Fans of the UK TV show should not need to read this review, they should just get straight to the cinema, because if you like the show you will like the movie which simply continues the story of these four friends post high school but before making those big life decisions like going to uni or working. It's lewd, crude and rude. For those who are not familiar with the show, here is a quick guide to whether you should see this movie:
1) Are you a boy aged over 13 and under 20? If yes, then you will definitely relate to this movie and it is a must-see to give you hope.
2) Are you a male of any age? If yes, then it is likely you can remember what it was like to be 17 and trying to get in with the chicks and you will find this movie funny.
3) Are you a female and able to turn off a natural tendency to be offended by sex obsessed teen boy speak? If yes then you should find this movie funny.
4) Are you able to handle male nudity? Strangely there is more male nudity in this movie than female nudity.
5) Are you a parent of a teenage or soon to be teenage girl? If yes, do NOT go and see this movie or you may never let your daughter date.
Plotwise there ain't much - our four heroes Jay, Simon, Will and Neil head to the Greek isle of Malia for a post high school holiday where the plan is to get drunk and score with the ladies. They quickly meet some out of their league lovelies and proceed with the plan, except for Simon who is obsessed with his ex Carly who is also in Malia (thanks to a not very surprising coincidence). Everything culminates at the big boat party on their last day.
There really isn't any analysis to do on this movie - either you will like it or hate it. Follow the guide above. I found it hilarious and highly entertaining throughout as you waited for the boys to do their next idiotic thing. Of which there are plenty. Ideal holiday viewing.
Friday 30 December 2011
Tuesday 27 December 2011
#31 Movie - Drive
From one mood piece (Melancholia) to another! Drive is a moody character study disguised as an action movie. And the main character that we get to study doesn't even have a name! He is simply known as Driver.
Driver is a Hollywood stunt driver by day who appears to live a quiet and possibly lonely existence in his small apartment. This is occasionally broken up by the odd getaway driver job organised by his agent (played well by Bryan Cranston of TV fame for Breaking Bad and Malcolm in the Middle). When he meets an attractive young woman with a young son in his apartment building and begins to care about them both, he gets involved in some criminal goings-on when her husband returns home from jail. Owing protection money, Standard needs to do one last job to get off the hook and Driver offers to help. Nothing goes to plan from here on in.
So far so typical Hollywood action movie right? Wrong. Driver is buff (as played by Ryan Gosling fresh off his Crazy Stupid Love "airbrushed" look) but he is no action man in the style of Arnie, the Rock or Jason Statham. He is just a generally good hearted young guy with a talent for driving who happens to have a slightly "off" moral compass. Ryan Gosling apparently had a lot of input into his character and chose to play him as the strong, silent and complex type. Emphasis on complex. This is a guy who can literally explode from nothing to violence in the name of protecting someone he cares about. I found the strong violence quite confronting (as did those around me judging by the oohs we were all making) but thankfully infrequent, but the motivation behind it is even more confronting. How far should you go for those you love? Hmmmm, good question.
One of the best things about the film other than Gosling's amazing yet understated portrayal of Driver is the overall design and cinematography. The film has a slight 80s style bluish sheen without being set in any particular year. The driving scenes and car chase are excellent and the soundtrack contributes to the 80s feel being slightly electronic and robotic. I've had one song in particular in my head for over a week now. A perfect match for Driver then.
The supporting cast are all okay, with Ron Perlman (everyone's fave Son of Anarchy) and Albert Brooks as the LA gangsters that Driver gets caught up with, and Carey Mulligan as out of reach love interest Irene. However all of them really take a back seat (pardon the pun) to Driver as we follow his twisted quest for justice.
I really liked this movie but it is a bit of a downer I think.
I'm sorry to only review this one now, as it appears to no longer be in cinemas. I can only say that I saw it late in its run, but you should definitely catch up with this on DVD if you like the sound of it.
