Film Reviews by HW

Although McDonagh’s streak of black humour is here, this is a more mature and tragic affair than ‘In Bruges’ and ‘Seven Psychopaths’. A grieving mother (Frances McDormand) deals with her despair and hopelessness over finding her daughter’s murderer by channeling her pain into maintaining three billboards. These billboards outside her town happen to criticise the local police for not finding the killer, incurring the wrath of cop Dixon (Sam Rockwell) for one, who deals with his own rage and grief through violence. 

This unique premise leads to a truly unpredictable and moving drama on death and despair, fuelled by powerful performances. 

A Victorian werewolf movie in a pub is such a cool idea. This is like the spawn of ‘Dog Soldiers’ and ‘Evil Dead’. Impressive werewolf costumes, make-up and over-the-top performances. 

A good piece of action with a simple plot and a surprising amount of depth. Lee Marvin and Burt Lancaster steal the show as a pair of old comrades teaming up in 20th century Mexico, with Woody Strode and Robert Ryan along for the ride. Their mission: to rescue a rich rancher’s wife (Claudia Cardinale) from the clutches of some Mexican rebels. As is often the case, all is not as straight forward as it seems, adding further difficulties for the heroes shooting their way in and out of the scorching desert. As well as explosive action, there is a sense of melancholy in the scenes where characters reminisce about their violent pasts. It’s just a shame Ryan and Strode’s parts are so small, and why has Jack Palance been browned up to play the main Mexican part?? Nevertheless, this is why I love westerns: you get more with your action. 

This may lack the punch of Peckinpah’s later films but this action-adventure is worth watching for its tension and surprising amount of character study. In a stroke of genius, Peckinpah and the other screenwriters created a bunch of western characters with so many divisions it’s a wonder they didn’t kill each other off. 

Disgraced union cavalry officer Major Dundee (in a riveting role by Charlton Heston) is set on rescuing some white children captured by an Apache war band. At the height of the Civil war, he forcibly recruits Confederate prisoners from his own prison, led by an old friend (played beautifully by a young Richard Harris). He also recruits black prison guards to further escalate the Union-confederate tensions, as well as enraging the Apache and the French army occupying Mexico to boot. Will Dundee’s drive for ambition, glory and bloody retribution lead to the doom of his crew, like a western version of ‘Moby Dick’? It’s worth watching this tense character study to find out, driven by Heston and Harris’s strong sparring performances. 

This came out the same year as Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ and personally I believe it is a far more sophisticated and memorable picture. Instead of relying on shocks, this chiller builds up a suspenseful, crawling atmosphere while also daring you to pity its killer. 

Mark is a filmmaker and photographer who has a dark, secret hobby: murdering women and filming their last moments. There is a complex commentary on our fascination with watching morbid events on film. We are just as much a voyeur as Mark is. 

Furthermore, rather than being a monster, Mark is presented as a product of a traumatic upbringing. His father was a psychologist who subjected his son to frequent unpleasant experiments while on camera. Mark is thus presented as a victim of his childhood disturbances who needs rescuing from the resulting dark desires that consume him. 

A smart, complex thriller that helped usher in more realistic, modern subjects for the horror genre. It still has the power to shock not through crass shock tactics but through its sympathetic yet sinister portrayal of a sick, dangerous mind. 

Like Kurosawa’s other epic ‘Ran’, this is another great example of how well Shakespeare adapts to Medieval Japan. Kurosawa closely followed the bard’s original plot of a warrior murdering his lord to achieve more power and succumbing to violent paranoia; except moving the location from Scotland to an equally eerie Japanese landscape where samurai clans warred for dominance. Although I think this film lacks the emotional heart of ‘Seven Samurai’ and ‘Ran’, it’s worth watching for Kurosawa’s mastery of atmosphere and suspense. Every scene is wreathed in swirling mist and complete with dark imagery: from wild animalistic omens to pale witches and ghosts. The film is dominated by Kurosawa’s favourite actor, Toshiro Mifune. As the lead character Washizu, Mifune effectively portrays the hero’s decline from an honourable warrior to a crazed, raging tyrant prowling through each scene like a vicious tiger. The actress Isuzu Yamada is disturbing as Washizu’s scheming wife, pushing him towards murder and losing her sanity as a result. The message against moral corruption and taking power by force is just as clear in this striking film as in the original play. 

I found this romp a bit cold and convoluted for my tastes. Burton and Eastwood both play super-cool, super-handsome spies who sneak and shoot their way in and out of a seemingly impregnable German fortress during WW2 without getting a scratch (although they are a bit tired by the end). Personally I would have preferred a bit more grit and humour, or at least seeing the heroes get roughed up a little as usually happens in Eastwood’s westerns. Nevertheless this film has an impressive range of action sequences set in spectacular settings: a WW2 contender to James Bond. 

I’m very glad to be able to see this cinematic treasure, very nearly an antique now. This is a rather faithful adaptation of Conan Doyle’s sci-fi classic in which Victorian explorers discover still-living dinosaurs deep in the Amazon. The stop-motion effects are a joy to watch, as I can see great effort has been made to present living dinosaurs with the bare resources available. The sets and backdrops are majestic too, along with the make-up and costumes of the silent performers. A landmark in FX and a very fun gem of a film that should surely be preserved as one of the first creature-features. 

I watched the sequel recently and thought it was surprisingly good. But it doesn’t come close to the cinematic experience of the original. Having not seen this in years, I’ve forgotten how absolutely gripping this cocktail of black comedy, striking visuals and musical energy is. Yes it is fun and funny in places (if you have dark tastes) but there’s no denying this is a strong anti-drug film; not shying away from the grim consequences of heroin addiction while refusing to judge the characters involved. Read the novel for even more amoral chaos. 

This may not be as revolutionary, as visually striking or as fully entertaining as the original. However arguably this is just as darkly funny and poignant. More importantly, Renton is no longer the main focus. The characters and stories of Sick Boy, Spud and even Begbie have all grown and developed (if not necessarily matured). I actually felt sorry this time round for delinquents like Sick Boy and Begbie. I also like how the social cynicism of the first film has been applied to 21st century society, no better than in Renton’s updated ‘choose life’ rant. As well as cynicism though, the film deals with nostalgia. Nostalgia of the first film and the characters’ own nostalgias for their pasts have been skilfully interweaved. One of the big themes of the film is how characters are held back by holding onto the past: whether it’s Begbie solely focussed on revenge against Renton or Renton and Sick Boy reminiscing about their youth while failing to deal with their presents. It’s tragic to see that these ex-addicts, after 20 years, have still not found anything to fill the hole left by addiction. While Renton may not be able to follow his own advice on channelling his addiction into something new, it works for Spud in a surprising way. I like how writing is presented as a saviour against drug addiction. Even without the shadow of the first film, this is still a powerful modern drama that just as cunningly blends black comedy, energy and tragedy in its eye-opening depiction of Scottish culture. 

The plot of ‘King Lear’ translates easily to historic Japan. The static long shots are set up like paintings, with vibrant colours and dramatic staging. The halfway battle scenes were unlike any I’ve watched before: savage slaughter set to silence or gently building music. The performances felt ritualistic but passionate. Amazing to think Kurosawa was in his 70s when he directed this epic.