Mini Reviews
Cold Souls (out now) is reminiscent of Being John Malkovich. Paul Giamatti plays himself and undergoes a revolutionary medical procedure where his "soul" is replaced with that of a Russian poet. It's all for a stage role. Unfortunately, his original soul goes missing and he ends up going to Russia to find it. It's fairly original and has my recommendation. Grade: B+.
The Informant (out Dec 3) is all wrong. Based on actual events, it tells the story of a highly paid executive who becomes an informant for the FBI - exposing his company's fraudulent activity. Matt Damon (who I usually like) was not a good choice for the leading role. It needed someone more subdued, less likeable. The final 10 mins are ok but that's it. Grade: C+.
Paranormal Activity (out Dec 3) is a legitimately scary horror flick (a rarity I know). Shot for just $150k, it centres on a couple who hear strange noises in their house at night. They buy a video camera and leave it on while they sleep to see if there's anything peculiar. Whilst I'm pretty desensitized to such things, a shiver went down my spine on more than one occasion. You must see this. Grade: A-.
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs (out Nov 25) is a zany kids comedy about a nerdy inventor who creates a machine that makes it rain food. I'm taking the middle ground on this one. I liked some of the voices (e.g. Mr T, Andy Samberg) but it's a limited storyline and there's only so far you can take it. Grade: B.
New Moon (out now) sees Bella dumped by Edward, her vampire boyfriend. Can the distraught Bella pick up the pieces and move on with her life? The film got bogged down in a sea of melodrama. There's too much brooding and not enough action. The acting was pretty wooden too. I did like the film's look and the performance of Kristen Stewart. Grade: B-.
The Invention Of Lying (out Nov 26) is a Ricky Gervais comedy about a guy who lives in a world where he is the only person who can tell a lie. Think of the possibilities. The opening 20 minutes are fantastic but the novelty wore off as the film progressed and the religious finale didn't make much sense to me. Grade: C+.
Amelia (out now) is about the famous aviator, Amelia Earhart, who tried to become the first person to fly around the world in 1937. Hilary Swank is nice the leading role but the story is told in a very ho-hum manner. Not a lot of excitement until the final scenes. Grade: C+.
Amreeka (out Nov 19) is a nice story about a mother and son who immigrate to the United States from Palestine and find that their new life isn't as promising as they hoped. Grade: B+.
Dorian Gray (out now) has many of the great one-liners from Oscar Wilde's novel but as you may expect, something has gone amiss in the translation to the big screen. It's a curious story but I felt like I only saw part of it. Mental note: I must read the book. Grade: B.
Sister Smile (out Nov 12) is the true story about an artist who became a nun who became a pop star. I didn't like her though. Was she actually trying to change the world or was she just a selfish person looking for fame and fortune? I thought the later. The exploration of her sexuality was the only part of the story I found interesting. Grade: B-.
A Serious Man (out Nov 19) left me in a beautiful state of bewilderment. The Coen brothers have done it again. Set in 1967, it tells the story of a physics professor whose life starts going down the tubes. He turns to his local rabbis for answers but can they provide them? It features some truly memorable characters and will provide much food for thought. Not for everyone though. Grade: A-.
