Mini Reviews
Tenderness (out now) stars Russell Crowe and Jon Foster and is one of the worst films of the year. It's about a semi-retired cop who is following an 18 year old boy who he thinks will kill someone. None of it really makes any sense and the characters are as boring as a phone book. Avoid!!! Grade: C.
Paris 36 (out now) is a touching flick set in 1930s Paris about a group of performers trying to keep their beloved theatre alive. There's music, murder and romance. Some nice moments and a fitting ending. Grade: A-.
The Baader Meinhof Complex (out May 7) is a two and a half hour German film which centres around a terrorist organisation reeking havoc in the 1960s and 70s. It's an interesting piece of history but I wasn't a fan of this movie. I had trouble discerning their motives and there were too many characters. Grade: B-.
Defiance (out now) is the true story of three brothers who helped save a small army of Jewish people during World War II by hiding in the Belarussian forests. I'm tiring of WWII flicks and this one is overdramatic in places but the story is compelling enough to warrant a look. Grade: B.
Star Trek (out May 7) is slow to start but I warmed to the new look and the new cast. Chris Pine makes a great Kirk. A few of the subplots were unnecessary but I liked some of the twists and my attention was held to the very end. I look forward to the next instalment of this reinvigorated series. Grade: B+.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (out Apr 29) is disappointing. Unlike the previous X-Men films, which I liked, this one doesn’t explore any interesting moral issues. It’s just Hugh Jackman running around and blowing stuff up like a cheap action hero. Oh, and we see him release and retract his claws about 400 times. That’s about it. Grade: C+.
Closed For Winter (out now) is a wearisome, overacted Australian drama starring Natalie Imbruglia and Daniel Frederiksen. It’s about a woman struggling to come to grips with the disappearance of her sister on a beach 20 years ago. I like to promoting Aussie product, especially in this economic climate, but this film just didn’t do it for me. Grade: C+.
Let The Right One In (out Apr 23) is a Swedish flick about a softly spoken 12 year old boy, bullied at school, who become friends with the young girl living in the apartment next door. It turns out that she's a vampire. There's not a lot of dialogue but this is one creepy, well directed film that deserves to be seen. Currently in the top 250 of all time on the IMDB. Grade: A-.
The Boy In Striped Pyjamas (out Apr 23) feels condensed. The characters are underdeveloped and the ending is rushed. Set in World War II, it's about an 8 year old German boy who has a misguided perception of the attrocities that are taking place in a Jewish concentration camp. Grade: B-.
Acolytes (out now) is a low-budget Aussie thriller about 3 teenagers toying with a serial killer. The plot lacks logic but I liked the overall look of the film. Good luck trying to see it though. It's screening at the Palace Barracks for one week only and there's just one measly session (at 9:30pm) per day. Why even bother releasing it? Grade: B-.
Tulpan (out Apr 23) is a film from Kazakhstan about a young sheep herder living in a remote wasteland who is looking for a wife. The high profile cast includes Askhat Kuchencherekov, Ondas Besikbasov and Tolepbergen Baisakalov. Too many yurts and not enough action for my liking. Grade: B.
