Mini Review - Stop! That! Train!
Stop! That! Train! (out Aug 13) is a modern-day rip-off of the iconic comedy Flying High (known as "Airplane" internationally). Two train stewardesses try to save the day when the train's conductor loses consciousness. A few jokes land but not nearly enough to justify this movie. Grade: C.
Mini Review - The End of Oak Street
The End of Oak Street (out Aug 13) is hit and miss. I liked the concept, setting, and unexpected splashes of dark comedy... but it succumbs to a pet hate of mind – characters making overtly dumb decisions to prolong the narrative. It follows a family who are transported back in time and must battle for their lives against hungry dinosaurs. Grade: B.
Mini Review - Case 137
Case 137 (out Aug 13) takes a little while to get going but it builds into an affecting, engrossing drama about police corruption. Léa Drucker, in her César Award winning role, plays an investigator seeking the truth after a young Frenchman is brutally injured at a protest in Paris. Grade: A-.
Mini Review - One Night Only
One Night Only (out Aug 13) is what you’d get if asking George Orwell to write a fluffy romantic comedy. Think of a cross between 1984 and Notting Hill. Set in a bizarre world where sex outside of wedlock is legal for only one night each year (it makes no sense), leads Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner have great chemistry - both comedic and romantic. Liked the supporting players and music score too. Grade: B.
Mini Review - Super Troopers 3
Super Troopers 3 (out Aug 6) is a disappointing instalment to the film series which began in 2001. If you like repetitive, low-brow toilet humour, maybe you’ll get some laughs from it. Grade: C.
Mini Review - Ice Cream Man
Ice Cream Man (out Aug 6) gets close to a passing grade but ultimately, it falls short. The editing is haphazard, the performances of the child actors are awful, and there are not enough interesting characters or subplots to keep viewers engaged. Didn't mind the ending. It's the gory tale of an Ice Cream Man who turns the kids of Bayleen Bay into zombie-like killers. Grade: C+.
Mini Review - Young Washington
Young Washington (out Aug 6) looks at the military rise of George Washington in the 18th Century and what would lay the platform of him becoming the first President of the United States. It's moderately interesting but very much an action-fest in the later stages. Grade: B-.
Mini Review - Holy Days
Holy Days (out Aug 6) is an overly simple story elevated by its cast. Jacki Weaver, Judy Davis and Miriam Margolyes star as three nuns, based in New Zealand, who go on a road trip to save their convent from villainous property developers. Grade: B-.
Mini Review - Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (out Aug 6) is from director Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow) and is the story of a young filmmaker trying to reinvigorate a tired horror franchise. It's an interesting concept but as the weirdness grew from scene-to-scene, my interest levels waned. Grade B.