Mini Reviews
Micmacs (out Apr 1) is the latest film from Jean-Pierre Jeunet (director of Amelie). It's a black comedy about a bystander shot in the head after a shoot-out in the middle of the street. He lives to tell the tale and now seeks revenge against two huge weapons manufacturers. This is definitely quirky (usually a plus) but it didn't appeal to my own sense of humour. Expected a lot more. Grade: B-.
Welcome (out Apr 1) is a moving French drama about an Iraqi teenager trying to get to London to be with his girlfriend. He has made his way to the French coast and intends on swimming the English Channel to avoid detection by the authorities. The film makes some powerful (allbeit not very subtle) observations about immigration laws. Worth seeing. Grade: A-.
Nanny McPhee & The Big Bang (out Apr 1) didn't offer much of a bang if you ask me. It's just your stock standard sequel which borrows heavily from the original film and doesn't do anything new. Grade: C+.
Cop Out (out now) was excruciating. Did Kevin Smith really direct this? The same guy behind the brilliant Clerks? Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan play two cops caught up in a ridiculous case. I don't think I laughed once. Grade: C.
She's Out Of My League (out Apr 1) is a romantic comedy... and yet I liked it! What's going on? It's about a guy that's a "5" who starts going out with a girl that's a "10". Why's she dating him? Can he get past his own insecurities? His friends sure aren't helping! The ending doesn't quite work but the are enough laughs and likeable characters to make this a very entertaining movie. Grade: B+.
The Last Station (out Apr 1) looks at final year in the life of Russian writer Leo Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer). It centres on his strained relationship with his wife (Helen Mirren) and what he wants to leave behind as his legacy. Performances are superb but knowing very little about Tolstoy, I struggled to maintain interest. Grade: B.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (out Mar 25) is a Swedish thriller about an investigative journalist who has been asked by a high profile businessman to look into the disappearance of his niece 40 years ago. There are a few gaps in the story (always the trouble with a book adaptation) but it kept me thinking for the full 2.5 hours. Violent and confronting in places. Very good. Grade: A-.
Brothers (out now) is the remake of a 2004 Dutch film. A young married man (Tobey Maguire) goes off to war and is presumed dead after a helicopter crash. His wife (Natalie Portman) finds comfort in the arms of his husband's brother (Jake Gyllenhaal). See where this is going? The story chops and changes. I wasn't sure who or what it was really about. Performances good though. Grade: B-.
The Bounty Hunter (out now) is the worst film of the year thus far. Gerard Butler plays a bounty hunter with a dream assignment - he has to track down and bring his ex-wife (Jennifer Aniston) into custody for skipping bail. Could the storyline be any dumber? What a mess. Grade: C-.
How To Train Your Dragon (out Mar 25) is the first great animated film of 2010. It's set in the Viking world and revolves around a young guy named Hiccup who befriends what was thought to be a nasty dragon. Kids are going to love this. The story is easy to follow and the animation (3D in selected cinemas) is amazing. Grade: A-.
The Rebound (out now) is about a forty-something mother who has recently left her husband. She rents a small apartment in central New York and her search for a new love leads her into the arms of her twenty-something babysitter. People are talking... There are a few laughs and I liked the chemistry between Catherine Zeta-Jones and Justin Bartha. Sadly, the film is let down by an unworkable ending. Grade: B.
