Snowtown

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler

Write up.

Daniel Henshall really is something to behold in this one.

The Water Diviner

IMDB

First time viewed: Yes

Current Release: Yes

Watched With: Keaton

Russell Crowe's directorial debut is an emotional and uplifting tale that does its job well and doesn't shirk the darker moments. It was a nice change to skip past the more cinematic battle sequences we are used to seeing and see the aftermath of a battle and linger painfully in it. I think the war scenes shown here are far more horrifying and effective because of this. 

In contrast to this, the romance between Crowe and Olga Kurylenko was a little problematic, I had a harder time accepting that that was actually happening or needed in the film. 

Technically it's done well too. Andrew Lesnie always makes good use of colour. This film was Yellow. 

Kingsman: The Secret Service

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Michael

Oh man, this movie is so ridiculously fun. An off the wall take on those wonderful James Bond spy tropes, done with gleeful irreverence. Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman adapt another Mark Millar comic book and deliver the most badass Colin Firth movie ever made. The dude kicks some serious butt and Vaughn delights in long takes of kinetic and gory action. So many exploding heads.

Then we have Samuel L. Jackson as our villain, some bold choices here that really do feel right at home in a comic book.

There's one or two moments of cheap looking CG but the rest of the film is so wonderful I don't really care.

I managed to see this film very early as well, so who knows, that could even be temp FX. At any rate, I don't want to say too much more, because this film is full of surprises that are best discovered on your own. Be sure to make this one a priority next year!

Dumb and Dumber To

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

I've seen the first film just once. I don't really remember it or hold it in any high regard. Having just seen the second film I can claim the same. There were certainly one or two jokes I found amusing, in amongst all the crass slapstick. The plot seems inconsequential.

What was really annoying though, was seeing this early at an outdoor cinema with a scope screen when the film was shot wide and they didn't adjust the projector. So the entire film cropped off the top and bottom of the image resulting in some really terrible framing. No good at all.

Annie

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler, Warwick

I think I was gobsmacked through this entire film. Not in a good way. So many ill-concieved decisions. Cameron Diaz, just, what is going on. Jamie Foxx is the only cast member who can sing here but it doesn't really matter because they've rewritten all the songs to sound more like boring modern single chord pop tunes with repeated phrases rather than lyrics.

I don't really know the original musical that well but some of the adaptation decisions are truly baffling. The moral I get from this film is that private corporations monitoring our every move is lifesaving.

The funniest part of the film was the twilight-like parody film within the film. In the film it was attributed to Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. If they actually did make it, it would explain why it's the funniest part of the film. At least it was a distraction from the actual movie.

I must admit I did laugh all the way through the film. mostly because I was flabbergasted at how much this film feels like its own satire. Amazing.

Fell

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Another Australian release I almost missed. I do love Daniel Henshall and Matt Nable is amazing front and centre here. Seriously great stuff.

I want to call this an art house revenge thriller but it's not really that. It's dreamlike and impressionistic at times, making great use of the striking landscapes. And as slow paced as it is, there's always an uneasy mounting of tension.

The resolution is one that develops organically, but even so, it's wonderfully refreshing and bittersweet. This is a small and quiet film but probably one of my favourite Australian films I've seen this year.

The Signal

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

William Eubank's follow up to Love is another interesting and esoteric low budget sci-fi. There's quite a bit more movement in this film compared to his first but it is still a slower paced and ponderous affair. It does feature some really lovely cinematography though. Again, there's a lot of interesting slow motion sequences that look beautiful. 

I don't think the story holds together as well here, it's a very simple set up, that's been stretched out with flash backs and interludes of artful photography. Actually, the story is fine I just think the ultimate pay off didn't satisfy me greatly.

There's a lot of really cool design work here though and I really love the look and even the feel of it. An interesting little number to be sure. Keen to see what he gets up to next. 

Unbroken

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler

Louis Zamperini's story is inspiring to be sure, and Angelina Jolie has surrounded herself with the most amazing creative team to help bring it to life so it looks and sounds pretty great. It was odd knowing the whole film was shot in Australia because all I could see was Australia when I was meant to be anywhere but. 

Some exposition scenes early on were a little hard to take, with characters seemingly only speaking in inspirational quotes that be useful later. My favourite segment was easily being adrift on the lifeboat. There's less dialogue and distracting scenery and more good character building and survival stuff. Once we get to the prison camps we just endure watching out lead get beat up until the end of the film. It's pretty brutal and engaging stuff that was hampered somewhat by a finale of captions on a black screen and a terribly cheesy song. 

Japanese pop star Miyavi plays the evil prison camp officer. It's a big performance. And they make him look like Johnny Depp in a Tim Burton film. Really took me out of the film. 

As much as I hate to trivialise a true story I just felt like this whole film is going through the motions of what a feel good war biopic needs to be. I didn't really connect to anything that was happening. Perhaps I'm to jaded. 

Mr. Turner

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Mike Leigh's biopic puts Timothy Spall front and centre. And it's an interesting character to watch grunting and groaning about light and colour. A contradictory man, comes of at times as a sweetheart and others a real pig. The supporting players have some interesting turns too. I really loved the maid whose skin condition get worse over the years the film takes place. Some great make up there.

The structure seems very episodic and it's hard to tie these disparate and sprawling scenes into a narrative thread, despite the long running time it has to do it. But really, the cinematography and interludes of scenery are so astoundingly beautiful it's worth a look for that alone. Also the score is just amazing. 

This really feels like a slice of life from 1830. And despite the structure and running time, it's engaging throughout. 

The Core

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler

Write Up.

Now in HD. Oh my god this movie is so stupid. Those FX really don't hold up too well.

Stranger By The Lake

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Another quiet thriller. This one is very unnerving. It's also pretty explicit. There's no score, only one outdoor location and all the sound is recorded onset with an odd and eerie clarity.

This is a strange mix of a relationship drama and a thriller. And I'm still not sure how I feel about either of the two characters in the central relationship depicted. This one leaves you with a lot of things to think over and I might require another viewing. If I ever feel game enough. It's certainly very effective though. Definitely worth a look.

In Your Eyes

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

They made a movie from a 22 year old Joss Whedon script. As you can imagine, it's not exactly as polished or well thought out as his stuff now. But it's something that can be made for very little money. I like the two leads, they do what they can. As a romance it's problematic. There's some nice ideas that just aren't explored very well. It's an enjoyable watch though but it's slight.

Blue Ruin

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

A wonderfully sparse revenge thriller that builds steadily from a quiet beginning to a bloody stand-off. Very little dialogue, especially in the first half and yet it's completely engrossing. A somewhat inevitable conclusion but it's certainly thrilling.

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler, Michael, Keaton

Another one of these. This one once again has a huge list of stars doing small parts and a lot of vfx to make up for the stock standard story. Our protagonist's son has all grown up now so this is all about letting him go and saying goodbye. So the whole film is marked a little in sadness by the fact that it's also Mickey Roony's last film and Robin William's last on-screen role.

You should know what to expect from this one. If you're taking your kids to see it I'm sure they'll enjoy it. Just don't let them run up and play in front of the screen please.