Abuse and scandals

Oranges and Sunshine (2010)

Based on real events this film from director Jim Loach stars Emily Watson, Hugo Weaving and David Wenham. In the 1980s a British social worker helps adults find their families after they were forcibly relocated to the colonies as children.

It seems that this film largely sticks to historical fact although it does focus specifically on children sent to Australia while it appears the scheme the film is about also sent children to other countries as well. What the film does really well is handle delicate issues in an understated nature without going over the top and becoming a melodrama. David Wenham has the best character in the film as one of the adults that was sent to Australia, his character is complex and it takes nearly the whole film to unwrap.

3/5

Sense and over sensing

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)

Directed by Stephen Daldry this film based on the novel of the same name stars Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock and Thomas Horn. A young boy struggles to make sense of the loss of his father in the September 11^th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

It appears there are a few changes between the novel and the film which both received mixed reviews but on the whole I would say this is a good attempt at dealing with a delicate subject. The plot does a good job of showing the protagonists frustrations at his inability to make sense of the world around him without straying into a conclusion that is overly sentimental. There are some good performances from the cast and only occasionally do you get the feeling that the direction is trying over milk emotional beats.

4/5

This means bore?

This Means War (2012)

Directed by McG this action-comedy stars Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy. Two best friends that work as spies for the CIA end up fighting over the same girl.

You can pretty much work out who is going to get the girl in this film from pretty much the start and there are not a huge amount of surprises along the way. While the film is fairly fun it really lacks enough humour to make up for the script which is suspect in a number of areas. If you can over look the flaws of the film there are worse ways you could spend an hour and a half.

2/5

Judy Moody and the Bummer Film

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (2011)

Directed by John Schultz this film based on the book series Judy Moody features Heather Graham as the adult picking up a pay cheque. A third grader's friends all go away for the summer holiday leaving her stuck with her wacky aunt and Bigfoot obsessed younger brother.

Obviously I am not the target market for this film but I think even young kids might find this a film you end up suffering through. The protagonist is self obsessed and at no point seems to learn to even consider other people. While there is a slightly garish assault of colours and sounds through out the film that did not bother me too much but I was left wondering what Heather Graham was doing in this film.

2/5

Sharing is not all it's cracked up to be

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

Directed by Sean Durkin this film stars Elizabeth Olsen, John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson and Hugh Dancy. A young woman struggles to overcome her time living with a cult while she stays with her sister.

This is a real slow burner of a film which has a great ambiguous ending but these strengths are also the weaknesses of the film. The plot is a bit on the thin side, not showing us how the protagonist joined the cult is an error in my opinion, but it does provide an interesting character study. Elizabeth Olsen gives a good haunted performance in the lead but I was always left wanting more detail from the story which relies a little too much on not telling.

4/5

Hi hi my little droogs

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick this film based on the novel of the same name stars Malcolm McDowell, James Marcus and Warren Clarke. In the future the leader of a gang of young thugs gets caught and punished for his crimes.

Despite deviating a little from the source material this film does a great job of posing the questions of what is goodness and how our criminal system should work (punishment, revenge, reform). There is some great use of language which is a sort of mix of slang and Shakespeare that really brings the world alive. While there are some iconic sequences it does look like the film was made on a limited budget some of the locations and sets date the film.

5/5

Not for turning in something worth watching

The Iron Lady (2011)

Directed by Phyllida Lloyd this film stars Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Olivia Coleman and Anthony Head. The daughter of a greengrocer grows up to become the leader of the Conservative party and eventually Prime Minister.

The problem with this film is that it would probably work really well as a piece of fiction but does not as a biography of a real person. Where the film goes wrong is that it is more interested in speculating about the thoughts of Thatcher in retirement and a possible decent into dementia rather than getting to grips with the often controversial nature of her time in power. Of course the best thing in the film is Meryl Streep who gives a really impressive performance as Thatcher but this is not enough to hold together the film.

2/5