Saturday, February 16, 2013

Weekly Review Round-Up 16/2/2013


(My movie Pick of the week
West of Memphis ★★★★★
Opens in Australia: 14th February 2013
Other Countries: Release Information
Perth West Australians:  See at Luna Palace Cinemas

OUR THOUGHTS

This is a riveting and shocking film. It is like a John Grisham book times ten. You couldn’t invent the twists and turns in this case, nor the travesty of justice that occurred. For most documentaries I would say wait and see on DVD but this one deserves your full attention on the big screen. You are immediately sucked into the story and spat out at the other end, bewildered and angry, and shaking your head. As a parent, I think some of the images will haunt me for a long time to come.

STUDIO BLURB

From director Amy Berg, in collaboration with first time Producers Damien Echols and Lorri Davis along with filmmakers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh comes West of Memphis, a powerful examination of a catastrophic failure of justice in Arkansas. The documentary tells the hitherto unknown story behind an extraordinary and desperate fight to bring the truth to light. Told and made by those who lived it, Berg's unprecedented access to the inner workings of the defense, allows the film to show the investigation, research and appeals process in a way that has never been seen before; revealing shocking and disturbing new information about a case that still haunts the American South.-- (C) Official Site

Safe Haven
Opens in Australia: 14th February 2013
Other Countries: Release Information

OUR THOUGHTS

I haven’t seen a film as bad as this since, well, since the last Nicholas Sparks adaptation last year, The Lucky One. It’s so poorly scripted, directed and acted, it is hard to believe professional film-makers were involved.  Surely the books aren’t as bad as the films?  Was Lasse Hallström, the director (who has created such fine films as Chocolat, What's Eating Gilbert Grape and even the enjoyable Salmon Fishing in the Yemen) even on the set?  Seriously, rent out NOTTING HILL and re-watch.  Next time, above the posters please read, “From the author of The Notebook, another cliché”.  It received its one star rating because it really made me laugh watching Josh Duhamel fall off a roof and just walk away.
P.S.  Don’t believe the studio blurb below about it. It is neither affirming nor suspenseful.  However, I will now repeat the following affirmation, “I will never see a Nicholas Sparks adaptation again.”STUDIO BLURB
An affirming and suspenseful story about a young woman's struggle to love again, Safe Haven is based on the novel from Nicholas Sparks, the best-selling author behind the hit films The Notebook and Dear John. When a mysterious young woman arrives in a small North Carolina town, her reluctance to join the tight knit community raises questions about her past. Slowly, she begins putting down roots, and gains the courage to start a relationship with Alex, a widowed store owner with two young children. But dark secrets intrude on her new life with such terror that she is forced to rediscover the meaning of sacrifice and rely on the power of love in this deeply moving romantic thriller.

Anna Karenina ★★★★

Opens in Australia: 14th February 2013
Other Countries:
Release Information

OUR THOUGHTS
Once you adjust to the strange framing of this story (it’s as if it’s a play and then morphs into a standard movie and then back again, often), this adaptation of Tolstoy’s tome Anna Karenina is very enjoyable. It’s sumptuous and dramatic on the big screen and I liked Keira Knightley’s portrayal.  Although I wish she would get her teeth fixed. You won't recognise Jude Law. (He's in a lot of films lately isn't he?)  If you love these grand historic films, this is definitely for you.

STUDIO BLURB
The third collaboration of Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley with acclaimed director Joe Wright, following the award-winning box office successes Pride & Prejudice and Atonement, is a bold, theatrical new vision of the epic story of love, adapted from Leo Tolstoy's timeless novel by Academy Award winner Tom Stoppard. The story powerfully explores the capacity for love that surges through the human heart. As Anna (Ms. Knightley) questions her happiness and marriage, change comes to all around her. -- (C) Focus



What have you seen this week? Did you find our comments helpful or do you disagree? Share your thoughts with us.

 

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