Mini Reviews
Puss In Boots (out Dec 8) is good enough. It doesn't have the charm or depth of the early Shrek films but there are few solid laughs (the best of which appear in trailer). The story centres on our beloved feline's quest to find some magic beans and capture the Golden Goose. Grade: B.
Jack & Jill (out now) is terrible. I tried not judge the film before seeing it but it's as bad as the trailer looks. What was Al Pacino thinking? Why did Johnny Depp agree to make a cameo? We may never know the answers to these puzzling questions. Grade: C.
Restless is more greatness from Gus Van Sant. It's the story of two teenagers and their interest in death. It's a simple, heartfelt tale that Van Sant tells in a non-Hollywood manner. There are no unnecessary subplots or characters. It simply focuses on these two and their growing friendship. Grade: A-.
Bill Cunningham New York (out now) is an interesting documentary about one of the world's most amazing obsessive-compulsives - fashion photographer Bill Cunningham. Now in his 80s, Cunningham follows the same routine day-after-day - walking the streets of New York and taking photos for The New York Times. His dedication to his craft is scary. Grade: B+.
Immortals (out now) is a half-decent action film based on Greek mythology. Put simply, it's about a good guy (because he is always shirtless and has great abs) who battles a bad guy (because he doesn't wash his hair and has an ugly beard). The action is good but the story needed a little more. I'd also question why some of the special effects (e.g. fake blood) were so cartoonish. Grade: B-.
Arthur Christmas (out Nov 24) shares a few similarities with Santa's Apprentice (released two weeks ago). It's about a control freak Santa who must soon hand over his important responsibilities to one of his two sons. Kids seemed very distracted at my preview screening and I think this story misses the mark. Grade: C+.
The Ages Of Love (out Nov 24) is a long, boring Italian drama that focuses on three couples and tries to show the many ways in which love can exist. There are no great revelations and every emotion feels over exaggerated (particularly in the middle story). Not for me. Grade: C.
The Inbetweeners Movie (out Nov 24) is faithful to the series and fans are going to love it! These four horny teenagers head to Greece for a crazy summer holiday but it doesn't quite go to plan. The writing is terrific and the characters are as funny as ever. Plenty of cringe-worthy moments. Grade: A-.
The Orator (out now) is set in Samoa and centres on a farmer trying to find respect within the community for himself and his family. Winner of the audience vote at the Brisbane International Film Festival, this is a nice film with a strong heart. Grade: B+.
The First Grader (out now) is based on a true story - an 84 year old from Kenya went to school for the first time and learned how to read. It's a nice, crowd pleaser but I couldn't help but feel it's been "sugar coated" for audiences. The conclusion (where everything wraps up far too neatly) is proof of that. Grade: B-.
The Tall Man (out now) is an Australian documentary that neatly brings together the facts surrounding one of Queensland's most talked about investigations - the death in custody of Cameron Doomadgee in 2004. It will certainly shock those unfamiliar with these events. Grade: B+.
