Gravity
What it’s about:
Veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (Oscar winner George Clooney) and medical engineer Dr Ryan Stone (Oscar winner Sandra Bullock) on her first shuttle mission must help each other to survive after speeding debris from an exploded Russian satellite leaves them adrift in space.
What did we think:
Hilary says: If you have always wanted to visit outer space, seeing Gravity is probably as close as you are going to get to the real thing, such is the spectacular nature of its visuals and effects. The seat-grabbingly tense moments are well dispersed throughout this compact, 90-minute thriller, filling in for a fairly lightweight plot and lackluster script. Director Alfonso Cuaron has made a film that feels unlike any space movie that has come before it, and if you only catch one blockbuster at the cinema this year, Gravity should be it – preferably in all its 3D glory.
Runner Runner
What’s it about?
An ethically shady young college boy gets the offer of a lifetime when he’s employed by a big shot casino owner. Richie (Justin Timberlake) soon discovers that in order to become the world’s biggest douchebag he must first learn from the master (Ben Affleck).
What did we think?
Dan says: This film presents itself as a very clever mathematical thriller stirring memories of The Bank (2001) but every time there’s a clever bit they skip ahead to the bikini girls and the brooding ex-pop star. If you threw James Bond into this film it would be a great Bond Film but that’s because you’d be watching James Bond.
Timberlake puts in a solid performance but the pacing is slightly off and the romance unconvincing. Ben Affleck never manages to come across as villainous. He gives the impression that he’s about to wink at the camera and then run off and high five Kevin Smith.
You won’t be bored in the process of this film failing to make a lasting impact.
Grown-Ups 2
What’s it about?
Most of the characters from the first film do stuff as they ‘grow up’. None of it is anything other than puerile and immature.
What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: If you made ‘fingernails on a blackboard’ into a film, this would be that movie.
Blue Jasmine
What’s it about?
A New York socialite (Cate Blanchett), deeply troubled and in denial, arrives in San Francisco to impose upon her sister. She looks a million, but isn’t bringing money, peace, or love…
What did we think?
Blue Jasmine is proof that you can appreciate a movie while simultaneously disliking it. There are very strong performances (despite being mostly unlikeable characters) and the plot is good on paper but it simply doesn’t translate to the screen. There’s very little to relate to and even the ‘twist’ (note air quotes) is predictable and robs you of what little character sympathy you have left at the end of this torturous film.
Abrupt endings normally annoy me but this one simply came as a relief.
Thanks For Sharing
What’s it about?
A number of people (including Mark Ruffalo and Tim Robbins) are learning to face a challenging and often confusing world as they struggle together against a common demon: sex addiction.
What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: Thanks For Sharing is a truly earnest movie that neither glorifies or condemns sex addiction. Instead it explores the ‘disease’ through various shades of grey and development. It’s engaging, thought-provoking and, although flawed in some respects, its raw honesty overcomes the shortcomings.
Strong performances from Robbins and Ruffalo combined with some sex that is sad rather than erotic take it to a more cerebral – and entertaining – level.
One Direction: This Is Us
What’s it about?
Five young men from various socio-economic backgrounds are employed by a faceless corporation on the same day. They discover that the service they have been hired for, when intelligently manipulated and directed, allows them godlike powers over the weak minded.
What’s Popular
American Ultra
What’s it about?
A stoner – who is in fact a sleeper government agent – is marked as a liability and targeted for extermination. But he’s too well-trained and too high for them to handle.
What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: Whoever thought that mashing a stoner film with an action movie obviously broke the rule about sampling their own product. What appears to be a kitschy trailer has unfortunately translated into an awkward, rambling and painful feature film devoid of any real depth. There are some laughs here and there but despite the amount of drugs there are no highs as it struggles to decide whether to go over the top or not.
Enjoy the trailer but don’t bother with the whole flick.
Me, Earl and the Dying Girl
What’s it about?
A high schooler who makes deliberately terrible parody films with his friend is forced by his mother to spend time with a schoolmate who is dying of cancer.
What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: We have seen emotional teenage movies before but there is a freshness about the quirky Me, Earl and the Dying Girl that sets it somewhat apart. It utilises familiar tropes – high school cliques, unusual parental relationships, etc – and intertwines them with some genuinely funny and fresh perspectives. It’s incredibly engaging and, despite its strong manipulative nature, most people will leave deep in thought and with their heart on their sleeve. It asks questions of the viewer on how you would react to a life-threatening disease but subtly rather than in your face. And delivers a few unexpected gems that only add to the emotional stew. Well worth a look.
