Monkey Puzzle

I scored a free ticket to the first night of the new Aussie film Monkey Puzzle last night, thanks to our favourite media insider Mr James O'Brien. The weather was pretty bad last night, cold, wet and blowing a gale as I wandered up Oxford St. I had stopped by the Night Noodle Markets in Hyde Park on the way to the cinema, and there was the sad sight of row after row of food vendors primed for business, and about a dozen sodden and beddraggled customers. Eleven, plus me. There was a point as I made my way up Oxford St that I thought I could be snuggled up on the sofa with the laptop and a hot chocolate right now. But I pressed on.

I quite enjoyed the film. The story centres around a group of 5 people who go on a bushwalk through the stunning but dangerous terrain of the Blue Mountains, outside of Sydney, in search of The Wollemi Pine. (You can actually go down the shops and buy one now, which would have saved them a lot of bother, frankly.) What they were searching for I gather was the original discovered specimens.

So, things go wrong. People are annoying. There's some shouting, some kissing, and some inexplicable business about a secret relationship. Some spliff smoking, and a tag along drug dealer. Honestly, young people.

The film is beautifully shot, in what looks like very close and difficult circumstances most of the times. The film really is visually stunning. Mostly because of this:

The Blue Mountains, New South Wales.

And this:

Ryan Johnson aka "Dylan". Hot dish coming through!

I agree with Margaret & David though, the secret relationship storyline doesn't really make sense, one of the more interesting characters exits stage left too early, and quite a bit of the dialogue deson't really seem to hang together. Plus, given that I am generally a fan of redheads I have to say that watching Toni's character go through her (annoying) paces made the expression needs a smack like a redheaded step-child skim through my forebrain more than once.

I give it 2 1/2 stars.