Mini Reviews
Incendies (out Apr 21) is a film that will slowly reel you in. A brother and sister have been asked to deliver two letters written by their late mother. The end up travelling to the Middle East and what they learn will change their lives in a way they could never have imagined. This is a shocking, powerful film. Grade: A-.
Diary Of A Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules (out now) is on a par with the original. It's sweet but nothing special. This instalment sees the wimpy Greg try to get the better of his older brother. Grade: B-.
Potiche (out Apr 21) is a sweet, charming, funny French film featuring a wonderful performance from Catherine Deneuve. It's set in the late 1970s and is about an energetic French woman who goes from being a "trophy housewife" to the CEO of a major company. This is an entertaining ride and loved its sense of humour. Grade: A-.
Brighton Rock (out now) is based on the novel by Graham Greene and focuses on a young gangster who kills a member of a rival group. It sets off a chain of events that will lead to a lot more trouble. The performances are decent (particularly Helen Mirren) but I wasn't that captivated by the story and found it hard to believe at times. Grade: B.
Scream 4 (out Apr 14) sees a copycat killer racking up a substantial body count in the small town of Woodsboro. The film begins with a humorous opening but the continual horror/remake references are uninspired and it lacks suspense when needed. Grade: C+.
Paul (out Apr 14) is about two guys from the UK who come to America for a comic book convention and end up befriending an alien trying to find his way home. It's a comedy for the most part but I think more could have been made of this subject matter. The same jokes are used over and over. Blythe Danner's small role near the end was the highlight. Grade: B-.
My Afternoons With Marguerite (out now) is a sweet, nicely paced French film about a guy in his 50s who hasn't achieved too much in life. He's unmarried and has never had much of an education. He becomes friends with an elderly woman in a park and the two start catching up on a regular basis - to read books and talk about life. Grade: B+.
Never Say Never (out now) was great. I didn't know much about Justin Bieber beforehand but this is an entertaining look at how a passionate teenager has risen to stardom and captured the hearts of so many. He's pretty damn talented too. It strikes a nice balance between what happens on stage and what happens off it. Call me a Belieber. Grade: A-.
Rio (out now) has everything you could ask for from an animated film - beautiful visuals, cute characters and a creative story. It's the tale of a pet macaw (humorously voiced by Jesse Eisenberg) who is taken to Rio De Janeiro so he can mate with the last female of his kind. He is ends up being kidnapped however by a team of bird smugglers. Grade: A-.
Hop (out now) is about the son of the easter bunny and how he'd rather be in a rock band that follow in his father's footsteps. The plot is absurd, evidenced by the inclusion of David Hasselhoff (who plays himself). Disappointing. Grade: C.
How I Ended This Summer (out now) was filmed at the easternmost tip of Russia and is about two different guys who man a meteorological station. A small lie will set in place a dramatic series of events. The cinematography is beautiful and whilst I like the idea, there's not enough material to stretch this into 2 hours. Still nice to see a Russian film getting an Australian release. Grade: B.
