DVDebut for Ivan Sen's modern-day, Australian-outback, slow-burn western, GOLDSTONE

The award-laden (in Australia, at least) Australian movie GOLDSTONE harks back to those American westerns (with a sizeable helping of film noir tropes added to the mix) in which an outsider appears in town to investigate what looks like a simple problem that soon opens up into an entire web of corruption and sleaze. So, yes, we've seen this before. (Bad Day at Black Rock, anyone?). The difference in Ivan Sen's movie resides in the compellingly bleak-but-beautiful outback vistas that amaze the eye, and in the two lead performances, especially that of Aaron Pedersen in the role of the mixed-race detective who comes to "town" (we use that word loosely) to investigate.

Mr. Pedersen (above), who was so frighteningly fine as one of the two crazy murderers in last year's best couple-in-jeopardy survival movie, Killing Ground, is even better here as the taciturn fellow who just wants to do his job. The actor is especially good at allowing us to imagine all that roils beneath his quiet-but-deep surface.

His co-star is the younger actor Alex Russell, above, who plays the town's one lone cop, a man in the process of slowly being corrupted by the powers-that-be -- both corporate and political --

played respectively by David Wenham (above, right) and Jacki Weaver (left, getting a piggy-back ride). Few actors do buttoned-down sleaze better than Mr. Wenham, while Ms Weaver is always a delight, especially when she is being sweetly vicious, as here (and in Animal Kingdom).

De rigueur these days is a nod to sex trafficking, here via a bevy of beautiful Asian girls like the one played by Michelle Lim Davidson, above), whom one of our heroes decides he must help.

Also often seen in Aussie films is that sub-plot about native Aboriginal lands being stolen by the sadly winning combination of corporate power and local politics. That surfaces here via two characters: an old man named Jimmy (David Gulpilil, above) who appears to be a kind if spiritual leader to the particular group of Aboriginals and another named Tommy, played by Tommy Lewis (aka Tom E. Lewis), shown below,

who has renounced his tribe to go to work for the opposite side. Both actors -- probably the most seen of all Aborigine performers -- hold a special place in Australian film. Lewis, who died earlier this year, made his movie debut in that classic (and still hugely powerful) The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978), while Gulpilil made his in Nicolas Roeg's famous Walkabout (1971). Both have worked steadily ever since, and their contribution to Goldstone, in terms of performances and the movie's underlying theme of the destruction of Aboriginal land and culture add to the undeniable gravity here.

Goldstone opens with a montage of archival photos showing, among other fascinating shots, Australia's use of slave labor via the Chinese and the Aboriginals. What follows brings all this up to date in a tale that offers its own depressing plus ça change effect.

For all its weight and slow-burn build to an exciting climax, the movie will seem to many older viewers not all that original. We've seen its like before, many times over.

And yet writer, director, editor, composer and cinematographer (whew!) Ivan Sen (shown at right) still manages to make most of it seem reasonably fresh and consistently compelling. He draws fine performances from his cast -- and a super one from Pedersen -- leaving us, once again and forever, it seems, watching the "haves" slowly, quietly and very effectively destroy the "have-nots."

From Lightyear Entertainment and running 110 minutes, the movie, after finding a limited theatrical release this past March, hits DVD this coming Tuesday, September 11, via MVD Entertainment -- for purchase and (I hope) rental.

Note to Lightyear and MVD: Please invest in the English subtitles options for any future release that sports thick Aussie accents. We missed probably one-quarter of the dialog, thanks to this omission.

With MARK FELT: THE MAN WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE WHITE HOUSE, Peter Landesman complements an earlier "Watergate" movie

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On video -- at last -- Richard Brouillette's brilliant, necessary economic-theory twosome: ENCIRCLEMENT and ONCLE BERNARD

Twelve years in the making -- and worth every last minute of those years -- ENCIRCLEMENT is the documentary product of French-Canadian filmmaker Richard Brouillete in which, via economists, philosophers and (in the words of the film's press material, with which I would agree) "some of the world's most transformational thinkers," he confronts the west's ideological conformism and brainwashing regarding the neo-liberal philosophy that still controls so many of today's so-called western "democracies."

