Holiday Movies

Here are my reviews of all the movies I've watched on holiday so far. (And if you are concerned I have been forsaking summer sun for cinema darkness, bear in mind how long the flight to Australia is and the wonders of on-demand in-flight entertainment.) I have, inexplicably, gone with the poncy Time Out method of marking out of 6.

Happy Feet ***...
No Nemo. With an ending that is as preposterous as it is badly executed, this toe-tapper misses as much as it hits.

Superman Returns *****.
And oh boy is he back with a bang. Bryan Singer is the MAN and I want to have his babies. (oh wait- his and his boyfriend's babies.)

Scoop **....
Seeing as it has a central COMEDY plot-line about a serial prostute-strangler, British audiences may be lucky enough to find this delayed or even abandoned by cinemas. Clearly a lot of tragically under-rehearsed improvisation going on, even by the usually faultless Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johannson. Where did the Woody Allen that made Annie Hall go and when can we have him back?

Fast Food Nation ****..
Whilst lack of plot makes it difficult to commit to the characters, this tapestry of stories connected to a fictional major fast food chain is eye-opening and unsettling, if unapologetically one-sided. You'll never eat a burger again.

The Holiday ***...
Lumpily directed and in need of a serious edit of the opening 20 minutes, this conventional sugar-coated romcom does exactly what it says on the tin. Jude Law takes a bare script and creates a 3-dimensional character that demands you fall in love with him while the other 3 look like they are doing impressions of people in other rom-coms they watched one. (Kate Winslet's Bridget Jones is particularly unsettling). In need of more laughs but easy on the eye.

Little Miss Sunshine *****.
Steve Carell leads an enormously talented cast in this road-trip study of a delightfully dysfunctional family. Surely the performance of his career.

Night At The Mueum ***...
Jumanji III with the saving grace of Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan in an inspired double-act. If only someone had allowed them more screentime and let them riff. The 13, 15 and 16 year old girls I took loved it.

Trust The Man ****..
A gentle look at two struggling long-term relationships. The Last Kiss meets Sex and the City. Perfectly involving but completely unaffecting making it ideal in-flight entertainment.

IMAX Deep sea 3D ***...
Often beautiful. Occasionally educational. And giant squid attck your face.

Before Sunset ******
Still as perfect on what must be my 6th or 7th viewing. A masterclass in screen acting and writing with bucket loads of unmissable intelligent insights into relationships, romance and growing older. Breathtaking.