Change Your Image
darcywinchester
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Hjem til jul (2019)
Should contain a warning about the ending
I watched this, following a recommendation, over a couple of nights. Despite the not great voiceover dubbing, I was invested in the character and looking forward to the promise of the premise (who would she bring to the family Christmas meal?) that was deliberately built up. I worried when some characters began to behave out of character, i.e. Fboy's character conclusion and the MCs meltdown speech at the party, but nothing prepared me for That ending. Haven't been as disappointed and frustrated with a programme since Game of Thrones and Lost.
Military Wives (2019)
A feel-good British movie with heart
In this comedy drama film directed by Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty, The Rocker) and written by Rosanne Flynn (The Favourite, The Bourne Supremacy) and Rachel Tunnard (Kill Kill Faster Faster, Adult Life Skills), Kristin Scott Thomas (Four Weddings and a Funeral, The English Patient) and Sharon Horgan (Game Night, Pulling) take the starring roles as Kate and Lisa respectively.
Kate is the wife of the Colonel and following the death of her son in combat and her husband about to deploy once more, decides to help Lisa with the activities for the women on base. Lisa has a complicated relationship with her teenage daughter and the last thing she needs is Kate muscling in on her role and here-in lies most of the tension between the unlikely pairing. Lisa knows the women use the group to have a boozy time and let off steam and Kate may put an end to all that.
At the next meeting of the wives, suggestions are requested for new activities and once the knitting club has been disbanded as a bad idea (none of them can knit) the suggestion of a singing club, by new military wife Sarah (Amy James-Kelly: Jericho, Safe) leads to the uneasy formation of a choir.
Kate and Lisa are understandably not well matched to be running any activity together, let alone a choir but after a rough start come to compromise and when the top brass get to hear how well they are sounding, the choir is invited to sing at the upcoming Concert of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall. Will this mismatch of unprofessional singers led by a pair of bickering choirmasters pull it together enough to put on a great performance at such a prestigious venue or will it all end in tears?
The film is loosely based on the true story of the Military Wives choir, the one set up in 2010, and deals sensitively with issues such as grief, social and family conflict, fear and loneliness with the added benefit of joy thrown in. Knowing this is based on truths, you come to understand, empathise and sympathise with the characters. For example I went from thinking that an annoying Kate is interfering in Lisa's role (when she had been doing a perfectly good job up to this point) to realising that she needs it just as much as any other woman there. From cringing at Kate's efforts to teach the wives how to sing using her old school classical teaching and empathising with Lisa's insistence on trying to make the activity fun by injecting modern songs rather than sticking to scales, I came to realise that the combination of both is what the wives responded to, realising that no-one fully knows what they are doing, especially in a stressful situation such as when your loved ones are in danger. Compromise and understanding is what was required and this is a message much needed in recent times, to try and look beyond a person's projection of who they want you to think they are to the real person underneath and what they might be going through. As our much loved and missed local MP Jo Cox said, "We are for more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us."
I never watched the TV programme with Choirmaster Gareth Malone, but as this is not referenced in the film, it didn't matter. In fact, I think that never having heard the song the choir perform (or at least, remember hearing it), when the song is unveiled during the performance the significance of the lyrics underlines it with an even more emotionally powered punch.
With excellent performances throughout out from all the actors, not just the leads, particular stand-outs were Amy James-Kelly (as previously mentioned), Jason Flemyng (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) as Crooks, the only authoritarian male who stays on base who goes from putting on ear defenders to drown out the noise to their staunchest defender, Lara Rossi (Robin Hood, You (Us) Me) who plays Ruby the only wife of a female in the regiment who cannot sing a note to save her life and the choirs superstar singer Maz (Laura Checkley: King Gary, Action Team) who has to be convinced to sing in front of an audience at all, this is a feel-good film. But be warned, take some tissues along too.
Playing with Fire (2019)
For the children
I went to see this film on a preview with my husband before Christmas but the film is officially out in the U. K. today.
In this Andy Fickman (Race to Witch Mountain, You Again) directed and Dan Ewen (Opposites Attract, Dear Satan) and Matt Lieberman (The Christmas Chronicles, Free Guy) written movie, John Cena (Bumblebee, The Marine) stars as Jake Carson, who along with his crew Mark (Keegan-Michael Key: Let's be Cops, Tomorrowland), Rodrigo (John Leguizamo: Chef, Romeo and Juliet) and Axe (Tyler Mane: X-Men, Halloween, and whilst singing, Paul Potts) are fire jumpers (not to be mistaken with firemen).
When they save three children trapped in a cabin fire and are unable to locate their parents, they have to look after them at the firestation. The eldest Brynn (Brianna Hildebrand: Deadpool, The Exorcist) seems to be determined to press all their buttons, the middle child Will (Christian Convery: Venom, Beautiful Boy) keeps touching dangerous things and the youngest Zooey (Finley Rose Slater in her first role) won't stop crying. Plus, they keep trying to run away. Trying to secure his dream job as a successor to Commander Richards (Dennis Haysbert: Far from Heaven, 24), Jake enlists the help of nearby scientist Dr Amy Hicks (Judy Greer: 13 Going 30, Ant-Man) hoping to get things under control before his visit. Can they keep them safe until their parents return? And will they mess up his chances of getting his promotion?
Make no mistake this is a family movie. There are some good laughs to be had but the whole toilet humour scene went on so long that it completely ruined any chance of me remembering them. It was a shame as Key was an excellent comedy side kick, he stole the movie, yet Leguizamo, Greer and Haysbert were woefully underused. Hildebrand shone as the complicated teen but there was just too much cheese and don't get me wrong, cheese can sometimes be good (Daddy's Home anyone?) but sadly, as the numerous people that left the cinema during the movie would attest to, it was just too over the top.
If you want some infantile humour for the kids to enjoy this festive holiday, then I can recommend it as the children in the audience found it laugh out loud. If not, give it a miss.
The Aeronauts (2019)
Intense adventure with the aeronauts
In this action, adventure, biography film directed by Tom Harper (Wild Rose, TVs Peaky Blinders) and written by Harper and Jack Thorne (Wonder, TVs National Treasure), Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) stars as daredevil pilot Amelia Wren and Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl, The Theory of Everything) scientist James Glaisher. It also features an excellent score The Aeronauts Waltz by Jack Arnold (Wild Rose, Albatross). In 1862 the pair teamed up to advance human knowledge of the weather and fly higher than anyone in history. Facing physical and emotional challenges in the thin air, the unlikely duo find their place in the world.
Glaisher's friend John Trew is played by Himesh Patel (Yesterday, TVs Eastenders) who I felt was underused in the film, as were many others including Tim McInnery (Notting Hill, Eddie the Eagle) one of the academics who band together to try and foil Glaisher's plan and Robert Glenister (Live by Night, TVs Paranoid) who is far too brief a player.
The main action focuses around the flight, from the take off where Wren plays to the gathered crowd, including dropping her dog from the balloon, and the perils of hypothermia and other physical hazards. As a viewer, I really felt that I lived the journey with them, the ups, the downs and the threats to life as I willed them to both achieve their objectives and survive. My husband did this even more so, as it turns out he has a problem with heights as seen from a hot air balloon in a film - I don't think I will ever buy him a gift of a flight in real life - as he spent most of the movie feeling like he himself was in jeopardy.
