Bullet Train
Action, Thriller
Cast: Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Benito A Martínez Ocasio, Sandra Bullock
Director: David Leitch
Rating: MA15+
Cinema Score: —
Synopsis: Ladybug, an unlucky assassin, is on a mission to do a job peacefully after one too many problems in his previous contracts. Fate, however, has other plans as he finds himself on a collision course with his most dangerous adversaries who have one target in mind: the world’s fastest train.
Reviews from Australia:
“The film is relentless in its joke-slinging, often wringing out lacklustre material to the point of cramping. This is most evident in Brian Tyree Henry’s character Lemon, who views other passengers in terms of ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ characters. It is funny at first but quickly loses steam after the third and fourth reprise (which can also be said about how the film serves up cameos).”
The Curb.com.au
“The sheer volume and lack of subtlety on display here means Bullet Train will be exhausting for some, but exhilarating for others, and comparisons to the likes of Tarantino, Guy Ritchie and James Gunn seem inevitable – Lemon and Tangerine very much feel like character lifted off Ritchie’s page – but when the genre so often airs on the side of predictability, you have to hand it to Leitch and co. for creating something truly as wild and as unbridled as this.”
The Au Film Review
Nope
Adventure, Animation
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, OJ Haywood, Keke Palmer, Emerald Haywood and Brandon Perea
Director Jordan Peele
Rating: M
Cinema Score: B
Synopsis: The residents of a lonely gulch in inland California bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery.
Reviews from Australia
“Peele turns the siblings’ quest to take advantage of the dangerous situation in which they find themselves into a parable about the yearning for a fresh start, as well as the grasping greed, that lay beneath the apparently heroic surface of the Old West as portrayed in innumerable cowboy-themed movies and TV shows. It’s a simultaneous commentary on both the reality of the frontier and its media-shaped legacy.”
Catholic Weekly Australia
“In just two films, Jordan Peele has managed to solidify himself as *the* definitive horror director of the decade – between Get Out and Us, Peele has become synonymous with ‘elevated horror’, sociopolitical commentary, and plenty of creative scares. His latest film, Nope, brought with it an understandable amount of hype – after his first two grand-slam entries, hopes were high that he’d be able to knock yet another horror mind-bender out of the park.”
Ductnews in the World
Juniper
Drama
Cast: Charlotte Rampling, Marton Csokas, George Ferrier
Director: Matthew J. Saville
Rating: M
Cinema Score: —
Synopsis: A self-destructive teenager gets a school suspension and, as punishment, he has to look after his feisty alcoholic grandmother. The two spend a crazy time together that turns his life around.
Reviews from Australia
“Saville succeeds in creating an emotional authenticity to Ruth and Sam’s difficult relationship, too, although it’s a pity he doesn’t linger in their mutually distrustful stage for longer. As Rampling guides the film into its eventual emotional thaw, along the way she displays a range that occasionally surprises — in one especially poignant scene dragging herself ungracefully across the floor to get to a jug of booze.”
ABC.net.au
“There are a few moments of lightness in writer/director (and actor) Matthew Saville’s first feature, which is partly based on experiences with his own grandmother. He draws fine performances out of his cast, particularly the talented Ferrier. But the real star here is Rampling. She is subtly sensational, conveying complex emotions with a single glance.”
Film Ink
Alone Together
Romance
Cast: Katie Holmes, Jim Sturgess, Derek Luke
Director: Katie Holmes
Rating: M
Cinema Score: —
Synopsis: Two strangers embroiled in bad relationships wind up in the same upstate New York Airbnb.
Reviews from Australia
“Anyone who lived through the pandemic will find reminders of what things were like during its early days in Alone Together. But despite a title suggesting another gruesome COVID lockdown chronicle, this movie is mostly simply a story of two people getting to know each other through pandemic-occasioning happenstance. Nicely shot and very well acted, this is an all-around enjoyable movie with pleasing moments of low-key romance. According to the credits, the version of “Blue Moon” at the film’s start is performed by the writer/director’s daughter, Suri.”
IMDb
The Gray Man
Action/Adventure
Cast: Chris Evans, Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, Dhanus, Jessica Henwick, Wagner Moura
Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Rating: MA15+
Cinema Score: —
Synopsis: CIA operative Court Gentry, also known as Sierra Six, was recruited by Donald Fitzroy from a penitentiary to become a highly-skilled, government contract killer. But when Six becomes the target, he faces his greatest adversary, another CIA contract killer, Lloyd Hansen, who won’t stop until Sierra Six is taken down.
Reviews from Australia
“It’s gripping and entertaining and it’s loud and bombastic. It’s also totally brainless, requiring very few IQ points to appreciate its entire proposition.”
News.Com.Au
“Two solid hours of efficient content is what’s on offer here, the action-thriller equivalent of a conscientiously microwaved Tuscan Sausage Penne from M&S.”
The Guardian
The Phantom of the Open
Drama/Comedy
Cast: Mark Rylance, Sally Hawkins, Rhys Ifans, Mark Lewis Jones, Johann Myers, Christian Lees
Director: Craig Roberts
Rating: M
Cinema Score: —
Synopsis: Despite never having played golf before, Maurice Flitcroft, a crane operator sought to enter the 1976 British Open with the support of his family, friends and community. Competing at the highest level of professional golf, Maurice manages to become a local hero whilst drawing the ire of the golfing elite. This film is based on a true story.
