Sometimes family have the best stories, such is the case with Giles Milton who wrote about the wartime adventures of his father in law Wolfram Aichele in the German Army.

Often we find history is written or revised by the victors and the voices of the vanquished can be muted.

Wolfram Aichele was nine years old when Hitler came to power in the 1930’s, he grew up under the shadow of the Third Reich and whilst blessed with free thinking artistic parents who lived in a virtually separated world from most people in Nazi Germany, was unable to escape the inevitability of war and eventual defeat.

Wolfram saw service through out the European Theatre as a “funker”, radio operator. He saw little action. being seriously ill in the Russian Theatre, surviving the D day landings in Normandy, being captured and sent to work in America, all before he was 21 years of age.

It is an interesting tale of luck, for it was only luck…being in the right place at the right time, that saved this young German boy.

The book is a fascinating read into how the Nazis trapped the whole population in their web of cruelty and deceit. I for one learnt a lot about how it became impossible to avoid their stranglehold over every day life and I had a lot more sympathy for those Germans who opposed Nazi idealogy but found no way out.

Milton gores into specific detail with family and friends for those who lived under the shadow of the Reich and threat of Allied bombs.

I also learnt a lot about “after the war” and the life of Germany prisoners of war in occupied France. A story not really told. In some cases it was years before the soldiers returned home.

Peter Sutton

Alex and Milo seem to tag team their way through this new Murder story by prolific American crime writer Jonathan Kellerman.

The story starts with the murder of Elise Freeman who is found in a bathtub full of dry ice. Very dead and rather dry. She has left a DVD detailing possible murder suspects and an account of a year and a half of abuse at the hands of staff at a prestigious private school. Milo enlists Dr. Delaware as he goes through an assortment of suspects from staff to students.

I guess Americans would find it interesting that a prestigious private school is at the centre of this mystery. I tended to get a little confused as to WHY Dr. Delaware was involved. I’m not sure I found the answer out. He didn’t seem that necessary to plot development.

There were the usual red herrings and I was a little annoyed that the dry ice itself was indeed an irrelevance and a large red herring fitting nicely into the “plot development” compartment.

Still Kellerman novels are a nice easy read. What do I like about them, well strangely I liked the food angle that always sees Milo eating somewhere, his ginormous appetite always a source of character development. I liked descriptions of some of the characters (i.e. the two prostitutes) and I liked the Marty Mendfoza character.

Not brilliant somewhat formulaic, but an easy reader though I feel that Kellerman is making the Milo character more believable than Alex

CS Sutton

John Safran once said “don’t trust people that re-work Shakespeare for the kids”, however I’m not sure the same can be said for Julie Taymor’s (Across The Universe, Frida) version of The Tempest. She doesn’t only do a little re-working of Shakespeare’s play she creates such a different version of the film that it is practically unrecognizable.

The Tempest tells the story of Prospera (Helen Mirren – Arthur, Red) a powerful sorceress who has been banished to live on an island with her daughter, Miranda (Felicity Jones – Chalet Girl, Like Crazy). Using the help of Ariel (Ben Whishaw – All Signs Of Death, Love Hate) Prospera decides to get revenge on the person who put her there. However with visitors on the Island, Prospera’s slave, Caliban (Djimon Hounsou – Elephant White, Push) decides to recruit some of them in a bid to overthrow Prospera.

Julie Taymor makes some brave choices with The Tempest and luckily for her they all work. Firstly she takes the character of Prospero and makes her a female, Prospera. For some reason this change seems to make the script work even better and the relationship between mother and daughter comes to the forefront and makes the story even more powerful. Helen Mirren was certainly the right choice to play this role, she is truly sensational and this is one performance that needs to be remembered in cinematic history. She is phenomenal.

Most people also like to try and ignore the fact that Shakespeare put quite a fair bit of humour into his plays but Taymor realizes this and ups the anti by casting Russell Brand (Hop, Arthur) in the role of Trinculo… a role he certainly makes his own. He is dramatic when he needs to be and has the audience rolling around with laughter the rest of the time.

The Tempest is a strange film that mixes comedy with a severe darkness incredibly well. Taymor really does deserve praise for creating one of the best (if not strangest) films of the year. She truly does justice to Shakespeare’s play in the year of its 400th Anniversary.