There are two sub-plots, one around Wren's fellow pilot and deceased husband Pierre Rennes (Queen of the Damned, Cyrano de Bergerac) and the other, Glaisher's relationship with his father Arthur (Tom Courtenay: Doctor Zhivago, Let Him Have It) who is slipping into the clutches of dementia, which I found particularly moving.
Although I enjoyed the film, there were two problems for me, I understand that to lose height they had to jettison all of the equipment but one: how dangerous is this for anyone who happens to be on the ground when all of it lands and two, why did Wren not undertake this technique when she was on the journey with her husband? I presume we are to assume that the flight is over water or unoccupied land (they land in what appears to be a wooded field) and that only Glaisher had the solution to this scientific dilemma. But for me it spoiled what was otherwise a great action film. I know a lot of other reviewers have difficulties with the historical inconsistancies, but when a film informs me it is inspired by a true adventure I feel it asks me to supsend belief in facts in order to enhance the viewing pleasure. Yes, it would have been nice to be historically accurate, but would it have been as much fun? For me the feisty heroine and intense adventure was enough.
7/10
Green Book (2018)
Powerful film about friendship and what it means to be human - go see it, you won't regret it
In this biography, comedy, drama film directed by Peter Farrelly (There's Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber) and written by Nick Vallelonga (Vigilante Diaries, I Am Wrath), Brian Hayes Currie (Armageddon, Con Air) and Peter Farrelly, Viggo Mortenson (The Lord of the Rings, A History of Violence) and Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, Hidden Figures) star as Tony Lip and Dr. Don Shirley, a musical virtuoso.
On an enforced leave of absence from his normal job as a tough bouncer at the Copacabana Club, Tony Lip needs to find gameful employment and, after some reservations which includes leaving his wife Dolores (Linda Cardellini: Brokeback Mountain, TVs ER), agrees to accompany the American classical pianist on his concert tour of the Deep South states using The Negro Motorist Green Book for places to stay due to racial segregation.
The erudite but snobbish Dr. Shirley clashes with the crude yet practical Tony, their ideals and attitudes to life are at odds but as they travel they come to see the value in and respect for each others' talents.
Inspired by true events, this is a powerful story about friendship that transcends barriers and shows us what it means to be truly human. Teaching us to put aside what others tell you, what you are told to believe and really see a person through their actions, words and thoughts. Difference should not be an issue and in this world that is more divided than ever (e.g. Brexit), we can all learn a lot through the honest friendship of these two men. The world should not have needed a green book, but I am hopeful that this film can teach us to not need anything like it again.
The acting was superb and solid scriptwriting, the film has so many layers I feel like I could watch it again and again.
You can tell that the film is based on a real friendship as it never feels contrived and the viewer goes on their journey with them. It truly shows you that friendship should transcend who or what you think or others think you are and the nuanced and poignant performances given by Ali and Mortenson show us that despite social complications, every human wants and needs the same thing, love and acceptance.
The cinema was almost full and at the end of the film, some of the audience broke out into spontaneous clapping. I have never understood that as the writer, director or actors are not there, but I get that people wanted to show their appreciation for how good they thought the film was in some tangible way.
I have been to see The Favourite, Stan and Ollie and Bohemian Rhapsody as well as Green Book this year and I think Green Book is the best movie in this group and deserves to win an Oscar the most.
Book Club (2018)
I'm not the demographic, but found it charming
In this Bill Holderman (The Old Man and the Gun, A Walk in the Woods) directed and written, with Erin Simms (Our Souls at Night, A Walk in the Woods), film the four friends, Diane (Diane Keaton: Something's Gotta Give, Father of the Bride), Vivian (Jane Fonda: Barbarella, Monster-in-Law), Federal Court Judge Sharon (Candice Bergen: Sweet Home Alabama, Miss Congeniality) and Carol (Mary Steenburgen: Back to the Future Part III, The Proposal) decide to read 50 Shades as their monthly book. Diane is a widow of over a year, whose overprotective daughters Adrianne (Kate Aselton: Black Rock, The Gift) and Jill (Alicia Silverstone: Clueless, Batman and Robin) are trying to convince her to move into their basement because she is 'old and might fall.' Vivian is a vivacious hotel owner who lives life on her own terms, including men. Sharon has been divorced over 18 years who has just found out her ex and her son have recently got engaged and Carol, whose husband Bruce (Craig T. Nelson: Coach, The Incredibles) seems to have changed since retirement.
Just as they begin to read the book, things begin to change. Diane meets pilot Mitchell (Andy Garcia: The Godfather Part III, Ocean's Eleven) who pursues her for a date, Vivian bumps into old flame Arthur (Don Johnson: Django Unchained, TVs Miami Vice) rekindling old feelings leading her to question her perfect life, Sharon realises she must move on from her ex Tom (Ed Begley Jr: Pineapple Express, Whatever Works) and start dating again and Carol realises her husband has lost interest in sex since his retirement.
Sharon's foray into online dating has mixed results, though she does get two dates, one with Accountant George (Richard Dreyfuss: Jaws, Close Encounters) and the other with Doctor Derek (Wallace Shawn: The Princess Bride, The Incredibles).
I had this film recommended to me and despite not being the demographic aimed at for this movie, it was a delightful little film that had me laughing and crying in turn. Yes, it is predictable but it is also relatable and the cast were great together. There are a lot of reviews panning this on IDMB but I thought it was charming and a fun way to spend an afternoon.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
A good action movie, but not Han Solo
I went to see this film with my family at the Picturehouse Bradford IMAX cinema in 3D.
In this Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13) directed movie, written by Jonathan Kasdan (The First Time, TVs Californication), Lawrence Kasdan (The Big Chill, The Bodyguard) based on characters created by George Lucas (Raiders of the Lost Ark, American Grafitti), Alden Ehrenreich (Beautiful Creatures, Tetro) stars as Han Solo, an orphan who escapes from Corellia accidentally leaving his girlfriend Qi-ra (Emilia Clarke) behind.
Later, after being kicked out of the Imperial Flight Academy for insubordination, when fighting on the planet Mimban as an Imperial infantryman, Han sees three theives posing as fighters, Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson), girlfriend Val (Thandie Newton) and alien Rio Durant (voiced by Jon Favreau) and tries to join them. Refusing at first, and getting him captured and thrown into a pit to be eaten by the beast, Han befriends the beast, his future friend and copilot wookie Chebacca (voiced by Joonas Suotamo: ) and works with him to escape, catching the gang as they leave on a stolen ship. Letting them come along, due to Chewie's muscle, they agree they can join them on their plan to rob a train of coaxium. The heist goes wrong and they have to go to explain themselves to leader of Crimson Dawn, criminal Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany).
Han is surprised to learn that Qi'ra works for Vos and she accompanies them to a card game with smuggler Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover) who Han tries to win a vessel from, but Lando cheats. How will they complete their mission to get to the planet Kessel and steal some unprocessed coaxium?
