Leigh Paatsch's guide to movies

THERE are plenty of good films in cinemas but they might not be the obvious choice. Leigh Paatsch's movie guide will set you straight

THERE are plenty of good films in cinemas but they might not be the obvious choice. Leigh Paatsch's movie guide sets the record straight.

* THE BEST OFFER (M) A tough sell, but meets its reserve, Italy, 122 min

You heard the one about the obsessive-compulsive old auctioneer and the beautiful young agoraphobic? Didn't think so. While it does read as the set-up for a joke, this Italian-made, English-language drama takes itself very seriously indeed. Perhaps too much so, but never at the expense of an intrigued audience. Geoffrey Rush is in fine form here as the toffy art dealer Virgil, a cultured control freak who drops his guard when he falls for the mysteriously mercurial shut-in Claire (Sylvia Hoeks). The film is not without its share of flaws - the intentionally stilted dialogue will get on some folks' nerves - but does just enough to deliver upon expectations. Co-stars Jim Sturgess, Donald Sutherland. Rating: 3/5

* BLUE JASMINE (M) From high society to an all-time low, US, 96 min

A career-best performance by Cate Blanchett is the most obvious reason to catch one of the year's best releases. But there is so much more to savour here, including the opportunity to witness veteran writer-director Woody Allen recapture the greatness many thought was long-gone. This is a film about the way things used to be. If you cannot let go of the past - or at the very least, learn from it - then the way things are right now will swallow you whole. Blanchett plays Jasmine, a former socialite who has fallen heavily on hard times after her husband (Alec Baldwin) is exposed as a swindler. Like all of the finest Woody Allen films, Blue Jasmine is at once funny, sad, bright-eyed, dark-hearted and, last but not least, incredibly astute about human nature. The hand-picked ensemble Allen has gathered to flesh out this bittersweet tale of woe is flawless. However, the film belongs to Blanchett in so many different ways, all of which could see her accepting a Best Actress statuette at the next Oscars. Rating: 4.5/5

* THE EAST (M) Getting in with the outlaws, US-UK, 99 min

Fascinating drama set in the shadowy world of eco-terrorism. Brit Marling stars as a corporate spy who infiltrates an anarchist group that regularly takes drastic action against companies they believe are harming the public. The film is at its strongest tracking the extreme lines of thought that go into mounting an organised attack on commercial interests. Some of the source material is too rigid to yield to the demands of a thriller format that kicks in during the final act, but remains a compelling and informative experience throughout. Definitely worth tracking down if you're after something with a little substance. Co-stars Alexander Skarsgard, Ellen Page, Patricia Clarkson. {Now showing in Melbourne. Opens Sep 26 in Sydney. Other states to follow.} Rating: 3.5/5

* ELYSIUM (MA15+) Rise to the occasion, or die trying, US, 109 min

A stunning sci-fi action film, Elysium brings a crashing hammer down on the US summer blockbuster season. Though not without its share of flaws, it is clearly the best big-ticket picture of 2013 so far. The year is 2154. The division between haves and have-nots is more pronounced than ever. The rich live in gated communities in the planet's upper atmosphere. The rest of an over-crowded Earth reside in a planet-wide slum. A buff, tough and ready Matt Damon stars as Max, a terminally ill factory worker who needs urgent medical help. The only place he will get it is inside one of those utopias high in the sky. Just getting there could be enough to kill him. South African filmmaker Neill Blomkamp proves his sensational 2009 debut District 9 was no fluke. The man has a vision - driven by inspired writing, and an intelligent grasp of how to manipulate viewers - and that vision has real impact. Co-stars Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley. Rating: 4/5

* I'M SO EXCITED (MA15+) High altitudes, low attitudes, Spain, 95 min

A forgettably frothy return to comedy for the prolific Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar (Talk to Her, Volver). A plane bound for Mexico strikes trouble soon after takeoff, and may crash before it reaches its intended destination. Enter a trio of flamboyant male flight attendants to hold the fort - or at least, drug the passengers to prevent widespread panic - until everyone's ultimate fate is known. With real wit and good jokes rarely to be found, Almodovar and his cast spend much of the film floundering from one self-indulgent set-piece to the next. A weak effort from a strong talent. Rating: 2/5

* JOBS (M) The thorny past of a man who saw a rosy future, US, 129 min

This passable biopic of the late Apple creative genius Steve Jobs does not amount to that much more than a filmed adaptation of the subject's Wikipedia page. All the right names, dates and brands are very much to the fore, but anything that resembles depth, insight or nuanced analysis is merely a mirage. 2010's The Social Network raised the bar very high for this kind of reportage in movies, and Jobs seems too tentative to even attempt a jump. If the movie does successfully communicate Steve Jobs' dual personas as peerless innovator and master irritator, then the plaudits must go to a surprisingly credible Ashton Kutcher in the lead role. The principal focus of the movie is on the years between the foundation of Apple, Inc. in a suburban garage and Jobs' return to the company after years in exile for being an absolute prat. To the filmmakers' credit, they do not hold back on illuminating viewers on the dark side of the man. However, many of his sudden mood swings are hard to fathom. Rating: 2.5/5

