Leigh Paatsch's guide to movies

EVER reached the front of the ticket box queue without having decided which film to watch? This quick movie guide is just what you need.

130622 rev despicable

EVER reached the front of the ticket box queue without having decided which film to watch? This quick movie guide is just what you need.

> AFTER EARTH (M) Slack to the future, US, 97 min
An indecipherably inert action flick sees out-of-form director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense) stuck in the same snoozy rut as his previous film, The Last Airbender. The story begins when a father-son combo of space-travelling Earthlings are forced to crash-land on their now-abandoned home planet. The dad, Cypher (Will Smith), has broken both of his legs upon impact. So it is up to his teenage boy Kitai (Jaden Smith) to embark on an arduous trek to find the missing rescue beacon that will save them from certain death. Any potential to raise a pulse as Kitai does battle with mutant wildlife of the future is undercut by an overwhelming atmosphere of dullness. No surprise, really, when so much of the film is driven by Will Smith robotically ordering his kid around via a fancy camera phone. Rating: 1.5/5

> THE AUDIENCE (PG) Mirren rules again, and reigns supreme, UK, 170 min
The latest stage play to be beamed into cinemas by Britain's National Theatre Live project is a must-see for anyone who appreciates acting at its very best. Helen Mirren returns to her most famous screen role of Queen Elizabeth II for an all-new production scripted by the great Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon). An episodic tale pings back and forth across QEII's lengthy reign to re-create her regular weekly conversations with the Prime Minister of the day. These extended chats with the likes of Sir Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and even current British PM David Cameron are in no way the stiff, formal exchanges one would expect. Each individual session bristles with earthy humour, surprising pathos, and most incisive lines of questioning on the part of Her Majesty. The scenes that Mirren shares with Richard McCabe (as Harold Wilson) are a true delight to witness, and a magnificent example of how electrifying the age-old format of two people simply talking on a stage can still be. Rating: 4.5/5

> DESPICABLE ME 2 (PG) No longer bad. Still very good, US, 96 min
The same, playful, naughty-but-nice humour winningly evident in the 2010 animated hit Despicable Me lifts its sequel clear of the also-rans in the animated sector. Steve Carell returns as the voice of the formerly notorious Gru. Once the world's most fiendish supervillain, Gru is now the world's softest-hearted single dad. However, that devious mind of his is still the eccentric engine room of the franchise, and Gru is soon putting that bad brain of his to good use after being recruited by the crime-fighting Anti-Villain League. The pacing and vocal performances are sharp, the 3D visuals are as eye-popping as before, and those mischievous Minions remain the best bunch of second-bananas in movies. Rating: 3/5

130622 rev despicable

> EPIC (PG) An ecology of scale, US, 100 min
A lavish, beautifully animated adaptation of the William Joyce book The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs. The story takes place in Moonhaven, a magical microscopic kingdom located deep inside the undergrowth of a forest. Forces aligned with growth and decay - the goodies and the baddies of this eco-conscious affair - are gearing up for battle after the sudden death of their queen. Unlike Despicable Me 2 or Monsters University, there is no clever comedy to make the time fly by for adults. For children south of high-school age, however, this could well be a highlight of their viewing year. Rating: 3/5

> FAREWELL, MY QUEEN (M) A right royal goodbye, France, 98 min
In the early days of the French Revolution, a key lady-in-waiting (Lea Seydoux) to Queen Marie Antoinette (Diane Kruger) has the prime position to watch a kingdom crumble before her. This is as smart and sophisticated as a period costume drama can get in this day and age. Though there is a mistaken assumption all viewers will immediately recognise and understand this nuanced snapshot of a famous flashpoint in French history, the performances are where the real need-to-know info is conveyed. Seydoux, Kruger and co-star Virginie Ledoyen (as the Queen's reputed lover) are all at the very top of their game here. Rating: 3.5/5

farewell, my queen

> FAST & FURIOUS 6 (M) Feeling oh so tyred? Hitch a lift right here., US, 128 min
Best forget all previous laps of the F&F circuit. And perhaps ignore that star Vin Diesel's head now resembles a steroid-fed talking kidney bean. Then you can feel the rush of this guilty-pleasure joy ride to the max. In this undeniably entertaining sequel, the F&F gang - last seen hiding out in extradition-free glamour destinations around Europe - is reunited after a revving-up from their old frenemy, Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson). As we should know by now, no-one goes to a F&F movie for the story. (Though if you do, help is available.) All that anyone wants from this hugely popular franchise is to get high on the fumes of one audacious four-wheeled stunt after another. On this level alone, F&F6 delivers the goods spectacularly : both with quantity (the film runs nearly 130 minutes, but never stops for a red-light breather) and quality (there are at least five set-piece sequences that more than justify the price of admission for full-on fans). Rating: 3.5/5