One of those "thinkers" is Bernard Maris, aka Oncle (Uncle) Bernard, whom we see bits of in Entitlement. In ONCLE BERNARD, the 80-minute interview devoted entirely to the noted economists's views, we get the full dose of the late M. Maris, and it is a revelation. I have never heard any economist speak more intelligently, cogently, forcefully or entertainingly about the situation in which the western world has placed itself, thanks to the idiocy and horror of neo-liberalism -- the primary tool of the wealthy, corporate and powerful.

What M. Brouillette, shown at right, has done here is simply give us the major explanation for why the world and its people, particularly in the west, but also in most-if-not-all developing countries, is growing poorer, while the rich, as ever, grow richer and "business" and the banks keep reaping larger profits at the expense of the populace. Yes, this is "left-wing" stuff, but so expertly and honestly do these talking heads, in particular Oncle Bernard, lay out their case that anyone with a genuinely inquiring mind will have trouble negating what s/he has learned here.

TrustMovies watched Oncle Bernard first, since this doc lasts only 80 minutes, while Entitlement goes on for two hours and 23 minutes. (I needn't have worried about length, however. Once into the latter film, I was soon and permanently hooked.) Bernard Maris (shown above and below) is simply an amazement: Listening to and learning from him proves an unalloyed treat. Whether he's talking about economic theory as a kind of religious faith or the pointless and perverse pretense of confidence and transparency, the "neutral" unemployment rate, and inflation and lending, Maris is an alert, funny and exemplary teacher.

This black-and-white film, during which, every ten minutes or so, the reel must be changed, has a delightful, old-fashioned (the interview was filmed in March of 2000), off-the-cuff charm that is contagious. By the time our "Uncle" arrives at derivatives and pension funds (remember: this interview took place well prior to the upcoming financial crisis), as well as how the banks (even back then) were reporting only half of their transactions and so were consequently under no real government control, it will hit you just how special this economist was and what a loss it is to have had him murdered at the hands of the terrorists who attacked Charlie Hebdo in 2015.

In fact, watching and listening to Maris and how he takes apart France and its governments, you may find yourself wondering if, after all, that Charlie Hebdo massacre wasn't an inside job. Really: How could a man this set on telling truth to power -- and then spreading that truth all around -- be allowed to live?

The subtitle of Encirclement is NEO-LIBERALISM ENSNARES DEMOCRACY, and once you've experienced this combination of history, economic theory, and very, very smart talking heads, you wont just understand this ensnarement and how it has happened, but you'll probably be quite able to explain it all to your children and parents, too. The documentary is that clear, concise, and rigorous. My biggest quibble is that I wish that M. Brouillette had identified all his speakers as each first appeared, rather than waiting until the end to show us their names. Consequently, although I can remember what was said, I can't recall in many cases who said it.

Still, what an array of speakers we have here, and after all, it's what they say that proves most important. One early fellow explains how both left and right adhere to this same neo-liberal theory,  (I did not know that Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin's government transformed public companies into private at the same rate as did right-wing governments.) We get plenty of theory here, as well as some interesting info on the men who gave it to us. I did not realize that Hayek -- Friedrich not Salma -- held Utopian views that benefited society's strongest, rather than its under-privileged. (One of the many speakers here is the stalwart Noam Chomsky, below.)

Rather than simply giving us the Collectivist/Socialist talking heads, Brouillette allows neo-liberal thinkers to pontificate, too. And he offers them plenty of time -- and rope -- with which to hang themselves. They do. After one fellow's lengthy, ridiculous speech, my spouse (who does not follow economics at all closely) called out from the bathroom, "What a bunch of bullshit that was!"  Another Libertarian tries to explain how privatizing water would help solve both our environmental and economic problems, and the result is pure, sad hilarity.

