THIS WEEK'S PREVIEWS
★★★★
Opens in Australia: 18th July, 2013
Other Countries: Release Information
This is Seth
Rogan all the way. If you don’t like
high school toilet humour, ala ‘Pineapple Express’ and ‘Superbad’, then you
will probably wish for the end of the world whilst watching his latest outing,
‘This is The End’.
I’ve not
seen the first two in this series, ‘Before Sunset’ and ‘Before Sunrise’. However, after this one I am going out to
find them. It’s a beautifully crafted piece that is so true to modern day
romance, as opposed to the fluffy pieces we are constantly delivered, you will
hear yourself saying, ‘I know that feeling’, ‘I’ve said those words.’ This is a film made with respect for
the medium of film and, it is also a very true portrayal of adult love. It’s not about how beautiful
is love, it is about how true is love even
though it is hard to maintain when life happens to you.
Director James Mangold returns us to
the universe of the X-Men and one of their most popular characters, Wolverine. Since his last appearance on film, Logan has
hidden himself away in a remote part of Alaska, partially to lick his wounds after
the death of his love, Jean Grey, but also to protect the world around him from
the chaos that follows the beast that is Wolverine. After a slight altercation
involving illegal hunters and a grizzly bear which Wolverine calls friend, Wolverine
is reluctantly dragged out of his solitude by the striking Yukio (Rila
Fukushima) who has been sent by a ghost from his past, Yashida, who wishes to
see him once more before he dies.
PACIFIC
RIM ★★ ½
Opens in Australia: 11th July 2013
Other Countries: Release Information
Giant robots
fighting giant alien monsters from another dimension. What more can one say?
The
Way, Way Back
★★★½
Opens in Australia: 25th July 2013
Other Countries: Release Information
Perth, Australia: See at Luna Cinemas
Here is
another ensemble Indie coming of age piece dissecting American family
values. This has wit and depth and a
stellar cast. I love the way Steve
Carell takes opportunities to play dramatically against typecast. He is quite unlikable in this. Toni Collette is her usual solid self and
Allison Janney is seriously brilliant providing great comedy.
This is a
catch up Film roundup. I've been away
for two weeks on a wonderful holiday in the Hunter Valley, a wine growing area
of Australia, with a quick pop-in to Sydney to see the Manchester United football
(soccer) match against the Aussie All Stars.
Manchester won 5 to 1 and it was interesting to see a stadium of almost
90,000 Australians barracking for an overseas team and booing their own
countrymen. Poor form I thought but then
I am not a soccer fan (I was dragged along).
So, most of
these films have been in your local popcorn distributor for a couple of
weeks. There is quite a choice at the
moment and some good ones coming up over the next few weeks. You should see my preview diary. On one week there is five screenings.
(My movie Pick of the week)
This
Is The End★★★★
Opens in Australia: 18th July, 2013
Other Countries: Release Information
OUR THOUGHTS
This is Seth
Rogan all the way. If you don’t like
high school toilet humour, ala ‘Pineapple Express’ and ‘Superbad’, then you
will probably wish for the end of the world whilst watching his latest outing,
‘This is The End’.
I am a fan
despite not loving toilet and sex humour (some of it combined explicitly in the
same scene in this) and yet there is something about the exuberance of Rogan I
really love. He is simply the coolest
uncool guy in Hollywood.
Be warned,
this is silly ridiculous but if you go along with the ride, you will find
yourself chuckling and imagining the fun this bunch of Hollywood A-Listers had
mocking their own celebrity. It’s a long
way from ‘The Breakfast Club’ but we’ve evolved haven’t we? You will find every extreme in this, including
actors peeing into their own mouths (yep, that’s right). Don’t take the kiddies.
STUDIO BLURB
The comedy
This Is The End follows six friends trapped in a house after a series of
strange and catastrophic events devastate Los Angeles. As the world unravels
outside, dwindling supplies and cabin fever threaten to tear apart the
friendships inside. Eventually, they are forced to leave the house, facing
their fate and the true meaning of friendship and redemption. (c) Sony
BEFORE MIDNIGHT ★★★★
Opens in Australia: 18th July
Other Countries: Release Information
Perth,
Australia: See at Luna Cinemas Other Countries: Release Information
OUR THOUGHTS
I’ve not
seen the first two in this series, ‘Before Sunset’ and ‘Before Sunrise’. However, after this one I am going out to
find them. It’s a beautifully crafted piece that is so true to modern day
romance, as opposed to the fluffy pieces we are constantly delivered, you will
hear yourself saying, ‘I know that feeling’, ‘I’ve said those words.’ This is a film made with respect for
the medium of film and, it is also a very true portrayal of adult love. It’s not about how beautiful
is love, it is about how true is love even
though it is hard to maintain when life happens to you.
STUDIO BLURB
It has been nine years since Celine (Julie Delpy) and Jesse (Ethan
Hawke) reconnected on the streets of Paris in Before Sunset, having met on a
train to Vienna nine years earlier in Before Sunrise. Now the parents of two
children, the couple are vacationing with friends on the coast of Greece.
