movies

articles

• 360 a review by Daniel Janks
• Iron Man 3 a review by Daniel Janks
• Jurassic Park is just as awesome, 20 years on! And in 3D!
• Oblivion is Sci-Fi at its Best!
• Oz: The Great and Powerful a review by Daniel Janks
• Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters – a new spin on the classic fairy tale
• Rise of the Guardians will delight the Little Ones!
• Fun Size is exactly that – amusing, cute and lots of fun!
• Paranorman will delight young and old alike
• Review of BULLY: A documentary on peer-to-peer bullying in schools across America
• Movie review: Disney/Pixar’s BRAVE in 3D
• Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, a review by Daniel Janks
• Battleship is great science fiction adventure
• Don’t Miss American Pie Reunion!
• The Lorax is a treat for Dr Seuss Fans!
• If you like action, action, and more action, you have to see Safe House
• Hugo – A 3D adventure for young and old
• Tintin hits the big screen in 3D
• Puss in Boots is a hilarious 3-D comedy adventure for the whole family!
• Cowboys and Aliens – an exciting 3-D collaboration of two popular Movie Genres!
• Super 8 – A super Sci-Fi movie adventure for young and old alike!
• Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon – The saga continues…
• Thor – a movie review
• Rio – a movie review
• Hop the movie: a review
• Rango will Bring a Smile to Your Face!
• Bieber Fever
• “Never Say Never!” Justin Bieber didn’t….
• “True Grit” brilliant remake of the classic western
• Scott Pilgrim vs.The World, a review
• “The End of The Line”, imagine life without fish
• Charlie St Cloud, a review
• Despicable Me in 3D, a review
• Jock of the Bushveld soon in 3D and as theatre
• Marmaduke : a movie review
• Toy Story 3 in 3D: a review
• Space Chimps 2: write a review and win
• Nanny Mcphee 2 – movie reviews
• How To Train Your Dragon 3D – movie review
• Alice in Wonderland 3D – a movie review
• The Princess and the Frog – a movie review

Reviewer  Daniel Janks: actor, creative director, writer, cynic, father, husband. He was born in 1977 and has still not died. He loves many things, chief among which are his mythic wife and odd girl-child.  Visit his website

A beautiful wandering fable of real lives without any explosions.

Bottom Line

What a great film. The film is interesting, engaging, moving and thought provoking, all without being self-consciously arty and off-the-beaten-track. It’s an easy watch that’s really worth watching.

Plot

It’s more a bunch of grapes than a grapefruit. The film is made up of many small sub-plots that interweave themselves and softly touch each other here and there. The married man thinking of cheating on his wife. The young pretty girl who turns to turning tricks to help herself out of her life. The dentist in love with is dental aid. The father searching for his daughter. The jilted Brazilian beauty. Each story is powerful, and touching and relevant. Their intermingling is brilliantly done and holds our attention as much as the narratives themselves.

Acting

Each of the performances is immaculate. A hell of a claim, but true none the less. The cast is made up of un-known (to me) European and named Hollywood actors. And all deliver desperately real, really believable and intensely moving performances, none really better than any other. Each vignette shines, and each performance sparkles.

Directing

Fernando Meirelles is a genius, another tall claim, but again, I think, a true one. Along with his other films like City of God, The Constant Gardner, and Blindness, 360 seems to come from no-where. No big hoopla, no big glitz or glam, but huge integrity and major punch. 360 is masterfully directed, especially considering each small story has so little time to tell itself. But each is rich and fully formed. A real achievement of both writing and directing.

So…

If you like art-house, and even if you don’t, go see it. Go go go. But if you think Saw, The Fast and the Furious or Transformers are the best films ever made, maybe give it a skip.

Don’t take your kids cos there’s some boobies, some sex and they might not know what’s going on at any given point. This is more of a date-night flik.

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Reviewer  Daniel Janks: actor, creative director, writer, cynic, father, husband. He was born in 1977 and has still not died. He loves many things, chief among which are his mythic wife and odd girl-child.  Visit his website

Iron Man 1, brilliant.
Iron Man 2, OK.
Iron Man 3, Really good but a bit of a mystery.

Plot

This is where the film kind of confuses me. It’s sort of about a bunch of super human geyser elements trying to blow things up. But it’s also about a terrorist organisation trying to the teach the world a lesson. But the two are sort of the same thing, but not really. It’s also sort of about Tony Stark having panic attacks, but we’re not really sure why, and it’s also sort of about his Iron Mannery getting a bit out of control, but I fail to see how that’s a problem.

