DVD Reviews1: June

The Big Lebowsky - The Coen Brothers
Comedy - black and witty. Good movie, one of their best. On par with Oh Brother Where Art Thou. An entertaining and unorthodox comedy with a great cast that leaves loose ends where it pleases. 3.5 stars

Ladder 49 - John Travolta, Joaquin Phoenix
Action - hollywood hero flick. So mainstream you don't need a brain to digest it. Suprising ending if only for it's minimal deviation from the processed cheese of the previous hour. Not as good as Backdraft. 2 stars.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Johnny Depp
Comedy - 1971 drug culture. Fantastic performance from Depp, incredible script, and fast uncompromising direction from Terry Gilliam. A unique film. Worthy of the moniker, "Classic". 4.5 stars!

The Whole 10 Yards - Bruce Willis
Comedy - tv actors... Matthew Perry is also in this terrible movie. I recall the first was funny, seeing the sequel, I can't for the life of me remember or imagine how. 1 star.

Saw - James Wan
Horror, Thriller. Suprise box office hit for low budget horror flick by asian boy from melbourne. Refreshing script and the movie doesn't resort to too many of the horror genre cliches. Some gore, but keeps the violence in the story where it should be. 2.5 stars.

Spanglish - Adam Sandler, Pas Vega
Romantic Comedy, Drama. Don't be turned off by Sandler's presence, keeps his "Sandler screaming" to a minimum, but importantly it is not a slapstick/cheap laugh comedy and he delivers his drama well. A better than average romantic comedy without being cliched. 3.5 Stars

Reign of Fire - Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale
Action, Fantasy. Terrible. Good idea, poor direction, lack of location, half a script. Bale delivers what he can, McConaughey's charachter has the depth of a playing card. English setting was illconcieved and underutilised. 1.5 stars.

House of Flying Daggers - Zhang Zimou
Action - Martial Art, Drama. Not as pretty as Crouching Tiger, not as interesting as Hero. Carves out a small niche as an 'intimate' martial arts film with a love story as the focus. Terrific production values, but not a terrific film. 2.5 stars.

Finding Neverland - Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet
Drama, Romance. An entertaining story with good performances. But the movie does not deliver enough to warrant any particular praise. Depp, although Oscar nominated for the role, does not excel as the lead. 2.5 stars.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow - Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow
Action, Sci-Fi. Angelina Jolie is 3rd billed, but only participates for 10 minutes. A comic book on film. Zero charachter development. Computer graphics are over simplified regardless of director's intention. The full screen glow treatment of the footage from beginning to end doesn't leave time for the eyes to take a break and although pretty in stills, becomes an annoyance, leaving the movie unnecessarily washed out, over exposed and out of focus. 2 stars.

The Right Stuff - ensemble
Drama, historical - space race. Winner of 4 academy awards (sound and technical) and a very good film that not everyone will enjoy. An indulgent docu-film with a superb ensemble cast whose strong performances complement one another. 3 stars.

Ray - Jamie Foxx
Drama - musical biopic. Foxx is an outstanding actor and rightfully won the big Oscar. An excellent script intertwines the people, the events and the music that shaped Ray Charles in an unforced and gripping movie. No additional knowledge is needed to fully enjoy the film unlike the Ali biopic. 4 stars

Garden State - Zach Braff, Natalie Portman
Drama, Comedy. Not a romantic comedy and starts very bleakly. Well paced progression through the movie is let down by a rushed and unconvincing final quarter of the film. An entertaining although undistinguished coming of age/self-discovery drama. Excellent soundtrack. 2.5 stars

Steam Boy - Anime
Anime, Childrens Adventure. The most expensive anime ever does little visually to deserve that title. Uninspiring PG script. Seems made specifically to ride in the wake of Spirited Away's success by repeating the formula - minus the endearing fantasy and imagination of Miyazaki's work. 2 stars.

Meet the Fockers - Ben Stiller, Robert DeNiro
Comedy, Drama. An entertaining sequel. Like most, not as fresh as the first but certainly has its own charming moments. Additional talent of Hoffman and Streisand enjoy their roles and it shows in the chemisty between all the leads. 2.5 stars

Lemony Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events - Jim Carrey
Adventure, Children. Jim Carrey delivers in the multiple guises of Count Olaf and young Aussie actress Emily Browning shines. As well made as Harry Potter and with as entertaining a plot inherited from the published franchise. 3 stars.

Closer - Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts, Clive Owen
Drama. Based on a play, and only adequately adapated to the screen. The actors all give solid performances, and a haunting soundtrack and intelligent subtle direction helps add nuance to the intimate unfolding of the drama. 3.5 stars.

Secret Window - Johnny Depp
Thriller - Stephen King. Not much can be said for this movie. Poorly directed in it's lack thereof. Depp does not excite, scare, nor convince. Supporting charachters are nobodies worth nothing and they give what you expect. May appeal to fans of the author. 1.5 stars.