Mini Reviews
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (out Mar 25) is a Swedish thriller about an investigative journalist who has been asked by a high profile businessman to look into the disappearance of his niece 40 years ago. There are a few gaps in the story (always the trouble with a book adaptation) but it kept me thinking for the full 2.5 hours. Violent and confronting in places. Very good. Grade: A-.
Brothers (out now) is the remake of a 2004 Dutch film. A young married man (Tobey Maguire) goes off to war and is presumed dead after a helicopter crash. His wife (Natalie Portman) finds comfort in the arms of his husband's brother (Jake Gyllenhaal). See where this is going? The story chops and changes. I wasn't sure who or what it was really about. Performances good though. Grade: B-.
The Bounty Hunter (out now) is the worst film of the year thus far. Gerard Butler plays a bounty hunter with a dream assignment - he has to track down and bring his ex-wife (Jennifer Aniston) into custody for skipping bail. Could the storyline be any dumber? What a mess. Grade: C-.
How To Train Your Dragon (out Mar 25) is the first great animated film of 2010. It's set in the Viking world and revolves around a young guy named Hiccup who befriends what was thought to be a nasty dragon. Kids are going to love this. The story is easy to follow and the animation (3D in selected cinemas) is amazing. Grade: A-.
The Rebound (out now) is about a forty-something mother who has recently left her husband. She rents a small apartment in central New York and her search for a new love leads her into the arms of her twenty-something babysitter. People are talking... There are a few laughs and I liked the chemistry between Catherine Zeta-Jones and Justin Bartha. Sadly, the film is let down by an unworkable ending. Grade: B.
The Vampire's Assistant (out now) is about a teenager who attends a freak show and winds up being turned into a "half vampire". He then becomes part of a vampire war where he must battle his best friend (who is also now a vampire). It's a pretty flimsy plot with not a lot of entertainment. Few jokes. Many characters underutilised. Poor. Grade: C.
Remember Me (out Mar 11) is a simple, yet effective story about relationships. The way in which friends, family and lovers connect. It took a little while for me to warm to the characters but I grew to like them. This laid the groundwork for the film's ending. I'm such a sucker for reflective montages. Grade: A-.
My One And Only (out Mar 11) is a 1950s drama about a woman (Renee Zellweger) who takes her two sons on a road trip across America in search of a wealthy husband. Zellweger is surprisingly good (I usually dislike her) as is youngster Logan Lerman (from the Percy Jackson movie). It goes through a few small luls but I was always interested in how it would pan out. Grade: B+.
Separation City (out now) is a New Zealand film starring Joel Edgerton as a married man who has fallen in love with another woman. There are some nice jokes (many revolving around NZ politician) but the story was a little too convenient and the narration is overdone. Grade: B.
Green Zone (out Mar 11) is terrific. It brought back memories of Blood Diamond (another film I liked) in that it's a Hollywood-style action film but also contains a strong political message. Not a bad way to tell a story. Matt Damon is great and Paul Greengrass's fast-paced direction is reminiscent of his work in the last two Bourne movies. Grade: A-.
Dear John (out Mar 4) is spread across a number of years and is about a young soldier's (Channing Tatum) relationship with his autistic father (Richard Jenkins) and his first true love (Amanda Seyfried). Jenkins is amazing. His performance brought a tear to my eye. I was a little bored though by the war and "letter writing" sequences. From the same author of The Notebook and I can see the similarities. Grade: B.
