A new year and new films to discuss. We welcomed some new members to the class and spent time talking about what type of films we enjoy. This was varied, but the least popular remains Science Fiction.
The standout film discussed was Nuremburg.
Nuremburg: A WWII psychiatrist evaluates Nazi leaders before the Nuremberg trials, growing increasingly obsessed with understanding evil as he forms a disturbing bond with Hermann Göring. The acting and story were amazing. Comments particularly on Russell Crowe’s performance were very positive. Perhaps some editing could have made the film even more powerful. The messaging was relevant to today (maybe other eras as well) depicting the rise to power via manipulation.
We rated it as 4.5/5.
Song Sung Blues: Lightning and Thunder, a Milwaukee husband and wife Neil Diamond tribute act, experience soaring success and devastating heartbreak in their musical journey together. This film was screened during January and proved very popular with Benalla audiences. Members of the class who had seen it found it enjoyable. The performances were very good, showing the struggles of a family and how they move forward.
We rated it as 4/5.
The Choral: A choral society's male members enlist in World War I, leaving the demanding Dr. Guthrie to recruit teenagers and returned injured servicemen. Together, they experience the joy of singing while the young boys grapple with their impending conscription into the army. This film was visually dreary, fitting for the era and emotions of the time. There were many good voices, but perhaps not enough of the choir singing in the film. It covered Issues around conscription, conscientious objection and the avoidance of music composed by German and Austrian composers.
We rated it as around 3.0/5.
Other films discussed were:
Mercy, rated as 3.0/5. It was not as violent as expected and gave an interesting insight in the positives and negatives of AI. Positive was the range of information made available; negative was there was no human evaluation, just facts that can be manipulated.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, rated as 2.5. It was rated marginally higher because of the issue around mental health.
Jane Austen Wrecked my Life, rating averaged as 3.0/5. This was not an action film, with much of the emotion and action coming from performances and body language, typical of French films. Why it was titled Jane Austen Wrecked my Life is still a mystery.
Joy Shirley
The standout film discussed was Nuremburg.
Nuremburg: A WWII psychiatrist evaluates Nazi leaders before the Nuremberg trials, growing increasingly obsessed with understanding evil as he forms a disturbing bond with Hermann Göring. The acting and story were amazing. Comments particularly on Russell Crowe’s performance were very positive. Perhaps some editing could have made the film even more powerful. The messaging was relevant to today (maybe other eras as well) depicting the rise to power via manipulation.
We rated it as 4.5/5.
Song Sung Blues: Lightning and Thunder, a Milwaukee husband and wife Neil Diamond tribute act, experience soaring success and devastating heartbreak in their musical journey together. This film was screened during January and proved very popular with Benalla audiences. Members of the class who had seen it found it enjoyable. The performances were very good, showing the struggles of a family and how they move forward.
We rated it as 4/5.
The Choral: A choral society's male members enlist in World War I, leaving the demanding Dr. Guthrie to recruit teenagers and returned injured servicemen. Together, they experience the joy of singing while the young boys grapple with their impending conscription into the army. This film was visually dreary, fitting for the era and emotions of the time. There were many good voices, but perhaps not enough of the choir singing in the film. It covered Issues around conscription, conscientious objection and the avoidance of music composed by German and Austrian composers.
We rated it as around 3.0/5.
Other films discussed were:
Mercy, rated as 3.0/5. It was not as violent as expected and gave an interesting insight in the positives and negatives of AI. Positive was the range of information made available; negative was there was no human evaluation, just facts that can be manipulated.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, rated as 2.5. It was rated marginally higher because of the issue around mental health.
Jane Austen Wrecked my Life, rating averaged as 3.0/5. This was not an action film, with much of the emotion and action coming from performances and body language, typical of French films. Why it was titled Jane Austen Wrecked my Life is still a mystery.
Joy Shirley
