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CINEMA
REVIEWS
CINDERELLA
Forget what you think you know and start again; Disney have pulled the
biggest rabbit out of its mouse-eared hat to date with this passionate, fun,
mature, concise and rollickingly entertaining live action film that will have
audiences of all ages melting, loving and remembering what it means
to follow simple golden rules we all but forget in a modern society. Cate
Blanchett was born to play the surrogate matriarch with her sharp features,
intelligent sarcasm and commanding presence; an effortless performance
that ignites the sting in this fairy tale, which amazingly dances between
reality and the magical realm with true wonder and heart. Less heavy on
the CGI and with more concentration on a clever script, plus an uncanny
ability to engage multiple ages and a rich visual splendor that doesn’t
overcook the cake, is likely to make
Cinderella
the biggest box-office
success story to date for the studio, and deservedly so.
Chris Murray
RUN ALL NIGHT
Liam Neeson defaults to action-man mode once again in
Run All
Night
, his third collaboration with director Jaume Collet-Serra and
his umpteenth
Taken
clone. Hitman Jimmy Conlon (Neeson) battles
his inner demons and must decide if his loyalties lie with his son or
with his lifelong best friend. Limo driver Mike Conlon (
RoboCop
’s Joel
Kinnaman) winds up the reluctant target of his father’s longtime ally,
mobster Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris). Let the running and shooting
commence. Neeson reprises some of the skills he's acquired from
previous roles; fights with hot sticks (
The Phantom Menace
), parkour
(
Taken
), and, of course, gunfights (
Non-Stop
, and every other film).
Run
All Night
works fine as a shoot-em up action movie, but one can’t help
thinking that Neeson will struggle to escape this kind of typecasting for
the remainder of his career.
Alesha Kolbe
RELEASED:
Out Now
DIRECTOR:
Kenneth Branagh
CAST:
Cate Blanchett, Lily
James, Richard Madden
RATING:
G
RELEASED:
Out Now
DIRECTOR:
Jaume Collet-Serra
CAST:
Liam Neeson,
Ed Harris, Joel Kinnaman
RATING:
R16
RATING KEY:
Wow!
Good
Not bad
Meh Woof!
THE GUNMAN
THE Spongebob MOVIE:
SPONGE OUT OF WATER
A mercenary’s last assassination in the Congo
forces him into leaving not only the country,
but also the woman he loves. Upon returning,
it’s soon clear he himself is the new target.
The cinema cliché of ‘the hunter becoming the
hunted’ can be done in many ways; thankfully
this is a slight cut above for two reasons – it
takes itself quite seriously, posing as a loose
political actioner with a heavy duty cast; and
Sean Penn simply being on the screen looking
like he’s having some genuine fun, albeit in a
constant state of poised concentration as not
to stop flexing his rather impressive 54-year-old
biceps.
Taken
director Morel obviously listened
to his main star as this is a no-nonsense
journey. Much attention is given to methodical
approaches to the art of killing, and Penn excels
in us believing him – so, too, the casting of
RayWinstone as a crusty confidante and the
gritty ‘put-em down fast’ a la Bourne attitude to
action.
CM
RELEASED:
Apr 16
DIRECTOR:
Pierre Morel
CAST:
Sean Penn, Idris Elba, Jasmine Trinca
RATING:
R16
Damon Gameau, the Australian creator of
That Sugar Film,
is more compelling to watch
than Morgan Spurlock, his predecessor in
food-related investigative docos (
Super Size
Me
, 2004). And so is his film. It could be in
part because he's more relatable (who else
watched
Super Size Me
and thought 'Gross
and amazing, but it's not the same here in
Oz'?), and it was no-brainer that Spurlock's
health was going to go rapidly south on a
diet of McDonald's. But it's also the fact that
Gameau's experimental endeavour – to eat
foods such as muesli bars, cereals and low-
fat yoghurt, which are high in 'hidden' sugars
– reveals a lot of horrifying surprises, most
notably in relation to mental health. The results
were so messed up that I've resolved to now
complete 90 per cent of my food shopping
at the local Asian grocer. Showing as part of
NZFF's Autumn festival.
Zoë Radas
RELEASED:
Apr 16
DIRECTOR:
Damon Gameau
CAST:
Damon Gameau, Stephen Fry
RATING:
PG
Are ya ready, kids? I certainly wasn’t.
The
SpongeBob Movie
is one of the most eye-opening
things I’ve seen in a long time. Either I’m not the
atypical child, and missed something growing up, or
kids these days are in a whole different ballpark as
far as cartoons are concerned. Whether it’s dolphin
rap battles, time travelling or bad puns, it’s hard to
say if there’s something for everyone – or no one
– in this 3D cinematic rendering of Bikini Bottom.
Starring the voice actors from the series – Tom
Kenny as SpongeBob, Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick,
and Rodger Bumpass (yes, that’s really his name)
as Squidward – it’s not as if the film strays from
the show’s predictably bonkers template. It does,
however, bring a weird, almost illicit substance-
induced fervour to a childhood memory of mine that
I didn’t really want tainted. Despite the title, most of
the movie takes place underwater; probably a good
thing. It’s creepy, and recommended for kids who are
slightly left-of-centre.
AK
RELEASED:
April 2
DIRECTOR:
Paul Tibbitt
CAST:
Tom Kenny, Antonio Banderas
RATING:
PG
THAT SUGAR FILM