Film Reviews by GI

This pseudo-noir thriller tries a little too hard and adds scenes that would have been better left out but has an interesting premise. It does though follow the time worn narrative path of a victim who turns out to be more of an adversary than the bad guys banked on. American character actor Dale Dickey stars as Ann, who along with her ailing husband have retired to a quiet life. Her granddaughter Emma (Romane Denis) has nicknamed her The G, short for granny, and is close to her although Ann is a hard nosed grump who likes her vodka a little too much. Events take a turn for the worst when Ann and her husband are victims of a scam where a criminal, Rivera (Bruce Ramsey) with the help of a corrupt doctor and some nasty henchmen have the couple declared incapable via the courts, he then seizes their assets and imprisons them in a grim care home. Rivera is unprepared for Ann's ability to turn the tables. It's interesting and different to see the an elderly woman in the role of avenger and Dickey carries this off well. But overall the film is a little overcooked and would have been better served by a tighter narrative. Worth checking out though.

A crime thriller that feels like a throwback to the 90s with Pierce Brosnan starring in a role that feels it was written for a slightly younger man. He's Charlie, a fixer for mob boss Stan (James Caan in his final film). When Stan's crew gets assassinated Charlie, surviving the attempt on his own life, goes all vengeful on the gang that are responsible. The film is thankfully short and sharp, it offers no real surprises and boasts a couple of solid action set pieces and Morena Baccarin as a resourceful love interest who helps Charlie on his mission. This is a reasonably entertaining thriller with dark comedy vibes that does exactly what you expect.

The charismatic performance from Florence Pugh, who here establishes once and for all that she is a major film star, is what lifts this new MCU film above the previous outings. I'm not a huge fan of the MCU series and found the Avengers films overlong, bloated and confusing but I get that there is a fanbase that needs feeding. Thunderbolts* is a story of a ragtag bunch of super antiheroes who are all misfits that come together in the absence of the actual Avengers, who have gone on holiday maybe, to deal with Julia Louis-Dreyfus baddie. This band are all full of angst and self doubt or even incompetence as they have to figure out a way to deal with a new super soldier created to allow the baddie to rule the world! There's the inevitable resorting to destroying lots of city buildings and big punch ups (these superheroes always seem to end up slogging it out with each other) to keep fans of this genre happy. Admittedly the first half of the film is the best, with Pugh's Yelena as the dominant character that the narrative follows and there's some well constructed set pieces and, of course, the opening has Pugh performing what is already a well advertised major stunt. But eventually the film drifts into a standard MCU plot and story arc. It's entertaining and David Harbour as Yelena's father offers brash humour. The ending signposts a potential new series which I'm sure will delight fans but I hope we don't lose Florence Pugh in a wealth of these films, she's so good in more subtle narratives.

Paying homage to just about every Sergio Leone western ever made this is a real treat, a shoot em up western with a modern twist. It's such fun and entertaining throughout and with it's tongue firmly in its cheek this is a violent story of gunfighters. A mysterious woman (Sharon Stone) rides into a small frontier town of Redemption for the annual shooting contest. The town is run by former outlaw Herod (Gene Hackman) who rules with a fast gun. He usually wins the contest which attracts gunfighters from all over. But the woman has her own agenda for being there and the townspeople hang onto the slim hope that Herod will be killed and free them from his tyranny. Even if you are not normally a fan of westerns I urge you to give this a go, it really is topnotch and boasts a support cast of Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio and it's the last film of Woody Strode who has a cameo and if you doubt Sharon Stone has any star attraction then she is damn good in this and it's good to see a western with a central female character. The gunfights are all subtly different, neatly bloody and original. A great little film that I highly recommend if you've never seen it.

