Mini Reviews
Toy Story 3 (out Jun 24) sees our beloved toys fight to escape from a child centre centre filled with over-excited toddlers. With such a rich array of characters, there's seldom a dull moment. The new toys are great including a psychotic monkey and a metrosexual Ken doll. A fun adventure with a strong narrative, it will capture the attention of both kids and adults. Animation incredible as always. Grade: A-.
Mademoiselle Chambon (out now) is a French drama about a married man who falls in love with a teacher at his son's school. I felt a tinge of emotion at the end but the lead-up was a snooze-fest. I just can't get excited watching people (1) wash their father's feet, (2) reading a book, and (3) fixing a window. Grade: C+.
Lou (out now) is a small Australian film centring on an 11 y/o girl living with her unstable mother. Lou's grandfather moves in but his struggles with Alzheimer's Disease only further complicated her life. It's not a bad film but there's a distinct lack of action/drama. Grade: B-.
The A-Team (out now) has big guns... and heavy beatings.. and HUGE explosions. Wow! On a more serious note, I'm over this sort of stuff. Action fans will probably go for it but seeing someone dodge 10,000,000 bullets just doesn't excite me like it once did. Call me an old man. Grade: C+.
Mother & Child (out Jun 17) is worth a look. It's about a group of women and the relationships they share with their children (with adoption being a key theme). Yes, it's formulaic but the performances are great and the characters come with an edge. Annette Bening and Naomi Watts were my pick of the cast. Grade: A-.
Legion (out now) starts promisingly. A group of people stuck in a rundown diner in the Nevada desert find themselves under attack by a group of "possessed" humans. Unfortunately, the film stalls in the second act and limps home with a fairly ho-hum conclusion. Grade: B-.
Fish Tank (out now) is a gritty English drama about a troubled 15 y/o girl living with her mother in a low-class English neighbourhood. Shot using a documentary style format, it's quite confronting in places. This definitely isn't a feel good movie. I was hoping for more resolution with the ending but perhaps that's how life is. Great performance from star Katie Jarvis. Grade: B+.
Get Him To The Greek (out Jun 17) is a spin-off from Forgetting Sarah Marshall and focuses on a young music studio intern (Jonah Hill) trying to get a rock star (Russell Brand) to a music concert. En route, there are parties, drugs, dildos and threesomes. It's quite funny in places but can't maintain its momentum all the way through. Some will love it but I've only got a so-so feeling. Grade: B.
Shrek Forever After (out Jun 17) will be liked by most kids but it lacks the originality and adult humour I remember fondly from the first film. This time around, Shrek goes head-to-head with Rumpelstiltskin who threatens to destroy his life. Eddie Murphy again gets all the best lines as Donkey but with only one new character, this series is starting to tire. Grade: B.
Rocket Science (out Jun 17) is from the director of Spellbound (my all time fav doco) and I first looked at the trailer in Aug 2007. It's FINALLY being released in Australia and the wait is worth it. A nice tale about a stuttering teenager who gets involved in the high school debating team to impress a girl. The lead performance is superb and so is the script - I particularly liked how the story ends. Grade: A-.
New York I Love You (out Jun 10) has been made in a similar vein to Paris I Love You. It's a group of short stories from famous directors packaged up as a single movie. There are some nice tales in this film but an equal number left me snoozing. The Brett Ratner directed short (involving the wheelchair-bound girl) was my favourite. Grade: B-.
