Mini Review - Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (out Feb 13) is the 4th instalment in the popular franchise and sees the widowed Bridget, egged on by her friends, go in search of a new man. It’s juggling too many characters and storylines but it’s still an entertaining misadventure with a heart which becomes evidence in the film’s later stages. Grade: B.
Mini Review - Captain America: Brave New World
Captain America: Brave New World (out Feb 13) is a step in the right direction for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It works because it’s trying to be a mystery-drama with an interesting story (throw in some politics too) as opposed to a goofy, over-the-top action fest. Grade: B+.
Mini Review - Grand Tour
Grand Tour (out Feb 13) is a comedy-drama set in 1918 about a British man traversing across the world while his fiancée chases after him. It's wild, it's wacky... it's in black and white. Grade: B+.
Mini Review - Heart Eyes
Heart Eyes (out Feb 13) is a dreadful horror-comedy about a serial killer terrorising couples on Valentine's Day. You can find comedy within this genre (e.g. Shaun of the Dead) but for this outing, the humour is lame and mistimed. Can't take any of it seriously. Grade: C.
Mini Review - Widow Clicquot
Widow Clicquot (out Feb 6) tells the true story of an 18th Century woman who overcame much adversity in starting Veuve Clicquot champagne. Sadly, this is a lacklustre drama that focuses too much on her dull romance as opposed to her savvy business skills. Grade: C.
Mini Review - September 5
September 5 (out Feb 6) chronicles the terrorist attack at the 1972 Summer Olympics from the perspective of a small group of ABC sports journalists couped up inside their tiny studio. I like the approach as the film serves as a homage to old-school media, and reminds us of the importance of journalistic integrity. Grade: A-.
Mini Review - Presence
Presence (out Feb 6) is a stylish supernatural film from Oscar winning director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic). Told entirely from the perspective of the ghost, it follows a family of four who move into a new home. Soderbergh himself held the lightweight Sony camera as it smoothly hovered above/around the characters. Each individual scene was shot with no edits and so just a single camera was required. It's cool! Might require two viewings. Grade: A-.
Mini Review - Queer
Queer (out Feb 6) is from Italian director Luca Guadagnino and is the 1950s story of a gay American man (Daniel Craig) living in Mexico and his up-and-down quest to find love. Liked the vibe and performances but the ending was too aloof for me (can see why some would like it through). Grade: B.