Having grown up in the right era, I am a Star Wars fan and I have enjoyed the latest ones up to now, but I have to say, this one disappointed. Yes, it is a good action movie, but Han did not seem like the right character given what we all knows comes after and in parts, it seemed like an exercise in ticking boxes: Han meets Chewie, meets Lando, pilots the Millenium Falcon etc. etc. with aliens, shootouts and double-crossings. For me, it did not add anything to the Star Wars universe and unless they are setting up the Qi'ra character as a baddie in a forthcoming movie, I am not sure it was needed.
The acting was good, Bettany and Harrelson in particular, but the plot was predictable and it certainly did not need to be seen in 3D (which is a shame because I don't often see films in this format). The robot L3 gave us some comic relief, though the 'robots as slaves' did feel like the makers giving it an unsubtle politicised theme.
I don't think it was just a case of Han Solo can only be Harrison Ford, I think it is more of a case of Han Solo was not Han Solo in this film and that might be why I felt let down.
Deadpool 2 (2018)
An action-heavy sequel
In this David Leitch (John Wick, Atomic Blonde) directed movie, written by Rhett Reese (Zombieland, Deadpool), Paul Wernick (G. I. Joe Retaliation, Zombieland) and Ryan Reynolds (The Proposal, Green Lantern), Ryan Reynolds (The Hitman's Bodyguard, A Million Ways To Die in the West) stars once more as the mutant mercenary and Morena Baccarin (Deadpool, TVs V and Homeland) as his girlfriend Vanessa.
When Colossus (Stefan Kapicic: Tears for Sale, Deadpool), Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand: The Exorcist, Deadpool) and her girlfriend Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna: The Outsider, Deadpool 2) try to make a trainee X-Man out of Wade, he is sent to help Russell AKA Firefist (Julian Dennison: Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Shopping) a young boy with fiery superpowers. It does not go well.
Ending up in prison and with a device around their necks that diffuse their powers, Deadpool has to try to save Russell when Cable (Josh Brolin: No Country for Old Men, Milk) comes from the future to kill him for crimes he hasn't committed yet.
Can Deapool and his new 'X Force' - lucky Domino (Zazie Beetz: Atlanta, Apple Sauce), Shatterstar (Lewis Tan: Into the Badlands, TVs Iron Fist), Zeitgeist (Bill Skarsgård: Allegiant, It), Bedlam (Terry Crews: The Expendables, Get Smart), Vanisher (Brad Pitt: Meet Joe Black, Ocean's Eleven) and Peter (Rob Delaney: Burning Love, Catastrophe), sometimes with the help of Weasel (T.J. Miller: Cloverfield, Big Hero 6) and Dopinder (Karan Soni: Kaka Nirvana, Office Christmas Party), win out when Juggernaut gets involved too?
Heavy on the action, with a few emotional scenes, the continued edgy humour expected following the first movie and added pop culture references that work well, this is a passable sequel. Like that difficult second album, I was worried that it would be terrible yet it did hold its own. It is not in the same league as the original, light on storyline and it is predictable throughout, but Brolin was a credible bad guy (or misunderstood depending upon your take) and I enjoyed new character Domino.
Stay for the end credits scene, arguably the best bits of the film.
Ready Player One (2018)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with CGI
In this Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi film, directed by Steven Spielberg (E.T., Jurassic Park) and screenplay written by Zak Penn (The Avengers, X-Men 2) and Ernest Cline (Fanboys, Armada) based on Cline's novel, Tye Sheridan (X-Men Apocalypse, Mud) stars as Wade (aka Parzival) who joins other players Art3mis/Samantha (Olivia Cooke: The Signal, Ouija), Aech/Helen (Lena Waithe: Dear White People, Master of None), Sho (Philip Zhao in his first acting role) and Daito (Win Morisaki: Kamen Rider W, Sherry) as they try to be the first one to find all three Easter Eggs. Also trying to find them is leader of an evil corporation who wishes to uses OASIS for profit, Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn: The Dark Knight Rises, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) aided in the game by I-R0k (T. J. Miller: Deadpool, Big Hero 6) and F'Nale Zandor (Hannah John-Kamen: Black Mirror, Ant-Man and the Wasp) in reality.
Using clues from the OASIS designer James Halliday's life aka Anorak (Mark Rylance: The BFG, Bridge of Spies), including scenes featuring his business partner Ogden Morrow (Simon Pegg: Hot Fuzz, Sean of the Dead) and his late wife Kira (Perdita Weeks: Hamlet. Spice World), Wade and his friends work against Sorrento as the High Five. Will they beat him?
This film felt like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with CGI and for me, the sequences relying heavily on computer generated images slowed it down. Although I enjoyed the many 80s references and, if you will excuse the pun, the Easter Egg pop culture references for those in the know, the live action parts were far more enjoyable for me. Having not read the book (yet), I am sure these were made more of than in the movie but the action scenes speed by so fast there is hardly any time to register the Delorean before it is gone, to give just one example.
There were also some slow sections that detracted not helped by the one-dimensional characters and predictable plot but the scene in the hotel which channeled The Shining was done very well, even if it did make my son determined never to watch that movie.
Despite this, I loved the idea of the OASIS and the future depicted. Wade's home in 'The Stacks' felt very real and the bad guy's plan to put ads in people's visuals whilst playing the game, scarily possible. Even to the point that he was warned it could affect vision and minds.
I look forward to reading the book
Wonder (2017)
A story of friendship and kindness.
In this Stephen Chbosky directed (Beauty and the Beast, The Perks of Being a Wallflower) film, written by Choboky, Steve Conrad (Patriot, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty), Jack Thorne (National Treasure, The Fades) and R.J. Palacio (novelist), Jacob Tremlay (Room, The Smurfs 2) stars as August 'Auggie' Pullman.
When his Mum Isabel (Julia Roberts: Pretty Woman, Notting Hill) thinks he needs more than home-schooling, she and his Dad Nate (Owen Wilson: No Escape, Zoolander 2) decide to send him to mainstream elementary. On a tour of the school organised by Headteacher Mr Tushman (Mandy Patinkin: The Princess Bride, TVs Homeland), Auggie meets three new children, Justin (Bryce Gheisar: A Dog's Purpose, TVs Walk the Prank) a spoiled bully, Charlotte (Elle McKinnon: Travelers, Once Upon a Time) who only likes to talk about herself and scholarship student Jack Will (Noah Jupe: Suburbicon, TVs The Night Manager).
On his first day, his sister Via (Izabela Vidovic: Homefront, TVs Supergirl) advises him to let the other children stare because 'You can't try and blend in, when you were born to stand out,' but with Justin and his gang (Amos - Ty Consiglio: Woody Woodpecker, Thirty-Seventeen, Miles - Kyle Breitkopf: Parental Guidance, TVs The Whispers and Henry - James A. Hughes: TVs Hit the Road) determined to bully him, he struggles to make friends. His sister Via, meanwhile, has just lost the only one she had, Miranda (Danielle Rose Russell: A Walk Amongst the Tombstones, Aloha) who has returned from Summer Camp no longer wanting to know her. Will drama geek Justin (Nadji Jeter: Grown Ups & 2, The 5th Wave) persuade her to join in auditions for the school play?
Auggie's teacher Mr Browne (Daveed Diggs: Zootropolis, Ferdinand) tries his best to help, but it takes Auggie's prowess at science to gain him a new friend in Jack, but will it last?
