Page 46 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Observer Showbiz
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Movies, DVDs with Jim Sherlock, Aaron Rourke What’s Hot and What’s Not in Blu-Rays and DVDs FILM: HOME AGAIN: Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance. Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Michael Sheen, Lake Bell, Candice Bergen. Year: 2017. Rating: M. Length: 97 Minutes. Stars: **½ Verdict: Recently separated from her husband (Michael Sheen), Alice (Reese Witherspoon) decides to start over by moving back to her hometown of Los Angeles with her two young daughters. During a night out on her 40th birthday, Alice meets three aspiring filmmakers who happen to be in need of a place to live, so Alice agrees to let the guys stay in her guest house temporarily, but the arrangement ends up unfolding in unexpected ways. Alice's unlikely new family and new romance comes to a crashing halt when her ex-husband shows up, suitcase in hand. Amiable but not altogether fulfilling formulaic rom-com-drama remains fairly pedestrian throughout, and though it may raise a mild smile from time-to-time it never really lists to anything totally satisfying or memorable. Nonetheless, there are sprinkles of hope due to Reese Witherspoon's briskness, radiance and charm, though not in the league of some of her more recent efforts including the award winning "Wild" (2014) and the multi-award-winning "Big Little Lies," but the real coup is having screen veteran Candice Bergen as her mother. A midlife crisis comedy short on comedy and crisis, there is enough here to fill in a couple of hours on hot or rainy afternoon while the kiddies play with their toys or cooking dinner, or both. FILM: THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM: Genre: Mystery/Horror/Thriller. Cast: Bill Nighy, Olivia Cooke, Eddie Marsan. Year: 2016. Rating: MA15+. Length: 109 Minutes. Stars: *** Summary: In Victorian Era London a series of murders by a "Jack The Ripper" style serial killer has shaken the community to the point where people believe that only a creature from dark times, the mythical so-called Golem, must be responsible as Detective Inspector John Kildare closes in. The dark, brooding and seamy side of Victorian Era London are all captured well in this effectively made mystery-horror-thriller, with superb production, set, costume design and period detail. Bill Nighy, stepping in for the late Alan Rickman who passed away shortly before filming began, is the standout as the Detective Inspector on the case and on the chase as the body count rises and puzzle thickens, along with Olivia Cooke in a richly captivating performance as music-hall star Elizabeth Cree and Eddie Marsan as the music-hall owner, Uncle. Written for the Screen by Jane Goldman (The Woman in Black, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class), even though the frights are light, theatrics high, the plot and pacing sketchy, this is nonetheless, a delightfully morbid, quirky and devilishly lurid nightmare who-done-it tale. FILM: GEOSTORM: Genre: Action/Sci-Fi/Thriller. Cast: Gerard Butler, Jim Sturgess, Abbie Cornish, Mare Winningham, Ed Harris, Andy Garcia. Year: 2017. Rating: M. Length: 109 Minutes. Stars: **½ Summary: A catastrophic climate change endangers Earth's survival and world governments unite and create geo-engineering technologies designed to stave off the natural disasters, but after two years, something is starting to go wrong, and two brothers are tasked with solving the program's malfunction before a world-wide Geostorm can engulf the planet. "Independence Day" (1996), "Godzilla" (1998), "Eight Legged Freaks" (2002) and "Independence Day: Resurgence" (2016) producer, and Roland Emmerich collaborator, Dean Devlin makes his feature directorial debut this (yet another) disaster pot-boiler, and the results are big, dumb beyond words, and ultimately catastrophic. Among the madness and mayhem of earth crumbling around us there are plenty of yelling and explosions, buildings falling down, running, jumping, more yelling, cities crumbling, punching, shotouts, more yelling, car chases, and oh yes, bad weather, and a 14 year old daughter who just knows that daddy is going to save us all and is coming because he said so. Filled with cliché and more pot-holes than on the moon, especially when designer Gerard Butler tries to open a door in space, only to be told it's the wrong door, and as millions die the pooch has to be reunited with its boy owner, this is glued together by plot points from so many movies it's difficult to keep up, most notably "Our Man Flint" (1966) and "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971), among many others. Nonetheless, with spectacular special effects and cheesy dialogue, here is a "guilty pleasure" waiting in the wings as earth faces another catastrophe, and it right here, entertaining for all the wrong reasons, and there plenty of those around, we've all enjoyed. One more thing reliable than death, taxes and bad weather are bad movies, and with that in mind, this is as close as it gets. - James Sherlock
Rourke’s Reviews
Top 10 Lists FEBRUARY 25-MARCH 3: THE AUSTRALIAN BOX OFFICE TOP TEN: 1. BLACK PANTHER. 2. FIFTY SHADES FREED. 3. LADY BIRD. 4. THE GREATEST SHOWMAN. 5. I, TONYA. 6. INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY. 7. JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE. 8. THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI. 9. DARKEST HOUR. 10. DEN OF THIEVES. NEW RELEASES AND COMING SOON TO CINEMAS AROUND AUSTRALIA: FEBRUARY 22: 2:22, A FANTASTIC WOMAN, ERIC CLAPTON: LIFE IN 12 BARS, FINDING YOUR FEET, GAME NIGHT, THE BBQ, WINCHESTER. MARCH 1: FILM STARS DON'T DIE IN LIVERPOOL, GOLDEN SLUMBER, JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE - CHAPTER 1, RED SPARROW, THE SQUARE.
