Mini Reviews
Certified Copy (out Feb 17) is a peculiar French film. A English man and a French woman go on a day trip to the Italian village of Lucignano. They eat, they drink, they argue. This film left me with asking a lot of questions (often a good thing) but I couldn't go along with their strange relationship. Grade: B.
Gnomeo & Juliet (out Feb 17) is a kids adaptation of Shakespeare's famous play. It's animated, it's in 3D and it features garden gnomes. It's a cute idea but that's about as far as my recommendation goes. Grade: B-.
Rabbit Hole (out Feb 17) started out as a Pulitzer Prize winning play and has been brought to the screen by director John Cameron Mitchell (Shortbus). It's about a couple who are struggling to overcome the death of their young son. The film has a few slow points but it's still a heavy, powerful drama. Both Aaron Eckhart and Nicole Kidman turn in great performances. Grade: A-.
Inside Job (out Feb 17) is a well made documentary which looks at the reasons behind the global financial crisis. It's easy to understand (the charts and diagrams are very persuasive) and features many very interesting interviews. A friend of mine calls it "the best comedy of the year". You can only laugh at how crazy some people are within the financial services industry. See it! Grade: A.
No Strings Attached (out Feb 10) is about two friends who try to have a relationship based purely on sex. We all know where it's going (can't expect much more from a rom-com) but it's got some good one-liners and a funny supporting cast. The film works because of the bouncy performances from two of my favourite actors, Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. Grade: A-.
Hereafter (out Feb 10) centres on three lonely people in three different countries who have an interest in what lies beyond in the afterlife. The film is likely to have an effect on those who have had similar experiences. Others may be less impressed - wondering if Matt's Damon's psychic abilities push the film into some strange sci-fi genre. As for me, I found it interesting but not fully satisfying. Grade: B.
Tamara Drewe (out now) is a muddled film. It's a kind of hybrid between a regular comedy and a black comedy. It's as if it doesn't know what genre its shooting for. As for the plot, there are too many stories going on to cover in this simple summary. The title itself confuses me as I'm not convinced that Tamara is the central character. Odd. Grade: C+.
Sanctum (out now) is moderately suspenseful. The idea of being stuck in a cave system kilometres below the surface will naturally create that suspense. Unfortunately, the dialogue and storyline needed a lot of work. I'm not convinced the 3D effects add much value either. Grade: B-.
The Next Three Days (out now) is about a teacher (Russell Crowe) who sees his wife jailed for a murder she didn't commit. He then goes on a quest to break her out of prison. The film is a little too neat in places but this is still a tense thriller that goes down some unexpected paths. I'm now keen to see the 2007 French film (Pour Elle) on which it is based. Grade: B+.
127 Hours (out Feb 10) gets two thumbs up from me and one thumb up from the leading character. We all know how this story will end (a guy trapped under a boulder cuts his own arm off to survive) but there's a lot more to it than that. It does a great job capturing his deteriorating mindset throughout the ordeal. Wonderful direction from Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) and James Franco is excellent. Grade: A.
Faster (out Feb 3) is about a guy (Dwayne Johnson) released from a 10 year stint in jail who then goes on a vigilante mission to kill those who put him there. This film might look like fun on paper but the finished product is something quite different. There's a subplot involving a hired assassin which seems to have been included only so that the film can reach 90 minutes. Poor. Grade: C+.
