A couple of recent film reviews.

High School Musical
50%

When I watch a Disney movie, I expect a Disney movie so I don't really get people who watch this film and then moan about it having, shock horror, the characteristics of a Disney film. It reminds me of films like The Mighty Ducks from my own tween-dom so watch this film expecting to see a Disney movie and you won't be far wrong.

This is a fun, cheerful, sometimes humourous film with a good message and sweet heart behind it. Zac Efron was decent to watch. I didn't quite buy Vanessa Hudgens in her role. The support was fine with some nice turns such as Corbin Bleu. It's directed by Kenny Ortega who has a long line of Choreographer credits to his name, including the upcoming This Is It so the dance numbers are fab.

The reason for the low mark is simply due to the production of some of the musical numbers. Some of the songs sound like they're being sung by the Chipmunks. The way some of the singing has been synced/acted is also just incredibly painful to watch. The likes of Sweeney Todd did it *so* much better.

This film has flaws, but if you want a nice feel-good movie that is safe for young kids, you won't go far wrong with this.




13 Conversations about One Thing.
70%

An interesting film that focuses on various characters in New York whose lives cross paths and have either trivial or significant consequences on them. Structured as short stories with the characters intermingling, it can be a bit confusing to keep track of the chronology of the piece, and it's easily a film you can watch a couple of times before getting the narrative down.

Due to the nature of the film, the characters are not the most fleshed out ever but the likes of Alan Arkin do great with what they have. As the film is dealing with issues such as happiness, hope, and karma, some characters do suffer from too much introspection which makes bits of the dialogue sound odd.

While the film is intriguing, the pace is much slower then similarly structured films like Love Actually. Some people write this film off as a self-indulgent piece of Art-House. It is a film that you need to pay attention to to follow, but it's well worth a look if you're prepared to make the commitment.