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Reviews
Needle (2010)
What's with the American accents?
I gave the film a 7 because it was a genuine fresh take on the horror genre and an interesting film for an Aussie flick. Plus, it's not that often that you see a film like this come out of WA. Very nice to see a movie set in Perth! It would have been nice if the actual location of the movie had been mentioned, instead of distant shots of the skyline having to hint to the fact it was set in the state capital. What really bugged me though was why there were all these American characters in it - there was seemingly no explanation as to why the 2 lead roles had American accents - especially since they are both played by Australian actors! And who the heck says "vacation"???
Hansie: A True Story (2008)
Despite low expectations, I enjoyed this movie.
Normally I'm quite critical of movies. I knew "Hansie" wouldn't be amazing and expected it to be low-budget as I knew it was a Christian movie. I was drawn to watch it because as an Australian I love cricket and admired Cronje, and (like one of the other reviewers on this board) I was interested in the South African psyche at the time.
Firstly I was quite surprised to find that the cinematography was really good. I was impressed with the production and could see that a fair bit of money had been invested into the movie. The acting wasn't standout but I expected worse - and it was good enough not for me to notice it during the film.
I have to admit I couldn't figure out some of the accents - especially Bertha (I thought she must have been English, not Safi) and some of the older men portrayed seemed to have English accents as well (the pastor, Justice King, etc).
While I know there are heaps in India, there aren't that many English-language movies about cricket - so I enjoyed watching the portrayal of famous cricket stars and I especially enjoyed the re-enactment of the last over of the 1999 World Cup Semi-final in which Alan Donald was run out. I remember watching that on live TV with mates and expecting Australia to lose the match and then the unthinkable happened. Australia went on to win the World Cup and have also won the last two (2003 and 2007). It was a pivotal point for our team and it was refreshing to see the same event from a South African point of view.
I'm giving the movie 7 out of 10 because I actually enjoyed it - and when that happens I have to rate a movie. It was actually quite sad. Not being from South Africa myself, it was interesting to see aspects of South African life that's similar to things here in Oz (e.g. backyard cricket and BBQs, sport and outdoor lifestyle).