So while I’m not sure what the film is about, I am very sure I really enjoyed it. Especially the comedy aspects, which, having been present in number one and two, are almost omni-present in three. Keep a close eye on The Mandarin, he’s not what he seems, but what he is, is infinitely better.

Acting

Look, it’s Iron Man, right. So Robert will be cute and funny and tragic and stuff. And he is. And Gwyneth will be pouty and disapproving and sexy-like. And she is. And Don will be, well Don will be Don right? He always is. None of them are going to get any Oscars, but they know that as well as we do. It is what it is, and it’s awesome. Except for Sir Ben. Sir Ben might get an Oscar. He won’t, but he maybe kinda could.

Directing

Jon Favreau, hands over the reins to Shane Black, who did a better job with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, but a good job here. It’s not rocket science and he doesn’t get in its way.

So…

It’s Iron Man. It’s good solid super-hero fun. It’s what Thor wishes it was and what The Avengers couldn’t have existed without. Go see it, you know you want to, and you won’t be disappointed. Just a bit befuddled.

Take the 13+ kids, but be careful, you’ll enjoy it as much as they will.

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Review by Joy Dembo, married with a 21 yr old son, 29 yr old daughter &  a 9  mnth old grandson. Recruitment Response Handling Consultant and Freelance Copywriter, vegetarian and animal lover. Visit her blog.

It is hard to believe 20 years have passed since the block buster, Jurassic Park, hit our screens in 1993.  Based on the novel by Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park was a Universal Studios/Steven Spielberg sci-fi triumph.

The computer generated animation was so incredible that one almost believed that the dinosaurs were real. In fact, this movie was a real trip back to the Jurassic age.

My children were very young when the first Jurassic Park movie was released but I bought them the video and they subsequently watched it over and over. But, trust me when I tell you that the third dimension really adds to the excitement.  Even though I knew what to expect, I was engrossed, and I can confidently say that you will be too, despite the fact that you have probably seen it.

Watching John Hammond, the eccentric millionaire, create the ultimate theme park, featuring real dinosaurs, cloned from fossilised dinosaur DNA…. and all the drama that followed…. brought it all back to me, and even though I enjoyed every minute of this 3D offering, I almost envied the youngsters who haven’t seen it before, as they are in for an extra special treat.

It is not without good reason that Jurassic Park is still the 16th highest grossing film ever made – quite an achievement when you consider how many classic films have been made over the years.

Sam Neil as the Paleontologist, Dr Alan Grant and Laura Dern, as the Paleobotonist, Dr Ellie Sattler, are as amazing as ever, and Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough complete the impressive cast.

The movie is being released on Friday, 10 May, at cinemas countrywide, and has been classified PG 10-12.

Grab some popcorn and treat yourself and your kids to a MAMMOTH 3D adventure!

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Review by Joy Dembo, married with a 21 yr old son, 29 yr old daughter &  a 9  mnth old grandson. Recruitment Response Handling Consultant and Freelance Copywriter, vegetarian and animal lover. Visit her blog.

It’s the year 2077 and 60 years have passed since the alien Scavengers attacked the Earth and caused havoc, resulting in severe damage to the planet and the destruction of earth’s moon. Life as we know it is no longer sustainable on Earth and the surviving Earthlings have relocated to the Planet Titan.

Technician number 49,  Jack Harper (Played by Tom Cruise),  is one of the last few people who still visits Earth to ensure that the remaining resources are extracted and maintain the drones that protect the temporary space station where humans are controlling these operations.  He and his communications officer, Victoria, live in one of the work towers hovering above the earth.  Both have had all memory of their former lives erased to protect them if captured and interrogated.

Jack and Victoria have 2 weeks left on their mission before they join the rest of civilisation on Titan. Jack is troubled as he has been having flashbacks of a woman and the Empire State Building before the invasion of the “Scavs” but says nothing to Victoria, who is in love with him.

And then….  A spaceship named the Odyssey crashes onto the surface of the Earth and Jack goes to investigate and what he finds leads to a series of events which lead him to believe that things are not as they seem!

The movie is exciting, funny and heartwarming and the plot is very clever!

The effects are breathtaking and the movie features an amazing cast, which includes Morgan Freeman. The movie was written and directed by Joseph Kosinski.

Being the Sc-fi, Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman junkie that I am, I absolutely loved this show!

The movie is classified 10 LV, and isn’t for the very young, but the tweenies and teens will enjoy it, as will adult sci-fi fans.

The film was released on 19 April at theatres countrywide.