> THE GREAT GATSBY (M) There's no business like showy Baz-ness, Australia-US, 142 min
Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge) takes the collective substance of the classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, lines it up against a wall, and machine-guns it with all the glitzy style he can muster. Though definitely a hit-and-miss proposition, you will not be bored for a millisecond by what transpires. Leonardo DiCaprio has the starring role of Jay Gatsby, the reclusive tycoon who has seemingly amassed an impressive fortune simply to win back his great lost love. Luhrmann has a field day capturing what passed for a high old time at the height of the jazz age. Everywhere you look, it's fast cars, new money, easy virtues and hard partying. Some sections play out as if there has been multiple explosions inside a warehouse storing nothing but confetti bombs, neon lights and fireworks. The movie ultimately works due to the intuitive efforts of a well-chosen cast. The lead trio of DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire keep proceedings grounded by applying a sincere emotional gravity to their performances. Rating: 3/5

The Great Gatsby

> THE INTERNSHIP (M) Your search for a movie that is one big fat commercial has returned 1 result., US, 117 min
Initially, this so-so comedy tip-toes that fine line between semi-shameless product placement and full-on feature-length advertisement. Then it just turns those toes up, and gives up. The one message is repeated over and over: Google is great. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson play former wristwatch salesmen desperately competing for an entry-level posting at the highest-horse-powered search engine in the world. Naturally, with the guys being on the wrong side of 40, most of the jokes told here are themed around how a digital world has no place for these analog dinosaurs. Google could well be the greatest place to work, but this is not the greatest movie to watch. The vibe in the air is nearly always genial, but the stuff on the screen is consistently feeble. Co-stars Rose Byrne. Rating: 2/5

> IN THE HOUSE (MA15+) Something rustling in the reads, France, 105 min
A pompous writing teacher (Fabrice Luchini) is about to learn some hard lessons about his craft when a star student (Ernst Umhauer) hands in an intriguing essay. The subject? The salacious goings-on within a friend's family. When the educator requests further updates from his pupil, the line separating truth and fiction opens up to become something a moral black hole. A clever, engaged and stylish dark comedy from prolific French director Francois Ozon (Swimming Pool, Potiche). Co-stars Kristin Scott Thomas, Emmanuelle Seigner. Rating: 3.5/5

> THE LONE RANGER (M) Dopey Depp brings down the Hammer, US, 147 min
Even the most ardent admirers of The Lone Ranger - that masked-avenging good guy of the wild west - will concede his appeal to the masses expired 50 years ago. A 21st century revival of this pop-culture dinosaur was always going to be a tough ask for filmmakers. Not to mention a tough sell to audiences. On the evidence presented here, only two words come to mind. Why bother? 147 minutes of some old-timey hooey about corruption on the railways, a psychotic killer cowboy, and Johnny Depp acting all nutty as the title character's "faithful Indian companion" Tonto. Poor old Armie Hammer (who?) as The Lone Ranger is little more than a whiny, wimpy passenger in this wonky-wheeled vehicle. With a $200 million-plus budget to burn, the film keeps grinding away for a spectacle that will have jaws touching floors. Jaws will indeed be extended during The Lone Ranger, but only as part of a yawn. Rating: 1.5/5

lone ranger

> THE LOOK OF LOVE (MA15+) 24 Hour Porny People, UK, 102 min
A disjointed, yet distinctly entertaining immorality tale. Commencing in the 1960s, club impresario Paul Raymond (played by Steve Coogan) cornered the market in all things lewd and crude in the UK. Though Raymond blessed with a rare business acumen (he died one of Britain's richest men), the film's chief concern is its subject's sustained success with the opposite sex. Under the cheeky direction of Michael Winterbottom (The Trip), The Look of Love is centred on servicing Coogan's craftily caricatured portrayal of Raymond, a gentleman disarmingly comfortable in his own sleazy skin. End result? A movie that is here for that certain kind of good time where the less you remember, the better. Rating: 3/5

> MAN OF STEEL (M) Polished start, then the rust sets in, US, 143 min
What should have been the Superman we had to have is now a Superman we will have to grudgingly settle for : a long, and sometimes laboured mash-up of the compelling and the compromised. First, the good stuff. A story schemed up by key Dark Knight Trilogy creatives Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer shrewdly strips Supes' famous origin story down to the bare essentials. The relatively unknown British actor Henry Cavill stars as Clark Kent, a tough, buff loner from another planet still learning to harness his super-powers here on Earth. He'd better hurry up some, because some bitter enemies of his late father (Russell Crowe) are on their way. Just as this yarn seems to promising one hell of a finale, the film itself loses both shape and momentum. An overblown, overlong closing act is the culprit. The iconic superhero becomes merely the most recognisable figure in the eye of a digital FX hurricane. The core acting triumvirate of Cavill (very straight), Crowe (very ironic) and co-star Michael Shannon (very mad) remain on the right page throughout. It's just a shame director Zack Snyder (300) threw away the playbook at such a crucial stage of the game. Co-stars Amy Adams. Rating: 2.5/5

