The Lovely Bones and Mugabe and the White African Reviews

Here are two more reviews, for The Lovely Bones and Mugabe and the White African.

THE LOVELY BONES
Alice Sebold's dramatic, insightful source material is wasted with The Lovely Bones, a film so confused about what it should be it turns into a big mess, but a powerful, imaginative one too.
Saoirse Ronan plays 14 year old murder victim, Susie Salmon, a young girl who finds herself in the 'in-between', a place between Heaven and Earth, where she watches over her devastated family and her rapist killer (Oscar nominatedStanley Tucci) come to terms with events, whilst dealing with the situation in their own way. While the film boasts an incredibly poetic flare or direction from Peter Jackson, some excellent performances and an interesting premise, the weak adapted screenplay, a shocking lack of character development and over the top visual effects dig a massive hole around the film. Yet it's biggest problem is the fact it has no idea whether it's a drama, thriller, horror or even comedy in places. Sadly, the audience will know no better either. Yet the film's enchanting, uplifting tale successfully shows us what Susie has been through, and this is never a dull watch. The acting is excellent from the main cast (despite underdeveloped, and underused roles for Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberb and Susan Sarondon as Susie's grieving mother, devastated father and alcoholic grandmother), with Ronan proving what a star she is after her incredible performance in Atonement. Overall, this is a very jumbled picture that sadly fails to live up to its potential.
OVERALL GRADE: 6/10

MUGABE AND THE WHITE AFRICAN
This Oscar nominated documentary is shockingly effective and a real wake up call to the world that the white African farmers in Zimbabwe need to be helped or they will all be killed. Following Ben Freeth and his father as they sue the President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, for racial discrimination over the act that means white farmers can have their land overtaken by anyone in the country at any time is a truly absorbing tale that is just as shocking. As Ben's family faces daily terror from the locals, with violent attacks on their many workers every week, the family remain incredibly defient against the thugs who want them out of the country. Let's start of with an obvious point; this is a truly tough watch. It may have a safe certificate for watching (12A in the UK, equivelant to a PG-13 in the US) but there are some gruesome scenes of the aftermath of violence on the farm. You will definitely not forget the final act, which will shake you to the core, no doubt about it. Despite this, the film is very uplifting, with the family never deterred away from their desperation to make Mugabe realise his wrongs and stop this tyrannical rage at the White Farmers who live peacefully in Zimbabwe. And don't expect a happy ending, as Mugabe and the White African may shock you. This is a superb film, but often too hard to watch, and that's not the kind of cinematic experience you want. It really does open your eyes to the horrors occuring in Zimbabwe, and I highly reccommend it to be seen, but one viewing may be too much in itself.
OVERALL GRADE: 6.5/10

The next reviews will be for The Wolfman, MicMacs, The Crazies and From Paris with Love.