It's only on til the twenty fifth

(04:55):
of the month, it's at the Art Center.

Speaker 2 (04:57):
When you're gone to see en last night and seen
the player night.

Speaker 1 (05:01):
There are some I'll put this delicately, there are some
shows that the publicists and the producers basically say you've
got one night to see it, and unless you're on
death's door, you should be seeing it. That night. Now,

(05:22):
at times I'll test that and at other times I won't,
and I was desperate to. I really was desperate to
try and sort of go to Essendon last night, especially
because it was Dyson Hepple's Farewell. Mind you, I hope
he plays next week in Brisbane. But I just thought
it was the right thing to do, and at times
you need to do the right thing. Greek, you know.

(05:44):
That was why I ended up going. But gee whiz,
it's just an It's in the Fairfax Studio, the smaller theater,
and it's one hundred minutes of mind bogglingly brilliant comedic.
Think Agatha Christie crossed with the best comedy that you've
ever seen, and you go some way to understanding how

(06:05):
damn good this was. I don't know whether it's ever
been in Melbourne, but it was Hayes Theater in Sydney.
Put on two lots of performances. There was an encore
and I just was blown away by it. It is
just outstanding theater. And we talk about perfection beat this

(06:27):
they did not miss a beat. It's not only they
imagine this. They're dueling on the piano, so they're both
on the one stool at the Steinway, which is a
baby grand black piano in the middle of a proper
stage setting, which reminded me of an Agatha Christie. You know,
the wooden panels and library type books, et cetera, et cetera.

(06:49):
And then you've got them both. One of them performs
twelve characters and is so acrobatic they're throwing themselves around
it and flouncing themselves about, and the other players are detective.
And it's got all of the what was the egg
of the Christie novel and then there were none or
whatever it was, and the mouse trap and stuff like that.

(07:12):
It's got all of those ingredients. But imagine the cleverest
forms of writing, the greatest choreography, superb musicality and lyricism,
and then you've got the sets, the staging, the direction.
It is just incredible, it really is. I would peter
you who will never go to theater if there's one

(07:33):
at it's really good price. It's not a pricey show,
so that in itself, because I mean, Greg, you know,
if you go to a musical you could be paying
upwards two hundred dollars if you want to get a
prime seat these days, this is certainly well under one
hundred bucks and it's well worth seeing. It's only on
till the twenty fifth of the month. I hope they

(07:55):
come back. I hope they fill the stadium, the theater,
the Fairfax every time an ovation. I don't think there
was a person left in their seats last night. It
was that heroic the performances. So there you go. I've
given you a review without giving you a full review.
At this point, let's talk about a movie on J
eighty eight FM. It's one that opened a couple of

(08:17):
weeks ago, but I, Peter you and I saw it
in a relatively sparse cinema. In fact, we've got to
give Eddie to me some praise for his theater, his
diversity of theatrical offerings that he puts on at his
three theaters in Melbourne and his theater in Sydney. We

(08:37):
saw it at the Classic, did we not?

Speaker 3 (08:39):
Yes?

Speaker 1 (08:41):
So I make a point of walking up the stairs. Greg,
have you been to the Classic or not?

Speaker 2 (08:46):
You have been here quite a few times.

Speaker 1 (08:49):
Have you walked to the top And you've got all
these expressions or lines from famous movies. I think that's
so clever. And then you've also got sort of photographs
or on the on the walls as you're sort of
mounting the stairs. You've got wonderful, wonderful scenery of some

(09:10):
of the great movies.

Speaker 3 (09:11):
Oh, you've go.

Speaker 2 (09:12):
To the Ludore in Hawthorn who runs also in the
gens toilet. There's pages and pages of script film scripts
on the walls there. Read something while you're having a link.

Speaker 1 (09:23):
It's interesting that you say that. Obviously I go to
the wrong bathroom because I've never seen that. Which which
bathroom is it the one as you first walk up
the stairs, or because that's the one that I go
to and know I haven't seen it?

Speaker 2 (09:36):
Oh, well, there you go.

Speaker 1 (09:37):
You've missed something. Oh, I I mean it's great when
people you know that. I mean, memorability is huge, and
it's kind of I don't know, it's interesting. How, by
the way, have you been following and this is another aside,
have you both of you been following the controversy surrounding
the Blake Lively movie and the interviews? Have you followed

(09:59):
that during the week? Better?

Speaker 3 (10:00):
Not at all?

Speaker 1 (10:02):
Greg?

Speaker 2 (10:03):
No, I know you mentioned it last week, but it
hasn't really piqued more interest.

Speaker 1 (10:08):
Well, yeah, it just continues. And there was another well
reasonably scandalous type article this morning questioning whether or not
Blake Lively's career is going to take a hit because
of it. I mean, it just seems bizarre if you
don't say the right thing. It's like the controversy surrounding
the we're not allowed to call it break dancing, but

(10:31):
you know what was used what formerly was known as
break dancing, and the Australian performer at the Olympic Games.
I just think that's horrible. I mean, okay, she didn't
score any points because the points were more difficult to score.
It's not like diving when you're diving off a board.
But I mean you imagine how traumatized. And I've watched

(10:55):
her full video where she's responded to the criticism and
says she's going to take a break and then we'll
have more to say. But I think the Australian Olympic
Committee did it absolutely the right thing by you know,
there was a petition that was circulating about this and
they got that band and so on. I mean, golly,
do people not if people suddenly commit sort of heenous

(11:17):
acts because of being goaded into it? People can be
really nasty. I know, our job as reviewers is to
sort of pra see something and then to basically give
our opinion. But it's not about playing the man. It
just seems to be the world has gone to hell
in a hand basket better since social media has been

(11:40):
as prolific as it has been, don't you agree?

