WALL•E
Animation. 2008. 94 min. Voices: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight and Jeff Garlin. Director: Andrew Stanton. A.
Rating: 4/5
Reviewer: Willem Moller
Hundreds of years from now Earth is so polluted it can no longer support life. Humans wait aboard giant spaceships while robots are cleaning up the mess; when the plan is abandoned 700 years later micro-gravity has turned people into blobs who can’t even walk.
On Earth one robot - WALL•E - is still at it. But he has taken on human qualities: he collects pretty things he finds in the garbage and learns about feelings such as love and loneliness from old movies.
When he encounters a female robot, EVE, it’s love at first blink and he follows her on an action-filled adventure that will determine the future of the planet.
WALL•E sets a new standard for animated movies. Visually it’s beyond anything you’ve seen and the way the robots communicate is breathtaking. It’s a cutting look at how greed and materialism are destroying our planet but it’s also a moving, funny and hugely entertaining joyride for all ages.
GET SMART
Action comedy. 2008. 105 min. With Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Alan Arkin and Dwayne Johnson. Director: Peter Segal. 13PGVL.
Rating: 4/5
Reviewer: Luke Stone
Clumsy geek Maxwell Smart (Carell) is an analyst at top-secret organisation Control but wants to be a proper agent. When Control comes under attack from an evil organisation, Kaos, Smart is promoted to Agent 86 and sent - along with Agent 99 (Hathaway) - to stop the bad guys. The rest is hysteria!
Carell is fantastic in this James Bond spoof based on a 1960s TV series, combining slapstick humour, hilarious dialogue and spot-on timing to make Smart a very funny guy indeed. But it’s also a top-notch action flick with impressive chases, stunts and gadgets (but no blood). Arkin as the hapless chief and Dwayne Johnson as the mysterious Agent 23 are also excellent.
As much fun as you could wish for.
RESERVATION ROAD
Drama. 2008. 102 min. With Joaquin Phoenix, Jennifer Connelly and Mark Ruffalo. Director: Terry George. 13VL.
Rating: 3/5
Reviewer: Kim Van Reizig
Ethan Learner (Phoenix) and his wife, Grace (Connelly), are shattered when their 10-year-old son is killed in a hit-and-run accident. The driver, a lawyer named Dwight Arno (Ruffalo), drives away from the scene before anyone can see him.
While Grace tries to deal with the grief Ethan becomes obsessed with finding the killer. He seeks help from a law firm - but the lawyer assigned to the case turns out to be Dwight.
The acting is almost flawless in this intense drama from the director of Hotel Rwanda. Be prepared for serious heartstring-tugging, especially if you’re a parent.