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Reviewer  Daniel Janks: actor, creative director, writer, cynic, father, husband. He was born in 1977 and has still not died. He loves many things, chief among which are his mythic wife and odd girl-child.  Visit his website

Director:          Sam Raimi

Writer:             Mitchell Kapner

Cast:               James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis

Bottom Line

I loved this film. It’s fun, and spectacular, and witty, and clever. The story is interesting, providing a new take on an old theme, while the world of Oz itself is entrancing without being over-imagined. The twists in the tale are clearly telegraphed, and easy to see coming, but somehow this feels like it’s part of the film’s charm rather than a failed attempt to dupe the audience.

Most the all the film is fun. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a self-confidently fun film. It sets out to be fun, never taking itself too seriously, and always manages to entertain without ever seeming to try too hard.

Plot

The film covers events that take place before Dorothy ever leaves Kansas. Rather we meet Oz, a carnival magician and charlatan too weak to tell the truth and too seduced by his on showmanship to realise his own potential. Before long he’s whisked away by a good old Kansas tornado to a land far away from the bleak and monochrome world we all live our lives in.

Oz finds himself in the Land of Oz, a magical kingdom beset by evil and desperately yearning for the arrival of a prophesied hero who can save the good people, who are terrorized by dark witches and their squadrons of flying baboons.

Oz finds himself playing the role of his life, as a powerful wizard who wins the hearts and minds of the people and promises to use his great powers to deliver them from danger and free the land from dankness.

Only Oz doesn’t have any powers. And it’ll only be so long until his secret comes out, and the truth is revealed.

 Acting

The acting is all slightly hammy. There’s a consistent exaggerated performance style and the over-acted emotions are strange and take a while to settle into. But before long we learn to love the old fashioned style and it becomes charming. This olden-day acting is only one of many clever references to the original movie classic, The Wizard of Oz, that holds such a fond place in many of our hearts, and the placing of this film as a real prequel to the original is brilliantly handled.

Directing

All of the film’s strengths are anchored by the strong directorial vision, and Raimi balances the film’s many facets delicately and superbly. The directing is subtle and nuanced and provides a strong foundation for the narrative.

So…

It’s great. Go see it and take your kids. Do take note of the film’s PG rating though, it’s pretty scary at times and younger kids may want to hold your hand, which is an added bonus if you ask this dad.

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Review by Joy Dembo, married with a 21 yr old son, 28 yr old daughter &  a 3 mnth old grandson. Recruitment Response Handling Consultant and Freelance Copywriter, vegetarian and animal lover. Visit her blog.

Paramount’s latest 3 D offering is the sequel to the Brothers Grimm Fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel, which was first published in 1812.  Although the action is set in the early 19th Century, it features modern day ideas and attitudes and this makes it pretty entertaining, if a bit silly.

Filmed in Germany, the film stars Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton as the adult bother and sister team.

The film briefly recaps Hansel and Gretel’s childhood ordeal, showing them being abandoned in the forest by their father, finding the gingerbread house, being captured by the witch and their escape and ultimate killing of the witch.

15 years later, Hansel and Gretel are grown up and have dedicated their lives to tracking down and eliminating witches.  They are revered bounty hunters and their witch hunting success stories are known far and wide.

The town of Augsburg is being plagued by the mysterious disappearance of a number of children, and the Mayor suspects that they have been abducted by witches and secures the services of Hansel and Gretel to find out what’s going on,   rescue the children and get rid of those responsible for the kidnappings. When they arrive in town, they intervene in the execution of a pretty young woman named Mina, who is about to be burned at the stake for suspected witch craft.  Mina has a secret of her own, and soon becomes a powerful ally of the Duo.

The film features loads of action, fierce confrontations, lots of witches, a scary but kind-hearted Troll, an on-going theme of good verses evil, brilliant imagery, wonderful special effects and some startling revelations.

Whilst the movie is not for the little ones due to the use of bad language and some frightening witch transformation scenes, the 16+ teens will love it.  I think if I were still a teenager, I would aspire to be Gretel, for sure! She’s beautiful, agile, bold and smart.  And, of course, the boys will want to emulate the gorgeous Renner!

Framke Janssen makes a brilliant leader of the Deadly Coven of “bad witches” and her transformation from beautiful seductress to gnarly old witch is pretty spectacular.

The fact that the movie is in 3D makes it that much more fun.

There are a lot of comical moments, combined with a fantasy horror theme.

The film is classified 16 L D and was released at cinemas countrywide on 22 February.