This was a beautiful feel-good movie. Yes it was sad as I expected, and yes you will need to take a large pack of tissues but it also had some wonderful strong messages about kindness, true friendship, love and appreciating someone for who they really are - there are some adults out there that could learn from this, let alone children. There were laughs too but tears will be plentiful as many people in the audience were coming out crying, so I don't think I was the only person touched by the emotion in this endearing film.
It stays mostly true to the book which is always a plus point for me and all the adults and child actors were superb, as well as those mentioned above, the character of Summer (Millie Davis: The Best Man Holiday, TVs Orphan Black) was spot on. The Pullman family journey felt real, as did those of each of the other characters.
A story of friendship, perseverance and most of all, kindness. Always choose kindness.
Home Again (2017)
Give this feel good movie a try
In this Hallie Meyers-Shyer (Father of the Bride, What Women Want) written and directed film, Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde, Walk the Line) stars as Alice, a single Mum recently separated from her husband Austen (Michael Sheen: Passengers, The Queen), who has stayed in New York City while she has moved to L. A. with their daughters Isabel (Lola Flanery: Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments, TVs Mary Kills People) and Rosie (Eden Grace Redfield: The Glass Castle, I'm Sorry) to live in her father's old house.
Following a drunk-fuelled birthday night with her friends, whilst her daughters are with her mum Lillian (Candice Bergen: Sweet Home Alabama, Bride Wars) overnight, Alice invites three young aspiring-filmmaker guys (brothers Harry (Pico Alexander: A Most Violent Year, War Machine) and Teddy (Nat Wolff: The Fault in our Stars, Paper Towns) and friend George (Jon Rudnitsy: Patchwork, TVs Criminal Minds)) to her house. When her Mum returns early the next morning with the girls before school, the boys are still there and they recognise her as an actress and conversation steers to their interest in the father work as a film-maker. Lillian convinces Alice to invite them to move in and despite the age difference and attraction between Alice and Harry, it works. The boys are doing well with trying to get their careers off the ground as a popular horror filmmaker named Justin Miller (Reid Scott: Dean, TVs Veep) is interested in working with them and they help out around the house while Alice works for new client Zoey Bell (Lake Bell: No Strings Attached, It's Complicated), in particular George bonds with Isabel, an anxious and shy girl, because they are both writers.
Estranged husband Austen finds out and is not happy about three strange men living with his daughters and he moves in to keep an eye on things. The boys do not like Austen as they think he is bad for Alice but what will Alice decide?
I thought this was a charming movie, a real departure from the horror, fantasy and action movies that were out at the same time. Witherspoon was perfect in the role and though the script was somewhat predictable, it was entertaining. Its themes were love, loyalty, parenting and other life obstacles of modern society. I enjoyed the story of the older daughter, Isabel, coming out of her shell with the encouragement of George (Rudnitsky was the stand out in this movie), but the film did feel rushed in parts and could have done with more character development.
The romance is not the main thread of the movie but a light heart warming look at relationships, be they friendship or family. There are some laughs to be had and I came away from the film uplifted, so despite some of the very negative reviews, I recommend that you give this feel-good movie a try.
American Made (2017)
Pure entertainment
In this Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow, Fair Game) directed and Gary Spinelli (Stash House, American Made) written film, Tom Cruise (A Few Good Men, Mission Impossible) stars as Barry Seal and ordinary pilot for TWA who smuggles Cuban cigars and is recruited by the CIA.
Monty Schafer (Domhnall Gleeson: About Time, Ex Machina), his CIA handler asks him to photograph facilities over Central America, then be courier to General Noriega (Alberto Ospino in his first film), carry weapons to the Contras in Nicaragua and more. Soon his work attracts the attention of the Medellin Cartel, Jorge Ochoa (Alejandro Edda: The Bridge, TVs Fear the Walking Dead), Carlos Lehder (Fredy Yate Escobar in his first movie) and Pablo Escobar (Mauricio Mejia: El Chapo, La Viuda Negra), and he begins to work for both them and the CIA.
Barry gets very rich as a drug trafficker, gun smuggler and money launderer, and becomes 'the gringo that always delivers,' using the small town of Mena, Arkansas to launder the profits. But the DEA an the FBI are tracking him down. What will happen to his family if he gets arrested?
Sarah Wright (The House Bunny, Walk of Shame) plays Barry' wife Lucy, Caleb Landry Jones (Get Out, Contraband) as her hapless brother Bubba and Jayma Mays (The Smurfs, TVs Glee) Dana Sibota, who wishes to put Barry away for his crimes.
The movie is based on the life of a real person but whether we get the truth is debateable. It doesn't seem to matter a the film is pure entertainment.
Tom Cruise is great in this film, exuding all the cockiness and humour that the role demands. When Barry Seal is doing well we live the journey with him in every way and when things take a turn for the worse, we root for him despite knowing how history played out.
I loved the 80s setting, the plane sequences and the superb acting, you almost forget that Seal was profiting off a life-ruining product.
Tom Cruise plays a pilot in Top Gun in 1986 and in this film he plays a real-life pilot in the same era which is a strange irony, as is the character of Seal who is a man of questionable decisions, putting his family and his life in jeopardy for profit, yet we as an audience, like him any way.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
A lacklustre sequel
In this Matthew Vaughn (Kick Ass, Snatch) directed film, also written by him, Jane Goldman (Stardust, Kick Ass), Mark Millar (comic book 'The Secret Service) and Dave Gibbons (comic book 'The Secret Service), Taron Egerton (Eddie the Eagle, Sing) once more stars as Eggsy (A.K.A. Galahad) who must work with Merlin (Mark Strong: Stardust, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) when the Kingsman HQ is blown up to find out who is responsible.
The movie starts by Eggsy being approached by rogue Kingsman recruit Charlie Hesketh (Edward Holcroft: Vampire Academy, TVs Gunpowder) who tries to kill him using his mechanical arm whilst in a moving car. Merlin helps him to escape and Eggsy makes his way to his friend Brandon's (Calvin Demba: Rue Boy, London Road) birthday. Also there are his other friends Liam (Thomas Turgoose: This is England, Eden Lake), Jamal (Tobe Bakare: TVs Death in Paradise and The Tunnel) and Eggsy's girlfriend Princess Tilde (Hanna Alström: A Place in the Sun, Kingsmen: The Secret Service). He asks them if they can look after his dog JB while he meets her parents.
In London, Eggsy and Lancelot (Roxy: Sophie Cookson: The Huntsman: Winter's War, The Crucifixion) meet the new the Arthur (Michael Gambon: The King's Speech, Gosford Park).
While Eggsy is meeting Tilde's parents (Björn Granath: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Evil and Lena Endre: The Master, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), both his home and the Kingsman HQ are destroyed killing all inside. Finding that Merlin has survived they travel to Kentucky, America (as per Kingsman protocol) where they meet Agent Tequila (Channing Tatum: Logan Lucky, Step Up), Ginger Ale (Halle Berry: Monster's Ball, Gothika) and Whiskey (Pedro Pascal: The Great Wall, TVs Game of Thrones) at the Kingsman distillery, where they find they have been keeping amnaesiac Harry Hart (Colin Firth: The King's Speech, Love Actually) since his encounter with Valentine. Head Statesman Champagne/Champ (Jeff Bridges: True Grit, The Big Lebowski) tells them they must find out what Charlie Hesketh knows and to do that, they must travel to Glastonbury music Festival to find out what his ex-girlfriend Clara (Poppy Delvigne: Elvis & Nixon, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword) knows of his whereabouts.
