A guide to all the movies showing at Australian cinemas

A HANDY guide to all the films currently showing in Australian cinemas

THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO JUMPED OUT THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED (M)

Here’s how you hit a century, Sweden, 114 min

Imagine Forrest Gump as an exceedingly elderly Swedish trouble magnet with a lifelong penchant for blowing up stuff. Now you’re as near as you’ll ever get to an accurate lock on one of the strangest films that will be released in 2014. On his 100th birthday, an ancient codger with a curious past escapes from his nursing home and becomes the unwitting owner of a suitcase full of serious drug money. Flashbacks to our hero’s halcyon days (where he meets Stalin, Reagan and Einstein’s dumb brother, amongst others) places him at some important moments in 20th century history. Though the movie’s mix of the whimsical and the weird will not accompany all tastes, there is still much to recommend here if you love an out-there in-joke or two.

***

20,000 DAYS ON EARTH (MA15+)

All in a Nick of time, UK, 95 min

Don’t show up after the first 3 minutes of 20,000 Days on Earth, an unorthodox new documentary on Nick Cave. Otherwise you’ll miss a rapid-fire capsule of the previous 19,999 days in the life of the seminal Australian singer-songwriter. If you’re not a Cave fan, this opening sequence is crucial, as it is as close as the film comes to delivering straight factual data on the man. Instead, the filmmakers depict what they accurately call “a mythical, yet contemporary day in the life” of their subject. In the 24 hours covered, Cave will let the audience in on some secrets, and slam the door on others. Truth collides with fiction throughout, as does the obvious charisma of the man with the enduring enigma of his work. Aside from some fine musical stretches, Cave-ologists will dig scenes where a car-driving Nick picks up and interviews past collaborators like Kylie Minogue.

***

ALL THIS MAYHEM (MA15+)

Space chase keeps up the pace, Australia, 95 min

A powerhouse sports documentary from the team behind Senna, All This Mayhem is the cautionary tale of Melbourne brothers Tas and Ben Pappas. In the blink of an eye in the 1990s, these gifted skateboarders crashed the US pro circuit as if it was a party that could use some livening up. Just a few years later, the wild-child siblings had burned their way out of the sport for good. Tony Hawk became the acceptable face of pro boarding around the world. The Pappas boys became a byword for hard drugs, excessive violence and boundless talent wasted. Tough, testing stuff in its later stages. {Selected states only.}

****

BEGIN AGAIN (M)

Make it or break it, but just don’t fake it, US, 104 min

There two morals to the story here. Never sell out. Never give in. Got that? Good. Keira Knightley plays Gretta, a talented and unknown British singer-songwriter stranded in the US after her boyfriend dumps her. A troubled talent scout (Mark Ruffalo) steps in to save the day, and soon Gretta is recording tracks for her debut album all over New York City. Begin Again is the work of Irish filmmaker John Carney, whose gentle, grassroots style of meshing music and romance was firmly established with the surprise 2007 hit Once. While lightning doesn’t quite strike twice here — cynical types won’t be enamoured of Carney’s love of the sincerely soppy — this remains a pleasant effort throughout.

***

CALVARY (MA15+)

Hope and prey, Ireland, 99 min

This gripping drama is not so much a whodunit as a whosaidit. Brendan Gleeson plays Father James, a village priest on the Irish west coast who hears the chilling confession of a local parishioner. The unseen speaker declares he will kill the man of the cloth in exactly seven days’ time. If that’s not enough of a knockout premise: Father James appears to know the identity of his future assassin. There is only a handful of adult men who live in the village. We will be meeting them all in the coming week. While Calvary could be regarded as a comedy at times, the sense that time is running out — and that Father James will not be running away — keeps the tension levels rising unbearably high.

****

DEEPSEA CHALLENGE 3D (PG)

The big shot becomes a big dipper, US, 91 min

It ain’t easy being James Cameron. But it is sure is fun. And dangerous. And expensive. And don’t you ever forget it. So say the messages communicated by Deepsea Challenge 3D, a new documentary celebrating a 2012 solo mission by the famous filmmaker (Avatar, Titanic) to the lowest ocean floor on the planet. The mind-boggling logistics of the dive exist in a grey area where the daunting becomes the intimidating. To get to his target drop site - exactly 10,907 metres beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean - Cameron had to make and pilot his own submarine. Test runs are conducted in an unseemly rush, and the not-insignificant matters of sudden leaks and failing equipment are dealt with on the fly. There are times where the doco is as much a journey to the centre of Cameron’s cavernous ego, as it is a plunge to the absolute depths of the sea. Thankfully, Deepsea Challenge is saved by the extraordinary 3D pictures Cameron captures at the base of the mysterious Mariana Trench.