Driver is a Hollywood stunt driver by day who appears to live a quiet and possibly lonely existence in his small apartment. This is occasionally broken up by the odd getaway driver job organised by his agent (played well by Bryan Cranston of TV fame for Breaking Bad and Malcolm in the Middle). When he meets an attractive young woman with a young son in his apartment building and begins to care about them both, he gets involved in some criminal goings-on when her husband returns home from jail. Owing protection money, Standard needs to do one last job to get off the hook and Driver offers to help. Nothing goes to plan from here on in.
So far so typical Hollywood action movie right? Wrong. Driver is buff (as played by Ryan Gosling fresh off his Crazy Stupid Love "airbrushed" look) but he is no action man in the style of Arnie, the Rock or Jason Statham. He is just a generally good hearted young guy with a talent for driving who happens to have a slightly "off" moral compass. Ryan Gosling apparently had a lot of input into his character and chose to play him as the strong, silent and complex type. Emphasis on complex. This is a guy who can literally explode from nothing to violence in the name of protecting someone he cares about. I found the strong violence quite confronting (as did those around me judging by the oohs we were all making) but thankfully infrequent, but the motivation behind it is even more confronting. How far should you go for those you love? Hmmmm, good question.
One of the best things about the film other than Gosling's amazing yet understated portrayal of Driver is the overall design and cinematography. The film has a slight 80s style bluish sheen without being set in any particular year. The driving scenes and car chase are excellent and the soundtrack contributes to the 80s feel being slightly electronic and robotic. I've had one song in particular in my head for over a week now. A perfect match for Driver then.
The supporting cast are all okay, with Ron Perlman (everyone's fave Son of Anarchy) and Albert Brooks as the LA gangsters that Driver gets caught up with, and Carey Mulligan as out of reach love interest Irene. However all of them really take a back seat (pardon the pun) to Driver as we follow his twisted quest for justice.
I really liked this movie but it is a bit of a downer I think.
I'm sorry to only review this one now, as it appears to no longer be in cinemas. I can only say that I saw it late in its run, but you should definitely catch up with this on DVD if you like the sound of it.
#30 Movie - Melancholia
I'm really not sure what to say about this movie. It's a movie about some really big concepts and ideas, but one where nothing really happens for most of the running time. Even though it was a little slow, I would definitely say it has been haunting me since I saw it. I was a first-time viewer of a Lars von Trier picture, while my friend L who accompanied me is a big fan of his movies.
The movie is split into two halves revolving around two sisters. The first part concentrates on Justine, played by Kirsten Dunst, on her wedding day to her charming hubby played by Alexander Skaarsgard (yep Eric Northman hisself). The wedding reception is held at her sister Claire's country B&B owned with her rich husband played by Kiefer Sutherland. Although Part 1 begins comedically as they arrive for their reception, as the evening unfolds Justine goes into a downward spiral as her depression and self-centredness can no longer be suppressed. L's description to me of Mr von Trier as the "master of awkward" certainly came true in the first part as Justine and her family stumble from awkward situation to disaster to debacle as the long evening wears on.
The character of Justine is very interesting, as most movies try to make the lead actress as likeable and sympathetic as possible. Justine is almost the opposite, with even members of her own family and her wedding planner not wanting to talk to her by the end of the night. It's an extraordinary performance from Kirsten Dunst, portraying her depression expertly but just giving enough charm that you can see why the wedding would have taken place. This is borne out by the relationship with her sister Claire, who often tells Justine how much she hates her for her selfish acts and words, but always forgives her and picks up the pieces. L thought that Kirsten's facial expressions were fantastic at showing the inner thoughts of Justine, as there is little dialogue in places. How sad for Kirsten that she has not been nominated for a Golden Globe award and is therefore pretty unlikely for a chance at an Oscar.
The link between the two parts of this movie is Justine's fascination with a bright star in the sky on her wedding night, which turns out to be a planet called Melancholia which is potentially on a collision course with Earth. The second part of the movie focuses on Claire, as she covers her anxiety over Melancholia's potential trajectory by busying herself with the B&B, caring for Justine who has slid further into depression and trying to balance out her husband's excitement over Melancholia. Claire is all happiness and sunshine compared to Justine, but this creates its own problems as her desire to cling to her perfect life makes her fret over the impending doom if the scientists have made a mistake and Melancholia doesn't pass by.
