Film Reviews by TB

When Mark Wahlberg & Peter Berg first started their collaboration, the results were spectacular. Lone Survivor was a masterclass in tension-building, incredible action and the amazing true story of an American soldier who was trapped & wounded being cared for by what most people regarded as the enemy. Then Deepwater Horizon was made, with a massive budget due to the success of Lone Survivor. This was in every way a masterpiece, building on everything that had started with the previous film. The stunts, script and look of the film perfect, with Wahlberg anchoring everything with his amazing performance.

After that, things started to get a bit wobbly. Patriots Day, whilst again mining a real-life tragedy for the story, was notable for its lack of true quality after the previous works of perfection. But it was still great in parts and every collaboration has a mis-fire, especially when the bar is so high. But compared to this, Patriots Day is Citizen Kane in every way. 

Mile 22 is a genuinely terrible film, total garbage, but loud and obnoxious with a really nasty streak running through it. Wahlberg plays James Silva, who the film tells us, from a very small child had an enormous IQ and all-round lightening-fast reactions. He was then enlisted into the military and rose to the top. He is also an absolute arsehole in every way: confrontational, rude, threatening, belittling and demeaning. Just imagine all the worst traits of Dignam from The Departed turned up to 11. But the film also feels that the best way to portray Silva is frantic, almost epileptic-style frenzied cutting and close-ups. All this does, within the first 10 minutes, is make you hate the film and realise that you have a very long watching experience ahead of you. 

And the worst part about all of this is that everything that you felt Berg & Wahlberg worked so hard to achieve in the previous 3 films has been totally ruined and destroyed in one fell swoop. There is not one element of this film that is likeable, competent or enjoyable. If it hadn’t have said Berg’s name in the credits/I’d gone in and watched this movie cold, I would have refused to believe it was made by him. 

And there are so many missed opportunities. After his incredible work on The Raid, Iko Uwais is probably the hottest actor/action star who does his own stunts working in films today (who are his age.) His ability to craft and act in these scenes is in the same league as Jackie Chan and Jet Li. And to be fair, in this film he is the only one who manages to emerge with any type of dignity. But even so, he is absolutely wasted and worse than that, all the stunts he is involved in are shot & edited so badly, you can’t see what’s going on. Every fight/hand-to-hand combat scene is just cut cut cut cut cut cut cut. You cannot tell what’s happening, and instead you are left wondering who the hell is in charge of quality control and how did this get cleared to be released. 

By the time you get to the end, you are left with a headache and in my case, a sadness that a collaboration which had produced so many great films before had managed to, in one film, totally desecrate all that brilliance and good will. 

In the mid-90’s, the film world was in a glorious state of craziness. As much as there was a huge amount of rubbish released, there were also some absolute gems. I recently watched Basic Instinct for the first time and absolutely loved it: totally crackers off the wall craziness. As well as Hollywood making these sorts of erotic thrillers, there was also another welcome consequence of this: A-list actors signing up to star in these films meant there were massive budgets to play with. And like with Color of Night, welcomingly a vast amount was spent on the actual productions, not just on actor’s wages and their expensive trailers.

This film looks stunning. As much as it is marketed as and will be remembered by many people as simply another erotic thriller with a famous cast, the cinematography, lensing, colours, locations, wardrobes and sets are the best you could possibly hope for. Even Bond films didn’t look this good at that time. This film literally is a visual feast for the eyes. And speaking of Bond films, the stunts and hand-to-hand combat is also great too. 

The story is about an explosives “specialist” called Ray Quick (Stallone) who, after a mission goes awry, quits the CIA and moves to Miami, becoming a hit-man. He is then contacted by Mae Monroe (Stone) who has sworn vengeance on the mafia crime family who years earlier slaughtered her own family. Added into the mix, the mafia family’s head of security is Ned Trent (Woods) who is Quick’s ex partner who he violently fell out with. It then becomes a classic cat-and-mouse thriller which reaches ridiculous levels of silliness. 

