- Arrange By »
- Title
- Release Date
- Stars
The Artist
Anne Murphy
Hollywood, 1927: Silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion.
Prepare to be transported to a past era in Hollywood by "The Artist". There are many adjectives to describe the nostalgic venture including: charming, original, witty, surprising, and stylish. In short a captivating movie, and all the more so for daring to be all but silent and presented in black and white. It is a pleasure to be entertained by a romance that eschews modern effects and remains authentic to the period portrayed. Paints a picture.
A Few Best Men
Anne Murphy
An English groom and his three best men travel to the Australian Blue Mountains for his wedding.
Everything about a "A Few Best Men" is exaggerated. From the central romance to the panoramic Australian scenes, the lure and perils of illicit drugs for the groomsmen to the political ambition of the bride's father, this movie is larger than life and complete with a cast of clichéd characters. As is expected of wedding fairytales there is little semblance to reality. Not that there is anything wrong with cinema escapism, but some will want to escape the cinema rather than watch this celebration of matrimony. Baaa.
Young Adult
Stefan Bugryn
A deluded writer returns to her hometown to wreck her high school sweethearts marriage.
This is a light film on the outside that ends up being quite socially morbid on the inside, all because of the main character. You probably won't like her... but that's the point. She's the person that never grew up and has all the bad attributes of a 16 year old schoolgirl; spiteful, rude, selfish. But it’s still a very real story, one most people might even relate to. The tone is quite playful, but the themes are actually quite debauched. Gets a tick of approval for young and old.
The Muppets
Anne Murphy
With the help of three fans, The Muppets must reunite to save their old theatre from an oil tycoon.
The Muppets are as comically endearing as ever in their return to the big screen, as the troupe get back together to sing and dance their way through a classic good vs evil storyline. This is a nostalgic romp even though the characters haven't aged, not that the audience would want them to, and they're just as corny as they ever were. The magic works, maybe because no-one is more self deprecating than the characters themselves. Absolutely the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppet-ational...
The Descendants
Tom Jones
A land baron tries to re-connect with his two daughters after his wife suffers a boating accident.
The depiction of suburban life in Hawaii adds some interest to this film, but the central dramas are not particularly compelling or original. The moments of potential intrigue don’t last long enough, so the stakes for the hero character are never raised high enough to set your heart racing. The narrative voice-over is unwarranted, something the director obviously worked out a third of the way into making the film, as it’s nowhere to be heard in last two thirds. Descending in more ways than one.
We Bought a Zoo
Anthony Macali
Set in Southern California, a father moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.
Based on a true story, "We Bought a Zoo" doesn't have a bad bone in its body. It's an adventure with a menagerie of fluffy animals, great and small, and the odd staff who service them. While an underlying story of grief drives the plot, the film lacks the courage to fully explore the strife and emotion. After all, this is as family-friendly as it gets, and in the end nothing can compete with the excitement of a zoo. A ticket that will leave you warm and fuzzy.
Happy Feet Two
Anthony Macali
Mumble's son, Erik, is struggling to realize his talents in the Emperor Penguin world.
"Happy Feet Two" is actually an existential film with penguins, but don't let the seemingly grim subject matter get you down. It takes a good hike to get going, but once it does, there is plenty of the famous singing and dancing that made the first film so popular, and en masse. Thousands of penguins stamp their feet in this majestic world, its scope and beauty coolly realised with some very colourful animation. In the face of grave danger, these flightless birds find hope and life in their music. Skip along and you will be happy too.
Tower Heist
Anthony Macali
A group of hard working guys conspire to rob a wealthy business man's high-rise residence.
"Tower Heist" might not be the most complex of capers, but it does produce plenty of laughs along the way. The high calibre cast is fun to watch, the only drawback being their inability to share the screen time in satisfying amounts. Much of the entertainment comes from the ordinary hotel crew and the birth of their criminality. Clearly out of their depth, they embark on hilarious exercises to plan and prepare. It's a shame that when our heroes and villain do confront, the exchange is pretty tame, sharing metaphors to be ignored. Few surprises but gets the job done.
