Movie of the week – Toni Erdmann
A three hour long German comedy may not sound too compelling, but that’s just what Toni Erdmann is, and it’s brilliant! In a desperate attempt to connect with his career obsessed daughter, an aging man adopts a dodgy wig and fake teeth, posing as the titular character to secretly spend time with her and teach her a few lessons about enjoying life while you can. Think Mrs Doubtfire for adults!
Loving
Our own Ruth Negga is excellent in Loving, the true story of a couple who fought the American legal system to have their inter-racial marriage recognised in the 1960s. Director Jeff Nichols commendably avoids the sort of shouty cliches you might expect from a tale of injustice, and leads Negga and Joel Edgerton deliver quietly touching performances.
Gold
Every awards season an actor is guaranteed to pile on weight in hopes of nabbing an Oscar, and this year it’s the turn of Matthew McConaughey in Gold, based on a true story of a scandal that rocked the stock markets in the ’90s. The film is a resounding bore, lacking interesting characters and recounting its tale in plodding fashion, and McConaughey merely looks ridiculous with his beer belly/combover combo.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter promises to finally end the long-running zombie saga after six increasingly bad movies. This one opens with a couple of thrilling sequences, but soon descends into tedious fan service as it calls back to the first movie in the series.
By Eric Hillis of themoviewaffler.com
