MOVIES ARE BACK IN BUSINESS
FINALLY THERE ARE MYRIAD CHOICES ON THE BIG SCREEN WORTHY OF VIEWING
THE CONJURING 3: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT (MA15+) Always socially distance when exorcising, US, 110 min
This reactivation of all things The Conjuring is designed to whip an audience into a mild state of satanic panic. An arrestingly appalling opening sequence – reenacting the documented exorcism of 11-yearold David Glatzel some 40 years ago – just might be the best banishing of demons to be projectile-vomited across the screen since The Exorcist kept everyone awake at night for the whole of 1973. The movie never quite gets as grotesquely good as this again, but there are some fair shocks to the system arriving at regular intervals . As usual, a trueish story is centred on that dynamic duo of ghost-busting, Lorraine and Ed Warren (Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson). The spooky spouses are looking for evidence that will save a demonically possessed young man from the electric chair. The scripting pops when it sticks to the ghostly (the franchise continues to masterfully mine every possible fright from shadowy presences in underlit rooms), and flops when it veers towards the ghastly (a reanimated naked corpse that bears an unfortunate resemblance to Bat Out of Hell-era Meat
Loaf). **1/2
CRUELLA (PG) So many looks ... all of them deceiving,
US-UK, 130 min
An appealing and surprisingly vibrant origin story for Cruella DeVil, the flamboyantly mean villainess of 101 Dalmatians. Visually striking, fashionably astute and very entertaining, this is one of the finest pieces of mainstream filmmaking of the year so far. In a clever expansion of her back story, Cruella (played to perfection by Emma Stone) is introduced in the mid-1960s as the linchpin of a young gang of London pickpockets. A decade later, Cruella seizes her chance to go legit when her fascination with fashion design lands her a gig with the hottest clothing label in town. The head of this prestige house of couture, the impossibly imperious Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson), also had a hand in causing the tragic death of Cruella’s mother. The best point of comparison for the level of excellence Cruella maintains as a movie is the high standard set by the Paddington pictures from a few years back. Great stuff. ****
DREAM HORSE (PG) Big dividend from
small bet, UK, 90 min
This unapologetically uplifting feelgood flick is a clever combo of the only-at-theraces and the only-in-the-movies. Based on a true story that still has thoroughbred racing fans scratching their heads, Dream Horse follows a remarkable Welsh woman named Jan Vokes (a delightful Toni Collette). Despite her experience of any type of racing being confined solely to homing pigeons, Jan decides she will conquer the turf with a noble steed she will breed herself. From this small beginning, a big plan is hatched, and virtually everybody in Jan’s home village comes along for a ride that will take them all the way to finish line of the Grand National Hurdle. Costars Damian Lewis. ***
HEROIC LOSERS (M) When one door closes, a vault must be opened, Argentina, 94 min
This enjoyable little heist flick hails from Argentina, of all places. It is the year 2000, and with the economy in meltdown, the government freezes the savings of all citizens. The timing could not be worse for buddies Fermin (Ricardo Darin) and Antonio (Luis Brandoni), who have persuaded everyone they know to invest in a business scheme that will revitalise their community. However, after the freeze, the group discover their holdings have somehow fallen into the hands of a dodgy lawyer. With the cash sitting inside an unfeasibly secure stronghold, the likelihood of anyone breaking in and getting their money back looks beyond unlikely. Nevertheless, Fermin, Antonio and their equally unqualified pals are about to make their debut as high-stakes crooks. ***
A QUIET PLACE PART II (M)
Silence remains golden, US, 90 min
Like the original, an inventive and forcefully compelling thriller. And as before, what remains of humanity must abide by the one rule: make the slightest noise, and you will die the swiftest death. With father Lee now gone, mother Evelyn (Emily Blunt), son Marcus (Noah Jupe), daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Evelyn’s newborn baby are forced to leave their home in search of a safer haven. Without giving too much away, it will be the crossing of paths with a fellow survivor, Emmett (Cillian Murphy), with whom the Abbotts have a shared history,
that could keep everyone alive another day. An expanded role for the hearing-impaired Simmonds elicits a performance that is as compelling as it is emotionally raw, and her scenes with the well-cast Murphy give the movie the gravity it needed to hold our attention the second time around. ****
SPIRIT UNTAMED (G) Born to be mild, US, 88 min
This markedly middling cartoon has an odd pedigree stretching all the way back to a 2002 animated hit (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron) where Matt Damon voiced the innermost thoughts of a noble horse helping folks get by in the old-timey West. These days, Spirit is the strong’n’silent type, and it is his feisty, friendly young gal pal Lucky (Isabela Merced) who does all the yappin’. When Spirit and his wild Mustang brethren come under threat from an unscrupulous wrangler, it is up to Lucky and some new frontier friends to send this bad dude packing. Visuals are pretty but not stunning, and more effective use could have been made of a voice cast that includes the accomplished likes of Juliane Moore (as Lucky’s aunt) and Jake Gyllenhaal (the heroine’s dad). **1/2
VALERIE TAYLOR: PLAYING WITH SHARKS (PG)
Making a splash and causing ripples, Australia, 89 min
This engrossing documentary stands as a fitting chronicle of the extraordinary life and times of Australia’s maverick mermaid Valerie Taylor. A name that will be forever associated with the world’s oceans – and the life teeming inside them – Valerie’s pioneering deeds as a diver, hunter, filmmaker, environmentalist and activist are sincerely the stuff of legend.
Together with her late husband Ron, Valerie found herself erasing all known boundaries between humans and sharks, helping propagate an understanding between the two species that continues to this day. The calling card of the doco is its bounty of brilliant, onthe-spot footage to accompany everything being discussed, and there is a lot to go over here (particularly when it comes to Valerie and Ron’s contribution to the movie Jaws and how they saved the then-fledgling career of director Steven Spielberg). ***1/2
FAST & FURIOUS 9 (M)
In space, no-one can hear you skid, US, 142 min
There will come a time – heck, it will just be a matter of weeks, really – when Fast & Furious 9 will simply be known as The One Where They Drive A Car In Space. All that remains after this is for mystical speed ace Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) to crash a vintage Corvette into the Earth’s core. (Whoops. I think I just gave away the plot of Fast & Furious 10.) So where does this new one sit on the F&F starting grid? Somewhere down the back a bit. The set-piece, stunts-at-highvelocity sequences cannot really be faulted. However, there is also a lot of storytelling junk in the trunk of Fast 9 that can slow it down to a crawl. Of course, there will be 100 opportunities for deep-voiced Dom to (sigh) remind everyone watching that “it is all about family.” It is also all about Team Toretto saving the world from a computer virus that will cede all control of the planet to a rich and sinister madman. Casting-wise, John Cena proves himself a passable addition to the franchise ensemble – especially now that Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham are gone – as Dom’s long-lost bro Jakob. ***