Mini Reviews
Mini Review - Transformers: Age Of Extinction
Transformers: Age Of Extinction (out Jun 26) is all so tiringly unoriginal. It provides action with zero tension. It’s also surprising how little story there is given the 165 minute running time. Aside from the stellar efforts from the visual effects team, it feels like an amalgamation of action clichés. Grade: C+.
Mini Review - Gabrielle
Gabrielle (out now) is a French romantic drama about a young, music-loving woman with Williams syndrome who discovers love for the first time. I wasn't fully convinced by the finale but it's a sweet, complex journey that takes us through the full gamut of emotions. Grade: B+.
Mini Review - The Two Faces Of January
The Two Faces Of January (out Jun 19) is based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr Ripley) and is a seductive thriller set in 1960s Greece that revolves around a murder. Characters' motivations are sketchy and that's part of this film's charm. We’ve all got a bit of good in us. We’ve all got a bit of bad in us. Grade: B+.
Mini Review - 22 Jump Street
22 Jump Street (out Jun 19) has two goals in mind - (1) spoofing sequels by poking fun at their predictable elements, and (2) mocking the homoeroticism that underlies many buddy comedies. There are laughs to be had... but the film overplays many of its jokes. Not quite enough material to go the distance. Grade: B.
Mini Review - How To Train Your Dragon 2
How To Train Your Dragon 2 (out Jun 19) isn't as exciting as the original. I enjoyed the first film for it's heart warming nature and it's tale of a boy bonding with a dragon. This sequel seems to be more about action with an array of elaborate "dragon fighting" sequences. Grade: B-.
Mini Review - Frank
Frank (out Jun 19) is an odd film centred on a struggling band trying to create a new album and a guy with a giant papier-mâché head who never takes it off. I was looking for more to grasp onto here. Was a struggle to work out what this film wanted to be and what I should be taking away. Grade: B-.
Mini Review - Blended
Blended (out now) is not very good (to put it politely). It's the story of two single parents (Adam Sandler & Drew Barrymore) who meet on a blind date and end up taking their respective children on an African adventure. There's no wit, no charm to any of the jokes. It's not even risqué. Grade: C.
Mini Review - The Rover
The Rover (out Jun 12) is a grim, futuristic Australian drama about a "man with nothing to lose" who embarks on a quest through the remote outback to find his stolen car. This is an intense film. Music is kept to a minimum. Conversation is kept to a minimum. Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson are fantastic in the leading roles. Grade: A-.
Mini Review - The Face Of Love
The Face Of Love (out Jun 12) is a film that's really hard to take seriously. A woman falls in love with a guy who is the spitting image of her late husband. It's hard to watch Annette Bening and Ed Harris delivering such corny dialogue and offering such forced, over-the-top facial expressions. Grade: C.
Mini Review - Good Vibrations
Good Vibrations (out Jun 12) tells the real life story of Terri Hooley - a music lover who opened a record store in Belfast in the 1970s and helped grow the punk rock scene. Thanks to a great performance from Richard Dormer, Hooley's passion and enthusiasm comes through strongly. An inspiring tale. Grade: B+.
Mini Review - The Fault In Our Stars
The Fault In Our Stars (out Jun 5) features Shailene Woodley as a teenager battling cancer who falls in love and goes on an adventure to Amsterdam. A few scenes feel off (Anne Frank's house, everything with Willem Dafoe) but there's enough chemistry between the two leads to win audiences over. Tissues required. Grade: B.