Movie Reviews

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil

The overblown title and exclamation point suggests hyperbole of the most stupendous! fantastic! thrilling! kind. Surprise! says Kimberly Gadette. We're not hoodwinked after all ...

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Ladies and gentlemen, children of ages! Presenting the latest act under the big top, in which Twilight 's favorite moony vampire appears with Oscar-winning film stars. Kimberly Gadette wonders if Robert Pattinson can hold his own in the ring.

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The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec, directed by Luc Besson and starring Louise Bourgoin.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec

When a prehistoric flying beast terrorises turn-of-the-century Paris, only intrepid adventuress Adèle Blanc-Sec can save the day. Luc Besson returns to the director's chair for an adaptation of a French comic book. Paul Martin returns to the reviewer's stool for some procrastinating, lots of cups of tea, and finally a few hastily typed words, with a summary score out of five stuck on the end.

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Your Highness

You know the knights who say “Ni!”, now meet the knights who say “dick”. A lot. Emma Rowley gets questing.

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Red Riding Hood

Red Riding Hood is crammed full of all things crimson. So, asks Angela Burton, how many red herrings does it take to make a part-whodunit, part-teen romance?

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Scream 4

The thinking person's horror franchise returns to the big screen after a decade-long absence. Wes Craven is again at the helm. Kevin Williamson is back on writing duties. All the old regulars are back, only now supplemented by a host of fresh young faces. What could go wrong? Er, do you want a list? asks Paul Martin.

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The Big Uneasy

Well-known actor/author/satirist/mockumentarian Harry Shearer plays it straight, creating a film deluged in fact as to why New Orleans nearly drowned in August of 2005. Dive in – says Kimberly Gadette – but the water's far from fine.

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The Conspirator

Like his last disappointing Lions for Lambs, director Robert Redford revisits American politics, war and self-sacrifice ... but reverses the clock by 146 years. Because who, says Kimberly Gadette, doesn't enjoy an arresting night out at the theater? Circa 1865?

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Rio

Taking a step away from those extinct animals from Ice Age, director Carlos Saldanha moves on to endangered blue macaws. This time around, it's human greed, not ice, imperilling the animals. But, wonders Angela Burton, does this animation live up to the high standards its predecessors have set?

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Tomorrow, When the War Began

When Australia is occupied by a foreign army, a group of teens fight back against their oppressors. Inspired by their heroism, Paul Martin enters the fray, dressed in a black fur suit. Well, it is gorilla warfare, right?

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On DVD: Coraline

Another children’s book adaptation, another cutesy animation – but this time with a dark, disturbing story behind it. Angela Burton covers her eyes, hides the needle and thread, and investigates.

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On DVD: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

It’s the beginning of the end for Harry, Ron and Hermione and the ten-year journey has been a long one for the fans as well as the actors. Angela Burton casts a protective spell and gets ready for the penultimate instalment: a quest away from the safety of Hogwarts.

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Hanna

Director Joe Wright speaks of Hanna as having a fairy tale aesthetic. Kimberly Gadette ponders: If his prior film The Soloist was too emotional, and this film too cold, might his next one, as per the fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears, be just, um, Wright?

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Arthur

In this remake, the hedonistic Arthur (Russell Brand) is now worth close to a billion dollars. Having this much loot at his disposal, states Kimberly Gadette, couldn't he afford to treat us to a better show?

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Armadillo

Controversy and acclaim have hovered over this documentary in equivalently large measure. Paul Martin is left stunned by a visceral, first-hand account of the war in Afghanistan.

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Hop

James Marsden stars as Fred O'Hare while Russell Brand voices the Easter Bunny in the live-action/CGI children's comedy about a rabbit who wants to be somewhere else. Emma Rowley sympathises.

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On DVD: My Soul To Take

Wes Craven is back with the first film he's both written and directed since 1994's New Nightmare. My Soul to Take features a supernatural killer with a special connection to the teens of sleepy American town Riverton. But is it as sharp and well-cooked as his more famous creation? Emma Rowley investigates.

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Sucker Punch

Zack Snyder's latest release comes post-Owls of Ga'Hoole and pre-Man of Steel. But does his only film based on an original concept pack a punch? Or does it just suck? Emma Rowley finds out.

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Source Code

The challenge was out of this world. Could Duncan Jones, whose first film Moon skyrocketed, follow up with a second film with similar soaring success? Especially, says Kimberly Gadette, one that he didn't create himself?

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Wrecked

Similar to 127 Hours and Castaway, Wrecked examines a man alone in the elements, relying solely on his wits and will to survive. Given the story's added twist of amnesia, says Kimberly Gadette, how about the film itself? What are its chances of survival?

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Insidious

Insidious is indeed frightening. Is the fear earned, affecting the audience as a well-crafted horror suspense should? Or, fears Kimberly Gadette, is it the fact that this recycled Polter-"heist" actually got the greenlight to haunt your local Cineplex?

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Two in the Wave

Bradford Film Festival – A new documentary covering very old ground, in the familiar form of the Nouvelle Vague. But can the approach of honing in on the friendship between two titans of that movie movement, Godard and Truffaut, breathe new life into a dusty story? Paul Martin finds out.

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On DVD: Man of Aran

It's barren on Aran, says Darren. “Who's Darren?” wonders Paul Martin, seeking distraction, any distraction, from a tedious blast from cinema's distant past.

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On DVD: City Island

Family secrets run as deep as the water surrounding a hidden fishing island just west of the Bronx. Like the Rizzo clan itself, states Kimberly Gadette, the film is engaging ... but has its share of problems.

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On DVD: Tamara Drewe

It's a case of rural raunch as Gemma Arterton's Tamara returns to her tiny hometown and promptly sends the menfolk into a tizz. Paul Martin takes a country break to find out what all the fuss is about.

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Point Blank

Bradford Film Festival – Thriller! What does that say to you? Er, forget Jacko and the tiger, we're talking more guns, mysteries and races against the clock. And following in the wake of Tell No One and Anything For Her, can Point Blank prove itself as this year's must-see French nail-biter? Paul Martin finds out.

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Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Bradford Film Festival – Hard to say whether anyone was even waiting for a single 3D cave film, but sure enough a brace of 'em have come along all at once. After the silliness of Sanctum, can Werner Herzog's more cerebral-than-Cameron approach convince Paul Martin that looking back is the way forward?

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