***

THE EXPENDABLES 3 (M)

Everything old is old again, US, 123 min

A third plodding pang of nostalgia for those gory glory days of action movies, when men were men, dialogue was optional, and body counts hit triple figures by the end of the opening act. So which of his fossilised peers has ancient action man Sly Stallone excavated for this latest same-again mission to oblivion? Well, there’s Mel Gibson as the arch-villain of the hour, a deranged nutcake trading in illicit arms. Harrison Ford gives off the vibe of a man who has just been dragged from his trailer, and is impatiently waiting for someone to drag him back. Wesley Snipes returns to his best badass form as a long-lost Expendable nicknamed Doctor Death. Antonio Banderas is way too excited to be here, bless him. As for Stallone, his ability to simultaneously speak and rearrange his facial muscles will soon be something to be discussed only in the past tense. Should there be an Expendables 4, one of those statues from Easter Island could easily take over his role without anyone noticing.

**

FELONY (M)

Guilty? Just say the word., Australia, 106 min

A solid Australian drama that poses a difficult ethical question, and doesn’t shirk the hard yards it will have to cover to find an answer. Is anyone truly safe when a protector is a protected species? Don’t go asking Malcolm (Edgerton). This decorated Sydney plainclothes detective embodies a problem that may already be beyond a solution. Shortly after dodging a breathalyser test, Malcolm hits a child with his car. To his credit, Malcolm doesn’t drive off. To his discredit, Malcolm doesn’t own up. The damaging ripple effect of this fateful incident continues to widen in diameter throughout Felony. Malcolm discovers getting away with it isn’t about to get him any sense of relief, and considers coming clean. Other interested parties would rather the dirty hush-up remained in place. As scripted by Edgerton (his first since 2008’s under-rated thriller The Square), Felony is a gripping piece of storytelling. Stick with it, and it pays one hell of a positive (if punishing) dividend. Co-stars Jai Courtney, Tom Wilkinson, Melissa George.

***1/2

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (M)

Space chase keeps up the pace, US, 121 min

Marvel keeps doing no wrong by their many fans. The comic-book entertainment juggernaut has opened the bottom drawer, plucked out an obscure title, and delivers the goods yet again. There are no big names to be seen (though two can be heard — more about them later.) The story is complete balderdash (a chase across space for a little trinket with a lot of powers). The special-effects work wavers throughout (within a spectrum ranging from out-of-this-world to painted-on-a-back-fence). And yet, as only the best action-adventure blockbusters can do, Guardians of the Galaxy gets on your good side with ease. Chris Pratt stars as Peter Quill, a self-styled “space outlaw” in cahoots with a green Amazonian assassin (Zoe Saldana), a multi-coloured muscleman (Dave Bautista), a talking raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and, umm, a talking tree (Vin Diesel). Ticks every box for a major hit franchise of the future. It might ultimately break down to nothing but empty calories, but it is always full-on fun. I repeat: always.

***1/2

THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY (PG)

Sowing the seeds of dish content, US-India, 115 min

Comfort food as a comforting movie? There could be worse things wafting into your local cinema. In fact, The Hundred-Foot Journey is that rare serving of feelgood fare that keeps improving as its familiar ingredients settle and some subtler, unexpected flavours rise to the fore. Early on, it’s a soft and sunny tale of two rival restaurants separated by a stone’s throw in a picture-book-pretty French village. The first is a famously posh joint run by an imperious madam (Helen Mirren). The other, a traditional Indian family eatery run by newly-arrived immigrants, is yet to forge its reputation. Under the steady direction of Lasse Hallstrom (Chocolat), this delightful tale (based on the best-seller by Richard C. Morais) takes a turn for the better once the head chef of one establishment crosses the street and sides with the enemy. The culinary craft on display is indeed mouth-watering, but it is the film’s winning collection of wonderful characters that will truly satisfy all tastes.

***

THE INBETWEENERS 2 (MA15+)

Tales of ordinary ladness, UK, 96 min

A sad, smutty, unfunny comedy sequel, all the more appalling because it was filmed right here in Australia. The plot centres of a quartet of hopelessly horny social outcasts from Britain taking a holiday in the colonies. The movie’s target demographic is young heavy-breathing gentlemen whose idea of sightseeing is looking for new naked ladies on the internet. These leery lads will find themselves in heaven here. For everyone else, a pervy, grotty hell awaits. No.

*

LOCKE (MA15+)

Our trained actor is ready to take your call, UK, 84 min

Buy a ticket to this minimalist curio, and you won’t be getting a movie for your money. But you will be getting one heck of a stunt performance, executed by a technically accomplished actor. Here is a complete list of all there is to Locke. No need to get a pen and paper. Tom Hardy. A car. A mobile phone. What passes for an action scene here is a sudden need to turn on the windscreen wipers. Instead, across the lengthy sequence of calls that Hardy makes and takes throughout Locke, an unnerving portrait of a man on a one-way journey to possible oblivion gradually takes shape. Just why this man is putting his job, marriage and maybe even his sanity at risk is not for me to reveal. That’s the job of Hardy’s hyper-nuanced performance, and his instinctive choices of when to truly act or merely react all prove to be correct. {Selected states only.}

***

LUCY (MA15+)

It’s all in her mind, US, 87 min

A fast and loose action movie hell-bent on getting in your face and staying on your mind by any means necessary. Scarlett Johansson has the title role, and, as has been her way in recent times, matter-of-factly steers it towards some frankly freak places. She plays an expat American student in Taiwan who has been commandeered as a drug mule by local traffickers. After the accidental intake of a dangerous new designer substance, Lucy’s brain capacity starts expanding at an exponential rate. The power unleashed by this ever-opening mind can manifest itself in ways which must be seen to be believed. And just as often, not believed. The only advice I can offer is to go with the gushing, exhilarating flow of it all, or drown in the backwash as this raging torrent of thrills, spills and ground-up pills surges forwards. Written and directed by Luc Besson (The Fifth Element).