Man of Steel

> MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (PG) A lesson for those who couldn't scare less, US, 108 min
Pixar Animation have dusted off their beloved 2001 hit Monsters, Inc. and polished up a nifty little prequel. Let's call it Mike & Sulley : The Early Years. The story spirits us back to a time when pint-sized cyclops Mike (Billy Crystal) and hulking shaggy-bear Sulley (John Goodman) were yet to earn their scaring stripes. To gain the necessary spooking skills, Mike and Sulley find themselves enrolled in Monsters University, a Hogwarts for creatures that go "grrrrr" in the night. What follows is a perfectly pleasant pile of shenanigans that never once outstays its welcome. The pacing of the tale is zippy, the energy levels of a clearly enthused voice cast never dips, and the humour in play effortlessly connects with kids and adults alike. Rating: 3/5

> MUD (M) Look past the murk, and everything becomes so clear, US, 130 min
It starts with someone's boat lodged high in the trees. It ends with someone's body floating down a river. And in between? Simply the best movie released in Australia so far in 2013. Who those aforementioned someones turn out to be are of little consequence to the perfect outcome achieved by Mud. At the centre of a busy, yet easy-to-follow yarn is 14-year-old Ellis (a knockout performance by Tye Sheridan), an impressionable lad who lives amidst a close-knit fishing community on the Mississippi River. When Ellis discovers a fugitive drifter (Matthew McConaughey) hiding out nearby, he gives the shifty character the benefit of the doubt. And continues to do so, even after this strange man is unmasked as a wanted killer. All that matters in Mud is the captivating brand of classic grass-roots American storytelling being deployed so eloquently and so powerfully. What we have here is a classic tale of innocence lost and wisdom gained, one that comfortably holds its own against the likes of To Kill a Mockingbird and the best works of Mark Twain. Highly recommended. Rating: 5/5

> SATELLITE BOY (PG) The sky is not always the limit, Australia, 88 min
A quiet, unhurried and graceful Australian drama. In the far northern reaches of the Western Australia, a young Aboriginal boy and his grandfather face eviction from the unusual place they call home. The pair live at the site of an abandoned drive-in cinema, which has been marked for demolition by a local mining company. Incensed by the news, 11-year-old Pete (Cameron Wallaby) takes off for the big smoke to see if he can change the miners' minds. The film could be construed as a bit slow and airy for some tastes. Nevertheless, its insightful fascination with a fading way of life in the outback (and a people determined to keep living it as vividly as they can) is a small triumph. Co-stars David Gulpilil. Rating: 3/5

> TO THE WONDER (M) You'll die wondering, US, 112 min
Even if you loved the famously reclusive writer-director Terrence Malick's last work, 2011's Tree of Life, you're going to find it hard to as much as like his new effort. Haters of the ultra-ethereal Malick effect will not be inclined to change their stance. A faint outline of a plot sometimes appears in the far distance, then vanishes just as quickly. Ben Affleck plays a man who marries a beautiful French woman (Olga Kurylenko) in Paris. The pair return to his home on the plains of Oklahoma to start a new life. Then he finds himself falling for an ex from the distant past (Rachel McAdams). Lots of almost-in-earshot dialogue, shots of billowing curtains and beautiful variations in natural light. No coherent communication between filmmaker and viewer. Not so much a mood piece. More like a mood in pieces. Co-stars Javier Bardem, Rachel Weisz. Rating: 2/5

> WE STEAL SECRETS : THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS (M) A kick in the Assange, US, 130 min
The latest, powerfully contentious documentary from acclaimed filmmaker Alex Gibney (Silence in the House of God) is very much the story of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. However, all findings do not begin and end with the exiled Australian info-warrior. No, We Steal Secrets is also the strange, sad tale of US Army Private Bradley Manning. At just 22 years of age, this low-level analyst leaked the 750,000 restricted documents that propelled Wikileaks to worldwide notoriety. With Manning's controversial trial in the US still not over, the doco is sure to elevate Manning to hero status in some circles. Perceptions of Assange are sure to change as well. By simply following the chronology of the Wikileaks saga well past the movement's brief, yet astonishing peak as a global influence, a curiously fractured portrait of Assange takes shape. Look at the man from one angle, and he is undoubtedly a digital prophet for a new frontier in informational transparency. Try another angle, and Assange comes across as an analog charlatan of the old school. Rating: 4/5

julian assange

> WORLD WAR Z (M) Fighting the biting with the greatest of disease, US, 114 min
It will stress you out. It will mess you up. But you're still going to love living through every last dismembered bit of World War Z. This globe-trotting, nerve-jolting affair is as (un)dead on the money as a zombie film can get. With most of the planet over-run by a virulent invasion of fleet-footed mouth-breathers, it is left to the UN to determine where it started. If their globe-trotting man on the ground (Brad Pitt) can't find the answer, the world as we know it is over. Each new destination visited triggers a devastating new set-piece. Each is different in structure and feel. All are truly frightening. With the film sprinting at the same bite-neck speed as its zombies, there is little time for character development. This is where the sheer presence and under-rated acting smarts of Brad Pitt justifies all those zeroes on the end of his pay cheque. Who better to maintain a climate-controlled cool in an atmosphere always one degree shy of total meltdown? Rating: 3.5/5

World War Z