Stallone and Stone have excellent chemistry, which is vital because the film simply wouldn’t work otherwise. Woods also chews up the scenery for all he’s worth and even Nicolas Cage might say to him “You need to tone it down a bit!” The thrill of this film is simply that everything is so gloriously silly and stupid, but all done with a totally straight face. 

Amusingly, this film and Color of Night also share another similarity: they both have unbelievably over the top, protracted sex scenes. Whereas Color of Night used pretty much every room in Willis’s character’s mansion to bang, here is it a 7 star hotel room which is the size of an aircraft hanger. And with Stone bringing her Basic Instinct credentials/reputation with her, this just adds to the mix. Part dance/part erotic fantasy/part total cheesy schlock, it’s a great addition to proceedings. 

If you come to this film expecting a masterpiece, you won’t find it. This is a film to be watched exactly as it comes across: tongue firmly in cheek craziness, clichés aplenty but all wrapped up in beautiful production values. A great Friday night film to watch with your friends.  

A film that was devised by Sam Mendes after listening to conversations with his grandfather about his days as a war messenger, 1917 concerns 2 young soldiers who are tasked with delivering a vital message to a commander who is about to lead a charge which is a trap set by the Germans. 

The main draw of the film is that it is a “one-shot” movie with no visual cuts. So you literally spend the entire time following the soldiers and experiencing the danger and threat that they face, at the same time. It is is a technical marvel and as much as there should be the praise for Mendes & his writers, this film belongs to the staggering genius of Roger Deakins. The look, feel, pace and cinematography is his incredible work. I cannot think of another recently comparable example. 

The young actors, who star alongside many Hollywood A-listers, absolutely hold their own and we really root for them the whole way through. It is also a reminder of just how many young men were conscripted and lost in this barbaric & horrific war, which sadly was repeated in many ways a few short years later. 

Essential viewing.  

I realise the title is an enormously bold claim to make, but I absolutely stand by it. I will come to it properly later on though.

This film is like nothing I have ever seen or probably will ever see again. There is a certain element of when you try to explain it, people just won't believe you & think you're either embellishing it or just making it up. But everything I say now is true.

This film is about a 17 year old French boy called Pierre who goes to live with his parents in their villa in the Canary Islands. The father leaves for business and then a couple of days later, Pierre is told by his mother Helene in a totally uninterested & matter of fact way that his father has died in a horrific plane accident. It is then revealed that Helene is unbelievably promiscuous and well-known in the neighborhood for this, has slept with pretty much every man she meets, all with the acceptance of her husband and organises mass orgies. She then demands that Pierre accepts this about her and also become involved.

From there, we are treated to seeing Helene's friend forcibly taking Pierre's virginity on Helene's instructions in the middle of a public town square; Pierre finding his father's pornography collection & deciding that the only course of action is to masturbate then defecate over it; taking part in his mother's sex parties which eventually lead to incest; I mean the list just goes on. And mixed in with all this, the script also has this obsession with Pierre repeatedly pleasuring himself in public places, for inexplicably no reason.

In terms of acting, Huppert, who is usually flawless, just looks like she's coasting through and is totally bored with the whole thing. She has pretty much one expression: blank boredom. Even in the midst of an orgy she looks like she is about to drop off to sleep. There does, however, need to be significant respect given to Louis Garrel. What he does in this film is at times absolutely cringe-worthy and mortifying. He doesn't leave himself with a shred of dignity and I actually felt embarrassed for him, after watching him repeatedly giving himself one in various grimy situations.

As much as seeing the above acts may to some be unbelievably provocative, the honest truth is that for me it was just boring. Once you accept the premise of the film, which is just that it's entire MO is to shock you in whatever way it can, it just becomes like a child who has learnt swearwords and keeps shouting them out. The first time you may be mildly shocked, by the 10th it's just boring and attention seeking.

Then we come to the ending. I mean, it is not a stretch to say it is a work of genius. But genius as in "We have just spent the last 90 minutes putting the audience through the biggest sleaze-fest imaginable, where literally nothing was off-limits. We have to top that and have a memorable ending for people to leave with." However, nothing in any way, shape or form can prepare you for what you see. When the film finished, completely abruptly and with no warning, I just burst out laughing. I then immediately went back and re-watched it, just to make sure I wasn't imagining it. And the second time I watched it, it was even funnier.