***1/2

THE LUNCHBOX (PG)

Better plate than never, India-US, 104 min

A richly flavoured tale of misplaced meals and unrequited love. In modern-day Mumbai, a glitch in the city’s time-honoured ‘dabbawala’ food delivery service opens a line of correspondence between two lonely people. Ila (Nimrat Kaur) is sending heartfelt lunchtime dishes to reignite the interest of an inattentive husband. The actual recipient is Sajaan (Irrfan Khan), a gruff accountant bewitched by the feeling that has gone into the preparation of these delicacies. In time, notes are exchanged along the culinary crossed wires, revealing the pair have much in common. Will they ever meet and dine as one? A gentle, understated romantic drama that finds a delicious level of anxiety in the wait for a final answer. Lovely stuff.

***1/2

MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT (PG)

Sleight difference between a cynic and a psychic, US, 96 min

One of Woody Allen’s finer light comedies of his ‘later’ years. While definitely a throwaway trifle when compared to the writer-director’s 2013 caustic classic Blue Jasmine, the film exudes a mannered, yet carefree charm that is a delight to experience. Colin Firth plays Stanley, a belligerent British magician called to the south of France to investigate a new clairvoyant sensation. Sophie (Emma Stone) seems blessed with a range of psychic powers that make Nostradamus look like a rank amateur. The abiding mystery of Sophie’s gift duels for our attention with Stanley’s slowly intensifying affection for her. While both plot strands border on inexplicable, a carefully controlled chemistry shared by Firth and Stone keeps us wondering in all the right ways.

***

A MOST WANTED MAN (M)

The spy who stayed out in the cold, UK-US, 123 min

The leading-role swan song of Philip Seymour Hoffman captures the late, great actor at the peak of his powers. He plays Gunther, a German surveillance analyst based in Hamburg, where local intelligence operatives are having difficulty tracking the suspicious movements of a newly-arrived Russian immigrant. Based on the novel by John le Carre (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), this quietly intense espionage thriller can be hard to follow due to the sheer density of its info-heavy plotting. Nevertheless, Hoffman’s immovably centred performance remains a godsend throughout. Who better to portray a man forever boxing at shadows? Particularly one who knows he’ll never land a knockout blow, yet keeps swinging away regardless. Co-stars Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe.

***1/2

PREDESTINATION (M)

All over before it arrives, Australia, 97 min

There is many a deep and meaningless moment in Predestination, but this line takes the cake : “It’s never too late to be who you might have been.” A nice sentiment, but a bit rich for a time-travel movie that wastes a lot of time, and barely travels anywhere. Sarah Snook plays a man who used to be a woman who once had a baby and almost became an astronaut. Hawke plays a time-jumping secret agent working undercover as a barman while pursuing a dangerous terrorist known as the Fizzle Bomber. Bereft of the calendar-shredding urgency of modern time-warping classics such as Looper and Source Code, Predestination leaves its best, mind-bending scenes until far too late. How late? Too late for the movie to be what it might have been.

**

SNOWPIERCER (MA15+)

After the big chill, it’s the thaw that counts, US-South Korea, 126 min

This utterly brilliant, slyly innovative action picture issues a barrage of future shocks in a pressing present tense. In a bid to stop global warming, climate scientists have triggered a new ice age. Everyone dies in the ensuing snap freeze, except for the occupants of a luxury bullet train. In the years that follow, each carriage becomes a nation unto itself. An interior security system — an unofficial set of borders, if you like — keeps everyone in their place. Whoa! I think you will agree this is heady stuff for anything hailing from the action genre. Nevertheless, Snowpiercer is only getting started with its ambitious combo of the high-concept and the high-octane. Without delving into too much detail — this is an experience best seen (almost literally) cold — there will be a rebellion against the status quo. Strap yourself in for a wild ride. Stars Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, Tilda Swinton.

****1/2

STILL LIFE (M)

Departing is such sweet sorrow, UK, 92 min

Eddie Marsan plays John May, a British council worker with an unusual job description. If someone in his local area passes away with no known next of kin, it is left to Mr May to “make the necessary arrangements”. His clients may have suffered the ignominy of dying alone and unwanted, but John is not about to allow this to be the last word on whatever life they lived. So John spends his spare time combing through any available clues the deceased have left behind — photographs, letters, music, clothes — and composes a funeral service to bid them farewell from this world. The spartan structure of Still Life is not designed to shock or chill the viewer. Instead, the film builds carefully to become an unusually warm and comforting experience: quite an achievement for a story where death, loneliness and life’s squandered chances are the prevailing themes explored. Co-stars Joanne Froggatt.

***1/2

Originally published as A guide to all the movies showing at Australian cinemas