This Means War

A no no.

In this mash-up of action and rom-com, I am left confused and not very impressed. All you need to know is that two CIA agents played by Tom Hardy and Chris Pine have fallen for the same woman (Reese Witherspoon) and they use their spy skills to sabotage the other. The only good point is how attractive each lead is. Other than that, this is a snore-fest. Why are movies of this calibre made?

Rating: 1 outta 5.

War Horse

Schmaltzy without being cheesy - is this possible? Movie maker Steven Spielberg gets it right, so I reckon it is. Take his latest flick, War Horse - it is a perfect example.
Millions of horses from England were used during World War I, yet only around sixty thousand returned. This movie tells the story of Joey, one of those horses and the teenager, Albert, whom he belongs to. When war breaks out, his drunken father sells the beloved horse. Albert then enlists in the army.

This movie will thaw out any cold, cold heart. The closing scene is achingly beautiful and one that will imprint itself on your memory.

Rating: 3 outta 5

Material

Wow, this is the second local flick in theatres this week. I cannot say much about the cringe worthy slap-stick humour in most South African comedies, and expected little from this one. Can I admit I was actually glad to be wrong this time around?

Material is a movie that will make you laugh, genuinely laugh, tear up and root for the lead character, Cassim Kaif (Riaad Moosa). Kaif struggles against family expectations (he is set to take over the family business in Fordsburg) but he discovers his passion in stand-up comedy. It is so rewarding to be able to invest emotionally in believable characters.

The term 'proudly South African' has become a cliché, but hey, sometimes platitudes work best because this left me soaring with pride, I tell ya!

Rating 4 outta 5.

Chronicle

What would you do if you had the power of telekinesis (the ability to move things with your mind)? Four high school friends gain this ability and boys being boys, wreak mischief - like scaring a child in a toy shop by making a teddy bear move towards her. Almost harmless, right? But one of them starts to use it with sinister intentions.

Captured in a home footage style (think Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity) this movie makes you forget you are watching a movie and feels more like real life. And being more real, it seems even more terrifying. Eek!

Rating: 3 outta 5.

The Iron Lady

Ohmygoodness, Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher is utterly mesmerising. Then again, can we expect anything less from the Streep?

As the UK's first female Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990, Thatcherleft the country deeply divided and quite frankly, you ended up either hating heror loving her. While Streep's performance is beyond excellent, this biopicmissed a great opportunity to form an opinion on a character that demands it.
Rating: 3outta 5.

Hugo

The name Martin Scorsese is associated with movies about crime. But here he takes a pleasant detour with a family adventure that is so magical and wondrous, you may want to see it more than once, no matter your age!

Hugo is an orphaned boy, living in a train station in Paris during the 1930s. His late father left behind an automaton (an automated man he found in a museum). Hugo steals to stay afloat, which brings him into conflict with the station's toy shop owner, Georges Méliès (Ben Kingsley). Somehow, Hugo must get the automaton running to discover his father's secret message.

3D is utilised here to enhance the story, rather than it being used as a tool to make more money out of a movie. I hope this flick walks away with a few Oscars because, by George, it is deserved!

Rating: 5 outta 5.

Machine Gun Preacher

A thug who loves drink and drugs changes his life 180 degrees to become a born-again Christian. He leaves his comfortable home in the USA and goes to Uganda and Sudan to do charity work. Sounds like a plot for a movie, eh? Oh wait - it is a movie, but one that is based on a true story.
Gerard Butler plays Sam Childers, who decides to build an orphanage in Sudan in the face of the terrible war and suffering he witnesses. But he clashes with rebel forces that turn boys into soldiers and girls into sex slaves. He takes up arms against them and gets the name of 'machine gun preacher'.
While it is always good to see Butler on screen again, this movie is one that will fade through the memory banks.

Rating: 2 outta 5.