Speaker 3 (11:42):
Well, you can be anonymous and say hateful things. So
that's why people get away with it.

Speaker 1 (11:48):
Yeah, And I mean that's the thing that bothers me
most that people do get away with it, and they
shouldn't be allowed to get away with it. It just
it keeps on going it really, it's irritating in the extreme,
is my way of putting this anyway, It's it is
what it is. Right, So we've taken a few deviations
times three. So let's talk about a movie called Trap. Now,

(12:11):
are you you like me? Must have seen and must
have appreciated the grand opening to m Night Shay Marlin's career,
right the sixth sense, great movie, wonderful praise that went
with it, and you know, a huge career was assured. Well,
it's taken a few deviations, hasn't it, Greg? I mean,

(12:33):
a lot of his movies have been panned unfortunately, I
think again some unfairly. I've enjoyed quite a bit of
m Night Shay Marlin's work. What would you do you
think he's been? He's never does Has he ever reached
the heights of the sixth sense? Again?

Speaker 2 (12:53):
No, but it's come close to top of times. But
it has interesting premises, but they don't always hold up
the fore.

Speaker 1 (12:59):
App there you mean, come together at the end.

Speaker 2 (13:02):
You mean he's often throwsen that twist that you're looking for. There,
some work, some don't. But he's made a few interesting films,
shall we say, but a couple of absolute turkeys as
well after Earth.

Speaker 1 (13:17):
Oh yes, okay, what about you, Peter? What are your
thoughts about in Knight jam Marlan next bag?

Speaker 3 (13:24):
Yes, because he desperately seeks a twist to grab the audience,
like the film The Village, which actually did quite well. Yeah,
I thought that was a good example. But nevertheless, his
films are flawed because he's so desperately is seeking taking attention, Yeah,

(13:48):
but seeking that special twist that no one could see coming.

Speaker 1 (13:53):
Well, this one he again wrote and directed it. Tramp
runs for one hundred and five minutes and is rated
M it stars one of his daughters, and I thought
she was terrific. Selika is her name. It's a really
tense psychological thriller and it's sort of claustrophobic. So you've
got a character called Riley played by Ariel Donahue. She's

(14:13):
a teenager and she's got a huge pop crash. And
this is quite timely because of course you've got Taylor
Swift continuing with her concert tour and then the drama
of what happened in Austria and having to cancel the
Austrian Legahild tour because of threats to her safety. Anyway,
So in this case, the huge star is known as

(14:34):
Lady Raven and that's the character played by Selika Schai
Marlin and her dad, her character's dad I'm talking about.
Riley's dad is called Cooper, and that's a Josh Hartnett character.
He's a firefighter. He's secured a couple of highly sought
after tickets to one of Lady Raven's gigs and she,

(14:57):
Riley couldn't be more excited. So when they write so
what we notice and what he knows this is the
father immediately is this massive security presence. Guards are at
every door, and basically they're prominent inside the venue as
well as outside, so once stay at the stadium, patrons

(15:19):
are not allowed to exit until the show's over. So
Cooper the Father's key to understand exactly what's going on,
and it becomes clear that the FBI has received intelligence
that the serial killer is at the venue and this
killer could strike again at any moment, and the lead
FBI agent, doctor Josephine Grant played by Hayley Mills, is

(15:43):
naturally intent on not allowing it to happen. But despite
her best endeavors and those of the other troops on
the ground, the perpetrator looks to have slipped through the net.
And it's also evident that this perpetrator has a trump
card up his slo leave to ensure that things go
his way. So there's a real danger and among those

(16:05):
at greatest risk is their performer, Lady Raven. So again
think Taylor Swift. I've deliberately danced around much of the
plotting so as not to spoil the surprises. And before
this is over, there are twists are plenty, and that's
a good thing. I mean, that's exactly what you want
with a movie of this ilk, I commend it for it. So, okay,

(16:27):
it's far fetched, no question about that. But whilst the
twists are far fetched, the premise is not. So you know, Greg,
you and I go to the MCG a lot. We
go to Marvel Stadium a lot, and I always worry.
I know that they do the security checks and every
every other person is checked, you know, with their whatever

(16:48):
you call it, the wand that they wave over you,
and you know they take a cursory look at the bags.
But you know, there is a real, real threat to
me every time you go to a venue, whether it
be a theater, whether it be to a movie house.
I mean, you could live your life in fear. But
it's much more real than when we were kids. Do
you not agree?

Speaker 3 (17:08):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (17:09):
Yeah, but I'm not really as conscious of it you
in Melbourne?

