Film Screening 13th August, 2011

Poster for Cars 2

Cars 2 

6:00 PM, 13th August, 2011
No Guests

  • PG
  • 113 mins
  • 2011
  • John Lasseter,  Brad Lewis
  • Ben Queen
  • Owen Wilson,  Michael Caine, John Turturro (voices)

Fast friends from the first film - race car Lightning McQueen (Wilson) and rusty tow-truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) - are invited to participate in the first ever World Grand Prix, to determine the world's fastest car on tracks from Japan to Europe. While in London, the British Intelligence Agency, led by the dashing Finn McMissile (Caine, in top form even in voice only), mistakes Mater for an American spy and enlists his help. Their mission: to stop a brilliant-but-mad scientist and his henchmen of overlooked, outdated cars from sabotaging the World Grand Prix.

New additions to the already talented voice cast include the menacing Thomas Kretschmann as the dastardly Professor Z and Eddie Izzard as renewable fuel advocate and former oil tycoon Sir Miles Axelrod. John Turturro is a particular delight as McQueen's chief rival and the most famous race car in Europe, while Emily Mortimer is spunky as Holley Shiftwell, the long-suffering British spy car assigned to assist the bumbling Mater.

The scale and ambition on display here is simply stunning: with an international cast of memorable characters and a plot spanning several continents, Pixar have delivered something that not only manages to showcase their trademark magic, but also rivals any James Bond film. The car chases, as expected, are spectacular and the opening sequence featuring Caine's character on an oilrig, in particular, is worth watching out for.

Cars 2 is a dazzling, neon-hued tale of racing and international espionage, deftly combining spectacle with the Pixar charm and humour we all know and love. Enthralling for audiences of all ages, this is not to be missed.

Bryan Pike

Poster for Gone in 60 Seconds

Gone in 60 Seconds  

8:00 PM, 13th August, 2011

  • M
  • 112 mins
  • 2000
  • Dominic Sena
  • Scott Rosenberg 
  • Nicolas Cage,  Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi

Seemingly retired master car thief Randall "Memphis" Raines (Cage) is forced to return to his former trade after his younger brother Kip (Ribisi) gets involved with a dangerous English crime boss (Christopher Eccleston). With an uncanny ability to find a way to steal any car that crosses his path, Memphis agrees to a risky scheme to steal fifty luxury cars in order to clear his brother's debt. He quickly rounds up his old crew, including jaded mentor Otto (Robert Duvall) and former girlfriend Sway (Jolie). After discovering that a pair of dogged LAPD detectives (Delroy Lindo and Timothy Olyphant) are on his trail, Memphis decides to speed things up a bit with a new plan: steal every car on his 'shopping list' in a single night.

A remake of the 1974 film of the same name, Gone In 60 Seconds makes it obvious from the outset that it has no intention of providing any kind of intellectual stimulation. Instead, what we get is 112 minutes of action/adventure escapism packed full of witty one-liners, fast cars, fancy driving and one particularly memorable chase scene that is, in the tradition of Bullitt and The Blues Brothers, anything but ordinary. The main thing that sets Gone In 60 Seconds apart from other films in this genre, however, is that its cast is populated by actors who are actually good at their craft - Jolie, Duvall and, yes, even Cage are all Oscar winners - elevating the film to something well worth coming along for.

Robert Bourke