In John Balazs' RAGE, rape, murder and vengeance all add up to boredom

Despite its relatively early scene of maximum violence (a murder, then a rape, then a beating and attempted murder), the new Australian movie RAGE really ought have been entitled Enervation, so slow-moving and unnecessarily lengthy is the road to would-be vengeance that this surprisingly tiresome film then takes. 

As directed by John Balazs from a screenplay by Michael J. Kospiah, the filmmaker wastes way too much time on "establishing shots" that, once established, just go on and on and on. The filmmaker likes to linger -- which, in this kind of movie, proves deadly. It occurred to TrustMovies, as he was watching, that Mr. Balazs should have perhaps chosen a better editor. But then, as the end credits rolled, he discovered that Balazs himself had edited the movie.

The filmmaker, shown at right, keeps us waiting an awfully long time to learn stuff we ought to have already known -- and then he informs us via a scene of sudden, lengthy exposition. More than one and one-half hours into things, the husband says to his wife, "I can't believe this is happening to us." You will likely echo that sentiment once you realize that you still have another 50 or so minutes left to go.

Then, after so little has happened for so long, convenient coincidences start piling up. At a snail's pace, of course. 

The movie is full of wretched policemen, wretched police work, and, I'm afraid, not very good filmmaking. All of which, it turns out, is supposedly based around poor communication between spouses. Hmmm.

Performances are as good as can be expected under these circumstances, with the three leading actors -- Matt Theo (above) as the husband, Hayley Beveridge (below) as the wife, and Richard Norton (two photos below) as the chief investigating officer -- carrying us along as best they can.

Technical credits, outside of the direction and editing, are very good, as well, and the ideas the film presents are worth considering. Yet the manner in which they're presented leaves so much to be desired that when the movie's biggest "surprise" turns out to be the linchpin of an old Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV episode, you'll find yourself ready to cry "uncle."

From Gravitas Ventures and running two hours and 24 minutes (yes!), Rage opens digitally on all major VOD platforms in North America, with a Vimeo On Demand release in Australia, this coming Tuesday, Feb. 23rd.  

Family trauma meets feel-good: John Sheedy/ Lisa Hoppe's adaptation, H IS FOR HAPPINESS

Stick with this recent Australian movie, please, despite its initial unsure footing. H IS FOR HAPPINESS -- directed by newcomer-to-film theater director John Sheedy (shown below) with a screenplay by Lisa Hoppe from the popular young-adult novel My Life as an Alphabet by Barry Jonsberg -- combines family dysfunction with feel-good filmmaking in a manner that (finally, at least) manages to come together quite beautifully. Initially, if it appears a somewhat uneasy mix of coming-of-age, family tragedy, pretty scenery, humor and even maybe a little mysticism, do hold on. 

Once our heroine Candice (newcomer Daisy Axon, on poster above), about to celebrate her 13th birthday and waiting for impatiently for breast development, tells us: "Waiting for progress in the chest department is like watching grass grow," we listen with a knowing smile.

Then, when Candice receives a very special birthday present from a certain important new friend, the film kicks into action and simply gets better and better with each succeeding scene until its joyous, surprising and delightful climax -- which proves to be just about everything you want (but so seldom get) from most feel-good finales.

The plot of the film has to do with a family fractured from a death and a possible financial betrayal by a sibling, all of which Candice is now trying to repair. When an unusual new boy enters her classroom (Wesley Patten, also on poster, top) and confides to Candice that he is from "another dimension," our heroine is hooked.

The movie's large and talented cast includes some of Australia's finest -- from Richard Roxburgh as dad (above, right), Emma Booth as mom (above, left), and Miriam Margolyes as Candice's wandering-eyed schoolteacher (below). Young Ms Axon and Mr. Patten could hardly be better, both bringing a genuine sweetness and innocence to the proceedings.

The ins and outs of the plotting include a seemingly mystical pony (three photos up), the proprietor of a local costume shop (George Shevtsov, below, right), and even a little quantum mechanics. It all comes together nicely though, with that special birthday gift popping up again and again, each time funnier and even more appropriate than the one before.

From Samuel Goldwyn Films and running a just-about-right 96 minutes, H Is for Happiness will make its American debut via VOD and digital streaming this Friday, September 18 -- for purchase and/or rental. 

Paul Ireland/Damian Hill's very loose adaptation of Shakespeare's MEASURE FOR MEASURE, against all odds, succeeds!

Can a modern adaptation of one of William Shakespeare's more problematic "problem plays" possibly work while leaving out the Bard's own never-been-bettered writing, sticking only to the basic plot (and then changing even a good deal of that) while adhering to the play's major themes? 

On the basis of the latest attempt, the new Australian movie MEASURE FOR MEASURE, directed by Paul Ireland with a screenplay adapted by Mr. Ireland and the late Damian Hill, indeed it can. OK: This is definitely not Shakespeare. But somehow, and against great odds, it is Measure for Measure because it gets to the heart of that supremely difficult play -- of which TrustMovies has never yet seen a thoroughly successful theatrical production.

This Ireland/Hill adaptation (the director's shown above, at right, co-writer Hill at left) is set in present-day Melbourne in a society ravaged by white/colored divisions, as well as anti-Muslim sentiment and is peopled here by a mostly criminal element, with its crime lords -- one white (played by Hugo Weaving as Duke, below), the other Muslim (Fayssal Bazzi, of the Stateless series, as Farouk, shown at bottom, left) having agreed to somehow share the turf.

In this version the Claudio and Isabella characters (here Isabella is Farouk's sister, Jaiwara) are not siblings but lovers, which fits into her pleading for his life just fine, and also underscores the theme of fractured community inherent in the original play. As portrayed by Harrison Gilbertson and Megan Hajjar (or Megan Smart, according to the IMDB), these performances help anchor the movie, as well.

The movie's (as well as the play's) villain is again Angelo, (the) Duke's chief henchman, and as good as is Hugo Weaving, the film's best performance comes from Mark Leonard Winter (above) in this role. Angelo, as are almost all the other characters, is highly conflicted, and his terrific, deeply felt performance captures this in spades. 

The gangland milieu serves the story well, and Ireland's and Hill's ability to capture so many of the play's important themes -- morality, hypocrisy, justice and forgiveness among them -- while giving each of these full emotional and dramatic weight helps turns this Measure for Measure  (even without the Shakespeare poetry) into something major, surprising and often quite splendid. And if the plot itself is pure melodrama, well, so's the original.

From Samuel Goldwyn Films and running 107 minutes, the movie is available now via VOD and digital streaming -- for purchase and/or rental.