The World’s End
What’s it about?
Four high school mates are reluctantly dragged back to their home town by their former ringleader to re-create a night of drinking excess. And then robots happen. Except they aren’t robots.
What did we think?
Elizabeth says: The final installment in Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) has all the laughs and offbeat comedy you expect from this duo, served with a hefty dollop of emotional resonance I wasn’t expecting. A movie about dudes battling pseudo-robots (they’re roboty aliens who really don’t like to be called robots, see) that’s actually super relatable? That’s a win in my book.
Only God Forgives
What’s it about?
Julian (Ryan Gosling), a respected figure in the criminal underworld of Bangkok, runs a Thai boxing club and smuggling ring with his brother Billy who is suddenly murdered. Blah blah blah… Julian finds himself in the ultimate showdown.
What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: The producers are obviously relying on Gosling’s sex appeal because they didn’t bother polishing a story that is excessively padded, meandering and ridiculously pretentious. I’m not sure even God will forgive this slow and painful monstrosity of a movie.
Behind The Candelabra
What’s it about?
Based on the autobiographical novel, the tempestuous 6-year relationship between Liberace and his (much younger) lover, Scott Thorson, is recounted.
What did we think?
Cindy says: “Too much of a good thing is wonderful”. At the heart of this beautifully crafted film is excess, sex, but most of all, romance. Michael Douglas and Matt Damon have incredible chemistry as Liberace and his ”baby boy” Scott Thorson. Director Steven Soderbergh again deftly explores the truth of human emotion, while Douglas is particularly mesmerising and at times superbly unrecognisable. The audience is treated to the sumptuous visual and aural feast that was the tragic love story spanning the last decade of the flamboyant entertainers final decade. Sadly this magnificent and sparkly biopic will not grace the cinema screens in the US. While it has secured a theatrical release here in Australia and Europe, American audiences will have to tune in to HBO, who stepped up with the cash to fund it after studios refused to commit, the actors were told that it would be a career ending project and the director was told it simply shouldn’t be made. And as Soderbergh’s possible swan song, we have one more thing to thank HBO for giving us: pure entertainment gold.
The Raid
What’s it about?
A police special forces team gets stranded halfway up a building full of very hostile, desperate and well-armed people.
What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: The Raid is what Hollywood action movies want to be when they grow up. This is nearly the perfect action movie. Amazing fight scenes, great plot and genuine suspense punctuate a fast-flowing adventure. You’re never sure who’s expendable and the refusal to follow traditional narrative paths for the first half of the movie only add to the sense of chaos and panic. Truly wonderful cinema.
Simply a must for action fans.
The Wolverine
What’s it about?
Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) struggles with the death of his beloved Jean Grey (at his hands) before being dragged to Japan where a dying man drags him into a web of intrigue, action and forbidden love.
What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: A vast improvement on the first Wolverine solo movie but then again what wouldn’t have been? This version has a much more solid storyline and spends more time on the character. As such, Jackman’s Wolverine is half James Bond and part animal and the movie works the better for it.
It doesn’t reach any great heights and builds ot a comic book ending but is genuinely entertaining and likable. Some great fight scenes (except for the traintop rubbish) and interesting twists mean that not even diehard comic fans will mind the liberties taken with the original storyline it’s lossely based on.
The Conjuring
What’s it about?
Based on a true story, this film follows the Perron family, who moved into a house in the country in the 1970s only to find it haunted by multiple demonic spirits. Enter Christian paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga).
What did we think?
Hilary says: If you enjoy the classics when it comes to horror films, The Conjuring is not to be missed. Part Child’s Play, part Amityville Horror, part The Exorcist, this film — by director James Wan (Saw) — delivers genuinely gut-clenching scare fare. Corny lines we’ve come to expect of this genre crop up at times, but they are improved by strong performances from Farmiga and Wilson as the paranormal investigators, and Lili Taylor (Six Feet Under) as the children’s mother. Make sure you catch this at the cinema for maximum scream factor.
What’s Popular
Paper Towns
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
A high school senior (Nat Wolff) finds secret messages left for him by his recently disappeared crush (Cara Delevingne), and takes his friends on a road trip to track her down.
WHAT DID WE THINK?
