Movies reviews

• Kajillionaire

  Watched on 10th September 2022

  7

  A woman's life is turned upside down when her criminal parents invite an outsider to join them on a major heist they're planning.

  

  Review

  A struggling family bend their morals and scams the system to survive. This is a wonderfully odd movie. It has Wes Andserson-inspired characters but is set in the modern world. The misfortunate and penniless family we follow is full of character and are upbeat, contrasting with their gloomy situation.

  There is odd physical comedy – which first appears out of context, then the punchline is revealed. There is their bizarre dress sense. There are weird names and strange scenarios.

  Evan Rachel Wood plays a quiet role as she breaks free from her parents to form her own oddball relationship. Richard Jenkins steals the show as the hopefully opportunistic father, barely holding the family together.

  There are so many small moments but they add up and reflect on each other throughout. Contrary to the characters and their situation, the overall tone of the movie is oddly optimistic.

  Odd.

• Fall

  Watched on 4th September 2022

  7

  Best friends Becky and Hunter find themselves at the top of a 2,000-foot radio tower.

  

  Review

  The beginning was very questionable with both poor acting and CGI, but the two women actually do a decent job when things start to go wrong. The “twist” was completely unnecessary but a decent enough entry into the extreme-sports-gone-wrong survival genre. There is incredible physical danger and an emotional reveal heightens their precarious position. Probably give it a miss if you’re afraid of heights — the vertigo made my palms sweaty.

• Orange County

  Watched on 19th August 2022

  6

  A guidance counselor mistakenly sends out the wrong transcripts to Stanford University under the name of an over-achieving high schooler.

  Review

  Felt like a 2000s “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” with 2000s classic songs every five minutes and 2000s clothes. Very 2000s.

• Predator

  Watched on 11th August 2022

  7

  A team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.

  Review

  This is a macho, over-the-top ‘80s actioner with so many quotable lines and explosions. The CGI struggled, especially with regard to the invisibility cloak. The final fight lacks the same intensity and insanity of earlier action sequences. It was fun to see the nods from Prey.

• Becky

  Watched on 8th August 2022

  5

  A teenager's weekend at a lake house with her father takes a turn for the worse when a group of convicts wreaks havoc on their lives.

  

  Review

  This is a straightforward home-invasion type of movie.

  There are some interesting roles and characters. Kevin James, the comedic actor from the movie Paul Blart: Mall Cop, plays a menacing Nazi and is supported in the quest by a monosyllabic giant. The titular character of Becky is badass enough and the two dogs play useful roles, but the rest of the cast have little to do.

  I wanted to like this but it doesn’t gel. Nothing flows and, although the runtime is a svelte 96 minutes, I was waiting and waiting for the conclusion. It’s not quite b-movie material with little over-the-top insanity — although there is some and it’s gory. Overall it’s just not good enough.