Mini Reviews
The Way (out Apr 26) is the story of a father (Martin Sheen) who takes a pilgrimage across Spain in honour his son who was killed in freak accident. It takes a while to get going but it leads up to a nice, emotional climax that may inspire you to take an adventure of your own. Grade: B+.
Cafe De Flore (out Apr 26) is a French drama that will require your full attention. Two seemingly unrelated tales are told concurrently and you'll be called upon to find the link. I wasn't that impressed by the finale but the stories themselves are interesting. Grade: B.
Wish You Were Here (out Apr 25) is an Australian film about 4 friends holidaying in Cambodia who have their world thrown upside down when one of them goes missing. The story's fragmented narrative (crossing back and forth between the current and the past) didn't work for me. It made it hard to connect with the story and these characters. Grade: B-.
The Avengers (out Apr 25) was great. No, scratch that. It was f#$%ing awesome! I don’t know how writer-director Joss Whedon squeezed so much material into the two and a half hour running time. Put simply, it’s one of the best superhero movies ever and excels in terms of three key genres – action, comedy and suspense. Grade: A.
StreetDance 2 (out now) was abominable. I've had dental appointments that were more entertaining. The acting was poor, the story was non-existent and the dance sequences do nothing to get the blood pumping. Grade: C-.
The Lucky One (out Apr 19) is a dreadful movie. You should know what to expect from a Nicholas Sparks adaptation (The Notebook, Dear John, The Last Song) but this gives new meaning to the words "contrived" and "manipulative". I'm sorry but I didn't buy it for a second. Zac Efron has talent but someone needs to help him land better roles. Grade: C-.
Romantics Anonymous (out Apr 19) is a silly, light-hearted French tale about a struggling chocolate factory owner who meets the woman of his dreams. The problem is that both are hopeless when it comes to love. The over-the-top nature of the scenario wears thin during the later stages but I still found myself caught up in the charm of this farce. Grade: B.
Life In Movement (out now) is rough around the edges but it's still a heartfelt documentary that left me reflecting on the value of art... and what we leave behind when we pass away. It centres on 29-year-old Tanja Liedtke who died in 2007 in a tragic accident just after being appointed the Artistic Director of the Sydney Dance Company. Grade: A-.
Battleship (out Apr 12) is cheesy trash. I've seen plenty of great "alien invasion" movies but this is not one of them. The script lacks originality and fails to create any interesting characters despite a running time of more than two hours. I'll say this though - Rihanna isn't too bad in her acting debut. Grade: C.
The Deep Blue Sea (out Apr 12) is a sleep-inducing drama set in the 1950s about a married woman who has an affair with a young pilot and finds herself sucked into a world of despair. I was bored by the story and its characters. It's as simple as that. Grade: C.
This Must Be The Place (out now) is strange. A washed up rock star from Dublin travels to the U.S. following the death of his estranged father. I was intrigued by all of these characters (particularly Sean Penn in the leading role) but found it really hard to "get to know them". It left me wanting more. Grade: B.
