Despicable Me: Movie Review

Despicable Me: Movie Review

Despicable Me
Rating: 8/10
Vocal talent:Steve Carell, Russell Brand, Jason Segel, Julie Andrews, Kristen Wiig, Jemaine Clement
Director: Pierre Coffin
Gru (Steve Carell) is the world's number one baddie.
Built like Dr Frankenstein's helper Igor, and with a giant hook for a nose, he's an imposing sour faced figure. The kind of guy who will see a child crying in the street, will make them a balloon animal to help them smile and then pop it in front of them.
However, one day Gru finds his position atop the league table of bad guys is being usurped by a newcomer, Vector (Jason Segel) to the world stage who's stolen the Pyramids and replaced them with inflatable ones.
So aided by a fleet of diminutive yellow minions, Gru decides to unleash an audacious plan to steal the moon and bring the world to its knees.
But once again, he finds his plans threatened by Vector. And to make matters worse, Gru's forced to adopt a trio of orphans (Margo, Edith and Agnes) to help him achieve his despicable plan.
Yet, things don't quite go as planned - and soon Gru finds his life and view of the world changed by this clutch of kids.
Despicable Me has a wicked sense of humour - and an inspired lunacy about it (thanks largely to the behaviour of the yellow minions). The story will amuse both young and old - and it's all thanks to Carell's at times wearied Russian style vocal performance, there's a lot of humour throughout.
There's also a nice amount of sadness and dark tragedy running concurrently through Despicable Me - Gru's a kid who had all his dreams quashed by his dismissive mum's acerbic putdowns. For example, as a child when he tells his mum he's going to go to the moon, his mum simply states that she doesn't know how given that NASA's stopped sending the monkeys. That, coupled with villain envy and some genuinely fun moments, finds Gru given as much of a 3D treatment as the animation around him.

Despicable Me is a delightful treat which will perfectly amuse the entire family.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice: Movie Review

The Sorcerer's Apprentice: Movie Review

The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Jay Baruchel, Nicolas Cage, Alfred Molina, Monica Bellucci
Director: Jon Turteltaub
So it's a new generation of wizardry ways.
In the latest from Disney, Nicolas Cage stars as Balthazar Blake, a sorcerer who's fought his arch nemesis, Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina complete with requisite English bad guy accent and goatee beard) throughout time - and since the time of Arthur and Merlin.
But Blake needs to find the Prime Merlinian, a sorcerer who has so much power that they can wield the power of Merlin and help vanquish Horvath.
Enter Jay Baruchel's Dave, a nerdy physics major who ten years ago met Blake, was told of his destiny and then watched Blake disappear into thin air. So obviously he has a few issues with self esteem, doubts and of course, women.
However, when Blake reappears, Dave finds he is slap bang in the middle of Maxim's plans to use an ancient power to raise an army of the dead and take over the world&can Dave help Blake save the day?
The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a fresh, fun take on the world of sorcery and magic; it's fantastical family fun complete with its everyman central character played with humour and likeability by Jay Baruchel (How To Train Your Dragon).
Nicolas Cage gives his usual laconic slightly dry take on his character - complete with shaggy hair and trenchcoat, he looks like a cross between the Matrix and the homeless.
Yet, with some eye popping special effects (some of which hark back to the Mummy) and a script which is smart enough to throw cinematic nods to the older end of the audience (Star Wars and Indy are just two of them), the team behind this know how to keep all sections of the audience engaged. Also it's well worth seeing for the clever tongue in cheek reference to Fantasia - it seems like a corny idea but the homage is a wonderful piece to those in the know.

Sure, Cage rolls out some awful babble at the start and the film threatens to plunge into a pit of its own po-faced making, but with an engaging Baruchel, some excellent set pieces and effects, the whole thing hangs together nicely for some good family fun.

