Mini Reviews
Get The Gringo (out May 31) sees Mel Gibson locked in a Mexican prison where he kills a bunch of bad guys and befriends a widowed mother and her young son. It's tolerable as a mindless action film but I don't think Mel Gibson is the best fit for this character. He’s looking tired at the age of 56. Grade: B-.
Declaration Of War (out May 31) is a French film about a young couple who discover their newly born son has a brain tumour. It's received strong reviews from many and was France's entry at this year's Oscars... but I wasn't a huge fan. The narration bugged me and the ending was rushed. Perhaps I need to stew on it a little. Grade: B-.
What To Expect When You're Expecting (out May 31) is pretty much what I expected. It's a comedy follows a group of pregnant women and their ups and downs of their pregnancy. I realise I'm not the target audience... but for what it's worth, I found it rather ordinary with few surprises. The best performance comes from Elizabeth Banks. Grade: C+.
Men In Black 3 (out now) feels like it should have been so much better. It's not a "bad" movie but it feels like the characters are just going through the motions and the story lacks humour. On the plus side, Josh Brolin is great and so too is Jemaine Clement as the bad guy. Grade: B-.
The Woman In Black (out now) stars Daniel Radcliffe as a young lawyer who goes to a small village and finds himself unravelling a mystery involving ghosts and spooky noises. It'll keep your attention but it doesn't quite offer the "pay off" you might be expecting in the end. Solid production values. Grade: B.
Bel Ami (out May 24) is set in 19th Century Paris and stars Robert Pattison as a young journalist who uses his womanising charm to climb the social ladder and become a man of wealth and influence. It's an interesting premise but I found it a struggle to keep up with the changing mindset of each character. Grade: C+.
The Dictator (out May 17) is amusing but it had the potential for so much more. I enjoy Sacha Baron Cohen's offensive humour because there's often an intelligent, underlying subtext. That’s again the case here (highlighted by a great closing monologue) but admittedly to a lesser extent than Borat and Bruno. Grade: B-.
Iron Sky (out May 10) is a spoof comedy about Nazis who set up a base on the moon back in the 1940s and are now planning to attack the Earth. It's trying to use the absurd storyline to win laughs but there's only so far you can stretch this idea. A touch disappointing. Grade: B-.
Jiro Dreams Of Sushi (out May 10) is a scrumptious documentary about an 85-year-old sushi maker from Japan and his unmatched dedication to the craft of sushi making. His restaurant has just 10 seats but has been awarded 3 Michelin stars. If this film doesn't make you hungry, nothing will. Grade: A-.
Safe (out May 10) has a higher than average body count but it's still a stock-standard Jason Statham action film. In this effort, he finds himself protecting a young girl with valuable information. Two gangs and a corrupt police force are out to stop him. I'd be ok with this if it tried to offer something a little different... but it doesn't. Grade: C+.
Dark Shadows (out May 10) is disappointing. The lure of director Tim Burton and a half-decent trailer had me thinking this would be a sharp, witty black comedy. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. There were only a handful of genuine laughs… and that puts it on a par with Scary Movie 3. Deserving of praise are the gifted set decorators and make up artists. Grade: C+.
