Film Reviews by GI

This remains one of Clint Eastwood's finest achievements as an actor but more importantly as a director. For me it's a superior film to his award winning Unforgiven (1992) but that maybe just a personal opinion. Here his style is strongly influenced by his collaborations with Sergio Leone and evidence of Leone's close ups juxtapositioned with wide shots just before explosive action litter the film. Based on a celebrated novel (Gone To Texas - a very good read by the way) this western is set at the close of the Civil War. Rebel guerrilla fighter Josey Wales refuses to surrender as he's still filled with hatred following the massacre of his family earlier in the war and shown in the pre-credits scenes. Hunted by the Union army and lawmen he makes his way to Texas collecting a motley bunch of companions along the way including an old Indian, Lone Watie, brilliantly played by Chief Dan George in a tour de force performance that is funny and warm, he is the heart of the film. Sondra Locke, who later appeared in many of Eastwood's films, also appears as a young girl rescued by Josey during his journey. The film is littered with great characters and there's a real feel for the time and history making this one of the great westerns and it certainly ranks alongside John Ford and Howard Hawks films. There's some neat yet slightly restrained violence and a real heartfelt story. This is a masterpiece and definitely a film all real enthusiasts should make sure they see.

This is a very effective supernatural ghost film with a great story and some very uncomfortable scenes. It's what a good horror film should be, scary and terrifically creepy. The title is an ironic twist on the pain caused when loved ones don't talk, a theme that runs though the narrative. Mia (Sophie Wilde) is a young woman who's mother killed herself but she has been assured her death was an accident, a lie told by her father to protect her. Being lonely Mia spends much of her time at the home of her best friend, Jade (Alexandre Jensen). These two and Jade's younger brother, Riley (Joe Bird) get caught up with a group of other students who have found a way to conjure up spirits through holding a mummified hand and saying 'talk to me'. The trouble is that dabbling with these dark forces soon has consequences that bring violence and horror amd Mia makes a stupid decision when she believes her mother's ghost has turned up. This is a bold horror film that harks back to The Sixth Sense (1999) and has similarities to Hereditary (2018). It certainly takes the teen movie into a very unsettling territory. Miranda Otto costars in a film well worth checking out.

Sequel or remake of the 1996 film is a matter of debate, I'm firmly of the view this is an updated remake as the narrative follows a similar structure but it lacks a sense of originality and the relationship tensions that Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton brought to the earlier film are surely missing here. But this is all about the tornadoes I suppose and here we have plenty of them and two teams chasing them. Daisy Edgar-Jones plays Kate, a talented country girl with an instinct for knowing when tornadoes are going to pop up who has developed a career in climate but due to a tragedy she has given up storm chasing. She's lured back by an old friend with a plan to fire chemicals into the heart of a tornado that will cause them to collapse. On the road Kate is frustrated by the storm chaser, Tyler (Glenn Powell), a former rodeo star out for the thrills of it. Of course they eventually join up to get the job done and there's a good mix of disaster genre tropes and action set pieces. But it's all a little underwhelming and Edgar-Jones, such a talented actor, doesn't have enough to shine here. The promise of romance is never fulfilled and what we're left with is a reasonably entertaining disaster film that lacks the characters so brilliantly conceived in the 1996 film. It's ok but instantly forgettable.

This is a neat science fiction thriller influenced by High Noon (1952) and Alien (1979) and in turn it has influenced more recent films like Moon (2009). Sean Connery plays Marshall O'Neil who arrives at a remote mining installation situated on one of Jupiter's moons. The mine is run by a huge industrial company who is represented by the General Manager Sheppard (Peter Boyle). When several suicides occur O'Niel begins an investigation and finds that Sheppard and the Company know the reason and there's a cover up. When O'Niel threatens to expose what's happening two hitmen are sent to kill him. Seeking help from his security team he finds they won't risk their own necks so he's forced to stand alone. This is an unpretentious little gem and whilst the technology on show will appear dated today it's still a cracking film and with it's use of an all-powerful company as the antagonist you'll see the Alien connection as well as the depiction of space as a grimy, industrial world rather than a shiny, sterile one. Connery is as laid back as normal and he's aided by Frances Sternhagen and James Sikking in support roles. If you like a good adult sci-fi then this is definitely one to check out should you have missed it up to now.

