During the week of March 19th 2009, four films are opening in cinemas across Australia:
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Blindness
A city is ravaged by an epidemic of instant “white blindness”.
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Duplicity
A pair of corporate spies who share a steamy past hook up to pull off the ultimate con job on their respective bosses.
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Paul Blart: Mall Cop
When a shopping mall is overtaken by a gang of organized crooks, it’s up to the a mild-mannered security guard to save the day.
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12 Rounds
Detective Danny Fisher discovers his girlfriend has been kidnapped by a ex-con tied to Baxter’s past, and he’ll have to successfully complete 12 challenges in order to secure her safe release.
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Genre: Drama/Thriller
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 116 min
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Cast: Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Danny Glover, Gael Garcia Bernal, Alice Braga.
Official Website: View
Studio’s Synopsis:
Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles (City of God) brings Jose Saramago’s much-loved novel Blindness to the screen with this ambitious adaptation. Like Saramago’s book, Meirelles chooses to forfeit names for his characters, instead spinning Blindness around the plight of a doctor and his wife (respectively played by Mark Ruffalo and Julianne Moore). A blindness epidemic strikes an unnamed city, forcing the government to put many citizens in quarantine, including Ruffalo’s doctor. Unable to conceive of life without him, Moore’s character feigns blindness and joins him in the grimy high-security institution where visually impaired citizens are kept. Their attempt to survive in the rotting facility, which quickly falls into disrepair and chaos, forms the backbone of Meirelles’s movie.
There’s a twist in the tale as Ruffalo and Moore’s characters struggle to lead the blind to a place where they can come to terms with their condition, and Meirelles makes the journey deeply unsettling. An impressive cast ably backs Ruffalo and Moore, including Danny Glover, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Alice Braga. Their performances give a palpable feeling of what it’s like to be blind, and even provide a few moments of dark comedy as they stumble through the institution in which they’re imprisoned. Meirelles’s movie, which essentially functions as an allegory for societal collapse, is an alarming and often distressing look at the dark side of human nature. The director often saturates the film with milky white color, reflecting the bright light the blind see when the condition besets them. This glare often makes it difficult to look at the screen, inflicting Meirelles’s audience with a feeling of momentary blindness. An atmosphere of tangible dread manifests itself as BLINDNESS progresses, and the ugly scenes of rape and brawling, largely caused by the meager food rationing among the blind, makes for emotional viewing.
Worth it?
I reviewed Blindness here, giving it 3/5 stars. My conclusion:
“Blindness takes the post-apocalyptic themes of Children of Men and blends it with the jilted morality of Lord of the Flies to questionable success. Whilst an intriguing, well performed and visually unique film, the shortcomings of the screenplay inhibit us from connecting with the all-important characters, preventing any fulfilling meaning from being drawn.”
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Genre: Thriller
Rating: PG
Running Time: 125min
Director: Tony Gilroy
Cast: Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Giamatti
Official Website: View
Studio’s Synopsis:
Oscar winner Julia Roberts and Clive Owen reunite for Duplicity, from writer/director Tony Gilroy ( Michael Clayton). In the film, they star as spies-turned-corporate operatives in the midst of a clandestine love affair. When they find themselves embroiled in a high-stakes espionage game, they discover the toughest part of the job is deciding how much to trust the one you love.
CIA officer Claire Stenwick (Roberts) and MI6 agent Ray Koval (Owen) have left the world of government intelligence to cash in on the highly profitable cold war raging between two rival multinational corporations. Their mission? Secure the formula for a product that will bring a fortune to the company that patents it first.
For their employers–industry titan Howard Tully (Tom Wilkinson) and buccaneer CEO Dick Garsik (Paul Giamatti)– nothing is out of bounds. But as the stakes rise, the mystery deepens and the tactics get dirtier, the trickiest secret for Claire and Ray is their growing attraction. And as they each try to stay one double-cross ahead, two career loners find their schemes endangered by the only thing they can’t cheat their way out of: love.
Worth it?
Michael Clayton was a refreshing and engaging thriller, so there is no reason to suggest Tony Gilroy hasn’t given Duplicity the same treatment. A great cast and an exciting premise; this looks like a stylish and sophisticated thriller/romance worth a look.
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Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG
Running Time: 91min
Director: Steve Carr
Cast: Kevin James, Jayma Mays, Shirley Knight, Raini Rodriguez
Official Website: View
Studio’s Synopsis:
Coming off the finale of television’s popular sitcom The King of Queens and 2007′s I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, funnyman Kevin James takes the role of a single dad in this largely physical comedy, which the actor also co-wrote. Paul Blart (James) is a hard worker, but has never landed his dream job of being New Jersey state trooper due to his excess weight. Determined to support his mother and his daughter, Blart takes the slightly less glamorous post as the security guard at his local shopping mall. He never complains, approaching the job with impressive diligence and pride, but doesn’t get much respect for it. It’s only when a group of misfits in Santa’s Helper disguises take hold of the mall and several hostages that Blart’s would-be cop smarts come in handy and he gets a chance to shine. With a deadly situation on hand, Blart may finally be able to show the world (and his romantic interest, who just happens to be one of the hostages) what he’s made of. Though the villains have several advantages over him, Blart has a Segway scooter and a big heart on his side. While many of its jokes come at the expense of James’s extra pounds, the film ultimately makes its star out to be a hero. With his everyman appeal, James is well-suited to play Blart, showing that even average Joes can make a difference with the right attitude. Paul Blart: Mall Cop takes the banal out of the shopping mall, infusing a familiar setting with energy, laughs, and high-stakes drama.
Worth it?
I reviewed Paul Blart here, giving it 1/5 stars. My conclusion:
“Unfunny, unoriginal and tedious – Paul Blart: Mall Cop is successful only at living up to the standard set by past films that have begun with the words ‘A Happy Madison Production’.”
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Genre: Action/Adventure/Thriller
Rating: M
Running Time: 108min
Director: Renny Harlin
Cast: John Cena, Steve Harris, Aidan Gillen, Brian White, Gonzalo Menendez
Official Website: View
Synopsis:
John Cena is New Orleans Police Detective Danny Baxter. When Baxter stops a brilliant thief from getting away with a multi-million-dollar heist, the thief’s girlfriend is accidentally killed. After escaping from prison, the criminal mastermind enacts his revenge, taunting the cop with a series of near-impossible puzzles and tasks …12 rounds…that Baxter must somehow complete to save the life of his fiancée.
Worth it?
Who the hell is John Cena? Sure I could Google him and save time, but I shouldn’t need to if it’s plastered on the film’s poster like he’s a household name…
Nevertheless, director Renny Harlin did give us the enterainging Cliffhanger and The Long Kiss Goodnight, but that back in the 90′s when he still had some credibility. Now we have him to blame for the Exorcist Prequel, and this film starring some guy called John Cena…
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