A Prophet: Movie Review

A Prophet: Movie Review

A Prophet
Rating: 9/10
Cast: Tahar Rahim, Niels Alstrup
Director: Jacques Adiard
Winner of the Grand Jury prize in 2009 at Cannes,A Prophet clearly deserves its accolades.
This is the tale of Malik, (Tahar Rahim) a 19 year old French Arab sentenced to 6 years in jail.
Finding himself in over his head initially, Malik is ordered to kill a Mafia informant by the Mob inside the prison - or forfeit his own life.
With no choice, Malik carries out the crime and subsequently finds he rises through thr ranks of the Mafia inside the jail. Pretty soon, Malik is a pivotal part of life behind bars - but soon realizes that there will come a time when he's leaving jail to embark on the next stage of his life.
A Prophet is a sophisticated, restrained and sensitive drama with a wonderful central performance from Tahar Rahim.
It's deeply compelling, richly rewarding and gripping from beginning to end.
Don't be put off by 155 mins running time; every single minute continues to build a richly layered and subtle film which is nothing like you've come to expect from the prison genre. There's little cliché here and with such a well paced story, there's much to lose yourself in as you invest the time in Malik's life.
Sensitive direction from Adiard capture the reality of life in jail - seasons come and go as life continues - coupled with great performances A Prophet soars.

This is a film to be treasured-this is cinema at its most searing; a film which you can't tear your eyes from and one which will live on with you after you leave the theatre.

Exit Through The Gift Shop: Movie Review

Exit Through The Gift Shop: Movie Review

Exit Through The Gift Shop
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Banksy, The Art World, Thierry Guetta
Director: Banksy
Fresh from dominating the scene at the New Zealand International Film Festival, comes this marvellous doco about the pop art world and those who dwell within it.
It's about the birth of the street graffiti movement which swept up a generation and defined a movement.
Narrated with laconic ease by Rhys Ifans, its "star" is Thierry Guetta, a French filmmaker who somehow managed to find himself in the birth of the scene simply because he never put down a camera.
Guetta is a French immigrant in Los Angeles, who's obsessed with the street art scene and sets out to capture it for a documentary he's making - however, Guetta, a weaselly man in his forties simply manages to do this just by being in the right place at the right time.
Intoxicated with the art world around him, Guetta sets out to interview all of those involved under the idea of making a doco -even though he doesn't know what he's doing - and somehow manages to instill confidence in everyone around him.
However, Guetta finds he can't get an interview with the one man who's become synonymous with the street art scene, a character known only as Banksy, who never lets his face be seen in this film - and has his voice disguised throughout. Banksy became notorious for his pieces of art in the UK - and the more the mystery around him grows, the more desperate Guetta becomes to meet him.
One day, their paths cross - and Guetta decides he will follow into the art scene...with disastrous and hilarious results.
Exit Through The Gift Shop is laugh out loud funny in places, riotous in others - and will suck you in with its smart style but you may wonder if this is a prank initiated by Banksy who's famed for duping the world.
It's clever film making and could be the dawn of the prankumentary as it seems at times that this piece could be a mock doco with the wool being pulled firmly over the public's eyes - and the art world.
It's a smart twist which makes you wonder how real this film actually is and gets you talking and thinking as you leave the cinema - isn't art about provoking discussion?

This film is easily the lead contender for doco of the year - see it now and see if you can work out exactly what's going on.

The Runaways: Movie Review

The Runaways: Movie Review

The Runaways
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon

Director: Floria Sigismondi

Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning leave their Twilight images behind in this tale of hedonism, hard rocking and harmonies.

Set in the 70s it's the true life coming of age tale of Joan Jett and Cherie Currie, how their rock and roll lives collided and they blazed the trail for women in rawk music.

But while Jett was always determined to be a rock star, Currie was more saddled with the problems of family life which seem to cause conflict within her - and unleash her inner demons.

Most will come to see Kristen who manages a strong but sullen Joan Jett - but this film belongs to Fanning as drug addled Currie and Michael Shannon as the maestro Kim Fowley who sees the potential of the female band-it's their relationship with everyone else which eclipses most of the film itself.

Thanks to great performances and a hit of humour here and there, it fizzles as it evokes the times. But along with the great recreation of how a band evolves (The Runaways spend their time rehearsing in a caravan) this is a real insight into the reality of setting the trend - Jett herself was widely mocked for wanting to be a woman in rock in a time when men were the predominantly the music industry.

Stewart is good as Jett; all raw intensity and brooding explosiveness but there's more humanity on display by Fanning as her rock'n'roll dreams come to a head and she starts to lose her way.

Sure, parts of it will be an uneasy watch as it's a little bit jailbait, but the fact it's all true steers the film away from sleaze. And a great soundtrack helps set the vibe.