As much as I give this film 2 stars, for me, it was worth sitting through all that dreck just to have this piece of cinematic genius wrap it all up. You'll laugh, rub your eyes and genuinely question what you just saw. And you'll never, ever forget it.

This is totally off the wall filmmaking. A complete guilty pleasure. As much as I wasn't old enough to remember it being released, I can see why it made the massive impact that it did. Many people forget that in the late 80's to early 90's, there was still the enormous fear and paranoia over sex/intimacy due to the AIDS crisis. And Michael Douglas has stated that that's what made him committ to making this film, to push back against the fear and lack of sex on screen.

The story is a brilliant cat and mouse thriller. A record producer is brutally murdered and the prime suspect is his girlfriend Catherine Tramell, who also has links to many other people who have been involved in murder. The detective in charge, Nick Curran, who has plenty of skeletons in his closet, investigates and slowly begins to fall dangerously in love with Tramell, whilst all around him people start to die.

The biggest things which I loved about this film were its totally out-there craziness and the brilliance of the cast. Put simply, if either of these things were not fully committed to, the film would have failed. Douglas, who was a massive Hollywood star by the 90's, took an incredible risk by starring in this film. It could so easily have gone so badly wrong and destroyed his career. Likewise, as much as Stone wasn't a household name, she was at the beginning of her career & a point where most actors/actresses make very safe bets in order not to damage their images and potential. But both of them fully commit to not only the madness but also the sexuality of the film: there are no nervous looks or self-consciousness on display.

And at the center of it all, everything is masterfully directed by Paul Verhoeven. So easily this film could have descended into a schlocky mess with the sex simply used as a distraction from what was going wrong elsewhere in the story. But that it remains a pulpy, wonderfully crackers whirlwind is to everyone's credit.

It isn't just the acting which is great. The budget for this film was massive and it looks amazing. The cinematography, colour palette & lensing is beautiful, as are the locations and chase sequences. And remastered in 4K, it looks amazing.

This is a guilty pleasure, but more than that, it is a reminder of a time when films and established stars genuinely took risks. It's a shame that some of that cannot be applied today, with the sheer amount of turgid re-heated dreck that is released by movie studios and streaming services.

The true story of Garrard Conley is one that is not only extremely adaptable for the screen, but also carries significant emotional weight. Whenever the subject of gay conversion is looked at in the media, there is understandably and rightly a strong reaction to this. It’s just a shame that, like with Freeheld (another inspirational true story that was the subject of a relatively weak film adaptation,) there are as many hits as there are misses. 

The main good point is the performances, although sadly there are also some wasted opportunities too. Lucas Hedges, who was great in Manchester by the Sea, takes the central role and is really good, imbuing Jared with an optimism and Everyman likability that does strong foundation laying in the early minutes. It is vital that we sympathise with him for the later scenes and Hedges more than succeeds in this. Nicole Kidman is also great as Jared’s devout baptist mother, who whilst she holds her religion close to her, also is shown wrestling with the feelings of love and horror she has for her son’s treatment. Sadly, whilst this film has another incredible cast member in Russell Crowe, he is absolutely wasted in his role. The film almost doesn’t know what to do with him, so he is almost relegated to a backseat minor supporting character which is a tragedy. I appreciate that this may be based on a true story, but I do feel there was much more that he could have been used for.

Similarly Joel Edgerton, who also writes and directs the film, stars as Victor, the head converter and therapist. Whilst Edgerton brings a ferocious & horribly intense energy to the role, the problem is that his performance is in many ways one note. He does try to flesh it out, but mainly comes across as a Jeremy Kyle-esque caricature without the TV show, constantly shouting & belittling in order to get his point across. 

But the underlying message is a powerful one and it is a horrific look inside these types of conversation therapy, which can be so damaging to people who are either taking part willingly or, as in this case, forced to attend them. There is also a very amusing revelation in the final credits which is not only unsurprising but also sad. 