The character of Professor Bernard Quatermass has largely been forgotten today. First appearing in the early 1950s he's often considered one of the first British TV heroes and is a precursor to Dr Who. The character appeared in radio and three TV serials in the 50s and a later one in 1979 starring John Mills (there was an attempt to revive the character in 2005). All of the earlier serials were subsequently remade into films of which Quatermass and The Pit, produced by Hammer Films, is considered the best. That's not least because it stars Andrew Keir as Quatermass, a Scottish actor of great range and ability who is considered the best to have played the role. The story is a very clever one utilising pagan horror and science fiction alien invasion narratives in a clever twisting plot that is still quite unsettling. During repairs to a London Underground station several fossilised skulls are unearthed. Archaelogist Dr Roney (James Donald) and his team are called in and further excavations reveal a strange object thought to be a German missile. Government rocket scientist Bernard Quatermass is sent to investigate and he soon suspects the object to be something not of this world. Efforts to penetrate the device soon unleashes something highly unexpected. The special effects are quite good considering this is a low budget film made in the 1960s and model work aside they work well. This was a film made for adults but viewed today it's more fun than frightening but still a film worth seeking out if you've never seen this great example of British science fiction horror.

A mystery crime thriller, a whodunnit, with a courtroom drama episode and a supernatural element from director Sam Raimi. It's marked by a particular but typically brilliant and nuanced role from Cate Blanchett and a rare bad guy role from Keanu Reeves. The plot, whilst flawed, twists and turns keeping you guessing for the most part and the narrative , from writer Billy Bob Thornton, is interesting and entertaining although relies a little too much in the denouement on the plot device of 'visions'. Annie (Blanchett) is a recently widowed mother of three young sons living in America's Deep South. Annie has an inherited psychic gift where she can see events both in the past and future and to supplement her meagre income she gives card readings to locals some of whom hold her in deep suspicion. When she gets involved in the investigation of the disappearance of a local socialite she finds herself front and centre in the trial of a local man for murder. Costarring Katie Holmes, Greg Kinnear and J. K. Simmons this is a reasonably clever thriller that benefits from the cast and their performances with the setting of the menacing swamplands adding to the mystery. Worth checking out if you've never seen it.

It spawned a series and is a bit of a cult favourite although there are some scenes in this American teenage sex comedy that are considered somewhat problematic when viewed today; in particular an extended scene where boy covertly streams a girl getting undressed in his bedroom that he has inadvertently shared with the entire year of his school. Today that scene would not be allowed. It's interesting or at least difficult to comprehend the lightness at which this scene is taken in the narrative and ultimately its final acceptance by the girl in question. But that aside this is quite a puerile comedy and lacks the real laughs that other films of this type have managed far better such as Porky's (1981). American Pie is set in a Californian senior High School where the students are approaching graduation and their prom night. Four of the boys are particularly obsessed with sex and make a pact with each other to lose their virginity by the end of prom. The film is then their clumsy efforts to achieve this with mixed results. There's some famous scenes here not least one with an apple pie although the best scenes involve Eugene Levy as the father of one of the boys who does his embarrassing best to pass on some relationship wisdom to his son. A popular comedy that does attempt to balance the teenage mindsets of both sexes as they navigate the complexities of relationships, love and sex but it hasn't dated well and the film sits firmly in the teenage boy audience demographic.

This is still one of the best teenage rebellion movies. A British social drama loosely based around The Who's rock opera and with a soundtrack from that iconic album. Set in 1965 it follows the life of disaffected youth Jimmy (Phil Daniels), who lives with his parents in run down London, he has a dead end job and only finds any zest for life in a gang of 'Mods', riding their adorned scooters, popping pills, and fighting with their rivals, the Rockers. This is a story of growing up, of heartbreak, sex, and realising the buzz found in violence and drugs is superficial. The big set piece of the film is the infamous battle between the Mods and Rockers on Brighton beach recreated really brilliantly and where Jimmy feels he has finally found his place in life after sex with the girl of his dreams Steph (Leslie Ash) but it's a hollow dream and he is brought back to reality very quickly. Ultimately a film about disillusionment. The film boasts an ambiguous ending and a cast from young British talent many of whom went onto bigger careers mostly in television including Timothy Spall, Phil Davis and Ray Winstone. Music stars Toyah Wilcox and Sting also have roles. This is a great British film and it's something of a cult favourite and certainly a film that worth seeking out if you've not seen it.