Toward the end of this truly monumental undertaking, Susan George (the political scientist, rather than the actress) and others tackle the WMF, World Bank and WTO and show us, point by point in wonderful detail, how these organizations have toppled democracy and especially how they are decimating developing countries. The doc was made prior to the 2008-and-beyond financial collapse, but what these organizations have done since the turn of the century -- hello Greece! -- is equally disgusting. Another quibble, however: I do wish the filmmaker had not used such heavy-handed piano music on his soundtrack. The information we get here is troubling and important enough not to need unnecessary goosing from the musical score.

Otherwise, Encirclement is a masterwork of its kind. I can't imagine any intelligent, pro-active viewer who cares about the direction of western society not immediately giving it a view. Or two. From IndiePix Films, both Encirclement and Oncle Bernard will be available as of this coming Tuesday, September 26, on DVD, digital HD and via IndiePix Unlimited's new streaming service -- for purchase and/or rental.

Robert Greenwald's latest agitprop, MAKING A KILLING, takes on the NRA. Good luck, Bob!

You've got hand it to Robert Greenwald, that seemingly indefatigable maker of movies (most of them documentaries) -- 86 as producer and at least 25 as director: He does not seem to have updated his IMDB profile for a few years now -- that are dedicated to setting America back on track. His films on everything/everyone from Rupert Murdoch to the Koch Brothers, Walmart, our use of drones and one of his best, War on Whistleblowers, go after the usual suspects with anger, relish and plenty of statistics.

But the man, pictured at right, does sometimes seem to be beating a dead horse -- or in this case, one that simply refuses to die and instead goes on killing more and more of us in the process. That would be the NRA, which -- no matter how great a majority of Americans want better and firmer gun control in so many ways -- continues to keep buying off our politicians so that, time and again after each and every mass killing and individual murder or suicide throughout the USA, we are no closer than before to living in a safer, better country.

His latest doc, MAKING A KILLING: GUNS, GREED AND THE NRA, takes aim (and good aim, at that) at this behemoth of horror and venality, and shows us why and how this evil continues to rule. But so what? Will anyone who isn't already converted to Mr. Greenwald's view even watch this film? I have my doubts. I watched, because I said I would cover the film, and I hoped I might learn something more or something new. I did not. I still believe thoroughly in what Greenwald believes, but I find the experience of viewing a film like this so frustrating that it could drive me to drink. Or worse. (I am glad I have no guns in my home.)

I did meet a few folk new to me -- mostly relatives of victims of guns, each of whom has a story that will break you heart, as the event in question broke their own -- yet the stories begin to run together with others we've heard time and again over the years.

The movie is divided into several parts, dealing with individual murder and suicide, mass killings (his recreation of the Aurora movie-theater massacre is genuinely creepy and horrifying), and especially (where the poor, beleaguered city of Chicago is concerned) how weapons so easily cross state lines and wreak havoc on innocent citizens (many of whom are shown below).

What to do? The movie takes the stance that activism is the answer, and in a couple of instances shown here -- in which citizens go after certain gun stores in Indiana that have sold weapons that have killed Illinois citizens -- this works in a small and mild way. But what effect has this had upon the NRA, which, thanks to money totally controlling our politics, continues to profit, prosper and murder.

TrustMovies is at a loss to know what is left to do to counter this evil. Our upcoming election -- with one candidate so full of lies and deception that ever he cannot tell the difference between reality and make-believe (his own sanity is now being called into question) and the other so in bed with our financial industry and corporate money that no help will arrive from her -- will solve or settle nothing. Well, with global warming upon us, about which one candidate claims is fraudulent and the other pays little mind (there's just not enough profit in global warming), we're probably doomed, and more quickly that we know.

But see Greenwald's newest, if you dare, and try to come away with some real plan of action. I could not. But maybe I'm just too depressed. Seems to me that the only way change can occur is if we remove money's control of our politics (I see no hope of that from either party). Or maybe this: All those politicians who accept money from the NRA, together with all those who wield the power at the NRA, should lose a loved one, probably a child, at the point of a rifle or gun. Only then will they understand -- and take the necessary action. But where, I wonder, is the deus ex machina to make that happen?