As Melancholia approaches Earth it is fascinating to contrast Justine, Claire and Claire's husband's reactions. And also afterwards to think about how you would react. One chooses not to face it, one faces it bravely and one faces it with denial. I won't say who is who. I won't say which one I could empathise with either.
The movie starts and ends with 2 incredible scenes which are worth the price of admission alone. The beginning is an amazing scene close to 10 minutes of slow motion art, which gives you a glimpse of what is to come and what is going through the mind of Justine. The end is also literally jaw dropping and a fantastic use of sound and music. Everything in between is beautifully shot and those familiar with Lars von Trier's "Dogme" films should know that this is so not one of those. It breaks almost every rule he set for Dogme 95 (check out their movie making Vow of Chastity here) in fairly spectacular fashion, particularly that they not create genre cinema. This is most definitely joining the cannon of science fiction movies I've enjoyed this year.
I'm not sure if I've made a point about this movie or not. I think it is just something you have to experience and if you do, I'm sure you'll be thinking about it for a long time afterwards like I did. It contains all round great performances from the cast, it is a beautiful piece of art and it makes you think about life and how you participate in it. But be warned it can be slow and painful at times - it's definitely a mood piece.
The movie is split into two halves revolving around two sisters. The first part concentrates on Justine, played by Kirsten Dunst, on her wedding day to her charming hubby played by Alexander Skaarsgard (yep Eric Northman hisself). The wedding reception is held at her sister Claire's country B&B owned with her rich husband played by Kiefer Sutherland. Although Part 1 begins comedically as they arrive for their reception, as the evening unfolds Justine goes into a downward spiral as her depression and self-centredness can no longer be suppressed. L's description to me of Mr von Trier as the "master of awkward" certainly came true in the first part as Justine and her family stumble from awkward situation to disaster to debacle as the long evening wears on.
The character of Justine is very interesting, as most movies try to make the lead actress as likeable and sympathetic as possible. Justine is almost the opposite, with even members of her own family and her wedding planner not wanting to talk to her by the end of the night. It's an extraordinary performance from Kirsten Dunst, portraying her depression expertly but just giving enough charm that you can see why the wedding would have taken place. This is borne out by the relationship with her sister Claire, who often tells Justine how much she hates her for her selfish acts and words, but always forgives her and picks up the pieces. L thought that Kirsten's facial expressions were fantastic at showing the inner thoughts of Justine, as there is little dialogue in places. How sad for Kirsten that she has not been nominated for a Golden Globe award and is therefore pretty unlikely for a chance at an Oscar.
The link between the two parts of this movie is Justine's fascination with a bright star in the sky on her wedding night, which turns out to be a planet called Melancholia which is potentially on a collision course with Earth. The second part of the movie focuses on Claire, as she covers her anxiety over Melancholia's potential trajectory by busying herself with the B&B, caring for Justine who has slid further into depression and trying to balance out her husband's excitement over Melancholia. Claire is all happiness and sunshine compared to Justine, but this creates its own problems as her desire to cling to her perfect life makes her fret over the impending doom if the scientists have made a mistake and Melancholia doesn't pass by.
As Melancholia approaches Earth it is fascinating to contrast Justine, Claire and Claire's husband's reactions. And also afterwards to think about how you would react. One chooses not to face it, one faces it bravely and one faces it with denial. I won't say who is who. I won't say which one I could empathise with either.
The movie starts and ends with 2 incredible scenes which are worth the price of admission alone. The beginning is an amazing scene close to 10 minutes of slow motion art, which gives you a glimpse of what is to come and what is going through the mind of Justine. The end is also literally jaw dropping and a fantastic use of sound and music. Everything in between is beautifully shot and those familiar with Lars von Trier's "Dogme" films should know that this is so not one of those. It breaks almost every rule he set for Dogme 95 (check out their movie making Vow of Chastity here) in fairly spectacular fashion, particularly that they not create genre cinema. This is most definitely joining the cannon of science fiction movies I've enjoyed this year.