Speaker 1 (17:13):
Is that right? Okay? Now I'm acutely aware of it. Peter,
What about you? I mean, you don't go to the
big venues, but you go to theaters and shows and
not shows that you go to movie hours is a lot?
Has that ever crossed your mind?

Speaker 3 (17:27):
It actually hasn't. In fact, most of the events that
have happened have been overseas. In Europe and so on,
Australia seems to be somewhat impervious to this.

Speaker 1 (17:37):
Well, it's interesting you say that because I don't agree
Peter Alice.

Speaker 2 (17:42):
You said he something happening like in a movie like
chewing a warning all Black Sunday or something.

Speaker 1 (17:47):
Are you well, I'm also thinking about what Peter was
reflecting on that. You know, you've got that what was
the movie where somebody broke in and shot a large
number of people in the concert? That that's happened at
as well. It's no longer you can't say that Australians
are safe. Society is a lot worse than it was

(18:08):
when we were kids, in my opinion, and that's why
I'm acutely aware of what's going on. Obviously, you know,
we are on a station that ostensibly got a Jewish listenership,
and you know, you think about the hatred and the
vitriol since October seventh, right, And there are homes that

(18:30):
have got the messuza, which is the typical sign post
on it. And there are people who have proudly displayed
our Judaism and other people who don't. All of that
is wrapped up in all of this bear in mind
that there are a lot of people who are listening
whose parents and grandparents escape the Holocaust to come to

(18:53):
a safe place like Australia, and I just don't think
we can say we're safe anymore. So big venues are
a prime target. And bear in mind that we were
fortunate that we went through the Olympic Games without the
you know, before the Olympic Games or a few security
threats and so forth, but it didn't come to pass.

(19:13):
But there was I think what wasn't there a heightened
terror alert at some point that was put out again
recently in Australia. So this is the society in which
we live now. You know, you can live your life
under a rock and not go out and whatever will
you take a risk and you continue to live your
life as you were. And both of you have suggested

(19:34):
to me now that it doesn't even cross your mind.
So that's great, it's great. I mean, I you know,
it's there's nothing. You are in a closed environment. You
are trapped and you know we've seen before that was
at Gagasaulus that ran ran riot through through Melbourne and whatever.
Then we had a lot of other things that were
going on that basically now in America, they're talking FBI's

(20:00):
talking about putting bulletproof sheets around president for a President
Trump every time he gets up and speaks, that there
are new and unusual and bastardly ways that people are
trying to get to other people. That's the world. It's
a horrible world, beata, is it not? But yes?

Speaker 3 (20:19):
But what do you do about it? As you say,
you don't go anywhere, you don't do anything, is that
the appropriate response?

Speaker 1 (20:27):
Or do you live your life as normal? Well, that's
what I'm saying. I think you do live your life
as normal. But I'd be saying you more conscious, not
that that can prevent anything, but you're more conscious of
people around you. I mean, I've told you the stories
before that you know when I three incidents have happened
to me in relatively recent years. I mean when I
say relatively recent years, I was walking back from the

(20:50):
cricket greg at the mcg and I was speaking on
my phone to my son and I was confronted by
what I thought at the time was a couple of
yous and they basically said give me your money and
give me your phone. And I was in mid call.
And then in the shadows, and this was near the
Shrine of Remembrance, so we're not talking about a long

(21:12):
way out of the city. I was walking back to
my car. There was a guy with a knife, so
you know, I gave him what they wanted. But I
mean that was just one incident. Another one in my
own street, I got confronted by a number of drunken
youths who started pursuing me and said they were going
to kill me. That's you know, so you know, does

(21:36):
that mean I don't go out? No, it doesn't mean
I don't go out, but I'm a lot more conscious
of it. Peter, So have any incident Have you incurred
any incidents like what I've just described, Gregor, Peter.

Speaker 3 (21:49):
Not exactly. The worst I've had is when I was
at the Nova Cinema and a group of Palestinian protesters
invaded a screening, but they didn't do anything. They just
shouted at us.

Speaker 1 (22:02):
All right, right, and yeah, and that's bad enough that
you have to put up with that. But greg, what
about you not really known? Okay? So no, look anyway
that getting back to the movie in our trap, I mean,
it is far fetched, but I did find myself readily involved,
especially early on. I thought the intrigue was very well established,

(22:25):
and there's a feeling of unease that permeates the peace
from the get go. Something's clearly not right, okay, and Cooper,
the father's acting strangely. The daughter rilely can see it,
but she can't put a finger on why, and she's
so wrapped up in the concert and all the periphery
around it that you know, she just sort of says, oh, Dad,
just sort of come back and stop leaving, because he

(22:46):
constantly gets out from next to her and says he'll
be back in in a few minutes. And it's readily
relatable because unfortunately, as we've talked about in this day
and age, we're acutely aware of the threat that being
in a gathering, large gathering in particular poses. And I mean,
I thought that Josh Hartnett, who we don't see a

(23:06):
lot of, actually he does a fine job portraying the
disingenuous father. There's a real awkwardness about him and his smile.
That smile of his is creepy, so he can all
but see his mind ticking over. I thought Aeriel Donohue, well,
she was quite impressive as the enthusiastic daughter enjoying one
of the best days of her life. And I really

(23:29):
enjoyed Selika Shay Marlin as the woman of the moment.
She's actually a performer. I think she pens something like
fourteen songs for this picture, So she's a singer and
she's a woman, plays the woman who needs to keep
her wits about her in her prominence within society. I
thought the production design on Trap was really first rate.

