films: new this week, 3rd june
Sex and the City 2 (Dir. Michael Patrick King)
In the second instalment of this supposedly empowering, somewhat feminist-friendly franchise, the Sex and the City women – Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda – travel on an all-expenses-paid trip to Abu Dhabi. Once there, they flagrantly disrespect the culture and customs of the area, while wearing very expensive shoes.
Animal Kingdom (Dir. David Michod)
A disarming film, Animal Kingdom is a powerful and poignant drama that tells the story of gang warfare in the suburbs of Melbourne. Starring a plethora of respected Australian actors – including Ben Mendelsohn, Guy Pearce, and Joel Edgerton – this is yet another film in recent years that shows there are important stories unfolding in our own backyard. More importantly, the Australian film industry has the ability to tell them.
STILL SHOWING AT CINEMAS…
The Losers (Dir. Sylvain White)
Based on the comic book series by the same name, The Losers obviously wants to be a slick and stylish film that incorporates sharp dialogue and subversive humour. It does not succeed. What it is: so bad it’s good. The film veers into being frankly ridiculous, and the plot (and dialogue, and characterisation, and…) is at times so unbelievable as to be laugh-out-loud funny.
The Secret in their Eyes (Dir. Jose Campanella)
The 2010 Academy Award Winner for best foreign language film, The Secret in their Eyes tells the story of a man who decides to pursue an unsolved murder case. A combination of drama and thriller, the film is funny, touching, romantic, suspenseful and provocative. And with all that, how could you possibly say no? Guaranteed, at least, to be better than Sex and the City 2.