Legend
Doug? I was terrified of him. Everyone was terrified of Doug. I’ve seen grown men pull their own heads off rather than see Doug. Even Dinsdale was frightened of Doug. Dinsdale was a looney, but he was a happy looney. Lucky bastard.
Now I understand where Monty Python came up with the Piranha Brothers. Tom Hardy as both brothers? Kray Kray!
We Are Your Friends
What’s it about?
An impossibly handsome down-on-his-luck twenty-something (Zac Efron) dreams of being a DJ, his thuggish friend dreams of getting in more fights, his drug-dealing friend dreams of getting rich, his dopey looking friend dreams of something better. They party a lot, Zac meets an impossibly good-looking chicky-babe, things go bad, things go good. PCP EDM 128 BPM HASHTAG What – WHAT?
What we thought
Stephen Scott says: like American beer, We Are Your Friends is fun, fairly lightweight, but has a good heart. The target audience will love it then promptly forget about it 5 seconds later.
Want more in-depth analysis? Consider #WAYF to be a 21C version of Plato’s Republic, The Lord of The Rings, heck, even The Bible: it’s a morality tale to help you understand and avoid life’s pitfalls. It’s a story for today’s teens, tweens and in-betweens: you’re probably never going to make it big, but hey, someone does, so why not give it a go? Oh, and drugs are awesome! Oh, and don’t do drugs.
Post-script: it must be a nightmare growing up amongst the perfect people in The Valley. Bulging biceps, shining pearly white teeth and jaw-droopingly-amazing how-do-they-defy-gravity-like-that hand-crafted boobies as far as the eye can see. Maybe that’s why they drink so much. And take so many drugs. Lots of drugs. So many drugs. Don’t do drugs.
Editor's Choice
American Ultra
What’s it about?
A stoner – who is in fact a sleeper government agent – is marked as a liability and targeted for extermination. But he’s too well-trained and too high for them to handle.
What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: Whoever thought that mashing a stoner film with an action movie obviously broke the rule about sampling their own product. What appears to be a kitschy trailer has unfortunately translated into an awkward, rambling and painful feature film devoid of any real depth. There are some laughs here and there but despite the amount of drugs there are no highs as it struggles to decide whether to go over the top or not.
Enjoy the trailer but don’t bother with the whole flick.
Me, Earl and the Dying Girl
What’s it about?
A high schooler who makes deliberately terrible parody films with his friend is forced by his mother to spend time with a schoolmate who is dying of cancer.
What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: We have seen emotional teenage movies before but there is a freshness about the quirky Me, Earl and the Dying Girl that sets it somewhat apart. It utilises familiar tropes – high school cliques, unusual parental relationships, etc – and intertwines them with some genuinely funny and fresh perspectives. It’s incredibly engaging and, despite its strong manipulative nature, most people will leave deep in thought and with their heart on their sleeve. It asks questions of the viewer on how you would react to a life-threatening disease but subtly rather than in your face. And delivers a few unexpected gems that only add to the emotional stew. Well worth a look.
Legend
Doug? I was terrified of him. Everyone was terrified of Doug. I’ve seen grown men pull their own heads off rather than see Doug. Even Dinsdale was frightened of Doug. Dinsdale was a looney, but he was a happy looney. Lucky bastard.
Now I understand where Monty Python came up with the Piranha Brothers. Tom Hardy as both brothers? Kray Kray!
We Are Your Friends
What’s it about?
An impossibly handsome down-on-his-luck twenty-something (Zac Efron) dreams of being a DJ, his thuggish friend dreams of getting in more fights, his drug-dealing friend dreams of getting rich, his dopey looking friend dreams of something better. They party a lot, Zac meets an impossibly good-looking chicky-babe, things go bad, things go good. PCP EDM 128 BPM HASHTAG What – WHAT?
What we thought
Stephen Scott says: like American beer, We Are Your Friends is fun, fairly lightweight, but has a good heart. The target audience will love it then promptly forget about it 5 seconds later.
Want more in-depth analysis? Consider #WAYF to be a 21C version of Plato’s Republic, The Lord of The Rings, heck, even The Bible: it’s a morality tale to help you understand and avoid life’s pitfalls. It’s a story for today’s teens, tweens and in-betweens: you’re probably never going to make it big, but hey, someone does, so why not give it a go? Oh, and drugs are awesome! Oh, and don’t do drugs.
Post-script: it must be a nightmare growing up amongst the perfect people in The Valley. Bulging biceps, shining pearly white teeth and jaw-droopingly-amazing how-do-they-defy-gravity-like-that hand-crafted boobies as far as the eye can see. Maybe that’s why they drink so much. And take so many drugs. Lots of drugs. So many drugs. Don’t do drugs.