DETROIT - film

A colleague asked me how this film was the day after I saw it and the answer was "It's great. It'll crush your soul, but it was great."

Detroit is a an American crime drama based on the true story of a race-based riot in Detroit in 1967. It all started with police raiding an unlicensed club in which a group of black people were celebrating the return of war veterans. Much of the film is based on an incident in which some white policemen think they've been shot at by a black person, causing them to hold the group of black people hostage and torture them until someone confesses. That's the short version (cut to the chase version, you might say) and does not do justice to how painful it is to watch. The discrimination and racism is brutal and just awful to watch.

This brings me to the key point. This film is very good - it's well executed and the performances are excellent. So if you want to be challenged a little, think a little and feel pretty awkwardly squirmy, then this is for you. If you are looking for a film that's a bit of light entertainment to make you smile, this ain't it.

A four star review from news.com.au here if you'd like to know more.

Trailer here. In cinemas Thursday 9 November.

HOME AGAIN - film

If this rom com starring Reese Witherspoon were any lighter it would've flown up into the sky like a helium balloon let go by a child at a town fair. Seriously, it's terrible.

Reese plays Alice Kinney, a newly single mother of two who has moved from New York back to her home town of Los Angeles and sets up house in the old home of her deceased father who was a big time film director. Alice's mum is played by Candice Bergen and her small role is the highlight of this film. The bar is low.

In a deeply implausible turn of events, three young film makers trying to make it in the biz in LA wind up moving in with Alice and the kids and, quelle suprise, she hooks up with one of them. Ex-husband moves from NY to LA and wants to get back together! I KNOW, RIGHT?!

I had googled to check the running time before the film started and something indicated 2 hours so I was very pleasantly surprised when it was only about 95. A moment when one of the young kids is clearly wearing conspicuous fake eyelashes really tipped me to the edge, for what it's worth.

I think this two star review in News Ltd is pretty accurate. This three star review in The Guardian calls it "silly but satisfying" which I think is a generous interpretation but I present it in the interests of fairness.

In cinemas Thursday 19 October. Trailer here.

BATTLE OF THE SEXES - film

Battle of the Sexes is based on the true story of tennis legend Billy Jean King's fight for equality and LGBTI rights in the 1970s. I really enjoyed it a lot.

Emma Stone stars as Billy Jean and her nemesis, ageing, gambling-addicted, former tennis great Bobby Riggs, is played by Steve Carell. The climax of their battle is when they play each other in an exhibition tennis match which is about so much more than tennis; it's about equality for women. Stone and Carell both give really terrific performances.

Perhaps it's a sign of my age (I'm really YOUNG you guys) or a lack of interest in tennis but I didn't know this story at all. If you don't either, my suggestion is that you don't read up on it if you plan to see this film. Just go in blind and you'll enjoy it and be totally invested in what happens. Needless to say, no spoilers here!

Aussie actress Jessica McNamee plays Margaret Court and Court's views on homosexuality are relevant and played out here, though this is not a huge part of the film. It was interesting to observe the reactions of the people watching it, to both Court's prejudiced views (laughter, mainly) and to Bobby Riggs' misogynistic views (awkward laughter).

Special shout out to US comedian Sarah Silverman who plays the founder of a tennis magazine and supporter of Billy Jean and women's tennis. She is superb in this and I hope we'll see more of her on the big screen.

Here's a three star review from the Sydney Morning Herald and another three star review from news.com.au if you'd like to read more. I don't really do the star thing but feel compelled to say that I'd be a bit more generous and give it more like 3.5.

Trailer here. In cinemas now.

PATTI CAKE$ - film

Patti Cake$ is an American film with a young Aussie in the lead role. Danielle Macdonald plays aspiring young rapper Patricia Dombrowski, also known as Killa-P, Dumbo and eventually Patti Cake$.