A novelty western that is a bit daft, poorly scripted riddled with clichés and tries too hard making for an unsatisfactory addition to the revisionist styleof the genre that had taken hold in the early 70s. It has a clash of culture theme but really seems to be just an implausible way of mixing the western with the samurai genre. With it's spaghetti western stylings and shot in Spain by British director Terence Young this has some of the customary bloodshed and violence that was a trademark of westerns made at this time but it lacks any sense of originality despite the storyline. Two outlaws, Link (Charles Bronson) and Gauche (Alain Delon) rob the train on which the Japanese ambassador is travelling to visit the President. Gauche steals a prized sword intended as a gift and then betrays Link leaving him for dead. This sets the story up as a long journey across the desert as Link sets out for vengeance forced into the company of the Japanese Ambassador's bodyguard (Toshirô Mifune) who has orders to recover the sword. The two don't get along but have to tolerate each other and of course soon begin to bond on the trail. There's plenty of unpleasantness throughout the narrative not least the portrayal of women who are all prostitutes, mostly get ill treated or made to satisfy the male characters including Ursula Andress who gets second billing despite a relatively minor role. There's an Indian raid thrown in to give the film some climactic action. Of all the great westerns that litter the 70s this isn't one of them. It has that east meets west element making it perhaps something to watch out of interest but it's a minor work despite the international cast.

James Cameron's unashamed pastiche of the James Bond movies and an adaptation of a French film, The Jackpot (1991). It's fun, action packed and clearly star Arnold Schwarzenegger is having the time of his life. The Bond connections are littered throughout the film and are presented as homages that are designed to be recognised but from a director signalling his love and respect for that franchise. Schwarzenegger plays Harry, a super spy who works for a shady Government agency led by Trilby (Charlton Heston in a great cameo and channelling a Nick Fury look and vibe). He leads a double life though as his wife, Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis) and daughter Dana (Eliza Dushku) believe him to be a boring salesman. When Harry suspects his wife is having an affair he utilises his agency's resources to catch her out but ends up discovering she's bored and seeking some excitement so he decides to involve her in his dangerous mission to root out a ruthless group of Islamic terrorists. This of course doesn't go to plan. The film is action packed, with some fantastic set piece stunts and it's all played for laughs with the comedy coming thick and fast. The famous strip tease scene with Curtis has been much discussed over the years and has been considered as female empowerment or a very overt example of cinema's objectification of the female body. Whatever your view here it's definitely sexy and fun. This is one of Schwarzenegger's films that is often overlooked when discussing his other more cult favourite ones but it is an influential action comedy that shows his development as a movie star and Cameron's pure love of action films. There's little doubt in my mind it's gone on to influence other films not least the Mission Impossible series. Recently restored for 4K UHD presentation this is worth checking out again if it's been awhile since you've watched it.

Michael Caine has been reported as saying that this film was too small for it's own good resulting in it getting little distribution or renown whereas it's quite an amusing black comedy enhanced by Caine as the corporate manager overlooked for promotion in favour of a younger man. He plays Graham, married to a nagging wife but bolstered by the anticipation of a long yearned for promotion. When he is bypassed and after a bizarre incident on the subway Graham discovers a dark side that enables him to remove the obstacles to his happiness. I think if this were made today it would be a Netflix or similar release or even a TV drama as it's a relatively short film which makes it all the more watchable as plot wise it rattles along at a good pace. Caine plays the part of Graham as quite nuanced but with a fiery anger that is a little unsubtle at times. Elizabeth McGovern plays a love interest who starts to suspect Graham is hiding secrets and in some ways this is story a little like Falling Down (1993) of a man who is pushed to breaking point and reacts in a very dark way. Well worth checking out, if like me, it has passed you by until now.