I was never a big comic book or indeed Batman fan. My sole reason for watching these films was down to my love of Christopher Nolan as a filmmaker before he got involved with Gotham, primarily due to the magnificent Insomnia, which still today is for me his best film.

The Batman films themselves are brilliant, as they perfectly weave a completely credible story with great performances. Christian Bale is and always has been a magnificent Batman/Bruce Wayne, his emotional delivery as the orphaned child who becomes the thing that scares him in order to right the wrongs of the world. In this film we get a monster of a villain in Bane, a muscle-bound super strength psychopath who presents himself as a revolutionary but in truth is just wanting to kill everyone who isn't associated with his army. Anne Hathaway is also wonderful as Selina Kyle/Catwoman.

After the incredible Dark Knight, most people were probably thinking that there was no way Nolan could top that. And one of the best things about this film is that he doesn't even try. This is, as much as it is a sequel, a film that does firmly go in a different direction. The Gotham we go back to is one that has changed significantly in many ways since the events with the Joker. And I did massively enjoy and get swept up in this film's epic scale, on a par with the David Lean masterpieces of old.

Everything else is perfectly in check. Amazing stunts, stunning cinematography from Wally Pfister fresh from winning his Oscar for Inception and finally an incredible soundtrack from Hans Zimmer.

A brilliant film and an outstanding finale.

The Alien universe has never again hit the acclaimed heights that it did in the 70’s/80’s and the ‘92 Alien3, although for many people this is a bone of contention. Despite the enormous amount of goodwill and fandom, Alien Resurrection was not great, despite the massive budget. And then when they started to combine the Aliens and the Predators in the AVP series, it was absolutely a case of diminishing returns and not great to begin with. 

Then Ridley Scott announced that he had come back to the franchise, with a script written by two veterans of the sci-fi genre, Jon Spaihts & Damon Lindelof. There was also an amazing cast, enormous budget and pretty much complete creative control (unlike the massive battles Scott had in Alien.) The general feeling was one of excitement. I was so excited about this that I even went to see it in IMAX. But there was one thing that I had seen Scott repeatedly say in interviews regarding this film: in no way was this a sequel to the Alien franchise. This was a continuation in that world and people shouldn’t look at this film as being in any way a sequel. Needless to say, an enormous number of people did not take that advice, although the film has other far greater problems. 

However, the film starts extremely well. The opening scenes of Michael Fassbender (David) walking around the ship alone and amusing himself, all whilst obsessing over Peter O’Toole and his performance in Laurence of Arabia, are without doubt the best part of the film. In 15 minutes we get a wonderful building of the character and the world. Then, as the ship approaches its destination and the other characters are brought out of hypersleep, we start to build up to something which looks promising. They leave the ship to investigate the world and then we wait for the proverbial to hit the fan…

And that’s where the problems start.

Prometheus cannot decide what it wants to be. It is a film which keeps cutting back and fourth between the ship and the planet, never settling on either location and what it wants to have happen there. The characters are also another major issue: there are far far too many of them. And any great potential performances are lost in the sheer number of actors on screen. For example, Kate Dickie is an outstanding actress, who whenever I have seen her in other films and especially bit parts, will be amazing. And here she stars as a scientist who has the barest of bones of a backstory but who could be something more. Her performance and anything which she was trying to give to the character is lost totally in the mishmash of direction and story. And the same goes for Sean Harris, who could have been so many things but just is turned into a hippie who also is obsessed with money…

The actual story itself as well is stupid in many ways. It takes the religious themes of belief and stretches them to ridiculous lengths. We are meant to accept on face value that a crazy billionaire becomes involved with a couple of archaeologists who despite their science backgrounds are devout religious individuals. He then pours the entirety of his wealth pretty much on going into space and to what is effectively a wild goose chase on a whim… not something that works very well under any type of scrutiny. 

And yet, strip back and suspend disbelief and actually there is a decent amount to be enjoyed here. It looks stunning, there are some great moments and the ending is also satisfyingly pulse-racing, even if you aren’t fully invested in the story. 

There is also one more reason for giving this film 3 stars: it is significantly better than its sequel Alien: Covenant. Now THAT is a terrible film.