The new enemy is the 'Golden Circle' led by American drugs billionaire Poppy Adams (Julianne Moore: Still Alice, The Kids are All Right) who is keeping Elton John hostage in her rural jungle in Cambodia which she has named Poppy Land. Will the agents get to her and the antidote for her lethal drug in time?
The film also stars Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek, I, Robot) as the President of the United States and Emily Watson (The Book Thief, Red Dragon) as his Chief of Staff Fox and Mark Arnold (Blade Runner, Florence Foster Jenkins) as General McCoy
Having loved the original, this is a poor sequel. A lacklustre script with predictability in the characters and storyline (what there was of it), plus a villain who did not seem to have a reason to oppose the hero. With juvenile humour and sexism on another level to the first film, the Glastonbury 'storyline' stooped to beyond offensive to women (I suspect most audiences forgave the original Tilde one because the rest of the movie was so great) and far too many f-words from Elton John, who though a very talented singer, cannot act, the film is a huge let down.
Firth, Egerton and Strong do their best with the woeful material, as do Bridges, Berry and Pascal (seriously, why would anyone not give Berry something to do unless it's because she plays a female character?) yet none of them were given a chance, no wonder Firth spent the movie looking like he wished he wasn't there. I suspect the rest of them felt the same.
Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
Disappointing remake
In this Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn, TV Wallander) directed film, screenplay written by Michael Green (Logan, TVs Heroes) based on the novel by Agatha Christie, Kenneth Branagh also stars as Hercule Poirot.
When Poirot decides to leave on the Orient Express, directed by his friend Bouc (Tom Bateman), the train gets stopped because of an avalanche caused by heavy snow and this gives way to a murder plot unfolding. The murder victim American businessman Edward Ratchett (Johnny Depp: Edward Scissorhands, Finding Neverland) has secrets.
An eclectic bunch of first class travellers include Governess Mary Debenham (Daisy Ridley: ), doctor Arbuthnot (Leslie Odom Junior), Ratchett's valet Edward Masterman (Derek Jacobi) and secretary Hector MacQueen (Josh Gad), Austrian Professor Gerhard Hardman (Willem Defoe), American Socialite Mrs Hubbard (Michelle Pfeiffer), Italian car salesman Beniamino Marquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), elderly Princess Dragomiroff (Judy Dench) and her assistant Hildegarde Schmidt (Olivia Coleman), unhappy missionary Pilar Astravados (Penélope Cruz) and the Count and Countess Andrenyi (Sergei Polunin and Lucy Boynton) and they are all now suspects. The victim was stabbed 12 times, Poirot has to work out by whom.
For me, Poirot will forever be David Suchet, but I was interested to see what this new take on the classic Agatha Christie story would be, especially with such big actors in the roles.
It started well, a great couple of scenes demarcating Poirots' character involving the capture of a criminal at the wailing wall and an amusing set piece when he runs into Bouc.
After this however, it goes downhill. Branagh does not make for a good Poirot (don't get me started on the moustache - does it have it's own twitter account? If not, it should), there are gaping plot holes/flaws (e.g. the film makes a point of telling us that the train is full, which with only 12 passengers does make you wonder what happened to all the other carriages) and I am not sure what technique Depp was using for his character, but it was not working. The film drags apart from the last 20 minutes and the alteration to the storyline is unnecessary and does not improve on the original, rather the opposite.
The scenery is stunning, as are the sets and costumes but the film is ultimately disappointing.
At the end of the film Poirot is asked to go investigate another crime which points towards a planned remake of Death on the Nile. I, for one, hope not.
Logan Lucky (2017)
Light entertainment movie
In this Steven Soderbergh (Erin Brockovich, Traffic) directed and Rebecca Blunt (as yet unidentified) written film, Channing Tatum (21 Jump Street, Magic Mike) and Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Midnight Special) star as brothers Jimmy and Clyde Logan who decide to rob NASCAR after Jimmy gets let go from his job. With help from little sister Mellie (Riley Keough: The Good Doctor, Mad Max: Fury Road) and convicted safe-cracker Joe Bang (Daniel Craig: Skyfall, The Golden Compass) and his brothers Fish (Jack Quaid: The Hunger Games, Vineland) and Sam (Brian Gleeson: Snow White and the Huntsman, Assassin's Creed), they plan to take the money from the takings as the race is run.
Attending the Coca Cola 600 is British sports drink salesman Max Chilblain (Seth MacFarlane: A Million Ways to Die in the West, Ted), who had been disrespectful to Clyde about the fact that he had only one arm, despite the fact that it was lost in active service, and his sponsored driver Dayton White (Sebastian Stan: The Covenant, The Martian).
Will Jimmy, Clyde and Mellie make it back for Jimmy's daughter Sadie's (Farrah Mackenzie: Please Stand By, Nanny Cam) beauty pageant? The film also stars Katie Holmes (Batman Begins, TVs Dawson's Creek) as Jimmy's ex-wife Bobbie Jo, her new husband Moody (David Denman: 13 Hours, Power Rangers) and sons Dylan (Boden Johnston in his first role) and Levi (Sutton Johnston: TVs Good Girls), as well as Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby, P.S. I Love You) as FBI Agent Sarah Grayson.
I wasn't at all sure what to expect from this movie, but once I took it for what I assume it was meant to be (light entertainment rather than a serious awards chaser, as Soderbergh himself said in describing the film an "anti-glam version of an Ocean's movie") I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Yes, the characters were not very well set up, case in point, for a long time into the movie I thought that Mellie was Jimmy's girlfriend not his little sister and as the main characters wants and needs were not given, you did not feel invested in them as a viewer. There were also a lot of inconsistencies, for example, why would Joe Bang want his brothers to help with the heist when one of them had helped his wife steal his stash whilst he was in prison? So yes the story had a lot of problems, yet the acting was of a good standard (I also loved playing spot the actor too as there were a lot of out of the norm roles for well-known ones) and it was quirky in a good way. Daniel Craig was a stand out and he and Channing were not immediately recognisable, which is a great achievement for such well-known actors. The farcical parts are where the movie lifts itself.
Towards the end of the film, when Hilary Swank's FBI Agent Grayson starts to investigate the heist, I felt it was a great way of setting it up for a possible sequel. I hope that this comes to pass.
Gifted (2017)
A heartwarming film
In this Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer, The Amazing Spiderman) directed film, written by Tom Flynn (Second String, Watch It), Chris Evans (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers Assemble) stars as Frank Adler who is bringing up his dead sister's daughter, seven year old Mary (Mckenna Grace: Designated Survivor, Mr. Church), a child prodigy in coastal Florida. His plan to give her a normal school life, much to his neighbour Roberta Taylor's (The Help, Hidden Figures) disapproval, backfires when her teacher Bonnie Stevenson (Jenny Slate: Zootropolis, The Secret Life of Pets) realises her mathematical abilities. A scholarship is offered, which he turns down as he is worried it will bring them into the radar of his mother Evelyn Adler (Lindsay Duncan: About Time, Alice in Wonderland), but sadly this happens any way. He has to hire a lawyer Greg Cullen (Glenn Plummer: Speed, Saw II) as she takes him to court to get custody, will she succeed? This is a beautiful little film where the cinematography mirrors the acting ability and centres on the bond between the Uncle (Evans) and his niece (Grace). There are no huge surprises in plot or story, the little twist was easy to guess for me, but it is utterly charming.