A vey entertaining supernatural mystery thriller with shades of The Exorcist (1973) and other similar religious possession type films. The inclusion of a cover up/conspiracy plot makes the film all the more watchable and the two stars Patricia Arquette and Gabriel Byrne are both excellent. Byrne is Father Andrew, a catholic priest, who specialises in investigating alleged religious miracles and he's adept at debunking them. His Vatican based boss (Jonathan Pryce) sends him on an assignment to Pittsburgh where a young woman, Frankie (Arquette), a party girl hairdresser with no religious beliefs or history, has begun showing strange wounds that appear to be the wounds of Christ known as stigmata and having hallucinations. Andrew, sceptical and thorough, soon finds that he is having difficulty explaining what's causing Frankie's trauma and soon he begins to witness strange events around her. This is a very watchable and enjoyable piece of horror hokum that has a good story, some neat effects and doesn't try to overly shock or add too much gore.

Sharply written, sexy, and thoroughly entertaining this comedy crime/thriller hits all the right notes. It's a real gem of a movie, a genre piece that has a fantastic cast and a superb plot. George Clooney stars as Jack Foley, a career bank robber who fears growing old in prison so decides to breakout. Unfortunately the plan gets interrupted by US Marshall Karen Cisco (Jennifer Lopez) who happens to be visiting the prison at the moment of Jack's escape so he and his partner Buddy (Ving Rhames) are forced to take her hostage. A romantic bond forms between them on the road and later when Jack goes to Detroit for one last diamond heist Karen is on his trail. The cast are all on top form including Don Cheadle, Albert Brooks, Catherine Keener, Dennis Farina and Nancy Allen with cameos from Michael Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson. This is funny, full of action and with a moving romance chucked in for good measure. This is what a good crime thriller should have and it is everything a good adult film should be. If you've never seen this then check it out, you will not be disappointed.

This enjoyable creature-feature is a bit of a throwback film reminiscent of the 50s cycle of giant creature stories and it's all played for larks with the director, Kiah Roache-Turner, displaying his fanboyish love of a host of other films not least Predator, the Alien series and of course Arachnophobia. But all that's ok because it adds to the fun of the film which comes along with plenty of neat jump scares and a well presented creature. This is a spider which arrives in a tiny meteor into the apartment building of 12 year old Charlotte (Alya Browne). She finds it and not knowing its origins thinks it'll make a cool pet and keeps it in a jar calling it 'Sting'. But it grows rather quickly and is soon meandering around the heating ducts of the building killing pets and then of course people. The script throws in some family tensions and there's the quintessential baby that's going to need protecting. It's all strongly derivative of Alien, Aliens and Alien 3 but it makes for a fun horror film.

A survival thriller that keeps you watching although it drags in the final sections and is a bit devoid of heightened tension and if you are looking for gore you'll be disappointed too (there is a little). But it's a decent enough thriller that includes some relationship tensions and actually puts people into the water to face the dangers that come their way. Set in the Caribbean where five girlfriends, part of a wedding party, head out for the day to heal some tensions between some of them. Unfortunately one gets badly bitten by a shark and as they head back in their little boat everything that can go wrong does and they end up in the water miles from anywhere and sharks are about! Not only that but one of them can't swim either. It has all the staple characters from the gung-ho adventure junkie who leads the excursion but has failed to ensure they are properly equipped, to the drippy, panicky one and it's fairly easy who work out who will survive and who won't. All good clean fun, it's not Jaws and it won't feature in any Top 10 list of the best shark films.

