Apologies for the break in usual programming! I've been out of town for all of November & not able to blog. Usual programming will return in December... perfect timing for the hit motion pictures of the holiday season!
THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS - film /
A Hollywood love story based on a best-selling novel! The two lead actors fell in love during filming! Based on an Australian story by an Australian author, filmed in Australia! On paper there's a lot to love!
Alas... I thought this was a bit dull. There were times where it felt a bit soap opera-ish unfortunately.
Tom (Michael Fassbender) and Isabel (Alicia Vikander) fall in love and wind up living together on a remote island off the coast of Western Australia where Tom is the lighthouse keeper. The isolation of course becomes a problem but they are delighted when Isabel becomes pregnant. Things don't go to plan with the pregnancy but all is not lost when it comes to their dream of being parents. I won't say more on that for fear of spoiling. It's certainly an interesting twist!
But unfortunately despite the twist and the complexities of what unfolds, I just never bought into the characters and their situation enough to really care about what happened to them. In a group of, say, 30 people I saw this with, I only noticed one wipe away tears and let me tell you, this film is designed to be a tear-jerker!
I didn't hate this but I certainly didn't love it and can't say I'd suggest rushing out to see it. Maybe on DVD/digital for a girls night or something of that nature.
Here's a two star review from Rolling Stone magazine that I'm down with. In the interests of balance, it's also received this four star review in The Guardian but that's way too generous if you ask me.
Trailer here. In cinemas 3 November.
NOCTURNAL ANIMALS - film /
Despite the fact it's a poor reflection on me I confess that the fact this film is directed by a famous fashion designer, Tom Ford, meant my expectations were fairly low. (He has directed at least one other film but I haven't seen it.)
Why did I think a fashion designer wouldn't be a good director? Look, I don't know. I'm an idiot.
You know what, this film is fantastic. It's a psychological thriller and by crikey it's gripping!
It contains two stories, I guess you could say. Amy Adams plays the lead, Susan Morrow, so one story is hers, but she's reading a novel sent to her by her ex-husband and the plot of the novel also unfolds as the second story in the film. That novel is a (violet) thriller in itself. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Susan's ex-husband but is also in the novel storyline. IT'S A BIT HARD TO EXPLAIN YOU GUYS JUST GO WITH ME.
Michael Shannon is also in it and is perfect in the role of cranky cop. You might recognise his face but perhaps not his name. He's been in a few films I've seen lately & I'm a fan.
Obviously being a thriller I don't want to tell you too much about the plot but I'll say this much... the film is intense. Don't go and see if it you want some toe tapper designed to leave you on cloud nine!
If you want to read more, check out this five star review in The Guardian. I loved this film, but perhaps not quite five stars for me, for what it's worth. Not all of the reviews are as glowing as the one in The Guardian but it's generally very positive.
HOOK UP FOR MELBOURNE READERS - Broadsheet are doing a preview at Palace Kino on 9 November & are giving away tickets. Check it out here.
Trailer here. In cinemas 10 November.
OUIJA : ORIGIN OF EVIL - film /
Confession time. I’m a big ol’ scaredy cat. Horror, paranormal, supernatural… Can. Not. Deal. Well, more accurately… Can. Not. Sleep.
So when I got an invite to a preview of the film Ouija: Origin of Evil, I asked my mate Jo to attend in my place and tell you what she thinks. I know I’d hate it due to the scaredy cat thing so it wouldn’t be fair for me to blog it. Big thanks to Jo for stepping up and taking one for the team!
So here’s Jo’s verdict. FYI – she ain’t no scaredy cat.
“Horror fans, this movie is definitely not The Exorcist, Nightmare on Elm Street (the original), Hellraiser or Poltergeist, although it did try to reference most of them. The premise at its core is an interesting take on the old ghost/haunted house story and the young actors at the centre of the action did quite well within their roles, but ultimately its potential was unrealised. The movie appeared to be the next level horror story for Twilight series fans, although some of the horror may have been a bit adult for that age group.
There was some unintentional laughter amongst the preview audience, with the scary scenes and entities not enough for a true horror experience. The relationship between some benevolent and malevolent characters wasn’t fully explored or realised in my opinion, creating quite a bit of confusion, possibly because the movie had very slow build-up requiring a very rapid denouement.
