Mini Reviews
From Up On Poppy Hill (out Dec 20) is a beautiful Japanese animated film from Studio Ghibli. It features a great story, a setting and some great music. The themes are also strong. Grade: A-.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (out Dec 26) is an hour too long and lacks the interesting characters and intriguing subplots that I remember so vividly from The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. A few good scenes save it though (such as Bilbo's interaction with Gollum). I'm also not sold on the new 48 frames per second which make the visual effects more obvious. Grade: B-.
Les Misérables (out Dec 26) is heavy-going - a dramatic musical that stretches out over 2.5 hours. It takes a little while to warm up but the passionate performances from the whole cast won me over. Their beautiful voices, in combination with the famous lyrics, bring out the emotion of the situation and make us feel the desperate plight of these characters. Grade: A-.
Quartet (out Dec 26) follows an assortment of elderly residents who live in an aged care facility designed for those with artistic talent. The film features a quality cast and it's a pleasure to see them in action (Pauline Collins is particularly good) but the script needed work. Many details are glossed over such as the future of the home itself. Grade: B-.
The Man With Iron Fists (out now) is a martial arts flick that tries to cover just about every genre. There's offbeat comedy, bloody violence and even a foray into the supernatural. I'd have preferred a more interesting plot but I still had fun with this. Grade: B+.
Samsara (out Dec 26) is ridiculously beautiful. If you think sunsets on Instagram are cool, wait until you see this! Not a single word is spoken throughout this documentary (if you can call it that) but the imagery from locations all over the world will leave you impressed. Grade: A-.
Wreck-It-Ralph (out Dec 26) is possibly the best animated feature of 2012 and has a terrific concept - a place in which video game characters come to life and the "bad guy" wants to become good. The screenplay is wonderfully detailed and I loved the look and feel of each game world. It's entertaining for both kids and adults. Grade: A-.
Liberty Arts (out Dec 13) is the story of a softly-spoken 35 y/o who returns to his old college for a one-off visit and finds himself falling in love with a 19 y/o student. The attempts at comedy in this film are a little awkward but I still enjoyed the insight and openness of the characters involved. Grade: B.
Love Is All You Need (out Dec 13) surprised me. From director Susanne Bier (In A Better World), this is an authentic romantic drama with a splash of comedy. All the characters pull their weight. It revolves around a wedding to be held in Italy and the quest of those involved to find love... or to avoid it. Grade: A-.
Paris-Manhattan (out Dec 13) has many references to the great Woody Allen but it lacks the wit and charm that was evident in Allen's best works. This romantic comedy set in Paris is more silly than entertaining but I admit there are still a few nice moments. Grade: B-.
Rise Of The Guardians (out Dec 13) has a plot that's a little more convoluted than I'd expect from a children's flick but I'm still a fan and the quality of animation is superb. It centres on Jack Frost's efforts to stop the villainous Pitch Black from destroying the faith of children across the globe. Grade: B+.
