Insidious: Chapter 2
What’s it about?
After rescuing his son Dalton from the spirit world called “The Further”, Josh Lambert is suspected of the murder of family friend and spiritual guide Elise Rainier. But it appears the ghostly woman who once haunted Josh as a child may have returned to the real world with him with a deathly agenda.
What did we think?
Hilary says: For Halloween this year, I watched Insidious (1) to prepare for this sequel and thank god I did. Insidious: Chapter 2 picks up right where the first left off and hops back and forth between the two films towards the end, with little explanation about crucial elements such as “The Further” from the first film, which could turn fear into frustration. While a little slow to get going, I ultimately found Chapter 2 a more complex, stronger and scarier film than the previous one. The full return of the cast (including the excellent Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne) was a definite win for famous Aussie writers James Wan and Leigh Whannell, of Saw fame.
Ender’s Game
One of my all-time favourite novels finally makes it to the big screen. I’m so excited I’m not sure I want to watch the trailer.
(but in case you do, here it is)
Mood Indigo
What’s it about?
A surreal love story centered around a woman (Audrey Tatou) who suffers from an unusual illness caused by a flower growing in her lungs.
What did we think?
Mood Indigo is a surreal but wonderful visual feast that delights the senses but occasionally fails to engage the heart. Definitely worth seeing if you appreciate foreign films but the unrelenting nature of the unfettered imagination will leave you exhausted by the end. When I say surreal I mean super surreal as director Michel Gondry truly lets loose. Apparently there’s a much longer director’s cut but I have to say that much surrealism may just be too much for the human brain.I found it both tiring and enchanting.
47 Ronin
Well this is gut-wrenching. The legend of the 47 ronin is one of my favourite Asian stories (behind only the Monkey king and the journey west) and this looks so beautiful aesthetically.
BUT Keanu?!? Now I’m not hating for hating sake. I’m not complaining it’s Keanu (though that’s far from ideal) – I just don’t know why there’s a white guy there at all. Seriously. It could be David tennant and I wouldn’t be happy (well maybe a little).
But it looks like a visual feast… oh confliction of emotions…
Puella Magi Madoka Magica – Rebellion
Cuteness overload? Well actually this looks like it’s got a bit of an edge.
http://youtu.be/SCKUo0kl1pE
The Counselor
What it’s about?
Filmmaker Ridley Scott and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men) team up for this thriller about a respected lawyer’s (Michael Fassbender) one-time involvement in an illegal drug-trafficking deal that spirals out of control.
What did we think?
Hilary says: The cast alone – Fassbender, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem and Brad Pitt – is undoubtedly a crowd puller and the vivid characters they play (especially Malkina by Diaz) is definitely a highlight of this film, but this is McCarthy’s first-time screenplay and it shows. The Counselor’s slick, good looks can’t make up for the fact the story is tediously indulgent and incomprehensible for the majority of its two-hour running time. But it does contains some of the best monologues in recent memory, and you won’t want to miss Diaz’s auto-erotic sex scene and the recounting of it by Bardem.
What’s Popular
The Martian
What’s it about?
During a fierce storm on a mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is impaled by debris and left behind by his crew, assumed dead. When Watney wakes up, his mission becomes one of survival, where he must think out of the box and “science the shit” out of his limited supplies to contact NASA and let them know he is alive.
What did we think?
Francesca Percy says: First things first: unlike the vast majority of movies, this is absolutely worth seeing in 3D. Every detail is stunning and utterly convincing – 99 per cent of the time I forgot I was watching a film – I was completely immersed in the story unfolding. This was also due to the pitch perfect direction from Ridley Scott, central performance from Matt Damon as Watney and the wonderfully-cast supporting actors.
The story really never lost my attention – I was on the edge of my seat for much of it, but that was balanced by the ingenuity and enthusiasm of Watney and the people trying to find a way to bring him home, the surprising moments of humour, and the genuine moments of joy that must come from being a pioneer on another planet.
Pan
What’s it about?
When Harry Potter met Neverland. An orphan is spirited away to the magical Neverland where he meets Han Solo James Hook and embarks on an adventure of flight, fantasy and fairies.
What did we think?
Pan is oozing with over-the-top charm and is actually a good fun film but you’re left feeling it could – and should – have been so much more.
It’s whimsically wonderful, a visual feast that boasts an amazing cast and effects, using colour and contrast delightfully. But while the individual facets are impressive, it falls a little short in the story. Normally a slow-build is balanced by depth of character – but this doesn’t quite eventuate.
Take James Hook, who IS Han Solo (down to the American accent) with a bit of Indy thrown in. One of the dangers of the dreaded prequel is the unexplained tangents and here it feels particularly discordant.
Everest
What’s it about?
Based on the true story of a freak weather event in 1996 that lead to to several climbers’ deaths, the film follows two expeditions who attempted to make the summit of Everest, but were thwarted in their descent. Starring Jason Clarke, Jake Gylenhaal, Emily Watson, Josh Brolin and Keira Nightley.
