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
Burnt
What’s it about?
Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper) is a Chef who destroyed his career with drugs and diva behavior. He cleans up and returns to London, determined to redeem himself by spearheading a top restaurant that can gain three Michelin stars.
What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: Imagine spending a fortune on the finest ingredients and bringing them together to create a meal that was “just nice”. Welcome to BURNT. Good quality acting, interesting characters, shell of a good story and yet they don’t quite manage to come together in a satisfying way. It’s not bad but you walk out of the restaurant cinema feeling it’s overrated for what you paid. Some ok stuff for the foodies and Cooper fans but wait for the DVD.
Bridge of Spies
What’s it about?
Tom Hanks plays Cold War figure James B. Donovan, an insurance lawyer who defends a Russian spy arrested in America and is then tasked with negotiating his exchange for a pair of American prisoners in Berlin.
What did we think?
Nick says: No-one knows how to move a film camera like Spielberg, and Bridge of Spies shows that he’s still on his game. He’s got a great cast to work with, best of which is Mark Rylance, who plays the Russian spy with understated charm. The first half has some terrific suspense sequences and character moments, and while there’s less of those to enjoy in the procedural-like happenings of the second half, the ending drives the emotion home and makes the whole film well worth seeing.
Black Mass
What’s it about?
A dramatic retelling of Whitey Bulger and his rather rocky “alliance” with the FBI.
What did we think?
Nick says: Depp delivers a terrific performance that I’d count as Oscar nomination worthy and the ensemble shines when they’re given room to breathe, but there are a few questionable narrative choices and a lack of striking imagery that would have made this something special.
The Intern
What’s it about?
A 70 year-old retiree (Robert De Niro) gains an internship at an online fashion store run by a harried young woman (Anne Hathaway). Hijinks and life lessons ensue.
What did we think?
Lisa says: On paper, The Intern sounds like simple, inoffensive fun. It’s a cute concept, helmed by an accomplished (in this genre) director and has a great cast.
Disappointingly the end result is far less than the sum of its parts. The tone is incredibly uneven, varying from sweetly sad, to zany, to hackneyed and borderline offensive.
The second half of the film is especially a drag, weighed down by preachy dialogue and plot points that seem both improbable and clichéd at the same time.
Only tolerable if you’re home alone with nothing better to watch.
Editor's Choice
Burnt
What’s it about?
Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper) is a Chef who destroyed his career with drugs and diva behavior. He cleans up and returns to London, determined to redeem himself by spearheading a top restaurant that can gain three Michelin stars.
What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: Imagine spending a fortune on the finest ingredients and bringing them together to create a meal that was “just nice”. Welcome to BURNT. Good quality acting, interesting characters, shell of a good story and yet they don’t quite manage to come together in a satisfying way. It’s not bad but you walk out of the restaurant cinema feeling it’s overrated for what you paid. Some ok stuff for the foodies and Cooper fans but wait for the DVD.
Bridge of Spies
What’s it about?
Tom Hanks plays Cold War figure James B. Donovan, an insurance lawyer who defends a Russian spy arrested in America and is then tasked with negotiating his exchange for a pair of American prisoners in Berlin.
What did we think?
Nick says: No-one knows how to move a film camera like Spielberg, and Bridge of Spies shows that he’s still on his game. He’s got a great cast to work with, best of which is Mark Rylance, who plays the Russian spy with understated charm. The first half has some terrific suspense sequences and character moments, and while there’s less of those to enjoy in the procedural-like happenings of the second half, the ending drives the emotion home and makes the whole film well worth seeing.
Black Mass
What’s it about?
A dramatic retelling of Whitey Bulger and his rather rocky “alliance” with the FBI.
What did we think?
Nick says: Depp delivers a terrific performance that I’d count as Oscar nomination worthy and the ensemble shines when they’re given room to breathe, but there are a few questionable narrative choices and a lack of striking imagery that would have made this something special.
The Intern
What’s it about?
A 70 year-old retiree (Robert De Niro) gains an internship at an online fashion store run by a harried young woman (Anne Hathaway). Hijinks and life lessons ensue.
What did we think?
Lisa says: On paper, The Intern sounds like simple, inoffensive fun. It’s a cute concept, helmed by an accomplished (in this genre) director and has a great cast.
Disappointingly the end result is far less than the sum of its parts. The tone is incredibly uneven, varying from sweetly sad, to zany, to hackneyed and borderline offensive.
The second half of the film is especially a drag, weighed down by preachy dialogue and plot points that seem both improbable and clichéd at the same time.
Only tolerable if you’re home alone with nothing better to watch.