I loved this film. Patricia's story is a crappy one. A drunk mum (played brilliantly by Bridget Everett, who long-term readers may recall did a stand-up show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival a couple of years ago that shocked the hell out of me), no dad on the scene and an ill grandmother whose treatment is putting huge financial stress on the family. Life is tough and she's working numerous jobs to try to make ends meet for the family.

She can "spit" (I think that's what people far cooler than me call rapping but contact me via Myspace or on my pager if that's incorrect) like a pro and has a dream of making it big. The fun and odd crew that are along for the ride help make this film, but it's really all about Patricia and to a lesser extent her mum.

For me, I didn't necessarily want Patricia to WIN, I just wanted her to have some bloody HOPE for a change. I was really invested in what happens to her. No spoilers here but whilst it's not a soppy happy ending, I reckon they give us enough hope to be happy. It put a nice spring in my step!

Here's a four-star review in the Herald Sun (with Danielle Macdonald's name spelt incorrectly throughout at the time of publishing this blog) and another four-star review in The Guardian if you want to read more. Get yourselves along to this one, you'll find it in your more arthousy cinemas. Highly recommend!

Trailer here. In cinemas 14 September.

AMERICAN MADE - film

Tom Cruise action films are, I confess, not usually cup of tea but I always go in with an open mind to try to produce a fair assessment.

And you know what? I enjoyed this more than I expected to! It's a crime drama (amusing at times) based on a true story and Cruise plays US pilot Barry Seal who gets recruited to smuggle drugs and then subsequently recruited to provide intel to the government. I won't bother with the details here but if you are interested in the full story, there's a summary here.

I don't think this one will win any awards or challenge your world view but it's light good fun. It's probably a good one for partners who have different tastes to meet in the middle and enjoy if you're looking for such a thing. My one criticism is that at almost two hours, this film is about 20 minutes too long.

Here's a three star review from The Guardian which I reckon is bang on. When I asked the friend I saw it with what she'd give it out of five she said six. I asked her if she was drunk and she said she wasn't but that she did in fact mean three out of five. We're all in agreement.

Trailer here. In cinemas now.

ALI'S WEDDING - film

Based on a true story, Ali's Wedding is an Australian romantic comedy and it's pretty charming.

Ali is in year 12, studying to try to get into medical school. He's desperately trying to please his father, played by Don Hany, who is a charismatic and respected Muslim cleric. His family are trying to find him a bride but he falls for someone who is not considered an appropriate match.

It's a classic coming-of-age kind of tale that's light and easy to watch. It's not 5 stars good, but it's 3-3.5 stars good.

Since I saw it I have discovered that Andrew Knight is one of the writers on it and that totally stacks up. If you don't know who Knight is, he is one of the men behind some brilliant Australian TV shows such as Fast Forward, SeaChange and Jack Irish.

Here's a 3.5 star review on news.com.au if you would like to know more about the film.

Trailer here. In cinemas 31 August.

HAMPSTEAD - film

What do you get when you combine Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson in Hampstead, a light romantic drama loosely based on a true story?

In this case, a big ol' snooze-fest.

There's no two ways about it I'm afraid. This is a stinker.

Keaton is Emily Walters, a widow living in Hampstead Heath, a pretty town in England. Gleeson (I suspect you would recognise the face, if not the name) is a vagrant who has set up home on a local vacant piece of land. Emily's mates are plotting to build apartments on the land a make a killing but Emily winds up falling for the vagrant and being part of the team who fight for his right to the land. (Spoiler alert - in real life and the film, he wins the case.)

Their romance is so devoid of feeling, it's hard to describe. There's a scene where they have a fight that is just so lacking in any actual fight or soul it's almost as if everyone involved in the film has never actually had a fight with a loved one. It was actually weird.

Another funny (not in a good way) moment is when Emily is painting a door white and she exclaims "I like this colour!" like a deranged budgerigar. It's hard to do it justice but it was just so weird.