(23:51):
I really appreciated the settings, the cinematography, and the sound,
and we kind of moved from this typical concert scenario
to quiet suburbia. So yeah, well, m night. Charl Marlin
has had his knockers since his big splash a quarter
of a century. It's hard to believe have gone by
since the sixth Tenths, which received six Oscar nominations. I

(24:11):
might say I reckon. I've enjoyed several of his movies.
This is another that well and truly passes Mustard. It's
a good film. Sure you need to suspend belief, but
just go with it. Enjoy the wild ride. What do
you reckon? Greg?

Speaker 2 (24:28):
Well, like so many so many of the other films,
are driven by an intriguing premise. As I said a
while ago, but with so many of these other previous films,
it's just Begen Tolu his momentum and credibility, especially during
the protracted and unnecessarily drawn out through that act in
which she gives us not one any, not two any,
but three anyips.

Speaker 1 (24:46):
I'm going, doesn't he? And look you've.

Speaker 2 (24:49):
Gagged around it, but the trailer revealed that Josh Artnet
is the serial killer, so wish no over it, get
over That's why he's doing all he is. We know
it from early on in the film, which is why
he's doing all these things. And him, like Sriamelin apparently
described this astountable lecture at a Taylor s Rift concert,

(25:10):
there you do.

Speaker 1 (25:11):
But I like that, like you. I like the.

Speaker 2 (25:12):
Production design as and the camera work that goes through
the arena of the stadium as he checks out all
these possible escape exits and ways to get out of
the building. I thought it could have developed the character
of Dr Grant the profile a lot more to increase
that tension of the patt and Mouse game between.

Speaker 1 (25:30):
Yeah, there was much. There was. It was almost like
a cameo performed. It was more than a cameo. But
but yeah, there wasn't any real development of peace other
than she was clearly a sort of crusty, sort of
long long serving, highly regarded FBI lead investigator.

Speaker 2 (25:47):
How they came that hard they came across there. But
there was a nice hitch cocking patt and mouse game
there as stray Schartner's character has to try and figure
out a way to leave the stadium and avoid capture
and out with the police sit so there's some suspense
intention as you follow him there. I thought the atmosphere
was quite claustrophobic there, and the staging for the concert
itself was quite elaborate there as well. The concert sequence

(26:11):
was apparently actually film live on safe to create this
authentic live.

Speaker 1 (26:15):
Yes, and so they would have so they basically would
have got all these extras into watch shit. Wow, I
mean I thought it was I loved the concert setting.
I thought it was really effective. And the camera that
was trained on Josh Hartnett, that's skittishness about him, it
really works.

Speaker 2 (26:33):
Yeah, I thought he did it. I thought he brought
some charm that's way a qualities his role here as
the occasionally goofy dad there. And I thought he completely
inhabited the character there, and several of Shamulin's films have
explored a character with this drill personality, most notably Think
James McAvoy in Split There. But I thought Heartnet played
down the more psychotic nature of his character here, although

(26:53):
it still makes here a slightly unnerving and creepy character
doing him a hard head fit, and there's some sort
of perverse pleasure in watching him try it out with
the authidies here. But I said the song goes on
a bit too long there with his three innings, And
apparently I was reading that this was apparently inspired by
a real life nine eighty five sing operation when the

(27:14):
police arrested some hundred felons at a convention center by
under the pretexts of offering free NFL did it as
a way to flash from out.

Speaker 1 (27:22):
Yeah, I mean that's not the first time that's happened.
And people's egos get in the way as well, and
I can get something for nothing. So interesting. Okay, So Peter,
you like quite liked it? Yeah, and Peter, did you
accept I mean, I suppose Greg and I are similar
in as much as I really enjoyed it. But I
thought yeah, it just the twists and twists and twists.

(27:46):
Is that where it lost you?

Speaker 3 (27:49):
To some extent. I think the concert sequences are very
well directed, very well staged, and in fact m Knight
Shy Marlon even has a cameo appearance in the film
as he serves to somewhat assist the Josh Hartnert character

(28:13):
and his daughter. But I don't know. The film started
to lose me in terms of its plotting as soon
as they left the concert, and that's where I had
a problem with the film because I think that's where
a lot of Shy Marlin's ideas started to dissipate. And

(28:35):
I must say the setup in the concert was very good,
but I don't think the character was particularly well developed.
As in Josh Hartnet's character.

Speaker 1 (28:47):
You're wanting the wise and wherefore was are you? In
terms of what made him what he is?

Speaker 3 (28:51):
I think so, I think there needs to be some
sort of motivating factor which is missing in the film.
It just seems a little bit downpat Although it was
I thought it was really nice to see Hailey Mills,
who at age seventy eight is was cast in as

(29:13):
a profiler in the film. I thought, do you agree.