I love this film. Adore it. Revere it.

When I first watched it, the moment it was finished I immediately re-played it. Not one thing isn't perfect. The performances, cinematography, music, stunts, script, everything.

But as much as all the actors are working at the top of their games, this film belongs to Christian Bale as Ken Miles. From his perfect Sutton Coldfield accent down to the way he walks, it is flawless.

Watch this film and be reminded emphatically why there is practically nothing better than watching a great movie.

I never understood the hype around Gladiator until I re-watched it years later, then saw it again on 4K Blu-Ray.

It is an incredible achievement with a staggering central performance by Russell Crowe as Maximus. Every other actor is also amazing. The locations, soundtrack, stunts/fights, cinematography/mise-en-scene and script all note perfect.

Watch remastered on 4K Blu-ray with the best equipment you can on the largest TV and be swept up in the magnificence of it all. Simply perfection.

As much as Training Day is probably the film which most people would think of when asked to name Denzel's best performance, for me it will always emphatically be Man on Fire.

From the opening shots of a wealthy young man being snatched off the streets and mutilated in order to extort an enormous ransom, the scene is very clearly set as to what this film will be like. And believe me, this film earns it's 18 rating.

Denzel is John Creasy, a man who although he is currently CIA, you can tell has been in every agency America has, and involved in massive amounts of horrific violence and slaughter. This has lead to a spiral into depression and suicidal tendancies, along with severe alcoholism. Bereft, lost & wanting to die, he is persuaded by his longtime friend & confidante (Christopher Walken,) to become a bodyguard for the daughter of a wealthy car magnate in Mexico City, where every few minutes someone is kidnapped.

And this is where the film takes flight. It would be so easy to make Pita either a brat who you can't stand or saccharine sweet/perfect and this used unbelievably heavy-handedly once she is kidnapped in order to tug as many heartstrings as possible in the most facetious way possible. The film absolutely refuses to go down either of these two routes. Pita is a complicated and incredibly real character, who is unbelievably perceptive and sees in Creasy a lost soul who wants to be loved and shown a reason to live again. Their interactions, whether annoying, gentle or genuinely moving, are a joy to watch. The chemistry the two of them have is staggering.

When the proverbial does hit the fan, as it absolutely has to, the film then goes up a gear. But it also resists the temptation to become a clichéd generic action thriller. It has worked too hard to get to this point of you genuinely caring about Pita and Creasy simply to squander it. And Tony Scott is too skilled a storyteller & filmmaker to ruin this. What it does instead is absolutely brilliant.

Denzel, although he is wounded and almost killed, firstly spends a decent amount of time in recovery. He is in no way portrayed as some unstoppable mountain of a man, instead really shown suffering & on a long road to recovery. Then when he makes it his mission to track down & kill the people involved involved in Pita's kidnapping, he gets to work in no uncertain terms.

The journey we take with him is one of unbelievably twists, heart-wrenching turns and real emotional heft. Aiding us in this journey, apart from the amazing script and direction, is the staggering soundtrack. It is an absolutely seismic achievement, with the ending song one which will forever stay with me.

As mentioned, Denzel is incredible, as is Dakota Fanning as Pita. But everyone is at the top of their games. Christopher Walken does wonders with his role, especially his stunning speech whilst talking to Giancarlo Giannini's detective, who is also excellent.

And then we get to the ending. I won't say anything apart from, if you don't cry when you watch this, you have a heart of stone. Every time I see this, it destroys me, the same as when Mufasa is killed in The Lion King.

This is a stunning film, in every way. And it finally is doubly tragic because now that we have lost Tony Scott, never again will we be treated to this kind of film. And that is the real tragedy.

This remake of the Norwegian film In Order of Disappearance, also directed by Hans Petter Molland, is a really pleasant surprise.

There is a very large amount of humour, derived from the most random places, as well as great performances and script. There are also a welcome number of curveballs & things you just didn't see coming.

I fully appreciate for some people this will be too weird, too off the wall and too idiosyncratic for them. But for me and my best mate, we loved it.

Take it with a large pinch of salt, put your tongue in your cheek and have a great laugh.