The Women on the 6th Floor
Anne Murphy
In 1960s Paris, a conservative couple's lives are turned upside down by two Spanish maids.
The character roles are straight jacketed by class stereotypes, both the salt-of-the-earth maids and their fuss-pot employers. The movie comes close to being patronising and mightn't have worked in a current day setting, however audiences can smile nostalgically at what is a charming and humorous class-comedy set in a previous century. "Women on the 6th Floor" is best not viewed from a social political perspective, but rather enjoyed for its gentle humour and captivating plot. Hope that the women upstairs never come down to earth.
New Year's Eve
Tom Jones
The lives of several couples and singles in New York intertwine over the course of New Year's Eve.
Another occasion where 99.9% of the funding is spent on star power and the rest goes to the scriptwriter. Remember show and tell? Well New Years Eve is more tell, without the show. Characters relay so much information about themselves and the situation in every line, but you never actually see anything. It is over the top. The ball dropping at midnight is treated like a military operation complete with presidential style press conferences. When it comes to New Years, hold out for the real thing.
Puss in Boots
Anthony Macali
A story about the events leading up to the sword fighting cat's meeting with Shrek and his friends.
The cat's out of the bag with "Puss in Boots", the 'diablo gato' showing enough charm to headline his own film. He's cheeky, cute, and a wanted outlaw, as we discover in a delightful flashback of his back story. Curiosity is lost when the fairy-tale plot begins, introducing characters who aren't as much fun as our hero. The animation is great, just look at the fur, but could have looked better and brighter if they shied away from the 3D format. It's is still very funny when felines break out and exhibit their cat-like traits. A welcome spin-off to cross swords.
Attack the Block
Anthony Macali
A teen gang in South London defend their block from an alien invasion.
Right, in "Attack the Block" you got these vicious gorilla alien 'tings. They try to merc our crew, fo' real, and it can get quite scary when they use their glow-in-the-dark teeth, 'innit. The lighting is awesome yo', but them characters aren't the best and thankfully don't last long... if you know what I'm saying. The leader of the gang is cool, and believable, but the rest of the film gets too repetitive and not likeable and stuff. Everyone keeps talking like 'tis, you know, and it gets way irritating by the end. No need to check it.
Jack and Jill
Wendy Slevison
Family guy Jack prepares for the annual event he dreads: the Thanksgiving visit of his twin sister.
This latest offering from a well-known comedian is assuredly the worst movie of his career, and quite possibly the worst movie ever. The thought that $79 million was spent making it is not only alarming, it's actually offensive. Celebrity cameos and an aging but highly talented co-star do nothing to save this mess - it has no humour and no heart. It appears that no skill at all was involved in its creation. This film is an abysmal failure and should be avoided at all costs. Jack and Jill tumble down, down, down...
The Inbetweeners Movie
Anthony Macali
Four socially troubled 18-year-olds from the south of England go on holiday to Malia.
"The Inbetweeners Movie" will make you do at least one of these two things: encourage you to get completely drunk, or cringe and wince with embarrassment. It's safe to say friends of the show will love this film, as this extended episode takes our gang to a foreign country where trouble and hilarity ensue. For others, catching up with the teens' brash vulgarity shouldn't take long. Each character banters and dances, always poking fun and searching for the girl of their dreams. Exploiting the naivety of youth has never been so funny. Boys will be boys in this trip to remember.
The Ages of Love
Anne Murphy
Three chapters tell three interconnected love stories that illustrate the three ages of man, Youth Maturity and Beyond.
A rom-com is that bit more enjoyable for being Italian, the stories and characters are less stereotypical than their Hollywood counterparts. The content ripens and matures as the movie progresses through the ages of man, each delivering more depth than the previous story. None are too deep, all deliver some fun and are refreshing for their European sophistication. The comedy is it is light and agreeable, there’s nothing to tax an audience in the storylines. Ti amo.
- Genre » Romance Comedy
- Release » Limited 24 Nov 2011
- Festival » Italian Film Festival 2011