I'm not sure if I've made a point about this movie or not. I think it is just something you have to experience and if you do, I'm sure you'll be thinking about it for a long time afterwards like I did. It contains all round great performances from the cast, it is a beautiful piece of art and it makes you think about life and how you participate in it. But be warned it can be slow and painful at times - it's definitely a mood piece.
Saturday 17 December 2011
Christmas at the flicks
Sorry to those looking for current movie releases, I haven't posted for several weeks. New releases have slowed down as the movie distributors look to hold back their films for the big Boxing Day crunch.
The big ones that have come out are Puss in Boots (normal and 3D versions) and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Both of these have good word of mouth coming through. My friend E said that Puss in Boots was the best film she'd seen this year. With one caveat: she doesn't go out to the movies much, most of the movies she watches are old classics from the 40s, 50s and 60s thanks to her husband's taste in movies. So it's the best of a small list, but that is still high praise. Mission Impossible is probably going to do what is expected: have good action, Tom Cruise and a few laughs (mainly from my main funnyman Simon Pegg). Both of these will also probably be long holiday juggernauts.
New Years Eve is available for those who want a light fluffy ensemble movie which will probably be exactly the same as the widely panned Valentine's Day a few years ago. If your brain has gone on holiday already, this might be a good option. Takings will no doubt get a boost on 31 December.
Dolphin Tale is a family film showing in normal and 3D versions and is based on the true story of a dolphin who has its injured fin replaced with a prosthetic. Early reviews are positive for those looking for something for the tweens. Morgan Freeman should add some gravitas for the parents.
Melancholia has also opened this week at Dendy Portside only so far. This is the new Lars von Trier starring Kirsten Dunst. It's very good, weird and not for everyone but is definitely a genuine alternative to summer blockbusters and kid flicks. My review is coming very soon - stay tuned.
Moonlight Cinema has also started for summer at various locations around Queensland (and probably other states). This week the New Farm park version has the first preview of the new Alvin & The Chipmunks movie for the kiddies tonight, tomorrow is Crazy, Stupid Love, Wednesday they have Drive and Thursday is the animated Arthur Christmas for the kids again. Chec out http://www.moonlight.com.au/ for full program and details. Rent a beanbag and kick back with a catering pack.
So that is what's out now but what about what is coming for your holidays? This week there is unlikely to be any new releases, maybe just "Contraband" which is a new action flick starring Mark Wahlberg and Giovanni Ribisi. The arthouse fans will also be excited for "The Skin I Live In" which is the new movie from Spanish direct Pedro Almodavar and starring Antonio Banderas as a surgeon creating an experimental material to replace human skin. Only trouble is he's practising on a beautiful young woman he keeps prisoner in his home. Psycho thriller games expected.
Boxing Day is going to be the big one this year with so many choices on offer I don't know how they will fit it all in, especially the non multiplex houses. The most anticipated film will definitely be The Adventures of Tintin which will have a whole generation of people my age heading to the cinema to see if Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg can recreate the magic of the novels. This will be one movie to see in 3D even if you don't normally like 3D - it is the absolute cutting edge of motion capture and 3D technology.
Families have some hard choices to make. Steven Spielberg has a big day with the release of his WW1 epic Warhorse, about a young man joining the army primarily to be reunited with his heroic horse. Happy Feet 2 will likely pull in a big family crowd to see more of those singin', dancin' penguins. There is also We Bought A Zoo, starring Matt Damon as a father who has lost his wife and decides to buy a zoo. The zoo comes complete with Scarlett Johansson playing dowdy (as if) as the head vet who may just heal his broken heart. If this sounds corny, just remember it is directed by Cameron Crowe who gave us Almost Famous so it should be sweet but solid.
Adults and arthouse fans will have the choice of Albert Nobbs (Glenn Close's pet project) about a woman in the 19th Century who disguises herself as a male butler to make a living. Not a comedy in the vein of Adam Sandler's recent cross-dressing turn, this is more of a dramatic tale of gender relations. Or they could choose The Iron Lady, in which Meryl Streep plays the former UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Meryl is very likely to be nominated for an Oscar for this based on past form.