So should you go and see this at a cinema? No. Should you watch it if you can do so in future for free on TV, digital etc? No. Should you watch it on a plane if it is literally the only thing available to drown out the sound of snoring old blokes and screaming babies? No.

This film just left me pondering, does Diane Keaton just always get cast as annoying characters, or is she actually an annoying person? I guess I'll never know.

The Guardian is with me, giving this one star, but news.com.au gives a more generous take at 2.5 stars if you would like to read more.

Trailer here. In cinemas Thursday 17 August.

ATOMIC BLONDE - film

If I told you the main character in Atomic Blonde is called Lorraine Broughton, you'd think she'd look something like this, yeah?

Well she actually looks smokin' hot like this:

Charlize's appearance is genuinely of note in this film because her face is almost like a whole separate feature of the film. She plays a kick-ass spy and when the camera's not close up on her staring pensively into middle-distance sucking on a gasper, she's impressively belting the crap out of someone, striding purposefully in a stylish outfit down a dingy Berlin alley or soaking in a bath full of ice cubes.

Spy action films aren't typically my favs but I actually enjoyed this more than I expected to. I mean, it's all a bit silly and mindless but to be fair it did actually capture my attention. I mean, hottie James McAvoy also features and I'm only human!

Ultimately this one is in the quite good but not amazing category for me. If you like a spy action film, it might be up your alley. If you like Charlize Theron or James McAvoy, it also might be up your alley.

The observant among you might have noticed I haven't told you anything really about the storyline. As Fairfax critic Jake Wilson put it in this 3.5 star review, "The details of the plot don't matter; what counts is the vibe." He's right. Read his review if you do want to know more about the film.

Trailer here. In cinemas now.

A GHOST STORY - film

My favourite thing about A Ghost Story, a supernatural drama starring Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara, is that it's only 87 minutes long.

*sigh*

This film is a pretentious dud if you ask me but to be fair, it's getting positive reviews from more learned critics than me.

Mara and Affleck are a married couple. We are never told their names because that would be far too common! Affleck dies and returns as a ghost. Not just any ghost, a bloke covered in a sheet with eye holes cut out. Picture a bad Halloween costume on a 10 year old and you get the idea.

He haunts the home they shared long after Mara leaves. New family moves in, Ghosty McGhostface watches them live a mundane life from under his sheet. House is bulldozed and replaced with an office building & Ghosty McGhostface watches people go about office life from under his sheet. You get the idea.

The film thinks it's very clever and to give it credit, lots of critics agree. But I'm just a simple bogan from the suburbs and I didn't enjoy this film at all.

If you'd like to read a positive review to get the flip side to my own view, check out this four star review in The Guardian.

Trailer here. In cinemas Thursday 27 July.

THE BEGUILED - film

The Beguiled is good but it's not quite as good as it thinks it is.

Starring Nicole Kidman as Martha Farnsworth, the head of a small boarding school for girls, this film is set in Virginia during the American Civil War. A cat is set among the pigeons when one of the students finds an injured soldier, Corporal John McBurney (Colin Farrell) injured in the woods.

Corporal McBurney is allowed into the boarding school to convalesce. Let's just say that when a hot soldier moves in, the ladies of the house including Miss Farnsworth, her teaching assistant played by Kirsten Dunst and one of the older girls at the school played very well by Elle Fanning... oh boy do they get their feathers up!

Everyone has an agenda. The ladies, to be the object of his affection whilst still playing it cool and Corporal McBurney, to avoid returning to the war or to become a prisoner of war.

I did enjoy this film, especially the second half when the scene was set and things actually got interesting. I personally would put it in 'liked but didn't love' territory and I think this 3.5 star review by News Ltd's Leigh Paatsch is fair and in line with my own opinion.

In cinemas now. Trailer here.

THE HOUSE - film

The House is a US comedy starring legends Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler, who I rate highly. With two big names like this, I wanted to love this but my hopes were tempered considerably by many grim reviews.