Thematically this harks back to the westerns of the 40s and 50s and to the revised westerns directed by the likes of Clint Eastwood and Sam Peckinpah. There's no pretensions here this is simply a tale of frontier justice, right & wrong and with a lovely romance thrown in for good measure. It's arguably one of the finest westerns from the last 20 years and director Kevin Costner keeps the film rattling along and when it bursts into action it's gritty, brutal and exciting without falling in gratuitousness. Robert Duvall stars as Boss Spearman, a small time cattle owner moving his small herd across country with his crew of Charlie (Costner), Mose (Abraham Benrubi) and Button (Diego Luna). Their fortunes take a turn for the worst when when they come up against cattle baron Baxter (Michael Gambon) who runs the local town and covets Boss's cows. Outnumbered Boss is forced to fight for what is right and Charlie happens to have a gunfighting past. This is just a great, almost humble film that deliberately sets out to be a classic western and succeeds. Annette Bening co stars and Duvall and Costner are a perfect pair. If you've not seen this then it's well worth checking out.

A Christmas romcom that goes all out to pull your heartstrings and mostly succeeds even though the ending is entirely predictable. A much loved favourite that sits alongside Love Actually (2003) as one of those films that is always worth a watch on a cold winter evening in front of the fire around Christmas time. What I particularly like about this is the contrast set up in the story between the quintessential chocolate box cottage in the English countryside and the palatial, tech heavy mansion in sunny Los Angeles. The four key stars play this just right and the casting is spot on for this story. Kate Winslet (an English rose) plays Iris, a journalist who is lovesick over her former boyfriend (Rufus Sewell) getting engaged to someone else and Cameron Diaz is Amanda, a glamorous business woman who discovers her boyfriend (Edward Burns) has been unfaithful. In their despair at their respective love lives they decide to escape and find each other through a house swap website. So each sets off to spend time in the house of the other. This begins the clash of cultures theme built into the film. Amanda especially struggles with the simplicity of rustic life in England while Iris is overwhelmed by the opulence of LA. Into the rather obvious comedy of their situations comes the men in the form of Jude Law as Iris's brother who quickly falls for Amanda but has some baggage he doesn't know how to reveal and Jack Black as Miles, a colleague of Amanda's who meets Iris and they soon bond but he too has some emotional baggage to deal with. It's fairly obvious what these two couples will end up like but interestingly their respective stories are different from one another and the film neatly cuts between the two at just the right moments. Law and Black are excellent here too and Black especially holds back on his more manic screen persona. There's a touching side story involving Eli Wallach as an aging Hollywood screenwriter and a cameo from Dustin Hoffmann that if you blink you might miss but will make you smile. This is a gentle, heartwarming romcom that has no pretensions it just aims to make you feel good and it does just that.

This is a broody conspiracy thriller full of intrigue even though the setting borders on the laughable. The plot centres on the selection of a new Pope by the Cardinals who gather at the Vatican and are hidden away busily voting on and on until a new Pope is selected. This procedure is apparently a secretive and traditional almost ceremonial procedure so who would believe that out of it this story of jealousies, dark secrets and devious plots has been woven. It really sucks you in and the performances are first rate especially Ralph Fiennes as an English Cardinal who has been charged with running the process known as a 'conclave'. There are some early favourites including Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), a very right wing bigot and Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow, deliciously conniving) who harbours some troublesome secrets and Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci), who claims to be reluctant candidate but is he? All this plays out in a rather well written and superbly directed film that keeps you hooked. A near, compelling drama that is well worth checking out.

A tender hearted social realistic drama set on an East London estate where 12 year old Georgie (an impressive Lola Campbell) lives alone after her mother has suddenly died. Georgie is fiercely independent and has managed (perhaps somewhat incredulously) to hide from the authorities that she is alone having conned them that an Uncle is looking after her. Emotionally she has created a small fantasy world in the spare room but she's thrown by the unexpected arrival of her errant father, Jason (Harris Dickinson) who she has never before met and who threatens to report her to Social Services unless she lets him stay in the house. The theme of the narrative here is the bittersweet relationship between father and daughter that is explored throughout the film. There is humour and some interesting surrealistic aspects melded into the drama making it very watchable. There's no doubt this arguably should have been a more complex take on the fate of such children as Georgie and the almost ineptitude and cartoonish authority figures shown weakens the film but overall it's fun, well acted and a pleasant surprise.