Mini Review - The Addams Family
The Addams Family (out Dec 5) is an animated feature that features the characters first made famous by cartoonist Charles Addams in 1938. Unfortunately, is a disappointing film that lacks a strong, compelling narrative. It has monsters doing/saying weird things and humans acting like huge jerks but when that’s all you’ve got for 87 minutes, the novelty quickly wears thin. Grade: C.
Mini Review - The Good Liar
The Good Liar (out Dec 5) reunited the Gods & Monsters pairing of director Bill Condon and actor Ian McKellen. It's the story of an 80-year-old guy who dupes unsuspecting folk out of their hard-earned savings. It’s an intriguing storyline but the execution is poor. From bizarre investment chat, to goofy money-exchanging calculators, to a heinous railway crime, this is a muddled, disappointing movie. Grade: C+.
Mini Review - Mrs Lowry & Son
Mrs Lowry & Son (out Nov 28) delves into the life of renowned English artist L. S. Lowry (Timothy Spall) and the fractured relationship he shared with his domineering mother (Vanessa Redgrave). The film has a narrow focus and when compared to other recent films we've seen about gifted painters (e.g. At Eternity's Gate, Never Look Away), it's lacking in ambition. Grade: C.
Mini Review - By the Grace of God
By the Grace of God (out Nov 28) is a moving, informative drama from French director François Ozon about a group of middle aged men who were abused by a priest 30 years ago and now harnessing the courage to do something about it. Ozon does an outstanding job capturing the mindset of the victims and their different approaches to addressing the issue. Grade: A-.
Mini Review - Knives Out
Knives Out (out Nov 28) begins as a mystery-thriller "whodunit" but changes tack at several points and becomes more of a quirky, offbeat comedy. It's too long at 130 minutes and some characters have next-to-nothing to do but it deserves to be seen because of the performance of Daniel Craig as an astute/goofy detective and Ana de Armas as an anxious nurse who avoids lying. Grade: B.
Mini Review - Frozen II
Frozen II (out Nov 28) is a notch below its predecessor but still has a lot to offer. There are worthy themes, fun songs and great character interaction. There's even a scene-stealing performance from a gust of wind! Grade: B+.
Mini Review - 21 Bridges
21 Bridges (out Nov 21) is a standard cop thriller about an NYPD detective (Chadwick Boseman) battling the clock to locate and arrest two criminals responsible for killing a group of fellow police officers. We’ve seen this storyline many times before and we’re likely to see it many times more. Grade: C+.
Mini Review - Farming
Farming (out Nov 21) is a confronting but also confusing drama set in 1960s London about a black African man who becomes part of a gang led by white supremacists. We see their horrible actions but the film struggles to explore their mindsets. Grade: C+.
Mini Review - 47 Metres Down: Uncaged
47 Metres Down: Uncaged (out Oct 31) is a rubbishy, inferior sequel to the 2017 original (which I liked). This one is about a group of young scuba divers who get trapped in an underground cave system while being pursued by sharks. The direction is laughably bad - from the bizarre use of slow-mo to the over-the-top use of shaky cam. Grade: C-.