COUPLES RETREAT (15)
LOVE is a battlefield – and in Peter Billingsley’s vapid comedy, co-written by co- stars Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau, enemy lines are drawn on one of the most beautiful locations on the planet.
Filmed on a remote Pacific Ocean island, it is a flimsy excuse for best buddies Vaughn and Favreau to enjoy a free holiday with some of their acting mates. Their script is so unfunny, you could fairly categorise the film as a drama.
Rating:@ lll
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS (12A)
AUDIENCES will flock to witness the final performance of Oscar-nominated actor Heath Ledger before his accidental drug overdose part-way through principal photography of Terry Gilliam’s film, which is every bit as disjointed and befuddling as it is visually arresting and fanciful.
The director had to hastily cast Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell as stand-ins for Ledger. Lily Cole, Christopher Plummer, Andrew Garfield take centre stage as an immortal circus frontman has to deal with The Devil.
Rating:@ lll
TRIANGLE (15)
MELISSA GEORGE plays single mother Jess, who gets more than she bargained for when she agrees to a trip on a yacht called Triangle. The boat capsizes in a storm, but the stranded group is rescued by a mysterious, deserted ocean liner.
George, who’s in every scene, delivers a performance that makes sense once the film’s elaborate overall design becomes clear. Unconvincing digital effects fail to mesh seamlessly with live action elements, but the storytelling holds our attention.
Rating:@ lll
UP (U)
THE latest computer-animated masterpiece from the wizards at Pixar (WALL-E, Ratatouille) is an airborne adventure in the company of a cranky old man and an excitable young boy.
Both hysterical and heartbreaking, this rumbustious romp – the Disney studio’s first release in Digital 3D – is guaranteed to have even the hardiest and most cynical soul choking back tears long after the lights go up. The opening 10 minutes of Up are among the finest Pixar has ever crafted.
Rating:@ lllll
