Mini Reviews
Star Trek (out May 7) is slow to start but I warmed to the new look and the new cast. Chris Pine makes a great Kirk. A few of the subplots were unnecessary but I liked some of the twists and my attention was held to the very end. I look forward to the next instalment of this reinvigorated series. Grade: B+.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (out Apr 29) is disappointing. Unlike the previous X-Men films, which I liked, this one doesn’t explore any interesting moral issues. It’s just Hugh Jackman running around and blowing stuff up like a cheap action hero. Oh, and we see him release and retract his claws about 400 times. That’s about it. Grade: C+.
Closed For Winter (out now) is a wearisome, overacted Australian drama starring Natalie Imbruglia and Daniel Frederiksen. It’s about a woman struggling to come to grips with the disappearance of her sister on a beach 20 years ago. I like to promoting Aussie product, especially in this economic climate, but this film just didn’t do it for me. Grade: C+.
Let The Right One In (out Apr 23) is a Swedish flick about a softly spoken 12 year old boy, bullied at school, who become friends with the young girl living in the apartment next door. It turns out that she's a vampire. There's not a lot of dialogue but this is one creepy, well directed film that deserves to be seen. Currently in the top 250 of all time on the IMDB. Grade: A-.
The Boy In Striped Pyjamas (out Apr 23) feels condensed. The characters are underdeveloped and the ending is rushed. Set in World War II, it's about an 8 year old German boy who has a misguided perception of the attrocities that are taking place in a Jewish concentration camp. Grade: B-.
Acolytes (out now) is a low-budget Aussie thriller about 3 teenagers toying with a serial killer. The plot lacks logic but I liked the overall look of the film. Good luck trying to see it though. It's screening at the Palace Barracks for one week only and there's just one measly session (at 9:30pm) per day. Why even bother releasing it? Grade: B-.
Tulpan (out Apr 23) is a film from Kazakhstan about a young sheep herder living in a remote wasteland who is looking for a wife. The high profile cast includes Askhat Kuchencherekov, Ondas Besikbasov and Tolepbergen Baisakalov. Too many yurts and not enough action for my liking. Grade: B.
Fired Up (out Apr 23) is about two football jocks who go to cheerleading camp over the summer so that they can have their way with over 300 chicks. It's complete trash but I enjoyed it... just like a McDonald's Cheesburger. Go Tigers! Grade: B.
Dragonball Evolution (out now) sets a new standard for mediocrity that gives me hope as a wanna-be filmmaker. No matter how bad my first film is, I can say "hey, at least it isn't as bad as Dragonball Evolution" and people will have no choice but to agree. Grade: C-.
The Pink Panther 2 (out now) is slightly better than the first film... which isn't much of an achievement. Steve Martin can be so incredibly funny. For example, at this year's Oscars. How does he end up in films as lame as this? Grade: C+.
17 Again (out Apr 9) will undoubtedly be the most popular film for teenage girls over the Easter holidays. Do I need to say why? There are several cringe-worthy moments (I say that in a good way) to offset the "been there before" feel. It has my recommendation... just don't tell anyone I said that. Grade: B+.
