This Intern is light and charming film. Robert De Niro stars as Ben, a widowed retiree in need of intellectual stimulation, who signs up for a senior intern program at an online fashion start-up.
He gets the gig (surprise!) and winds up working for their young, stressed CEO Jules, played by Anne Hathaway.
I don't reckon you don't need to know much more than that. Just know that if you need some pleasant light relief that won't make you think too hard (ok, at all, really), then get along to this one.
Check out this three star review in the Sydney Morning Herald for more.
Trailer here. In cinemas now.
This weep-fest starring Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette is getting quite mixed reviews.
Based on a book by Morwenna Banks which I can only assume is similarly devastatingly sad, this film did get to me (TAKE TISSUES UNLESS YOU ARE MADE OF STONE) but ultimately I didn't like it that much.
Drew and Toni play besties (Jess and Milly respectively) at very different forks in the road of life. Jess and her FIFO partner are desperate to have a baby and Milly and her husband have two primary school age kids when she is struck by a breast cancer diagnosis.
No more details for fear of spoiling but this isn't Drew or Toni's best work.
I didn't hate it but I didn't like it much either so it's a 'don't rush out for this one' from me. Perhaps watch it on TV when it pops up in future if you're in need of a cathartic wail.
If you're interested in reading more, this is a pretty negative review and this is a pretty positive one. See, mixed!
Trailer here. In cinemas Thursday 8 October.
This Australian crime drama set in the 1970s is really great. I didn't know much about it before I saw it and having read some reviews subsequently, I think that's best. There's a significant plot twist in the film which some film critics have seen fit to spoil in their reviews. Honestly!
Sullivan Stapleton plays the lead character Pommie just brilliantly. He is terrifyingly creepy - a truly excellent performance.
My own experience of this film was interrupted by a poorly executed fire evacuation at Cinema Nova unfortunately. "This is not a drill" are words you just don't want to hear. Thankfully it wasn't a big nasty fire because let me tell you, many people would have been in strife if it was. "Evacuate" and "this is not a drill" does not mean get up out of your seat and mill about in the entrance to Lygon Court blocking access for fire fighters. No one seemed to be in charge or giving people any instructions. Epic fail, Cinema Nova.
Anyway, if you enjoyed Animal Kingdom and other films in that genre, I think you'll love this. It's pretty heavy going (lots of violence, for example) but very, very well done.
More on the story in this 3 star review in The Guardian.
Trailer here.
Based on a true story, this is a remarkable family film about an otherwise naughty dog coming good when he finds his niche guarding penguins in Warrnambool.
It's delightful - highly recommend for school holiday viewing with the kids.
For more on the film, check out this three star review in The Guardian.
Trailer here.
Based on a true story, this film follows a group attempting to trek to the peak of Mt Everest.
It did have a bit of a 'gents climb the mountain while the ladies fret at home' vibe but since it's based on a true story, I guess I shouldn't quibble.
It certainly paints a clear picture of how incredibly challenging the expedition is. I spent most of the time thinking to myself WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE DOING THIS?! But then, I'm not exactly known for a desire to push myself to the brink physically so I guess I can't relate!
The cast includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Robin Wright, Keira Knightly (whose attempt at a New Zealand accent is dreadful), Sam Worthington and more. I was totally invested in their journey, much more so than I expected to be.
No spoilers here, just see it if adventure thriller is your thing. If it's not, you can probably give this a miss. I guess I'm saying it's good and I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected, but I can't say I'd encourage you to race out for it.
Four stars from The Independent UK and two stars from The Guardian. Probably somewhere in the middle for me.
Trailer here. In cinemas now.
This is one of the best Australian films I've seen, certainly in recent memory.
Based on a 1995 memoir about growing up gay in Australia in the 1970s by Timothy Conigrave, it's a spectacularly beautiful love story.
Ryan Corr as Timothy and Craig Stott as the love of his life John, both give stunning performances. There's a few laughs but this is no comedy. It's a very sad film and I'd urge you to take tissues!
There's an impressive supporting cast too - Anthony La Paglia, Sarah Snook, Guy Pierce, Geoffrey Rush and young Melbourne comedian Tegan Higginbotham with a small role.
This review in The Age gives it 3.5 stars but it's more like 4 for me. (More on the film & story in this review also if you want further reading.)
Trailer here.
Allow me to start with a confession.
What I know about Compton can be summarised by this picture:
Yes they're cheerleaders, but they're financially challenged cheerleaders.
Anyway the point is, the film Straight Outta Compton, which chronicles the rise of hip hop group NWA, is arguably not my cup of tea. I may or may not have told someone it was about The Beastie Boys before I'd really read up on it.
I really thought I wouldn't enjoy it at all but the great joy of low expectation is the potential for it to be exceeded, as it was when I watched this film. Same can be said of the friend I saw it with. Double endorsement!
I enjoyed watching the dramatisation of how this group of young guys fought to make their musical dreams come true in the face of considerable adversity. That said, at 2.5 hours long it was 1 hour too long.
It's going gangbusters at the US box office which is a great sign. And The Guardian's Mark Kermode gave it 3 out of 5 stars which is about right for me.
Trailer here.