Finally for the comedy fans there is Tower Heist. Big ensemble comedy led by Ben Stiller as the manager who leads a group of disgruntled employees to steal back their money from crooked former boss Alan Alda. A little bit funny, a little bit of action. From the trailer, I'd say the best bit of this will be the return to form by Eddie Murphy as an ex-con running his mouth. No fat suits or PG comedy.
If I see any of these over the next few weeks I will try to put up reviews as soon as possible. Feel free to leave your own reviews by commenting below, or just tell me which movie you're most excited to see.
The big ones that have come out are Puss in Boots (normal and 3D versions) and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Both of these have good word of mouth coming through. My friend E said that Puss in Boots was the best film she'd seen this year. With one caveat: she doesn't go out to the movies much, most of the movies she watches are old classics from the 40s, 50s and 60s thanks to her husband's taste in movies. So it's the best of a small list, but that is still high praise. Mission Impossible is probably going to do what is expected: have good action, Tom Cruise and a few laughs (mainly from my main funnyman Simon Pegg). Both of these will also probably be long holiday juggernauts.
New Years Eve is available for those who want a light fluffy ensemble movie which will probably be exactly the same as the widely panned Valentine's Day a few years ago. If your brain has gone on holiday already, this might be a good option. Takings will no doubt get a boost on 31 December.
Dolphin Tale is a family film showing in normal and 3D versions and is based on the true story of a dolphin who has its injured fin replaced with a prosthetic. Early reviews are positive for those looking for something for the tweens. Morgan Freeman should add some gravitas for the parents.
Melancholia has also opened this week at Dendy Portside only so far. This is the new Lars von Trier starring Kirsten Dunst. It's very good, weird and not for everyone but is definitely a genuine alternative to summer blockbusters and kid flicks. My review is coming very soon - stay tuned.
Moonlight Cinema has also started for summer at various locations around Queensland (and probably other states). This week the New Farm park version has the first preview of the new Alvin & The Chipmunks movie for the kiddies tonight, tomorrow is Crazy, Stupid Love, Wednesday they have Drive and Thursday is the animated Arthur Christmas for the kids again. Chec out http://www.moonlight.com.au/ for full program and details. Rent a beanbag and kick back with a catering pack.
So that is what's out now but what about what is coming for your holidays? This week there is unlikely to be any new releases, maybe just "Contraband" which is a new action flick starring Mark Wahlberg and Giovanni Ribisi. The arthouse fans will also be excited for "The Skin I Live In" which is the new movie from Spanish direct Pedro Almodavar and starring Antonio Banderas as a surgeon creating an experimental material to replace human skin. Only trouble is he's practising on a beautiful young woman he keeps prisoner in his home. Psycho thriller games expected.
Boxing Day is going to be the big one this year with so many choices on offer I don't know how they will fit it all in, especially the non multiplex houses. The most anticipated film will definitely be The Adventures of Tintin which will have a whole generation of people my age heading to the cinema to see if Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg can recreate the magic of the novels. This will be one movie to see in 3D even if you don't normally like 3D - it is the absolute cutting edge of motion capture and 3D technology.
Families have some hard choices to make. Steven Spielberg has a big day with the release of his WW1 epic Warhorse, about a young man joining the army primarily to be reunited with his heroic horse. Happy Feet 2 will likely pull in a big family crowd to see more of those singin', dancin' penguins. There is also We Bought A Zoo, starring Matt Damon as a father who has lost his wife and decides to buy a zoo. The zoo comes complete with Scarlett Johansson playing dowdy (as if) as the head vet who may just heal his broken heart. If this sounds corny, just remember it is directed by Cameron Crowe who gave us Almost Famous so it should be sweet but solid.
Adults and arthouse fans will have the choice of Albert Nobbs (Glenn Close's pet project) about a woman in the 19th Century who disguises herself as a male butler to make a living. Not a comedy in the vein of Adam Sandler's recent cross-dressing turn, this is more of a dramatic tale of gender relations. Or they could choose The Iron Lady, in which Meryl Streep plays the former UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Meryl is very likely to be nominated for an Oscar for this based on past form.
