During the week of April 2nd 2009, three films are opening in cinemas across Australia:
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Monsters vs. Aliens
When a meteorite from outer space hits a young girl and turns her into a giant monster, she is taken to a secret government compound where she meets a ragtag group of monsters also rounded up over the years.
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The Pink Panther 2
Insp. Jacques Clouseau teams up with a squad of International detectives who are just as bumbling as he is. Their mission: Stop a globe-trotting thief who specializes in stealing historical artifacts.
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Inkheart
A young girl discovers her father has an amazing talent to bring characters out of their books and must try to stop a freed villain from destroying them all, with the help of her father, her aunt, and a storybook’s hero.
For session times in your area, click here.
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Genre: Animation / Adventure / Sci-Fi
Rating: PG
Running Time: 90min
Director: Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert, Kiefer Sutherland
Official Website: View
For session times in your area, click here.
Available in 2D and 3D sessions depending on cinema.
Studio’s Synopsis:
When California girl Susan Murphy is unexpectedly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches tall and is instantly labeled a “monster” named Ginormica. The military jumps into action, and she is captured and held in a secret government compound. The world learns that the military has been quietly rounding up other monsters over the years. This ragtag group consists of the brilliant but insect-headed Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D.; the macho half-ape, half-fish The Missing Link; the gelatinous and indestructible B.O.B.; and the 350-foot grub called Insectosaurus. Their confinement time is cut short however, when a mysterious alien robot lands on Earth and begins storming the country.
As a last resort, under the guidance of General W.R. Monger (on a desperate order from The President), the motley crew of Monsters is called into action to combat the aliens and save the world from imminent destruction.
Worth seeing?
The trailers for this never grabbed me, but the 3D element does. Yes, I admit; I’ve fallen right for their marketing trap. Roger Ebert might not like the 3D aspect, but I think it’s a nice gimmick that adds a bit more excitement to the film, for young and old. Don’t expect the next WALL-E, though.
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Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG
Running Time: 92min
Director: Harald Zwart
Cast: Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, Andy Garcia, John Cleese, Alfred Molina, Molly Sims, Aishwarya Rai
Official Website: View
For session times in your area, click here.
Synopsis:
When legendary treasures from around the world are stolen — including the priceless Pink Panther Diamond! — Chief Inspector Dreyfus (John Cleese) is forced to assign intrepid-if-bumbling French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Steve Martin) to a team of international detectives and experts charged with catching the thief and retrieving the stolen artifacts.
Worth seeing?
It was bad enough that the original Hollywood remake tarnished the Peter Sellers’ classic once, let alone having the nerve to do it again. Steve Martin hasn’t made a funny movie in decades, no reason to suggest he’s going to start now.
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Genre: Adventure/Family/Fantasy
Rating: PG
Running Time: 106min
Director: Iain Softley
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren
Official Website: View
For session times in your area, click here.
Synopsis:
Based on the best-selling book by Cornelia Funke, “Inkheart” is a fantasy
adventure that sends a father and daughter on a quest through worlds both real and
imagined.
Mortimer “Mo” Folchart (Brendan Fraser) and his 12-year-old daughter,
Meggie (Eliza Hope Bennett), share a passion for books. What they also share is an
extraordinary gift for bringing characters from books to life when they read aloud.
But there is a danger: when a character is brought to life from a book, a real person
disappears into its pages.
Worth seeing?
★ ★
I reviewed Inkheart here, giving it 2/5 stars. My conclusion:
“Inkheart isn’t nearly captivating enough for young teens or adults. The limitless potential of the premise is hardly utilised, falling back on the use of genre clichés to link together underwhelming snippets of action.”
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