Tarantino's second film is often cited by fans as their favourite of his films to date and with repeated viewings you can see why. Following his debut, Reservoir Dogs (1992) which I think is a clever and very innovative film it takes nothing away from this second feature as it too is very innovative and has been immensely influential. Pulp Fiction has many features of what has since become known as 'Tarantinoesque' not least his ability to show extreme violence but actually make you laugh as you watch it. The obvious scenes here include the shooting of Marvin (Phil LaMarr) and the resuscitation scene of Mia (Uma Thurman) - watch Eric Stoltz in this section he's hilariously brilliant. The main innovation that hit home when this first came to our screens was the clever use of timelines and the fluidity of the story even though it jumps around in time while following the diverse characters. They are of course all truly cinematic characters, Tarantino writes cinema about cinema meaning his films are concerned solely with cinematic vision and language. Every character is cartoonish in a way even when they are indulging in the most depraved acts, which include heroin and cocaine use, casual murder for money, torture, rape and armed robbery. Just in case you are one of the very few who has not seen this film it follows one morning in Los Angeles where two hitmen, Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent (John Travolta) are sent by their boss, Marcellus (Ving Rhames) to recover a briefcase. They end up getting into some scrapes which includes having to get rid of a body and being robbed but mixed up is the story of a boxer, Butch (Bruce Willis) and his relationship and betrayal of Marcellus. It all sounds a little complex and the structure of the film is convoluted but actually each episode and event is fairly plotless in a sense, the result is the film becomes even more entertaining. This is certainly a must see film and definitely worth repeated viewings because there's lots going on you might have missed (including hints of the supernatural!). For example I can tell you that it was Butch who keyed Vincent's car. Great cast too including Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Harvey Keitel, Rosanna Arquette, Christopher Walken and blink and you'll miss him Steve Buscemi.

This gonzo horror/thriller is a sort of black version of From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) but without the sheer anarchic climax of that film. Bizarrely, as you watch this, it's a film that you may think would be a very interesting one without the horror element as a period crime thriller with the Delta Blues theme as a narrative driving force. But what you have here is still an entertaining and fun horror in an interesting setting, the Deep South Mississippi in 1932. Two twin brothers, Elijah and Elias (both played by Michael B. Jordan) return to their hometown after years of being away, they have a pocket full of cash and apparently have been working in the underworld of Chicago. They decide to open a 'juke joint' for the locals and to make money and recruit their young cousin, Sammie (Miles Caton), to play blues there. He's a renowned singer and player much to the consternation of his preacher father who warns him that the music will lure the devil! And on opening night, as the party gets going, the music indeed lures an ancient vampire (Jack O'Connell) who wants Sammie and anyone else he can get his fangs into. There's plenty of gore and vampire film tropes and the whole thing is of course played for laughs for the most part. The music is simply great and despite the crazy machismo of the final third of the film this keeps you wanting to watch. There's a homage scene to The Thing (1982) that in quite funny. Delroy Lindo, Haillee Steinfeld and even legendary bluesman Buddy Guy costar.

Viewed today it may seem very surprising that this was such a popular film when it was widely released. Even in the USA, a country that is notorious for its censorship of sex in mainstream cinema, this gained an uncut release mostly because it had been reportedly popular in Europe with women viewers. In 1974 there was no doubt that this was viewed as erotic cinema making the crossover from pornography and curiosity fuelled its box office success because this is a rather ridiculous, quite dull and somewhat childish film. It's not a film that goes anywhere near what porn was doing in the 70s (watch 1997s Boogie Nights for that). Emmanuelle is a French film that uses soft focus, an exotic location and oodles of female nudity in order to masquerade as something sincere. It's not, it's a poorly scripted idea of what the director, Just Jaeckin, seems to think women are all searching for. The narrative is simple, a beautiful and naive young women, Emmanuelle (Sylvia Kristel) joins her husband in Bangkok. He's all for letting her have her sexual freedom mainly because he wants his, but when she takes it he's not too pleased. Emmanuelle has indulged herself mostly with other women and hubby sends her off to Mario (Alain Cuny), a much older man, to teach her all about eroticism which involves the most unerotic sex you'll ever see! As a film that is supposedly about a woman's journey of sexual discovery this is nothing more than a postcard of Thailand with lots of breasts. It has its place in film history and it spawned a whole series but it can be dismissed today as a tasteless experiment.