Evans delivers a nuanced performance and Grace is superb with her world-weary personality totally convincing that she a) does not want to be at school, and b) finds it all so boring and unchallenging. You can clearly see how being home-schooled by Evans has shaded her opinions and it makes it all the more heart-wrenching for the viewer when their relationship is threatened by a grandmother who is only interested in her for what she can achieve, and what that would mean for her.
It is a moving story and the best moments come when Evans and Grace are together as you really feel that he knows what is best for Mary. She should get to be just a little girl despite being a child prodigy and though Spencer's role is sadly too limited, it is what she predicted would happen all along when Frank lets Mary go to school.
There is one beautiful moment, backed with Cat Steven's 'The Wind' as a soundtrack, where their chemistry sets the screen alight and the film takes you through the hope and heartbreak right along with the characters.
A heartwarming film which will leave you wondering what is best for a child like Mary.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Joyous escapism
In this Taika Waititi (Boy, What we do in the Shadows) directed film, written by Eric Pearson (Marvel One Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer, Marvel One Shot: The Consultant), Craig Kyle (Ultimate Avengers, Hulk Vs.), Christopher Yost (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Wars: Rebels), based on comics by Stan Lee (Iron Man, Thor), Larry Lieber (Iron Man, Thor) and Jack Kirby (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron) and starring Chris Hemsworth (Rush, Ghostbusters) as Thor.
After taking the crown from Surtur (Clancy Brown: The Shawshank Redemption, TVs Daredevil), he returns it to his homeland where Thor finds that his devious brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston: Thor, TVs The Night Manager) has taken over Asgard and hidden Odin (Anthony Hopkins: Silence of the Lambs, Thor) on Earth, but upon his death, Hela (Cate Blanchett: The Lord of the Rings, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) God of Death and their powerful sister, comes to take the throne for herself. Thrown across the Universe, Thor is first captured by Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson: Selma, TVs Westworld), sold to Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum: Jurassic Park, Independence Day) and held captive on the planet Sakaar where he and other warriors, including Korg (an inspired turn by director Taiki Waititi), are forced to fight for his entertainment. Ultimately Thor is pitted against The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo: Avengers Assemble, Now You See Me), but without his hammer, can Thor not only win his gladiatorial duel against his former Avenger friend but also convince and assemble a team (Hulk, Valkyrie and his untrustworthy brother) to stop Hela and prevent Ragnarok, the doom of the Asgarian civilisation? This action, adventure, comedy film hit all the right notes for me. The humour was spot on, right up my street (think Deadpool), and this and the action never felt forced. All the actors were on their A game and for me, a huge Loki fan, I have to admit that in his own small way, Korg stole the movie like Loki did in Thor. Not even the turn from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, TVs Sherlock) could beat it.
I was pleased that Hela, the main villain, got her character arc as this has been lacking in some previous Marvel films and has for me left the baddies flat, and this time the epic fight scenes bookend the serious moments well. As perturbing as it was for a fan of the mythology for Hela and Fenrir to be used not as Loki's children, it worked for the film and Goldblum's wackiness gelled as well as Samuel L Jackson's bad guy Valentine in Kingsman. Yes it is awful when they summarily kill off some favourite characters, in some cases notably without even giving them a line, and concentrate more on Skurge (Karl Urban: Star Trek, The Bourne Supremacy) but here too they give him a meaningful character arc, he wants to be worthy and he gets his chance. Heimdall (Idris Elba: Prometheus, Pacific Rim) is busy trying to hide and save as many innocent Asgardians as he can while Hela searches for the sword that will help her start the apocalypse for other worlds. And though Banner worries that allowing himself to turn back into the Hulk may leave him that way forever, he too gets his emotional scenes when we see the cameo of Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson: We Bought a Zoo, Lucy) and his chance to shine against the terrifying Fenrir.
The soundtrack is epic in its own right, up there with GOTG1, and the film does not feel like more of the same (as some of the superhero movies have sadly started feeling), it feels back to its best. If this is to be the last Thor movie, then they gave him a great one to bow out.
Yes the movie had a few flaws (e.g. Thor has never wanted the power of ruling, Banner may stay as the Hulk), but as the best way to describe the film is pure fun, I am going to give it 10/10 despite these because that is just what most people need at the moment, joyous escapism.
Hampstead (2017)
Easy watching
In this Joel Hopkins (The Love Punch, Last Chance Harvey) directed and Robert Festinger (Stars in Shorts, Trust) written film, Brendan Gleeson (Gangs of New York, Edge of Tomorrow) stars as Donald Horner, a man who lives in a makeshift house on Hampstead Heath who is befriended by an American widow, Emily Walters played by Diane Keaton (Father of the Bride, The First Wives Club). She is in financial difficulties and urged by both her son Philip (James Norton: Belle, TVs Happy Valley and Grantchester) and friend Fiona (Lesley Manville: Maleficent, Vera Drake) to consult an accountant, she agrees to meet with James Smythe (Jason Watkins: TVs Taboo and Being Human) and to hand out flyers about Fiona's husbands property development and this is when she meets Donald. Drumming up help from some local activists (Hugh Skinner: Les Miserables, TVs W1A), she sorts out a lawyer (Adeel Akhtar: The Dictator, Four Lions) to fight his eviction notice.
With a very human story, this drama based on true events is full of sadness, romance and comedy and the workings of society. From an ostracised 'homeless' man to a widow trying to live up to social expectations we see how lifestyles can so easily be turned from successful to difficult and how this can be judged by others. Both main characters have problems and their pride is preventing them from accepting help yet they ultimately realise that they have to be true to themselves and their real friends in order to move on with their lives.
Norton is woefully underused and the music score is far too elevator, but the cinematography makes up for this. There is a great turn by Simon Callow (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Viceroy's House) as the judge and although there is a strange moment where Emily, the widow, begins to do things totally out of character, the film has a well-paced gentle if predictable plot with fine acting. The minor characters do seem to be a tad one-dimensional but there is something satisfying about these two outsiders taking on the establishment and winning.
The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017)
Once it gets going, it's a roller-coaster ride of laughs and action
In this Patrick Hughes (The Expendables 3, Red Hill) directed and Tom O'Connor (Fire with Fire) written film, Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool, The Proposal) and Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Kingsman: The Secret Service) star as the world's top bodyguard, Michael Bryce, and his hit man client, Darius Kincaid, respectively. Asked by his ex-girlfriend Amelia Roussel (Elodie Young: TVs Daredevil, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) to get Kincaid delivered to court in order to testify against Belarusian dictator Vladislav Dukhovic (Gary Oldman: The Dark Knight, Batman Begins), they must collaborate to stay alive.
