Film Reviews by AB

This is a beautiful, languid drama about a young rodeo rider who has a serious head injury. The doctors tell him that he should never ride again, but it is his life. So will he/won't he take the risk? The film takes you deeply into his life with his feckless father, sister with Asperger's and his rodeo friends. You can't help but get emotionally involved with them. The cinematography of the wide open spaces and horses is terrific.

I knew little about this film, but I noticed watching the credits at the end that most of the main actors were playing themselves. So it turns out that they are non-actors playing themselves in what is mostly a true story. A beautiful film - we loved it, and it sticks in the memory for some time.

If you like a bit of Norse gods, swords and battles nonsense then you might like this. Just as long as you don't think too much about the plot. The King's evil brother desires the throne. All possible claimants are despatched except the feisty daughter of the King who escapes. Can she reclaim her rightful inheritance?

There is a fair bit of slaughter and gore, but not too much. There is also one rather unpleasant sex scene, so I would take the 18 rating seriously. All in all, it is watchable and deserves its 3 stars from me.

Unfortunately, this sequel falls into the 'inferior to the original' bracket. We found the storyline unconvincing. The cast, apart from Lily James, seem to be just going through the motions. And of course, most of the best Abba songs were used in the original. Sadly, the joie de vivre just ain't there. Oh, mama mia, what have they done!

Yes, the plot is far-fetched BUT it Is visually spectacular, nail- biting, edge-of-the-seat stuff. Dwayne Johnson does his modest super hero act very well indeed. We loved it.

This follow-up to Sicario is nowhere near as good as the first film. The plot is confused and bizarre. The ending is just a total cliff-hanger implying a third film. I'm not sure I'll bother.

This is really a story about the journey of a sensitive teenage boy. After a tragedy leaves him a penniless, homeless orphan he sets out with a horse on a perilous journey to find safety. On the way more shocking events happen. The tale is a bit of tear-jerker, and is well acted, although the seriously mumbled dialogue I found irritating. I had hoped that the film was suitable for my young grandchildren, but the amount of swearing put paid to that idea.

We loved this film. McDormand is terrific playing a grieving mother determined that the police will focus on finding her daughter's killer. Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson are also excellent. The thing that raises the film from good to excellent are the completely unexpected plot twists - you never know what is going to happen next. The ending is rather unsatisfactory in that nothing is really resolved, although I guess that is true of much of real life.

This is a whimsical drama about poor folk living hand-to-mouth lives next to Disney in Florida. The story itself is rather slow-burn, building up to an inevitable climax. Most of the action is children playing, having fun and misbehaving. The child actors are superb. Willem Dafoe plays a very humane manager of the motel where most of the characters live. I hated the ending, which is a total cliffhanger, and presumably we will never know what happened next. Overall, it is worth watching for the great performances, and for an insight into the chaotic lives of some people living next to a massive tourist attraction.

I thought this was better that some other reviewers. The wintry bleakness of the landscape is powerfully conveyed, as are the bleak lives of the American Indians living in the reservation. Renner gives a convincing performance as the melancholic hunter. It is a thriller although slow-paced, and the revelation of whodunnit is a bit of an anticlimax. And it is true that some of the dialogue is mumbled. Overall I enjoyed it.