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Film round-up

The Reunion (15)
Directed by Anna Odell
3/5

SWEDISH conceptual artist Anna Odell’s take on how to wreak retribution on your former school bullies at a class reunion is an audacious and at times pretty uncomfortable watch.

Odell storms into the reunion party and confronts the classmates from two decades previously who made her life hell for nine years and who remember their school days very differently to her.

The evening ends violently and Odell is kicked off the premises. But then it becomes clear that this is a film version of the reunion she never attended because she was never invited.

She then arranges for her real ex-classmates to come round and see the film and questions them about what they did to her.

The Reunion is thus every bullied child’s fantasy unnervingly come true and it’s also a gripping and ingenious exercise in obtaining closure.

Review by Maria Duarte

Love & Mercy (12A)
Directed by Bill Pohlad
3/5

BIOPICS are fascinating, particularly if their subjects are dead, for no reason other than that film-makers are not bound by mere facts or the threat of legal action.

But Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson, the subject of Bill Pohlad’s fascinating but frequently flawed film, is very much alive and Love & Mercy was made with the co-operation of Wilson and his wife Melinda.

Thus it’s never clear whether this is a biography or hagiography of the Californian singer-songwriter who co-founded The Beach Boys.

Pohlad charts three decades in his life and the creation of hits like Surfer Girl, his battle with mental illness, drug abuse, the malign influence of therapist Eugene Landry, conflict with his father/manager and his ultimately redemptory relationship with Melinda (Elizabeth Banks).

It’s a gripping story but Pohlad’s auteuristic approach is ultimately more irritating than invigorating.

Paul Dano plays the young Wilson as Brian Past and John Cusack the older as Brian Future and, while both give interesting enough characterisations, by the time it becomes clear what Pohlad’s conceit is, it’s too late to believe that the two are actually different facets of the same person.

Great music, dubious intent.

Review by Alan Frank

Ted 2 (15)
Directed by Seth MacFarlane
3/5

THE CUTE and likeable pot-smoking, foul-mouthed and sexually charged Ted is back, proving that a one joke film can stretch to a sequel — just.

Ted (Seth MacFarlane) is now fighting for his human rights after he tries to adopt a baby with his wife Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth).

He enlists the help of his now divorced friend John (Mark Wahlberg) and a young lawyer Samantha L Jackson (Amanda Seyfried) who takes medicinal marijuana. Totally clueless about pop culture, she’s the butt of many jokes.

MacFarlane and Wahlberg again make a heart-warming team but it’s a film which feels more like an extended version of Family Guy or American Dad.

As crude and filthy as the first film, the gags are even so a little hit and miss, though there are some hilarious cameo appearances. If you enjoyed Ted you’ll enjoy this.

Review by Maria Duarte

The Choir (PG)
Directed by Francois Girard
3/5

BEN RIPLEY’S screenplay of defiance and inspiration sees illegitimate, rebellious Texan youngster Stet (Garrett Waring) ultimately making good as a choirboy thanks to the unexpected influence of demanding choirmaster Master Carvelle (Dustin Hoffman).

We first meet Stet as he battles to cope with his alcoholic single mother. But there’s a plus in his life — his school singing teacher believes the lad shows promise.

After his mother dies, Stet’s married father turns up and, motivated by guilt, bribes the boy’s passage into a prestigious private choir school where he triumphs despite everything — including the class-dominated hell of a boarding institution.

Hoffman’s sensitive performance, fine work by Waring and Francois Girard’s unashamedly emotional direction deliver a surprisingly likeable family film. Even Eddie Izzard’s embarrassing non-acting doesn’t do significant damage.

Kids more used to the gaudy excesses of Disney, Pixar and Minions might be happily surprised by The Choir.

Cynics beware, though. This fable’s warmhearted enough to warrant an asbestos vest.

Review by Alan Frank

Song of the Sea (PG)
Directed by Tomm Moore
3/5

DIRECTOR Tomm Moore, deservedly nominated for an Academy Award for his previous animated feature The Secret of Kells, delivers another blending fantasy, magic and legend.

Vivid and visually stunning Song of the Sea proves that The Secret of Kells was definitely no creative flash in the plan.

Once again Moore returns to Irish folklore and fantasy for his story, sweetly scripted by Will Collins, sometimes a tad too heavily so.

The story centres on 10-year-old Ben and his mute six-year-old sister Saoirse who live with their father in a lonely lighthouse on the Irish coast.

Their unique adventure magically begins when Ben and Saoirse, who turns out to be part-seal, embark on a wild and wonderful journey back home from Dublin.

Inspired animation — often bearing similarities with Japanese manga classics— is the film’s strength, helping to compensate for a storyline where whimsy is rather too often allowed to run riot.

Review by Alan Frank

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