A little slow to start, but when it did, this movie was a roller-coaster ride of laughs and action. With excellent acting and deadpan humour, this more than made up for the fact that you knew what was going to happen all the way through. An excellent turn from Salma Hayek (Desperado, Frida) as Kincaid's wife Sonia, which was reminiscent of Pulp Fiction, great chemistry between the two leads which takes us into 'buddy-cop' territory, Deadpool-esque comedy and Bourne-like action, this was a winner for me. Oldman, as always, is powerful as the tyrannical dictator, if written a little clichéd, but for me it was the dialogue that truly delivered.
Don't miss the end credits scene of Ryan Reynolds having to wait for some bells to stop ringing to complete his scene.
Mother! (2017)
A masterpiece of overindulgence
In this Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, Pi) written and directed film, Jennifer Lawrence (Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook) and Javier Bardem (Skyfall, No Country for Old Men) star as Mother and Him, the couple in question. First Man (Ed Harris: Gravity, A Beautiful Mind) and then Woman (Michelle Pfeiffer: Stardust, Scarface), a thinly veiled Adam and Eve, invade their space, then their sons Oldest Son (Domhnall Gleeson: The Revenant, About Time) and Younger Brother (Brian Gleeson: Snow White and the Huntsman, Assassin's Creed), followed by more and more until they are overrun.
Despite excellent acting from Lawrence and Pfieffer, Bardem sadly is less convincing, the film is an exercise in overkill. From the burned heart turning into a crystal (it would really turn to ash that would float away) to the patch of blood shaped like a vagina that refuses to go away, this is a film that wallows in self- indulgence and, despite what some critics may say, lacks originality. Anyone that knows their bible can see the Cain and Abel and the plagues etc. but the allegories and imagery he has taken from the Bible are ruined by deliberate shock tactics, robbing them of any true meaning leaving a film of no substance where nothing really happens. If it was supposed to make me think, I am afraid all it left me with was 'there's 121 minutes of my life I won't get back.'
Rough Night (2017)
A sub-par remake
In this Lucia Aniello (Broad City, Time Travelling Bong) written and directed film, also written by Paul W. Downs (Broad City, Time Travelling Bong) who also stars as Peter, main character Jess's betrothed in the film. Jess is played by Scarlett Johansson (Lucy, Chef), who embarks upon a bachelorette party with friends Alice (Jillian Bell: 22 Jump Street, The Night Before), Blair (Zoe Kravitz: Divergent, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), Frankie (Ilana Glazer: Broad City, The Night Before) and Pippa (Kate McKinnon: Finding Dory, Ghostbusters) AKA Kiwi.
When they get to the house where they are going to stay in Miami, they encounter neighbours Pietro (Ty Burrell: Dawn of the Dead, TVs Modern Family) and Lea (Demi Moore: Ghost, A Few Good Men) who seem overtly sexual and keen on Blair. After a night of partying, with drugs and alcohol, they go back to the house where Pippa orders pizza and Frankie decides to hire a male stripper, Jay (Ryan Cooper: Eye Candy, Confess) from Craigslist. When he arrives and stripteases for Jess, Alice wants to get in on the action so jumps on him causing his chair to fall over and him to bang his head violently on the fireplace behind. He is bleeding heavily and the girls freak out, giving half-hearted CPR, but he is dead. Panicking because the house is made of glass and the pizza guy has arrived, they hurry to hide the body.
Meanwhile Jess' fiancé Peter is wine-tasting with his buddies and calls to see how Jess is doing, she blabs that something went wrong with the stripper, and in their panic to shut her up the girls grab the phone so Jess does not hear him ask if she still wants to get married. Frankie smashes the phone and Peter is left thinking that she does not want to marry him so decides to drive to Miami to win her back.
Sadly this unoriginal movie (a bad remake of Very Bad Things with a smattering of Weekend at Bernie's) has a poor script, no plot, ridiculous antics of toilet humour, bad fake accents, swinger neighbours, STDs to name but a few, and just plain predictability, because yes, my friend's and I spent most of the movie correctly predicting what would happen next - the only thing we didn't get right was Pippa's 'story arc' as she didn't have one and quite frankly, we could not see the point of her character at all. We even wondered if she had written it, but it turns out the guy who played the fiancé had.
There was zero chemistry between any of the cast and the acting was not up to much, mostly overacting to be honest, and certainly not the calibre for a good comedy. You just don't care about any of the characters and the highlight for us was when my friend recognised Colton Hayes (Teen Wolf, TVs Arrow) as Real Scotty.
There were a couple of laughs in among and for a night where you wish to talk and drink and have a movie on in the background, this would be great. Don't forget the mid-credit and post credit scenes, if you care enough to watch for that long.
The Time of Their Lives (2017)
A journey that loses its way
In this Roger Goldby (Cutting It, The Waiting Room) written and directed film, Joan Collins (TVs Dynasty, Empire of the Ants) stars as former Hollywood siren Helen and Pauline Collins (Shirley Valentine, TVs Mount Pleasant) as unhappily married Priscilla, who embark upon a trip to France for Helen's ex-lovers funeral. Priscilla meets Helen on the anniversary of her son's death when she goes shopping with her controlling husband Frank (Ronald Pickup: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Lolita) and Helen, who is about to embark on a retirement home trip to the seaside, commandeers her to help with her bags. As Priscilla is a fan she helps Helen and boards the coach with her bags, but gets stranded on it when it sets off with her, leaving her seething husband behind.
Narcissistic kleptomaniac Helen convinces Priscilla to accompany her on the trip to France where they meet Italian artist Alberto (Franco Nero: Django, Django Unchained), who begins to woo Priscilla, much to Helen's chagrin, and she starts to see what her life could have been like.
The film tries to be a cross between a funny road trip, like an OAP Thelma and Louise, and a serious journey of self discovery, similar to Shirley Valentine, but as it falls between the two camps it ends up being a lacklustre buddy movie with an unbelievable storyline. It felt like the plot and theme lost its way several times and some aspects, like the brilliant acting turn by Joely Richardson (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, TVs Nip/Tuck) as Lucy for example, were wasted as it went nowhere.
It has some touching moments, particularly when Priscilla and Alberto connect, and there were some moments of humour that weren't into the realm of ludicrous, but sadly it was not the comedy expected from the trailer nor the emotional journey it probably was trying to be.
I am aware that I am younger than the audience it is aimed at, and those of the right age who remember Franco Nero at the height of his fame, such as my friend Karen, enjoyed the film, so if you fall into this category you should give it a try. But my friend and I were disappointed that it was so disjointed.
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
A powerful little gem of a movie
In this Mel Gibson (Braveheart, Lethal Weapon) directed film, screenplay by Robert Schenkkan (All the Way, The Quiet American) and Andrew Knight (The Water Diviner, Full Frontal), Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spiderman, Never Let Me Go) stars as Desmond Doss, the WWII American Army Medic who refuses to hold a weapon.
Brought up as a Seventh Day Adventist, with a drunken wife-beating father, possibly because he is former soldier and survivor of WWI, Tom (Hugo Weaving: The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings) and God-fearing mother Bertha (Rachel Griffiths: My Best Friend's Wedding, Saving Mr Banks), Desmond vows never to raise his hand in violence. Following a serious accident where Desmond uses his belt as a tourniquet, he meets Dorothy (Teresa Palmer: I Am Number Four, Warm Bodies) a nurse, who he immediately falls in love with.
