Criminals, cool kids and cults. Can it come together?
What’s it about? Root-rat movie-star Errol Flynn’s legend began long before Hollywoodland beckoned, as these adventures recollected from his biographical Beams End illustrate.
What did we think? Stephen Scott says: In Like Flynn is a boys own adventure gone bad. It has all the elements of a successful movie: the director of Highlander, up-and-coming acting superstars (one is “the next Chris Hemsworth” I read somewhere), a David Wenham cameo (then again, his appearances make up 80% of the movies highlights), and the “true” life story of Errol Flynn … what could go wrong?
Oh, it’s awful. I honestly thought I was watching a 3rd year film students homage to Indiana Jones until Quint from Jaws turned up on the Sirocco. To be fair, aside from a handful of roaming accents, the acting isn’t too bad (with Clive Standen’s Charlie / Quint doing what he can to raise the standard alongside Wenham’s brilliant Dastardly Whiplash), but the script is as wooden and rotten as the boat they sail in, and the whole endeavour just ends up a misogynist try-hard mess.
Rent Highlander or Errol’s Captain Blood instead. This deserves to rest on the floor of the ocean alongside the boat it sunk in.
What’s it about? Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) is a mega famous rock star, who is dealing with alcoholism. He discovers Ally (Lady Gaga), and makes her a star.
What did we think? Imogen Chapman says: B-Coops can sing! And direct! We already knew about the acting thing. In A Star is Born he also manages to do an excellent younger Jeff Bridges impersonation.
This is the 3rd remake of the classic 1937 film, but don’t expect a jazzy Hollywood musical. It’s emotionally raw, which gives you some incredible moments, but very occasionally causes the movie to lag.
Honestly, this is a surprisingly great movie. The songs are powerful, the performances are awesome, and I was actually moved by the story.
I’m not crying, you’re crying.
4.5/5
What’s it about?
Reporter Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is infected by an alien parasite that gives him superpowers, but shares control of his body.
What Did We Think?
Peter Linning says: Desperately hoping that you’ll assume it’s part of Marvel’s cinematic universe (look, we have a Stan Lee cameo and everything!) Venom is occasionally fun, but not nearly enough to warrant your time. The movie’s best moments are the interactions between Tom Hardy’s Eddie and the “symbiote”, as he discovers the nature of their shared living situation. Sadly these scenes are few and far between, buried in a poorly-written and awkwardly paced mess.
What’s it about? A documentary about the famous actor.
What did we think? Oliver Hetherington-Page says: Ian McKellen’s name will be forever linked to his roles in Lord of The Rings and/or X men. While these topics are covered in the documentary, it isn’t what the film is about at its heart. From the opening words of the piece “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players” we are made to think about the tragedy that lies at the heart of Mckellen. By exploring his life both on and off the stage we see a portrait man who is constantly playing a part. In some ways this film is just McKellen talking about his career an hour and half but this film is more than that. It is a self-written (if a bit premature) obituary to the 79-year-old Academy Award nominee.
What’s it about? What do you really know about the first man on the moon?
What did we think? Oliver Hetherington-Page says: First Man is a fascinating character piece on a man who we all believe we know. Ryan Gosling’s performance as Armstrong is captivating as a man of few words. In his silences, we see a man who doesn’t know how to express his feeling but we as the audience can feel it all the same. Claire Foy fresh off her Emmy winning role as Queen Elizabeth shines as Armstrong’s wife. But the real star of the movie is not the performances but Damien Chazelle’s superb direction.
The controversy over the “missing” flag shows that the dissenting voices missed the one thing the title screamed. It is about the first man, not the moon mission.
First Man is First Class.
Is it holiday fun? Or “sno good”?
What’s it about? Johnny English is called back into the field after MI7 is compromised by a really intelligent hacker.
What did we think? Nick Bleeker says: It feels a bit out of touch and the story and most of the jokes are predictable, but Johnny English Strikes Again is an incredibly harmless and, surprisingly, fun film. Star Rating: 2.5/5
Stephen Scott says: Predictability can be a blessing and a curse: for fans of Rowan Atkinson and the silly spy genre, in this case it’s a blessing of papal proportions. Johnny English Strikes Again is exactly what you expect: a talking Mr Bean bumbling through an Austen Powersesque adventure. Star Rating: 3.5/5
A coming-of-age story in which Lesley (who desperately wants to be called Lisa) takes a job in a tres chic department store while waiting for her exam results. Based on a book, Ladies in Black takes a peek behind the dressing room curtain of the impossibly glamorous women who dressed the well-heeled women of Sydney.
What did we think?
Elizabeth Best says: This is such an enjoyable Aussie film but man it was hard for me to pay attention to anything else but the fashion. Because OH MY GOD THE FASHION. A visually sumptuous film about an innocent time in Australia’s history when department stores were all about providing first class service, and every immigrant was considered a “reffo” (refugee) no matter how bloody fabulous they were. I found myself taking turns sighing with love for the dresses and smiling from ear to ear for the story.
A father (John Cho) has to search through his daughter’s online life to connect the dots when she goes missing one night.
Elizabeth Best says: Part thriller, part drama, part advertisement for what a Mac can do, Searching is a masterclass in inventive storytelling. The movie unfolds solely through a series of chat windows, tumblr posts, tweets and live streams, and navigates the line between heartache and heart attack deftly. It’s clever with its “show don’t tell” storytelling, and damn it’s nice to see Cho kicking ass in the lead role he deserves
