Christian Bale, Sigourney Weaver In Exodus: Gods and Kings Latest Trailer
Moses rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses, setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey to escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.
ALEXANDER & THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY (PG)
He’s a lacklustre luck-lacker, US, 82 min
A jumpy, but rather joyless family flick based on the beloved 1970s picture book by Judith Viorst. While everything good just happens like clockwork to the rest of his family, 12-year-old trouble magnet Alexander (Ed Oxenbould) never, ever gets an even break. Just once, he wishes, why can’t the tables be turned? Sure enough, on the day canvassed by this movie’s epic title, Alexander catches every lucky break he so surely deserves. Sadly, all the life and vitality of the original book rarely surfaces in this average adaptation. Many of the antics of Alexander and his clan - a likable enough bunch - come across as too processed, too contrived and far too rehearsed. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies do this stuff so much better. Co-stars Steve Carell. **
Where is our daughter? ..... Mireille Enos and Ryan Reynolds want answers in The Captive. Source: Supplied
THE CAPTIVE (MA15+)
A gone girl and an ever-present hurt, Canada, 112 min
There is a mountain of missing-child misery to scaled here. The air gets mighty thin as you get closer to the peak. Some may prefer to turn back to a place where they can breathe easier. Fair enough, too. Ryan Reynolds stars as Matt, a father understandably driven to a state of permanent despair by the unsolved abduction of his young daughter. As the years pass, and a chill sets in on the case, the person responsible for the kidnapping proceeds to further taunt Matt, his wife (Mirielle Enos) and local police with the vaguest of clues. In spite of some inelegant (bordering on insensitive) scripting choices, this eerie drama exudes a grip that does not let go easily. Co-stars Kevin Durand, Rosario Dawson. ***
James Gandolfini and Tom Hardy are barkeeps on a bad mission in The Drop. Source: Supplied
THE DROP (MA15+)
Where better to take a fall than in a dive bar?, US, 107 min
If we are to learn anything from this magnificently miserable crime drama, it is that there is no honour among thieves. But there are rules. Stick to them, and you just might stick around to see another day. The title refers to a traditional obligation asked of the bars and clubs in a grotty corner of Brooklyn. Each booze joint must take their turn of holding illicit cash when asked by local crooks. However, one proprietor, Marv (James Gandolfini in his screen swansong), has tired of the arrangement and schemes to get a cut of the action. His kindly bar manager Bob (Tom Hardy) knows trouble is afoot, but elects to look the other way for the time being. This thunderously downbeat tale is the work of novelist Dennis Lehane.As we already know from Clint Eastwood’s superb adaptation of Lehane’s Mystic River, the author has an eye and an ear for the things desperate men will do and say under pressure. ****
One of these men has an unhealthy addiction to body bronzer and guyliner ... can you pick which? Joel Edgerton and Christian Bale in Exodus: Gods and Kings. Source: Supplied
EXODUS : GODS AND KINGS (M)
Doesn’t put its Moses out of joint, US, 150 min
Earlier this year, we had Russell Crowe as Noah, a buff and bearded dude steering a floating zoo through an ungodly flood. Now here’s Christian Bale as Moses, a buff and bearded dude making that tricky transition from Ancient Egyptian military strongman to Hebrew hell-raiser. It is certainly not hard to see why director Ridley Scott (Gladiator) was so keen on this project. Simply by sticking to the source text, the biblical spectacle just never lets up. There are pyramids to be built. Hundreds of thousands of slaves to be whipped. Bushes to be burned. Commandments to write. Plagues, viruses and pestilence to be unleashed from on high. And last, but by no means least, there is one huge sea to be parted, and a multitude of oppressed people to be freed. Two words of advice : this is one long movie, so plan accordingly; and any bloke in this picture wearing too much body-bronzer or guy-liner is not to be trusted. ***
Believe nothing ... Ben Affleck in a scene from film Gone Girl. Source: Supplied
GONE GIRL (MA15+)
A lady vanishes. The mysteries multiply., US, 149 min
Adapted from Gillian Flynn’s sensational 2012 best-seller, this malevolently mischievous movie is one of the best films that will be released in 2014. There is just one proviso to guarantee maximum impact : Gone Girl must be seen ‘cold’. Too much advance knowledge changes the game played here in the wrong way. Nick (Ben Affleck) has arrived home to discover that his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) has disappeared. The front door is ajar. A glass table in the living room is smashed to smithereens. Oddly, Nick doesn’t seem all that flustered. Nevertheless, he calls the cops. Nick’s measured responses to the ensuing investigation (and the finger-pointing fury of a baying US media) form one half of the narrative voice of Gone Girl. The other half comes from Amy herself, via a diary she had been keeping. Under the aggressively deceptive direction of David Fincher (The Social Network), Gone Girl is an entertainingly provocative film, bound to set tongues wagging and minds racing for some time to come.
