Life Outside the BIFF

Sorry for being so lax and not posting what movies were out last week, I've been too busy poring over my BIFF guide.  But there's a lot happening outside the BIFF as well, so here is a wrap up of what's come out at the cinemas the last two Thursdays for those of you not venturing to the film festival:

I Don't Know How She Does It - some (bound to be) tosh about Sarah Jessica Parker being a superwoman juggling kids, career and husband.  Might have been a tad more interesting had the character not been some super high earning executive who can afford a personal assistant, nanny and amazing wardrobe and was more like a real supermum who does it on her own (there's plenty of 'em).

In Time - some (bound to be) tosh about Justin Timberlake being a poor bloke in a world where everyone has their remaining time on earth written on their arm, and time can either be earned through working or bought by the rich. JT gets a crazy idea to "steal" time from the rich.  Shame, as the guy behind this movie did the quite good "Gattaca" but the word on this universally seems to be "great idea wasted".

Anonymous - some (bound to be) tosh - oh damn, I think I've run out of movies that are bound to be tosh already.  This is a movie of the conspiracy theory that Shakespeare was a fake and all of his plays were written by another author who never got the credit.  Starring Rhys Ifans and some hot new talent, this could be good period drama and debauchery.

Warrior - the Oscars campaigns are beginning already for this movie, starring you beaut Aussie bloke Joel Edgerton and talented Brit Tom Hardy as two estranged American (!) brothers who end up having to fight each other in the final of an MMA (mixed martial arts) tournament.  Probably a bit TOO much MMA in this one to get me along, but others will probably love the mix of action and family drama.  Go Joel, we love ya mate.

Don't be Afraid of the Dark - new chiller that should have been released for Halloween but didn't quite make it.  This looks to be an enjoyable spin on the "possessed house" storyline, produced by Guillermo del Toro who loved the original (yes it's a remake but at least the original was obscure enough that we can ignore that fact) and directed by a newcomer who happens to be a friend of a friend of mine.  So get along and support this Aussie made production starring Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes.

Drive - A lot of hype over this one, starring Ryan Gosling as "The Driver".  The Driver is a Hollywood stunt driver by day, getaway driver for crooks by night.  When he mets his lovely young neighbour (Carey Mulligan) he gets involved in her business with her loser husband.  Don't go expecting a huge action movie, this is more of a character driven drama.

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer - inoffensive tweeny stuff.

Our Idiot Brother - more family dysfunction with Paul Rudd as a "loser" hippie dude who starts off a bunch of family trouble after getting busted selling pot to a cop in uniform.  He takes turns staying with his mother and each of his 3 sisters (Elizabeth Banks, Emily Mortimer and Ben's fave Zooey Deschanel) while the film slowly turns the tables on who is the most dysfunctional.  Could be the year's smartest comedy?

Autoluminescent - a documentary about the Australian musician Rowland S Howard, the lesser known member of Aussie band The Birthday Party (compared to Nick Cave) who sadly passed away this year.  One for the indie and goth kids.

Phew - I won't leave it 2 weeks again!  If you see anything good in this batch, let me know as my mission over the next week is to see 16 movies at the film fest, but I can always be tempted by a good movie!