Ferrell and Poehler are a cash-strapped husband and wife who wind up partners in a clandestine casino with a mate. Everything that happens in their quest to make enough cash to send their vanilla daughter to college is just silly, as you might expect. Ultimately I do agree with the reviewers - this film is pretty ordinary - but to be fair, there is a few good chuckles.

In a funny coincidence, there's a little sequence of laughs related to the 1995 film Casino which I happened to watch for the first time a week ago because my colleague Nick was so horrified I hadn't seen it that a copy of it appeared on my desk the very next day!

I definitely wouldn't recommend you rush out and see this at the cinema but if it pops up on the telly or the like, it's harmless enough to pass the time away.

If you want to know more about the film, here's a proper verdict from Fairfax that gives it 1.5 stars and a rather more generous one from News Ltd where it scores 3 stars.

Trailer here. In cinemas now.

TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT - film

I've thought a lot about what to say about this one. It's funny really, given that is completely at odds with how much I care about this film.

Here's my emphatic declaration to you, dear readers. Transformers: The Last Knight is really, really not my cup of tea so you'll need to read this through that lens.

It's just a pile of silly nonsense. Like... stupid, dumb, nonsense.

On the plus side (YES I FOUND ONE FOR YOU!), Mark Wahlberg and Josh Duhamel are in it so at least there's something nice to look at, for those of us that way inclined.

I'm actually not even going to attempt to tell you anything about the 'storyline' (a generous description) because it's just so not relevant. If ridiculous action films are your cup of tea and you don't care about the storyline, well I guess this might be your thing. If that sounds bad to you then you know full well you need to give this one a wide berth.

Leigh Paatsch from News Ltd gave it 1 star (OUCH) and ever so slightly better was Jake Wilson's 2 star review for Fairfax.

In cinemas now. Trailer here.

DESPICABLE ME 3 - film

Despicable Me 3 is the third (der) in the Despicable Me series of animated films, aimed at kids but not without fun for adults too.

This film is joyful good fun for kids and adults alike. Truly, I just loved it and so did my sister and two nieces who are 10 and 14. Miss 10 is quite the Despicable Me fan so I take her view seriously & she really loved it. I got them to give you a quick lowdown that you can listen to here:

If you're familiar with the franchise, you will be happy to hear your old favourites Gru, Lucy, Margo, Edith & Agnes are back, as well as those giggle-inducing Minions. Don't sweat it if you haven't seen the first two films though and that means nothing to you. I had seen the first one, and maybe the second one, but I didn't remember much and Despicable Me 3 stands alone just fine. In this installment, Gru is in battle with evil '80s star Balthazar Bratt, voiced by Trey Parker of South Park fame. The '80s angle brings some great laughs for the adults and contributes to the rockin' soundtrack.

Reviews of the film are embargoed til release day so I can't tell you what proper critics think of this one but if they didn't enjoy this, they're morons. It's just damn good fun. Highly recommend!

Trailer here. In cinemas now.

THE MUMMY - film

The Mummy is a US action film starring Tom Cruise as Nick Morton, a soldier who pinches ancient artifacts from all around the world and sells them online. Some of you may remember the 1999 version of the same film starring Brendan Fraser. I confess I haven't seen that one so it was all new to me and I went in with an open mind.

Unfortunately said open mind was filled with a big ol' pile of stupid when I watched this one. But I will say it was more watchable stupid than I expected. Not many proper critics are with me on that front; the film is being pretty universally panned. In fact, news.com.au have amused themselves by collating the best lines from the bad reviews here, if you're interested.

