Olympus Has Fallen
What’s it about?
Disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) finds himself trapped inside the White House in the wake of a terrorist attack; using his inside knowledge, Banning works with national security to rescue the President (Aaron Eckhart) from his kidnappers.
What did we think?
Anthony says: This is what Die Hard 5 SHOULD have been. In fact they even steal a few scenes from the original Die Hard pretty unashamedely. Which is apt as really this is basically a big-budget version of an 80s action flick. Silly, flimsy at bits, predictable and with a few plotholes, it would be easy to bag the film but to be quite honest it’s just a lot of unpretentious fun.
The Company You Keep
A collection of domestic freedom fighters from the seventies have their thirty year hiding spots blown open by an upstart journalist in this well paced chase movie where no one breaks the speed limit.
Dan says: Each member of Robert Redford’s over-the-hill cast feels like a beloved and well worn piece of clothing that Hollywood has decreed is out of style. Combined, the outfit is not only as comfortable as you remember, it has also become retro-cool. LaBeouf stands out like a pure white iPod that nonetheless slips perfectly inside the jacket pocket completing the ensemble.
No surprises in this suspense but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Iron Man 3
What’s it about?
Picking up in the aftermath of The Avengers, Tony Stark is dealing with his brush with death by ignoring the world until a terrorist called The Mandarin brings the battle to Stark’s doorstep.
What did we think?
Anthony says: If you’ve seen the trailers you’ve seen most of the twists and a good deal of the action already. But you’ve not quite seen it all and there’s enough to keep even the rabid fans happy. There are lots of explosions, snarky dialogue and a stunt scene that has to be seen to be believed. The plot is a tad clunky at times but it’s clever, humorous and – most importantly of all – big. Spectacular in parts, even.
It’s not a great movie but it is great fun.
3.75/5.
Song for Marion
What’s it about?
Arthur, a stereotypically cantankerous old man with a complete aversion to fun learns to cope with the death of his wife, Marion, while mending the strained relationship with his son and carrying on Marion’s legacy at the local choir club. Think Glee but with old people.
What did we think?
Matthew says: From beginning to end, Song for Marion is as clichéd and predictable as it comes. If it weren’t for Stamp, Redgrave (and even Arterton), this movie would have fallen completely into the dark abyss of mediocrity. It’s a shame they did not have a huge amount of material to work with and much of the plot seemed to be dragged out and made to appear larger than what it was. It lacked the impact it should have had but the sincere performances and one particular solo still managed to move me to manly tears (a fact that I will strongly deny).
Jurassic Park 3D
What’s it about?
An eccentric billionaire (Richard Attenborough) employs a pair of palaeontologists (Sam Neill and Laura Dern), a rock star mathematician (Jeff Goldblum), and his grandchildren (Ariana Richards and Joseph Mazzello) to earn their seal of approval for his ground-breaking, but woefully understaffed, dinosaur park. All it takes is one rogue technician and a poorly thought out power grid for the aspirant utopia to become a walking, screeching nightmare…
What did we think?
Mitch says: This 3D re-release is a testament to the visual achievement that Jurassic Park really is – here we are, 20 years later, and the animatronic work of Stan Winston and his crew is as captivating and believable as it was 1993, even having gone through the rigours of 3D processing. The film itself as is enjoyable a ride as ever, with the added bonus that now at least you can say you’ve seen a man die on the toilet in 3D.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
What’s it about?
The G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their existence.
What did we think?
Anthony says: Putting Channum Tating, the Rock and Bruce Willis together in a movie sounds like a no-brainer. Sadly they must’ve used up all the money on the cast and special effects (which are impressive, it must be said) and none on writers. Or continuity/error checkers. There are a couple of great action scenes but this 110-minute-long action-figure advertisement has more plotholes than…. zzzz. Sorry, what was I writing? I nodded off just thinking about the movie.
What’s Popular
Jurassic World
aka Jurassic Parks and Recreation
What’s it about?
A theme park filled with living dinosaurs has put its chaotic past behind it and has been trading for years but their newest creation may be more than they can safely contain.
What we thought
Dan says: It’s impossible to measure up to the original Jurassic Park. It showed us movie monsters that we’d never seen before that reignited interest in the field of palaeontology. This script tries to out-do its predecessor with some truly absurd conceits. The strangest thing is that they all manage to work. The characters make some dumb decisions but the universe logic is tight and the action thick and visceral. People who love dinosaurs made this film and people who love dinosaurs will gobble it up.
Inside Out
What’s it about?
After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions – Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness – conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.
What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: Delightfully clever, Inside Out actually takes the Pixar formula of creating a kids movie with enough in it for the adults and flips it around. The intelligent writing and (simplified) subject matter is the core of the story and most of it flies over the heads of the younger audience but it’s wonderfully engaging on so many levels that it doesn’t matter.
