A Real Pain

Official Australian release date: 26/12/24. Viewed: 29/12/24.
Director: Jesse Eisenberg
Actors: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Rating: MA

‘A Real Pain’ is Eisenberg’s second directorial effort, and while not perfect, it’s quite assured. The plot is simple – cousin’s David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Culkin) go on a guided tour of Poland, led by James (Sharpe) to trace their Jewish roots, especially of their grandma. Good to see majority of the film actually filmed on location in Poland.

It’s a mix of drama, Holocaust history and buddy road trip comedy, so can sometimes be a little jarring. There’s definitely some laughs, but at other times it leans heavily on what’s happened to the Jewish people in Poland over the past 100 years, which makes things more sombre. The scene at the concentration camp at Majdanek is quite poignant.

Sometimes it looks like an advert for Polish tourism, with a similar vibe to ‘The Trip’. But most of the drama and comedy comes from Eisenberg and Culkin interacting with each other and the tour group, with Culkin being the “pain”, as in slightly arrogant and annoying, but then slowly revealed to be also suffering a bit of emotional pain. Both lead actors are good. Ending is nice, but nothing special.

Overall: Solid assured dramedy

Gav's Rating: 3 stars 

 

Moana 2

Official Australian release date: 28/11/24. Viewed: 20/12/24.
Directors: David Derrick, Jason Hand, Dana Miller
Actors: Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Temuera Morrison, Hualalai Chung
Genre: Adventure / Comedy
Rating: PG

‘Moana 2’ comes a surprising 8 years after the original film (thought it was much less!) and does a good job to reintroduce the key players – Moana (Cravalho), Maui (Johnson), Moana’s parents Tui (Morrison) & Sina (Scherzinger), the pig & chicken, and friends Moni (Chung), Loto (Matafeo) and Kele (Fane). We also meet cute little sister Simea (Lambert-Tsuda). As the island’s “way-finder”, Moana now seeks other islands to unite the tribes of the Pacific.

Moana sets off to find a mythical island that’s protected by an angry god (i.e. stormy seas), so needs Maui’s help, along with her friends/crew, to vanquish the bad god and bring that island back to the surface. I think that’s about the plot – nothing too special. A few songs, but nothing that really hit home. Moana’s character is still upbeat and a good leader and has a few poignant moments.

It’s a tight 100min, almost (but not quite) too long – my 3-year-old niece made it through! The CGI is still great, there’s plenty of laughs and sight gags, thanks to the mudskippers, coconut-people, blob fish and the chicken. Doesn’t reach the heights of the original, but will still please the kids.

Overall: Solid seafaring adventure

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars 

Heretic

Official Australian release date: 28/11/24. Viewed: 8/12/24.
Directors: Scott Beck & Bryan Woods
Actors: Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East, Elle McKinnon
Genre: Thriller / Horror
Rating: MA

‘Heretic’ is a good psychological horror film, helped immensely by Hugh Grant’s clear relish to be playing against type. The premise is simple – Mormon missionaries, Sister Barnes (Thatcher) & Sister Paxton (East) get trapped in Mr Reed (Grant)’s house and try to escape. There’s plenty of details as to the how/why, but not going to give any spoilers!

The pacing is really good, with it being a slow-burn at the start, and lots of dialogue, giving us plenty of time to know Barnes and Paxton, and the initial meeting/discussion with Mr Reed as they spruik the virtues of the Book of Mormon. Things don’t necessarily ratchet up quickly, but progress realistically and the film feels quicker than it’s 1 hour 45min. There’s some useful cameos from Topher Grace and Elle Young, but otherwise it’s all about the 3 main characters interacting.

While not being disrespectful to one religion more than others, I think the film treads a fine line between being a rant on the pros or cons of religions and deals well with some of the stereotypes. While Reed may end up being a lunatic, he certainly raises some valid points! The horror is not too violent in general, with some shocking moments, and a suitable and semi-ambiguous ending. Grant is superb and you can’t take your eyes of him, truly captivating.

Overall: 2024’s been a good year for horror – this is up there with ‘Speak No Evil’ and ‘Late Night With The Devil’!

Gav's Rating: 4 stars