Film Reviews by GI

A romance about lost love and a film that asks What if?, a question amplified by the power of social media giving people the ability to reconnect. It also is suggesting, in my mind, that that is not always a good thing. Two young children live in South Korea and become friends and have a funny little date arranged by their mothers which leaves the boy thinking they are destined to be together. But then the girl's family emigrate to Canada and they lose contact. Years later and Nora (Greta Lee) is now living in New York, a budding writer, and through social media she gets in touch with Hae Sung (Tae Woo) and they begin speaking via Skype but Nora then feels the past is intruding in her future and cuts off the communication leaving Hae Sung feeling hurt and distraught. More years go by and Nora, now married to Arthur (John Magaro) , and Hae Sung reconnect again and this time he comes to the US for a visit. This opens up emotions and issues for all three of them. This is a simple and yet sophisticated relationship drama that looks at childhood crushes and their impact that can be exacerbated by the ability to connect very easily with persons from years ago and many miles away. This is a sad film in many ways and the narrative doesn't allow you to take sides as you'll see the heartbreaking issues that the three adults here struggle with. No one is being 'bad' or even unfaithful and the film opens up the debate about repressed feelings based on images and affections long since suppressed. In this it's a gentle and warm film and a love story for the modern age.

This biopic about the soul legend Aretha Franklin suffers from the multitude of clichés that dog the genre. Here these are played out in a reverential but seriously too long film that tries all too hard to be kind and amplify the singing, not a bad thing, but skimps over the traumas and demons that Franklin's life was loaded with. What was needed here was a concentration on the issue of relationships because they are the central issue that the script leans towards but the film flies through them without grounding them in any meaningful way. Firstly there's Franklin's (Jennifer Hudson) father (Forest Whitaker), a bible thumping preacher who flits between smothering affection and exploitation of his daughter's talent and indeed when she is clearly raped and made pregnant aged 12 by a family friend the trauma and crisis this must have caused is barely mentioned and we get no reaction from the father to consider. There's a slightly deeper narrative focus on Franklin's marriage and abuse by her first husband played brilliantly by Marlon Wayans in a cleverly smarmy and aggressive performance. But like music biopics must do there's the performances and Hudson does a first rate job as Franklin and the film keeps these as central even including her drunken attempt at a concert during the inevitable struggle with drink phase. Another cliché! Apparently this film was first conceived as a theatrical musical and you can see why and perhaps it would have fared better because as a film it does it's job but it's typical and underwhelming as a film. If you're a fan of this singer then there's something of interest to be found but ultimately it follows the standard narrative arc of such films.

In this study of the banality of a family living their lives in a large house and with a beautiful garden, spending their time swimming and picnicking in the gorgeous countryside, comes an oppressive soundtrack and a disquieting editing from the family laughing and conversing to sudden night scenes and strange colours. Because this is the Höss family, the father Rudolf is the commandant of Auschwitz Extermination camp and the film is set in 1943 at the height of the Holocaust. The sounds of random gunshots, screams and the all pervading thump of the industry of the camp permeate the film from over the huge, barbed wire topped wall that boundaries the family garden and from where the constant black smoke billows from the tall crematorium chimney. Director Jonathan Glazer doesn't show the atrocities that are occurring within the camp he simply shows the everyday life of this abhorrent family as they go about their lives ignoring and eventually not noticing the sounds. The narrative also follows Rodolf Höss' career as he is promoted and moved back to Berlin to plan more horror and his wife, Hedwig's (Sandra Hüller) demand that she and the family stay in their house as it's the best place to raise the children. For a film where little happens other than watching the coming and going of a family privileged under the Nazi regime who talk as if the activities on the other side of the wall are normal and only provide good things for them (there's a conversation about clothes that the family have that have been confiscated from the prisoners) this is an uncomfortable film to watch. It's a disturbing study of the Holocaust and interwoven into this banality are night scenes shot on a thermal camera giving the images a ghostly quality of a young Polish girl who hides apples at the construction sites that in the day the prisoners are forced to work in. The combination is a fascinating film that leaves a big impression even though it's a difficult and emotional one.