Speaker 1 (29:15):
Do you agree with Greg that it could have been
developed further? She was just there, right, Yes, she was
the one who had the she was the authority figure. Yes, yeah,
where was that right? Yes?

Speaker 3 (29:30):
I agree, And that's part of the plotting that needed
to be developed further, And especially some of the coincidences
that happened in the concert where Hartnett is trying to
escape the trap that he's in. A lot of those
didn't quite ring true for me. I thought they were contrived.

Speaker 1 (29:53):
So and I mean, so how I'm just trying to
think of the one hundred and five minutes, how much
of it is set in the concert. It's probably probably
more than half, isn't it.

Speaker 3 (30:05):
It's more than half, yes, because the setup is quite
intricate in terms of his daughter performing and so on,
as you.

Speaker 1 (30:19):
The way that he gets into the bowels of the
building and befriending somebody, et cetera, et cetera. You've got
to also to spend beliefs to some extent there. And
that's fine. I mean, I went with it. I mean
I think I enjoyed it more night than you guys,
both both of you. Notwithstanding that, yeah, it twisted and
twisted and twisted again, but I think I enjoyed it

(30:41):
more any other remarks, Peter, or we'll get a score.

Speaker 3 (30:45):
Look, as I said as soon as he left the concert,
That's where the film started to dissipate for me in
terms of its twists and turns. I thought, how many
contrivances can you build into the plotting? What without revealing anything?

Speaker 1 (31:04):
Yes, m nightshell moll and a lot. Okay, so you'll
give it the low score, which is trap M one
hundred and five minutes. What are you giving it? Look?

Speaker 3 (31:12):
I thought this was one of his better films, and
I gave it seven out of ten.

Speaker 4 (31:18):
Okay, Now what's called greg, I'm going to go six
and a half. Oh well, yeah, I was going to say, Pete,
you've been generous. I'm going seven and a half. So
it averages a seven. That's not a bad mark. No,
it's a decent film.

Speaker 1 (31:32):
I would commend it, and I know a lot of
people who did enjoy it, which is in fact Jackie
unfortunately can't be with us today. She did send me
a note at some point. Now going to this is
really entertaining radio. I'm now trying to find Jackie's remark
where she I think she had similar reservations that we've
expressed here, but basically it is what it is. So, yes,

(31:56):
I can't find it for the time half.

Speaker 3 (31:59):
I know that much.

Speaker 2 (32:01):
She gave you six and a half, yes did she?

Speaker 1 (32:04):
Okay? Right, So Jackie, I'm sorry that I can't find
your liais with Jackie on three platforms and I never
know which platform she's right, and I think I do
the same thing. Yeah, anyway, so all right's let's move on. Jaya,
by the way, if you want to join up, please
become a member, and we we'd love you too, because

(32:24):
j is reflective. Oh our community, so fifty I think
it's fifty two or fifty four bucks. You just go
to jdash air dot com dot you, jdash air dot
com dot you, and yeah, you can subscribe, and you've
got twenty four hours of programming, a lot of chat,
some really good music Israeli music, and you've also got

(32:47):
just company, which is a really good thing. That's what
radio does better than any other medium. So jdash air
dot com dot you and join up. Become a subscriber.
Now a Romulus Now, I know, Greg, you've seen this
one there, but Peter and Greg, you go back to

(33:08):
the great original and the great sequel. We've talked about
sequels before. Very hard to make two really good movies,
let alone nine really good movies, And I suppose my
overwhelming feeling from this one is disappointment. If it was
one word before we get into the review proper, give

(33:29):
me one word, Peter, Oh sorry, Greg, on what you
would say about this movie on Alien Romulus Starry. All right, now, Peter,
you haven't seen this one yet, but you have seen
the others. Yes, do you think they've gone backwards?

Speaker 3 (33:47):
Well, I mean it's the same premise over the idea
of this monster and all that sort of thing. So
how do you make that fresh?

Speaker 1 (33:57):
Yes? I totally agree, and that what they've done is
they've done it for a new generation here. Better. What
they've done is they've given us We've never had such
a young cast before. And when you've got a young
cast apart from one, well, you've got a pretty noted
writer and director in Freddy Alvarez who basically he's with

(34:20):
his frequent screenwriting collaborator Rdo c. Jagez and FEddi did
Don't Breathe, which is a terrific movie. So you've got that,
But You've also got Kaylee Spainey, who was so good
in Priscilla and so good in Civil War. So that
but that's the only name I was familiar with Greg
in this movie. Were you familiar with any of the
others Ian home? Oh? Sorry, okay, yes, they've brought but

(34:44):
now that is It's funny you've jumped to that. That
is something that that to me was a highlight of
the movie. To bring him back in the way they did. Yeah,
in the way they did was absolutely mighty, absolutely, like, oh,
it's spying and tinglings and it's brilliant. It really is brilliant.
They've done that with Kerrie Fisher in Star Wars, haven't they.

(35:06):
But and increasingly AI will enable things like this to happen,
and to happen seamlessly, and to believe that they're still
with us. And I think that's fabulous, really fabulous. But
apart from those two, Greg, I didn't recognize anybody, did you.