Meanwhile, Making a Killing opens this coming Friday, August 12, in Los Angeles at the Laemmle's Music Hall in Beverly Hills, and on Friday, August 19 in New York City at the Village East Cinema. The film will hit VOD, via Gravitas Ventures, on November1.

Sunday Corner: Lee Liberman goes DANCING ON THE EDGE with Stephen Poliakoff

Writer-creators Stephen Poliakoff and Julian Fellowes were attracted to the same hot topic when they wrote screenplays about the rise of jazz between the great wars, shining light on glittery elites whose following attracted the public through their patronage of black artists. The Cotton Club was all the rage in NYC while the royals juiced the trend on the British side of the pond, helping to make jazz musici-ans celebrities of the 1920s & 30s.

Fellowes' version of the jazz trend had cousin Rose flinging with black bandleader Jack Ross in Downton Abbey while Poliakoff uses his entire vehicle DANCING ON THE EDGE to throw fuel on the subject of race, class, sex, and jazz for 6 episodes in which poverty, hunger, and immigration issues lurk around the edges. Little by little tensions grow in our story as the elite pursue their latest hobby, trouble stalks band members, and German diplomats in town are already revealing their racist hearts in public

Chiwetel Ejiofor (above, l) leads a terrific cast as black band leader Louis Lester, along with charming Matthew Goode (above, r ), playing irrepressible rogue Stanley Mitchell, music impresario and editor of a rag called "The Music Express". Stanley, most at home in his paper's lair, is thought by some reviewers to have dubious motives, but I found his enthusiasm contagious as he recognizes the band's potential and organizes one gambit after another to promote and protect them. Stanley makes bits of mischief for Louis but always has his back -- the band has one foot in the world of high society but also uncomfortable exposure to police and/or the alien immigration authorities.

Louis's saga as an up-and-comer begins when Stanley hears a snippet of the band at a grungy dive club and knows they are something special. He has a commission in his pocket to recommend a new band to the Imperial, a once fashionable palace that is now dowager country (above, the stand-in for the Imperial). He organizes a booking for the instrumentalists and singers, Jessie and Carla (Angel Coulby and Wunmi Mosaku, third and fourth from left in photo below). Gradually the band grows an audience including a small group of influentials whom we get to know well (plus Prince George and Edward, Prince of Wales, the "playboy" princes who were serious patrons of Duke Ellington and Florence Mills, among others).

There's Walter Masterson (above, second from l) an American money bags with extreme sexual proclivities and hazardous morals (John Goodman), Lavinia Cremone (a splendid Jacqueline Bisset, 5th from r), an aristocrat who still mourns three sons lost in World War I but is newly aroused to do good in the world; Mr. Donaldson (Anthony Head, 4th from r ), an urbane fellow and silent manipulator; Pamela Luscombe (Joanna Vanderham -- Denice in The Paradise, 6th from r) and her high-strung, troubled brother Julian (Tom Hughes, far l) are rebellious offspring of rich, racist social climbers ("We are going to have a party for mummy and fill the house with blacks and Jews" says Pamela); photographer Sarah, daughter of a Russian emigre with a mysterious past, who has an affair with Louis, (Janet Montgomery, on Ejiofor's arm, left center).

In episode 3, a band member is stabbed and later dies. Our society patrons come into focus as evidence appears against Louis that will make his conviction likely of a murder he didn't commit. Who is genuine and who is not figures here as some deliberately aim to implicate Louis, some look the other way, and others take personal risks to help him escape. Lady Cremone (Bisset, below) swings one way and then the other. A hotel manager complains: "You brought the roof down on all of us, Stanley -- you brought the band here." Masterson's response is to throw money around (as above, with singers Jessie and Carla).

The murder plot is resolved by the end of the fifth episode but Poliakoff (pictured below) adds a sixth episode in the form of Stanley's interview with Louis, an unsatisfying discussion of questions we never had and anecdotes we didn't need. The addition of this episode speaks to a lack of discipline, as though Poliakoff, shown below -- who both wrote and directed the series -- had some thought streams he couldn't shoehorn into the body and added this vehicle to include them. It lumbered.

