Hector and the search for happiness
Simon Pegg! But if you’re expecting a clever comedy then look again. This looks like an intelligent commentary on life philosophies. Awesome.
Deliver Us from Evil
What’s it about?
A New York police officer (Eric Bana) investigates a series of crimes joining forces with an unconventional priest, schooled in the rites of exorcism, to combat weird occurrences.
What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt: An interesting thriller that turned out to be less horror and more of a gritty detective piece with supernatural themes. Slightly discordant pacing actually added to the atmosphere and kept you on your toes. Director Scott Derrickson teases the story out well never quite giving you everything you want and the attention he draws to victims gives it a pathos not often seen in this genre.
The dark gritty feel of the city is always evident and the shadowy promise of evil lurking ever present. A better than average flick that true horror fans will appreciate.
Final Girl
<3 Abigail Breslin
Expendables 3
You want some good mindless action fun? Well it’s hard to go past the Expendables franchise. And number three looks just as much fun! Who are they adding this time? Antonio Banderas and Harrison Ford for starters. Throw in Mel Gibson and we can almost overlook Bruce Willis’ absence.
This looks rollicking.
These Final Hours
What’s it about?
In the titular final hours of Earth, as a fiery asteroid crashes into our doomed planet and the Mayans look set for a belated last laugh, an initially flaky young man attempts to help a lost girl find her father before the blast reaches Australia.
What did we think?
Alex says: It’s not often an apocalypse film doesn’t slot into the sci-fi genre but writer/director Zak Hilditch keeps the focus very much on human drama as James (Nathan Phillips) navigates the chaotic streets of suburban Perth with young Rose (Angourie Rice). Hilditch and the cast sustain the tension most of the way and create a hopeless, anarchic environment where most citizens turn to hedonistic partying, descend into insanity or take their own lives. There’s no Hollywood mission to avert the disaster and David Field’s world-weary, unseen car-radio announcer, who keeps us informed of the impending destruction, is a nice touch.
The ending didn’t sit quite right for me but I shan’t give anything away. It’s nonetheless a competent local effort and well worth a look.
Lucy
What’s it about?
An ordinary woman (Scarlett Johansson) accidentally becomes the drug mule for a Korean drug lord dealing a new substance. She unintentionally gets the drug in her system and experiences super-human effects.
What did we think?
Angela says: It’s like all the deleted scenes from The Fifth Element, Limitless, and Kill Bill were put in a hat and pulled out at random. Throw in some clips of wildlife, Korean drug dealers, and Morgan Freeman discussing evolution and that pretty much sums it up. This movie entertains some thought-provoking concepts but, alas, executes them poorly. It’s a botched attempt at social commentary laced with lost action scenes and weak acting. While exploring the intricacies of the human brain and the world at large should make for an interesting story, this one misses the mark.
What’s Popular
La La Land
What’s it about?
An aspiring actress (Emma Stone) and a jazz musician (Ryan Gosling) meet and fall in love in Los Angeles, musical style.
What did we think?
Elizabeth Best says: La La Land is simultaneously a loving homage to the golden age of cinema and completely uncharted filmic territory; nostalgic and new all at once. It delivers the feelings of falling in love in a heady, melodic rush that’s absolutely captivating. It channels films such as Singin’ in the Rain and An American in Paris while navigating the modern pitfalls of romance. But it’s so caught up in the quirky and magical “newness” of its concept that towards the middle it seems to rely solely on that. Unfortunately, this means the pacing feels at odds with the gloriousness of the rest of the film. But the magic returns for a finale guaranteed to take your breath away.
Collateral Beauty
What’s it about?
An advertising executive (Will Smith) totally shuts down when tragedy strikes. His “concerned” friends (Kate Winslet, Edward Norton, Michael Pena) try to help when he starts questioning the universe and writing letters to the concept of Time, Death and Love.
What did we think?
Elizabeth Best says: The intriguing trailer for this film is a lie. The concept, so artfully set up in the preview, is destroyed minutes into the film, creating a jarring effect that leaves a bitter, mean-spirited aftertaste. Collateral Beauty is emotionally manipulative, and seems to be created specifically to tug so fucking hard on heartstrings that it makes some kind of discordant non-musical cacophony of awfulness. It’s a movie purely about emotions that feels like it was made by someone who doesn’t understand how to human AT ALL. It gets two stars for what I thought the concept was, and the rest of the three taken off for what the actual movie robbed me of.