It's a complex and silly plot and therefore difficult to sum up 'cut to the chase' style so I'll take the description from the distributor for you: " Though safely entombed in a crypt deep beneath the unforgiving desert, an ancient princess, whose destiny was unjustly taken from her, is awakened in our current day bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia, and terrors that defy human comprehension. "

Along with Tom Cruise, whose lame doe-eyed 'I'm puzzled face' is only partially offset by his bangin' 54 year old rig, the film also stars Russell Crowe (who ain't the hottie leading man he once was, I'll say that much) in a wise professor-type role and Sofia Boutella as The Mummy.

The friend I saw the film with gave me specific instructions to quote her in this blog. Her thoughts? "I was embarrassed for Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe. People were laughing and it is not a comedy."

So in summary, I wasn't a fan of this one but in the interests of fairness, here's a three star review from The Telegraph (UK) which manages to find more positives than most other critics.

Trailer here. In cinemas now.

20th CENTURY WOMEN - film

Set in American in 1979, this indy comedy drama was nominated for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes this year so I had high hopes.

I didn't hate it but I also didn't love it. It was just all a bit too pretentious for this bogan.

Annette Benning is in the lead as Dorothea, a fifty-something year old single mum of Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann) living in a large home in Southern California with boarders William (Billy Crudup), Abbie (Greta Gerwig) and Julie (Elle Fanning). Well, Julie isn't quite a boarder but she's Jamie's best friend who often stays the night.

This film is sort of a coming-of-age story based on Jamie but our 20th Century Women are of course Dorothea, Abbie and Julie, who all have a unique influence on Jamie's life and these are the stories that shape the film.

There's some good performances but a special shout out for Elle Fanning who is excellent and at just 19 years old is destined for lots more great roles.

It speaks volumes that when I looked up some reviews of the film, I saw two separate ones in The Guardian, one gave it two stars and the other gave it four. I get it. I'm more in the two camp. About half way through this two hour film I looked at my watch thinking, this feels long and like it's not really going anywhere. But like I said, I didn't hate it... just didn't love it.

Trailer here. In cinemas Thursday 1 June.

GET OUT - film

With special thanks to guest blogger Jo, who is far from a scaredy cat like me, here's the Cut To The Chase verdict on Get Out...

“What an interesting, unpretentious movie Get Out is. Made on a relative shoestring budget it works on so many levels that a viewing will not disappoint. What starts out as a “meet-the-family” weekend for the main characters, a very appealing interracial dating couple slowly builds step-by-step into an intriguing thriller. Initial first questions (is Rose’s family too good to be true, are they hidden racists, are they just douchebag wannabees) are cleverly crafted to mask the real intent of the movie - what appears to be boringly normal, may not be so “normal” after all. There are some moments of suspenseful shocks, balanced nicely by a wry humour (and some genuinely funny dialogue). It’s not really possible to discuss much else without giving away some major plot surprises, so suffice to say it’s worth a ticket. This reviewer didn’t find it particularly scary, however one of my viewing companions did mention a racing heart and holding of breath. It’s probably somewhere in between.

I would give it a solid 4 out of 5 – and friends keep that teaspoon and willow-pattern teacup away from me........”

In cinemas now. Trailer here.

SNATCHED - film

I love Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn too actually so I had high hopes for Snatched, the new comedy they're in, and that Amy is an executive producer of.

Alas, Snatched was a big ol' let down.

Goldie Hawn is a great actress and Amy Schumer is a good actress but neither are good enough to lift this into really enjoyable territory. To be fair, there is definitely some good laughs. I laughed out loud quite a few times but the storyline... oh boy. They play mother (Linda) and daughter (Emily) on holiday in Ecuador after Emily's boyfriend dumps her and she's fired from her job. They wind up victims of a kidnap plot and madness ensues. At various times through the jungle-based madness Goldie's hair get a spruce up, annoyingly.

Plenty of comedies have dumb plots and somehow survive that (Anchorman, for example) but this just doesn't. I'm not sure why. There was a group of six women sitting near me and listening to them discuss it afterwards I felt vindicated. They thought it was really ordinary.

news.com.au gave it just two stars so I feel further vindicated. There's some reviews that are a little more positive but I haven't seen any that are glowing. I guess my view is that it's pleasant enough to watch if it pops up on TV or something, but that I can't say I'd recommend rushing out to the cinema to pay $20+ to see it.

