Despicable Me 3 ##-1/2
It’s a rare moment but ever so often I force myself to accept the inane and attend the screening of a Disney franchise cartoon. I enjoyed the first in the series but this third outing (excluding the silly yet palatable Minions flick) is not the charm. Hopefully, it will be the last. What is stunningly obvious, however, is that Steve Carell is great as anti-villain agent Gru, along with the intro of Gru’s secret twin brother Dru (also voiced by Carell), and the film is only enhanced with Dame Julie Andrews as Gru’s mum. That being said, the thin plot revolving around a jaded Hollywood has-been actor named Evil Bratt, a huge diamond and the subsequent destruction of L.A. all amount to one thing: formulaic crap that has to be spun to different snippets of old pop tunes and loud kabooms, which only serve to drive the proverbial coffin nail.
Gifted ###-1/2
I suppose once you’ve been cast as Captain America, all other Hollywood roles are out there for the picking. It was a little surprising then to see Chris Evans playing the long-suffering uncle/dad role of Frank to an adorable genius seven year old named Mary (played by Texan actress McKenna Grace). From the get-go, the story leaps off the screen as we realise that Mary’s mum—also a maths genius—committed suicide when Mary was a wee thing. The sap and honey come on thick and strong, and dare I say that little McKenna Grace, though good, is a tad over-the-top at times—heck, the story involves one plot line where this seven-year-old girl solves the most complex of mathematical equations, but up until that point, the audience has only been shown that the child can multiply quickly when put on the spot. Brit queen Lindsay Duncan stars as Mary’s determined grandmother, and despite the feel of a Lifetime drama, this film transcends the basic dramatic roles of these actors and gives this year's steaming summer lineup something to chill out with.
Colossal ###-1/2
Coming from the mind of Spanish director/actor/producer Nacho Vigalondo is his latest foray into the realm of sci-fi and drama, which gives nods to cinematic masterpieces such as Godzilla and Extraterrestre (2011). Lead character Gloria (Anne Hathaway) is a Manhattan worker with a drinking problem, a British boyfriend who’s sick of her crap and a life change just waiting to happen. Fast forward a few weeks and you find her back in her hometown in Middle America working for an ex-school chum Oscar (Jason Sudeikis). Time to flip the script. What we have here are two films in one, and this is where a giant dinosaur fighting a huge robot comes into play as a narrative for anger and solace, pitted against the backdrop of the oddest explanation. Giving it away would be too easy, but if this is the game plan that the youngish Vigalondo is going with (he recently commented that he plans to make big screen special effects on a modest budget), he just may get more of Hollywood’s attention than he bargained for…and that would be a good thing.
All Nighter ###
This film is only opening in specific countries after some lukewarm responses with audiences at earlier film fests. Here we have J.K. Simmons and Emile Hirsch scouring L.A. for the former’s daughter, the latter’s now ex-gitlfriend, who seems to be missing. Director Gavin Wiesen has them traipse across the city over the course of a day and night, running into some recognisable faces we’ve seen on the telly perhaps (LA-type comedians and such—kudos to Kristen Schaal and Taran Killam, who were the best things to happen to the film’s characters), but it all seems too much for too little. It’s fun to see the elder gent and the young chap bang on about Bob Seger and parenting mishaps, but even for its relatively short running time, it comes across as tepid. I like both actors, so here’s to hoping they do something better next time around.