Ilo Ilo is a fascinating tale of a Singapore couple who hire a Filipina maid to look after their troubled son. First time director Anthony Chen sets his story during the Asian financial crash of 1997 and examines the differing attitudes towards money of those from privileged and not so privileged backgrounds. the film’s theme proves particularly resonant in today’s Ireland and it’s a movie full of warmth and human insight.
From Georgia we have In Bloom, a polished movie focusing on the relationship between two teenage girls during that contry’s civil war of 1992. The girls come into possession of a gun but the movie never takes the route you expect it to. Few movies this year will have cinematography and performances to equal this.
If you can appreciate trashy movies in a “so bad it’s great” way then you’ll have a blast with Brick Mansions, a hilariously over the top remake of the 2004 French action movie District 13. It’s the last screen performance of actor Paul Walker, who sadly perished in a car crash last November.
Bad Neighbours stars Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne as a couple whose dream home becomes a living nightmare when the house next door becomes home to a college fraternity, led by Zac Efron. The movie has some clever moments of sly wit and plenty of laughs, but don’t expect much in the way of plot.
Pompeii is a hackneyed romance set during the volcanic destruction of the famous city. If you’ve seen Titanic you can skip this one as it’s practically the same movie, just with a volcano in place of an iceberg.
Even worse is Plastic, a terrible “true story” featuring a bunch of B grade UK soap stars as a group of young con artists attempting to settle a debt with the gangster they’ve made an enemy of. For Hollyoaks completists only.
By Eric Hillis
Image: Movie of the Week: Ilo Ilo
