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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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Persecution Blues: The Battle For The Tote (Film)

by Cara Nash | August 25, 2011 13:37 | Edited August 25, 2011 13:39

Impassioned and revealing, this ends up a stirring affirmation of live music and community spirit.

"This kind of place is definitely needed: to keep music fresh and out of the claws of the industry and controlled environment. It's just left here to do its thing and bubble away," Magic Dirt's late bass player Dean Turner says in an early scene here. Turner, who passed away in 2009, was talking about The Tote, the cherished Collingwood pub, which has been the cornerstone of Melbourne's vibrant music culture for the past three decades.

 

The much loved establishment is the subject of Natalie van den Dungen's documentary, Persecution Blues: The Battle for the Tote, which lovingly captures the venue in all its grungy glory. The film, however, largely revolves around the challenges The Tote faced at the end of 2009 when the Victorian State Government imposed new changes to the Liquor Licensing legislation as a way to curb the rise in alcohol fuelled violence occurring in the CBD. Under these changes, music venues like The Tote were lumped together in the same "high risk" category as night clubs and casinos, and forced to close earlier (and thus lose gigs, not to mention punters) and hire more security. In one revealing scene, The Tote's long-term manager, Bruce Milne, says that for a small business, the cost of the added security actually constituted what would have been the venue's profits, and thus the pub was forced to close its doors in January last year.

 

While Van den Dungen's film smartly remains focused on the trials of The Tote, she also deftly uses this one instant to point to the bigger picture at stake - the way that the government's blanket laws were destroying Melbourne's live music scene. While simply told, what Van den Dungen captures on camera often makes for stirring and inspiring stuff. In an age when punters prefer to protest from behind their computer screens, the events inspired by the closing of The Tote make clear the level of clout that people possess when they physically rally together. The documentary closes with the SLAM rally, an event organised by a group of local musicians, which saw 20,000 people march in protest against the government's legislation - and achieve results. As John Lennon sang, "Power to the People!"