****1/2
HUMAN CAPITAL (MA15+)
Accumulate and deteriorate, Italy, 102 min
A stinging snapshot of a contemporary Italy where those doing well know the price of everything, and the value of nothing. An intimately inter-linked plot hinges upon events one day either side of a tragic hit-run accident. The lead-up and aftermath are repeated from the perspectives of three featured characters, summoning both an intense whodunnit and a withering social critique that function surprisingly well in tandem. Writing and performances are top-notch across the board, as is the coolly calculating direction of filmmaker Paolo Virza. If you’ve been looking for another potent dose of European cinema since the superb Force Majeure, this equally accomplished affair is where you should go. Stars Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Matilde Gioli. ****
Jennifer Lawrence and Julianne Moore acknowledge the adoring crowd of District 13 in Mockingjay Part 1 Source: Supplied
THE HUNGER GAMES : MOCKINGJAY - PART 1 (M)
Just enough to keep an appetite on edge, US, 123 min
The first of two long goodbyes to the global phenomenon of The Hunger Games delivers exactly what it must, savingthe rest (and arguably the best?) for last. Hard-nut heroine Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is now hiding out in District 13, home to the only resistance to the oppressive regime of President Snow (Donald Sutherland). Her new role as a propaganda poster girl for a coming uprising does not sit well with Katniss, but she knows she must push on for the greater good. With genuine action sequences pared back to a bare minimum - and many series regulars left with precious little to do but remind us they still exist - this first flight of Mockingjay is more about treading water than making a splash. The principal focus of Hunger Games buffs will be what moment the filmmakers have chosen to leave us all hanging on. Without giving anything away, let’s just say the pause button has been pressed with tantalising precision. Same time next year, then? You bet. ***1/2
Out of this world ... Anne Hathaway and Matthew McConaughey in Interstellar. Source: Supplied
INTERSTELLAR (M)
Time waits for no man. Time weights on all mankind., US, 167 min
With Interstellar, trailblazing director Nolan builds upon the high-concept blockbuster template forged so impressively by his 2010 work Inception. Just like that head-scratching hit, Interstellar eludes easy description. When all is said and done, it will stand as the most memorable and challenging mainstream release of the year. And perhaps the most divisive. The story is set in a not-so-distant future where our planet is virtually a spent force. Matthew McConaughey plays a former NASA test pilot who joins a secret mission to find a new home for what remains of Earth’s dwindling population. The spirit of Kubrick’s 2001 : A Space Odyssey pulses strongly through Interstellar’s most beguiling sequences in deep space. It is these scenes - and the way in which they represent the daunting nature of space exploration - that secure the film’s claims to greatness. However, not everybody will enjoy a rather cliched emotional drama awkwardly welded on to the steely science fiction of the main plot. Co-stars Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine.
****
It’s raining ... it’s boring ... preeeeee-senting the drippy lovers of Love is Now. Source: Supplied
LOVE IS NOW (M)
Over and out, Australia, 97 min
This low-budget Australian romantic drama has its head in the right place. But no heart. That’s a near-fatal flaw when asking an audience to repeatedly clasp their chest, sigh heavily and weep softly upon demand. Story centres on an aspiring young photographer (Eamon Farren) who may well have met the right girl (Claire van der Boom) at the wrong time in his life. Crunch time comes when the pair impulsively embark on a fruit-picking holiday by bicycle. Though very well-crafted considering the time and money that were not at the filmmaker’s disposal, it’s frustrating to see so much spirited effort wasted on such flat and forced fare. Hackneyed writing ultimately kills the chemistry of the appealing leads, who clunk instead of click when the going gets smoochy. {now showing at selected Hoyts Cinemas} *1/2
Mia Wasikowska and Julianne Moore are hanging on for dear life in Hollywood in Maps to the Stars. Source: Supplied
MAPS TO THE STARS (M)
Fame lost is everything lost, US, 111 min
A disarmingly haunting (but never quite distressing) portrait of an ex-star actress (played by Julianne Moore) unable to let go of what little is left of her former celebrity. This is the work of director David Cronenberg (Eastern Promises), a filmmaker who knows a lot about what little humanity is left in modern-day Hollywood. Hardly a feelgood film for the ages, but one that means business and makes a mark. Co-stars Mia Wasikowska, John Cusack, Olivia Williams. ***
MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN (MA15+)
When logging in is losing out, US, 119 min
We now live in a totally connected digital world. And yet, we are more disconnected from each other than we have ever been. So goes the one point to be made by a floaty, feelbad lament for a time when alienation was only available in analog formats. This casually morose ensemble drama multi-plots its misery around a set of families living in the same suburb in Texas. Each has a kid or two whose life is slowly going off the rails as a result of being constantly online. The parents either have internet issues of their own, or no clue about what is happening under their own roof. Well acted and written, but beware the thematic repetition. Stars Ansel Elgort, Adam Sandler, Jennifer Garner, Rosemarie DeWitt. ***
