Measure for Measure

No one should have to TRY to get through a film and halfway through this one I called time of death. This is actor-turned-director Paul Ireland's second film and he has a lot to learn about directing including pacing. I defy, yes defy you to stay awake during this lamentable snooze-fest. The overall story isn't even interesting concerning petty drug distribution and a star-crossed inter-racial/religious romance. There's just been this whole crop of wasted-effort films being released recently like this including The Faceless Man, Widow's Point, Alpha Code, The Argument, Legacy of Lies, etc. The only good film recently released is "Odd Thomas". Try that one out fellow movie watcher.

I really enjoyed this film. Had no idea what to expect going in, so was pleasantly surprised by the really good acting (Hugo Weaving is always a joy to watch!) . and the female lead in particular is amazingly good!! If you like really thoughtful, interesting films, then I can highly recommend this one.

I don't really understand the plot, as the accents are hard to understand, and the foreign language parts aren't subtitled. The production is good though.

I realize this is an adaptation but there's some big problems. Firstly why does the cop automatically presume that the crazy meth killer is somehow attached to the drug dealer? There's loads of places to get meth, there's loads of dealers in Melbourne. Guy could have got it from anywhere. Even if it came from the Hugo Weaving character and his son all they have to do is deny it.

Second problem: How is the Hugo Weaving character - apparently a small-time dealer living in a housing estate - have cops that work for him? Especially a detective? I've never heard of any crime figure that powerful choosing to live in a housing estate.

Anyway I didn't get much beyond that. As soon as the two lovers went on a tour of "Melbourne Cliches" I found it a bit cringey and went to sleep. I may give it another go. I do like to support the local projects.

Adaptation or not, you have to present material to an audience that is palpable. The source material is really irrelevant.

The presentation, in both script and direction feels amateurish and cliché. The crime element has been done to death. The romantic angle is so poorly presented, especially the early montage, complete with cheesy music. The drone shots are overdone and the direction is stale overall. The only thing that saves this film is the obvious class of Hugo Weaving, though the film is not worthy of him. Megan Smart tries. Nice to John Brumpton here too.

Australian funding bodies seem to have no interest in bringing in an audience. They all want to create some cultural art that reaches no one, made by the middle to upper classes, telling working class stories. It's a joke. We need original stories that can also entertain. You can create cultural significant stories while embedding in well crafted entertainment, such as in Mystery Road or crime tales like The Boys and Animal Kingdom. Surely there are also other stories worth telling?

The Australian Film Industry seems to make films for itself, trying to 'educate' society from the outside, writing their scripts in Albert Park cafes, wanting to change the world with their colossal egos, thumbing their stuck-up noses at audiences. At least, that's what they're funding. Plenty of good scripts, no doubt, never see the light of day.

How much talent has Australia lost to overseas? Not just actors but writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, the works. We need to invest money in actual talent and foster them from the ground up and lop off the head of nepotism. Too many people have given up because they can't catch a break while 'important' crap like this keeps getting made. Decent Australian films seem so far and few between.

Maybe the concept sounded delicious over a second bottle of red and a seafood linguine in a South Melbourne restaurant but all they delivered was a dried-out cheeseburger.