Speaker 2 (35:22):
No, But that's something else. When the first alien came out,
half the cast is supposedly unknowns.

Speaker 1 (35:29):
Yeah, valid, valid, I mean this I was doing account.
This is the ninth movie in the franchise, right, it
dates back to nineteen seventy nine, so if that's if
you include the Prometheus films, right, so, and the second
picture was directed by James Cameron. You might remember that
was Alien, so he had Alien then Aliens, and Cameron

(35:52):
actually met with Romulus's co writer and director Alvarez early
in this writing process. So Alvaro's basically was inspired by
deleted scenes from that movie from Aliens. So that specifically
involved a bunch of kids running among the workers in

(36:13):
the colony where they were living, right so the mining colony,
and he thought about what it would be like for
these teens to grow up and what would happen to
them when they reached adulthood. So that was the spark
that started Alien Romulus. So this is set it's meant
to be part of a trilogy of existing movies. So

(36:34):
it's set about twenty years after the first Alien movie
and some thirty seven years before Aliens, which came out
in nineteen eighty six, so obviously nineteen seventy nine, nine
and eighty six, but yeah, that's the timing of Romulus.
So you've got a character called Rain Carradine, that's the
Kaylee spainy one. She's the movie's protagonist and the heroine.

(36:59):
And she's twenty five years of age and her parents
have died, but she wants a better life for herself
somewhere far beyond the mining planet Jackson's Star, which is
the colony where she lives. And she and a small
group of others common deer an old spaceship named Corbulin,

(37:20):
and they head for a decommissioned space station, hoping to
find fuel to take them to a new world. That's
it in a nutshell. And these space colonizers include Rain's
brother Andy, played by David Johnson. You've got a synthetic
or biomechanical humanoid who's very protective of her. That's what

(37:43):
Andy is, is a synthetic And you think about synthetics. Well,
the first to be introduced, Greg to the Alien franchise,
was played by a home correct that was I think
his name was Ash. Wasn't it better at the time.
I don't know whether you remember, but no, anyway, that
was so okay. That's back to the future now. Among

(38:06):
the other youngsters on board this commanded spaceship Tyler played
by Archie Reno, whose Reign's ex boyfriend. He also works
in the mines and then you've got his sister Kaye
played by Isabella merced So the corbelin the old spaceship
is piloted by the tech savvy Navarro played by Eileen

(38:30):
Wu and Eileen Wood was taken in, not ali Wo.
Navarro was taken in by Bjorn's family, Biorn played by
Spike Fern, taken on by On Jackson Starr, and now
Navarro thinks of Bjorn as a brother, and of course
Biorn therefore is also part of the expedition. So Corblin

(38:52):
docks with the decommissioned and derelict space station Renaissance. But
little dos A crew realize that while scavenging around Renaissance,
it's got a couple of modules, Romulus and Remus, they
will awaken the most terrifying organism in the universe. Of course,
that's where Alien and Aliens kicks off. So Robulus, Well,

(39:16):
it seems to take an age to get to the
starting line, to get to any real excitement as far
as I'm concerned, the awakening of these aliens. And in
the meantime there's lots of crashing and banging, there's opening
and closing of doors, and obviously, accordingly massive metallic sounds. Now.
I don't know about you, Greg, but I found it
difficult to understand the conversation between the youngsters ahead of

(39:39):
the commandeering Corbelin. I found it difficult because of all
the background noise. It was almost non intelligible. And before
the aliens take over and start running a mark, the
movie establishes the dynamic between the colonizers. Thereafter we get
the growth of the aliens into the vicious beings that
they are. But I'm afraid this is what Peter said

(40:03):
Samul Samul with a few derivative critters, as you inevitably
get the rest of the pictures about getting the hell
away from Renaissance and the dangers within it. And one
thing you can be sure of is that there will
be casualties. It's just a question of who and in
what order. So I can't say that I was all
that enamored by the acting, although Katie Spainey does a

(40:27):
serviceable job as rain Look, I found the whole thing underwhelming,
and I was over Romulus before the final credits rolled,
so to give its proper title Alien Romulus rated M
runs for one hundred and nineteen minutes, so just a
minute shy of two hours, and yeah, apart from me
and I, I wasn't really taken by it, Greg, what about.

Speaker 2 (40:47):
You, Well, this is more of us horror movie than
a sci fi film, given Fedia alva Verza's history of
films like Don't Breathe in that this plays out more
like the horror film are Those monsters are actually quite
nasty and scary in Hiss Run, especially those crab light
creases that Scotland run all over the place, and it's

(41:08):
had people. You get lots more of the monster here,
sure than we did in the ritual film. Clearly Spaining,
I think did a good job as a sort of
point sized variation on Siborney Weavers. Yeah, but the same.
They repeat some of the same beats from the first
few films, including a monster bursting out of someone's chest

(41:29):
and the iconic lines from Aliens as well. But I
quite the Georgia. I thought that the production design, the darkness,
lighting and all that kind of stuff added to the
uncertainly in the scariness of the film. But yeah, look,
the human characters pretty much planned ciphers, and you don't
particlarly care part from one or troom whether they get

(41:52):
really or not.