* NOW YOU SEE ME (M) Taking the money with no need to run, US, 116 min

This slick'n'slippery heist movie might get more ridiculously illogical by the minute, but there can be no denying it is serious escapist fun throughout. An A-team of maverick illusionists has been assembled for a magic show that takes Vegas by storm. Their signature trick? Robbing a bank live on stage, in full view of their audience. Huh? You have to see it to believe it. When the troupe is held responsible for millions missing from a Paris bank vault - without ever setting foot in France - the FBI and Interpol take a forensic interest in the workings of the act. Of course, the magicians refuse to reveal a single trade secret. Though continually in the spotlight and under the microscope, their stunts become all the more audacious and inexplicable. A well-cast ensemble including Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Michael Caine, Isla Fisher and Morgan Freeman are clearly having a grand time having a lend of us all. Allow yourself to be completely duped, and you are certain to be highly entertained. Rating: 3.5/5

* ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US (PG) This is them ... kind of., US, 92 min

A piffling 3D concert doco about five young men who have temporarily harnessed the power to make many millions of young women scream. Filmed during the final phase of a punishing global touring schedule that only wrapped a few months ago, This is Us hosts a predictably sanitised celebration of One Direction's extraordinary success to date. You want deep and meaningful insights into life as it is lived at the eye of the One Direction hurricane? Not gonna happen. You want the lads gabbing about how much they owe it all to their mums, their dads and their fans? Would you mind ever so much if they took their shirts off every now and then? Is gonna happen. Rating: 2/5

* PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS (PG) Minor commotion in the ocean, US, 106 min

In the first Percy Jackson movie, this oh-so-modern teenage son of an ancient Greek god seemed like too much of a home-brand Harry Potter for his own good. As played by Logan Lerman - now 21 years of age and looking a little too old to be a demigod still in high school - Percy remains as blandly charisma-challenged as ever. However, the second set of adventures ripped from the books of best-selling author Rick Riordan offers far more fun and fizz than before. Though you'll never be hanging on the edge of your seat, Percy and his posse of earthbound higher beings - hunting for the fabled Golden Fleece in the Bermuda Triangle - are quite OK to hang out with for a while. Rating: 3/5

* PLANES (G) A struggle to wing you over, US, 91 min

So-so cartoon that looks like a Pixar offering, but is not. Like the comparatively superior Turbo, the tale is that of an unlikely hero (in this case, a lowly cropduster named Dusty) who wants to realise an impossible dream by winning a famous race (the Wings Around the Globe Rally). There are naysayers to be proved wrong, and nefarious rivals to be bested with honour. Oh, and Dusty must also overcome a fear of heights. The sole recommendation for Planes is that at least it is better than the sub-standard Smurfs 2. Perhaps best enjoyed by very young children hitting the cinema for the very first time. Rating: 2/5

* RIDDICK (MA15+) A return to Vinning ways, US, 118 min

Vin Diesel's character of Riddick, an intergalactic outlaw with night-visiony eyes and steroidy muscles, stole the show in the very good Pitch Black (2000). Then stole our dough in the very bad Chronicles of Riddick (2004). In terms of entertainment value, the new movie sits smack-bang between the previous two. The wonky excesses of Chronicles have been ripped up. The last-bad-man-on-a-last-bad-planet stylings of Pitch Black have been stitched back together. In this passable affair, Riddick is stuck on a far-flung world with just 11 bounty hunters that want him dead for company. Will he survive to fight another day (and star in another sequel)? No answers please. Co-stars Matt Nable, Katie Sackhoff. Rating: 2.5/5

* R.I.P.D. (M) Not quite having the time of their afterlife, US, 94 min

After stiffing big-time in the States, R.I.P.D. arrives in Australia with the reputation of a filmed version of the killer flu. It is not hard to understand why this indulgently eccentric action flick bit the dust. After all, the core premise here quite literally states that the only good cop is a dead cop. Not everyone's gonna be on-board with that. However, R.I.P.D. is in no way an outright terrible movie. There is a handful of strange and rather awesome moments on offer, and some appealing kooky in-jokery rippled through the script. A mismatched Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges play deceased police officers who join a heavenly task force that hunt escapees from hell. Starts very solidly, but goes very soft by the end. Rating: 2/5

