|
3/5
|
27%
|
Planes (2013) |
"
Beautifully (duh!) and expensively (duh squared!) animated, this has its charms, but ultimately gets a little yawn-worthy, with too many characters, too much going on and too many unanswered questions."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Oct 3, 2013
|
|
3.5/5
|
95%
|
Stories We Tell (2013) |
"
This is a hard-to-classify and very personal doco, a study of the stories families tell each other and the stories we tell ourselves, regardless of whether either are in any way 'true'."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Oct 3, 2013
|
|
3/5
|
54%
|
Lovelace (2013) |
"
Star/co-producer Amanda Seyfried is strong in this 'Linda Lovelace' biopic from co-directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, but she's not quite right, with her gorgeous, goo-goo-eyes looking quite unlike the homelier, less glam Linda."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Oct 3, 2013
|
|
3/5
|
75%
|
The East (2013) |
"
Marling's committed performance is offset slightly by Skarsgård's glumness and the 'surprise' casting of Page, who plays the part like Juno grown up (sort of) and turned vengeful communist psychopath."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Sep 29, 2013
|
|
3/5
|
65%
|
Turbo (2013) |
"
The latest DreamWorks animation epic Turbo offers gorgeous imagery (duh), a nifty star vocal cast, some sweet gags and a plot that, even by these proudly fantasy-heavy standards, is pretty damn silly. But anyway..."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Sep 24, 2013
|
|
2.5/5
|
64%
|
Mood Indigo () |
"
Much like Gondry's infuriating The Science Of Sleep, this has impressive animation sequences and expensive quirks but eventually proves too much to bear, leaving you feeling that your mind's turning to paté de foie gras."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Sep 19, 2013
|
|
3.5/5
|
91%
|
Blue Jasmine (2013) |
"
Writer/director Woody Allen's latest in his burst of 70-something creativity (after last year's To Rome With Love) is one of his best and darkest outings in years, "
—
Rip It Up
Posted Sep 19, 2013
|
|
2.5/5
|
14%
|
R.I.P.D. (2013) |
"
Bridges has fun slumming here, but even he can't save it from kicking the bucket about halfway through."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Sep 19, 2013
|
|
3/5
|
60%
|
Riddick (2013) |
"
The third installment in Vin Diesel's adventures as über-badass, glowing contacts-wearing murderer Riddick begins like the original Pitch Black, then turns into something like a low-grade slasher movie with tedious Chronicles Of Riddick-like dialogue."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Sep 19, 2013
|
|
2.5/5
|
47%
|
We're The Millers (2013) |
"
This has a script that initially manages a surprise or two and nearly makes you like the characters until the ideas (or the dope) run out, and everyone's forced to ham it up, swear their heads off and drop their pants for serious scrotum jokes."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Aug 20, 2013
|
|
3.5/5
|
68%
|
Elysium (2013) |
"
Although many will enjoy the grisly violence and Damon's understated performance, what's most striking here is this one's fearless satire, and how it unexpectedly mirrors the situation in Australia when it comes to 'boat people.'"
—
Rip It Up
Posted Aug 20, 2013
|
|
4/5
|
50%
|
Now You See Me (2013) |
"
This surprisingly witty, deliciously well-played and sneakily subversive outing from director Louis Letterier freaks out a little into its final act but, nevertheless, ranks as one of the year's most entertaining pics."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Aug 15, 2013
|
|
2.5/5
|
59%
|
The Bling Ring (2013) |
"
"While many loved Coppola's earliest pics, no one was happy with Marie Antoinette and many loathed Somewhere, and this based-on-fact latest again opts for a cheesy study of fame with characters who almost dare you to like them.""
—
Rip It Up
Posted Aug 14, 2013
|
|
3.5/5
|
85%
|
The Way Way Back (2013) |
"
This is all seen through near-unknown James' eyes, and he makes Duncan a credible, even likeable 'hero' even while his inexpressive sullenness drives you mad."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Aug 8, 2013
|
|
3.5/5
|
——
|
Cosmic Psychos: Blokes You Can Trust () |
"
Intriguing and even enlightening if you don't know the Psychos' music (and you could be forgiven if you don't), this reveals Knight as a true-blue philosopher."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Aug 8, 2013
|
|
3/5
|
69%
|
Greetings From Tim Buckley (2013) |
"
The atmosphere of Algrant's film is detached, as though filmed underwater, which is fitting for Buckley's mood."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Aug 8, 2013
|
|
3.5/5
|
95%
|
Behind the Candelabra (2013) |
"
With a lovely musical score by Marvin Hamlisch and Douglas and Damon perfectly comfortable with, you know, the gay thing, this is less surprising in its depiction of Liberace as a rampant queen than its authorised view of him as a complete bastard."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Aug 4, 2013
|
|
3.5/5
|
69%
|
The Wolverine (2013) |
"
It's Hugh's movie, and he's in formidable form, whether chatting with the dead Jean Grey, skewering multiple baddies, clinging to a bullet train's roof or performing seriously ouchy auto-surgery."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Aug 4, 2013
|
|
2.5/5
|
31%
|
The Lone Ranger (2013) |
"
"This is also notable for a sympathetic depiction of Amerindians that attempts to appease those who might be offended by Tonto. It also proves that FX steam trains are really, really dull.""