What did we think?
Angela Young says: The word epic can, for once, be rightly used here. Director Baltasar Kormakur should be very proud of producing such a powerful, accurate and dignified memorial to those who lost their lives on the mountain that day. Strong, but not over dramatised performances (how refreshing!) from a superb cast, along with stunning visual effects, brought the hideous chill, frightening winds and sheer adrenalin mixed with fear pouring through the screen. Moving and enlightening (why the HELL do people want to do climb that thing??), you should see Everest – and preferably in 3D.
Pixels
What’s it about?
When aliens misinterpret video feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war, they attack the Earth in the form of the video games.
What did we think?
Amy Currie says: You know what’s a really good video game movie? Wreck-It Ralph. Wreck-It Ralph is funny, moving and has a plot that makes sense. Wreck-It Ralph isn’t confused about whether it’s supposed to be for children or adults. Wreck-It Ralph entertains both without resorting to recurring jokes about slut-seeking missiles. Nobody repeatedly screams ‘bitch’ in Wreck-It Ralph, and nobody receives an adoring scantily-clad warrior woman who never speaks as a (quite literal) trophy. No beloved video game characters urinate on themselves. In Wreck-It Ralph, the King of Queens is not the President of the United States.
Watch Wreck-It Ralph, watch the not-half-bad 2010 short film on which Pixels was based or watch the episode of Futurama with a similar alien-video-game-battle plot. Do not, under any circumstances, watch Pixels.
Editor's Choice
The Martian
What’s it about?
During a fierce storm on a mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is impaled by debris and left behind by his crew, assumed dead. When Watney wakes up, his mission becomes one of survival, where he must think out of the box and “science the shit” out of his limited supplies to contact NASA and let them know he is alive.
What did we think?
Francesca Percy says: First things first: unlike the vast majority of movies, this is absolutely worth seeing in 3D. Every detail is stunning and utterly convincing – 99 per cent of the time I forgot I was watching a film – I was completely immersed in the story unfolding. This was also due to the pitch perfect direction from Ridley Scott, central performance from Matt Damon as Watney and the wonderfully-cast supporting actors.
The story really never lost my attention – I was on the edge of my seat for much of it, but that was balanced by the ingenuity and enthusiasm of Watney and the people trying to find a way to bring him home, the surprising moments of humour, and the genuine moments of joy that must come from being a pioneer on another planet.
Pan
What’s it about?
When Harry Potter met Neverland. An orphan is spirited away to the magical Neverland where he meets Han Solo James Hook and embarks on an adventure of flight, fantasy and fairies.
What did we think?
Pan is oozing with over-the-top charm and is actually a good fun film but you’re left feeling it could – and should – have been so much more.
It’s whimsically wonderful, a visual feast that boasts an amazing cast and effects, using colour and contrast delightfully. But while the individual facets are impressive, it falls a little short in the story. Normally a slow-build is balanced by depth of character – but this doesn’t quite eventuate.
Take James Hook, who IS Han Solo (down to the American accent) with a bit of Indy thrown in. One of the dangers of the dreaded prequel is the unexplained tangents and here it feels particularly discordant.
Everest
What’s it about?
Based on the true story of a freak weather event in 1996 that lead to to several climbers’ deaths, the film follows two expeditions who attempted to make the summit of Everest, but were thwarted in their descent. Starring Jason Clarke, Jake Gylenhaal, Emily Watson, Josh Brolin and Keira Nightley.
What did we think?
Angela Young says: The word epic can, for once, be rightly used here. Director Baltasar Kormakur should be very proud of producing such a powerful, accurate and dignified memorial to those who lost their lives on the mountain that day. Strong, but not over dramatised performances (how refreshing!) from a superb cast, along with stunning visual effects, brought the hideous chill, frightening winds and sheer adrenalin mixed with fear pouring through the screen. Moving and enlightening (why the HELL do people want to do climb that thing??), you should see Everest – and preferably in 3D.
Pixels
What’s it about?
When aliens misinterpret video feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war, they attack the Earth in the form of the video games.
What did we think?
Amy Currie says: You know what’s a really good video game movie? Wreck-It Ralph. Wreck-It Ralph is funny, moving and has a plot that makes sense. Wreck-It Ralph isn’t confused about whether it’s supposed to be for children or adults. Wreck-It Ralph entertains both without resorting to recurring jokes about slut-seeking missiles. Nobody repeatedly screams ‘bitch’ in Wreck-It Ralph, and nobody receives an adoring scantily-clad warrior woman who never speaks as a (quite literal) trophy. No beloved video game characters urinate on themselves. In Wreck-It Ralph, the King of Queens is not the President of the United States.
Watch Wreck-It Ralph, watch the not-half-bad 2010 short film on which Pixels was based or watch the episode of Futurama with a similar alien-video-game-battle plot. Do not, under any circumstances, watch Pixels.