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Thursday June 20, 2013

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New release movie review -15 May

Posted by: Jim Schembri | 15 May, 2012 - 4:50 PM
dictator

THE DICTATOR *** (83 minutes) MA
With Borat and Bruno, British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen specialised in shocking audiences with his deliberately offensive brand of prank comedy; using outrageous characters he'd ambush real people into humiliating situations, always careful to get them to sign the release forms first. But while his latest, ultra-hyped effort The Dictator has its fair share of disgusting, gross-out moments, perhaps the biggest shock is that it actually has a decent story and engaging characters. Cohen foregoes his usual antics for a nifty, occasionally sharp post-9/11 political satire in which he plays a brutal dictator whose love of absolute power is challenged when he encounters a New York organic store manager (Anna Faris). While trying to undo the scheming of his evil underling (Sir Ben Kingsley), Cohen manages to pull off some cringe-worthy visual gags within a surprisingly coherent comic tale. Fans will absolutely not be disappointed. Opens Wednesday.
 
THE WOMAN IN BLACK ***1/2 (95 minutes) M
If we get a creepier film this year we can count ourselves very lucky. Steeped in a gothic, early-1900s atmosphere of eternally overcast skies, menacing characters and a magnificent old-school haunted house, Daniel Radcliffe (having now clearly outgrown his Harry Potter specs) plays Arthur Kipps, a lowly, financially desperate clerk. Sent to a remote county to sort out the affairs of a deceased estate, he is confronted by the vengeful spectre of a much-despised woman who has a habit of cursing children to death. The brooding, low-key direction by James Watkins (Eden Lake) avoids the overt use of visual effects trickery, preferring the traditional, in-your-face techniques of the Hammer horror school, from which this film springs. If you like getting scared, you'll love The Woman in Black. Opens Thursday.    

DARK SHADOWS ** (113 minutes) M
In yet another over-designed cinematic letdown, director Tim Burton (Alice in Wonderland; Sweeney Todd) weaves a choppy comic tale of resurrected ghouls set in the early 1970s. Johnny Depp, Burton's finance-securing regular, is Barnabas Collins, a Maine fish tycoon cursed by a jealous woman (Eva Green) to be a vampire before being locked in a coffin. He awakes 200 years hence, does some routine Rumpelstiltskin sight gags - the best of which are in the trailer - and helps his family of distant relatives, who reside in the shambolic remains of his mansion, get the business back on track. The cast - which includes Michelle Pfeiffer, Jonny Lee Miller, Helena Bonham Carter and a snarky, sneering Chloë Grace Moretz (Let Me In) - all have that pasty, anaemic make-up now mandatory in anything involving blood-suckers. Despite the huge effort that has gone into the set and costume design, the bland cinematography, flat, muted lighting and square frame ratio suggests a film primed for viewing on the small screen. Depp strains for laughs as the lead, and the cameo by vampire veteran Christopher Lee, who played Dracula seven times, seems intended to remind us of the time when vampires had a lot more bite. Now screening.

SILENT SOULS *** (75 minutes; subtitled) M
This simple, quiet, contemplative tale follows two middle-aged Russian men as they perform a traditional cremation ceremony after one of them loses his young wife. Shot in a series of long single takes in the remote reaches of a chilly landscape the film evokes how the acceptance of loss can bring a sense of peace. Screening exclusively at the Nova.
 
CARELESS LOVE **1/2 (104 minutes) MA
Linh (Nammi Le) is a Vietnamese-Australian Sydney uni student who makes ends meet by working as a call girl for a mild-mannered pimp Dion (David Field). Trying to simultaneously maintain her secret life, a relationship with a mysterious American client (Peter O'Brien) and a fellow uni student inevitably leads to conflict, though the drama never really hits boil. Writer-director John Duigan is responsible for some of Australia's best films - The Year My Voice Broke; Flirting; Winter of Our Dreams - but this effort, his second feature after a long break, feels a tad too stilted and detached given the high-stakes nature of the story. Screening exclusively at the Nova.

Movies with Jim Schembri

Jimmy S Jim Schembri is one of Australia's most respected film critics. Find out Jim's thoughts on the latest movies, interviews and more!

 

 

 

Blog comments Your Say

  • You mentioned an interesting movie about a man who robbed houses to maintain an extravagant lifestyle for he and his wife. He believed his wife was not aware that he was a thief. There was a twist to this story the kept you to the edge of your seat. I think it may have been subtitle. I hope you know which movie lm talking about, it sounded amazing and you gave this one a really good score. I'm pretty sure you went into the movie skeptical and came out incredibly pleasantly surprised. Hope you can helpî??.

    Wendie Thursday 28 June, 2012 - 10:38 PM

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