Strangerland
Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes and Hugo Weaving headline this low-key thriller centered on the events that befall the Parkers, a family recently relocated to a quiet, Australian town. (Though, in this reviewer’s opinion, the stronger acting comes from the less famous cast members.) When their son and daughter go missing, the parents (Kidman, Fiennes) become unglued. However, rather than focusing on the story of the missing children, the movie follows the distressed parents’ progression through the ordeal. That change of focus may be the filmmakers’ attempt at creating a sense of realism for the audience.
In life we often do not have perfect information and tidy story lines about the world around us. In Strangerland, that happens a lot. To replace the charm of real life, we find odd bits of plot here and there. For instance, the dust storm has almost no bearing on the story, and neither do the characters dropping mysterious nuggets about their pasts. It happens often enough to become tedious.
None of that is to say that Director Kim Farrant ignores the basics. The movie keeps you guessing about what happens to the Parker family. So if you’re looking for a thriller, this is worth a watch.
On Blu-ray this month: Inside Out
Inside Out did not seem like a compelling watch during its time in cinemas. After making a commitment to viewing it, however, Inside Out reveals itself as a solid offering from Pixar. Plus. In fact one can’t help but be delighted by the thought that this movie may seriously alter the way young people (and adults) think about the way our emotions work.
Pixar takes on the validity of each feeling as 11-year-old Riley faces a big move across the country and her emotions – Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) – take center stage. Inside Out has all the hallmarks of our favourite Pixar movies: it’s light-hearted, heartbreaking, funny, thought-provoking, and many of the other ways a movie can find to be touching.
