Mini Reviews
Oranges & Sunshine (out Jun 9) is the true story of the secret deportation of 130,000 foster children from the UK to Australia in the early-to-mid 20th Century. Director Jim Loach does a beautiful job capturing the heart and soul of its characters. Emily Watson is outstanding. A moving, emotional tale. Grade: A-.
Here I Am (out now) is about an Aboriginal woman released from a 2-year stint in jail who tries to reconnect with her daughter and get her life back on track. It's a worthy story but the poor performances are too much of a distraction. It makes it very hard to engage with the characters. Grade: B-.
Super 8 (out Jun 9) is awesome! It reminded me of films I loved growing up such as The Goonies and ET. How refreshing it is to see a Hollywood blockbuster focusing more on its characters and plot as opposed to action sequences and visual effects. The child actors are all brilliant and director JJ Abrams again proves his talent as both a director and storyteller. Grade: A.
Julia's Eyes (out Jun 2) is a Spanish thriller/horror about a woman with failing eyesight who is investigating the death of her twin sister. Parts of this story are too hard to go along with but director Guillem Morales uses a few cool tricks to keep you on your toes. Grade: B.
X-Men: First Class (out Jun 2) is cheesy, fun, action packed entertainment. It reiterates many of the themes from the earlier flicks and there is seldom a dull moment. As one who isn't familiar with the comics, I do think they tried to squeeze too much into this film. Some storylines are rushed and a few characters don't get the screen time they deserve. Grade: B+.
Soul Surfer (out now) is the true story of a teenager who loses her arm in a shark attack but goes on to be surfing champion. It may sound inspiring but this film is awful. The editing (particularly the surfing scenes) is messy, the dialogue is excruciatingly cheesy and the story is all over the place. One of the year's worst. Grade: C-.
Get Low (out now) is set in the 1930s and is about a grizzly old hermit who decides to throw a "funeral party" before he dies. I loved the cast but I found myself wanting more from this film (particularly at the end). Grade: B-.
Cane Toads: The Conquest (out Jun 2) is part documentary, part comedy. It's looks at how cane toads have overrun many parts of Australia and the many different thoughts that people have about them. I don't think this is interesting enough for the big screen but I admit to chuckling a few times. Grade: C+.
The Hangover: Part 2 (out May 26) is a carbon copy of the original. This makes it less surprising but still entertaining. There are enough laughs to keep most people happy. I'll say this though - if the producers want to continue the series, they will need to serve up something more original next time. Grade: B.
Oceans (out May 26) contains some of the most beautiful imagery ever seen in a big-screen documentary. It looks at the assortment of creatures that live under the sea and at 84 minutes, is a nice length. Unfortunately, the film contains unnecessary narration from Pierce Brosnan which distracts rather than informs. Grade: B+.
Angele & Tony (out now) is a French romance about two very unlikely people who end up falling in love. I enjoyed it for its quirkiness but they rush through certain parts and it makes it hard to believe the chemistry. Grade: B.