Drugs bunny ... Angus Sampson has a stomach full of drugs and the cops on his tail in The Mule. Source: Supplied
THE MULE (MA15+)
A week to prove he’s got the guts, Australia, 102 min
The year is 1983. An Australian tourist returning a footy trip in Thailand has been detained by security officials at Melbourne’s international airport. There is reason to believe that the burly gentleman with the pants around his ankles and a torchlight illuminating his posterior might be carrying drugs of some kind. As it turns out, Ray Jenkins (played by Angus Sampson) is indeed transgressing the law. Lodged in his stomach a kilo of pure heroin. According to the legal fine print of the era, if the drugs leave Ray’s person within 7 days, it is jail time for a long time to come. But if Ray can stay in a state of suspended self-constipation for a full week, the fuzz have to let him go. Though there is a decidedly comic angle to this surreal standoff, The Mule is really a whip-smart crime film with an air of menace and a sly take on suburban Australian life that demands to be taken seriously. Co-stars Hugo Weaving, Ewen Leslie, Noni Hazlehurst. ***1/2
MY OLD LADY (M)
Every right to act her age, UK, 105 min
Sensible, straightforward mature-age viewing, devoid of dumb jokes, cheap thrills or goofy gimmicks. All you get for the price of your ticket are three impeccably acted performances, and a simple story very well told. Kevin Kline plays a failed American writer who thinks he is about to inherit his late father’s Paris apartment. However, the current resident, the very elderly and very formidable Madame Girard (Maggie Smith) has other ideas. As does her dutifully antagonistic daughter Chloe (Kristin Scott Thomas). Don’t go thinking My Old Lady is about to settle for a trite, easy-going brand of light comedy for its duration. There is a growing darkness throwing a shadow on proceedings in a fascinating final act. ***
Up close and impersonal ... Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler. Source: Supplied
NIGHTCRAWLER (MA15+)
The lies of a man of true vision, US, 117 min
When it comes to Nightcrawler, it is best to be both alert and alarmed. Each state of mind is necessary when processing the motives of its chilling lead character, an unhealthily driven young man named Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal). Having just started out as a freelance TV news cameraman, Lou prowls Los Angeles after dark in search of what sells : car crashes and murders soon become a house specialty. Though Nightcrawler is squarely taking aim at the worst inclinations of US tabloid television - the holy grail of footage is described as “a screaming woman running down the street with her throat cut” - it is the eerily centred performance of Gyllenhaal that draws all focus. With a smile always on his dial and a work ethic that never lets up, Lou seems like the kind of guy that would do anything for anybody. Gyllenhaal reads him differently, and gradually gets us thinking the same way : Lou is really the kind of guy who would do anything to anybody. ****
THE ONE I LOVE (MA15+)
Estrangers in the night, US, 91 min
Couples therapy takes an unexpected leap into the unknown when the unhappily married Sophie (Elizabeth Moss) and Ethan (Mark Duplass) take some much-needed time out at an exclusive retreat. Your enjoyment of this strange, yet affecting affair hinges upon your acceptance of a single plot in the first act. Some will reject it immediately and want out. Others who buy it will want to stick around for the long haul. Uniquely funny and subtly insightful in its best stretches. ***
PARTICLE FEVER (M)
Every little bit helps, US, 99 min
Engaging documentary about the construction and operation of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a mammoth scientific device built to ostensibly locate a subatomic particle some believe to be “ he building block of the entire universe.” The calling card of the production for science geeks is that much of this was shot at the LHC as both discoveries were made and technology went haywire. Does not always simplify proceedings for the non-theoretical thinkers among us, but a true learning experience all the same. ***1/2
No silver linings in this playbook ... Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence in Serena. Source: Supplied
SERENA (MA15+)
Even good teams sometimes have a bad game, US, 109 min
The third time together ain’t no charm for Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. Whereas the whole world just loved ‘em in Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, the entire universe will yawn at this drab, Depression-era downer. J-Law plays a troubled chick from the wrong side of the sticks who marries Cooper’s conniving timber tycoon. Together, this unhappy couple move to expand their fortune by multiplying the misfortunes of anyone standing in their way. Amazingly, even on a so-bad-it-might-be-good level, this is nowhere near as much fun as what little it promises. Avoid. *1/2
A THOUSAND TIMES GOOD NIGHT (M)
Under fire under her own roof, Norway, 117 min
Interesting mix of domestic drama and geopolitical turmoil starring the ever-dependable Juliette Binoche. She plays a world-famous war-zone photographer whose dangerous lifestyle is taking its toll on her less-than-battle-hardened family. Performances are strong, but film itself is prone to occasional flat spot. Perhaps goes better if viewers revise knowledge of third-world hot spots before attending. Co-stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones). **1/2
Originally published as The Complete Movie Guide
