The Science of Sleep is about Stephane, a young man who occasionally finds it hard to distinguish between his dreams and his reality. Stephane lives in his dreams, his bizarre behaviour nicely summed up when he exclaims: “I’m exhausted, I’m gonna wake up now.” When Stephane gets to know his new neighbour, Stephanie, things get even stranger. Stephane’s dream-self is constantly sabotaging his reality, feeding his insecurities, and totally confusing him and everyone around him.

This is a film that demands repeat viewings. There is more depth to this surreal romantic drama than initially apparent. The film captures the intensity of Stephane’s emotions and imaginatively portrays how epic things can sometimes feel. As Stephane says “in dreams, emotions are overwhelming.”

In conveying Stephane’s inner world, Gondry has created a visual playground. The dreamscape is illustrated with animated sequences made from materials such as cardboard, cellophane, and wool, presenting a childlike aesthetic that is perfectly synonymous with both the narrative, and Stephane’s immaturity.

There is no denying that Gondry is one of the most visually creative directors around at the moment, and his latest film does not disappoint. The Science of Sleep is visually inventive and amusing, showing Gondry is clearly in touch with his inner child.

However, what The Science of Sleep is noticeably lacking is the narrative cohesion and sheer brilliance of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Gondry’s last fiction film (he has since directed the music documentary Dave Chappelle’s Block Party). Eternal Sunshine was written by the incredibly talented Charlie Kaufman, making it understandable that in comparison, Gondry’s narrative seems a little boring and flimsy at times and much less emotionally engaging than Kaufman’s intricate musing on memory.

Still, The Science of Sleep holds your interest and in fact has moments of genius. Gael García Bernal’s Stephane is extremely convincing, an awesome casting decision. I haven’t seen Bernal put a foot wrong so far in terms of the quality of his performances or the films he appears in, a rare feat for any actor.

This gentle yet chaotic film is a luscious mix of clouds, time machines, and other wonderful inventions. Ending on a note that is at once happy and sad, The Science of Sleep is really a beautiful mess and if nothing else makes you want to live your “life in 3D”.

See it for yourself: 3.5/5

Check out this coffee - bigger than a car (a Ferrari Testarossa to be precise). That’s one large coffee. Even though Ben (from the Bean Counter) isn’t keen on making them (that’s not how coffee should be!) he keeps the strength and consistency just right. ‘Tis a good way to start my shift (all I need now is a croissant and beret)

And to salvage Ben’s rep - I’ve already had a gulp of this coffee so it’s not as pristine as a fresh pour!

The Edukators follows anti-capitalist activists and best friends Jan and Peter, and Peter’s girlfriend Jule. Struggling vainly against the system, Jan and Peter secretly perform their own form of non-aggressive, subversive activism by breaking into rich conservative’s houses and re-arranging their belongings in confusing and creative displays, to highlight the ridiculous and pointless materialism of their targets. With this, they also leave provocative and ‘educational’ notes, along the lines of: “Your days of plenty are numbered” or “You have too much money”. When Jule gets involved and they end up kidnapping a wealthy executive, their lives are irrevocably altered.

This tale of idealistic youth is shot on a handheld camera, which works well with the film’s themes. The aesthetics aren’t overly stylized or amateurish, and fit the relaxed mood of the film. Daniel Bruhl, Julia Jentsch, Stipe Erceg, and Burghart Klaussner are perfectly cast and the believability of The Edukators is owed to these four talented actors portraying the hostage and his inadvertent captors. There is an atmosphere of sincerity throughout this film that is owed to the films visual style as well as the acting – the earnest hopefulness of the young trio is captured well.

The pace of the film is slow, after the initial excitement of the kidnapping, the narrative focuses on the drama between its leads. An isolated mountaintop environment provides a fitting backdrop to some interesting discussions about the state of the world between the hostage and his ‘educators’. The confined quarters also sees the untangling of the inevitable love triangle between Jan, Jule and Peter.

Not a lot happens in The Edukators, but it is engaging throughout, as it meanders towards its resolution. Being centred around a hostage situation, the ending to this film is crucial to its success or failure. Fortunately, the simple and clever conclusion brings the narrative to a satisfying end, without which the film most likely would be far less appealing as a whole.

The Edukators is at times funny and romantic; the politics appear really just as a context for a fairly light-hearted and likeable drama. The film is not heavy on political rhetoric, but is certainly thought provoking. This is a charming film that leaves you in a good mood and perhaps even feeling a little inspired.

Worth watching: 3.5/5

Most people don’t recognise this until I point it out - but we try and colour match as much of our poster art as we can. Check these screen shots out:

We want to represent these movies as best we possibly can. That means hi-res poster art, clean layout with the synopsis clear and readable, and some mighty fine colouring-in!

Headlines about the death of print are sorta like headlines about the death of the local video store. Duncan Reilly raises the prospect at techcrunch with the demise of the local PC Mag, ‘PC World’.

There’s comment from Phil Sim here, and Chris Saad here.

