Displaying items by tag: Tiriel Mora

THE APPLETON LADIES’ POTATO RACE

Australia, 2023, 98 minutes, Colour.

Claire van der Boom, Katie Wall, Genevieve Lemon, Tiriel Mora, Robyn Nevin, Olivia Stambouliah, Andrew Ryan, Cecelia Peters, Maggie Dence, Darren Gilshanen. John Gaden.

Directed by Lynn Hegarty.

This is a pleasant piece of Australiana. It is based on a play by Melanie Tate, a play which focused on five women characters and their discussion about life in their town and issues of gender equality. While this core remains the same, the film opens out the action quite extensively, lots of location photography, a wider cast – and the cast are a very welcome assembly of quite a number of veteran Australian stars of stage and screen.

The film is based on a potato race in the southern Highlands of New South Wales country town of Robertson, the home of the playwright. And a lot of the film was filmed in these locations.

So, a lot of pictures of ordinary Australian life in the country. Also, the old traditions for country fairs and potato races. But, a key issue, the prize for the men in winning the race is far more than that allotted for the women. And a lot of satire on male chauvinism.

The sister of the local champion is visiting and takes up the cause, clashes with the men in the town, some sabotaging, and the raising of enough money to have an equal prize.

Easy entertainment but with that gender equality important issue.

1. The title and expectations? Based on a successful theatre play? Adapted for the screen by the writer?
2. The country town, the countryside, potato crops, homes, doctor’s surgery, meeting all, shops, the atmosphere? The musical score?
3. The annual festival, memory of the men working the potato feels, the origin of the race, Aunty Barb and her disguising herself as a man, the establishing of the women’s race? The family tradition, winning the races, Nikki and her 10 years of winning, the trophies?
4. Penny as the centre of the story, selling her home in Sydney, packing up, with Mabes, driving, arriving in Appleton, her having left home years before, to meet her family again, the relief practice, the encounter with Joan Bunyan and her strictness, the patients, her hoping to settle?
5. The family, Barb and Bob, bringing up Nikki and Penny, Nikki and her husband, Mark, his loss of job, drugs? Ethan, clumsy, his apprenticeship, Elliot, the gift of the guitar, his musical ambitions? The young baby? The irony of Mark being Joan Bunyan’s son? And the revelation of Gavin as Joan’s son? The party, rivalry between Nikki and Penny, the stoush with the cake? Indication of things to come?
6. Penny, the encounter with the doctor, his retirement, his training her, his story, his partner, living in the town, the gradual acceptance, revered? His advice for Penny, the scene with him on the horse, getting her to pat the horse and calm down?
7. The range of clients, knowing her from the past? Her friendliness?
8. Nicky, Barb training her for the race, her wanting to win the last one, turning 40? Difficulties at home, Mark and lack of a job, the drugs, the baby swallowing the drugs and Penny coming to the rescue? The rivalry between the two sisters, their perspectives on staying and leaving the town?
9. The issue of the race, the prize money for the race, $2000 for the men, $200 for the women? Penny, taking up the cause, going to the meeting of the committee, Joan and Barb the only ones present? Joan and his strictness with the rules, times, general business, Penny making her case? The decision to pursue it, preparing the posters, around the town, the money box, the collection, Miss Vaughan and her worry about cancer, her donation, feminist? The men and their hostility? Doorknocking, refusals?
10. The attitude of the men, the three Bobs, committee, but never going, the old Mann in the town and their memories, Gavin Bunyan as the spokesman for the chauvinist point of view, his harshness, threats to Penny? His speech at the general meeting, his stubbornness, at home with Mark and his mother, his mother’s exasperation? Sack of potatoes and his making the opening, causing the difficulty during the race? The later reprimand, and from his mother?
11. The radio announcer, the days before the race, keeping the population up-to-date?
12. Hostility towards Penny, people refusing to come for help, the effect on her?
13. Nickki’s 40^th birthday, the clash and truth telling between the two sisters, Mark and his affectionate speech and memories, Nikki overcome, leaving? Penny feeling very bad? Thinking to go back to the city?
14. Nikki and her attitude, not worrying about the money, the training? The news of the money, the meeting, $10,000, the many girls coming from round about to join in the race, the media coverage, the online campaign and its success, Elliot and Miriam and their work? Nickki as a hero to the young women, selfies?
15. The race itself, Penny deciding to run, the potatoes spilling, Penny falling, Nikki coming back and not winning, Miriam winning and the celebration, the two sisters reconciled, carrying the sack together and finishing the race? The family’s joy, Barb and Joan kicking the men out of the commentary box?
16. The importance of the issues about equality between men and women, the lack, Barb and her looking at the photos, preparing the collage of photos, the history of the race, her determination?
17. A pleasant piece of rural Australiana?