It’s rare you can say ‘fun for the whole family’ and truly mean it but Inside Out fits the bill. This is a gloriously emotional film that – for me – ranks among Pixar’s very best. Whether it has the replayability factor for kids remains to be seen but the underlying message that our joy needs our sadness is one that should resonate for years to come.
The Emperor’s New Clothes
What’s it about?
The rich are getting richer at an astronomical rate.
The poor are getting poorer at a faster rate.
The GFC was created by bankers obsessed with greed and riches.
We, the people, bailed out the banks with trillions of our dollars – putting our nations in debt.
Yet the bank bosses continue to earn over 300 times the wage their cleaners earn.
What do we think?
Stephen Scott says: Have you read the above synopsis or watched the trailer? Then you’ve seen the film. If you don’t know the basic details about how inequality is the basis of capitalism, then go ahead and watch Russell repeat the same thing over and over and over again for an hour and a half, until the last minute when he tells you his piss-poor solution. For a more balanced view, watch a real documentary about the GFC (the ABC’s recent Making Australia Great: Inside Our Longest Boom is an excellent place to start) or read the news instead.
Entourage
What’s it about?
After some time in exile Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) returns to Hollywood to head up a movie studio. Naturally he hands his boy Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) a big fat cheque and a directors chair. When Vinnie needs more cash to complete the movie, everything comes unstuck for Ari.
What do we think?
Casey Moon-Watton says: Exactly as one expects from Entourage the movie starts with loads of beautiful women, and finishes highlighting the importance of surrounding yourself with people whom you care about, and who care about you. As a fan of the show I loved this movie. It was true to the format that worked for so many seasons, made a bunch of in jokes that seemed to go over my fellow reviewers heads, but had me laughing out loud. Ari Gold swearing more celebrities that you can poke a stick at and cameo by Warren Buffet…
Jeremy Piven is by far the stand out performer in this film, playing by far the most likeable character. Excuse me while I disappear into the night chanting “spin off”.
Editor's Choice
Jurassic World
aka Jurassic Parks and Recreation
What’s it about?
A theme park filled with living dinosaurs has put its chaotic past behind it and has been trading for years but their newest creation may be more than they can safely contain.
What we thought
Dan says: It’s impossible to measure up to the original Jurassic Park. It showed us movie monsters that we’d never seen before that reignited interest in the field of palaeontology. This script tries to out-do its predecessor with some truly absurd conceits. The strangest thing is that they all manage to work. The characters make some dumb decisions but the universe logic is tight and the action thick and visceral. People who love dinosaurs made this film and people who love dinosaurs will gobble it up.
Inside Out
What’s it about?
After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions – Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness – conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.
What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: Delightfully clever, Inside Out actually takes the Pixar formula of creating a kids movie with enough in it for the adults and flips it around. The intelligent writing and (simplified) subject matter is the core of the story and most of it flies over the heads of the younger audience but it’s wonderfully engaging on so many levels that it doesn’t matter.
It’s rare you can say ‘fun for the whole family’ and truly mean it but Inside Out fits the bill. This is a gloriously emotional film that – for me – ranks among Pixar’s very best. Whether it has the replayability factor for kids remains to be seen but the underlying message that our joy needs our sadness is one that should resonate for years to come.
The Emperor’s New Clothes
What’s it about?
The rich are getting richer at an astronomical rate.
The poor are getting poorer at a faster rate.
The GFC was created by bankers obsessed with greed and riches.
We, the people, bailed out the banks with trillions of our dollars – putting our nations in debt.
Yet the bank bosses continue to earn over 300 times the wage their cleaners earn.
What do we think?
Stephen Scott says: Have you read the above synopsis or watched the trailer? Then you’ve seen the film. If you don’t know the basic details about how inequality is the basis of capitalism, then go ahead and watch Russell repeat the same thing over and over and over again for an hour and a half, until the last minute when he tells you his piss-poor solution. For a more balanced view, watch a real documentary about the GFC (the ABC’s recent Making Australia Great: Inside Our Longest Boom is an excellent place to start) or read the news instead.
Entourage
What’s it about?
After some time in exile Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) returns to Hollywood to head up a movie studio. Naturally he hands his boy Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) a big fat cheque and a directors chair. When Vinnie needs more cash to complete the movie, everything comes unstuck for Ari.
What do we think?
Casey Moon-Watton says: Exactly as one expects from Entourage the movie starts with loads of beautiful women, and finishes highlighting the importance of surrounding yourself with people whom you care about, and who care about you. As a fan of the show I loved this movie. It was true to the format that worked for so many seasons, made a bunch of in jokes that seemed to go over my fellow reviewers heads, but had me laughing out loud. Ari Gold swearing more celebrities that you can poke a stick at and cameo by Warren Buffet…
Jeremy Piven is by far the stand out performer in this film, playing by far the most likeable character. Excuse me while I disappear into the night chanting “spin off”.