The term “teen movie” basically exists to say “teenagers don’t know any better”, and Paper Towns is a movie that doesn’t help that. It’s got wonderful performances all around, especially from Cara Delevingne, and there’s a soundtrack filled with trendy music from the likes of Haim and The War on Drugs. Sadly, the smart-alecky and pretentious script imparts the tired message that “nerdy” guys, no matter how gross, are just sweet schlubs that deserve whatever female attention they can get.
Self/Less
What’s it about?
An ageing billionaire is given the chance to cheat death by having his mind transferred into a younger body. When his curiosity threatens the secrecy of the project he must cheat death again… and again… and again.
What we thought
Dan says: It’s like the creators of this film were experimenting with teleportation. Their clever ‘brain-swap’ sci-fi script climbed into the machine but they didn’t notice a gross little nineties action film buzz in at the last moment.
When the smoke clears you’ve got a vaguely interesting tale (brightened up by some artsy editing) that starts to digest itself with dull car chases and lots of uninspired gun fights. I never looked at my watch but I did forget I’d seen it the following day.
The Gallows
What’s it about?
Twenty years after a boy dies while performing in a high school play, a group of students reviving the play are terrorised by his malevolent ghost.
What did we think?
Dominic Barlow says: Behold yet another in the spate of tedious found-footage horror movies that Paranormal Activity unleashed. The usual problems are present – boring attempts at being scary, strained believability in the idea that someone would film it all – but we’re also given what might be the most loathsome main character in any film this year. Another found-footage chiller from this year, Unfriended, showed that vile protagonists are no obstacle to inventive film-making, but there’s no value like that to be found here.
Magic Mike XXL
What’s it about?
Five strippers go to a stripping convention for one last strip.
What did we think?
Elizabeth Best says: This is the movie everyone thought the original would be: an excuse for hot guys to get their kit off and a socially sanctioned way for women to drool over said guys. In between the pelvic thrusting, (I’m PRETTY sure there were scenes between the thrusting…) there’s a sense of humour that was missing from Magic Mike, making this film sillier but somehow more enjoyable (not just because of the semi-naked men, shut up.) If you’ve ever wanted to see porn on the big screen, this is your chance.
Editor's Choice
Paper Towns
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
A high school senior (Nat Wolff) finds secret messages left for him by his recently disappeared crush (Cara Delevingne), and takes his friends on a road trip to track her down.
WHAT DID WE THINK?
The term “teen movie” basically exists to say “teenagers don’t know any better”, and Paper Towns is a movie that doesn’t help that. It’s got wonderful performances all around, especially from Cara Delevingne, and there’s a soundtrack filled with trendy music from the likes of Haim and The War on Drugs. Sadly, the smart-alecky and pretentious script imparts the tired message that “nerdy” guys, no matter how gross, are just sweet schlubs that deserve whatever female attention they can get.
Self/Less
What’s it about?
An ageing billionaire is given the chance to cheat death by having his mind transferred into a younger body. When his curiosity threatens the secrecy of the project he must cheat death again… and again… and again.
What we thought
Dan says: It’s like the creators of this film were experimenting with teleportation. Their clever ‘brain-swap’ sci-fi script climbed into the machine but they didn’t notice a gross little nineties action film buzz in at the last moment.
When the smoke clears you’ve got a vaguely interesting tale (brightened up by some artsy editing) that starts to digest itself with dull car chases and lots of uninspired gun fights. I never looked at my watch but I did forget I’d seen it the following day.
The Gallows
What’s it about?
Twenty years after a boy dies while performing in a high school play, a group of students reviving the play are terrorised by his malevolent ghost.
What did we think?
Dominic Barlow says: Behold yet another in the spate of tedious found-footage horror movies that Paranormal Activity unleashed. The usual problems are present – boring attempts at being scary, strained believability in the idea that someone would film it all – but we’re also given what might be the most loathsome main character in any film this year. Another found-footage chiller from this year, Unfriended, showed that vile protagonists are no obstacle to inventive film-making, but there’s no value like that to be found here.
Magic Mike XXL
What’s it about?
Five strippers go to a stripping convention for one last strip.
What did we think?
Elizabeth Best says: This is the movie everyone thought the original would be: an excuse for hot guys to get their kit off and a socially sanctioned way for women to drool over said guys. In between the pelvic thrusting, (I’m PRETTY sure there were scenes between the thrusting…) there’s a sense of humour that was missing from Magic Mike, making this film sillier but somehow more enjoyable (not just because of the semi-naked men, shut up.) If you’ve ever wanted to see porn on the big screen, this is your chance.