AKA The Cursed. An atmospheric pagan horror that is essentially a werewolf narrative utilising a Scandinavian mythology although the film is set in France in the 19th century. The film has an interesting prologue during a First World War western front battle. Then we begin the main story where a ruthless land owner massacres a small group of gypies who have a legitimate claim to part of his land. An old Roma woman curses him and soon the locals begin to have strange nightmares. A local boy is found dead and another goes missing. A pathologist (Boyd Holbrook) arrives and warns that there is an ancient evil now lurking in the woods. We have a cold, bleak, fogbound landscape creating the mysterious and shadowy atmosphere in what really is a creature feature. The film is a bit too long and begins to drag a bit and the creature is glimpsed but ultimately disappointing. There's gore galore including an autopsy scene that I'm guessing has been influenced by The Thing (1982) and Kelly Reilly as the landowner's wife although she's not given much to do here, sadly. This is a reasonably entertaining horror film with added mystery.

This is a weird, surrealist thriller from director Luc Besson that is utterly ludicrous but strangely compelling. Much of the film's draw is from the enigmatic central performance from Caleb Landry Jones. He plays Dougie who is arrested, wounded and dressed in drag and with a motorhome full of dogs. A psychiatrist, Evelyn (Jojo T. Gibbs) is brought in by the police to find out what she can about what has happened to him. In interviews Dougie recounts his story of violent abuse at the hands of his father and brother who keep him in the kennel with the family dogs, his eventual rescue by the authorities and his success as a drag artist all the time living with his pack of dogs with whom he claims he can communicate and that do his bidding. The film has the European arthouse look and feel that Besson used in his earlier successes although the story is set in the US. There's a couple of interesting set pieces and Landry Jones manages to convince as the bizarre Dougie. It's an oddity as a film but I couldn't help being hooked.

A somewhat weird, slightly unpleasant but thoroughly ridiculous dystopian thriller that tries hard with ideas but actually none of them are very original and the whole idea is just silly. Set in an unspecified future where cloning has been effectively achieved with laws surrounding their use. Sarah (Karen Gillan) is diagnosed with a terminal illness and to save her family and boyfriend too much grief she commissions a clone to replace her. But first she has to train the double to become her. Then surprise surprise Sarah recovers and the clone is no longer needed but now her boyfriend and her mother seem to prefer the double over the real Sarah. The law says they must fight a televised duel to the death to decide who remains alive. None of this works at all. The set up is that society has become more emotionless but scientific advances are growing yet a sort of Gilead type society is also prevalent. Sarah is advised by her lawyer to hire a combat trainer to get her through the duel! There are so many plot holes and the film drags on as it can't make its mind up whether to be a violent dystopian thriller or a meditative narrative on what it means to be alive. And we are denied a satisfactory climax.

Any of Michael Mann's films are worth your time. He has a unique style and this period crime drama is no exception. Thematically it follows other Mann films like Heat (1995) in its study of two men on opposite sides of a moral divide although Public Enemies concentrates on recreating historical incidents even though many have been fictionalised for the film. This also boasts Mann's distinctive editing and use of hand held cameras with low and oblique angle close ups. Essentially this is a gangster film set in 1933/4 during the Great Depression and follows the exploits of arch bank robber John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) who becomes Public Enemy No1 and sort after by the FBI whose boss, J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) wants caught to boost his plan to get more funding. He appoints Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) to head up the Chicago office to catch or kill Dillinger. There are some stunningly filmed and very well executed action set pieces of bank robberies and prison escapes and intermixed is a romantic sub plot between Dillinger and Billie (Marion Cotillard) who is a little underused in the film. But the cast is impressive including Jason Clarke and Stephen Graham doing another of his psycho criminal routines as Baby Face Nelson. There's also cameos from Carey Mulligan and Channing Tatum too. The film has a highly detailed authenticity to the times and Depp is fantastic in the role of Dillinger. Mann has chosen to use digital cameras which is a bold choice for a period film but it gives the film a modern resonance and immerses the viewer in the action. The criminal as romantic anti-hero has been a well worn character trope throughout American cinema but here Mann has taken the cinematic and interwoven it into an historical crime drama. A first class modern crime film that is definitely a film to really enjoy and to indulge in it's detail and style. A slightly flawed masterpiece.