Quite rightly acknowledged as one of the funniest British comedy films ever made it is still surprising that it remained banned in at least one English county until 2009. With accusations of blasphemy from the christian world it garnered strong opinions but ultimately showed that the fiercest of critics didn't actually watch it or at least didn't do so carefully enough. Of course it ridicules the Sunday school bible story myths that children have had thrust down their throats for decades and that's because at its heart Python was always about exposing hypocrisy and ridiculousness in British society. Highlighting their great comedy skills not only as writers but also the six Pythons play over 40 roles between them. Graham Chapman is the titular Brian, an insecure young man growing up in Judea during the Roman occupation. It's when he joins a group of hapless insurrectionists led by Reg (John Cleese) and gets mistaken for the Messiah that his life takes a turn for the worst. Highlights are Michael Palin's ex-leper (Jesus cured him!) and Pontius Pilate, the 'big nose' fight, the stoning and of course the singing 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' by the crucified criminals. Certainly very ahead of its time with it's look at the roles of women in society and in a way predicting modern day issues over trans rights with one of Eric Idle's characters wanting to be a woman and have babies! This never fails to make me laugh and it's a film to revel in time and time again for it's sheer bravado and hilarity.

Here we have an indie American social drama with comedic overtones and a film that becomes more and more tedious as it traverses it's two hour plus runtime. There's an ironic study here of the Trump era MAGA mantra highlighting the underbelly of American society and it's weird, dysfunctional and at times reprehensible obsessions. The story follows Mikey (Simon Rex), a washed up porn film actor, charismatic and with the gift of the gab who has left Los Angeles and turned up at his estranged wife's house in a small Texas town. He inveigles his way back into her affections with lots of promises, including getting a job which proves rather difficult so he ends up selling weed for a local drug dealer. But it's when he meets the 17 year old 'Strawberry' who works in the local donut shop that Mikey's true colours are brought forth. He essentially seduces her with the intent of getting her into the porn film business and hence his return to his profession where he feels he has some standing. This story whilst at time intriguing is dragged out somewhat over a swear riddled and sex scene heavy narrative that, in my mind, loses its thematic goals. There's something seedy and unpleasant about every character here making the film seem sordid and creepy. Perhaps that's the aim but whatever the intentions it's a film with an interesting purpose and a difficult experience for the viewer.

This is a gripping and tense espionage thriller adapted from a John Le Carré novel. Like the novel on which this is based the film is not an action film but a convoluted psychological story about intelligence agents working against Islamic extremism. It's like some of the great conspiracy thrillers from the 1970s such as All The Presidents Men (1976) and it's a worthy spy film for the modern age. The great Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Günther the seedy head of a German intelligence team who using coerced informants discover a Chechen extremist has arrived in Hamburg and is seeking access to a huge sum of money hidden in a bank run by Brue (Willem Dafoe). The trail leads to civil rights lawyer Annabel (Rachel McAdams) and Günther sees an opportunity to nail the top Al Quada money man in Germany. But he's up against rival intelligence agencies including the CIA in the form of Robin Wright. What this results in is a tale of modern intelligence work and the difficulties of manoeuvring around politics, restrictive laws and the conflicting priorities of agencies and allied countries. It really is a first class film not least to see Hoffman in one of his last great performances before his sad and untimely death. His character is unpopular but sees the benefits of operating outside the law for the greater good. It's a remarkable performance. Not a film for thrill seekers but if you like a good quality thinking man thriller then look no further.