Reviews from Australia
“What the movie does have, and what just about makes it worth the price of admission, is Rylance, who’s quietly become one of the movies’ most fascinating and unsettling presences.”
ABC News
“Director Craig Roberts harnesses Simon Farnby’s ultra-charming script to create a quirky and uplifting British comedy that manages, incredibly impressively, to make golfing interesting and fun.”
Make the Switch
“For those who can subscribe to Roberts’ fish-out-of-water tale of chasing your dreams and rising above class struggles, The Phantom of the Open offers pleasant viewing.”
Film Ink
Falling for Figaro
Romantic Comedy
Cast: Joanna Lumley, Danielle Macdonald, Gary Lewis, Shazad Latif, Hugh Skinner
Director: Ben Lewin
Rating: M
Cinema Score: —
Synopsis: An American fund manager quits her job and moves to Scotland to train with an opera diva and realize her life-long dream of becoming an opera singer.
Reviews from Australia
“Falling for Figaro’s story is as predictable as burning dinner before your in-laws’ arrival. But the prosaic beats are offset by Lumley and Macdonald’s enjoyable performances. More than anything else, the affable Falling for Figaro really does manage to impart an appreciation for opera, and that in itself is an achievement.”
News.Com.Au
“While the basic elements are there for a good time – including many popular opera arias, in whole or in part -and it’s certainly pleasant enough to watch, the film doesn’t feel fleshed out enough in character or detail to make full impact as comedy or drama. It doesn’t evoke the passion or poignancy that opera – or a story about people devoted to pursuing this demanding and difficult art – should.”
Lismore City News
Official Competition
Drama
Cast: Penélope Cruz , Carlos Hipólito, Oscar Martínez, Melina Matthews, Pilar Castro, Irene Escolar, Antonio Banderas
Director: Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat
Rating: M
Cinema Score: —
Synopsis: Humberto Suárez, an aged multimillionaire, wants to leave a legacy by financing a movie directed by the eccentric Palme d’Or laureate Lola Cuevas. The film is about a man who cannot forgive his brother for killing their parents in a drink-driving incident. The actors clash during production due to their different acting methods.
Review from Australia
“If Official Competition initially seems a little under-baked, even lazy in setting its sights on familiar targets, then Cohn and Duprat’s film sneaks up toward something very satisfying, shapeshifting in tandem with its examination of duelling performance modes — and the attendant anxieties of filmmakers — to the point where the film seems to be satirising the act of showbiz satire itself.”
ABC News
“The world constructed is one of self-aggrandizement, presented as a series of caustic punchlines. Its depiction questions the state of creativity (most affecting when the empathetic Lola, on her lonesome, begins to floss while wearing a superhero t-shirt), the pomposity of the art crowd (ahem…), and the fragile egos that dominate.”
Film Ink
“This film would not work without a brilliant ensemble. Cruz is equally captivating here, and I love her deliriously absurd approach to her work. She is steadfast at pitting the two actors’ personalities against each other, and it’s a really wild ride. Martinez is no slouch either. The straightest of the three, he still brings an element of buffoonery and ego to the table that is more subtle, but equally narcissistic.”
Make the Switch
Minions Rise of Gru
Comedy/Adventure
Cast: Steve Carell, Jean Claude Van Damme, Taraji P. Henson, Russell Brand, Dolph Lundgren
Director: Kyle Balda
Rating: MA 15
Cinema Score: B+
Synopsis: Young Gru tries to become a group of supervillains in the 1970s but his interview turns into a disaster. Gru goes on the run with his Minions and ends up with the bad guys. It turns out that even the bad guys need some help from their friends.
Review from Australia
“Minions: The Rise of Gru is a Pixar animated adventure with a fast paced, albeit predictable, plot. The charming antics of the loveable minions will not disappoint and, though not suitable for very young viewers, the film will appeal to kids over five, (with parental guidance to nine) along with the young at heart.”
Children and Media
“Expect non-stop action, typical Minion adorableness, and secret, evil lairs galore. The Rise of Gru will best suit school-aged kids and devout Minions fans.”
Playdango
Press Play
Romantic Drama
Cast: Danny Glover, Matt Walsh, Lewis Pullman, Clara Rugaard, Lyrica Okano
Director: Greg Bjorkman
Rating: PG
Cinema Score: —
Synopsis: A young woman has a chance to save the love of her life when she discovers that the mix-tape they made together can transport her back in time.
Review from Australia
“Press Play presents a potentially interesting spin on a familiar sci-fi trope but fails to explore the inherent emotional depths. It ends up saying worryingly little about a scenario that is extremely relatable, to do with past love and mentally wanting to change how it all turned out.”
Film Ink
“Press Play’ is lightweight stuff, but it’s nice to see a film that smooshes together ‘Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist’ and ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ without simply being a straight rip-off of Nicolas Sparks.”
Make the Switch
