Rough Stuff (2017)

Director:  Jonathan Adams
Producer:  Nicole Johnschwager, Kelly Tomasich
Main Cast:  Gareth Rickards, Vincent Andriano, Sam Glissan, Hayley Sullivan, Katie Garfield, Jamie Kristian
Runtime:  120 minutes

This is an unusual movie in that it contains four-wheel driving, made by those keen on four-wheel driving (at least so it seems) but not just for four-wheel drivers.  It’s an adventure, action comedy and has some great off-roading in locations that are quite well known for those who have done some decent off-road tracks around Sydney Australia and to top it off it’s a good movie too!  
When it was being made there was quite a bit of publicity on Facebook and sadly only got a small release at select cinemas and drive-ins. But now it’s out on disc for all to see.

The movie is about three friends Buzz (Gareth Rickards), Abe (Vincent Andriano) and Scraps (Sam Glisson) who get approached by some activists that need a lift to a new mining location so they can stage their protests.  To get there undetected they need to go through the tough Mamuya Valley and in exchange for the ride they will give Buzz a map that was thought to have been lost, a map to a stash of gold. Buzz and his friends agree however there is one thing that worries them.  Rangers.  These Rangers are not your National Park officers but more like a bounty hunter and those who get found by the Rangers don’t usually come out alive.  

There is some good four-wheel drive action in the film but it does not overpower the film, so even if you don’t have much interest in off-roading it is still a very enjoyable film as there is plenty of comedy and a few twists throughout its 120-minute runtime.  The off-roading looks and feels authentic for the vast majority of the film, the characters are likeable, has great Aussie scenery and a load of laughs.  There is, however, a reasonable amount of swearing so not completely family friendly.  As one who enjoys four-wheel driving, I loved it and noticed many of the tracks used but as stated above, you don’t need to like off-roading to enjoy the movie as there is quite a lot of comedy in it that would be appreciated by anyone.

The film has only been released on DVD (July 2017) and I reckon there was more demand for the movie than what some stores (eg. JB HIfi) had anticipated as it was a bit hard to get a copy in its release day due to many stores only stocking very low quantities but that has no doubt been sorted now.  The image is in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio and is generally really good in quality though there are some scenes in lower light that gets a bit grainy and washed out but certainly nothing to be worried about.  The audio is also done well and comes to us in a Dolby 5.1 format.  The disc also contains the following extras:

• Audio Commentary with some cast and crew
• The Making of Rough Stuff
• Rough Rubber: Mickey Tompson and Rough Stuff
• Tough Stuff
• Deleted Scenes
• Blooper Reel
• Miniatures Testing
• Theatrical Trailer

Overall this is a great Aussie movie that is ambitious in its attempt to create a more realistic off-road adventure that has a good dose of comedy, action and bit of suspense all of which add up to it getting a high recommendation.  It’s a great movie and well worth watching for some Aussie flavour.

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The Man Between (1953)

Ivo Kern: [Already starting to rub one of Susanne's feet] Are your feet cold?
Susanne Mallison: Yes, and my hands are cold. Your heart is the coldest of all.
Ivo Kern: I can warm your feet for you. It's a pity you can't do anything about my heart.
Susanne Mallison: I could try.
Ivo Kern: Why should you bother?

Director:  Carol Reed
Producer:  Carol Reed
Main Cast:  James Mason, Claire Bloom, Hildegard Knef, Dieter Krause
Runtime:  100 minutes

Continuing the success of Night Train to Munich (1940), Odd Man Out (1947), Fallen Idol (1948) and the brilliant The Third Man (1949), Carol Reed made The Man Between in 1953 however sadly it got mostly dismissed in light of The Third Man which remains today as one of the top British films in the Noir catalogue.  The Man Between, I believe, stands its own when given the chance and a new recent restoration makes it shine even better than ever.

Where The Third Man was set amongst the rubble of Vienna, The Man Between has been wonderfully filmed in and around Berlin where the effects of WW2 stand out like a sore foot whether that be the bombed out buildings, new construction and the division between East and West Berlin.  

Susanne (Claire Bloom) flies into West Berlin and is met by her brother’s wife Bettina (Hildegard Knef) and soon after Susanne notices something odd between her brother Martin (Geoffrey Toone) and his wife.  Bettina takes Susanne into East Berlin and they happen to be met by Ivo (James Mason) and again Susanne suspects something between the two that goes much deeper than what is revealed.  Susanne falls for Ivo who has suspicious links to the East (Russian sector) and that gets them both into trouble leading up to a splendid cat and mouse chase through East Berlin in a hope to get to safety in the West sector.

Throughout the film we see a damaged Berlin in the dry, wet and snow and the overall cinematography is really wonderful in its own way just as the well-known shadowy images of The Third Man in Vienna and Belfast in Odd Man Out yet this takes a greater role in revealing the lives and surrounds of the people in post War Berlin and we begin to get a much greater sense of damaged lives though not to the extent of Germany Year Zero filmed 5 years earlier.  

There is a good sense of suspense and mystery, though perhaps not as well-crafted as The Third Man, yet still stands tall as one of the greater lesser known classics that are well worth discovering especially for the great acting and sobering surrounds.  
James Mason, Clair Bloom and Hildegard Knef all give fantastic performances and in fact all the supporting actors (the majority of whom are German) also give convincing portrayals of their characters and just add to the charm of the film.  

As is often the case, Australia misses out on these great classics and we are forced to look elsewhere for a good DVD/Bluray of them.  In this case the Bluray was imported from the UK and it was only released in January 2017.  

Showing off a new 2K restoration of the film, Studiocanal gives us a wonderful transfer of the film under the “Vintage Classics” label (known for releasing other classics such as The Ladykillers, Went the Day Well? and The Third Man).  The clean, crisp image is in the 1.37:1 aspect ratio and is simply excellent with great balance between the highlights and shadows.  The sound is also well restored in its original mono in a PCM (uncompressed) format and sounds great.  We also get the following extras:

• Interview with Clair Bloom
• Carol Reed: A Gentle Eye Documentary
• BFI Audio Interview with James Mason (1967)

Overall this is a film that any fan of The Third Man would enjoy and therefore should not be missed.  The filming location also builds upon the story and would be of great interest to those seeking to get a view of post war Berlin.  Frankly, for me it was fantastic film almost on par with The Third Man and therefore comes Very Highly Recommended.

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