http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2126362/
A
killer zombie clown returns to murder the nasty (now teenage) kids that
tormented him during life. Genius premise! Some fantastically inventive deaths,
tonnes of gore, and some laugh-out-loud moments make it entertaining, but its
crappy editing and relatively low budget give it a clunky B-movie feel.
Three stars
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2053425/
Beautifully shot and disquietingly atmospheric, this French
tale of love, loss, family, and trauma pulsates with honesty and raw
emotion. Cotillard gives a staggering
performance (Oscar, anyone?) and Matthias Schoenaerts’ pulls his weight
too. Undeniably moving, but perhaps not
as powerful as it could have been. Hugely recommended though.
Four stars
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1659337/
An
American coming-of-age drama about a kid struggling to fit in = pretentious
nonsense, right? Not entirely. Perks opens with some fantastically cringey
scenes as our protagonist bumbles his way through his high school beginnings,
then takes a turn for the highly pretentious, before stunning with a highly emotive
end-piece.
Four stars
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1839492/
For
the most part, this quirky romcom trundles along with the requisite mix of
laughs and love, warming us both to Paul Dano’s lonely writer and his
imaginary-turned-real girlfriend Ruby.
However, it gets worse as the angst levels elevate, and the climax is clumsily
jarring.
Three stars
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478304/
Pretentiously abstract to the point that almost nothing
happens, whatever Terrence Malick was aiming for with the combo of 1950s family
life, reflection on one’s past, and experience of the cosmos, he failed. Unless
it was to bore us all to death. In which case, congratulations Mr Malick.
One star
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1675434/
With enthralling performances from the main cast, this French tale
of an aristocratic quadriplegic and his unlikely carer is so warm, honest and
funny that I would dare anyone not to be uplifted. Highly recommended feel-good comedy.
Five stars
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362004/
Mostly extremely bleak, with flashes of humour that due to
the uncomfortable subject matter (a young teenager puts it about to try and get
pregnant) aren’t all that enjoyable. Interesting
use of the cast, and definitely a challenging indie watch, but fairly
unpleasant.
Two stars
