This week has what is sure to be one of the biggest line-ups of new cinema releases in Australia this year. From highly anticipated blockbusters to political comedies, family films and more, the line-up is chock-a-block. You might want to put down your Easter Eggs and head off to the cinema.
Steven Spielberg’s virtual reality-themed blockbuster Ready Player One is one of the big hitters. Flicks critic Luke Buckmaster however was underwhelmed, saying the film is “literally colourful but creatively vacuous,” but does contain “some entertaining, well executed set pieces.”
Buckmaster was more impressed with the new family film Early Man, which he says is a “charming stop-motion animation” and “a must-see for soccer fans.” Another film opening this week for the young crowd is Sherlock Gnomes.
The Flicks team are yet to see A Wrinkle in Time, the mega budget adaptation of the 1962 sci-fi novel starring Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Chris Pine. So we will consult the mostly positive review from David Fear at Rolling Stone, who calls it “inclusive, empathetic, visually sumptuous – and all over the place.”
For something a bit more adult, there’s the blistering political satire The Death of Stalin, from Veep creator Armando Iannucci. Flicks’ Paul Casserly says Iannucci “has taken the template he honed to perfection in his political satires The Thick of It, In The Loop and Veep and applied it here to ‘real’ history.”
This week also sees the release of the acclaimed Finnish comedy The Other Side of Hope, and two American comedies. There’s the teen sex comedy Blockers, which Daniel Rutledge gave a three star review. There’s also Love Simon, a studio-backed rom-com with a gay protagonist. It has been compared to classics from John Hughes.
If you live in Melbourne or Perth, you’ll also be able to catch the acclaimed sci-fi film The Endless. Luke Buckmaster gave it four stars, calling it a “thrilling, low budget, Lovecraftian sci-fi loaded with big ideas.”
Phew. That’s a lot of films. Happy Easter everybody! May you all experience wonderful chocolate comas.