Dave Griffiths

There is no way to be nice about it Your Highness is an absolute stinker. Let’s just say that it should be guaranteed of a tonne of Golden Razzie nominations and will more than likely take a few home on the night. The film really has nothing going for it, the script is awful and drags down the actors with it, the jokes are unfunny… so it was no real surprise to see half of the audience walk out of the screening that we went to.
The film attempts to tell the story of Prince Thadeous (Danny McBride – Fight For Your Right Revisited, TV’S Eastbound & Down), a Prince who lives in the shadow of his successful brother, Prince Fabious (James Franco – The Green Hornet, 127 Hours). However Thadeous is forced to give up his lazy ways and go on a ‘quest’ when the Kingdom comes under attack by the evil, Leezar (Justin Teroux – Documental, Megmind) who kidnaps Fabious’s bride-to-be, Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel – My Idiot Brother, Havin’A Summah) as part of his plan.
Danny McBride and Ben Best’s (The Foot Fist Way, TV’S Eastbound & Down) script is a real stinker. The storyline in itself works well, but it is dragged down by McBride and Best’s constant need to try and put unfunny sex jokes into the script. You can tell that they are trying to create the next Pineapple Express or Superbad but fail miserably… perhaps it may be time to check out a class in Comedy 101. The real shame in the script is that some parts do work really well. The characters are interesting, and for the most part the film is well shot… yet the audience can’t help but groan throughout the film.
The people really let down by the script are the actors, most of them can’t be faulted. Danny McBride does an okay job stepping up into the leading-man role, and portrays the bumbling hero pretty well. As you would except James Franco and Natalie Portman (Thor, No Strings Attached) do fine jobs in their roles but you do have to wonder why actors of their calibre (and add Deschanel to that list) are slumming it in a film this awful. Did anyone actually read the script before they signed the dotted line?
Your Highness is clearly one of the worst films of the year, and sadly it could have been so much better. Unfunny and crass – this is the kind of film that you need to avoid like the plague!

Dave Griffiths

Many people will want to bypass Water For Elephants simply because of the fact that it stars Robert Pattinson (Love & Distrust, Remember Me) who seems to have lost favour with many film fans due to his portrayal of Edward Cullen in The Twilight series of films. It’s a shame really because on the back of Remember Me Pattinson is really starting to set himself up as one of the finest young actors going around. His performance here in the terrific Water For Elephants only enhances that praise.
Based on the novel by Sara Gruen Water For Elephants tells the story of Jacob (Pattinson) a young vet who is left homeless after the death of his parents. While hitching a ride on the rails Jacob comes across a circus and soon wins over the owner, August (Christoph Waltz – The Green Hornet, Inglourious Basterds) and becomes close friends with August’s wife, Marlena (Reese Witherspoon – How Do You Know, Monsters vs. Aliens), whom also happens to be the circus’s star attraction. As time goes on Jacob is left in charge of the circus’s new acquisition, a bull elephant which sees him working closer with Marlena whom he starts to feel a connection with. Soon Jacob also finds himself clashing with August who is abusive to both Marlena and the elephant.
Water For Elephants certainly shouldn’t be classed as a ‘chick flick’ as most of the film comes from the male-point-of-view and you certainly have to describe most of the characters as ‘blokey’. There is a romance but the core of the story is a man overcoming obstacles, achieving his dream and then sticking up for what he believes in.
Director, Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend, TV’S Kings) has certainly worked hard to make this film feel authentic, and he achieves this so well that at times it does feel that you are right there in the circus with all the characters. However, this realism does also cause a minor problem in that the animal cruelty does look so realistic at times that you could imagine this being a tough watch for animal lovers… but it is an important part of the film and certainly shouldn’t have been left out like some people have stated.
The other important thing that audiences walking away from Water For Elephants see is that Robert Pattinson really does back-up his performance from Remember Me with a brilliant performance, certainly nobody should be suggesting that he is a hack actor who only gets work because of the popularity of Twilight. Christoph Watz also puts in a fine effort and in the scenes he shares with Pattinson, Pattinson holds his own and is equal to Waltz in the acting skills.
It comes as a surprise to say but Water For Elephants is a great watch and it’s a pity that there aren’t more films like this out there at the moment. Water For Elephants has some fine acting and a great story… now who would have predicated that?

Dave Griffiths

While Thor might be one of the lesser known comic book characters (unless you are complete fan-boy), the film Thor will be long remembered as one of the new generation comic-book films that not only look stunning but also have a story that will keep even the most hardened cinema fan happy… and this time around we also get some sensational special effects.

Based on the famous comic-book serious the film tells the story of Thor (Chris Hemsworth – Ca$h, A Perfect Getaway), a heavenly Prince who angers his father, King Odin (Anthony Hopkins – The Rite, Bare Knuckles) by pursuing a war with King Laufey (Colm Feore – TV’S The Borgias & Law And Order: Special Victim’s Unit). Odin banishes Thor to Earth where he runs into a scientific team made up of Jane Foster (Natalie Portman – Your Highness, No Strings Attached), Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings – Daydream Nation, TV’S American Dad) and Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard – Melancholia, King Of Devil’s Island). However when Thor’s brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston – Midnight In Paris, Archipelago) teams up with King Laufey, Thor is in a race against time to get his powers back.