My assessment is probably 1.5 stars, upgraded to 2 because it brought back memories of playing with a ouija board many years ago, resulting in hilarious attempts at trying to spell out different messages at the same time and for the attempt at 60s authenticity, featuring some particularly cool cars and a truly heinous 60s crocheted vest!”
Here's a three star review from The Guardian if you'd like to read up some more on this one.
Trailer here. In cinemas now.
CAFE SOCIETY - film /
Cafe Society is the latest film by director Woody Allen. Some people hear a film is by Woody Allen and feel excited. Others hear a film is by Woody Allen and feel dread. I tend to be the latter but for my dear readers I go into these things with an open mind.
Jesse Eisenberg plays a young man from New York, Bobby Dorfman, with ambitions of being a mover and shaker in Hollywood. His one connection there is his uncle Phil, played by Steve Carell, who is a Hollywood movie industry power broker. Both perform really well in this film, along with leading ladies Kristen Stewart and Blake Lively.
Bobby makes his way to Hollywood and eventually uncle Phil starts to throw him a bone and he makes some progress in being a player in the film industry himself. But these things are never straight forward, in work and in lurve. Won't say more in the interests of not spoiling.
For me, this film isn't tortured and dull Woody Allen, but it's also not excellent and at-his-best Woody Allen. I enjoyed this more than I expected to but the storyline is just nice, not fascinating or clever or funny.
So in summary, Cafe Society is pleasant enough, but can't say I'd recommend you race out for it. Perhaps one for a night in on DVD/digital.
Here's a New York Times review I'm down with, if you want to read more. Trailer here.
In cinemas Thursday 20 October.
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN - film /
This adaptation of the best-selling book by the same name is a mystery/thriller/drama starring Emily Blunt.
I hadn't read the book so I had no idea what was coming with the twists and whilst they were pretty good (ie not predictable) I can't honestly say I was on the edge of my seat.
I won't tell you anything much about the plot as of course with a film of this nature you don't want to know what's coming. But to give you just a little idea, Emily Blunt plays Rachel, who is grappling with having lost some things dear to her due to alcoholism. BUT DID SHE REALLY LOSE THEM BECAUSE OF THE BOOZE?!
I didn't dislike this but I didn't love it. It was a bit like the film wanted to be a thriller but the thrilling elements just aren't strong enough. I wasn't very invested in the story which meant I wasn't all that interested in solving the 'but who is the baddie?' thing.
Emily Blunt is very good in this but she could only carry it so far. Justin Theroux and Allison Janney are two other faces you might recognise in the film and both are good but like Blunt, not given the chance to really shine.
Critics are divided on this one, skewing more to the negative & you can read about that here. The Sydney Morning Herald gave it 3 stars, which is probably half a star or so more generous that I would be.
Finally, a shout out to the numptie who kept checking Facebook on her phone during the film. DO NOT BE THAT GUY, YOU GUYS. Nothing will happen on Facebook in about two hours that can't wait. I PROMISE!
BRIDGET JONES'S BABY /
Bridget Jones is a character from British fiction novels released in the 1990s 'Bridget Jones's Diary' and 'Bridget Jones; Edge of Reason'. These two books were made into films in 2001 and 2004 with Renee Zellweger in the staring role.
This is a film for people who have seen the previous films or read the books or at least know the general Bridget Jones Vibe (BJV). I had seen the two previous films and I think I enjoyed them enough though they didn't rock my world. All these years later I had completely forgotten what actually happened in them but I recalled the BJV and that was enough.
So in this film, Bridget is single (again... you get it if you get the BJV), things are going well in her career and she's skinny. (BJV-ers get the significance of the skinny thing.)
She winds up preggers with two possible fathers on the scene; Mark Darcy (previous flame BJV-ers will know, played by Colin Firth) and new guy Jack Qwant (played by Patrick Dempsey who has STILL GOT IT HUBBA HUBBA ETC).
After enjoying the first third or so of the film, it became clear that the 'which one is the father?' thing is really the extent of this story. I wished there was more. It just got a bit dull. I really didn't like this film much and nor did my mate. That said, others in the cinema at the preview seemed to enjoy it and when I asked two strangers in the car park who had been in the screening what they thought, they both said they loved it.
