Review of Rock of Ages: a musical that could have done without the music

Rock of Ages is a terrible film.

It’s not often that I feel this way about a movie, but I honestly can’t see the motivation for making this mess of lacklustre lyrics, loose story, and indulgent subplots.

The film is marginally redeemed by Tom Cruise (who I don’t even like, but he does the drug-addled, rich-rocker so well), Russell Brand (always amusing, and that accent) and Paul Giamatti (whose sliminess was commendable) with some rousing performances from the rest of the cast, too.

Catherine Zeta Jones’ overacting made me cringe and it’s by far the worst role I’ve seen her cast in—correct me if I’m wrong—but I think she’s classier than Rock of Ages. What was she thinking?

It was slow to start, and the young lovers’ story was tedious, but as soon as the star-studded cast got rolling I actually enjoyed myself.

The whole thing was fairy-floss rubbish, of course, but saved by the strong character acting. All I can say is that it’s a musical that could have done without the music.

2 stars

Review: Snow White & The Huntsman (2012)

Snow White is a childhood favourite and I was excited when I saw the trailer for this epic story twist. Unfortunately Snow White and The Huntsman failed to deliver.

Don’t get me wrong, the performances were solid and convincing—Theron especially—but the plot was disjointed and lacked clarity of purpose. It wasn’t until the last quarter of the movie that Snow White found some direction.

Too many characters, an indulgent script, and a lack of cohesion left this film missing the heart it needed. It’s a shame, because the premise is exciting and much more Grimm's Fairy Tales than Disney. Despite this, I enjoyed it, and the film was funny even when it didn’t mean to be.

There were comedic moments between the eight(?) dwarves, Chris Hemsworth is deliciously hot, and watching Kristen Stewart attempt to act is always a bit of a lark. With foresight, despite its deficiencies, I’d probably choose to see it again.

3 stars