Film Review Round Up 4th October 2014

Two again this week. Missed Dracula Unleashed preview, but from what I heard I dodged a fang bullet. Loved Gone Girl. Go see it. Finally caught an older release, The Boxtrolls. Loved it, not so much.

By the way, I have a few competitions running at the moment for film tickets and book giveaways, so if you want to stay up-to-date with those, add your email address to my mailing list. Go on, you know you want to. Shortly, those on my list will be receiving my sparkling new time travel book Back Again for free. (I know, I'm far too generous.) So hop over there now and join: The Wonderful Reader's Club

THIS WEEK'S PREVIEWS

(My movie Pick of the week)

Gone Girl    ✪✪✪✪½

Opens in Australia:               2^nd October 2014

USA: 3rd October 2014          UK: 2^nd October 2014

Other Countries:                   Release Information

OUR THOUGHTS

Nope, I haven’t read the book! And I’m glad for that, because if you have you will know all the twisty turnies that are coming in the film. We were blissfully unaware and that was fun. This is a solid film that hinted of being just a midday movie on the big screen except for good performances by the leads, Affleck and Pike, and supporting cast, great direction from David Fincher (really one of my fave directors), and a no-nonsense script written by the actual book’s author Gillian Flynn. Don’t get me started as to why they don’t let authors get more involved with scripts of their own books—kind of makes sense and they can’t do worse than most script writers.

Go see this film. It’s high quality entertainment—gives me faith in Hollywood again. And nice to have Ben Affleck back in something good after the awful Runner Runner.

STUDIO BLURB

GONE GIRL - directed by David Fincher and based upon the global bestseller by Gillian Flynn - unearths the secrets at the heart of a modern marriage. On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports that his beautiful wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick's portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife? (c) Fox

The Boxtrolls  ✪✪✪

Opens in Australia:                        18^th September 2014

USA: 26^th September 2014              UK: 12^th September 2014

Other Countries:                             Release Information

OUR THOUGHTS

I love stopgap animation, and while I do appreciate the time it takes to create these types of films, it might be nice if they spent the same time on the script. My kids were yawning, just like me. As one of them said: “It’s just the same old, same old.” You know the story... where the ugly, little creatures that everyone thinks are evil turn out to be good and misunderstood, and the supposedly good guys who run the town are evil.  Yawn…

However, at the session at which we saw the film, all the kids around us were laughing, and the 14 year-old friend we brought along loved every moment of it. So maybe just call us jaded kid’s filmgoers. I don’t know. It’s also quite dark and scary I thought for the young ones who might like it. I found the perfect debate about this film on Margaret and David’s Movie Show. http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s4092226.htm if you want a second opinion. I’m with Margaret exactly, but I bet a few would agree with David.

 STUDIO BLURB

A family event movie from the creators of "Coraline" and "ParaNorman" that introduces audiences to a new breed of family - The Boxtrolls, a community of quirky, mischievous creatures who have lovingly raised an orphaned human boy named Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead-Wright) in the amazing cavernous home they've built beneath the streets of Cheesebridge. When the town's villain, Archibald Snatcher (Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley), comes up with a plot to get rid of the Boxtrolls, Eggs decides to venture above ground, "into the light," where he meets and teams up with fabulously feisty Winnifred (Elle Fanning). Together, they devise a daring plan to save Eggs' family. Directors: Anthony Staachi and Graham Annable. (C) Focus

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