Speaker 1 (41:53):
Yeah, I just didn't think there was enough character development.
Quite faintly. I would have liked more of that. And
I was do you agree that it took forever to
get to the starting line before we saw the first Alien?
I mean, I understand they were establishing it all, but
you didn't they didn't do a particularly good job because
you didn't really care well.

Speaker 2 (42:12):
In the first one. You saw a long time. If
we've got the Aliens, say as well, so they're sort
of honoring some of the what Ridley Scott did do
first film.

Speaker 1 (42:21):
Yeah, I suppose. So I'm going to go label on this.
I'll give it a five out of ten, just a pass.
What about you, Greg, I'll do it six and a half. Okay,
so you clearly thought more of it. I haven't read
other reviews. I don't know how it's gone. Somebody said
to me that the Herald Son gave it a very
good review, I sort of an eight out of ten.

(42:41):
I'm not sure that's true. I haven't read it, but yeah,
Leu Patch gave it for four stars. Wow. And have
you seen anybody else's thoughts?

Speaker 2 (42:51):
Sharon Hurst?

Speaker 1 (42:51):
Sharon gave it four wow? Okay, Now I was you know,
I took a friend of mine who loves sci fi
and he's not a big movie goer, and he rang
me up in the nicest possible way to abuse me
for taking him to such an S dot dot t film.
There you go. They was just a member of the

(43:12):
public who couldn't stand it, and he loves sci fi,
just thought it just didn't get anywhere. And it's interesting
that there was a couple of it wasn't It was
only like a half full cinema, maybe three quarters that
we saw the media preview in. And when I was
chatting to the people who were around me, the young

(43:33):
lady in front of me, who looked like she was
in her twenties, she hadn't seen the original, and she said, oh, yeah,
this was quite good. So I reckon, I don't need
to manage that.

Speaker 2 (43:43):
You haven't seen you rituals anyway.

Speaker 1 (43:44):
For this one, I don't think it does either set up.

Speaker 3 (43:48):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (43:48):
It's a bit of a sival. It sort of stands
up by itself, so as alone.

Speaker 1 (43:54):
Yeah, I think that's probably true. Let me so, Okay,
we've given our score. I want to talk a bit
more about Murder for two, which I'm raving about at
Fairfax Theater because it's one of the cleverest and funniest
pieces of musical theater that I've had a good fortune
to see. And it's a triumph of writing, performance and
also direction. And it is an outrageous murder mystery a

(44:18):
comedic who done it with two actors filling thirteen roles,
and one of those two filling twelve of the thirteen.
Now it's accommodation of mayhem and mirth and music, and
what a heady combination it makes, or they make. So
here's the premise. Dahlia Whitney is planning a surprise birthday

(44:41):
party for her lauded and prolific author husband Arthur. Okay,
so imagine this, Greg and Peter while I'm going through this,
and think of Agatha Christie now in attendance as several
of his friends. Arthur's friends. They included his niece Steph
who's studying a graduate degree in criminology, psychiatrist called Dr Griff,

(45:03):
and a prima Ballerina Brett Lewis. You've got Whitneys, bickering
neighbors Murray and Barb Flandon, and the three remaining members
of All Boys choir. Timmy, Yonkers and Skid are their names,
and there's a firefighter called Henry Vivaldi who will also
put in an appearance later. So the lights are turned out.

(45:25):
You have either of you gone to any surprise birthday
parties in your lifetime? No? Never? No? Well, Greg, no, oh, okay,
I'm sorry. I've been to quite a few of them,
and I kind of liked them. You know, it's especially
when person has no idea anyway. Lights are turned out

(45:46):
and gunshown. Gunshots ring out, and there is Arthur lying
dead in a pool of blood. Now we never see Arthur, right,
so he's just talked about first time the seener Officers
Marcus Moscal Moskowitz and an unseen colleague called lou is

(46:06):
also an officer, and they're waiting for the investigator who's
been assigned to the case, Detective Grayson, to arrive. So
Officer Moskovitz has been traumatized by a past relationship with
former partner Vanessa, who we also don't see, and he's
apt to prove to the chief that he's worthy of
promotion due to his knowledge of crime scene protocol, and

(46:29):
as such, he sets about trying to solve the crime
before Detective Grayson gets there, and he begins interrogating the partygoers,
all of whom are suspects. The plot thickens as it
appears each one of them had their reasons for wanting
Arthur done away with. Okay, so you can see greg
where the analogy to Agatha Christie books comes in right.

(46:53):
So Murder for Two takes the best ingredients of Agatha
Christie and kicks it up several notches with unbridled hilarity.
It's been written by Kelen Blair and Joe Canossian. Lyrics
are by Blair, music by Canossian, and it's so witty
and so wonderful. It premiered back in two thousand and

(47:16):
eleven at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and this Hayes Theater production,
directed by Richard Carroll, is bursting with energy and vibrancy.
The performers a Maverick Newman who takes to the stage
in a flamboyant pink top, and Gabby Volt. They are sensational,
their stage craft incredible. Their repartee Heaven on a stick,

(47:42):
You've got a black baby grand piano set a stage.
They tickle the ivories brilliantly together and then one by one,
so they're sitting alongside each other, they're putting their hands
over one another, and they are just phenomenal. And so
then one of them takes the piano, the other eights

(48:02):
and sings up a storm. Neither misses a beat. It
is faultless. As the action unfolds at a rapid rate.
Newman is the one who fills a multiplicity of roles
and switches characters seamlessly and so acrobatically, as if shelling Peas,
and puts on a comic tour de force, matching him

(48:23):
stride for stride, often as the exasperated fall guy is Bolt.
What an amazing dynamic combination. What a treat. The highlights
are plentiful, including Human flinging himself about the stage literally
sort of incredibly in a grand look at Me performance,
and Newman miming with Bolt at the piano and singing Wow.