With the outbreak of War, Desmond feels he must fight alongside his fellow man and joins the Army where he meets several other new recruits, such as Hollywood Zane (Luke Pegler: Fool's Gold, See No Evil) and Smitty Riker (Luke Bracey: Point Break, The November Man) and his commanding officer Sergeant Howell (Vince Vaughn: The Internship, The Wedding Crashers). All goes well until weapons training and he refuses to pick up a gun. When threats by Howell and his Captain, Jack Glover (Sam Worthington: Avatar, Terminator Salvation) and a sustained campaign to get rid of the 'coward' do not work, the Army takes him to court, but with help from his father, it is proved to be against his constitutional rights. Once the company makes it to war, the 1945 battle of Okinawa, his comrades begin to see what Desmond is really made of.
This powerful film, based on a true story, is a little gem. From the very beginning we see, through the eyes of the protagonist, the joys and heartaches of life, love in it's many forms and the brutality and ultimate futility of war.
Not for the squeamish, for me the war scenes evoked echoes of Saving Private Ryan for their authenticity of what man can do to his fellow man, but never in a glorified way. But it is the highs and lows that Doss experiences in this part of his life that really pulls you along on this emotional journey with him. Dealing with all the issues surrounding war, including the psychological impact and after effects, by both the father and son.
With exceptional performances both from Garfield, who truly proves his acting chops in this movie, and the supporting cast, including a sublime Weaving and surprising Vaughn, where all the characters get to be more than two-dimensional, this is a courageous film that deserves to be ranked with Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
A truly fun 80s infused sci-fi action comedy
In this James Gunn (Dawn of the Dead, Guardians of the Galaxy) written (based on the Marvel Comics by Dan Abnett: Guardians of the Galaxy, Alien: Isolation and Andy Lanning: Guardians of the Galaxy, Star-lord created by Steve Englehart: Atlantis: Milo's Return, Guardians of the Galaxy and Steve Gan: Heavy Metal 2000, Guardians of the Galaxy, Gamora and Drax created by Jim Starlin: Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy, Groot created by Stan Lee: Iron Man, Spider-man, Larry Lieber: Thor, Iron Man and Jacky Kirby: Iron Man, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Rocket Racoon created by Bill Mantlo: Ultimate Spider-man, Guardians of the Galaxy and Keith Giffen: Young Justice, Superman) and directed film, stars Chris Pratt (Passengers, Jurassic World) as Peter Quill/Star-lord once again teamed with the other guardians Gamora (Zoe Saldana: Avatar, Star Trek), Drax (Dave Bautista: Spectre, Guardians of the Galaxy), Rocket (Bradley Cooper: American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook) and baby Groot (Vin Diesel: Fast and Furious, xXx).
Hired to protect precious crystals by Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki: The Great Gatsby, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) High Priestess of the Sovereigns, they are given Gamora's sister Nebula (Karen Gillan: TVs Dr Who, Oculus) in exchange who they intend to take to Xandar to collect the bounty on her. Rocket however, has stolen the batteries and in the ensuing battle with the Sovereigns they are saved by another spaceship but they have to crash-land on a nearby planet. They were saved by Ego (Kurt Russell: Stargate, The Hateful Eight) who says he is Peter's father. The guardians split up, Gamora, Drax and Peter go to Ego's planet along with his empathic assistant Mantis (Pom Klementieff: Old Boy, Avegers: Infinity War), leaving Rocket and Groot behind to fix the Milano and guard Nebula. But is Ego all he seems? Meanwhile, Yondu (Michael Rooker: Jumper, The Bone Collector) and his team of Ravengers meet his old comrade Stakar Ogord (Sylvester Stallone: Rocky, The Expendables) who has exiled Yondu for child trafficking, leading to some of the Ravengers questioning his leadership, even his normally loyal ally Kraglin (Sean Gunn: Super, TVs Gilmore Girls). The High Priestess of the Sovereigns then hire the Ravengers to find the guardians and their batteries, but once they capture Rocket, Groot and Nebula, the Ravengers, led by Taserface (Chris Sullivan: The Drop, Imperium), now stage a coup and Nebula leaves to track down and kill her sister, Gamora, who is already beginning to question Ego's motives and feels that Mantis knows more than she is letting on.
This film is that rare thing where the sequel is better than the first movie. We start with backstory from Peter Quill's past showing us his parents and then a wonderful slow-mo set piece set to one of the awesome tape songs with baby Groot just lighting up the screen. The essence of this movie is that it is so character-driven. Every one of the guardians gets to show their real selves and this is the movie that the blunt to the point of cruel Drax comes into his own. There are plenty of jokes and over-the-top wackiness but this is grounded with some excellent heart-wrenching moments that you just didn't get with the first movie. This time, you really care about the fun characters.
Fine acting throughout, but for me Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista and Michael Rooker were the stand-out performances. It did seem to lack a coherent storyline though, a clear goal, yet here is a non-stop sci-fi action comedy that feels it is beyond that, because it is just having too much fun in this 80s infused romp, complete with hilarious celebrity cameo.
Be sure to stay right until the end because there are five, yes count them, five end credit scenes that contain lots of Easter eggs. Roll on number three.
Collateral Beauty (2016)
An emotional movie with fine performances throughout
In this David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada, Marley and Me) directed film written by Allan Loeb (The Switch, Just Go With It), Will Smith (Men In Black, I Am Legend) stars as Howard a bereaved father who's business colleagues Whit (Edward Norton: Fight Club, American History X), Claire (Kate Winslet: Titanic, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and Simon (Michael Peña: The Martian, Ant-Man) decide to hire three actors to answer the letters he is writing to Love, Time and Death, what he feels are the three abstractions in life that have betrayed him. Stocks in their company are going down as Howard refuses to deal with his personal accounts and this is a last-ditch attempt to save their company by selling it at a loss by proving that Howard is mentally incapacitated.
The actors they hire are Brigitte (Helen Mirren: The Queen, RED) as Death, Amy (Keira Knightley: Love Actually, Bend it like Beckham) as Love and Raffi (Jacob Latimore: The Maze Runner, Sleight) as Time and they interact with Howard, making him question everything including whether to attend a child bereavement support group run by Madeline (Naomie Harris: Skyfall, Moonlight).
This is a beautiful movie which takes you through all the emotions associated with loss and grief. I had not expected much with the negative reviews, but this is a film that makes you question everything, just like you do when you lose someone you love. There are phenomenal performances throughout from all and yes this is not a blockbuster, or thrill ride, but this film packs a punch nonetheless. It will make you cry and there are some subtle twists made more significant by the excellent acting, spot-on emotional quotes and hilarious one liners, for example: "I thought you couldn't afford therapy anymore." "I can't. It was my Uber driver." "Be sure to notice the collateral beauty. It is the profound connection to everything." "I am love. I am the fabric of life. I am the only 'why'... I was there in her laugh but I am also here now in your pain. Do not try to live without me."
Although not released in December, this film could easily become a classic Christmas movie of the future, for it takes place in the run up to Christmas and there are shades of 'It's a Wonderful Life' about it in that it teaches you life lessons on difficult subjects in a non-preaching way and it makes you cry....buckets. Don't forget the tissues.