SHORTCUTS

NEW RELEASES

Despicable Me 2: While not quite as charming or unique as the original, this animated sequel comes pretty close, even without the inspired lunacy of the first movie. The movie is smartly calculated to deliver squeals to kids and amusement to accompanying adults. ★★★ Killer Joe: A condescending tale of lowlife conspirators who are as gullible as they are homicidal, the movie begins as a pitch-black comedy, but the final act saps the humour and pushes the boundaries of taste. ★★ Die Laaste Tango: When a disgraced cop, De Wet (Louw Venter), withdraws to a Karoo town to escape the fall-out of botched arrest, he soon falls for a local girl, Ella (Antoinette Louw), who is slowly dying. When he finds out that her dying wish is to dance the perfect tango, he decides to help her make it come true… but his past is about to catch up with him. Not reviewed

ON CIRCUIT

Man of Steel: Man of Steel serves up what could be as much spectacle and action as any movie anyone could think of. Zack Snyder’s extravaganza is a rehab job that is so overwhelmingly insistent in its size and strength that it’s hard not to give in. ★★★★ Song for Marion: Sixties stars Vanessa Redgrave and Terence Stamp bring gravitas and pathos to this wellworn tale of pensioners competing in a choir competition. ★★★★ White House Down: Preposterously entertaining film that borrows from Die Hard, Air Force One, Lethal Weapon and Homeland, resulting in an action thriller that doesn’t know when to quit. Jamie Foxx plays the US president and Channing Tatum is a Secret Service agent who must protect him. ★★★ To The Wonder: Director Terrence Malick’s meditation on love and the disintegration of a relationship wafts along to no particular purpose. However, this meditative drama manages to be oddly moving. ★★★ Spud: The Madness Continues: Spud Milton is approaching the ripe old age of 15, with no sign of the muchanticipated manhood. He is coming to terms with the fact that he may well be a freak of nature. Not reviewed.