(48:49):
Shannon Burns has done a mighty job choreographing all the
right moves. You've got this wood paneled backdrop, complete with
lots of books, providing a strong sense of play, and
the second costume design at Kirthy Subrumbian has done a
great job. It's grand entertainment. Murder for two laughs are

(49:09):
turned up at every turn, so much fun with the
ultimate and the most Fulsome praise I can possibly give
left to the two performers, Maverick Newman and Gabby Bolt,
for creating what I see as musical theatrical magic. It
is one. I urge you in capital letters do not
miss it. As I've said, it's very reasonable pricing, well

(49:33):
depending upon obviously everybody's individual financial circumstances, but far cheaper,
far more cheaper, cheapens it. I don't want to say cheaper,
and I've already said it, let's say far more cost
effective than a lot of musical theater productions. Not that
I'm not saying they're not worthy of more, but this
is at least at a level where hopefully more people

(49:54):
can get to it. It's one hundred minutes without interval.
It's on at Fairfax Theater at the Art Center until
the twenty fifth of August. And I am going to
give this the perfect score. This is a ten out
of ten production. It is wonderful, wonderful entertainment, and it's
the first perfect score I've given to anything this year.

(50:16):
Gregory King, there you go. You go so yeah, and Peter,
if ever I can drag you along to the theater,
this is the one I would want you to see
right now. And it's just it's just so special anyway.
That's that's that. I I also saw an interesting show.

(50:38):
If I mentioned to you, if I use the word suffragette,
can you give me a name, either of you? Emily Pankhurst,
well done, that's the one, Emmeline Pancurs. And that's why
I think most of us would think of Peter. Jenny
j E W N I E with an ex clamation

(51:00):
market put on by Melbourne writeris theater at gas Works
is on now? And I mean this is a story
about another woman associated with a movement called Sarah Jane
Baines who lived from eighteen sixty six to nineteen fifty one.
And she was known as Jenny, and she was a
British Australian feminist and social reformer. And she was driven

(51:24):
to create a more equitable society and she focused on
improving conditions for women and children. And it's a dramatization
of her life story. It combines fact and fiction, and
it moves from London in the eighteen nineties. You'd be
familiar with the term speakers Corner, would you not in
the UK? Greg and Peter, Yeah, exactly, exactly, so she

(51:49):
used to speaker. One of the early scenes is her
pushing for access to food, water and medicine for everybody
at speakers Corner in the British capital right, and that
this is a place where free speech is encouraged. And
this is a woman who is no angel. In fact,
she was jailed no less than fifteen times for these

(52:12):
are my words crimes of insurrection before she her husband
and family were smuggled out of England to Australia to
avoid further punishment. So it's a very interesting story. And
then with her husband George supporting her all the way,
he was a cobbler, ran a successful business, Baines tried
out for a position on an all male council and unfortunately,

(52:35):
again society at the time, it wasn't to be and
she was labeled a communists. She was duly rebuffed. So
it's a very interesting story. I'd actually think it'd make
a very interesting film, quite frankly. And you've got six performers,
a number of whom play different roles, and I was
particularly keen written by Melbourne based playwright called B. W. Shearer,

(52:57):
and it's quite quite insightful into the sights and sounds
of working class neighborhood of Port Melbourne. And alongside when
you're in the foyer there there's a display by the
Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society, kind of like a
time capsule of the suburbs. So I thought that sort
of dovetailed very very nicely. The two leads are Marley

(53:21):
Van Debid Jill and she was really really good as Jenny,
a lot of belligerents in the role and the softer
tone of Amir m Zada as her husband. Both are
really polished. But you know, the performances overall were pretty
strong and a big winner. Again the wooden set design

(53:43):
with its nooks, crannies and signage by the set designer
gave me a strong sense of where we were at. So,
you know, quite a commendable work by director Karen Lee
Greg and it is called Jenny J E W N
I E and basic clea. You have till today to
see it, so you know, go along with the last performance.

(54:05):
Why not, absolutely if you can get a ticket because
it's been very very popular. Thank you Greg, Thank you
so much for being with us today, and Peter Kraus
a pleasure to have you too, and we will do
it all again very soon. On First On Film and.

Speaker 3 (54:21):
Entertainment and Valet to Jenna Rowlands the yes Yes.

Speaker 1 (54:26):
I'm very pleased. I'm so sorry that I didn't mention
it earlier because I agree wow yeah ninety four she was. Yes,
speak to you very soon, Over and out from First
On Film and Entertainment,