MOVIES The Monuments Men What’s it about? George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman etc and company go undercover to save art from Hitler. Based on a true story. What did we think? It’s bizarre that such a star-studded film manages to actually NOT grab you. Despite the charm of Clooney, most people will struggle to really find anything in Monuments Men worth watching. Even the supposedly impassioned speech justifying risking lives for art came across as juvenile rather than inspiring. What we’re left with is a group of beloved actors romping through an unfunny homage to classic WW2 movies. Watching The Monuments Men feels like watching your dad and his mates acting out their tired stories. You’ll nod, you’ll smile — you might even chuckle once or twice — but you’ll be relieved when it’s over. About Anthony Anthony Sherratt lectures at university in Journalism, reviews movies and writes for various travel publications, all while caring for twins. He’s finally thankful for his insomnia. Read more of Anthony’s reviews at superquickreviews.com Grand Budapest Hotel What’s it about? Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori) a young lobby boy and Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes) the legendary concierge of The Grand Budapest Hotel go on a series of adventures, as told by the Mr Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham). What did we think? Fans of director Wes Anderson will simply fall in love with his latest quirky film. All the normal elements of his movie making are present – colour, whimsy and a mindboggingly awesome cast backing up an engaging clever storyline. A chaotic collection of characters have you alternating between serious and surreal in a way that - if you like wacky - will leave a smile on your face for hours to come. Eloquent, off-beat and boasting the highest of production values, what’s not to love? Maleficent What’s it about? Disney steal the concept of Wicked by telling the story of Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of the villain Maleficent. What did we think? Definitely not for kids and with a story not strong enough for most adults, it’s unclear who the target audience for Maleficent really is. Die-hard Disney and Angelina Jolie fans will certainly flock to it but the many faults balance out the majesty of the effects and performances. The failure to commit to making Maleficent actually evil really robs the movie of any gravitas, as does the bizarre decision to make the three ‘good fairies’ bumbling idiots. An adversarial relationship there alone would have strengthened a film sadly lacking real backbone. Long story short, it’s not actually a bad movie (I did enjoy it) but those who haven’t seen the original Sleeping Beauty would love it much more. pindaramagazine.com.au Pindara Magazine 99
Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue Three
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