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From Moonlight to Artemis Fowl: what's new to streaming in Australia in June

Netflix

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga 

Film, US, 2020 – out 26 June  

My first response to learning that Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams had been cast as wacko Icelandic musicians in a movie that makes fun of Eurovision was: “that’s got to work!” But after a moment a different thought entered my mind: “hang on, is it even possible to parody Eurovision?” Playing it straight inevitably means embracing the ridiculous.

Lars (Ferrell) and Sigrit (McAdams) face off against rivals as they pursue their dream of triumphing at the titular music competition. To get a snifter of the sort of silliness in store, check out the music video Volcano Man – featuring the pair jamming on keyboards, running in front of icy waterfalls and performing starfishes in the snow.

Moonlight

Film, USA, 2017 – out now

Writer/director Barry Jenkins’ Oscar-winning triptych explores three periods in the life of protagonist Chiron, played by Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes.

Jenkins uses water throughout the film as a symbol of rebirth and transformation – including in a memorable scene in which Chiron, as a boy, is taught to swim, held in a baptism-like embrace by an older role model played by Mahershala Ali. The symbolism of water returns later in a moment capturing Chiron’s first sexual encounter, shared with another boy, transpiring on the sand at a beach.

With the kind of beautiful camerawork that motivated critics such as myself to lunge to the keyboard and bang out descriptors such as “meditative” and “visual poetry”, the aura of this exquisite drama is almost magically humane: as if the film itself exists beneath a cloud, in the glow of moonlight.

Reality Z

TV, Brazil, 2020 – out 10 June  

A bunch of reality TV contestants holed up in a TV studio while a zombie outbreak causes bedlam outside is exactly the kind of premise the late George Romero – director of Night of the Living Dead and the founding father of the modern zombie movie – would have found irresistible.

One of the contestants in Reality Z, a Brazilian production set in Rio de Janeiro, reacts to the news of a zombie outbreak by questioning whether the flesh-chewing epidemic is actually happening (maybe it’s a trick by the studio?) while another talks of an idyllic, self-sustaining off-the-grid place to hide out in.

Generally speaking, reality TV participants are not exactly known for their intelligence, which puts this series in a good position to fulfil Romero’s stipulation that a good zombie story “is not fun without a bunch of stupid people running around and observing how they fail to handle the situation”.

Honourable mentions: Million Dollar Baby, Deepwater Horizon, Boogie Nights, The Lincoln Lawyer, Blade Runner: The Final Cut, Selena (films, 1 June); Da Five Bloods, (film, 12 June); Marcella: season three (TV, 14 June); Eric Andre: Legalize Everything (comedy special, 23 June); Scarface, The Big Lebowski (films, 30 June)

Stan

Furious 7 

Film, USA 2015 – out now

I’m not particularly fond of the Fast and Furious franchise, which is mostly a middling soap opera with some spinning wheels and exhaust pipes. However Furious 7 – directed by Australian James Wan – got it very right, inserting bling and brains into another story unpacking the lives of Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family of speed-freaks, including wife and professional street racer Letty (Michelle Rodriguez).

The action scenes have a cartoon kind of largesse, with the ridiculously entertaining Abu Dhabi-set double skyscraper jump marking the film’s zenith as a stupidly entertaining spectacle. It was also a surprisingly respectful, even emotional send-off to the character played by Paul Walker, who died midway through production. His performance was completed using a combination of existing footage, CGI and extra scenes shot with his two real-life brothers.

Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Film, France, 1964 – out 15 June

Director Jacques Demy’s famous and influential 1964 French musical has inspired many others, including Damien Chazelle’s recent La La Land. The story captures three windows of time, involving a young man and woman in love and planning to marry (part one) but who are separated when the man goes off to serve in the Algerian War (part two) then returns to discover the woman has left town (part three).

It’s the set and costume design that keeps this film a sparkling and splendid achievement, like a time capsule of a candy-coloured alternate universe, or a dance performed between the screen and the viewer’s eyeballs. The colours are so striking that the physical elements of the film – the walls, wallpaper, decor, clothes, props etcetera – seem to talk to each other, communicating in an entirely visual language.

Honourable mentions: Killing Eve season 2, Better Man (TV, out now); Bridget Jones’ Diary (film, 8 June), Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III (film, 11 June), Bridesmaids (film, 13 June), Notting Hill (film, 18 June).

SBS On Demand

The Beach

TV, Australia, 2020 – out now

Warwick Thornton’s visually ravishing documentary series actually arrived at the end of last month (launching 29 May) but is too good not to mention. The acclaimed film-maker, whose oeuvre includes hard-hitting dramas Samson and Delilah and Sweet Country, takes a break from his hedonistic lifestyle and absconds to a secluded shack in Jilirr, on the picturesque Dampier Peninsula, on the north-west coast of Western Australia.