—
Rip It Up
Posted Jul 16, 2013
|
|
3/5
|
72%
|
Pacific Rim (2013) |
"
"This does lack a little soul, but it hardly matters, as the full-throttle, über-monstrous fun more than makes up for it.""
—
Rip It Up
Posted Jul 16, 2013
|
|
3/5
|
35%
|
The Internship (2013) |
"
A pair of ace but now 40-ish salesmen are fired by their boss due to the whole 'Digital Age' thing, leaving them to desperately look for work which leads to, of course, their totally improbable acceptance into an internship at Google headquarters."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Jun 16, 2013
|
|
3/5
|
93%
|
Still Mine (2013) |
"
And while there are suggestions that it might get into darker territory, like Sarah Polley's Away From Her, this is more about how hard it can be to love someone for such a long time - and what it's like to be as stubborn as a damn mule."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Jun 4, 2013
|
|
3/5
|
49%
|
The Great Gatsby (2013) |
"
The biggest problem here is the quartet of Leo, Tobey, Carey and Joel stuck with such pain-in-the-arse characters. And all the amusingly anachronistic soundtracking, gorgeous production design and cinematic gloriousness can't make up for that, old sport."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Jun 4, 2013
|
|
3/5
|
44%
|
The Call (2013) |
"
With another whopper plot, this one's saved by a strong turn from Berry, a convincingly panicked performance by Breslin and, as one of the more incompetent screen villains in some time, Eklund."
—
Rip It Up
Posted May 26, 2013
|
|
4/5
|
82%
|
The Place Beyond The Pines (2013) |
"
Cianfrance uses the film's gritty visuals to enhance the character's experiences, starting with a vibe reminiscent of a 90's thrash metal video clip, then moving into police footage territory before ultimately setting a wistful tone for the third act."
—
Rip It Up
Posted May 20, 2013
|
|
2.5/5
|
66%
|
Spring Breakers (2013) |
"
Director Korine obviously wants to make some profound comment about the debauchery of Floridian spring-breaking but he's sucked into the whole sleazy world head-first."
—
Rip It Up
Posted May 15, 2013
|
|
2.5/5
|
62%
|
Evil Dead (2013) |
"
Fernandez's film falls most flat, as Raimi's Dead pics are full of comedy, whether Three-Stooges-indebted or just plain black and gross-out, while this rethink is monotonously serious - and really a bit evilly dull at times."
—
Rip It Up
Posted May 15, 2013
|
|
4/5
|
87%
|
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) |
"
English actor Cumberbatch is strikingly malevolent as the villain here, but he's matched by Quinto (who again almost out-Spocks Spock), Zoë Saldana's Uhura, Simon Pegg's near-OTT Scotty and even Pine, whose Kirk is tougher here than in the first flick."
—
Rip It Up
Posted May 8, 2013
|
|
3.5/5
|
64%
|
Unfinished Song (2013) |
"
Director Paul Andrew Williams has until now concentrated on low-budget pics about drugs, crime and blackly comic bloodthirsty horror, but with this superior character piece he also demonstrates an amiable knack for the old-fashioned tear-jerker too."
—
Rip It Up
Posted May 2, 2013
|
|
3.5/5
|
79%
|
Iron Man 3 (2013) |
"
With a few good jokes, another committed performance by Downey and a fine one by Kingsley, this is still great fun, regardless of sequelitis and whether you're a freak-flag fanboy or not."
—
Rip It Up
Posted May 2, 2013
|
|
3.5/5
|
43%
|
The Paperboy (2012) |
"
While there's much here about family loyalty and a 'don't mess with the swamp' aspect, Daniels' film has nevertheless been most discussed for its sex stuff, with every character having some sleazy secret or a scene devoted to their raunchy pleasure."
