Mini Reviews
Lake Mungo (out now) is a fictitious Aussie thriller about the death of a young girl who may have returned as a ghost. It's shot like a documentary (kind of Blair Witch style) which makes it a little more believable but the novelty wore off after a while. Grade: B-.
Eden Is West (out Aug 20) comes from Greek director Costa-Gavras and is the story of an illegal immigrant named Elias who is trying to make his way from the Aegean Coast to Paris. He meets an assortment of people along the way - some helpful, some not so helpful. This is a really good film. Not as black and white as you might think. Grade: A-.
Bandslam (out Aug 13) is a teen movie about a nerdy, music loving guy who moves to a new school and becomes the manager of band. He also finds himself falling for two different girls - one an ex-cheerleader and the other a quiet rebel. I didn't think this was anything too special but it does a few things differently from your normal teenager flick and it has my respect for that. Grade: B.
Tyson (out now) is bascially a 90 minute interview with Mike Tyson with clips from his career thrown in. It was great to see this flawed man be so open about his career and his mistakes. However, I'd have preferred to hear the thoughts from others involved in Tyson's career (e.g. Don King) to provide a different perspective. Grade: B.
The September Issue (out Aug 20) is a documentary about Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue Magazine, and her diligence in putting the huge September 2007 issue together. I was looking forward to this but unfortunately, it doesn't dig very deep. Anna's offsider, Grace Coddington, is far more interesting... and creative for that matter. Grade: B-.
Two Lovers (out now) is a romantic drama about a troubled guy (Joaquin Phoenix) who suddenly finds himself with two girlfriends - one who he is pursuing (Gwyneth Paltrow) and one who is pursuing him (Vinessa Shaw). Who will he end up with? Yeah, it's ok. Grade: B.
Coraline (out now) is a darker that your average kid's flick... and that's a good thing. It's the story of a girl who finds a secret doorway in her home that leads to a parrallel universe. Her parents are much nicer in this world but can she live here forever? Great animation, great story. Grade: A-.
Subdivision (out Aug 20) is a fair dinkum Aussie film centering on a young builder (Ash Bradnam) living in Hervey Bay and his attempts to prove his worth to his tough father (Gary Sweet). The character development is underdone but the film has a nice balance of comedy and drama. Get off your ass and support Australia cinema! Grade: B+.
G.I. Joe: The Rise Of The Cobra (out now) is, without a doubt, the worst film of 2009. Nothing more can be said. Grade: Pointless.
The Ugly Truth (out Aug 6) is a little racier than I thought but it's still a formulaic romantic comedy designed to make women feel better about the male race. Is this film realistic? Not in the slightest. Grade: C+.
Beautiful Kate (out Aug 6) is another Australian film - there have been a lot of them lately. Maybe I wasn't in the mood but I couldn't "get into" this flick. It's a depressing tale about a family dredging up their long buried secrets. I've seen this type of movie too many times before. Grade: C+.