The reviews for this are pretty good. I mean, they're not five stars, but they're pretty positive. The Guardian gave it three stars - give it a read if you want more on the storyline. Three stars a little generous for me, more like 2-2.5ish I reckon.
Trailer here. Opens in Australian cinemas on Thursday 15 September.
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC - film /
This is a tricky film to 'cut to the chase' on. It's complex. I'll try!
We have Viggo Mortensen playing a father of six, Ben Cash. Ben and his (absent) wife have chosen to raise their children in the wilderness, away from the extravagance of the modern world.
At times I was thinking, 'wow, how admirable' and other times I was thinking 'stop being so cruel and get your kids into the real world so they don't grow up as freaks'... well played, director Matt Ross.
Captain Fantastic is a comedy/drama (shout out to the cranky-pants critic who literally told people in the media screening of this film to "shut up" when they laughed!) and I saw it described as akin to Little Miss Sunshine, a film I absolutely love. The same cannot be said for this film. It's just so damn pretentious. Not terrible, but just not something I particularly rate and certainly not something I'd suggest you book a babysitter for for your occasional night out at considerable expense! Maybe one for when it's out on DVD/digital.
Heads up for Viggo fans - he appears fully naked at one stage. Yessss.
Here's a review in the LA Times with which I agree and here's a more glowing one from the Sydney Morning Herald.
Trailer here. In cinemas Thursday 8 September.
BEN-HUR - film /
At the last minute I was unable to attend the Ben-Hur preview so my dear friend AC has taken the blogging reins on this one. Here's her thoughts...
"I went into this film knowing that the update wouldn’t have the intense 50s drama acting and kitschy camp overtones that I love in the original but I did expect a shiny new version with the same substance. There wasn’t and I was disappointed. It’s a good story and well told in the original but it got lost felt and rushed in this version. The story is of Judah Ben-Hur a Jewish prince who has a Roman adopted brother, Massala who never feels accepted by his adopted family or by the Romans and goes about trying to prove himself worthy by joining the Roman legions. Judah is accused of treachery to the invading Romans which puts Massala in a pickle and he chooses the Romans, sending Judah to the slave galleys hoping he will die which he nearly does several times. Cue Judah surviving to return to home hell bent on vengeance and finding his loved ones.
Plot aside I knew there were going to be some action coming with the galley ships and the chariot race and while the galley part was good it was over too soon and therefore didn’t make the impression it needed to. But the chariot race was excellent! Everything you want in a chariot race; speed, strategy, blood lust, horrible deaths, wheels smashing everywhere. It was awesome, I loved it. And it will make you want to buy a white horse, 4 of them in fact.
Then there is the matter of the Christian story which runs alongside Ben Hur’s story. The scenes with carpenter Jesus felt like they were jammed in and some were comical, I actually laughed at one which I felt really guilty about, thank you Catholic upbringing. In the 1950s version the presence of Jesus was more subtle with the audience never actually seeing his face. The Christian scenes felt like one of those biblical re-enactments you had to watch at school around Easter.
The overall theme is of the struggle between revenge and forgiveness and redemption however, there were plot changes made to the original I felt changed the message and one in particular ruined the redemption message a bit and also decreased the amount of leprosy and if you are going to do a movie in Jerusalem in 33AD you need a few more lepers.
All in all, if you haven’t seen the original or haven’t seen it lately then this may be worth it for the chariot race.
I agree with this New York Times review except they wanted more Jesus and I wanted less."
Trailer here. In cinemas now.
DAVID BRENT: LIFE ON THE ROAD - film /
In this film, UK comic Ricky Gervais brings back his well-known character from the TV series The Office, David Brent. David is still a salesman but now he's trying to live his dream of being the lead singer of a band.
I'm sad to report that 'David Brent: Life on the road' is nowhere near as enjoyable as The Office was. I wanted it to be. I SO wanted it to be.
Fellow fans of the TV series will know what I mean when I say the show was both hilarious and excruciating. With the film, imagine taking out some of the hilariousness, taking out the characters you love (Gareth, Dawn, Tim etc) and watching five or six episodes in a row. Thumbs down.