—
Rip It Up
Posted May 2, 2013
|
|
2.5/5
|
33%
|
Cheerful Weather For The Wedding (2012) |
"
..this costume drama set in the lull between World Wars is drawn from Julia Strachey's 1932 novella (apparently much-loved by Virginia Woolf) and proves to be almost impossibly English."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Apr 29, 2013
|
|
3.5/5
|
55%
|
The Company You Keep (2013) |
"
Whether RR's too old, as many have suggested, for the more thriller-ish elements here, there's no doubt that he's very fine and still seriously charismatic, and that Lem Dobbs' screenplay tackles weighty issues in a compellingly 'grey area' fashion."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Apr 26, 2013
|
|
3.5/5
|
80%
|
The Other Son (2012) |
"
Some have accused Levy's pic of naïvete, and yet this isn't trying to make bold, heavy political statements, as the director is more interested in the human side of a perhaps unlikely but intriguing plot set-up. "
—
Rip It Up
Posted Apr 26, 2013
|
|
3/5
|
47%
|
Olympus Has Fallen (2013) |
"
With guns blazing and spouting one-liners, Gerard Butler revels in being the tough guy and leads a decent cast, with all-American Aaron Eckhart a worthy addition to the hallowed list of movie presidents."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Apr 26, 2013
|
|
3.5/5
|
93%
|
No (2013) |
"
... features a fine performance by Gael García Bernal as young ad exec René Saavedra, who didn't, at first, quite realise what he was in for when he decided to assist in the bringing down of military dictator Augusto Pinochet."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Apr 26, 2013
|
|
3.5/5
|
51%
|
Promised Land (2013) |
"
Quietly powerful, this has a fine cast and yet it's very much Damon's movie, as he delivers his finest, most subtly nuanced performance yet and, remarkably, actually allows himself to look, ahem, older."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Apr 14, 2013
|
|
2/5
|
20%
|
Identity Thief (2013) |
"
...a yawner plot set-up that leads to lots of wannabe off-colour gags, a small army of pursuing villains and an expected final act in which Jason's icky-sticky niceness might perhaps stop McCarthy from being a shrieking psychopath."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Apr 14, 2013
|
|
3.5/5
|
84%
|
Sleepwalk With Me (2012) |
"
Walking a fine line between darkly compassionate comedy, biting reality, striking low-budget fantasy and harsh psychological honesty, this modest but most disarming offering from funnyman Birbiglia is one of those pics that unexpectedly grows on you."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Apr 14, 2013
|
|
3/5
|
81%
|
Warm Bodies (2013) |
"
Not too horrific, despite a few early attacks and munchings, this is worth it for the music, the genre joking, Palmer's cool performance and Hoult's committed turn as 'R', easily the sweetest zombie in all cinema."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Apr 14, 2013
|
|
2/5
|
70%
|
The Loneliest Planet (2012) |
"
This load of tediously existential nonsense from writer/director Julia Loktev has been bizarrely celebrated as a profound artistic and feminist (?) statement, but make no mistake: it's ridiculously wannabe-cerebral codswallop. "
—
Rip It Up
Posted Mar 21, 2013
|
|
3/5
|
59%
|
Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) |
"
You've got to love any movie that features an army of rollicking Munchkins getting halfway through a Danny Elfman song before, basically, they're told to shut up."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Mar 17, 2013
|
|
3/5
|
68%
|
Great Expectations (2013) |
"
Suitably grimy (if not as filthy as last year's Wuthering Heights), this is notable for its performances."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Mar 7, 2013
|
|
2.5/5
|
0%
|
Blinder () |
"
What's meant to be ploddingly glum drama ostensibly about Aussie Rules footy proves to be a humourless study of forgiveness, redemption and so forth, with plenty of agonising along the way."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Mar 7, 2013
|
|
3.5/5
|
84%
|
Side Effects (2013) |
"
As Burns' screenplay takes yet another dark alternate route, our heavily-medicated contemporary society is fearlessly placed under the microscope."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Mar 7, 2013
|
|
3/5
|
64%
|
Anna Karenina (2012) |
"
While there are suitably glorious elements, there's also a frankly bizarre and much-debated aspect added by playwright Tom Stoppard, so that the whole thing is full of 'Brechtian Alienation Devices' and narrative-splintering tricks."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Feb 28, 2013
|
|
2.5/5
|
38%
|
Save Your Legs () |
"
What seriously irks about Ocker cinema is that when movies aren't about 'kitchen sink' agonisers following the depressing plight of Croatian immigrants, they're, instead, painfully contrived, calculatedly 'feel-good' outings like this."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Feb 28, 2013
|
|
3/5
|
60%
|
The Last Stand (2013) |
"
The film, though underdeveloped, is rife with big guns, flippant one-liners, improbable battles, high-octane car chases and way too much testosterone - all the hallmarks of a classic Schwarzenegger film."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Feb 28, 2013
|
|
3.5/5
|
55%
|
I Give It a Year (2013) |
"
Given the propensity here for being 'outrageous', it's nice that the central foursome of players are so appealing."
—
Rip It Up
Posted Feb 28, 2013
|
