Charlize no angel
Theron steals the show as the sexy superbitch who is hellbent on havoc
YOUNG ADULT (15A) 
THE STARS: Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson.
THE STORY: The stunning but troubled Mavis (Theron) returns to her home town to win back her childhood sweetheart (Wilson). Trouble is, he's married with a kid.
EVER WONDERED what happened to that bitch you went to school with who moved to the city? Well, she's back.
That's the premise behind this witty and jet black comedy that sees director Jason Reitman teaming up again with Diablo Cody, who wrote his movie, Juno. And while the humour doesn't always stick, there is plenty of fun to be had here thanks to a strong script milked for all its comic worth by Theron.
She's terrific as out-and-out shallow bitch Mavis, the quintessential American high school student that everyone loved to hate. The girl who terrorised her peers during the high school years is back to cause more trouble. Now in her late thirties, Mavis has grown older but never really grown up. In high school she was the beautiful, bitchy and powerwielding teenager who was able to manipulate situations to her advantage.
After school she left her small town of Mercury to move to the city - in this case, Minneapolis. There she enjoyed moderate success (or in her eyes, major fame) as the ghost writer of a popular series of teenage books. Some of the film's most amusing scenes see Mavis listening in to teen slang in fast food restaurants and stealing their lines for her books.
But gradually, the drama of the characters in her book seems to interwine with Mavis's own life. Recently divorced, way too fond of alcohol and short on friends, she snaps when she receives a birth announcement from Beth, the wife of her 'one who got away', Buddy (Wilson).
Disregarding his new family, the conniving Mavis decides to go back to her home town and use her looks and sexuality to get Buddy back. But another old classmate, Matt (a very good Oswalt) has her number. It's a credit to the filmmakers that they resist the urge to make Theron's character too empathetic or, God forbid, likeable, but that in a way creates some problems with the movie's tone. It's nigh impossible to empathatise with the central character or understand her motivations while her sadness and badness can feel
kind of draining.
An out-and-out comedy it ain't then - yet there are some brilliantly funny lines of dialogue. And Theron, dead-eyed but putting on her make up like a warrior preparing for battle, is excellent.
THE VERDICT:
It doesn't reach the comic heights of Juno and is more sombre than that movie, but this is a clever and finely written character study brought up a notch by an on-form Theron.
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Ledge flick doesn't hit the heights
MAN ON A LEDGE (12A)
THE STARS: Sam Worthington, Jamie Bell, Elizabeth Banks, Genesis Rodriguez and Ed Harris.
THE STORY: Two brothers attempt an audacious stunt to clear their names in a drama that has more twists than a ride at Funderland.
THE trailer would have you believe that Man On A Ledge is Phone Booth set on a window sill but in truth there is a lot more going on in this action movie than meets the eye. There are cheesy lines, some wooden acting from peripheral characters, one absurd stunt and most of the twists are predictable. But for all the flaws, this is kinda fun.
Sam Worthington and Jamie Bell play brothers who are looking for justice and use a balcony on the 29th floor of a Manhattan hotel as their stage. While all eyes are on Worthington as he attempts to jump, Bell's character with the help of the super sexy newcomer Genesis Rodriguez attempts to uncover evidence across the street that will clear Worthington's name.
Ed Harris plays the villain brilliantly but even the experienced thespian is overshadowed by a strong performance by Elizabeth Banks (best known for comedic roles in 40 Year Old Virgin, Scrubs, Role Models and 30 Rock) as a John McClane-type dysfunctional cop who is hated by her employers, peers, the public and ultimately, the person she sees in the mirror every morning.
Unfortunately the more experienced Edward Burns is very one dimensional and seemed totally lost in his scenes with Banks.
THE VERDICT:
Nowhere near as bad as some of the US reviewers would have you believe. Good fun, lots of action, top acting and one shameless scene of newcomer Rodriguez in her lingerie will help you overlook the flaws.
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This black humour is a scream
CARNAGE (15A)
SHORT, sharp, very funny and downright odd. These are the words that best describe director Roman Polanski's latest, a movie that feels like a play shot on the big screen. It comes as no surprise that this is actually an adaptation of a play, The God of Carnage, as most of the movie is set within one middle class sitting room. That room is the home of Michael and Penelope Longstreet (John C Reilly and Jodie Foster) a well-off couple who consider themselves civil minded and socially aware.
When a playground brawl results in their son being hit by the son of parents Nancy and Alan Cowan (Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz) the four of them agree to meet to sort out their differences. What follows is a sharp black comedy where both sets of parents set out to be polite middle-class types but quickly embark on verbal warfare.
Characters are brilliantly drawn and acted too. They include the anxious, uptight Nancy (Winslet) and earnest Penelope (a brilliant Foster). A dark, eccentric and sometimes quite bitter story, Carnage certainly won't be for everyone but if you like your comedy served sour, you've come to the right place.
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DIRE JACK IS UTTER CACK
JACK & JILL (PG)
ADAM SANDLER tends to divide people into two camps - those who find him hilarious and those who would prefer to rip out their
fingernails than sit through one of his movies.
I'm firmly in the latter, but even diehard Sandler fans may struggle with this dire film. Sandler plays two characters in the movie - Jack,
a successful ad executive who lives in comfort in Los Angeles with his wife (Katie Holmes) and their two children. Every year, he dreads the arrival of his shrill, needy sister Jill, who brings chaos to his family life.
Not only are both characters amongst the most annoying you could find in a movie, but something else truly bizarre happens. Up pops Al Pacino, supposedly satirising himself in an ill-judged extended cameo. This wretched attempt at a comedy will surely rank as one of the worst of the year.
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Hawaiian property dealer Matt King (George Clooney) is forced to improve his relationship with his two wayward daughters (Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller) when his wife is badly injured in an accident. Bittersweet, funny and deeply moving, director Alexander Payne's grown up drama features a superb cast, especially Clooney and Woodley.
Set in Paris in 1910, this animated film, geared towards younger children, centres on a monster who lives in a garden in the city and his love for a beautiful young singer. Lively, colourful and vibrant, the movie's big on the feelgood factor and the soundtrack's sure to be a big hit.
GIRL With the Dragon Tattoo star Rooney Mara (right) has signed up for the lead role in director Steven Soderbergh's next movie. She'll star in Side Effects as a woman who turns to prescription drugs to cope with anxiety. 
