A Different 3D: Pina, a 3D Dance doco

Thanks to Sydney Film Festival's overly enthusiastic emailing system, I frequently get bombarded by opportunities for freebies and my running rule is, surely out of ten competitions, I would most likely get to win at least once. And that, ladies and gents, is how I got freebies to the world's first 3D dance film, Pina.

This documentary is really all about Pina Bausch, an icon in modern dance who passed away a year or so ago. The documentary presents an intimate look into how she inspired the multitude of dancers whom she worked with and what inspired Pina's work through the years, including the iconic "Cafe Mueller", which was featured heavily in Almodovar's wondermous "Talk to Her".

What I find really interesting about the film is that it shows snipets of Pina's works, theatrical dance masterpieces which marry strength and fragility in backdrops reflecting elemental features. Add the 3D aspects of the film, and it should have been enough in the film to sustain interest in Pina.

Yet somehow, the movie loses steam midway through, and by the time you get to hear the 7th dancer's take on Pina and her style of choreographing, you lose interest in the never-ending gushes for Pina's understated genius as a choreographer and a mentor. I think the movie needed a stronger angle in presenting such an interesting dancer and choreographer, and the way it was handled was just too simplistic and amateurish.

Admittedly, if I were a professional dancer, I may have found this movie gripping. But sadly, speaking as a regular Joe, it just didn't keep me engaged.

Pina: 2.5 slices.

A One-Two Movie: Sucker Punch

It is very difficult for me to talk about this movie with a spoiler or two, so if you have issues with that, you might want to stop reading now.

Sucker Punch, written and directed by Zack Snyder, had a lot of hype going into it - or maybe I just feel that way because I saw so many ads for it at the university I worked for. Let's face it - if there was a movie geared towards the 18-25 male demographic, this movie was it. The fact that it has such a BioShock look only adds to the movie's drive to woo the gaming gents - add five scantily clad female leads, and well, there you have it. Sex in the City meets Lara Croft meets Playboy.

Don't get me wrong - I love the look, the action scenes are awesome a good 90% of the time, and the concept as a whole is really fantastic. I was seriously ready to lap this movie like it was made from nougat. I actually imagined Zack Snyder talking to studio execs with the concept storyboards, and the studio boys just going ooh-aaah, 50-year old men letting their prepubescent fantasies run amok.

The problem is there is a big distinction between pretty storyboards and their proper execution. The movie starts out really well, but somehow weakens as the movie goes along. Maybe, as my friends Freuben state, it is the whole tedious list concept which makes the plot fairly predictable, or the incoherent use of fantasy vs reality.

One great thing about the movie though is the soundtrack. The songs they've chosen are stellar and in some parts of the film, they overshadow the film itself. I have not been this excited to buy a soundtrack album since Baz's Romeo + Juliet, and everyone I've talked to agrees.

However, that isn't enough reason to watch the film. If you're that keen on watching it, I suggest leaving your brain at the cinema doors and hope that there is enough eye candy to keep your id preoccupied for 2 hours.

Sucker Punch: 2.5 slices.

An Amazing Atrocity: KFC's The Double Down

For those who have not been bombarded by either the ads or the hoopla surrounding the darn product, KFC released (for! a! limited! time! only!) The Double Down which is basically an all-meat, no-bread sandwich. How does that work? Two slices of bacon, two slices of cheese in between a sauced-up pair of salty deep fried chicken fillets. That's it - a very simple concoction designed for the needs of the primal man (or at least that is how their marketing makes it out to be).

What do I think? 5 slices for taste, 5 slices for grease factor, 0 slices for the after shocks. Midway through the "manwhich", I just had to stop to ask myself if it was worth it. Of course, my sensible side was beaten to submission by my greedy side (who simply wanted to gorge on forward) and my cheapskate side (who repeats the same phrase over and over in my head with a mum-like voice "But hijo, don't waste your food").

However, for the next two hours, my stomach experienced pains that could only be appropriately described as earthenware shattering. So yeah, it was **that** bad. Plus my heart began racing as though it was being chased Jack Nicholson-style by my Lipitor medication.

So what do I think? Overall, 1.5 stars. Great to try but given the hell to pay, I'll pass. Maybe next life.