The team of writers that worked on Thor have done an amazing job bringing the comic book to the big screen and while some doubted it was possible they have actually managed to make Thor as interesting as Iron Man. Director, Kenneth Branagh (Sleuth, The Magic Flute) really has been handed a gem of a script and he pulls it off amazingly without ever making the film cheesy… despite the fact that that character of Darcy does threaten to drag it into that territory at times. The comedy aspect of the film does work really well, but what is so impressive is the fact that the story manages to keep the attention of the audience and is never overshadowed by the amazing special effects.

Despite some naysayers Chris Hemsworth does an amazing job in the role of Thor and it is hard to imagine who else could have played the part as well as he did. He has the body to pull off the role but also has great acting ability, and luckily the script lets him also show off that side of his ability. Obviously the script impressed Natalie Portman because it is hard to imagine why else she would have picked a role that would normally have been reserved for an actress looking for a role to kick-start her Hollywood career.

Thor follows the proud tradition of excellent comic-book films over the past few years and is certainly worth a look even if you aren’t a fanboy.

Dave Griffiths

So many thrillers these days just don’t cut the mustard so it’s good to see one arrive at cinemas that actually not only keeps its audience wondering what will happen next but also does literally have you on the edge of your seat. Even better is that Blame doesn’t rely on elevated noises on the soundtrack to spook it’s audience… instead it delivers its suspense through a well-written script that relies on psychological suspense much in the vein of Michael Haneke’s Funny Games.
Blame follows a group of school-friends, Natalie (Sophie Lowe – Kiss, Moth), Cate (Kestie Morassi – The Wedding Party, TV’S Offspring), Nick (Simon Stone – A Love Story, Balibo), John (Mark Leonard Winter –Balibo, Van Diemen’s Land) and Anthony (Ashley Zuckermann – TV’S Rush & The Slap) as they seek revenge on teacher, Bernard (Damian de Montemas – TV’s Cops LAC & Rescue Special Ops) whom they believe is partly responsible for the death of their friend, Alice (Saskia Hampele – Arctic Blast, TV’S City Homicide).
First time writer and director, Michael Henry sets a great pace with Blame, and it’s impossible to tell where the film is heading. There are enough unpredictable twists and turns to keep even the most hardened thriller fan happy, while the storyline of a relationship between a student and her teacher is modern enough to appear like it has been ripped from the headlines. Henry also does an amazing job with his script, as while the main characters may appear to be bumbling teenagers who haven’t thought their crimes through they are still unhinged enough to be a constant threat to Bernard’s life. In one way this actually enhances the story as you are never really sure when one of them is going to just snap and pull the trigger. Henry also has an amazing talent for stretching the suspense out during a scene without going overboard… this mentions the audience does actually have scenes that will leave your heart in your mouth.
Acting-wise Blame gives some of Australia’s lesser-known stars a chance to star on the big screen. Damian de Montemas has been promising big things since his role in The Secret Life Of Us and here he steps up amazingly well in a role that would have been quite challenging to act out. He is also well supported by Sophie Lowe (who has shown in films like Beautiful Kate that she is Australia’s next big thing), Kestie Morassi and Ashley Zuckermann who certainly make this film truly memorable.
If you have been waiting a while for a thriller that really will captivate you then you certainly shouldn’t miss Blame. This is a terrific thriller that is guaranteed to keep you guessing.

Dave Griffiths

New Boyz are one of those groups that sit in a unique middle-area between two genres. They are too pop to be considered serious rap but are too rappy to be filed safely under pop. Their new album Too Cool To Care is very up and down. Some tracks are so cheesy that you just want to hit the ‘skip’ button while others are so good you can’t help but wonder why these guys haven’t made a bigger name for themselves.

‘Tough Kids’ which features Sabi showcases all New Boyz really are, simple pop-driven rap that will be lapped up by fans of 3Oh3 but disliked by the more serious music fan. It is easy to see why ‘Crush On You’ has become a single, although once again the lyrics are cheesy which will be a turn-off for many people.

‘Active Kings’ has a subject matter that sees New Boyz possibly become to risqué for their teenage market (which begs the question which demographic are they aiming for) while the smooth and catchy ‘I Don’t Care’ deserves to become a hit single.

The cheesiness returns with ‘Porn Star’ but that is soon forgotten about with the great ‘Backstreet’… which is yet another track begging to be used as a radio single. But it’s ‘Meet My Mom’ where New Boyz really captures the sound that seems to suit them… its mix of dance music with rap vocals seems to work extremally well.

‘Start Me Up’ is so poppy you could be excused for believing that it is a new track from Justin Beiber while the sexist ‘Better With The Lights Off’ is one of the better tracks on the album… and ‘Magazine Girl’ is not far behind that.

