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Evan Almighty Movie Review |
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OK not having enjoyed this films predecessor “Bruce Almighty” all that much, I was expecting little from this offering. Well surprise, surprise. This film is an absolute hoot.
It is a gentle movie with a strong message all wrapped up in a blanket of humour and polished off with some memorable performances.
Steve Carrell, as the title character Senator Evan Baxter, brings a divine (pardon the pun) wit to his understated portrayal of a workaholic dad set the enormous task of building an ark for the coming flood. Naturally, Evan is a little suspicious / freaked out when God appears to him, telling him the flood is a comin’ and to get busy building. Senator Baxter is ridiculed and ultimately pitied as he goes about obeying Gods will.
Once again CGI takes over but rather than overwhelm us, the CGI team integrate the computer images so well the result is seamless. The flood scene alone is well worth the price of admission.
~ Pam Heinrich
Death at a Funeral Movie Review |
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Having heard several conflicting reports about this movie, some rapturous, some less than impressed, it was time to go along and see for myself. Well, I am sad to say I have to place myself squarely into the latter category. Not happy Jan!!!
Death at a Funeral is one of those movies which you are either going to love or loathe. There doesn’t seem to be any middle ground.
The movie deals with a group of family and friends gathering together for the funeral of a loved one. Naturally nothing goes according to plan (does it ever in this type of movie?) and the lead characters become mixed up in what I expect are supposed to be some hilarious situations. I am still waiting for the laughs a week later.
There are several ridiculous side bars including a mix up with a bottle of valium incorrectly filled with some rather potent recreational hallucinogens and given to an unsuspecting mourner and what now seems to be the obligatory homosexual relationship, this time featuring the deceased.
I am sure there are many who would howl me down for this rather dismal review but I found nothing of any interest in this bland, boring offering.
~ Pam Heinrich
Michael Clayton Movie Review |
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This is a long involved movie and if I can give you a small piece of advice, it is very important to concentrate on the opening monologue given at the start of the film. If you are still contemplating your coffee or chewing your choc top, it is likely that you will struggle to pick up the threads of the story until well into the movie. No prizes for guessing who was drifting during the opening scenes. It wasn’t until halfway through that I finally put two and two together and began to make some sense of what I was seeing.
Michael Clayton is a lawyer, dubbed “the fixer”, with a rather prestigious law firm who stumbles upon what is potentially the biggest case of his career. One of the senior partners unknowingly places himself into great danger investigating the case and it is up to Michael to get him out of it.
George Clooney plays the title role with great skill making Michael, a gambling addict with a mountain of debt and serious personal issues, both likeable and intriguing. Tom Wilkinson as the senior partner suffering from deep depression gives the performance of his career.
This is a worthwhile movie with enough to hold the interest of the most devout thriller lover, just make sure you don’t drift off during opening scenes.
~ Pam Heinrich
The Brave One Movie Review |
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Jodie Foster gives a great performance in this story of NY radio host Erica Bain, a woman whose world is shattered by an incident of random violence. When her fiancé is killed and she is brutally bashed in an unprovoked attack while walking her dog, Erica (Jodie Foster) suddenly finds herself afraid to walk the streets in the city she loves.
A confident and independent woman by nature, she finds herself initially afraid to leave her home, and when she does find the courage to walk the streets once more, she feels threatened by every stranger she encounters. It is this fear that prompts her to make a fateful decision – to buy a gun: an act which sets in motion a chain of events she could never have anticipated.
I found this film to be a gripping story that held me engrossed from the harrowing attack at the beginning till the end. It is violent but not gratuitously so. It is not a mere “jump out and scare you” film, there is much more substance and depth to the characters and storyline.
As Erica starts out on a quest to find her lover’s killers, violence starts to come more and more easily to her as she herself becomes a hunted and somewhat famous (although unidentified) killer.
Are her actions justified? According to many of her own radio listeners, the anonymous killer is a hero. The line between right and wrong becomes more and more blurred.
The supporting cast also give very good performances, especially Terrence Howard as the police Detective Mercer.
There are just a couple of moments when the credibility is stretched just a little far. Overall, however, a very good movie which I would highly recommend.
Just don’t walk home alone afterwards!
~ Leanne Jackson
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