The first third or so of the film is when it's at its best with some good laugh out loud moments but it wears very thin as David hits the road with his band (read - session musicians he's paying a fortune to help live his dream) to go on tour (read - do a handful of gigs in pubs and clubs not all that far from home).
It's getting mixed reviews - one star from The Age vs three and a half in the Herald Sun and the friend I took to the preview, who also loved the TV show, said she'd give it four stars. Now, I love her dearly, but that's bonkers.
Trailer here. In cinemas now.
BAD MOMS - film /
It might sound obvious, but make no mistake, this is a film for mums.
Starring Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn and Christina Applegate as varying degrees of 'bad' mums, this is a funny look at the day-to-day frustrations of motherhood, including a pretty terrifying look at school politics for parents.
I know it's just fiction but if this is in any way an accurate reflection of what motherhood is like, I'm patting myself on the back for not having had any kids! (Revelation for me - kids (American ones, at least) who are 10-14ish aren't making their own breakfast these days. WTF?!)
I didn't love this film. It wasn't dreadful, it just wasn't made for me. Like I said, it was made for mums. So I asked a friend, who is a mum of three and saw it with nine other school mums on opening night (#keen), what she thought of it and she said "LOVED it! So funny!" and apparently the big group all agreed and had lots of laughs.
Credit where it's due - there was a couple of slapstick-style montages that had me in stitches.
Here's a 2.5 star review from Leigh Paatsch in News Ltd which I agree with. BUT I beg of you - ignore what he says about the Ab Fab movie in there, he's got that totally wrong!
Trailer here. In cinemas now.
ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS: THE MOVIE - film /
Does it live up to the TV show? Is it funny? Has Ab Fab jumped the shark? IS IT ANY GOOD?!
HECK YES IT'S GOOD, YOU GUYS!
A follow-up piece to the hit UK comedy TV show Absolutely Fabulous (1992-1996, 2001-2004 & subsequent specials), Jennifer Saunders as Edina Monsoon and Joanna Lumley as Patsy Stone return for this follow-up piece in the form of a film. Edina's mother, daughter and bumbling assistant Bubble are all back too, along with a very long list of celebrity cameos including a few Aussies.
As a huge fan of the TV show, I desperately wanted to love this film. I think more than anything, I just wanted it to be funny. AND IT IS!
The storyline is of course totally silly (Eddy is accused of murdering supermodel Kate Moss and she and Pats go on the run... not a spoiler as it's in the trailer!) but there is lots of good laughs, including some call backs for big fans of the TV show who are still quoting lines from the film. (Guilty, your honour.)
It's getting lots of three star reviews (examples here) which is I guess what you'd expect from proper film critics but if you're a fan of the show and you just want to know if it's any good and if you should see it, it's a big fat YES from me!
Trailer here. In cinemas Thursday 4 August.
JASON BOURNE - film /
I really enjoyed this!
Matt Damon (hubba hubba) is back as former CIA amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne and he has still got it!
This spy/action/thriller film is action-packed in the very literal sense and I was totally engrossed, including through a couple of rocking car chases. It's the next installment in a franchise that started with The Bourne Identity in 2002, followed by The Bourne Supremacy in 2004 the The Bourne Ultimatum in 2007.
Tommy Lee Jones and Alicia Vikander are good in support roles but I'm saving the biggest support act praise for Vincent Cassel who is off-the-charts good as Bourne's nemesis. It's got goodies, badies and are-they-good-or-are-they-bad-ies, as all good thrillers do.
The friend I saw it with, SH, is a big Matt Damon/Jason Bourne fan and her assessment is that it's better than The Bourne Ultimatum but not as good as The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy. That said, she also thinks that having Matt Damon naked on a screen for a few hours, standing there doing nothing, would make more money than this film will. Like I said, she's a *ahem* big fan.
Jason Bourne won't further your intellect but it'll entertain you for a couple of hours, that's for sure.
If you want to read more, check out this three star review in News Ltd press or this one in The Guardian, also three stars.
In cinemas Thursday 28 July. Trailer here.
