Mini Reviews
The Last Airbender (out now) is terrible. It's about a young boy who has the power to control air. He will use it as a weapon to defeat an army of "firebenders" who threaten to take over the world. This story is poorly told. It's hard to work out what's going on. Further, the dialogue is laughable. The only positive would be James Newton Howard's film score. Grade: C.
Diary Of A Wimpy Kid (out Sep 23) is centred on a young guy and his attempts to climb the popularity ladder during his first year of middle school (around grade 6). Adults won't find too much entertainment here but pre-teens should be able to relate. 12 year old Zachary Gordon is nice in the leading role. Ending a little weak. Grade: B-.
The Girl Who Played With Fire (out Sep 23) isn't as good as the first film (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) but I'm still a fan of this Swedish series. In this instalment, Mikael is trying to find who is responsible for the murder of a young journalist. Grade: B.
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (out Sep 23) was a let down. It focuses on an ambitious broker who develops a friendship with his soon to be father-in-law, Gordon Gekko. This film doesn't know what it wants to say. It offers no new insight on the financial crisis and its characters are poorly developed. It kept my attention (maybe because I loved the original) but the ending is pitiful. Grade: B-.
The Other Guys (out Sep 9) is about two hapless cops who try to prove their colleagues wrong by solving a big case. Yes, I know this kind of movie has been made before but Will Ferrell and Whalberg make a great comedy team. There are plenty of "laugh out loud" moments. A little long though. Grade: B+.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (out Sep 9) is a family-orientated action flick about a 19 y/o with magical powers who must defeat an evil sorcerer. I couldn't get into this. It's a weak plot. There are just too many "convenient" tricks that the good magicians use to get out of tough situations. Further, Jay Baruchel irritated the living hell of me with his voice and mannerisms. Grade: C+.
The Disappearance Of Alice Creed (out Sep 9) is a creative UK thriller with just 3 members in the cast. Two guys kidnap a young woman and demand a huge ransom from her wealthy father. If you like your movies with a twist, then don't miss this! This one has plenty. Grade: A-.
Despicable Me (out Sep 9) is an animated film about a struggling villain who tries to pull off his most evil act yet – stealing the moon. There are some fun moments and I’d recommend it for young kids over the school holidays. That said, it’s a notch below the high benchmark set by other animated films this year such as How To Train Your Dragon and Toy Story 3. Grade: B+.
The Kids Are All Right (out Sep 2) revolves around a family with two mums and two teenagers. Out of curiosity, the kids track down their father (who donated his sperm years ago) and it throws the family dynamic into chaos. There are some great individual scenes but I didn't think it added up to much. The film tries to cover too much material. Grade: B.
Vampires Suck (out now) well, um, sucked! If you think that joke is lame, wait until you see this pathetic excuse for a movie. You have been warned. Grade: C-.
Going The Distance (out Sep 2) is a romantic comedy starring Justin Long and Drew Barrymore. It's pretty predictable and I didn't think much of the supporting characters. That said, it does a nice job differentiating itself from other rom-coms with its sexual content. Long and Barrymore work well off each other too. Grade: B.
