New Releases (11/04/13)

New in cinemas this week are another eclectic bunch of films. We have blockbusters, animated films, teen horror spoofs, documentaries and foreign films, and they include: Oblivion, Escape From Planet Earth, Scary Movie V, Warm Bodies, First Position, Kon-Tiki and Therese Desqueyroux.

At this point I have only seen one, First Position, but by the end of the week I should also have seen Oblivion, Warm Bodies and Kon-Tiki. 

Oblivion - A court martial sends a veteran soldier to a distant planet, where he is to destroy the remains of an alien race. The arrival of an unexpected traveler causes him to question what he knows about the planet, his mission, and himself. Stars Tom Cruise.

Escape From Planet Earth - The 3D animated family comedy catapults moviegoers to planet Baab where admired astronaut Scorch Supernova (Brendan Fraser) is a national hero to the blue alien population. A master of daring rescues, Scorch pulls off astonishing feats with the quiet aid of his nerdy, by-the-rules brother, Gary (Rob Corddry), head of mission control at BASA. When BASA's no-nonsense chief Lena (Jessica Alba) informs the brothers of an SOS from a notoriously dangerous planet, Scorch rejects Gary's warnings and bounds off for yet another exciting mission. But when Scorch finds himself caught in a fiendish trap set by the evil Shanker (William Shatner) it's up to scrawny, risk-adverse Gary to do the real rescuing.

Scary Movie V - The latest installment of the Scary Movie franchise includes send ups of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, MAMA, SINISTER, THE EVIL DEAD, INCEPTION, BLACK SWAN and pop culture featuring Ashley Tisdale, Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, Snoop Dogg, Katt Williams, Molly Shannon, Terry Crews and Mike Tyson. Okaaaaayy. No one asked for this, and Australian audiences have yet to see Sinister and The Evil Dead.

Warm Bodies - A funny new twist on a classic love story, Warm Bodies is a poignant tale about the power of human connection. After a zombie epidemic, R (Nicholas Hoult, a highly unusual zombie) encounters Julie (Teresa Palmer, a human survivor), and rescues her from a zombie attack. Julie sees that R is different from the other zombies, and as the two form a special relationship in their struggle for survival, R becomes increasingly more human - setting off an exciting, romantic, and often comical chain of events that begins to transform the other zombies and maybe even the whole lifeless world. 

First Position -  Every year, thousands of aspiring dancers enter one of the world's most prestigious ballet competitions, the Youth America Grand Prix, where lifelong dreams are at stake. In the final round, with hundreds competing for only a handful of elite scholarships and contracts, practice and discipline are paramount, and nothing short of perfection is expected. Bess Kargman's award-winning documentary, First Position, follows six young dancers as they prepare for a chance to enter the world of professional ballet, struggling through bloodied feet, near exhaustion and debilitating injuries, all while navigating the drama of adolescence. A showcase of awe-inspiring talent, tenacity and passion, First Position paints a thrilling and moving portrait of the most gifted young ballet stars of tomorrow.

Kon-Tiki - Max Manus co-directors Espen Sanberg and Joachim Rønning reteam for this sweeping adventure detailing Thor Heyerdahl's daring attempt to prove that early settlers from South America once populated Polynesia by sailing across the Pacific on a simple balsa wood raft. Rejected by every publisher he approaches to print his unusual thesis, Heyerdahl (Pål Sverre Hagen) eventually decides that the only way to prove it is to make the journey himself as the entire world watches.

Therese Desqueyroux - François Mauriac's legendary 1927 novel of French provincial life has been gloriously brought to the screen by the inestimable Claude Miller in his final film. Sumptuously photographed to capture the full beauty of the pine-forested Landes area in southwest France, it is a beautifully conceived drama of exquisite taste. Marvelously played by the luminous Audrey Tautou, Thérèse is a heroine hewn from the same stock as Madame Bovary or Anna Karenina, suffocated by her provincial marriage. Thérèse has married less for love than for convenience, but it is not long before the casual disinterestedness shown her by her arrogant husband, Bernard (Gilles Lellouche), sets her mind in motion. When Thérèse's best friend Anne (Anaïs Demoustier), who also happens to be Bernard's younger sister, falls madly in love with a handsome young Portuguese man, Thérèse begins to see what she has been missing in her life. Corralled by Bernard's family into persuading Anne to forego her planned nuptials, she begins to see first-hand the awesome power of passionate love, as Anne will go to any length to keep her lover by her side. Soon, Thérèse begins her own fight against the oppressive Desqueyroux family.

Weekly Recommendation: There has been no word on Oblivion at all yet, and it is hard to gauge how good it is going to be based on the trailer, but based on the critical response Warm Bodies, Kon-Tiki and Therese D are all worth considering. First Position comes recommended, a transcendent and inspiring documentary about the dedication of young people in pursuit of a dream.