Leigh Paatsch streaming guide: What to watch this weekend
If an Americanised Harry Potter doesn’t grab you, watch Hugh Jackman hit it out of the park in what could be his best-ever performance or revisit a five-star Scorsese mob classic.
Leigh Paatsch
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THE ONE WHERE HUGH’S CLASS CANNOT BE DISMISSED
BAD EDUCATION (MA15+)
****
FOXTEL; or rent via GOOGLE, ITUNES, YOUTUBE MOVIES
Based on a true story, this riveting drama – which can also assume the form of a black comedy when least expected – features what is close to a career-best performance from Australian star Hugh Jackman. While ol’ Hugh has always been fast to demonstrate his versatility as a performer, he doesn’t always give the impression he is pushing himself all that hard.
Can’t be sayin’ that here though. Wow: Jackman hits it well and truly out of the park in the role of Frank Tassone, a popular school administrator who found himself at the eye of a storm of controversy in the early 2000s. A truckload of government funds went missing – we’re talking millions and millions of bucks here – and everyone seemingly looked the other way while the cash vanished. Well, everyone except the rookie teen journalist who exposed the scandal while penning a seeming puff piece for a school newspaper.
Whatever you do, don’t look up details of this fascinating affair before you see the movie, as it is highly capable of getting you truly sucked in as a whodunit (or is that who-took-it?).
THE ONE ALL DRESSED UP WITH SOME PLACE TO GO
EMMA (PG)
***1/2
rent via GOOGLE, ITUNES, YOUTUBE MOVIES
Some costume drama fans found fault with the recent Little Women for taking too many modern liberties with the impeccable book from which it was drawn.
These same persnickety types will warmly embrace Emma for its more traditional tendencies in adapting the time-honoured novel by Jane Austen. The movie goes big with the frilly bonnets, hooped dresses and starched collars, and is a small delight to marvel at for its attractive wardrobe work alone. Same goes for a frame-filling production design, which effortlessly transports us into the Austen universe.
Anya Taylor-Joy does well in the title role, a capriciously meddlesome young matchmaker who will burning and rebuilding many romantic bridges throughout Austen’s characteristically busy tale. Sure, it doesn’t seem much, but the whole things feels so right once each member of an accomplished cast (including Bill Nighy as Emma’s hypochondriac father Mr Woodhouse, and Johnny Flynn as her sardonic neighbour Mr Knightley) has made their presence felt.
THE ONE WITH AN ANNIVERSARY TO CELEBRATE
GOODFELLAS (MA15+)
*****
FOXTEL
This telling reminder of why Martin Scorsese is regarded as one of the great filmmakers of our time is celebrating its 30th birthday right now, and Foxtel is the only streaming platform where it is currently available.
GoodFellas is the true story of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), who rose swiftly through the ranks of US organised crime, only to blow it all by contravening the mob’s code on dealing in illicit drugs. Liotta’s powerhouse performance is matched in turn by former Raging Bull buddies Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, and Scorsese’s integration of a hit-driven soundtrack with some audacious camera and editing manoeuvres remains a pure master class in movie direction.
THE ONE WHERE IT’S TIME FOR A GOOD TIME
THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS (M)
***
NETFLIX
This family-friendly (ish) affair is an endearingly odd mash-up of a mildly Americanised Harry Potter adventure with any old Goosebumps tale you can’t quite recall.
The house mentioned in the title is pretty much a School of Witchcraft and Warlockery run as a one-man operation by a kooky spell-caster named Jonathan (Jack Black).
The only student on the books is his 10-year-old orphan nephew Lewis (Owen Vaccaro), and the only other teacher on staff is next-door neighbour and no-nonsense enchantress Florence (Cate Blanchett).
THE ONE THAT SCROLLS PAST THE COMMENTS SECTION
THE CLEANERS (M)
***
STAN; or rent via GOOGLE, YOUTUBE MOVIES
What if doing your job meant opening a window looking out on to the worst of humanity, and then staring long and hard at the view? This is the question posed by a bluntly unsettling new documentary about the secret world of content moderation on the internet. This solemn investigative report primarily focuses on censorship farms located in the Philippines, where third-party moderation companies are paid by social media mega-companies like Facebook and Twitter to clean up all kinds of messes made by their users. It is here we find thousands of low-salaried Filipinos sitting at computer monitors all day long, repeatedly seeing and reading things most of us would rather not witness at all. Not surprisingly, many of these people are experiencing psychological after-effects from so many regular shocks to their system (a typical moderator is expected to churn through 25,000 images and posts per day). If you do have an interest in how the internet can both shape and shred today’s world, this is definitely worth the look. ***
THE ONE THAT’S A TRIVIAL TIPPLE
WINE COUNTRY (M)
***
NETFLIX
Amy Poehler (TV’s Parks and Recreation) directs and stars in a cheery chick flick about a group of fiftysomething friends doing the weekend-away-with-the-girls thing. While it is a pleasant enough affair as a mainstream comedy – and the cast is front-loaded with many of Poehler’s best buddies from her time on the influential Saturday Night Live – the vibe is more laid-back and loose than laugh-out-loud funny. The big occasion bringing a diverse collection of women together is the fiftieth birthday of Rebecca (Rachel Dratch), who is cool with the reunion side of things, but not so keen on the candles-and-cake aspect of the trip. Once all have convened at the plush Napa Valley spread of rich retiree Tammy (Tina Fey), the wine bottles are uncorked, the music is turned up loud, and the banter begins. Many of the performers seen here are close friends in real life, and their natural repartee carries the movie quickly past many a flat spot. A nice effort, even if it doesn’t make the most of the talent assembled. Co-stars Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids).
THE ONE THAT’S ANYTHING BUT CHILD’S PLAY
THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER (M)
***1/2
FOXTEL, STAN
Maggie Gyllenhaal has all but disappeared from movie screens in the past decade. It borders on inconceivable that one of the finest actors (male or female) of her generation is breaking a six-year exile from cinemas. Though the film marking her return has its slight flaws, Gyllenhaal’s mesmerising performance has none whatsoever. She plays Lisa Spinelli, a selfless New York kindergarten teacher experiencing a devastating identity crisis triggered by an unlikely source. When Lisa discovers one of her infant students can compose and recite poetry of the highest, heart-rending calibre, her own carefully nurtured suite of talents – as a mother, educator and aspiring writer – fall apart alarmingly. Gyllenhaal’s eerie chemistry with her 5-year-old co-star Parker Sevak channels instincts both maternal and Machiavellian. Until all we can see is someone so protective of another, it can only harm them both.
THE ONE WITH ITS HEART OUT ON ITS SLEEVE
EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING (PG)
***1/2
STAN; or rent via iTUNES
This affecting and genuinely engrossing adaptation of author Nicola Yoon’s hit novel is a fine example of how fans of the young adult romance genre don’t have to settle for second-best. Amandla Stenberg (Rue from The Hunger Games) stars as Maddy, a 17-year-old woman who has spent her entire life in a specially sealed bedroom due to a severe immunity disorder. One day blurs into another until she keeps noticing a new neighbour (Nick Robinson of Jurassic World) is noticing her right back.
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