THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER
(12A) 120 minutes
THERE are a lot of shocks for Marvel fans in the fourth Thor movie.
First, there is no small matter of Russell Crowequirky accent like Zeus.
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For reasons known only to the Australian actor, the voice of the Greek God has traveled through the Caribbean and probably some other places far from the Mediterranean.
It’s not like he’s out of shape — hints of an Irish accent could be heard in his Robin Hood in the 2010 film.
Then there’s Voldemort from Harry Potter who shows up as the villain. Well that’s what Christian Bale‘s Gorr the God Butcher looked and sounded like me.
Funny and heroic
The numb eyes and gliding gestures were all from Ralph Fiennes’ handbook.
But that’s nothing. I don’t think this is a huge spoiler – so I can reveal that Thor lost his almighty tools to his former lover.
No, that’s not a reference to the scene where Chris HemsworthThe Nordic God stands naked, but rather to change his mystical hammer from allegiance to Dr. Jane Foster.
It’s the twist that cashes in on this film, a sequel to 2017’s Much Better Thor: Ragnarok†
As far as fans of these comedy films knew, the hammer had split into many pieces and was no longer answering Thor’s orders.
But when Natalie Portman‘s Jane comes along, she inherits his power. Suddenly she is the equal of the male hero and that makes for a lot of fun.
There is plenty of soft chatter between the former lovers, with Thor pining for both his hammer and Jane. Much of the entertainment in the film is his attempt to win them both back.
Even what might be scary scenes, like the kidnapping of a bunch of kids, get a light touch. That robs Bale’s murderous villain of his threat.
Portman demonstrates her superior acting skills by deftly interweaving comedy with real romance. Hemsworth sticks to what he does best: being funny and heroic.
New Zealand director Taika Waititi doesn’t deviate too far from comedy either.
Even what might be scary scenes, like the kidnapping of a bunch of kids, get a light touch. That robs Bale’s murderous villain of his threat.
Waititi can’t help but joke. Many hit, such as the transformation of a Viking tourist ship into an intergalactic vehicle pulled by goats.
But many have been done before and do not. This time, Thor doesn’t really take it.
HOW TO MAKE A WOMAN?
(15) 107 minutes
ON the west coast of Australia, Gina in her fifties, (Sally Phillips from Bridget Jones’s Diary) feels the frustrations of many women her age.
Her marriage to Adrian (Cameron Daddo) is very mundane, her kids are out of the house, she’s smart but overlooked by her boss for younger, perky co-workers, and the highlight of her day is a morning swim with her girl gang. Then she has become redundant.
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When friends buy her a session with a stripper for her birthday, who turns out to be a male prostitute instead of a nookie, Gina puts him to work cleaning her house and a business idea is born: a male cleaning agency that employs women. offers X-rated extras or “at least one orgasm”.
Phillips as Gina is always good enough to hold interest, but while relevant to midlife invisibility, the script is otherwise dated and cliché-filled.
The women gossip and crave sweet food, while the men are usually innocent and ignorant, but ultimately nice.
Clearly geared towards Full Monty feel-good factors, the cozy yet wacky tone goes wild from mellow, to bold, to silly, but never quite hits its G-spot.
On Sky Cinema.
BRIAN AND CHARLES
(15) 90 minutes
THIS offbeat comedy is a delightful way to pass 90 minutes, mostly due to the misadventures of the titular man and robot played by co-writers David Earl and Chris Hayward.
Fans of The office and This Country will appreciate the mockumentary style in this quirky, affable tale of isolation and emotional connection.
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Brian (Earl) is a middle-aged inventor who spends his lonely days in rural Wales building trinkets that rarely function.
He delivers endearing and awkward monologues for the camera about his various failures in the making. But coincidentally, his biggest project to date comes to life: Charles (Hayward).
The arrival of this menacing, machine-learning robot sets in motion a weird routine that’s less bromance and more teenage anxiety. Because Charles develops a rebellious streak that puts him in danger from some mean locals.
Hayward’s stunted, robotic tone makes the jokes hit harder, while well-placed peep gags catch you with a giggle.
Jim Archer delivers rousing work in a directorial debut that may not answer big philosophical questions about AI, but inserts the sci-fi trope with a big heart.