Mini Reviews
The Whistleblower (out now) is based on actual events and tells the story of a U.N. peace keeper who exposed a large human trafficking operation in Bosnia that involved many senior people. A few scenes felt Hollywood-ised but for the most part, this was a moving drama about an issue often kept out of the spotlight. Rachel Weisz strong in the leading role. Grade: B+.
Zookeeper (out now) is a crime against the world of entertainment. One of the year's worst films. The film's "message" is rubbish and the story moronic. Grade: C-.
Monte Carlo (out now) your typical trashy teen flick. It's about an American girl who travels to Europe and realises she is the spitting image of a famous celebrity. The plot is all over the place but and there isn't a single shred of originality but it will have appeal to youngsters looking for a run romantic tale. Grade: C+.
Fright Night (out now) is dreadful. I don't know if I've seen worse 3D effects in a film this year. Don't even get me started on the weak story that isn't even remotely scary. I'm confused as to why the likes of Colin Farrell, Toni Collette and Anton Yelchin would get involved with this. Grade: C-.
Priest (out now) is a forgettable action-thriller about a blood thirsty priest who goes in search of vampires after they kidnap his niece. It's not exciting at all. Grade: C+.
The Eye Of The Storm (out now) has a superb cast but I found this story rather tedious. Perhaps it's because I can't relate. It's the story of a brother and sister and their attempts to reconcile with their eccentric mother in the final days of her life. Grade: C+.
Crazy Stupid Love (out Sep 29) is a film that tries to illustrate the uncontrollable nature of love but unfortunately, the story is ruined by this silly assortment of characters who reflect no human beings that I'm aware of. Grade: C+.
Abduction (out now) is a trashy thriller about a teenager who finds himself on the run from just about everyone. Who can he trust? Even if you can look past the many inconsistencies in the story, you'd be hard pressed to find someone supportive of Taylor Lautner's performance. I'm sorry but the guy can't act. Grade: C.
One Day (out Sep 1) is a romantic drama starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess that spans more than 20 years. The pop culture references are unnecessary and the fragmented nature of the story made it hard to feel the connection between these two characters. Grade: C+.
Chalet Girl (out Sep 1) is awful. Felicity Jones has some spark and Bill Nighy clearly has his own professional writing team but the rest of it is dreadful. Such a poorly thought out story. Grade: C.
Submarine (out Sep 8) is a quirky English rom-com about a nerdish 15-year-old trying to win the heart of a girl at school whilst dealing with problems at home. I loved the film's style and it's off-beat nature. It's anything but conventional and the performances are excellent. Grade: A-.