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Review by Joy Dembo, married with a 21 yr old son, 28 yr old daughter &  a 3 mnth old grandson. Recruitment Response Handling Consultant and Freelance Copywriter, vegetarian and animal lover. Visit her blog.

Rise of the Guardians is a really beautiful kids’ movie. Released by Paramount, in 3D, this animated fantasy adventure is based on William Joyce’s Guardians of Childhood series.

The movie begins with Jack Frost (voiced by Chris Pine), relating  how he came to be lifted from broken ice, by The Man in the Moon,  hundreds of years before.  He feels dejected as he is invisible and feels that  people don’t believe he exists. Meanwhile, at the North Pole, a Jolly Russian known as  North, aka Santa Claus (voiced by Alec Baldwin), discovers that Pitch, the Bogeyman (voiced by Jude Law),  is on a mission to instill fear, terror and darkness in the lives of  all the children of the world. North hurriedly summonses the other Guardians of Childhood, the Tooth Fairy,  (voiced by Isla Fisher), the Easter Bunny, (voiced by Hugh Jackman) and the Sandman, (who doesn’t speak!), and explains to them the threat they are facing.

The ultimate power is the Man in the Moon, and he decides to elect a new Guardian to assist them. And guess who he chooses?  Jack Frost, of course! Jack is not keen to accept but North persuades him to join them in their mission to stop Pitch.

Their primary goal is make sure that the children don’t stop believing in the Guardians. But this proves difficult as Pitch slowly but surely thwarts the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and the Sandman and the children start losing faith. All except one little boy named Jamie, who accidently discovers the Guardians in his room. As long as Jamie believes, they have a fighting chance!

Saving the childrens’ baby teeth,  and all their childhood memories, fighting off Pitch’s horde of ‘nightmares’ and regaining the children’s belief in them are just some of the challenges the Guardians overcome.  All making for a rip roaring adventure and a kaleidoscope of colour and special effects.

Add to this the touching revelation of how Jack became a winter spirit, and u have a winning formula for an enjoyable movie, filled with love, excitement and adventure.

Guaranteed to fill those little minds with wonder, so don’t delay, take the kids to see Rise of the Guardians!

Opens on 7 December at theaters country wide.

Click here to enter the competition to win Rise of the Guardians merchandise worth R1150 ( expires December 12th)

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Review by Joy Dembo, married with a 21 yr old son, 28 yr old daughter &  a 3 mnth old grandson. Recruitment Response Handling Consultant and Freelance Copywriter, vegetarian and animal lover. Visit her blog.

Fun Size, Paramount’s latest release, will definitely delight the Teens and Tweenies, but it is very comical and I’m guessing that the adults will enjoy the silliness and the humour too.  I certainly did!

The movie centres on Wren, a pretty teenager, and her little brother Albert (Jackson Nicholl) and their friends and family.  Wren, who is fairly normal, comes from a highly dysfunctional family!  Her dad has passed away and her mom, Joy, (Chelsea Handler) has taken up with a much younger guy.  Her little brother doesn’t talk at all,  and clearly isn’t playing with a full deck (or so it seems!).

The movie begins on Halloween, when Wren is invited to THE Halloween Party of the year, hosted by THE school jock, who appears to have his sights set on getting to know her better.  She cannot believe her luck, but her dreams are shattered when her mom asks her to babysit Albert, so she can go to a funky party with her boyfriend.  Wren’s ditzy and irresponsible best friend, April, is mortified that they can’t go to the party, but sticks with Wren as she takes her bother trick or treating around the neighbourhood.   Whilst wondering around a “haunted house”, Albert disappears into the crowd of kids and they embark on a frantic search to find him, before their mom gets home.

Wren and April are joined by Peng, co-captain of the debate team, and Peng’s best friend, nerdy, but very sweet, Roosevelt, who comes from a family of two “shoowah” and oh so chilled and intelligent Lesbian moms! Despite his better judgment, Roosevelt has a crush on Wren and despite the fact that he is the classic good-goody, he breaks all the rules to help her.

Meanwhile, Albert is off on an adventure of his own, blissfully unaware of the chaos he is causing.

If this sounds like fun, trust me, it is!  So, grab your kids and head out to see this movie this weekend.

The movie, which is directed by Josh Schwartz and written by Max Werner, is rated PG-13 and releases countrywide on 23 November, just in time for the school holidays.