● Chris Hemsworth stars in 12 Strong While not up there with his best, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is still ■ (MA). 130 minutes. Opens in lively, colourful fun, filled with eccinemas on March 8. centric characters and strange, What can be neatly described as sometimes indescribable incidents. Top Gun meets The Magnificent Josuke (Kento Yamazaki), also Seven, 12 Strong sees producer known as JoJo, is a high school stuJerry Bruckheimer return to his dent with special powers, and unshrewd, 80's-style jingoistic roots, sure of where they originated until and while young male audiences he meets Jotaro (Yusuke Iseya). may lap all this up, older movieInadvertently teaming up with goers wanting a more thoughtful new student Koichi (Ryunosuke examination of America's initial Kamiki), the understandably coninvolvement in Afghanistan after fused JoJo must figure out why his the tragic events on 9/11, will be small town is suddenly inundated sorely disappointed. with chaotic behaviour, and who is Aussie actor Chris Hemsworth causing it. stars as Captain Mitch Nelson, Miike (Blade Of The Immortal) who along with 11 other soldiers, inventively brings all this mangamust team up with Uzbek warlord adapted madness to life, but in an General Dostum (Navid attempt to cram as much of the Negahban) and his small army, to source material into one film as enter Afghan territory and defeat possible, some of the narrative and well-armed Taliban fighters. secondary characters are overDue to the type of terrain they whelmed by the entertainingly have to cross, these wary allies elaborate craziness. have to accomplish it on horse, and RATING - *** all within a three week timeframe. There is an absorbing, insightful movie to be made about what is quite an incredible mission, but 12 Strong isn't it. Simplistic in its writing, filled ■ (MA). 108 minutes. Now showwith one-note characters, and over- ing in selected cinemas. More successful as a straightseen by a director who emphasises explosions and one-liners over gritty forward thriller than an in-depth exrealism, this oddly retro tone makes amination of friendship, nostalgia the whole project feel uncomfort- and trust, this remake of the excelably out-of-step with other modern lent 2010 Japanese film of the same name is exciting enough, but trunwar movies. Hemsworth is better than the cates the smaller details a little too material given to him, while much, never allowing the audience Michael Shannon (The Shape Of to fully connect with its terrified, Water) looks lost among the conflicted characters. Gun-woo (Gang Dong-won) is Michael Dudikoff-inspired shean honest, hard-working courier nanigans. who sees his life turned upside RATING - ** down when he is accused of assassinating a prominent presidential candidate. Forced to go on the run, Gun-woo doesn't know who to trust, and as the media quickly present ■ JoJo's Bizarre Adventure : Dia- him as the number one suspect, he mond Is Unbreakable - Chapter 1 must find out who set him up be(MA). 119 minutes. Now showing fore those very people see him siin selected cinemas. lenced for good. Golden Slumber With a body of work that in- is certainly entertaining, but the cludes just over one hundred mov- numerous changes made diminies, it is nice to see some of inde- ishes its overall effectiveness as fatigable Takashi Miike's films fi- both a paranoia thriller and affectnally start to garner theatrical re- ing human drama. leases in this country. RATING - ***
12 Strong
Golden Slumber
Jo Jo’s Bizarre Adevnture
THE DVD AND BLU-RAY TOP RENTALS & SALES: 1. GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN [Biography/Drama/Domhall Gleeson, Margot Robbie]. 2. DETROIT [Crime/Drama/Thriller/John Boyega, Will Poulter, Anthony Mackie]. 3. BAD MOMS 2 [Comedy/Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn]. 4 BELOW [Biography/Adventure/Drama/Kale Culley, Sarah Dumont, Josh Hartnett]. 5. SUBURBICON [Comedy/Mystery/Drama/ Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, Oscar Isaac]. 6. SHOT CALLER [Crime/drama/Thriller/ Nikolai Coster-Waldau, Jon Bernthal]. 7. BLADE RUNNER 2049 [Sci-Fi/Mystery/ Drama/Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Robin Wright]. 8. THIS BEAUTIFUL FANTASTIC [Comedy/ Fantasy/Drama/Jessica Brown Findlay]. 9. BRAD'S STATUS [Comedy/Drama/Ben Stiller, Michael Sheen, Austin Abrams, Jenna Fischer]. Also: DUNKIRK, BATTLE OF THE SEXES, MOTHER!, GEOSTORM, BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99, HOME AGAIN, TOMMY'S HONOUR, THE SNOWMAN, ANOTHER MOTHER'S SON, JIGSAW. NEW RELEASE HIGHLIGHTS ON DVD THIS WEEK: DADDY'S HOME 2 [Comedy/Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, Mel Gibson, John Lithgow]. TULIP FEVER [Drama/Romance/Alicia Vikander, Christoph Waltz, Judi Dench]. WONDER [Family/Drama/Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson]. PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN [Drama/Luke Evans, Rebecca Hall]. NEW RELEASE HIGHLIGHTS ON BLU-RAY THIS WEEK: DADDY'S HOME 2 [Comedy/Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, Mel Gibson, John Lithgow]. WONDER [Family/Drama/Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson]. NEW & RE-RELEASE CLASSIC MOVIES ON DVD HIGHLIGHTS: None Listed for This Week. NEW RELEASE TELEVISION, DOCUMENTARY AND MUSIC DVD HIGHLIGHTS: THE STRAIN: Season 3. THE AMERICANS: Season 4. THE SINNER: Season 1. - James Sherlock