A glum and slack family drama, Newcastle is punctuated by bright bursts of dreamy surfing images, but not enough to make the film rewarding.
Comment
05/07/09
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Newcastle (2009)
63 %
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 16
Fresh: 10
Rotten:6
Average Rating: 5.7/10
Theatrical Release:May 1, 2009 Limited
Starring: Xavier Samuel, Reshad Strik, Anthony Hayes, Shane Jacobson
Director: Dan Castle
Reviews for Newcastle
1 - 16 (sorted by date)
A beautiful film, charged with energy and sensitivity.
05/01/09
Top CriticSlightly overlong but visually striking.
04/30/09
Gorgeous
04/28/09
It is deflating to realise that even when doing what they love best, these characters are less than real.
11/14/08
The story is slight but the performances are strong...
11/14/08
For all [Newcastle's] faults, there's something honest about these characters that I responded to.
11/14/08
Overall, [Castle] has captured what I remember of the fantasy of the classic Newcastle adolescence -- all day at the beach, string bikinis and juicy blond teenagers.
11/07/08
It's flawed, but when Newcastle works, it rocks.
11/07/08
An engaging yarn buoyed by spectacular surf action. Emotional discord aside, it will strike the right note with any teenage surfie heading to the beach this summer.
11/07/08
Lingering images, loved for their beauty and composition, the pretty young cast and the contrasting scenes of industrial and scenic Newcastle help keep our attention. At least for a while
10/31/08
The drama is a very low-slung affair, with the interconnections between characters poised to supply us with the only reasons to watch, other than the bodies, the landscape and the water.
10/18/08
Top CriticThe editing, the addition of a gay character, and the schmaltzy music which accompanies the underwhelming surfing montages are all that distinguish Newcastle from the generic Frankie Avalon beach movies of the '50s.
10/18/08
Cinematographer Richard Michalak's gorgeous water-based action shots guarantee the young target audience will want to head straight out for surf lessons, but there's even less dramatic heft here than in the superior Blue Crush.
07/02/08
Top CriticTaken as sheer sensory spectacle, Dan Castle's colorful flick is a "Top Gun" with waves; a "Rocky" with board fins...
06/22/08
A well meaning but ineffective coming-of-age story set on the surfing beaches of the industrial mining center of Newcastle, Australia. Mediocre action footage and tedious angst make for a film that is an effort to watch.
05/14/08
1 - 16 (sorted by date)
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