The Screen Critic with Jim Schembri
A truly magnetic central performance by Amanda Seyfried anchors The Testament of Ann Lee, a beguiling, unusual film about a beguiling and unusual religious group known as The Shakers.
Based on a true historical figure from the 1700s, this beautifully photographed opus (blessed with plenty of natural lighting) follows God-fearing Ann Lee, beginning with her tragic life in Manchester where her devotion to God is countered by the loss of four newborn children.
With her piety redoubled and her fellow worshippers attracting complaints over all their strange singing and even stranger dancing (thumping their chests as they twirl about) she decides to take a group over to the young America to spread the good word.
Thing is, Ann considers sex an obstacle on the path to God, which is fine for her but not so great for her whip-happy husband (Christopher Abbott), who promptly leaves her out of frustration.
Peppered with bizarre musical sequences, the film is weird – but in a good way.
Along with its arresting visual style, the storytelling is unconventional as the group sets up a colony of followers and draws the ire of locals who believe the newcomers are practicing witchcraft.
If you’re looking for something out-of-the-ordinary and made on a big scale, Ann Lee will ensnare you.
Way over at the other end of the movie spectrum sits Fackham Hall, a very silly, joke-driven spoof of prestige British period dramas such as Downton Abbey.
Pickpocket extraordinaire Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) is sent by fate into the grounds of plush Fackham Hall, where the heads of the Davenport family are about to marry off daughter Rose (Thomasin McKenzie – who also happens to be one of the leads in Ann Lee) to a pompous sod.
Naturally, Eric and Rose fall for each other and try to negotiate their way through a hit-and-miss swirl of gags about class, privilege, wealth and – as we’re dealing with the British aristocracy – rampant inbreeding.
The lark begins strongly and ends well, though the pace sags somewhat in the middle. Still, this nonsense answers the call for those in need of a pleasant time killer.
Though fans of the 30-year old horror-comedy franchise are clearly going to get the most out of Scream 7, it’s a fair bet anyone going in cold will delight in all the gory hi-jinks.
In brief: series regular Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is now a mum whose daughter Tatum (Isabel May) has caught the eye of the killer Ghostface, who is supposed to be dead.
Along with all the usual slashings and dispatching there’s a surprising amount of ingenuity deployed and some very well-directed moments of terror where the tension is heightened by silence. Nicely done.
Big on Netflix right now is the Australian action thriller Primitive War, an absolute ripper adventure that plays like a mashing of Platoon and Jurassic Park.
Deep in the steaming jungles of the Vietnam war, a group of elite Green Beret soldiers (lead by Jeremy Piven) encounter loads of very hungry dinosaurs with whom they do battle.
Sure, we’ve all sat through enough dinosaurs-meet-and-eat-people movies, but what spices up the relentless B-movie mayhem here is the sheer variety and volume of critters.
Given that the budget on Primitive War wouldn’t cover the catering on a studio film, the quality of the visual effects is outstanding, easily matching those of mega-budget blockbusters.
As is now typical with most Australian fare, the film came and went in a heartbeat at cinemas, thanks to a limited release and virtually no marketing profile.
The good thing about streaming is how it gives films a second chance to breathe and nab the audience it deserves, which appears to be the case here.
Check it out. It’s a hoot.
For more visit jimschembri.com with updates on X at @jimschembri
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