The original score glitters but is not as titillating as the raw, edgy music of the early jazz era. But despite its flaws, Dancing's story-in-chief and the ensemble of players are very engaging and leave us wanting more. We get that the subject of race is topic A, crossing social red-lines topic B, and both will remain ever thus. But rather than this being a message movie, particularly, 'Dancing' offers good company, entertainment, hypocrisy revealed with wit, and a window on the lively era that roared into the 30's, oblivious to the rise of The Third Reich.  A BBC2 production, Dancing on the Edge  first appeared over here on Starz and is now streaming via Netflix.

(The above post was written by 

our correspondent Lee Liberman.)

Streaming treat: Do blondes have more fun? David Tennant & Emily Watson in Paula Milne's THE POLITICIAN'S HUSBAND

Note: The following post is written by
our sometimes correspondent, Lee Liberman.

Here scriptwriter Paula Milne (with the help of director, Simon Cellan Jones, shown at left) offers an updated version of her 1996 revenge-plot mini-series, The Politician's Wife, in which the wife undoes her husband's career to punish him for his long affair with an escort. In the new series, THE POLITICAN'S HUSBAND, Milne modernizes spouse, Freya, (Emily Watson), who has not only emancipated herself from the loyal rear guard but is actually better than her husband's professional equal.

Milne's mini-series duo reflects the author's intrigue with betrayal and revenge. The series launches with the Latin phrase: Corruptio optimi pessima -- 'corruption of the best is the worst of all'. The entire drama is devoted to intrigue that shocks and corrupts, leading to revenge, while allowing for a mere shard of hope that true love can survive betrayal.

The focus is on Aiden (David Tennant) -- a power-wound cabinet minister who aims to lead the Labour Party (he's also a righteous democrat lobbying for liberal immigration reform) about to be betrayed by his oldest and dearest friend, fellow cabinet minister, Bruce, (the handsome Ed Stoppard, above, right, son of playwright Tom). Bruce covets the prime minister post and willingly ruins his closest friend whose picture-perfect life he envies. Bruce then organizes the promotion of Freya (above, left) from back bench to cabinet minister and attempts to win her away from Aiden.

The politicking is set against the busy complex family life of the married MP's, Freya and Aiden, dubbed the golden couple of the liberal political establishment. They have two young children including one with Aspergers syndrome whose difficulties pain Aiden particularly. Also there's grandfather (Jack Shepherd), a retired academic who pitches in with the kids and serves as Aiden's compass about what really matters. We see Freya and Aiden communicate, problem-solve, jointly share household duties, and seek comfort in each other sexually. They are a more cohesive team than any I can think of off-hand on film and the depth of their relationship makes you root for it. However, once Aiden and Freya have traded places between back bench and cabinet, things begin to shift (in and out of bed).

While Freya has always supported his climb and assumed the larger burden of family, their new roles challenge Aiden's obsessive need to be in control. (He punctures her diaphragm, wishing for a pregnancy to put things back the way they were.) And Freya, who had vicariously enjoyed Aiden's successes as though they were her own, comes to wield her own political power as though born to it, and she repels her husband's self-interested meddling. Aiden reaches a boil when he thinks Freya has cheated on him with Bruce; he stages a devastating coup of his own. When Freya realizes how willingly he had put her career in jeopardy, she and we begin to doubt the marriage can survive. The way they do move forward together provides a chill, our wondering exactly how hollowed out their relationship has become. The situation is not totally devoid of hope given Freya's emotional intelligence, deftly, quietly conveyed by Ms Watson.

As Aiden, Tennant is coiffed a carefully clipped blond, adding a look of serpentine stealth and menace to his parliamentary stagecraft and to the turn-around of his dead- ended career (at Bruce's expense). Both Freya and Aiden are unusually compelling characters for their mix of sympathetic and predatory traits -- are we all bad when driven to it? Tennant, described in media as a British golden boy, recently starred in Masterpiece Mystery's The Escape Artist and has a long roster of film and TV credits (as well as having lit the torch at the British Olympics).

Watch this one streaming on Netflix for an amped-up ride through high stakes politics and intimate family drama -- and note who is on top.