STAR TREK BEYOND - film /
I reckon if you're reading this you'll probably fall into one of two categories. There's the "so what's this Star Trek business all about?" camp (me). Then there's the "I love Star Trek and know lots and lots about it" camp (my friend Jo).
So here's a little from each of us, to cater to you appropriately.
First up, Star Trek fan Jo reports as follows:
With a great ensemble cast, amazing space sequences, some funny in-humour, interesting new characters and a bit of philosophy thrown in, my verdict would have to be a solid 4 to 4.5! Excellent balance of new and old, classic original references and new traditions. Bit sad knowing that Anton (Chekov) is gone too soon and Leonard (old Spock) gone after a long successful career. If you’re a fan, you’ll enjoy it, if not it might change your mind.
And from me, who knows NOTHING about Star Trek:
I enjoyed this more than I expected to! Sure, there was plenty that was lost on me (as evidenced by the crowd cacking themselves laughing at some things that I did not understand at all), and I can't honestly say I'd recommend paying $20+ to see it in the cinema, but I wasn't as bored and confused as I expected to be. There was plenty of action to keep me entertained. If you are going to see it, make it 3D on a big screen for the full impact of the effects.
If you want to know more about the film, check out this 3.5 star review from News Ltd I'm down with.
Trailer here. In cinemas now.
GHOSTBUSTERS - film /
I think it's probably useful to start this blog by telling you that whilst I did see the original Ghostbusters film (1984) once in my childhood (shout out to my five male cousins for the screening in their lounge room), I really didn't remember it so I was basically coming into this film without the need or capacity to draw any connections to the original.
When the team behind this reboot announced that the four Ghostbusters would be women (Kristin Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones & Kate McKinnon), there was some outrage online from numpty trolls saying that they were ruining the franchise, women can't bust ghosts etc. OK they didn't say that exactly but you know what I mean. What bollocks.
I didn't love or hate this film and it had nothing to do with the gender of the cast. DER.
At first I thought they were pitching this at kids (lots of characters talking to themselves to explain what's going on, the kind of cues kids need) but then there was some bits that I thought would be way to scary for kids.
There was a group of guys who looked to be in their early 40s in my session and on a handful of occasions they and no one else laughed - gag gifts for fans of the original film I guess.
Kristin Wiig wasn't given enough gags to work with, Melissa McCarthy was given plenty & did them well, Leslie Jones was fun (the non-scientist in the group, required so they had to explain things to someone for the benefit of the audience) but Kate McKinnon was a stand-out star for me. She does the wacky professor vibe very well indeed. Chris Hemsworth as their hot receptionist was also good fun. And, you know, hot as hell.
Leigh Paatsch in News Ltd press gave it 2.5 stars and I agree. The Guardian gave it 4 stars, at least a whole star too generous for mine.
Trailer here. In cinemas now.
ME BEFORE YOU - film /
I took my 13 year old niece to see this film because she's read the book and told me she wanted to see it. And because I'm THE BEST AUNTY EVER.
It's about a paraplegic hot guy Will (Sam Claflin) who falls for his stunning, wacky, home help assistant Lou (Emilia Clarke, best known as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones TV series). Once she twigs how crap her boyfriend Patrick (Matthew Lewis, best known as Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter flicks) is, she falls for him too. But there's a twist. I won't be so miserable as to spoil it.
Just how good an aunty I am became crystal clear as the film unfolded. It really wasn't my cup of tea. It wasn't terrible, just predictable middle-of-the-road meh.
Miss 13, however, liked it. On questioning, she said it was as good as the book (which she liked), she would recommend people pay money to see it, and would give it 4.5 stars out of 5.
She also said she thinks people aged 12-25 would be the audience that liked it most. For me, more like 12-17... you know the type... hormonal teenage girls who want to believe in luuuurve.
But I get the last say because this is my blog, ok?! I'm on board with this 2.5 star review by Leigh Paatsch in the News Ltd press, if you want to read more. You can read about the criticism the film has attracted from the disabled community here.
Trailer here. In cinemas now.
FINDING DORY - film /
The much-anticipated follow-up to the brilliant 2003 film Finding Nemo is here!
But is it any good? Heck yes! ... Is it as good as Finding Nemo? Not quite!
