Young Adult

Queen Bitch

Sometimes people on the internet get angry, and rarely has this been illustrated as vividly as the backlash against poor old Juno. Initially received as the charming, offbeat little film that could, a rake of award nominations / wins and a general sense of hyperbole soon turned many against it. And yes, while the film does certainly overdose on quirk (the much maligned hamburger phone), it is in this writer's opinion largely undeserving of the general negativity that often rears its head when the film is mentioned on discussion forums. However, the detractors are a vocal bunch, and when screenwriter Diablo Cody's next effort - Jennifer's Body - was met with universal hostility, many instantly pounced and giddily demoted Cody from the 'next big thing' to the 'next worst thing'.

Review: This Must Be The Place

The Laughin' Place?

 
This Must Be The Place is a film of episodes that are loosely linked together by a plot that is called upon only when required. Occasionally, these episodes are pleasant, well-considered affairs. In the film's highlight, we're treated to a lengthy slow zoom in which David Byrne and his band perform the film's title track live. It's an enjoyable and technically impressive diversion, and momentarily you might wish you were watching a sequel to Stop Making Sense. But you aren't, and despite good intentions, here we have a film that meanders endlessly while only infrequently hitting the intended marks.

Revenge: A Love Story

Love and Death

The unusual contradictions at the heart of Revenge: A Love Story are evident even from the title. From Hong Kong director Ching-Po Wong, this is on one-hand a hard boiled and ultraviolent tale of revenge. On the other, it's a love story about two people with an uncertain place in society and their attempts to traverse the rough waters ahead of them. While it's an interesting approach, the film is ultimately unable to convincingly marry the two disparate narratives together.