"QUO VADO"

WHERE AM I GOING? (ITALY 2016)

A less than subtle dig at the Italian obsession of pursuing a cushy public service job for life, with a generous pension and the seeming impossibility of termination once secured.  Luca Medici stars as Checco Zalone, a middle-aged slacker who goes to great lengths to hold onto his pen-pushing position.

Love, however, might just bring him undone ...

Striking a delicious balance between non-stop gags and some very pointed cultural criticism, the phenomenal success of Where Am I Going? is proof that 90 minutes of hilarity is the perfect antidote to the worlds doom and gloom.

In  just 2 weeks "Quo Vado" became the highest earning movie in Italian Cinema history grossing 60million Euros, the equivalent of Star Wars.

Genre: Comedy of the laugh out loud type.

Starring: Luca Medici

Director: Gennaro Nunziate

Language: Italian (sub titled)

Running Time: 86 minutes.

Coonawarra's Penley Estate is our winery for this months screening and will be delighted to offer tastings. 

The doors to the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre open at 6:30pm

Charlies Bar closes at 6:55

We screen at 7 pm

"EYE IN THE SKY" (UK 2016) 16th March 2017

"THE LONGER YOU WATCH, THE LESS CLEARLY YOU SEE!"

Reels Film Society brings you the politically charged thriller 

When UK intelligence officer Colonel Powell (Helen Mirren) discovers the terrorists she is tracking are planning a deadly suicide attack, her mission escalates.  A drone pilot is poised to engage when suddenly a young girl appears on the scene.  As he risks everything to save her, the impossible decision of when to strike gets passed up the command chain of politicians and lawyers as the seconds tick down. Should an innocent life be sacrificed to save hundreds more?
With a terrific ensemble cast this nail biting journey into the moral and political conundrums of collateral damage and drone warfare, where every decision comes at a steep price.

Alan Rickman's last movie

Excellent, intelligent and extremely well crafted. (David Stratton, The Australian)

"Taut, tense and tightly paced"

Ratings: IMDb: 7.9          Rotten Tomatoes: 83%/95%
Genre: Thriller
Director: Gavin Hood
Language: English
Running time: 149 minutes
Classification: M

Screening Thursday 16th March 2017 at the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre.  We open the doors at 6:30 and we screen at 7 pm

This month's featured wine is CAROLINE HILLS from the cool climate and the gently rolling slopes of the hundred of Caroline and crafted by 2 of our regular patrons, Terry and Helen Strickland.

A reminder for those who have yet to pay their annual membership subscriptions for Reels 2017 season of cinema now is the time.  Don't risk missing out on the REELS event of the year, the MEMBERS ONLY film night where we screen RAMS at the historic COOLA STATION at Kongorong on Thursday 30 March 2017.  NOTE: RAMS has won over 40 International Awards.

To reserve your seat and if you want a return trip on a chartered bus to Coola, please email or call Jill Austin Email: reelsatwehl@gmail.com Phone: 0408819 994 or check out

 http://reelsatwehl-filmsociety.blogspot.com for more details.

Reels screen "CAPTAIN FANTASTIC" Thursday 16th February 2017

Sadly, no "Raising of The Red Lantern" this month but we are pleased to bring to REELS members

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC

DEEP, HEARTFELT AND UTTERLY COMPELLING.  REMINISCENT OF LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE"  - The Hollywood News

Just released on DVD in January this year "Captain Fantastic" has come off a strong run in cinemas in capital cities around Australia and is rated high on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes websites.

This is a funny and heartfelt journey of a devoted father raising his six children well and truly off the grid in the American wilderness.  Ben (Viggo Mortensen) from the Lord of the Rings, Far From Men etc teaches his kids survival skills and home-schools them with a challenging curriculum and a healthy does of anarchy.  To give you an insight they don't celebrate Christmas but instead celebrate Noah Chomsky Day.. If you don't know who Noah Chomsky is, you will have to look it up like I did.
But tragedy strikes and the family is forced to leave their self created Eden and it is then that Ben begins to question the choices he has made for his family.
Adventurous and immensely enjoyable, this is a refreshing take on the challenges of parenthood.

Starring: Viggo Mortenson and a captivating bunch of young actors (inc. an Australian talent) and watch out for an excellent supporting performance from Frank Langella.
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Language: English
Rating: M
IMDb 7.9  Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Running Time: 118 minutes

Doors open: 6:30pm

We screen at 7pm

Between 6:30 and 7pm we welcome further membership renewals while you enjoy a light snack and the opportunity to savour some of the very best of our regional wines.  Don't forget you can renew online to avoid Q-Fever and to keep onside with our front of house people.

This month we are delighted to welcome the Di Giorgio Family Wines of Coonawarra to Reels Film Society.  Lets be Frank, where else can you get to experience a great night amongst friends  and lovers of fine cinema, over  a bite to eat and enjoy some of the very best wines from our own piece of paradise.

Can you believe this?
There is a great incentive for renewing your Annual Reels Membership this month.  As a treat, your film society offers you a BONUS screening in March.  2 movies in March, one at the SRHT on the 16th (Eye in the Sky) and one on the 30th March (RAMS).

