The Screen Critic: Rom-com with a twist, dinosaurs in the suburbs, psycho kids vs grown-ups and an unusual alien invasion

The Screen Critic with Jim Schembri

For a sweet, adult-oriented romantic comedy with a novel twist, check out the very likeable One Night Only, which takes us to an alternate New York where premarital sex is allowed but one night a year.

While the city fills with people eager to hook up, two very attractive lonely hearts — well played by a handsome Callum Turner and the svelte, highly photogenic Monica Barbaro — keep bumping into each other.

They, too, are presented with opportunities but have problems obtaining condoms and with the deeper issue of whether having a quick tryst before the time limit expires is actually a good idea.

It’s nicely done, with salty language and a sweet ending.

And now for something completely familiar, here comes The End of Oak Street, another Hollywood film starring marauding dinosaurs snacking on people in a panic. Just what we need, right?

Thankfully, the film is actually quite enjoyable as a suburban family, headed by Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, realise their neighbourhood has been mysteriously relocated to the time when — you guessed it — dinosaurs ruled the Earth.

With some terrific visuals and loads of over-acting, the film quickly shapes up as a fun creature feature with a golden scene where a giant snake decides to drop by without bothering to knock.

Set in 1982, this is a serving of pure escapism, so put your brain in neutral and sit back.

For those who like their horror comedies presented without restraint or relent, Ice Cream Man delivers a full-on splatterfest as the children in a small town turn psycho on the adults after eating tainted ice cream from a smiling vendor.

As crazy as the premise sounds, it is dispatched with lashings of dark humour and over-the-top moments as teachers face pupils with something on their evil little minds other than handing in their homework.

A blast for genre fans, but definitely not for the squeamish.

After something a little more refined? Then head on over to the arthouse circuit for Young Washington, a very good historical biopic about the early years of George Washington when his loyalty to England was yet to turn.

Production values are high — you can’t tell it was made on a relatively low $US20m budget — and the lead performance from William Franklyn-Miller is strong and convincing.

The film has already proved a hit in America and a sequel is already in the works — as you’d expect.

After all, you can’t very well tell that story without covering all the stuff that explains why the guy’s face appears on the one-dollar bill.

And now, a quick public service announcement: Super Troopers 3 is now in cinemas and if you’re after a good laugh you’d best avoid it because it’s about as funny as a toothache.

American comedy troupe Broken Lizard clearly has enough fans to keep making movies, but this again shows they’re an acquired taste. Very acquired.

For an alien invasion film with a difference, The Last House offers a truly fascinating take that shows more ingenuity than the recent Steven Spielberg mess Disclosure Day.

One rainy day a family discovers that everybody is stuck in their homes. The power is still on and the water still runs but there’s no internet, no TV and no phone signal, so nobody can communicate.

What a fascinating survival film. Set almost entirely within a home, the family has to figure out how to feed itself, educate the kids and remain entertained to prevent death from boredom.

It’s a very original idea, very well done.

Catch it on Netflix, where it sits atop the film ladder.

For more visit jimschembri.com with updates on X at @jimschembri