Punky and spunky, The Runaways is a hedonistic trip, fizzing with energy and humanity.

Going The Distance: Movie Review

Going The Distance: Movie Review

Going The Dsitance
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Justin Long, Drew Barrymore, Christina Applegate
Director: Nanette Burstein
So here it is - another rom com tale of boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love and obstacle in their way.
In Going The Distance, Long is Garrett, who's just split up with his girlfriend on her birthday - heading out with his mates Box and Dan (a very funny duo who bring the comedy), Garrett meets up with Drew Barrymore's Erin, an intern who's only in town for six weeks.
Despite that, the pair start seeing each other and fall in love - however, when it comes time for Erin to move back to the other side of the States, they decide they'll continue the relationship in spite of the distance.
And that's where the reality of the situation starts to hit our two lovers...will they make it through?
Fresh, funny and grounded in reality, Going The Distance is a welcome addition to the rom com genre, one which has become synonymous with light fluff which is mawkish and sentimental.
With a witty script delivered by two very amiable leads who have great chemistry, all of the characters in this - including Erin's uptight and anally retentive sister (played by Christina Applegate) feel real and grounded in truth. Sure there's a hint of more adult material in the script but it's that kind of banter and humour which gives the script its sparkle and helps it retain its sense of reality.
From the moment the pair meet, there's a real sense that they're destined to be together - and with the bumps and issues they face - along with the humour (some of it smutty and a little lewd - but funny nonetheless) throughout, Going The Distance is a contender for one of the best rom coms I've seen for a while.

But it's Barrymore and Long who steer this away from mawkish schmaltz and give it real plausibility - for a good night out with a loved one, this is a rom com that couples will adore.

Tomorrow When The War Began: Movie Review

Tomorrow When The War Began: Movie Review

Tomorrow, When The War Began
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Caitlin Stasey, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Lincoln Lewis, Deniz Akdeniz
Director: Stuart Beattie
Based on the very popular books by John Marsden comes the film adapation of Tomorrow, When The War Began.
Former Neighbours actress Caitlin Stasey stars as Ellie Linton, the beloved heroine of many a reader, living out in the Aussie town of Wirrawee.
On the eve of her birthday, Ellie decides to gather a group of friends together and head out on a camping trip for one last blast - there's the long time friend Corrie and her new boyfriend Kevin; neighbour and boofhead Homer, potential love interest Lee, untouchable townie beauty Fiona and young religious friend Robyn.
The seven of them head into the far reaches of the countryside for the weekend - but as they revel in a world away from a world, they're unaware of how everything's changing back in Wirrawee and Australia.
Overnight, an invasion force arrives - and with all the population rounded up, suddenly Ellie and her friends are the only hope to strike back&
Tomorrow When The War Began is the kind of film you can gather the family together on a Sunday afternoon and sit down and watch. I have to profess to never having heard of the books prior to this - so perhaps I'm not the best to comment on whether the adaptation is 100% faithful to the start of the saga. And I dare say given the fervour of some of the fans of the book that I've spoken to, not everyone will be happy with this. (As is usual when anything beloved transitions from the page to the screen - a fact even the characters remark on in one scene).
But what I can say is that Caitlin Stasey makes a good Ellie; from initial shots of her as a farm girl who has touches of girly girl, her journey from innocent to conscience wracked freedom fighter and teen who's confused is plausible. Whether she'll satiate the fans is another matter - Ellie means so much to so many; however, her can do attitude and awareness make her an admirable heroine.
Equally the rest of the seven make a good job of their camaraderie - sure, there's some bad lines here and there and at times, you can see exactly where the story is going. It's on these kids that the rest of the saga rests and thanks to a well rounded set of performances, you're never in doubt that these are teens who've had the responsibility of the world thrust on their shoulders - and they're not about to shirk it.
However, director Stuart Beattie seems to have gone a little overboard at times with some of the action sequences - Wirrawee is a world where explosions are really explosions and even an exploding quad bike can wield the most destructive force as it wreaks havoc. While it seems churlish to pick faults because of this, it sort of detracts from the at times underplayed appeal of the rest of the film's more intimate scenes which work well.

Overall, Tomorrow, When The War Began is a promising start to the saga - whether that promise carries onto the rest of the series remains to be seen.