EG Weekend edition 17

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WEEKEND REVIEW

March 2024 | East Gippsland News Weekend

A palate explosion TIME WITH BRETT Wine Chapel Hill The Parson Sangiovese Rose Price: $14.95 Rating:

Terrible title, messy movie How many trees died to manufacture this celluloid film? With Ethan Coen at the helm, you think you're in safe hands.

He's an Academy Award winning writer and director with gems like No Country for Old Men (2007), The Big Lebowski (1998), Fargo (1996), Raising Arizona (1987), and more. I'm with director Frank Capra (circa 1961) when he said, "The world didn't need more films about violence, and lewdness. Shock films, they called them (and) skin flicks." First, let's understand the term Drive Away, an American usage not yet adapted into Australian English. Drive-Away is to hire and deliver a car from Point A to Point B in a set time; probable reward on delivery. Second, from time to time, brothers Joel and Ethan Coen embark on their own way. In 2021 Joel gave us the Academy Award nominated The Tragedy of Macbeth starring Denzel Washington, while a year later Ethan went down the road of documentary with Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind. Third, as Ethan's first solo fiction, the film is in the expected vein of offbeat and oddball humour established over four decades with the Coen brothers screwball theatrical vehicles. But - and it's a big halting but - there is little to find funny in this film. The audience was as mute as a fish. "Love is a Sleigh Ride to Hell" becomes the film's motif. It's Philadelphia 1999. Why that year? Perhaps mobile phones didn't exist which could have solved any problem the main characters, pursued by kookie gangsters, could imagine. I should add the tê te-a-tê te between two inept gangsters is funny to a point, and I smiled. A jittery customer (Pedro Pascal) walks into a bar cradling a briefcase. The meet-up doesn't happen and he ends up in an alleyway, forcibly removed of the briefcase and his oxygen. Enter a spiffily-tailored gangster (Colman Domingo) and his two dodgy thugs (C.J. Wilson and Joey Slotnik) assigned to deliver said briefcase to a client in Tallahassee, Florida. Two young women (Jamie: Margaret Qualley and Marian: Geraldine Viswanathan) just happen to hire the vehicle with the briefcase containing a senator's "personal effects" and are mistaken for the ones making the drop. Now, if Ethan Coen stuck to this plot, we may have been in for a worthy comedy. But no, he wrote they are lesbians and, instead of heading straight for their

holiday in Tallahassee, they seek out LGBTQ hotspots. Unnecessary to the plot are raunchy scenes, none worth mentioning in this family newspaper, and they add nothing to the eccentric story. With the two female friends, its Pulp Fiction meets Dumb and Dumber . It has shades of David Fincher's Se7en (1995), references Robert Aldrich's Kiss me Deadly (1955), and Looney Tunes sound effects. Transition between scenes is reminiscent of Everything, Everywhere, All at Once , though the hallucinogenic images have nothing to do with the scheme of things. Like the irrelevant sex scenes, they're just there for the sake of being there. For Art's sake? Who knows! It just makes an audience increasingly annoyed. Pedro Pascal and Matt Damon are in this miserable film less than the Madame Web girls are in their superhero costumes. What were they thinking? Just dazzled by the Coen name? If memory serves, Drive-Away Dolls will be up for the Golden Raspberry, presented the day before the Academy Awards. Move over Madame Web, there's a new contender for Worst Film of the Year.

The Parson Sangiovese Rose is the perfect introduction to the Chapel Hill range. Showcasing the winemaking philosophies that truly reflect the vineyards and the trust between grapes, growers and winemakers, these wines are gently made and are suitable for vegetarians and vegans. A dry and textured style which capitalises on Sangiovese's delicious 'sweet' core of sour cherry fruit. The Sangiovese Rosé is brimming with cranberry and pomegranate aromas. The palate explodes with the flavours of fresh juicy raspberries and sour cherries. Pair this wine with fresh seafood such as

Brett Stewart Store Manager, Dan Murphy's Bairnsdale salmon, crab or prawns, and game meat such as duck, lamb or turkey.

Growing smart kids

TOY TALK with Dave, owner. Toyworld Bairnsdale

From little things, smart kids grow. Smart and inquisitive kids aged from around five and up will love exploring the microscopic world with this fantastic Deluxe Microscope set. With the ability to enlarge small objects by up to 1200 times their original size, the microscope's super-sharp optics will open up a whole new world for your kids, while inspiring them to look and learn. Coming complete with slides, labels, collecting vials, tweezers, a stirring rod and other research accessories – all packaged in a durable carry case - this Deluxe Microscope set has everything your budding scientist needs to see and record things that are usually invisible to the naked eye. This set is sure to keep your child or teenager occupied for countless hours, and who knows… they might just make a microscopic discovery that sets them on the course for scientific stardom.

Movie: Drive-Away Dolls Duration: 84 mins WEEKEND MOVIE

Writer/director: Ethan Coen Starring: Margaret Qualley, Ger aldine Viswanathan, C.J. Wilson, Joey Slotnik, Colman Domingo, Pedro Pascal, Matt Damon Rating: Reviewed by Lawrenty

172 Main Street, Bairnsdale Vic 3875 5152 3369 | e: bairnsdale@toyworld.com.au Bairnsdale

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