Mini Review - Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (out May 9) is the 4th instalment in the rebooted franchise and I'm happy to report it still has legs. Set several generations after the last film (from 2017), it explores interesting ideas such as the way information is passed down over time. It's too long at 145 minutes but it strikes a nice balance of drama, comedy, and action. Grade: B+.
Mini Review - Monster (2023)
Monster (out May 9) won the best screenplay award at last year's Cannes Film Festival and is an excellent drama told from three different perspectives - a concerned mother, a conflicted teacher, and a confused child. As each plot point is peeled back, another is revealed. Great approach with stellar performances. Grade: A-.
Mini Review - Tarot
Tarot (out May 2) is based on a 1992 novel and is the story of seven college student who find some old tarot cards and they become the trigger for a bunch of unfortunate events. Like the idea but found the dialogue and character authenticity to be sub-par. Grade: B-.
Mini Review - Boy Kills World
Boy Kills World (out May 2) almost runs out of gas but it's still an above-average, John Wick-style action flick about a deaf mute seeking revenge against those murdered his family (with a few twists thrown in). Bill Skarsgård is very good in the lead role as he conveys emotion through facial expressions as opposed to words. Grade: B+.
Mini Review - Fremont
Fremont (out May 2) won the John Cassavetes Award (best feature made for under $1 million) at the Independent Spirit Awards and is a heartfelt, darkly funny flick about an Afghan refugee in the United States who gets a job working in a Chinese fortune cookie factory. Loved the emotionless lead performance from Anaita Wali Zada. Great cameo from Jeremy Allen White too! Grade: A-.
Mini Review - The Taste of Things
The Taste of Things (out May 2) is an inventive French drama set in the late 19th Century. It follows a longtime couple with an insatiable love for food. Rather than communicate using words, the pair dazzle friends (and each other) by creating mouth-watering dishes in their kitchen. Beautifully captures the sounds of sizzling food and the facial expressions of those enjoying it. Grade: A-.
Mini Review - Golda
Golda (out May 2) looks at the Yom Kippur War of 1973 from the perspective of Israeli’s chain-smoking Prime Minister Golda Meir (Helen Mirren). With the focus on boardrooms as opposed to battlefronts, it comes across as a basic history lesson (with simplistic dialogue) as opposed to an enriching drama. Grade: C+.
Mini Review - The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy (out Apr 24) will tick boxes to promote Australian tourism (there’s even a scene on the steps of the Sydney Opera House) but if you’re looking for a fun, entertaining way to spend two hours… this ain’t it. An action-comedy where every joke is overdone, and the characters induce cringe as opposed to laughs. Needed a much better script. Grade: C.