Could there be a better place to show RAMS than the historic and magnificent Coola Station woolshed at Kongorong?  We think not. So if you have taken out an annual membership put this in your diary immediately.  If you have not, renew right now to be part of this unique experience.  Reels Film Society will put on a bus from Mount Gambier to Coola and back if interest is there.  Our thanks to the Ellis family at Coola for adding another dimension to the Reels experience.

"WALKING THE CAMINO" USA 2014 Screens Thursday 19th January 2017

"SIX WAYS TO SANTIAGO"

SIX PEOPLE, 500 MILES ON FOOT. A JOURNEY TO FAITH. A JOURNEY TO SELF.

Six ways to Santiago follows various pilgrims from ages three to 73, as they attempt to cross an entire country on foot - with only a backpack, a pair of boots and an open mind.  Driven by an inexplicable calling and a grand sense of adventure, each pilgrim throws themselves heart and soul into their physical trek to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, and most importantly. their personal journey to themselves.

Whatever their motivation, no one can predict just how their paths will unfold.  What personal demons or angels they will face, or what transformations they will undergo by trail's end.

Called "A brilliant documentary" by Martin Sheen, this multiple award-winning film has been selling out screenings worldwide.

IMDb rating: 7.3

Rotten Tomatoes: 83% Audience rating

Genre: Adventure/Documentary

Director: Lydia B Smith

Running Time: 84 minutes (for 500 miles, thats approx. 360 mph by my calculations in the comfort of your theatre seat!)

Language: English

Rating: PG

Screening at the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre Mount Gambier on Thursday 19th January 2017

Doors open at 6:30pm

We screen at 7pm

A warm welcome to one of Reels Film Society's long standing patrons, 

Balnaves of Coonawarra 

who will provide a selection of their wine for tasting on Thursday.

WHAT WE DID ON OUR HOLIDAY (UK)

Screening THURSDAY 22nd December 2016

Note: 4th Thursday

Finished the Christmas shopping?  Then come to REELS Film Society screening of the hilarious and heart warming "What We Did On Our Holiday" at the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre and end 2016 with a laugh.

A hilarious journey through an unforgettable family holiday as a couple attempts to keep their impending divorce a secret from their extended family.  Doug (David Tennant) and his wife take their 3 children to the Scottish Highlands for his father's (Gordie-Billy Connolly) birthday party, where it is soon clear that when it comes to keeping their divorce under wraps their children are their biggest liability.

"You will laugh, you'll will cry and you'll probably end up booking a holiday to the beautiful Scottish Highlands.'

IMDb rating: 6.9
Starring: David Tennant, Rosamund Pike, Billy Connolly
Genre: COMEDY
Running Time: 91 minutes
Language: English
Rated: PG

Please note: What we did On our Holiday screens on the 4TH THURSDAY this month.
Doors open at 6:30 and we begin our holiday movie at 7pm.

This month's wines are brought to you by Jonathon and Heather Kidman of Coonawarra, so come along, relax with a comedy and a glass of Banks Thargo wine.

The GOOD, The BAD, The WEIRD

South Korea 2008

" A FISTFUL OF FUN"

Three outlaws - One map - No prisoners

Set in the 1930's Manchurian desert where lawlessness rules, three strangers fatefully meet each other on a train.  One is a bounty hunter who tracks down dangerous criminals, one is a leader of a group of tough-as-nails bandits and the other is a train robber with nine lives.  The trio engage in a chase across Japanese occupied Manchuria to take possession of a treasure map.  Also on the hunt for the mysterious map are the Japanese Army and a horde of marauding bandits.

In this unpredictable, escalating battle for the map, who will stand as the winner in the end?  Forget Indiana Jones and The Man With No Name and experience the Incredible, the Original, the outrageously Unpredictable "The Good, The Bad, The Weird".

Director: Kim Jee-Woon
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy and Western.
Language: Korean, Mandarin (With ENGLISH sub-titles)
Running time: 124 minutes
Ratings: Rotten Tomatoes 84%

November's feature winery is the iconic LECONFIELD from the heart of the Coonawarra.

Doors to the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre open at 6:30 pm, wine tasting available and a selection of nibbles provided to members.  The Good, The Bad, The Weird will screen at 7 pm.

Thursday 20th October 2016 Reels screens

"GOD WILLING" (Italy)
aka "Se Dio Vuole"

Italy's Number 1 comedy in 2015

"A comedy of manners"

Thursday 20th October 2016

A wildly entertaining and a multi award winning story about a battle of wills that pits a man a with a God complex against the local hip priest.  Tommaso is an esteemed and defiantly confident cardiac surgeon and an unabashed atheist.  But the veneer of his perfect life is cracked when his only son, Andrea brings the family together for an important announcement.
Featuring delicious performances and a series of set pieces that are mined for explosive laughs it has a sly sub-text about how change can be triggered by personal introspection but also by a good shock to the system.

Starring: Marco Giallini, Enrico Oetiker, Alessandro Gassman
Genre: Comedy
Running time: 85 minutes
Language: Italian - This movie has English sub-titles.
Rated: PG
DVD's Australian release: 5th October 2016

Doors open at 6:30, Everything going well and God willing we will screen at 7pm.

We are thrilled that the majestic Majella Wines of Coonawarra will join us as our special guests in October.