Film Reviews by TB

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.

Laurel Hester is a phenomenal woman and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that she was a trailblazer for & vital contributor to the LGBTQ movement in terms of securing equality for everyone. But it is a tragedy that this is the film that has been made about her inspiring and courageous fight to secure equality for her partner.

As much as I have given this 3 stars, that is mainly for performances and the fact that certain parts of this film are really enjoyable & moving. But overall the tone, direction and script of this film are awful. There is an unbelievably "soapy" feel about the entire thing. Whether it's the day to day relationship scenes, or an interrogation room, or even a cringeworthy "action" scene whilst attempting to stop a fleeing criminal, everything feels like it was rejected from the scripts of any one of the 10-a-penny soaps on afternoon TV.

This even affects the performances in some cases. There are certain scenes where Julianne Moore or Ellen Page absolutely knock a scene out of the park, then a couple of minutes later, are directed in such a way that even a Z-list Neighbours actor will go "Some of these scenes just aren't up to snuff!"

But as much as there are faults, there is also much to like. The bare bones of the story, although told simply, are very relatable and knowing that it's a true story does also give added gravitas. There is also a hilarious cameo from Steve Carrell, who plays, in his own words "A big loud gay Jew." But there is an absolute heart, pain and burning injustice behind his facade. And as much as the film does very forcefully point out that Laurel's plight is used by him as part of a bigger campaign for gay marriage, it is also shown very clearly that there is no way Laurel would have been able to take this fight right to the top if it wasn't for him & his supporters.

Overall though, this is a poignant film, but I did finish it and feel so frustrated at what I'd watched. So many great actors were cast here, there are flashes of brilliance and it's an inspirational story. And I genuinely get no pleasure from slating certain elements of this film. It's because as a whole, there is an amazing film in there struggling to get out. With a better script, this could have been something remarkable.

Sadly, most of the time, it's only just above average.

As much as Tim Vine is incredibly funny and also a terrific writer, his stand-up shows go firmly in one of two ways: brilliant and continually funny like So I said to this bloke, or coming off as really hunting desperately for laughs and not being a great show.

Sadly this one falls into the second camp. If you are in the mood for an hour of total silliness with some funny lines here and there, this'll take up an hour.

But for those, including me, who've seen what he can produce when he's firing on all cylinders, this just comes across as so-so and deeply average. I don't doubt for a second that it is extremely difficult to come up with a new act with literally hundreds of one liners. But this one was not his best.

In pretty much every comedic actor's career, they will do a dramatic role which steps massively outside of their comfort zone. And it is often so brilliant and successful that it welcomingly makes them do more of those types of roles. The main one that comes to mind is Robin Williams in Insomnia, but also more recently Melissa McCarthy in Can You Ever Forgive Me? And in Foxcatcher, we get a masterclass in desperation, repugnance, horror and general awkwardness from Steve Carrell.

The only thing I want to say before I start this review is that I will be extremely vague with the film details, because literally the less you know, the better and more impactful it is.

This is the true story of the Schultz brothers. They were both Olympic-winning wrestlers who, like so many sports personalities, once they retired, were not only fairly poor but also could be quite isolated away from the training and adulation. Then one day Mark receives an offer from Jon Du Pont, an eccentric multi-millionaire, to come and help him set up and coach a new generation of athletes.

Du Pont is depicted as an absolute misery of a man: someone who has everything and nothing. He is a multi-multi millionaire who craves respect, adulation, recognition & reverence. But he is also a total failure and he knows it. The only reason he is in the position he is in is down to his wealth. Nobody in their right mind would want anything to do with him. And this is established very clearly in one toe-curlingly awkward scene when it is revealed in a very matter of fact way by Du Pont that when he was younger, he only had one friend, who was the son of his chauffeur. He then subsequently found out that his mother had been paying this boy for years to be around her son and tolerate him.

As the film slowly unfolds, it keeps you gripped like a vice. The general air of threat is also quite staggering. You sit there feeling not only unbelievably tense, but also unclean after every encounter with Du Pont, like you want to go and have a shower.

As much as Carrell got a lot of the headlines, by no sense does this sideline the others. Channing Tatum is a revelation, having only before seen him in chick flicks or other films of that theme. Here, he really is amazing. As is Mark Ruffalo, as the big brother anyone would want and the beating heart of the film. And finally, we are treated to another incredible, although sadly far too small a role, from Sienna Miller. What she does with the material given is incredible and moving.

This film is incredible and shocking, the various narratives all colliding in horrific fashion. And I loved it. It is a staggering piece of cinema.

Whilst the CGI Dumbo is gorgeous, this film starts to overstay it's welcome towards the middle part. As it's a Tim Burton film, there are plenty of visual flourishes and he has managed to attract some staggering talent to this film. Danny De Vito and Eva Green are brilliant, but they are fighting against a so-so script and some extremely syrupy narrative choices.

