Your Night In: Every movie on TV tonight rated
What was funny in Vegas is almost as funny in Bangkok in The Hangover Part II, Denzel Washington plays spectacularly against type as a corrupt cop in Training Day and Kate Winslet wows in period drama A Little Chaos. Leigh Paatsch rates all the offerings on TV tonight.
Leigh Paatsch
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THE HANGOVER PART II
***
8:30 PM 7FLIX
The setting might be radically different this time around, but the formula improvised so audaciously in the original smash hit comedy The Hangover is now etched in stone. Look past the odd repeat gag or three, and most will acknowledge that what was funny in Vegas is almost as funny in Bangkok. On the eve of his wedding to a Thai local, nerdly dentist Stu makes the near-fatal mistake of sharing a what was supposed to be a quiet drink with his Wolf Pack brethren Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis). 12 hours later, the trio misplace the bride-to-be’s beloved younger brother. Though few would deny the Hangover effect loses some of its capacity to surprise here, the chemistry and comic stylings of its three leads work to keep just enough big laughs coming.
DUE DATE
**
10:40 PM 7FLIX
There is no point in addressing this soooooooo so-so road-movie without mentioning its blatant similarities to Planes, Trains & Automobiles. OK, there’s only one plane in Due Date. And no trains. But there are stacks of automobiles. And the exact same lumbered-with-a-loser-and-learning-a-lesson scenario that made PT&A one of the most beloved comedies of the past few decades. However, an obvious lack of inspiration turns out to be the least of Due Date’s worries. The insurmountable problems here are off-kilter casting (stars Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis are no Steve Martin and John Candy) and a bent line in humour often more nasty than funny.
TRAINING DAY
***1/2
9:55 PM GO!
This could have been just another corrupt-cop thriller if it wasn’t for the involvement of Denzel Washington, who works spectacularly against type in to come up with one of the more memorable screen villains. He plays Detective Alonzo Harris, a decorated LAPD drugs officer entrusted with showing rookie squad member Jake (Ethan Hawke) the ropes on his first day as a narc. As the hours wear on, it becomes clear to Jake that Harris is a law unto himself. To make matters worse, Harris has fallen foul of some Las Vegas mobsters, who need a massive debt repaid by nightfall. Jake, who it must be stated is very slow on the uptake, becomes an unwitting pawn in Harris’ quest to square the ledger. It is only after Harris leaves him for dead in a house full of vicious gangbangers that Jake finally gets the drift that it’s time he taught his instructor a lesson.
MISS CONGENIALITY
**1/2
8:40 PM CH. 10
Here’s Sandra Bullock doing what she has always done — playfully splashing about in the middle of the mainstream. Those who enjoy a little mindless diversion won’t mind getting wet once again. Everyone else will know to opt for the satisfaction to be found at some place drier. The storyline is a definite no-brainer. Bullock is a tomboy-ish FBI agent forced to accept an undercover assignment in a national beauty pageant against her better judgment. While style guru Michael Caine attempts to drag Bullock from the feral to the feminine (“I haven’t seen a walk like hers since Jurassic Park!”), a mad bomber is using the quest as a smokescreen from behind which some explosive havoc will soon be wreaked.
A LITTLE CHAOS
***
7:30 PM WORLD MOVIES
Any detectable chaos is indeed very small in this polished period drama. The year is 1692, and a minor horticultural revolution is about to take hold in the royal gardens of Versailles. A determined and skilled woman of the earth named Sabine De Barra (Kate Winslet) scores a job with King Louis XIV’s chief landscaper, Le Notre (Matthias Schoenaerts). After an uneasy start, the pair collaborate on a beautiful transformation of a prized corner of the palace gardens. As directed by respected British thesp Alan Rickman (who also plays the King), this is safe, yet pleasingly assured filmmaking of a strong pedigree. As always, Winslet, carries proceedings both meaningfully and effortlessly.
THE DEVILS DOUBLE
**1/2
9:40 PM WORLD MOVIES
Moderately engrossing factual drama about what it must have been like to be a body double for Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s looney-tunes thug of a son, Uday. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t much fun, or much a long-term career choice. Stars Dominic Cooper.
THREE MOVIES FOR STREAMING OR RENTAL
QUEEN & SLIM (MA15+)
****
Rent via FOXTEL STORE, GOOGLE, APPLE TV, YOUTUBE
Those on the lookout for something different, something special and something to treasure always should be assured that all three boxes are emphatically ticked by Queen & Slim. This spellbinding road movie fuses familiar elements many would associate with the likes of a Bonnie & Clyde or a Thelma & Louise to fresh modern perspectives on love, race and community. If that sounds like a big load for one movie to carry, you are absolutely right. Nevertheless, Queen & Slim never feels like hard work to connect with, or be carried away by. A fascinating story begins with a lack-lustre first date where a couple are struggling to make conversation. By the time they’re on their way home, Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Slim (Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya) are fighting to stay alive. An innocent roadside stop has resulted in the accidental death of a police officer. Queen and Slim are young and black, and therefore look as guilty as can be to the authorities. Forced to go on the run, this mismatched pair make tracks for Florida, where their sole chance of cheating a tragic fate awaits.
GRINGO (MA15+)
***1/2
STREAM via STAN; or Rent via FOXTEL STORE, GOOGLE, APPLE TV, YOUTUBE
Everything that is good about Gringo – sometimes great, even – does not appear so when put down on paper. Gringo is reckless. Messy. Convoluted. Erratic. Tonally mercurial. Comedically questionable. The performances in Gringo? Just like the movie itself: all over the place. And yet, Gringo gets away with just about everything it should not. A sticky web of plotting hangs from a manager at a pharmaceutical company named Harold (played by David Oyelowo). Harold is hearing things about his employers (Joel Edgerton and Charlize Theron) – their past indiscretions, and equally indiscreet future plans – that do not augur well for a business trip he must take with them to Mexico. Upon arrival, Harold disappears from his hotel room – possibly kidnapped – and his bosses fail to sound the alarm. This initial bracket of storytelling (there is much, much more to come) is the narrative equivalent of setting up an elaborate chain of dominoes. Once the first one goes down, Gringo can barely contain its glee until the whole lot are knocked over.
JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN (PG)
**1/2
NETFLIX
A third Johnny English flick for British funnyman Rowan Atkinson, and in a miraculous development just south of curing the common cold, they’ve gone and made a halfway-decent one. The story is a complete bust – bumble-magnet Johnny is the only spy in England still active after a hacker blows everyone else’s cover – but some of the physical slapstick set-pieces are composed with genuine skill and creativity. Co-stars Emma Thompson, Olga Kurylenko.