Movies
A pretty solid Australian rom-com. There are some offkey dramatic moments that felt a little out of place, but for the most part, the film is pretty funny, without having to resort to overly simplistic gags and obvious plot twists. That's not to say the film is wildly original, but it's certainly above-average genre fare. Muriel is an outcast living in Porpoise Spit. None of her so-called friends like her, her family looks down on her and all she cares about is listening to ABBA and getting married. She turns her life around and elopes, moving to Sydney to start her life anew. But taking on a new identity doesn't change who she is on the inside. Toni Collette was surprisingly funny, the supporting cast is pretty solid too, the plot isn't too conventional and the pacing was on point. It's not an incredibly memorable film and I'm sure it'll feel like you've seen it all before, but as rom-coms go, it's one of the more palatable ones. Read all
A non-Disney adaptation of the Peter Pan story. It's a bit darker than your average Disney film, apart from that I wondered why they even bothered making this film. It's the same old classic story, with a smaller budget, lesser known actors and some flakier special effects. That's not much of a draw. Peter Pan finds three children living in London and convinces them to follow him to Neverland, a magical country where kids don't grow old. But Neverland isn't a very peaceful place. Captain Hook is Pan's biggest enemy and when he realizes Pan has returned from his trip, he's eager to catch his nemesis. The film is not without charm, but the mediocre performance, the crummy effects and the familiarity of the story kept me from thoroughly enjoying the film. It's not that Peter Pan isn't an interesting story, but you'd think that the umpteenth adaptation would at least try and do things a little differently.Read all
A Julia Roberts vehicle. One of those romcoms with a slightly annoying premise (two people that are obviously meant for each other, fucked up along the way, and live in fear of facing their true feelings) and two slightly annoying leads. I never expected greatness from this film, but in all fairness, I guess it could've been worse. Julianne let the love of her life slip, but they made a pact that they would marry each other if they were still single on their 28th birthday. That day is nearing and when Julianne gets a call she is thrilled at the prospect. When she calls him back though, he tells her he is about to get married to another woman. Mulroney and Roberts aren't the most pleasant actors, the film hardly makes an effort to set itself apart from other romcoms and the romance swamps the comedy. It's simple genre fodder, a bit surprising to see this topping box office charts back in the day, but at least it wasn't a complete bore.Read all