[MINI MOVIE REVIEWS] – May 2014

 

The Shrine is a low-grade horror movie that spends more time and money on its DVD cover than the actual movie itself. The plot; a group of ambitious journalists venture to Poland, seeking the truth behind the disappearance of an American back-packer. Like a misleading propaganda piece, the writer’s insensitively paint Eastern Europeans as backward, evil murderers who are inexplicably hostile towards any English speaking visitors. Suspension of disbelief is constantly tested as our curious American protagonists commit mistake after mistake, getting themselves into predicaments they could’ve easily prevented. Wooden acting and atrocious green-screen FX further compound this terribly ineffective horror turd.

Director/writer, Josh Boone, contributes yet another drama about a middle class family struggling with the reality’s of divorce. Despite a great cast that features Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly and Logan Lerman, Boone’s character’s just aren’t interesting enough to engage. What’s worse is that this family aren’t at all relatable. At one point in the film, Kinnear’s on-screen son, ‘Rusty’ says, “Dad pays us so we don’t have to work some crap job at McDonald’s”. Talk about pompous. Stylistically, Boone seems to be directing from an indie-drama checklist, offering zero creative flair or ingenuity of his own and setting every scene around a dinner table, kitchen or beach. Overall, Stuck In Love is mediocrity at its finest.

After suffering through plenty of turgid horrors recently, The Pact was a nice surprise. After her mother’s death, a woman revisits her childhood home, bringing back painful memories and reawakening old spirits. The combination of Nicholas McCarthy’s slow-moving camera and the claustrophobic, harshly-lit setting create a film bubbling with tension and mystery. And lead actress Caity Lotz’s naturalistic performance helps ground the movie, making the events feel more believable. Unfortunately, when the truth behind the house’s strange aura is revealed, the film loses its momentum, resulting in a less-than-satisfying conclusion. However, I’d still recommend The Pact to those interested in supernatural-based horror.

Cadillac Records is a biopic that explores the creation, success and fall of Chess Records – the label that nurtured the careers of acts such as Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry. Cadillac Records perfectly evokes the fashions, tensions and most importantly, the musical trends throughout the post-war 50’s right through to the early 70’s. Although, the movie’s scope is also its downfall as awkward editing and abrupt jumps in time fail at condensing the ambitiously lengthy narrative. Moreover, the film loses its focus with the sudden appearance of Beyonce Knowles, who overplays her role as Etta James. Still, for an education on the most famous blues acts in music history, Cadillac Records is worth a viewing.

Godzilla is an occasionally thrilling monster movie that’s cluttered by its generic, dispensable human characters who only exist to fulfill certain elements of the plot. Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s character doesn’t convince as a military-trained bomb defusal expert or even as a father. And Elizabeth Olsen could’ve been entirely cut out and the film would remain unaffected. Bryan Cranston serves as the only intriguing human character, giving the movie an adult, political edge that gradually fades away into B-movie silliness. In fairness, the Godzilla special effects are remarkable and as a blockbuster action movie, you get enough bangs for your buck but has Gareth Evans really done enough to justify the reboot? Not for me.

Bad Neighbours pits wannabe Yuppies Mac (Rogen) and Kelly (Byrne) against fraternity leader Teddy (Efron) as the couple try to protect their new-born baby from the noise and frivolity next door. Filled with lewd jokes and debauchery that constantly tow the line between hilarious and offensive, the movie has an unpredictable nature. However, the film does have its more grounded, mature moments. For example, Mac and Kelly’s dynamic is a surprisingly realistic assessment of a strained but loving long-term relationship. Zach Efron is the true revelation though, displaying impressive comedic timing and disposing of his innocent image once and for all. Despite being completely immature, Bad Neighbours contains scenes of genuine hilarity and at the end of the day, that’s all you can ask for.

Irreverent, subversive, witty and refreshing; When Harry Met Sally is a romantic comedy that never once feels sappy or sentimental. Nora Ephron’s razor-sharp script is crammed with interesting ideas and opinions that feel like they were specifically written for the perfectly cast Billy Crystal. Crystal shines as the romantically-cynical, constantly wise-cracking Harry Burns and Meg Ryan has never looked more beautiful as the radiant Sally Albright. Together, this unlikely pairing bounce off of one-another, creating cinematic gold. Performances aside, Rob Reiner directs the story with aplomb, expertly navigating the tricky narrative time jumps whilst also extracting visual beauty from the protagonist’s surroundings. All-in-all, When Harry Met Sally is a classic romantic movie, one that achieves the difficult feat of appealing to both men and women.