Australian Penthouse

Check out the best in Summer entertainment with our reviews of the latest books, music, games and movies!

PREDATOR (1987)

Director: John McTiernan
Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura
20th Century Fox

THE LOWDOWN
SCHWARZENEGGER is Dutch, the leader of a covert special ops team called in by the US Government to rescue a group of American cabinet ministers whose chopper went down in the South American jungle, on the wrong side of enemy lines. Prior to deployment, Dutch is met by former friend and colleague, Dillon (Weathers), who informs him that he will be joining the rescue mission (the handshake between the two is pure cinematic gold). The squad locates the remains of a previous rescue effort by Delta Force, the soldiers’ bodies left hanging from the trees, skinned alive by unknown assailants. In the team’s efforts to track the remaining soldiers, they discover an enemy encampment that instead of being a holding point for the cabinet ministers is a military intelligence hideout filled with info the CIA secretly tasked Dillon to recover. Sole survivor of the camp is Anna (Elpidia Carillo), taken hostage by Arnie and his men and subsequently tracked through the jungle by the titular predator, an otherworld killer who tests the limits of Dutch’s muscles (and ingenuity) while picking off his elite team.

NUTS AND BOLTS
Hot on the heels of Commando, two Conan movies, Raw Deal, Red Sonja and The Terminator, Predator is Arnold’s cinematic tipping point to huge international success. Following Predator came The Running Man, Red Heat, and the seamless segue from brawny action killer to brawny emotive softie, with Twins. Not only does Predator provide the cinematic lynchpin for Arnie’s success, but it’s also a kick-arse movie in its own right.

Written on-the-fly by Shane Black (writer of Lethal Weapon 1&2, and Predator’s Hawkins), Predator is a pop-culture fantasy of classic one-liners, a memorable and unique monster, and all-round action-hero awesomeness.

DVD EXTRAS
Surprisingly, the standard DVD edition still boasts far better fan features than the latest Blu-ray incarnation: shame. The standard DVD featurette that reveals the behind-the-scenes competitiveness between Weathers, and specifically Ventura and Schwarzenegger, over the size of their biceps is side-splittingly funny. The wry commentary from screenwriter, Shane Black (who spent most of his time on set writing The Last Boy Scout) and director, McTiernan, is also a highlight.

VERDICT
With a total body count of 64, this movie, to quote Blain (Jesse Ventura), “will make you into a goddamned sexual Tyrannosaurus—just like me”. Unbeatable action escapism.

MY YEAR WITHOUT SEX

Director: Sarah Watt
Stars: Sacha Horler, Matt Day
Madman

NO, THIS is not a teen movie about a desperately horny, acne-infested guy who can’t lose his virginity. My Year Without Sex is about the ups and downs of everyday life within a typical Australian family. The film focuses on Melbourne mum, Natalie (AFI Award-winner Sacha Horler), who suffers a brain aneurysm. To recover, she must abstain from sex in the year following her life-saving operation.

Natalie’s relationship with her husband, Ross (Matt Day), is key, and together they navigate their family through financial and business turmoil, childhood maladies, and the always-underlying threat that the aneurysm could re-occur at any moment.

My Year Without Sex is an optimistic and entertaining local film that does a decent job of mixing drama with comedy.

NOBLEISM

Stars: Ross Noble
SHOCK

FILMED at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, England, Nobleism is Ross Noble’s fifth stand-up DVD.

Noble, who is married to an Aussie and lived in Victoria until his home was destroyed in the Black Saturday bushfires, is famous for his largely improvised surreal comedy style and stream-of-consciousness delivery.

His live shows revolve around wild tangents and conversations with the audience, and Nobleism is no different, with the long-haired funnyman finding humour in everything from eggplants to STDs. As a mark of Noble’s ever-growing popularity, the show was simultaneously broadcast to 45 cinemas across Britain, and may well be the comedian’s best effort to date.

The two-disc set includes some great extras, including an interesting interview with Noble, a featurette about his recent Australian arena tour, and bonus show footage. If you’ve never had the Ross Noble experience, do yourself a favour and grab a copy of this DVD.

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