Film Guide - June 26, 2015

Sophie (Chiara Mastroianni) and Marc (Beno�t Poelvoorde).

Sophie (Chiara Mastroianni) and Marc (Beno�t Poelvoorde).

Published Jun 26, 2015

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3 Coeurs (3 Hearts): The gently perfumed air of impending doom suffuses this tasteful, mildly intriguing romantic drama from writer-director Benoît Jacquot. *** WP

Hollywood in My Huis: Sweet Afrikaans coming-of-age matric dance story about a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who becomes inspired by Charlize Theron winning an Oscar. For the tween and teen in you. *** TS

La fille mal gardee: Royal Ballet dancing the two-act rural comedy which showcases Frederick Ashton’s signature choreography. (Not reviewed)

San Andreas: A wasted opportunity to tell a good story about a natural disaster striking California. With a bad script and poor acting from The Rock, the film relies on computer graphics to save itself. ** MV

Ted2: Seth McFarlane again voices the foul-mouthed teddy bear who is now married and wants to father children. (Not reviewed)

5 Flights Up: Sweet, charming, if wholly unsubstantial, story about a long-married couple who decide to sell their flat. Understated performances from Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton are what attracts. *** TS

5 to 7: A heavily romanticised story about a would-be writer who embarks on an affair with an older woman that turns into a lesson about writing. *** TS

A Most Violent Year: This measured character study questions whether it is possible for a person to stick to the higher moral ground and never compromise while chasing the American Dream. **** TS

Barely Lethal: Hailee Stenfield plays a teenage assassin who trades in her guns for school books when she enrols at the local high school. (Not reviewed)

Far From the Madding Crowd: Tom Hardy’s book is turned into a film which explains the main character in a way the source material never made clear. Beautifully filmed and well acted. **** TS

Furious 7: This latest sequel is a sentimental last hurrah for Paul Walker, filled with fast cars and impossible stunts. *** TS

Infinitely Polar Bear: Opposite Zoe Saldana, Mark Ruffalo plays a bipolar father trying to care for two children while his wife goes away to school. *** HR

Inside Out: Beautifully animated return to form for Pixar, this story about 11-year-old Riley and the move to a new city teaches us we are emotional creatures in more ways than one. **** TS

Insidious: Chapter 3: A supernatural horror about a teenager being possessed by a dead spirit living in her apartment building. Deftly directed prequel with engaging characters and plenty of scares throughout. *** DT

Jurassic World 3D: A fun, adrenalin-fuelled ride through a dinosaur theme park where the humans become the food. The loving references to the old films make up for continuity faults. *** TS

Little Chaos: Alan Rickman directs an understated Kate Winslet and a restrained Matthias Schoonaerts in a period drama about the design of the garden around the Versailles Palace in what was then the Paris countryside. *** TS

Mad Max: Fury Road: This bonkers, adrenaline-fuelled drive through an eerily beautiful dystopian desert is crammed full of impossible stunts and a welcome dose of female power. **** TS

Paul Blart Mall Cop 2: This unnecessary sequel makes the original look like an unheralded classic. What happens in Vegas, should have just stayed there. * HR

Pitch Perfect 2: Elizabeth Banks directs a perfectly pitched sequel with more Fat Amy Jokes, lots of music and a bit of a lesson about growing up and facing the world. **** TS

Poltergeist (3D): This reboot might offend purist, but it doesn’t stray too much from the original. It has a more modern approach, plenty of scares and a palatable dose of humour. *** DT

Serena: Director Susanne Bier gathers a stellar cast including Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Rhys Ifans, and then does nothing with them. HH WP

Seun: Director Darrell Roodt looks at conscription in the 80s for a sad but nostalgic look at what life was like back then. *** TS

Song One: This film’s earnest charm and Anne Hathaway aren’t quite enough to get it beyond the slight and very familiar storyline. *** WP

Spy: Fun and funny, this spy spoof is an excellent vehicle for the combo of actress Melissa McCarthy and director Paul Feig’s irreverent, broad yet still progressive comedy style. **** TS

Survivor: Milla Jovovich is a disgraced US State Department employee targeted as a terrorist, even though she isn’t one, and Pierce Brosnan is the assassin trying to kill her before she gets home. (Not reviewed)

The Rewrite: Hugh Grant does a credible Hugh Grant impression in a film about scriptwriting, which relies on Hollywood clichés to try to tell the non-Hollywood story. Go figure. ** TS

The Riot Club: Rich spoilt kids at Oxford behaving badly gives us a thinly veiled look at unentitled privilege without truly commenting on it. ** TS

Treurgrond: Darrell Roodt turns in a beautifully lensed film about South African farm murders which doesn’t tell us who the murderers are or why they do it. Multiple sub-plots are left dangling, but the film will find its audience. *** TS

True Story: Unsettling film about a disgraced journalist who befriends a convicted killer in the name of getting the story, this tries to question mankind’s fascination with true crime stories. *** TS

Wild Card: Jason Statham beats up mobster thugs in a well-lit Las Vegas, while trying to avoid a gambling addiction. Well-choreographed fight sequences and lots of crime, but very few thrills. ** TS

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