Assassin’s Creed
What’s it about?
A condemned man is rescued to take part in an experiment that allows him to connect to his ancestor’s memories using science… What? Really? How on Earth does that even…? Okay, Fine. That’s the story.
What we thought
Dan Beeston says:
I’m not sure if it was a problem with the mix but the film was SO LOUD that I felt flattened. The images flash by like they’re trying to cure Malcolm McDowell of his violent tendencies. No character seems sympathetic or even interesting. The story makes no sense. This film made me feel like a grandfather trying to program a VCR at a rave concert. The experience was a physical torture and I had to walk out after an hour.
Fuck this film
Red Dog: True Blue
What’s it about?
We learn about the early days of iconic outback canine Red Dog, and follow his adventures with his first ever BFF in this Aussie prequel.
What did we think?
Angela Young says: If you’re a softie, a dog lover, or you just don’t have a heart of stone, you probably loved the original Red Dog film. That loyal streak of red fluff who stole an outback town’s heart and gave a much-needed boost to the Australian film industry. Well, now we’re learning all about how he came to be out bush in the first place, and while it’s not quite such a heart-tugger as the first one, you’re probably going to still need some tissues if you go, and I recommend you do. Sterling effort from lead teenager Levi Miller (though Bryan Brown’s a bit iffy, sadly), but it’s the gorgeous Phoenix that steals the show as a four-legged star in the making.
Editor's Choice
La La Land
What’s it about?
An aspiring actress (Emma Stone) and a jazz musician (Ryan Gosling) meet and fall in love in Los Angeles, musical style.
What did we think?
Elizabeth Best says: La La Land is simultaneously a loving homage to the golden age of cinema and completely uncharted filmic territory; nostalgic and new all at once. It delivers the feelings of falling in love in a heady, melodic rush that’s absolutely captivating. It channels films such as Singin’ in the Rain and An American in Paris while navigating the modern pitfalls of romance. But it’s so caught up in the quirky and magical “newness” of its concept that towards the middle it seems to rely solely on that. Unfortunately, this means the pacing feels at odds with the gloriousness of the rest of the film. But the magic returns for a finale guaranteed to take your breath away.
Collateral Beauty
What’s it about?
An advertising executive (Will Smith) totally shuts down when tragedy strikes. His “concerned” friends (Kate Winslet, Edward Norton, Michael Pena) try to help when he starts questioning the universe and writing letters to the concept of Time, Death and Love.
What did we think?
Elizabeth Best says: The intriguing trailer for this film is a lie. The concept, so artfully set up in the preview, is destroyed minutes into the film, creating a jarring effect that leaves a bitter, mean-spirited aftertaste. Collateral Beauty is emotionally manipulative, and seems to be created specifically to tug so fucking hard on heartstrings that it makes some kind of discordant non-musical cacophony of awfulness. It’s a movie purely about emotions that feels like it was made by someone who doesn’t understand how to human AT ALL. It gets two stars for what I thought the concept was, and the rest of the three taken off for what the actual movie robbed me of.
Assassin’s Creed
What’s it about?
A condemned man is rescued to take part in an experiment that allows him to connect to his ancestor’s memories using science… What? Really? How on Earth does that even…? Okay, Fine. That’s the story.
What we thought
Dan Beeston says:
I’m not sure if it was a problem with the mix but the film was SO LOUD that I felt flattened. The images flash by like they’re trying to cure Malcolm McDowell of his violent tendencies. No character seems sympathetic or even interesting. The story makes no sense. This film made me feel like a grandfather trying to program a VCR at a rave concert. The experience was a physical torture and I had to walk out after an hour.
Fuck this film
Red Dog: True Blue
What’s it about?
We learn about the early days of iconic outback canine Red Dog, and follow his adventures with his first ever BFF in this Aussie prequel.
What did we think?
Angela Young says: If you’re a softie, a dog lover, or you just don’t have a heart of stone, you probably loved the original Red Dog film. That loyal streak of red fluff who stole an outback town’s heart and gave a much-needed boost to the Australian film industry. Well, now we’re learning all about how he came to be out bush in the first place, and while it’s not quite such a heart-tugger as the first one, you’re probably going to still need some tissues if you go, and I recommend you do. Sterling effort from lead teenager Levi Miller (though Bryan Brown’s a bit iffy, sadly), but it’s the gorgeous Phoenix that steals the show as a four-legged star in the making.