Like the local video store, I don’t see print (even tech rags) dying any time soon. I really like print - the aesthetic, the feel, being able to read a mag in the sun. The simplicity. We’re not all hardwired to our feed readers, sucking down the latest in tech news every second of the day. However, the market is re-adjusting and our respective businesses simply cannot operate with the same MO and margins of 5 years ago. In video rentals, the K-marts/Myers/Targets (ie mass retail merchants) have changed the rental market forever. Video rentals have got to get smarter and more efficient. Same with the print mags. They’ve got to get leaner and focus on new value. It seems PC World (the Aus edition) couldn’t make that transition.

Quite a while ago, someone pointed out to me that Australia just doesn’t have the mail order culture that the US has. Ok. So we don’t order and receive goods through the mail like they do. I guess that’s just Americans vs Aussies. But after being in the States, Sarah has just pointed out a MAJOR difference between the US postal service and Aus Post - In the US the mailman picks up mail from people’s letter boxes - Aus Post don’t do that.

Most of us probably knew that (think of all the American movies with the little red flag raised on the letterbox indicating ‘pickup’) - but I’d never really thought through the impact of it. I reckon that’s a HUGE difference in the way the mail works, and could well explain the mail order culture that exists over there. It’s so damn easy to mail something out.

And that works for Netflix. You get a movie in the mail. You watch it. You pop it back in the letterbox when you’re done. You can turn it round quickly with minimal effort. And that’s exactly what DOESN’T work for Quickflix here in Australia. You’ve still got to remember to post the DVD back, and the longer you take, the longer it will take for you to get the next one delivered.

Putting Quickflix and BigPond Movies subscribers together, the adoption rate of mail-order DVDs here in Australia badly trails what Netflix achieved in the States. Netflix broke even after 4 years of trading, with about 2 million subscriptions. At the end of this year, Quickflix will be 4 years in, and as of today, is still making multi-million dollar losses with only 21,000 signed members.

I reckon our lack of a mail-order culture (and different population density) is a big factor at play here. So be wary - just because something works in the states … doesn’t mean that it will work here …

Correction
Stephen Langsford, CEO Quickflix has pointed out Quickflix has only been trading for just under 4 years. I incorrectly said 5 - I’ve updated my post to reflect this.

Sarah’s back after her trip overseas! Last stop was New York after visiting Laos (VienTiane), Italy (Venice/Umbira) and Holland (Amsterdam). What a trip! It’s great to have her back - you’ll be seeing her (and Marg) in the shop with new energy, refreshed and ready to surge APPLEBOX forward. Yay!

To anyone trying to ring through to the shop - there seems to be a problem with the line at the moment. You get a connection, then it cuts off. I’ll have AAPT look at it asap, however in the meantime please email through on info@applebox.com.au - my email is always on and I’ll get back to you straight away.

Set in a small town, Noise follows protagonist Graham McGahan (Brendan Cowell), an ordinary bloke, who also happens to be a policeman. Afflicted by a ringing in his ears, the film centers on his interactions with members of the small community in the aftermath of a particularly disturbing and violent set of murders.

This is a quiet film, punctuated with sharp and intense sequences, building tension and atmosphere very effectively, not least through the portrayal of the increasing effect of Graham’s tinnitus. The high-pitched sound that pervades his head mirrors the unsettling undercurrent that runs through Noise, creating a mood of jarring disquiet.

Australian cinema appears to have taken on a somewhat dark aura in recent years, and Noise is no exception to this trend. This is quite a dark film, concentrating hard on mood, but also realism. Noise deals with tragedy and it’s aftermath, with social isolation and loss of connections between people. This type of social drama/crime film has been quite prevalent in Australian cinema lately, with films such as Lantana, Look Both Ways, Little Fish and Jindabyne, to name just a few. Admittedly, I almost overlooked it on this basis; however I am now quite glad I didn’t. This filmic trend towards the depiction of the depressing may look just that, but having produced so many high quality efforts including those mentioned earlier, Noise fits well within these ranks, not just in terms of theme, but also in terms of artistic merit.

Along with the film’s highly realistic dialogue, there is a quality of uncertainty in the characters that is true to life, a subtlety in the performances which makes them believable. The acting by the largely unknown cast is definitely solid, and the utilisation of the Australian vernacular certainly adds to the film’s charm.

From the stirring opening sequence of the film to the affective final shot, the cinematography is stunning, every scene superbly framed, unconventional angles and close-ups creating beautiful sequences.

The score should be mentioned, as excellent — it is well-devised and an important component of the film’s effectiveness. The motif of an unwelcome and aggressive ringing in the protagonist’s ears, buried just beneath the surface and threatening a deafening explosion, is a metaphor that is powerfully employed.

All of the elements of Noise combine to ensure it is (as the title might suggest) a sensory experience, and a thoroughly absorbing film from start to finish.

Highly Recommended: 4/5

Unfortunately, starting APPLEBOX has devastated my movie watching. I just don’t get the time. Gotta be something ironic in that. So I’m relying on recommendations and reviews to get through when someone says … ‘So what did you think of Noise?’.

Well I can now forget David and Margaret, Megan Spencer or Jim Schembri - we’ve got Emily Johns! Emily has just finished her cinema studies from La Trobe, and will be publishing to this very blog! So tune in and have a read. Ultimately I’ll have a separate review blog, and also look at publishing member’s reviews as well. Until then, check back here as often as you can so Emily can give you the good oil on what to watch!