theOneliner.com: Handling the Truth

Returning after a series of unfortunate technical and scheduling issues, we're back casting an increasingly jaded eye on Gamer, Dorian Gray, Sorority Row, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, The Final Destination and The Invention of Lying. You know it makes sense. To listen to this. This podcast. Honestly, it does. Make sense.

Gamer shows another oddball mix of action and outright bizarreness from the writer/directors of Crank, sadly with less success than the previous outings. Solid enough action scenes mix uncomfortably with overly flashy chrome surroundings and downright weird concepts, which wind up being quite funny. Unfortunately, this completely undermines the drama they're also trying to build. Acceptable, just, but nothing more.

Dorian Gray very loosely adapts Oscar Wilde's novel. Closer to the spirit rather than the letter of the source, there's a lot to like in here, particularly strong performances from Ben Barnes and Colin Firth. The only oddities come from an origin, extended final act that doesn't quite match up to Wilde's vision or skill and seems there only to needlessly punt the running time over two hours. Not for the purists, perhaps, but pretty good nonetheless.

There's not a great deal to talk about in Sorority Row, which is great, because I'm terribly lazy. I could be even lazier and simply call this I Know What You Did Last Summer with a higher number of nubile collegiate bouncing around in bra and panties, which seems like a solid enough concept. It's no worse than the bulk of teen oriented horrors and indeed executes its executions with more skill and competence than most. This alone puts it amongst the better horror films of the year, although admittedly that's a fairly low bar. However, the thing that's out of the ordinary here is one thing that's almost diametrically opposed to its goals of scaring folks.

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs works up a surreal head of steam as a marvellous invention converting water into food runs amok, threatening a town. In 3D! For no adequate reason. Perhaps one of the more enjoyable of slew of the CG kiddywink flicks, blessed with a very fine voice cast. Consensus - approved.

The Final Destination also appears In 3D! For the entirely adequate reason of impaling and squashing teens in the ways so familiar to the franchise. The pointless gimmick meshes well with this pointless gimmick of a film series, and provides about the only genuinely interesting use of 3D so far in this dread parade of nose-irritating nonsense.

The Invention Of Lying sees Ricky Gervais return to the big screen, leaving all of his jokes at the door. Simply not funny, which is a problem for a comedy. There's little more to say about it that's anything like as important as that point. Avoid.

That is all for now. We'll be back sometime soon, so until then keep your nose clean and if you can't be good, be lucky.