Finally for the comedy fans there is Tower Heist. Big ensemble comedy led by Ben Stiller as the manager who leads a group of disgruntled employees to steal back their money from crooked former boss Alan Alda. A little bit funny, a little bit of action. From the trailer, I'd say the best bit of this will be the return to form by Eddie Murphy as an ex-con running his mouth. No fat suits or PG comedy.
If I see any of these over the next few weeks I will try to put up reviews as soon as possible. Feel free to leave your own reviews by commenting below, or just tell me which movie you're most excited to see.
Saturday 10 December 2011
DVD Review - X-Men First Class
As my movie going has been slowed down by festive season tomfoolery, here is a DVD review for your pleasure.
X-Men First Class absolutely lives up to its title even though that's not what it meant. First class. This series really needed a top quality prequel, and it got it. During the X-Men trilogy you understood that Professor X and Magneto had been friends in their younger days before becoming arch enemies on the front of mutant vs human relations. However, what I, and I'm sure many others, have wondered is how did they go from being close friends to enemies? What could have gone so wrong when they should be on the same side? Well this film will very satisfactorily answer that question.
The first thing the producers did right was the choice of director. Matthew Vaughn has had a short but stellar directing career. On a percentage basis of how many of their movies I thought were excellent, I'd have to say Mr Vaugh gets 100% from me so far. Layer Cake (low key UK crim caper), Stardust (fairytale action with De Niro in a dress gets my vote), Kick Ass (no need to explain) and now X-Men. He handles this really well, giving it a fantastic 60s setting and smooth action scenes.
The second thing they did right was casting James McAvoy as Charles Xavier (future Professor X) and Michael Fassbender as Erik Lenssher (future Magneto). Both actors are very skilled and not distracting because they aren't big stars despite being in some pretty good movies before. They have great chemistry and McAvoy is particularly good as X, it's so fun to see him as a ladies man in his younger days.
The third thing they did right was not mess up the story. The discovery of mutants, the genesis of the establishment of a mutant force by the government to combat the Russian nuclear threat (which soon turns out to be the wrong enemy with a wild mutant Kevin Bacon running amok trying to dominate the world), and the training of the young mutants into their powers prove to be storylines that are both thought provoking and hugely entertaining.
The two young actors playing the future Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) and The Beast (Nicholas Hoult) are especially good as well, bringing a bit of playful romance into the story. These insights into the younger versions of the characters you know so well are great and nothing that they do doesn't fit with the later movies. A few knowing winks to the future are thrown in as well.
The whole thing was just a very classy action movie, I found it captured my attention the whole team and was really fun. Definitely see this if you are a fan of the X-Men characters or movies (you don't have to have seen the previous trilogy at all but it might make it a little more enjoyable if you did).
X-Men First Class absolutely lives up to its title even though that's not what it meant. First class. This series really needed a top quality prequel, and it got it. During the X-Men trilogy you understood that Professor X and Magneto had been friends in their younger days before becoming arch enemies on the front of mutant vs human relations. However, what I, and I'm sure many others, have wondered is how did they go from being close friends to enemies? What could have gone so wrong when they should be on the same side? Well this film will very satisfactorily answer that question.
The first thing the producers did right was the choice of director. Matthew Vaughn has had a short but stellar directing career. On a percentage basis of how many of their movies I thought were excellent, I'd have to say Mr Vaugh gets 100% from me so far. Layer Cake (low key UK crim caper), Stardust (fairytale action with De Niro in a dress gets my vote), Kick Ass (no need to explain) and now X-Men. He handles this really well, giving it a fantastic 60s setting and smooth action scenes.
The second thing they did right was casting James McAvoy as Charles Xavier (future Professor X) and Michael Fassbender as Erik Lenssher (future Magneto). Both actors are very skilled and not distracting because they aren't big stars despite being in some pretty good movies before. They have great chemistry and McAvoy is particularly good as X, it's so fun to see him as a ladies man in his younger days.
