Surrogates

Robots. Another movie about robots and how people think robots are so great and then discover that maybe they’re not. Anyone else yawning yet? What’s worse, it stars Bruce Willis, so the directors felt they needed to turn the movie into a robot-mystery-action film. Perhaps one too many genres, no?

The premise is that robots are used as “surrogates” for humans to live their lives through, which is pretty depressing if you ask me. I mean, how long can you spend on the couch before you become the couch? But it all goes sour when a human is murdered and it looks like the robots could be turning on humanity. Weak, lame, boring. Should I go on?

Rating: 1 outta 5.

A Christmas Carol

Not to gush, but this movie takes the cake for Christmas release of the decade, and trust me, I’m a big Grinch fan.

Brilliant doesn’t even begin to describe the level of intricate animation that has been so lovingly injected into this classic tale. The ghosts are macabre and grotesque, Scrooge is wrinkled and sunken, and old London is captured so wonderfully that you can almost feel the cobblestones under your patent, lace-up boots.

Plus, as a real treat, they’ve made the film in 3D, so hold onto your wine gums when those ghosts come at you. With Jim Carrey as the quirky voice and inspiration for Scrooge, there’s not much more we can say besides, “This is what we go to the movies for”.

Rating: 5 outta 5.

Zombieland

How does one kill a zombie? Let me count the ways. Grand piano, banjo, car door, semi-automatic… that’s just a start.

Welcome to Zombieland, where everyday people are terrorised by overzealous zombies. Well, everyone but red-neck Tallahassee, played by Woody Harrelson. His sole purpose? To kill ’dem damn zombies!

What results is a zombiecom that is going to go down in history. Witty, tongue-in-cheek and downright hilarious, the film spins the current zombie craze on its rotting head, bringing us a much-needed breath of fresh air. Plus, what a treat to see Woody in such long-forgotten comedic form, and Abigail Breslin all grown up and not so cute. Wicked, wicked, wicked.

Rating: 5 outta 5.

Julie and Julia

You’ll need some context here: Julia Child was an American who studied French haute cuisine and wrote a book of 524 French recipes you could learn in 365 days. Julie Powell is an ambitious if not slightly insane New Yorker who decided to cook every single one of the 524 recipes in one year, in her tiny Queens apartment and blog about it.

Julie subsequently wrote a book about her insanity and now the film has inevitably been made, paralleling the lives of both women. What elevates the movie from slightly drab to fab is Meryl Streep’s portrayal of Julia, which is flawless, obviously, but apart from that, it’s one I’d rather rent on DVD and doze off in front of on a Sunday afternoon.

Rating: 3 outta 5.

Fireflies in the Garden

I do believe Ryan Reynolds is an underrated actor. Even in this underwhelming divided-family-coming-to-terms-with-a-tragedy film, his performance is what compelled me to keep my person in the cinema.

And, along with a stellar show from Emily Watson, the movie is watchable, if not a little contrived, predictable and overwrought. Oops, have I said too much? But watchable is never okay in my book, especially when you’re paying 50 bucks to see it. If you’re into pain and angst (and I most certainly am) wait for the DVD. If not, go do something with those 99 minutes of your life that you might have wasted.

Rating: 3 outta 5.

Whatever Works

Let me preface this by saying it’s Woody Allen. So, at this point, half of you can move onto the next review, and the rest of you can rub your hands together with glee.

No, he’s not everyone’s cup of tea, and I’m still not sure which side of hit and miss this movie falls on, but if you’re interested in his contorted view of the world, you’ll go watch anyway. The big draw card to Whatever Works is Larry David of Curb Your Enthusiasm fame. He’s brilliant, let’s face it, so playing Boris, a washed-up, almost Nobel-nominated Jewish physicist living in Chinatown is bound to be pretty entertaining.

Add to the mix a little minx played by who else but Evan Rachel Wood, and you’ve got the bones of the film. The flesh, however, is another story altogether…

Rating: 4 outta 5.

This Is It

If you’re expecting to see a polished Michael Jackson spectacular, forget it. When watching this hurriedly put-together film you must remember that it was never meant for release. Apparently MJ was simply recording the events around his final tour for posterity, so it’s rough and obviously takes on a doccie feel without ever really becoming a doccie.

It’s interesting, no doubt, to see the level of perfectionism the King of Pop demanded from everyone around him, but I guess that goes without saying as his shows were always flawless (except for the time his hair caught on fire, of course). It was also a bit strange and weirdly voyeuristic, however, to be watching footage so soon after MJ’s death, but I suppose that’s the point… you wouldn’t want to miss the boat and risk losing a whack of cash now would you?

Rating: 3.5 outta 5.