Trailer here. In cinemas now.

PORK PIE - film

Pork Pie is a New Zealand comedy which bodes well as far as I'm concerned because anything funny is at least 15% funnier when delivered with that glorious NZ accent.

It's a remake of a 1981 film Goodbye Pork Pie which I haven't seen. You haven't either, have you?

Anyway, it's what you might call a 'road comedy' where a couple of guys Jon and Luke (Dean O'Gorman and James Rolleston who you will recognise if you have seen Boy) are thrown together in unlikely circumstances and wind up escaping various troubles on a road trip, eventually joined by a young woman Kiera (Australian Ashleigh Cummings).

I was enjoying it at first, finding it quite charming but it does get very silly. Like, hard to go with kind of silly. Ultimately I didn't dislike it but I can't honestly recommend you rush out and spend a lobster on seeing it.

I saw it with a friend and her verdict is as follows: "Strong open, some funny moments but not strong enough Kiwi accents to carry it. The three main characters were all good actors but the story just didn't mesh. It was a good reminder of how beautiful NZ is, though." I concur.

New Ltd film critic Leigh Paatsch enjoyed it a bit more than us, giving it three stars. Read his thoughts for more on the film if you're keen.

Trailer here. In cinemas now.

BERLIN SYNDROME - film

Based on a novel of the same name by Melburnian Melanie Joosten, this thriller Australian film is filmed partly in Berlin, partly in Melbourne.

Starring Aussie Teresa Palmer as backpacker Clare, we follow her seemingly spontaneous journey to Berlin where she meets local charmer Andi, played by Max Riemelt. Andi turns out to be a big ol' kook with issues to boot.

Despite a middle patch that made me wish it would hurry along a bit, I ended up enjoying this one. Well, certainly finding it as thrilling as intended. I don't want to include too much on the plot but suffice to say, when Clare finds herself captive by Andi, the complexities of their relationship demonstrate why the film draws on the notion of Stockholm syndrome.

The resolution stretched the friendship a little, though only a little, and it wrapped up a bit too quickly and with lots unresolved but with a running time at almost two hours, any more would have really tested my patience!

It's not five stars, rush out and see it kind of good but I'd happy put it at 3 or 3.5 stars and recommend if especially if you like a thriller. Here's a 3.5 star review in News Ltd if you want to read more.

Trailer here. Opens 20 April 2017.

LOVING - film

Loving is a drama based on a true story from America's south in the 1950s. Mildred (Ethiopian Irish actress Ruth Negga) and Richard (Australian Joel Edgerton) are fighting for the right to live as a mixed race couple in conservative home town of Virginia. They marry in Washington but on returning to Virginia face increasingly awful discrimination and even wind up jailed for this 'crime' for a time.

Loving didn't get any best picture nominations in the recent US 'awards season' but Ruth Negga was nominated for best actress at both the Oscars and Golden Globes and Joel Edgerton for best actor in the Golden Globes. Both give excellent performances that I would describe as understated. I guess it's just the nature of the characters they're playing but this style of performance and indeed characters did mean that my reactions to them were also understated. Whilst it's a story that is at times very sad and at times very uplifting, it didn't bring me to tears once. I literally had the tissues out of my bag ready! (It's important for you to know that I cry at the lamest of things... you know, emotional Kleenex ads and the like.)

So to summarise, I do think this film is a great one but it didn't illicit a strong reaction in me. I left just thinking it was great but not with any particular enthusiasm. I was interested to stumble on this three star review from The Guardian after I saw the film in which the critic says "there might be something a little reticent and even occasionally underpowered about it". Words better crafted than my own to describe my feelings!

Trailer here. In cinemas from Thursday 16 March.