The third thing they did right was not mess up the story. The discovery of mutants, the genesis of the establishment of a mutant force by the government to combat the Russian nuclear threat (which soon turns out to be the wrong enemy with a wild mutant Kevin Bacon running amok trying to dominate the world), and the training of the young mutants into their powers prove to be storylines that are both thought provoking and hugely entertaining.
The two young actors playing the future Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) and The Beast (Nicholas Hoult) are especially good as well, bringing a bit of playful romance into the story. These insights into the younger versions of the characters you know so well are great and nothing that they do doesn't fit with the later movies. A few knowing winks to the future are thrown in as well.
The whole thing was just a very classy action movie, I found it captured my attention the whole team and was really fun. Definitely see this if you are a fan of the X-Men characters or movies (you don't have to have seen the previous trilogy at all but it might make it a little more enjoyable if you did).
Saturday 3 December 2011
This week's releases 1 December
Another mixed bag this week, led by what is sure to be a stinker "Jack and Jill". This is the new Adam Sandler movie in which he plays both Jack and, hilariously, his twin sister Jill! If you are an Adam Sandler fan (as we are I admit) or just thinking about going to see this movie, I have some advice for you: just watch the trailer. It just doesn't look funny. And then read some of the reviews, even by people who don't just love arthouse movies. You have been warned!
The good movie this week should be Attack the Block. A British comedy/action thriller about aliens who decide to invade Earth, landing in a lower class English suburb with a lot of housing commission buildings. A group of teen hoodlums defend their territory. This has a lot of pluses going for it: it's from the producers of Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim, it was chosen to be the opening night film at the Brisbane Int'l Film Festival recently, the BIFF audience voting placed it in the Top 10 films of the whole festival, it has supporting acting by Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz etc) to help the unknown cast. I don't want to hype it up too much but this should be a great Xmas holidays movie for geeks and families.
Restless is another BIFF selection that starts at Palace Centro this week. One for the indie fans, this is about a guy whose hobby is crashing strangers' funerals and a girl who has a terminal illness. They meet at a funeral and a romance, against the odds, begins. Starring Aussie actress making good Mia Wasikowska (Alice from Tim Burton's recent Alice in Wonderland) this might be worth a look if you like movies where not much happens.
We Have a Pope is also showing at selected cinemas. Not a documentary, but an imagined take on issues within the Vatican from acclaimed Italian filmmaker Nani Moretti. A new pope has a bit of a mental meltdown over his sudden rise to one of the most prominent positions in the world. On the eve of the new pope being introduced to the world on the balcony of St Peters, the Vatican brings in an atheist psychiatrist to try to help him so that he can perform his duties. This sounds like it would explore some interesting ideas and give you a peek into a world we would never normally see (although not the real Vatican) but probably only for the believers.
The good movie this week should be Attack the Block. A British comedy/action thriller about aliens who decide to invade Earth, landing in a lower class English suburb with a lot of housing commission buildings. A group of teen hoodlums defend their territory. This has a lot of pluses going for it: it's from the producers of Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim, it was chosen to be the opening night film at the Brisbane Int'l Film Festival recently, the BIFF audience voting placed it in the Top 10 films of the whole festival, it has supporting acting by Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz etc) to help the unknown cast. I don't want to hype it up too much but this should be a great Xmas holidays movie for geeks and families.
Restless is another BIFF selection that starts at Palace Centro this week. One for the indie fans, this is about a guy whose hobby is crashing strangers' funerals and a girl who has a terminal illness. They meet at a funeral and a romance, against the odds, begins. Starring Aussie actress making good Mia Wasikowska (Alice from Tim Burton's recent Alice in Wonderland) this might be worth a look if you like movies where not much happens.
We Have a Pope is also showing at selected cinemas. Not a documentary, but an imagined take on issues within the Vatican from acclaimed Italian filmmaker Nani Moretti. A new pope has a bit of a mental meltdown over his sudden rise to one of the most prominent positions in the world. On the eve of the new pope being introduced to the world on the balcony of St Peters, the Vatican brings in an atheist psychiatrist to try to help him so that he can perform his duties. This sounds like it would explore some interesting ideas and give you a peek into a world we would never normally see (although not the real Vatican) but probably only for the believers.
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