I GIVE IT A YEAR - film

Not dreadful but ho hum and not worth a $19 admission for me.
This comedy delivered a few laughs but it's telling that the only moment I really cacked myself was when, following a character drooling over Justin Bieber, a woman sitting behind me said to her companion in a loud voice "Ha, it's funny because Bieber's disgusting"... She was wrong about the moment (it wasn't funny) but searingly accurate about Bieber so well done, loud-talker.

Trailer here

GREAT EXPECTATIONS - film

Worth seeing just for Helena Bonham Carter's turn as Miss Havisham! This adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel isn't a five star film for me but HBC is brilliant in it making it worth a look, at least on DVD. I haven't read the book (quelle horreur!) so I found it really interesting to just get to know the story too.

Trailer here

SAVE YOUR LEGS – film

Urgh.

As with most Australian films, I wanted to like this, I really did. But alas, even a great cast including Steven Curry, Brendan Cowell and Damon Gameau, it’s a dud. It’s about an amateur suburban cricket team who go on tour in India (you’re seeing a problem already, aren’t you?) and predictable Delhi belly ‘humour’ ensues. To be fair, there’s much more to the story than that but it’s just not very… interesting. There was only two other people in the cinema and they laughed a bit more than me but the woman in the pair ceased to be a credible witness when she cackled at a lame ‘sharting’ joke. One moment where I laughed out loud was when someone did some good old fashioned slapstick and face-planted some chairs but I suspect that says more about me than the film. Actually, the name ‘Marcus Cobbledick’ in the titles at the end made me smile so yes, it’s definitely me.

Maybe I’d have liked this more if I liked cricket but anything would have helped really.

Trailer here

 

AMOUR - film

Nominated for various Oscars and deservingly so. About an older couple where the wife is suddenly struck by illness and is faced with life in a dreadful deteriorating state. The lead actress Emmanuelle Riva is spectacular. Like, truly amazing. I love Jennifer Lawrence as much as the next guy but there’s no way she was better in Silver Linings Playbook than Emmanuelle is in this – they got ‘best actress’ at the Oscars wrong in my view. Really wrong.

A beautiful film but a bit harrowing, not one to see when you want to buck up!

Official trailer