BREATH

‘Based on Tim Winton's award-winning and international bestselling novel set in mid-70s coastal Australia. Two teenage boys, hungry for discovery, form an unlikely friendship with a mysterious older adventurer who pushes them to take risks that will have a lasting and profound impact on their lives.’ —See PIctures and Gran Via Productions

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Not a perfect movie, but it’s a good movie. Simon Baker (The Mentalist) who directs BREATH and plays the character of Sando does a great job given this is the first movie he’s directed. The two boys, Samson Coulter and Ben Spence, are outstanding. It’s slowly paced but, for me, remained engaging throughout. It’s a coming of age story but takes a fresh approach. The cinematography is beautiful and the surfing sequences are excellent. Covering some deep themes it comes across as authentic. It will be interesting to see what Baker does next.

THE EXCEPTION (The Kaiser’s Last Kiss)

A German soldier tries to determine if the Dutch resistance has planted a spy to infiltrate the home of Kaiser Wilhelm in Holland during the onset of World War II, but falls for a young Jewish Dutch woman during his investigation.
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Surprisingly good yarn. The acting was excellent, particularly Christopher Plummer. The story was engaging, the cinematography was well done, and there were a few genuine surprises along the way.  Good, solid, storytelling. Very enjoyable.

CHAPPAQUIDDICK

Depicting Ted Kennedy's involvement in the fatal 1969 car accident that claims the life of a young campaign strategist, Mary Jo Kopechne.
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Another piece of history I didn’t know about. It’s an intelligent move that maintains the ambiguity of the event and the lack of certainty of what really happened. The acting is very good and the script comes across as very authentic, but it does go a bit too slow in places. There are a few very suspenseful moments. If you don’t like being left with unanswered questions, you may not like this one. For those who like a thoughtful take on significant historical events, it’s worth seeing.

CARGO

After being infected in the wake of a violent pandemic and with only 48 hours to live, a father struggles to find a new home for his baby daughter.
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An excellent, refreshing new take on the “zombie genre”. It’s less focused on the zombies and more focused on the characters who face profound ethical and moral dilemmas. The movie also tackles some deep social issues. The cast does an excellent job of their roles with Martin Freeman put in a top-notch performance. While there are a few moments when the story lagged a bit, overall, it is tense and emotional. The cinematography is also superb and there’s a great soundtrack. I really enjoyed this one so check it out. It’s on at the cinema but will be released on Netflix very soon.

CROOKED HOUSE

In Agatha Christie's most twisted tale, a spy-turned-private-detective is lured by his former lover to catch her grandfather's murderer before Scotland Yard exposes dark family secrets.
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Typical Agatha Christie story. When I saw the trailer for this, I hoped that we’d get a rawer, more modern movie. Not the case. Pretty standard fare although some big-name actors are in this one (eg, Glenn Close) and they play it for all they can. Problem is that the script is boring and most of the characters are caricatures rather than “real” people. Shocking ending, though! For lovers of Agatha Christie movies, it’ll be ok, I guess.

CATCH-UP RATINGS

|Every so often, I get a bit behind in reviewing movies I’ve seen. So, here are my star ratings for a few recent movies.|

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY - A writer forms an unexpected bond with the residents of Guernsey Island in the aftermath of World War II, when she decides to write a book about their experiences during the war. ****

LOVELESS (Nelyubov) - Zhenya and Boris are going through a vicious divorce marked by resentment, frustration and recriminations. Already embarking on new lives, each with a new partner, they are impatient to start again, to turn the page – even if it means threatening to abandon their 12-year-old son Alyosha. Until, after witnessing one of their fights, Alyosha disappears... ***

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR - As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artefacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment - the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain. ****

LAST FLAG FLYING - Thirty years after serving together in the Vietnam War, Larry "Doc" Shepherd, Sal Nealon and the Rev. Richard Mueller reunite for a different type of mission: to bury Doc's son, a young Marine killed in Iraq. Forgoing burial at Arlington National Cemetery, Doc and his old buddies take the casket on a bittersweet trip up the coast to New Hampshire. Along the way, the three men find themselves reminiscing and coming to terms with the shared memories of a war that continues to shape their lives. ***½

UNSANE - A young woman is involuntarily committed to a mental institution, where she is confronted by her greatest fear--but is it real or a product of her delusion? ***½

See you at the movies!

Movie descriptions are from IMDB or TMDB unless otherwise stated.

TULLY

Marlo, a mother of three including a newborn, is gifted a night nanny by her brother. Hesitant to the extravagance at first, Marlo comes to form a bond with the thoughtful, surprising, and sometimes challenging nanny named Tully.
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Excellent movie. Charlize Theron is superb as the mum. She enters so fully into her roles that she is a pleasure to watch. The story is humorous and serious and, as far as I can tell, a pretty realistic representation of the frantic and exhausting experience of mothering. The script is intelligent, honest, and raw. Try to avoid anyone telling you about the ending — go into this knowing as little as possible. An enjoyable movie.

BROKEN

Logan, an ex-gang leader, has left the gang life to raise his daughter Tori. But when Tori is murdered by an opposing gang in town, Logan must choose forgiveness or revenge.
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There's probably a good story here about forgiveness. But the movie is heavy-handed, preachy, cliched, and poorly acted. The score is overly heavy. The dialogue is terrible. The whole thing feels completely inauthentic. After a while, it becomes obvious that this is a Christian film made for evangelical believers that has hidden its agenda in its slick marketing campaign. The best thing about the movie is the beautiful landscapes of New Zealand. It's a sanitised movie clearly made for believers who want a "nice" movie that doesn't confront or provoke deep thinking. Give it a miss.