THE NUT FARM

Australia, 2023, 91 minutes, Colour.

Arj Barker, Jonno Roberts, Madeleine West, Tiriel Mora, Roy Billing, Gyton Grantley, Steph Tisdell, Annie Byron, Dave Eastgate, JJ Pantano, Danny Faifai, Tracy Lee Maxwell, Brad McMurray.

Directed by Scott Corfield.

Intentionally, the title seems to be indicating some kind of mental establishment. While there are some quite strange goings-on, an absurd character or two, or three, the title actually refers to a property in the remote small Australian town of Cobweb, a macadamia farm.

This is a small Australian film, often tongue in cheek, happy to send up American innocents abroad, a jibe or three at some New Zealanders, and a range of local characters who populate Australian television series, especially the comedies

Our central character is an American, Brendan Brandon, played by comedian Arj Barker, who seems to be a cryptocurrency expert in San Francisco, giving self-satisfied speeches to admiring crowds, but then falling on hard times. We have already seen an old man seemingly prospecting, finding a manhole and going down – and disappearing. He is Mitch and his friend, Harry, phones Brendan to say he has inherited Mitch’s macadamia farm. What on earth does Brendan know about farms or macadamias? Answer, of course, nothing.

Brendan flies to Australia, picked up from the plane by Esme who runs the local pub (incorporating all shops, the diner, the bar…), Looking for all the world like a Dame Edna caricature. Harry is played by Tiriel Mora in his very sad sack style. There are various characters in the town, including old Dazza who spends time at the bar, Sgt Blake, who has all kinds of jobs in Cobweb from policing to delivering the mail (and enjoyable performance from Steph Tisdale), the enterprising Farmer Dee who tells of an avocado farmer who has disappeared. He helps Brendan with the macadamia trees and cultivation – and then disappears.

What is Brendan to make of all of this? Especially when Harry tells him that he has to produce 20,000 tons of macadamia nuts to finally inherit!

Meanwhile, we look below the surface, a fracking enterprise which disturbs the locals and has disturbed Mitch. In the tunnels there is a mad scientist, Zoran (New Zealand actor Jonno Roberts), with a very efficient, office -like assistant and two miners digging in the trenches). It is finally revealed what Zoran is up to – an attempt to assist New Zealand economy!

Since this is also a light comedy, there had better be a bit of romance. There is the enterprising farmer, Kim, who is attracted to Brendan (some of the audience perhaps not entirely sure why), and her rather precocious young son.

When Brendan fails by a couple of kilos to meet his quota, he goes prospecting and uncovers Zoran’s mad enterprise.

And, happy ending, Brendan seeing sense, of course, and staying in Australia with Kim and her son and the macadamia nuts – and all the new friends in Cobweb!

1. The title? Literal macadamia nuts? The overtones of nutty – nutty comedy?
2. The opening in San Francisco, the world of crypto currency, speeches and customers? The contrast with Australia, the town of Cobweb, the farm, the landscapes, the tunnel? The Australian feel? The sending up of Americans? The musical score?
3. Mitch, old man, seeming to be prospecting, the search, his disappearance down the hall? Bequeathing his farm who Brendan? The others disappearing, the avocado farmer, later Farmer D?
4. The audience seeing the sore arm, his assistant, the miners, his manic behaviour, going to the shop, Has a as a spy, theatrical? His aim, gas for New Zealand? The issue of fracking?
5. Brendan, age, character, success, his well collapsing, the phone call from Australia, his arrival, landing, the small town, airport, is made turning up, looking like Dame Edna Everage?
6. Harry, friendship with Mitch, the phone call to Brendan, meeting him, the farm, the property, the house? The claws of having to farm 20,000 tons of macadamia nuts?
7. Sgt Blake, her variety of jobs, changing personality with each job? The irony of the bar, the various sections and the various shops, stores, eating places?
8. Kim, hard work, her son, precocious, the attraction to Brendan, the possibility of a relationship?
9. Brendan, the house, getting used to Australia, Farmer D and the information about the macadamia nuts, tending them, his work?
10. Just falling short of the quota? The legal consequences?
11. Brendan, exploring, finding the trapdoor, going down, discovering the captives?
12. The buildup to the confrontation, the audience having seen the miners and their interactions with the locals, Zorro and his assistant, her efficiency? The technical know-how, the fracking? Leading to the explosion? Brendan, deciding to stay, the relationship with Kim, her son?
13. A small piece of Australian owner?