Note: If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to the uniquely detailed free weekly newsletter for parents in Gauteng – Jozikids – or KwaZulu-Natal – Kznkids.

by Joy Dembo, married with a 21 yr old son, 28 yr old daughter &  a 3 mnth old grandson. Recruitment Response Handling Consultant and Freelance Copywriter, vegetarian and animal lover. Visit her blog.

When I first heard about Paranorman, I thought to myself “An animated horror movie for kids? Seriously?”.  But, I have to say that the producers and the directors,  Sam Fell and Chris Butler, really hit the jackpot with Paranorman!  It is the sweetest, most entertaining, charming movie I have seen in a long time!

The story is about a little boy named Norman Babcock, who is able to see and communicate with the dead, including his late grandmother, and various ghosts and ghouls who live in his town. Sadly, though, nobody believes he really has this ability and he is considered a real weirdo.  The kids at school bully and laugh at him and make his life a total misery.  However, a fat, nerdy kid named Neil,  who has been equally ostracized all his life, takes a shine to Norman and decides to hang out with him.

During the school pantomime, commemorating the Massachusetts town’s execution of a young witch, over 300 years previously, Norman has a scary vision, and shortly thereafter, he is approached by his strange uncle whom he hasn’t seen in many years, and he tells Norman that the vision is a sign that Norman will soon have to take over his annual ritual of protecting the town from the spirit of the witch.

Plagued by visions and frequent visits from his uncle, now deceased, Norman embarks on a scary, wild, challenging and ultimately rewarding journey to save the town’s ancestors, and the town itself,  from the centuries old curse of the witch.

With the whole town relying on Norman, he and Neil, joined by the school’s biggest bully, Alvin, and Norman’s  pretty, but totally brainless stereotypical American teenage sister, Courtney, eventually emerge triumphant. But, in the process they have to deal with zombies, ghosts, witches and the skeptical grown-ups, pushing Norman’s paranormal abilities to the limit!

I don’t want to give away too much, but the ending is sweet and heartwarming.

The characters are brilliantly voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck and Christopher Mintz-Plass.

The film has been classified as a comedy thriller and would honestly delight just about everyone.

Take the kids to see this epic 3D movie, and don’t be shy to tell everyone how much YOU enjoyed it afterwards!

Paranorman releases at cinemas countrywide on Friday, 09 November 2012.

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Reviewer: Roy Blumenthal,  a visual facilitator, making pictures of meetings.  He paints the things you say and works internationally.  Visit his website 

The film starts on a tight shot of a man’s face. His eyes look red and watery. He’s talking about his son as a quiet, different kid, one who had a target on his back from the start. A kid who got told by bullies
to hang himself.

BULLY is not a feel-good documentary. It also doesn’t answer any questions about how bullying can be eradicated. But it certainly raises many questions.

Here’s my suggestion about this movie.

If you’re a parent, see the film as soon as you can, with your spouse. You HAVE TO watch this movie. When you’re done, set aside an hour or two away from your kids to discuss the issues in the movie. Then come up with an action plan about what you’re going to do with your kids. Because they really need to watch this too. And you, as their parent, must have a plan of action.

Here are some of the questions your kids can ask themselves after watching BULLY.

1. Look in the mirror. Ask yourself: Am I a bully? Am I someone who gets bullied?

2. Do I know anyone who is getting bullied?

3. What can I do or say to make bullying stop?

4. What can I do or say to become someone’s hero EVERY day?

5. Who can I tell?

In my experience, bullies thrive on the power of silence. As long as people say nothing, they keep going. You can easily become a hero by simply standing up when someone is bullying another person and saying, ’What you’re doing isn’t right. Please stop.’ This might make you the target of that bully. But not if you do it right.

Bullies like individual victims. They like loners with no friends, no support structures. Kids whose friends turn their eyes away. So, if you challenge a bully, do it WITH SOMEONE ELSE. Pair up with a friend, and vow to take action next time you see bullying happening.

The bully is often just some sort of victim too. They’re not necessarily bullying because they’re monsters. Maybe there’s something awful going on at home. So when someone says ‘Stop!’, it interrupts a system, a set of behaviours. When you say, ‘What you’re doing isn’t right,’ the bully KNOWS you’re telling the truth. When you say, ‘Please stop,’ you’re offering a way out.

All of these things are just my response to the movie. Your response will probably be different. But I guarantee you’ll have a mixed set of emotions afterwards. And your kids will have a load of  ideas on how to deal with the problems they see.

Please watch the movie. Your child’s life could depend on it.

The movie is currently on circuit at Cinema Nouveau movie houses until August 31, 2012
Click here to find out more about the Bully Project linked to this movie