After Oasis split, with Noel going off to forge his own solo career, Liam and the remaining members vowed to continue on, re-branding themselves as Beady Eye and performing a combination of both their own material & Oasis classics. Sadly, despite their best efforts and a couple of albums, it never took off and the band split up.

This documentary picks up right in the thick of this and it is to its and Liam's great credit that it is a no-holds barred and raw account of his life basically collapsing around him. As well as the band splitting, his clothing label fails and he has an extremely difficult divorce from Nicole Appleton. And as much as there is, as there will always be, the traditional Liam swaggering and braggadociousness, there is also an extreme vulnerability which we have never seen. And that's what makes this documentary compelling viewing. Gallagher is, for all his brawn, an unbelievably gentle & thoughtful guy. And as much as someone cynical could accuse this documentary of attempting to rebrand him as a cynical commercial exercise, the absolute opposite is true. Liam is always genuine and great company, and these encounters continue to this day and have been widely shared.

Any one of the things that he has to deal with (divorce, business failing, career ending in ignominious acrimony,) would be enough to cause almost anyone unbelievable heartache and upset. And if there had been any attempt by either Gallagher or the documentary makers to shrug this off/make it seem like not, then the piece as a whole would have totally failed.

Watching him slowly rebuild his life is wonderful and when the solo album songs are unveiled, they are excellent. So much so that I personally still listen to many of them to this day.

A really great documentary & classic entry into the rock hall of fame.

This is a great film, showcasing once again Marty's love of gangsters and loyalty. And what a cast he has assembled for this journey. As much as there has been some pushback from other reviewers of this film, the only issue I had with it was it was just that little bit too long. Unfortunately, there were points where the film could have used some better editing, as well as shaving off at least 10-15 minutes.

As time has gone on, Scorsese's films have got longer and longer, which is not a good trait. I'm all for letting stories breathe, but not at the expense of keeping momentum going. For example, Wolf of Wall Street was hideously bloated and should have been at least half an hour shorter, although I detested Jordan Belfort, so sitting through his escapades for any length of time was tiring.

But there is a huge amount to love in The Departed. For a start, the cast are amazing. Whilst Jack Nicholson and Leonardo DiCaprio are the main draws, everyone is great. Martin Sheen in particular takes the thankless cop role and does wonders with it. Mark Wahlberg used his own "extensive experience" from his younger days involving the police to embody Dignam. And Ray Winstone is also great as Mr French. But also, this film has an incredible stand-out performance from Vera Farmiga. Scorsese films often don't have strong female leads, but here Farmiga's shrink who falls in love with Colin Sullivan only to have her heart ripped out is incredible watching.

The film also has many twists and turns, as well as the kind of dark & snappy humour that Marty can conjure up in spades. The soundtrack puts the icing on the cake.

I do agree that this isn't Scorsese's masterpiece (that will always be for me Goodfellas,) but there is so much to like here, plus this was the film that finally got Marty his well-deserved Oscar. Great viewing.

Julianne Moore is phenomenal, not just in this but pretty much everything she is in. She is a total chameleon, able to disappear inside her characters and make us totally absorbed by every single trait of them. And with Still Alice, she has the role of her dreams and the film that finally won her the Oscar she so richly deserved.

Alice Howland is a vivacious, energetic & fiercely bright woman who has a successful career and wonderful family. Then a bombshell drops: Alice is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, shattering her entire life. At first she tries to deny it and ignore it, but then as she succumbs slowly, you see everything start to totally unravel. The horror of this film, as well as a tribute to the impeccable research carried out by the writers and directors, is how you notice every little thing slowly changing, suddenly unfamiliar or going out of focus. And, at times this is too much to bear.

All the cast rise incredibly to the challenge. Apart from Moore, the two other performances that really resonated with me were Alec Baldwin's and Kristen Stewart's. They were so heartbreaking and authentic. Watching your loved one fall into despair, fear and unable to do the simplest of things is brought horrifically to life.

This film is not an easy watch, but at the same time is compelling and essential viewing. Julianne Moore will break your heart like it's never been broken before.