The series has a slow TV-ish vibe, comprising lots of nothing much – including Thornton cooking, hanging out with his chickens and occasionally treating the camera as a quasi-confessional, opening up about his past. Despite such a simple format the production remains emotionally interesting and visually engaging.

Dredd

Film, USA, 2012 – out now

Karl Urban’s chin plays judge, jury and executioner in director Pete Travis’ 2012 adaptation of the Judge Dredd comic books, written and produced by Alex Garland (director of Ex Machina, Annihilation and Devs). The film conjures a, shall we say, not entirely hopeful vision of a future America, which now consists of one massive metropolis that seems to have sucked up all other cities. There are criminal gangs aplenty, spreading a highly addictive recreational drug named Slo-Mo.

The drug slows down time to 1% of its normal speed. That provides not just a kick for the characters, but, in a wildly entertaining twist, the audience too. The viewer gets to experience it through a very cool looking on-screen effect, marking a synthesis of narrative and aesthetic.

Honorable mentions: The Running Man, Swiss Army Man, Predestination, Dredd (films, out now); Filthy Rich and Homeless season three (TV, 9 June); DNA, Cults and Extreme Beliefs (TV, 11 June); The Bureau seasons 1–5 (TV, 18 June); Das Boot season 2 (TV, 26 June).

Foxtel Now

Ad Astra

Film, USA, 2019 – out 18 June 

In director James Gray’s vision of the future, humankind appears to have survived the climate crisis and capitalism looks like it’s doing OK. There’s even a Subway on the moon! The crux of this space movie however is emotional rather than speculative, following astronaut Roy (Brad Pitt) as he travels through the galaxy looking for his old man (Tommy Lee Jones) who went missing while searching for extraterrestrial life.

Full of melancholic ruminating voice-overs incorporating glum lines such as “I must accept the fact that I never really knew you”, this is not a pew-pew-pew! space flick with laser beams and hurtling asteroids. Rather, a thoughtful contemplation of masculinity and father/son relationships.

Jumanji

Film, USA, 1995 – out 1 June

Ignore the two recent, video game-themed Jumanji remakes and return to the original, about a board game that comes to life and terrorises anybody who dares to roll the dice. Two youngsters (Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Pierce) find and play the titular game, leading to the return to the real world of Robin Williams’ character, who has been trapped in an alternate universe for 26 years after playing Jumanji as a kid.

It is easy to forget how artfully intense this film is. It is a coat hanger for special effects, but also has an enthralling, oxygen-sucking menace that chokes the air out of the frame from go to whoa.

Honourable mentions: Serengeti (TV, 1 June), Tropic Thunder, Blades of Glory, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Atonement, Mrs Doubtfire, Attack the Block, Looper (films, 1 June); The Adventures of Paddington (TV, 8 June); What We Do in the Shadows season 2 (TV, 25 June).

Amazon Prime

Rosehaven seasons 1–3

Australia, TV – out now

Created, written by and starring comedians Celia Pacquola and Luke McGregor, who play real estate agents and best buddies working in an idyllic Tasmanian town, Rosehaven is full of small dramas that play out in a sitcom-like way. Tenants trash a property, for instance, or the neighbourhood is hit by a nocturnal graffiti artist, or the two principal leads get lost when they drive out of town.

There are laugh-out-loud moments, but the crowning achievement of this lovely and moreish series is tonal. Rosehaven evokes not just a place we want to return to but a mood, a temperament we want to keep experiencing. It’s quietly delightful.

Packed to the Rafters seasons 1–6

TV, Australia – out now

This beloved, high-rating, Logie award-winning suburban drama was a huge hit for the Seven Network, capturing the various trials and tribulations of the Rafter family and their very busy household. Packed to the Rafters launched in 2008 and (supposedly) concluded in 2013, pulling an audience of 1.3 million viewers.

News that the series will return came as a welcome surprise for fans. The rebooted Rafters will land on Amazon Prime later this year; before then, viewers can check out the first six seasons.

Honourable mentions: Gran Torino, Sicario (film, out now); It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia seasons 1-13 (TV, 5 June); LOL: Last One Laughing (TV, 19 June); 7500 (film, 19 June).

Disney+

Artemis Fowl

Film, USA, 2020 – out 12 June

Things are looking a bit scant when it comes to titles of note arriving on the House of Mouse this month (thus no honourable mentions) with the exception of what might have been one of the biggest Disney releases of the year, had cinemas not closed shop due to the coronavirus.

Reportedly made on a budget of around US $125 million, Artemis Fowl originates from author Eoin Colfer’s bestselling fantasy novels about a 12-year-old criminal mastermind. The film’s trailer caused consternation among fans, partly because it seems to present an inaccurate portrayal of the character and conflates the plots of the first two books.

Did Disney take the film straight to streaming, rather than delay its cinema release, because of concerns about quality? We’ll all find out soon enough.