After a trip down memory lane at the start for context on Dory's childhood (baby-fish-hood?), this film follows her search for her parents. It's charming, funny, visually beautiful and just good fun. Ellen DeGeneres remains the voice of Dory and does it beautifully. I creepily listened to parents and young kids after the session I was in, as well as late teens who were enchanted by Finding Nemo 13 years ago and the verdict was all positive from what I could hear. It doesn't quite live up to the quality of Finding Nemo for mine but that was such a revelation for many that I think it's a hell of an ask to live up to or better.
If you would like evidence of how fun it is, read this not-very-positive review by David Stratton. Honestly, that guy is such a wowser. But here is a long and positive review in The New York Times if you want to know about the film and how lovely it is!
For those wondering if you need to have seen Finding Nemo to understand and enjoy Finding Dory - definitely not in my view, it stands alone well.
Warning to parents of little ones - the film is 105 minutes. Add a six minute short film to the start of that plus TWENTY FIVE MINUTES of ads and trailers before the films starts and you've got a pretty long time to be in the cinema. Some littlies in my session got very restless towards the end.
While we're talking about the end, here's my hot tip... stay to the VERY end of the credits.
Trailer here. In cinemas now.
HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE - film /
Loved, loved, loved this film!
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a New Zealand film and I personally think that anything funny said with a New Zealand accent is 15% funnier because of said accent.
Sam Neill is excellent as 'Uncle Hector', foster father to "bad egg" kid Ricky Baker. Ricky is played by Julian Dennison and he is just off the charts! He's brilliant and funny and just a fabulous pairing with Sam Neill.
They wind up on the run in the NZ bush together (prepare for an emotional hit that leads to this - this film isn't just laughs!) meaning they spend most of the film bouncing off each other. The chemistry between them is critical and never disappoints.
My one and only let down in this film is that they couldn't resist the temptation to make fun of a mentally ill person for laughs. Rhys Darby, a New Zealand comic actor who I adore, plays a conspiracy theorist living rough in the bush that they encounter while on the run. I think his comic chops could have been used just as well, without such a strong 'freak show' element.
That's a relatively minor thing in the overall film though, certainly not problematic enough to prevent me from recommending this to you. It's bloody good fun and you should definitely get yourself to a cinema to see it!
The Sydney Morning Herald gave it 3.5 stars which is a bit stiff and News.com.au gave it 5 stars which is probably a fraction too much... somewhere in the middle for me!
Trailer here. In cinemas now.
NOW YOU SEE ME 2 - film /
This not-at-all-needed sequel to Now You See Me is, well, meh.
Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco and Lizzy Caplan as the 'Four Horsemen' magicians who stage a huge heist to expose the bad guys, this film didn't do it for me.
I'll cut to the chase - if you saw the first one and liked it, sure, get along to this one. If you haven't seen the first one, you definitely don't need to see this one.
I'm puzzled by how such big names wound up in such a mediocre film. In addition to the previously mentioned names, we're talking Morgan Freeman, Mark Ruffalo, Daniel Radcliffe and Michael Caine.
A two star review in the Fairfax press here, if you want to know more. I concur on the two stars.
Trailer here. In cinemas now.
EDDIE THE EAGLE - film /
Sometimes when I see a movie after it's been out for a while, I don't bother blogging about it. Just because it's often when there's not many session times left and it seems less likely people will be interested.
However, I caught Eddie the Eagle this week using a free pass I was given that was about to expire! And I'm so glad! This film is completely charming and lovely and I would happily recommend it. For some reason I think I thought it was a kids film and even though I think older kids would enjoy it, it's definitely not not for adults.
It's based on a true story about a British ski jumper, who was determined to become an Olympian against the odds. Taron Egerton plays said ski jumper and based on the real life pics at the end of the film, does a good imitation. Hugh Jackman plays Bronson Peary, a former ski jumping bad boy Yank lured in to help Eddie. (Jackman as spunky bad boy - HUBBA HUBBA) Christopher Walken has a small role and is, of course, great.
Sure it's not a flawless film but I enjoyed it a lot. Laughed and cried and all that jazz. Here's a three star review from the Sydney Morning Herald if you want to know more.
Trailer here. In cinemas now!