But this will still be loved by children and definitely is a heart-warming movie in places. Plus you'd want Dumbo to be your elephant in a heartbeat.

Many people will have either forgotten or had never heard of the Kursk submarine tragedy which gripped the world back in 2000. During a naval exercise, a missile on the Kursk submarine exploded, killing a huge number of men inside the submarine and leaving many others stranded and waiting for rescue with the air running out.

And on the surface, the Russian government stonewalled, blocked help and refused to do anything. This is one of those films where the less you know, the more you get out of it, although there is a horrific thread of doom running through the whole movie.

The cast are good, although the story itself at times was a bit poorly told. The film had a habit of building up tension wonderfully, then changing scene and losing that momentum. There was also the sense that the filmmakers had really cut out a lot of interesting events in order to make the film the length it was. This story would make an incredible series, like in the vein of Chernobyl.

A good effort, but in many ways a missed opportunity.

This film came out of nowhere. It was something which I had seen advertised & recommended, but there wasn't much fanfare for it. But it is incredible.

The film looks at the moral, ethical and legal dilemmas which are wrapped up within a military operation. Helen Mirren is the commander of a British forces unit which is ordered to capture a group of terrorists in Africa. Then the order comes that they are to launch a missile and kill the insurgent, not capture them. This then sets off a chain of events where everyone involved is forced to confront their own feelings, as well as their fears about the legality of what they are doing.

Firstly, the cast are uniformly great. Mirren at the centre brings the power and empathy she can do effortlessly to the central role. Aaron Paul also really shows his dramatic ability to move past Breaking Bad with a layered, complex character. And this also is the final performance of the masterful Alan Rickman, before his shocking passing. Although it's a small role, it's a great reminder of why he was also one of the best actors we've ever produced.

As the film goes on, I felt myself more and more on the edge of my seat. And the ending was also perfectly done as well, not a neat perfect one, but showing the hopelessness of the situation we humans constantly find ourselves: war and conflict.

Another classic 80's film remastered in 4K. Never seen this before but heard a lot about it.

There is lots to like here, including a great protagonist in Billy Peltzer and suitably nasty villains. The puppetry is also great.

However, it is also very schlocky and too long, plus around halfway through, it just loses its way. With some better editing and shaving off between 10-20 minutes of length, it could have been a brilliant classic. But still a decent watch and trip down memory lane.

A visceral and incredible debut, plus the launching of the careers of many actors including Ice Cube.

The story is one of growing up and trying to find your own identity in the tough, violent and racist streets of South Central. It is a world that the writer/director John Singleton knew well. The script is heavily based on his own upbringing and several of the characters were influenced by friends he had.

What this film does so well is flesh out the characters, as well as making them into people you really care about. Cuba Gooding Jr is outstanding, as is Laurence Fishburne as his tough father, who also desperately wants his son to become successful and not get caught up in gangbanging & murder. There are many moments where we get to know the characters personally, as well as seeing all the values they hold so dear.

This film is exceptional and so many films today based around these locations/stories owe everything to Boyz N The Hood. It is a touchstone film and one which has stood the test of time. Even today, it's scary how much of it is still frighteningly relevant.

Like with Bronson, Tom Hardy has again saved and elevated a film which otherwise would have been nothing more than a standard relatively boring biopic. Playing both Ronnie and Reggie to fantastic effect, he perfectly defines them as individual people but also clearly shows the bond that they have which will forever join them.

Brits have always had a fascination with the Krays, even though they were effectively just like every other standard London-based gangster. Their iconic status, captured in many unique ways, including posing for Bailey, has elevated them to the appropriately film-named Legends.

The film attempts to unpeel that myth and show us what it was that exactly made these two tick. But as much as there is great use of humour and a couple of amazingly choreographed fight scenes, beyond that there isn't that much that is different.

The film also has a great cast with many great British actors featured. Paul Bettany is great, as is Emily Browning. But this film is and always will be Tom Hardy's. A fantastic mesmeric showcase of just how talented he is.

I rented this because I read the Empire review for it which praised it to the rafters and I also seem to remember it ended up on their best of the year list.

One of the best things about this Russian film, which is established from the opening shots, is how simple the story is. This is a film without an ounce of bloat on it. Matvey is going to his girlfriend's parents house with a hammer to kill her father who is a high-ranking officer with the Russian police force. But what he thinks will be a simple job then turns into something completely different. And both Matvey and the father Andrey are far more difficult to neutralise than you think.

This film takes the premise of the one room location, which has so effectively been used in films like Reservoir Dogs, and puts a whole new dimension on it. I don't actually want to say too much more, because this film is full of surprises & twists, so the less you know, the better. But it's level of filmmaking and sheer balls out craziness is a wonder to behold.

The only thing I will say is that this film really earns it's 18 rating and it's not down to sexual content...