Director Richard Linklater continues
his enchanting tale of a chance meeting between two strangers, bringing to it a
nuanced perspective only gained by years lived. Life carries with it new
responsibilities and attitudes, forcing the two dreamers to reassess what they
each want next. Bolstered by an increasingly refined onscreen chemistry between
lead actors Delpy and Hawke, Before Midnight is a fitting third chapter in one
of the great love stories of American independent cinema.
THE WOLVERINE ★★★
Opens in Australia: 25th July
Other Countries: Release Information
Other Countries: Release Information
OUR THOUGHTS
Reviewed by Tracy
Harris
Director James Mangold returns us to
the universe of the X-Men and one of their most popular characters, Wolverine. Since his last appearance on film, Logan has
hidden himself away in a remote part of Alaska, partially to lick his wounds after
the death of his love, Jean Grey, but also to protect the world around him from
the chaos that follows the beast that is Wolverine. After a slight altercation
involving illegal hunters and a grizzly bear which Wolverine calls friend, Wolverine
is reluctantly dragged out of his solitude by the striking Yukio (Rila
Fukushima) who has been sent by a ghost from his past, Yashida, who wishes to
see him once more before he dies.
This sets in motion a plot which
could ultimate cost Wolverine his life. Wolverine’s spends much of the film
doing what Wolverine does best, fighting down and dirty through the streets of Tokyo.
The Wolverine is an enjoyable action
film aimed at the fanboys (and girls) Hugh Jackman recreates Wolverine accurately,
playing him as a world weary hero, surviving rather than living. One of the
highlights is the character of Yukio, who lures Wolverine back into our world.
She’s a strong, smart and sassy character, who seamlessly combines her modern
life with that of traditional Japan, fights like a samurai and she can foretell
death, the perfect sidekick for Wolverine.
As my fanboy brother said after
viewing this film, “not even Wolverine’s healing powers can save some of this
film.” And that’s a shame, because The Wolverine certainly had the potential to
be so much more than this.
STUDIO BLURB
In modern day Japan, Wolverine is
out of his depth in an unknown world as he faces his ultimate nemesis in a
life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the
first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not
only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own
immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before.
Opens in Australia: 11th July 2013
Other Countries: Release Information
OUR THOUGHTS
Reviewed by Tracy
Harris
Giant robots
fighting giant alien monsters from another dimension. What more can one say?
It’s our not
so distant future and the Earth is under attack by Kaijus, colossal monsters
which are emerging from a portal to another dimension on the floor of the
Pacific Ocean. The world has united in an attempt to fight these Kaijus by
creating Jaegers, gigantic humanoid shaped robots, mind controlled by specially
selected pilots. These Jaegers have successfully fought the Kaijus but the
military have shut them down, instead focusing on building huge seawalls
surrounding each continent. This is a
grand idea until the Kaijus break through and leave humanity’s fate in the
hands of the last five operational Kaijus, their pilots and their support
crews.
If you
suspend your common sense, check reality at the door and ignore plot holes the
size of a giant alien monster, then you’ll enjoy this film. It is squarely
aimed at teenage boys. See this if you love the 1998 Godzilla or the
Transformers of 2000s, but remember, you have been
warned.
STUDIO BLURB
When legions
of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war
began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity's resources for
years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised:
massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two
pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are
proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of
defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely
heroes - a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee
(Rinko Kikuchi) - who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete
Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind's last hope against the
mounting apocalypse.
★★★½
Opens in Australia: 25th July 2013
Other Countries: Release Information
Perth, Australia: See at Luna Cinemas
OUR THOUGHTS
Here is
another ensemble Indie coming of age piece dissecting American family
values. This has wit and depth and a
stellar cast. I love the way Steve
Carell takes opportunities to play dramatically against typecast. He is quite unlikable in this. Toni Collette is her usual solid self and
Allison Janney is seriously brilliant providing great comedy.
When I
received the preview invite I replied to the publicist, “You had me at Sam
Rockwell.” And it’s Rockwell, playing
the cavalier manager of a water park, who lifts this out of mediocre territory.
I didn't love the ending but everything before was a real summer holiday.
STUDIO BLURB
THE WAY, WAY
BACK is the funny and poignant coming of age story of 14-year-old Duncan's
(Liam James) summer vacation with his mother, Pam (Toni Collette), her
overbearing boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell), and his daughter, Steph (Zoe
Levin). Having a rough time fitting in, the introverted Duncan finds an
unexpected friend in gregarious Owen (Sam Rockwell), manager of the Water Wizz
water park. Through his funny, clandestine friendship with Owen, Duncan slowly
opens up to and begins to finally find his place in the world - all during a summer
he will never forget. (c) Fox Searchlight
What
have you seen this week? Did you find our comments helpful or do you disagree?
Share your thoughts with us.
