Mini Reviews
Mini Review - After Earth
After Earth (out Jun 13) is set 1,000 years into the future and follows a father & son team who are trying to be rescued after their space craft crashes. This is bland stuff. 14-year-old Jaden Smith lacks charisma as the "hero" and there are far too many moments of convenience contained within the storyline. Grade: C.
Mini Review - Still Mine
Still Mine (out Jun 13) is the story of an elderly man trying to come to grips with his wife's Alzheimer's Disease while facing legal dramas as he attempts to build his own house. This is a comfortable, Sunday-afternoon kind of a movie. These characters are a little too straight forward but it's hard to speak badly of them. Grade: B-.
Mini Review - A Lady In Paris
A Lady In Paris (out Jun 13) centres on an Estonian lady who accepts a job in Paris to care for a elderly woman who lives a largely reclusive life. Both are lonely and both draw much from each other's company. This is a simple, agreeable, dialogue-driven tale that boasts two very nice performances. Grade: B+.
Mini Review - Farewell, My Queen
Farewell, My Queen (out now) chronicles a few days in the life of Marie Antoinette as told solely from the perspective of a servant. There's a lot of walking, there's a lot of whispering and there's a lot of name dropping. Sadly, there's not much in the way of an interesting story. Surprisingly dull given the subject matter. Grade: C+.
Mini Review - Ping Pong
Ping Pong (out Jun 6) is a straight-forward documentary about a group of elderly table tennis players who enter the Over 80s World Championships in Beijing. It's interesting to hear the value of sport at that age but the film veers off on some strange tangents and the ping pong scenes themselves aren't that exciting. Grade: B-.
Mini Review - Fast & Furious 6
Fast & Furious 6 (out Jun 6) has a forgettable premise with a forgettable villain. The action/battle sequences are too over-the-top and with so many characters involved, I often had trouble working out who was fighting and who had the upper hand. Grade: C+.
Mini Review - A Haunted House
A Haunted House (out May 30) has more misses than hits. The Paranormal Activity franchise is tired and deserves to be spoofed. A shame they couldn't make more of the opportunity and gone for something better than this simple, repetitive toilet humour. Grade: C+.
Mini Review - Sinister
Sinister (out May 30) is an effective supernatural thriller about a true-crime writer (Ethan Hawke) who discovers a connection between a series of gruesome murders. You could say the ending is too obvious but for the most part, it kept me on the edge of my seat. Good premise, good leading character. Grade: A-.
Mini Review - The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby (out May 30) is the tale of a mysterious millionaire trying to win the affections of a young married woman. It looks like you’re watching a moving painting and New York in the 1920s could not look any more beautiful. It is missing the most important ingredient though – emotion. Sadly, I cared very little for these characters. Grade: B.
Mini Review - Happiness Never Comes Alone
Happiness Never Comes Alone (out May 30) is a French rom-com about a laidback musician who falls head-over-heels for an older woman with three kids. We’ve seen this story time-and-time again but there’s chemistry between stars Gad Elmaleh and Sophie Marceau. The slapstick style of comedy also gives the film a point of differentiation. Grade: B.
Mini Review - Dead Man Down
Dead Man Down (out now) is the story of a hitman looking to settle an old score. Oh, and he's got a new girlfriend too. Sadly, this action-thriller is a mess. It's been butchered in the editing room with the story jumping all over the place. Grade: C.