‘Zonin’ sees the return of the rap/dance hybrid that works so well but ‘Let U Leave’ is another woeful track that just seems to drag down the album. At least Too Cool To Care ends on a nice note with both ‘Can’t Nobody’ and ‘Beautiful Dancer’ capturing an amazing R&B sound that does give New Boyz some credibility.

Too Cool To Care will be hit and miss with most people. It is well worth a listen but be prepared to hit ‘skip’ a few times while you are listening to it. A little cheesy in parts, but New Boyz do show some glimpses of talent.

Dave Griffiths

This is the film that fans of the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise have been waiting for. Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides sees the deadwood (Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom) cut away and Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp – Rango, The Tourist) is given free reign. In fact they probably should have called the film Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Captain Jack Film, because pretty much the entire film’s focus is on him… luckily Depp is a good enough actor to pull it off.

This time round Captain Jack is on the run from the law as they hunt down pirates, but when he is captured the British offer him a mission for his freedom – go with Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush – The Warrior’s Way, The King’s Speech) and find the Fountain Of Youth before it is discovered by the Spanish. However the journey is not only made harder by the fact that they will have to obtain a number of items to get access to the Fountain Of Youth but also because Jack soon finds himself in the hands of Blackbeard (Ian McShane – The Pillars Of The Earth, The Sorceror’s Apprentice) and his former flame, the beautiful, Angelica (Penelope Cruz – Sex And The City 2, Nine).

Director Rob Marshall (Nine, Memoirs Of A Geisha) really does make a huge statement with this, his first Pirates Of The Caribbean film. Many doubted whether the man that has brought us musicals such as Nine and Chicago had the skills to pull of an action movie, and let it be said that he certainly can. The scene during the battle with the mermaids is sensational (let’s be honest one of the best bits of action that we have seen for 2011) and is topped off with an amazing explosion and stunt that would be far beyond most first time action directors. Even the chase through the streets of London is well shot, and keeps up the suspense.

Of course Marshall’s job is made a little easier thanks to a great script that introduces some great enemies for Jack, while the increased screen time for Barbossa is also a highlight for the audience. This also means that Depp has some great support from Ian McShane and Geoffrey Rush… both of which put in brilliant performances… although did we expect any less? The scriptwriters also need to be congratulated on the fact that they don’t just make Angelica a one dimensional character… and it’s obvious that Cruz enjoyed the role.

This is one of the better films in the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise and if Captain Jack is your favorite character from the series you certainly won’t be disappointed. Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides has it all, a great script, humor, brilliant acting and terrific action. Even the 3D seems to enhance the action scenes, although once again some scenes don’t need it all. Still this is one of the better action flicks of 2011!

Dave Griffiths

Mention names like Ivan Milat and Martin Bryant and people are quick to link them with notorious Australian crimes like The Backpacker Murders and the Port Arthur Massacre. Mention John Bunting and most will probably look at you with confusion on their face… not many people would know as Australia’s worst serial killer… the man behind the Snowtown murders. Director, Justin Kurzel (Blue Tongue) takes a serious look at Bunting in the new dark crime-drama, Snowtown.
The film follows John Bunting (Daniel Henshall – Heron’s Story, TV’S Rescue Special Ops) as he embeds himself into a community (and one particular family) as he begins on his murderous path of destruction. As he makes a strong stance against paedophilia he wins over single mother, Elizabeth Harvey (Louise Harris – newcomer) and her son, Jamie (Lucas Pittaway – newcomer) and soon has Jamie (who is a victim of abuse himself) helping him out with the murders.
Kurzel certainly doesn’t hold back. Snowtown hits you with the force of a Larry Clarke film, and certainly doesn’t in anyway glorify Bunting and turn him into a hero… instead he is shown as a dangerous psychopath who loses control of his dark side. Such is the skill of Kurzel and his team of writers that at times it is easy to forget that you are watching a feature film and start thinking that you are watching a documentary, as their scenes (and especially dialogue) is so natural, it is hard to believe that is scripted.
When you consider how Kurzel chose most of his cast, from observing people in local supermarkets, you really have to marvel at how well the cast go in their roles. Actors such as Louise Harris and Lucas Pittaway have no acting experience at all, but you wouldn’t know it to watch them on the screen. Both put in brilliant performances and certainly aren’t put to shame by Daniel Henshall (who has had several roles in his career), who should certainly be kept in mind when it comes time to start voting for the AFI Awards. Henshall is so believable as Bunting that he is likely to terrify some of the unsuspecting audience members out there.
There are some cinema-goers out there who will be completely turned off by Snowtown. The film is graphic and even gruesome in parts, but really it needs to be, although it would be at risk at portraying Bunting as a hero. This terrific crime-drama will be loved by anyone who enjoyed Underbelly.

Dave Griffiths