Good casting clashes with weak narrative in mixed "Supergirl"

 

There is no question that Milly Alcock's casting as the titular Supergirl is the film's strength. She possesses a rare charisma, a sort of everyday girl next door look that makes her simultaneously ordinary and otherworldly. But given the all-over-the-place storyline she's stuck with, the result is a mixed bag - to say the least.

"Marama" suffers from undeveloped conflict and short running time

 

As a drama about a woman (Ariana Osborne) who's travelled from the distant New Zealand all the way to England, Marama attempts to tell a meaningful story. But as soon as blood and carnage are thrown at us at a frenetic pace, the developing horror takes away from the gothic mood and spooky production design. When the heroine uses a shovel to decapitate someone who's harmed her family members, I wasn't sure what the filmmakers were thinking.

Marama rides the politically correct wave about a NZ native who's suffered mental and physical damage on the hands of captors/colonizers with whom few will be able to sympathize. As a result, audiences may side with the heroine at any cost, regardless of how absurd. Also, at not even 90 minutes, Marama is too short for its own good; another twenty could've gone a long way to turn the audience towards her plight. This is a darkly photographed, often times nice to look at, morally uncompromising mess.

☆☆

"Prada 2" brings back the fabulous cast - but with a thin conflict narrative

 

I won't lie: I was looking forward to The Devil Wears Prada 2. Few things are more entertaining than watching the talents of Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep at their adversarial best. But whereas most of the main characters were not BFFs the first time around, in this sequel they are at least acquaintances. Hathaway's Andy Sachs is happy throughout the movie, never showing the slightest dissatisfaction with her new position at Runway. And hardly is there the cold awkwardness between her and Streep's Miranda Priestly, the ultimate ice queen villainess from the original.

Such friendliness may be ok in real life, but in a movie whose entire charm is based on the main characters' animosities towards one another, it comes across as less than satisfactory. There are new characters who pop in and out, including an architect (Patrick Brammall), whose relationship with Andy never takes off, in any way shape or form. I felt bad for the actor, whose pointless presence in the story only took away from the more fascinating leads - and therefore may have peeved the franchise's biggest fanbase.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is entertaining enough, but it really never justifies its existence after a two decade long absence. The script needed to be spectacular, instead of merely vanilla. Recommended only for the true Prada aficionados.

☆☆ 1/2

Thirst for hip-hop success takes Scottish boys into "Schemin'" territory

 

A pair of Scottish young men, circa 2003, pretend to be American rappers and ultimately reach admirable success. Directed by established actor James McAvoy, the movie is - more or less - standard rags to riches musical biopic fare. Despite the fact that the duo in question - named Silibil n'Brains, didn't necessarily reach universal fame, their success was stained due to the-foot-in-the-door under false pretenses scandal.

California Schemin' isn't a bad movie - not by a long shot. The two leads, Seamus McLean Ross and Samuel Bottomley, are exceptional in their roles. Their characters' climb to fame, and ultimate descent, is accompanied by temptations to infidelity to long time girlfriends, use of drugs, and personal antagonism towards each other. It is a well staged, well acted movie, but if I'm being honest, its arc is too familiar and utterly predictable - not in the least due to its fact based story.

☆☆1/2

Charm oozes out of every character in "Sheep Detectives"

 

Not since 1995's Babe has a live action movie featuring talking farm animals captured the audiences as The Sheep Detectives. Based on the 2005 novel, Three Bags Full, by Leonie Swann, the story centers on an English shepherd, George Hardy (Hugh Jackman), who tends to a flock of sheep he loves more than life itself. He also reads them crime fiction stories, which comes in handy when he mysteriously dies, and the sheep are forced to investigate his death.

The movie features an array of characters (by several notable actors), both human and animal, and combines elements of family entertainment, detective mystery, and betrayal within a small town's infrastructure. There's hardly a dull moment in it, and more than enough laughs for a wide type of audience. You'll hardly find a more entertaining, wholesome entertainment. I, for one, am hoping for a sequel (fingers crossed).

☆☆☆1/2

British prison rules and spontaneous violence are the heart of gritty "Wasteman"

 

Taylor (David Jonsson) has served 13 years in a British prison. He has a son he's never met, and is about to be released soon. Life will finally get right for him. Until he gets a new bunkmate, Dee (Tom Blyth). To say the dude's a sociopath is an understatement. To assume he'll drag Taylor down with him is almost inevitable.

Cal McMau's Wasteman is a gritty, compelling British prison picture, one where violence over drug monopoly can spark endless conflicts, many of which end up online for the world to see. Jonsson is terrific as the timid, drug addicted Taylor, a man not only too weak to stand up for himself, but also to kick his self-destructing habit. The movie captures a lot of drama, both internal and otherwise, and all in 90 minutes. 

Where many prison movies would succumb to exhausting cliche, Wasteman glows with authenticity, and will stay with you long after it's over.

☆☆☆1/2

Sci-fi & horror fuse to dulling effect in underwhelming "Affection"

A woman (Jessica Roth) living in an isolated house in the country experiences seizures while questioning the identity of her husband (Joseph Cross) and her daughter (Julianna Layne). When her existence is further disturbed by horrific visions, she begins to connect the dots.

BT Meza's film reeks of low budget limitations: three actors (in total) limited to one vast, unimaginative location. Given those restraints, his screenplay really needed to be spectacular. The problem: it isn't. Not even close. Convoluted, poorly cast, and directed without a single flair for true horror, the movie feels way too long, even at 89 minutes. It's the kind of project that gives independent filmmaking a bad name. 

At length, Affection is so half-baked and uninspired that its greatest feat is that it was made at all. As to what audience it's actually for, that remains to be seen.

☆1/2