* THE ROCKET (PG) We have liftoff, Australia, 98 min

A tough-skinned, yet tender-hearted coming-of-age drama, The Rocket effortlessly launches itself in viewers' affections, and remains there throughout. Filmed in the war-ravaged nation of Laos by Australian filmmaker Kim Mourdant, this is the story of a young lad named Ahlo (Sitthiphon Disamoe). A resourceful child, Ahlo was born a twin, a status which has cast a long shadow over his short life (in Laotian culture, it is believed one twin is good and the other is evil). This one little boy must prove the fates wrong, and The Rocket (which takes its name from a fireworks festival which forms a key element of the movie) offers an irresistible ground-level view of the mountainous quest before him. Rating: 4/5

* SALINGER (M) The one-novel wonder who kept them wondering, US, 125 min

The late J.D. Salinger would have loathed the new documentary about his life. Like that timeless teen rebel Holden Caulfield, the hero of Salinger's sole published novel Catcher in the Rye, the author hated "phonies". This doco can get very phony on occasion. Understandable, perhaps, considering there is so little reliable info about Salinger on or off the record out there. However, some of the fakery in play here (including a regrettable series of re-enactments) is not so forgivable. The doco pushes all available data about the author at the viewer. But it cannot pull the viewer any closer to the man. Three years after his passing at age 91, J.D. Salinger can still black out the limelight at will. Rating: 2.5/5

* THE SMURFS 2 (G) Falling far short of Smurfection, US, 105 min

Here comes another one just like the other one. Only not as good. And the other one wasn't much good to begin with. To no-one's great surprise, the makers of The Smurfs 2 have brought nothing new to the table aside from a fresh digit at the end of the title. If you were feeling particularly generous, you could also factor in a change of general locale to Paris as a change for the better. But really, when it's all about the squeaky blue freaks eeking away in the foreground, the background just doesn't matter. Nor do those lining up for an easy pay cheque here. Katy Perry provides the unoiled-door voice of Smurfette, who has been abducted by the villainous Gargamel (Hank Azaria) to bring on what he calls "Smurf-A-Geddon." Rating: 1.5/5

* STORIES WE TELL (M) Sifting out the facts from the friction, US, 129 min

A unique and dynamically rendered documentary with a difference. Actress Sarah Polley steps behind the camera to tell the life story of her late mother Diane, who died of cancer in her early 40s. The plurality of the movie's title is intentional: Polley invites a vast array of family members and friends to relate Diane's biography as they remember it. The disparities between the recollections of each interviewee become quite pronounced are varying stages in the film, and Polley bravely examines all of them. Sometimes she pays a heavy emotional cost for doing so. At other times, those involved in the project are forced to confront (and perhaps, forever change) their own interpretation of the ever-mysterious Diane. The doco is narrated by Michael, Diane's second husband, an intriguing and solitary presence who could have been a worthy subject of a similar film himself. See this extraordinary project with as little advance knowledge as possible, and one of the most lasting film experiences of the year awaits. Rating: 4.5/5

* TURBO (G) Zooming out of his shell, US, 96 min

Here we have the stirring story of Theo (voiced by Ryan Reynolds), the fastest snail to ever contest the Indianapolis 500. As you may have gathered, Theo is no ordinary snail. A freak accident has left him with a 300 km/hr surge of acceleration. This genial animated adventure is, quite simply, one very cruisy joy ride for younger viewers. The standard of animation is probably a few cylinders shy of Pixar's V8 visuals for their Cars movies, but still convey the motion-blurred adrenalin rush of racetrack conditions with great aplomb. Not exactly a classic, but still effectively entertaining enough to leave all other animated vehicles trailing in its wake this school holidays. Rating: 3/5

* WE'RE THE MILLERS (MA15+) Small crack-ups in a grass menagerie, US, 110 min

Middling comedy lacking the smarts to capitalise on a clever premise. Jason Sudeikis stars as a low-level pot dealer forced to participate in a high-stakes drugs deal to get rid of a crushing debt to his supplier. In order to smuggle a major marijuana haul across the Mexican border, he gathers a motley bunch (including Jennifer Aniston as a stripper) to pose as his fake family to avoid suspicion. There are just enough laughs to be had to allow this sketchy, smutty affair the benefit of the doubt. There are never enough laughs to be had to extinguish any doubt it is not as funny as it might have been. co-stars Emma Roberts, Nick Offerman. Rating: 2.5/5

* WHITE HOUSE DOWN (M) The hunt for a weapon of mass distraction is over, US, 131 min

There is some magnificent trash to be treasured in White House Down. Action fans who want nothing more than a rush, a laugh and a lot of cartoonish collateral damage should book their tickets now. Resistance is useless. Logistics are irrelevant. It's all about the bang-bang-bang, the boom-boom-boom, and Channing Tatum getting his Die Hard groove on. Tatum plays a low-ranking Congressional bodyguard who somehow finds himself the sole protector of the US President (Jamie Foxx) when the White House comes under a frightening terrorist attack. There is no other apt way of putting it : this is big, dumb fun. You may never be intellectually challenged by its contents, but you will never, ever be bored. Rating: 3/5