THE ONE THAT’S A CLASSIC AUSSIE WHODUNITTHE DRY (MA15+)***1/2FOXTEL, AMAZON or RENTThis top-notch adaptation of Jane Harper’s best-selling debut novel is finally beginning to pop up on streaming platforms after a record-breaking run in cinemas last summer. Few viewers will not be engrossed, provoked and even somewhat shaken by the experience. Eric Bana has the lead role of Aaron Falk, a police detective who has returned to his hometown to attend the funeral of an old friend who took his own life along with those of his young family. Before he leaves, Aaron is asked to take a brief look at the details of this tragic case. A week later, he is still there, asking questions of people they would rather not be answering. Like many a fine whodunit, The Dry is best experienced with as little advance knowledge of its contents as possible. Though it can put a foot wrong, what The Dry does get right (particularly when it comes to the singular social dynamic of small Australian towns) it does so very impressively indeed. Co-stars Genevieve O’Reilly, John Polson.THE ONE WHERE THE GAME IS UPFREE GUY (M)***DISNEY+ (free) or PREMIUM RENTALThis big-budget star showcase for a softer, lighter non-Deadpool side of Ryan Reynolds throws the likes of The Truman Show, The Lego Movie, and Ready Player One into a blender, then mixes the whole lot at top speed. While the contents of this concoction do take some time to settle, they ultimately form something with a flavour, texture and colour that will definitely appeal to the tastes of a majority of movie goers. Reynolds stars as Guy, a happy-go-lucky everyman saddened to learn his life is actually unfolding within the confines of a carefully coded video game. With the aid of a programmer who enters the game as a virtual-reality avatar, Guy stages a rebellion that just might allow him to literally get himself a life. Co-stars Jodie Comer, Taika Waititi.THE ONE WHERE THEY’RE HAVING THE CRIME OF THEIR LIVESNO SUDDEN MOVE (MA15+)***1/2PREMIUM RENTALA well-acted and impeccably plotted gangster movie, chock-full of ‘hoods up to no good. The corruption-riddled city of Detroit in 1954 is the perfect setting for a twisty, turny and tough-talking drama. A long and winding tale starts with an enigmatic mastermind known only as Jones (Brendan Fraser). He has enlisted the shonky services of low-level grifters Ronald Russo (Benicio Del Toro) and Curt Goynes (Don Cheadle) for what is referred to as a “babysitting job.” While another crook named Charley (Succession star Kieran Culkin) works on an auto executive (David Harbour) to spill a valuable corporate secret, Russo and Goynes must hold the businessman’s family hostage until the intel is secured. In the grand tradition of the best film noirs, a seemingly simple job soon becomes a complex and dangerous situation where nothing is as it seems, and everything is on the line. This is very much a movie to lose yourself in: not only for the extraordinary depth of its cast (even Matt Damon and Goodfellas legend Ray Liotta are buried away lower in the credits) but also for the sublime, controlled direction of Steven Soderbergh (Out of Sight, Ocean’s Eleven).THE ONE GOING TO SCHOOL ON A KNIGHTLY BASISTHE KID WHO WOULD BE KING (PG) ***DISNEY+ or RENTA perfectly pleasant, if a touch innocuous rejigging of the Arthurian legend for a modern audience. While taking flight from some schoolyard bullies, nerd-ish 12-year-old Alex (played by Louis Ashbourne Serkis) finds the fabled sword of Excalibur on a construction site. The legendary ancient sorcerer Merlin guides Alex towards an important mission that only a careful use of Excalibur can execute. This being Merlin, of course, means the wacky wizard won’t be taking the conventional route in training the novice knight. Co-stars Patrick Stewart.THE ONE HITTING HARD TO KEEP THE BEATTHE RHYTHM SECTION (MA15+)***1/2FOXTEL OR RENTThis gripping and deceptively refreshing take on the action-revenge format was nursed along by the same mob behind the James Bond franchise. However, if you strike The Rhythm Section expecting slick spy high jinks, you will find yourself sorely mistaken. A superb Blake Lively stars as Stephanie Patrick, a former wife and mother who is now a sex worker and drug addict. The reason for her fall from grace? Her entire family was wiped out in an inexplicable plane crash. Make that formerly inexplicable. Once Stephanie gets word that the aviation disaster was deemed a permissible event by several governments and their intelligence agencies, she decides to even the score with everyone responsible for the sinister conspiracy. Stephanie’s transformation from broken soul to angel of vengeance is a barely credible one, but it doesn’t stop a well-cast Lively from having you believe in her character’s desperate globetrotting crusade. Just the ticket for action fans who like it pulpy and punishing. Co-stars Jude Law.THE ONE WHERE A MARRIAGE HAS A MOMENT OF TRUTHTHE WIFE (M)***1/2SBS ON DEMAND or RENTIn a steadily involving drama, Glenn Close plays Joan, the devoted spouse of Joseph (Jonathan Pryce), a renowned novelist about to win the Nobel prize for Literature. Could her husband’s crowning achievement also trigger that necessary moment of truth Joan has always backed away from? While always a classy production in its own right, Close’s Oscar-winning performance lifts The Wife up a level here. Keep your eyes trained on those moments where her acting pivots ever so slightly to offer glimpses of the woman Joan might have been. Or is that might still be?THE ONE REPEATEDLY MAKING A KILLINGBOSS LEVEL (MA15+)**1/2NETFLIXYes, Groundhog Day has been done as an action movie before. Remember Tom Cruise carking it over and over again in Edge of Tomorrow? This down-market attempt at conquering the same well-worn territory does quite well for about two-thirds of its running time, until some strange scripting choices and obvious budgetary constraints kick in. Frank Grillo (best known as the villainous Crossbones from the Captain America movies) makes a strong fit for the lead role of Roy, an ex-Delta Force leader who keeps waking up every morning under attack from a fellow with a machete. Roy’s ongoing assignment is to somehow survive the day ahead with all kinds of vicious kooks and fatal hazards repeatedly placed in his way. Interactions with figures played by Michelle Yeoh (a martial arts guru), Naomi Watts (a medical guru who also happens to be our hero’s ex) and Mel Gibson (a bonkers Army supremo) will hopefully teach Roy how to stay alive for 24 hours and, sigh, save his son from certain death.
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