Friday film roundup: The Second Ill (Third-Part) Omen
Today’s film roundup from Past the Popcorn:
Yes, Shrek the Third is funny enough, says Jeff Walls, and it’s even more family-friendly than its predecessors–but the series has definitely run out of gas. The big problem? “The lack of an interesting new character,” says Walls. When the script resorts to body-switching for laughs–and they’re the best laughs here–you know that “the writers were truly grasping at straws to find another adventure for their characters to take.”
For an interesting R-rated look at misguided finger-pointing, Mike Smith suggests the Outback-inspired adaptation of a Raymond Carver tale, Jindabyne. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea by a long shot–but once you get past the gruesome opening murder, it’s a revealing and thought-provoking tale of “human frailty and prejudice.”
While you’re prowling the arthouse circuit, though, Kathy Bledsoe can find little to praise about The Page Turner. While the lead actresses “are beautiful and commanding presences,” and the film’s piano music is “absolutely superb,” Kathy finds the storytelling itself obscure and “clumsy.”
Better luck next week — aye, matey?
