Mini Reviews
The Last Station (out Apr 1) looks at final year in the life of Russian writer Leo Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer). It centres on his strained relationship with his wife (Helen Mirren) and what he wants to leave behind as his legacy. Performances are superb but knowing very little about Tolstoy, I struggled to maintain interest. Grade: B.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (out Mar 25) is a Swedish thriller about an investigative journalist who has been asked by a high profile businessman to look into the disappearance of his niece 40 years ago. There are a few gaps in the story (always the trouble with a book adaptation) but it kept me thinking for the full 2.5 hours. Violent and confronting in places. Very good. Grade: A-.
Brothers (out now) is the remake of a 2004 Dutch film. A young married man (Tobey Maguire) goes off to war and is presumed dead after a helicopter crash. His wife (Natalie Portman) finds comfort in the arms of his husband's brother (Jake Gyllenhaal). See where this is going? The story chops and changes. I wasn't sure who or what it was really about. Performances good though. Grade: B-.
The Bounty Hunter (out now) is the worst film of the year thus far. Gerard Butler plays a bounty hunter with a dream assignment - he has to track down and bring his ex-wife (Jennifer Aniston) into custody for skipping bail. Could the storyline be any dumber? What a mess. Grade: C-.
How To Train Your Dragon (out Mar 25) is the first great animated film of 2010. It's set in the Viking world and revolves around a young guy named Hiccup who befriends what was thought to be a nasty dragon. Kids are going to love this. The story is easy to follow and the animation (3D in selected cinemas) is amazing. Grade: A-.
The Rebound (out now) is about a forty-something mother who has recently left her husband. She rents a small apartment in central New York and her search for a new love leads her into the arms of her twenty-something babysitter. People are talking... There are a few laughs and I liked the chemistry between Catherine Zeta-Jones and Justin Bartha. Sadly, the film is let down by an unworkable ending. Grade: B.
The Vampire's Assistant (out now) is about a teenager who attends a freak show and winds up being turned into a "half vampire". He then becomes part of a vampire war where he must battle his best friend (who is also now a vampire). It's a pretty flimsy plot with not a lot of entertainment. Few jokes. Many characters underutilised. Poor. Grade: C.
Remember Me (out Mar 11) is a simple, yet effective story about relationships. The way in which friends, family and lovers connect. It took a little while for me to warm to the characters but I grew to like them. This laid the groundwork for the film's ending. I'm such a sucker for reflective montages. Grade: A-.
My One And Only (out Mar 11) is a 1950s drama about a woman (Renee Zellweger) who takes her two sons on a road trip across America in search of a wealthy husband. Zellweger is surprisingly good (I usually dislike her) as is youngster Logan Lerman (from the Percy Jackson movie). It goes through a few small luls but I was always interested in how it would pan out. Grade: B+.
Separation City (out now) is a New Zealand film starring Joel Edgerton as a married man who has fallen in love with another woman. There are some nice jokes (many revolving around NZ politician) but the story was a little too convenient and the narration is overdone. Grade: B.
Green Zone (out Mar 11) is terrific. It brought back memories of Blood Diamond (another film I liked) in that it's a Hollywood-style action film but also contains a strong political message. Not a bad way to tell a story. Matt Damon is great and Paul Greengrass's fast-paced direction is reminiscent of his work in the last two Bourne movies. Grade: A-.