A star vehicle for Jennifer Lawrence who pushes boundaries with her onscreen persona with the graphic sex and nudity. But none of it is particularly gratuitous and it belongs in the plot that surrounds the training and deployment of a Russian 'honey trap' spy. Lawrence plays a Bolshoi ballerina, Dominika, who after a crippling leg injury is no longer able to dance and is recruited by her manipulative uncle (Matthias Schoenaerts) for training in the security services. Dominika proves adept at the role of spy and is deployed to seduce an American agent (Joel Edgerton) in order to find a mole at the heart of Russian intelligence. But the plot soon thickenes and we have a tale of double cross which has some neat twists where you're never sure who is on whose side. The film is entertaining although it's overly long and relies on lots of exposition that slows it down somewhat and ultimately spoils the film's pace and your patience. But Lawrence is excellent and the support cast are impressive including Ciarán Hinds, Jeremy Irons, Charlotte Rampling and Joel Richardson. The film will probably be more renowned for Lawrence's nude scenes than anything else and there is a fair bit of tough to watch torture but this is a solid espionage film that is worth checking out.

There's no doubt this is epic, visually stunning film making, a pure cinematic experience that draws you into the strange world of Dune and engulfs you in a complex story or equally bizarre characters. It is a superb film, massively entertaining and director Denis Villeneuve doesn't let the viewer off any hooks, you have to focus and get into this film which requires you to concentrate and unravel for yourself. Despite all of this there is a feeling of some scenes feeling disjointed and the advance of the narrative occasionally has a jarring feel and this adds to the need to keep your attention firmly on the film. You can't though take away that this is a bold and exciting film and every accolade has to be given for the adaptation of a complex and much loved novel. Timothée Chalamet carries the film and he's totally convincing as the messiah to grows from spoilt teenager to desert warrior leading a people to war. Rebecca Ferguson is also a stand out here, she is mesmerising as the mother who becomes a vital part of his rise. The remaining cast are impressive and whilst many have very small roles they dominate when on the screen, for example Florence Pugh, Léa Seydoux and Charlotte Rampling. Zendaya too is fantastic here and Austin Butler surprises as an evil psychopath. But the real star is the planet of Arrakis, the desert vistas are extraordinary combined with immense battle scenes that rival anything Ridley Scott has done. The infamous sandworms are brilliantly realised and all of this is combined with a booming and ominous soundtrack that adds to the deep atmospheric feel of the film. It's good we have a filmmaker that can produce such epic , adult orientated films of this calibre. Weil we get a further instalment to make a concluding trilogy to rival The Lord Of The Rings and Star Wars?

I have an enormous fondness for the Python team's first real movie (there had been a cinematic collection of some of their episodes previously released). It's a zany, anarchic and thoroughly hilarious comedy and I challenge anyone not to laugh out loud even if you've seen this many times before. There are some very memorable characters, all played by the Python boys who take on multiple roles, from John Cleese' French taunting knight to his Tim the Enchanter, Michael Palin's Sir Galahad the Chaste to Dennis the peasant and many others. What's great is the glorious vision of mediaeval England with it's mud and filth, witch trials, 'bring out your dead' carts and swirling mists and ancient myths. Like all of Monty Python films and the TV show this has a prod at religion, politics, English culture and sexuality. It's a brilliantly clever film and arguably better than their more celebrated '.....Life of Brian' (1979) but this is open to much debate. So in case you've never seen this classic it's the story of King Arthur who tours the country looking for knights to join him at Camelot but deciding it's a silly place he heads off with a motley bunch only to be given a quest by God (who actually shows up!) to seek the Holy Grail. Having various adventures in their hunt including dealing with a very dangerous rabbit, those insulting French knights and indeed the police it all culminates at an ancient castle. One of the funniest comedy films you'll ever see. Check it out if you've missed this, you will not regret it.

For most of this film there's an inventive, fun filled comedy that has the vibe of TVs Sex Education but a sudden turn and plot reveal marks a moment it downward spirals into adolescent silliness and spoils what went before. The story is about the relationship between two sisters, Ria (Priya Kansara) a high school student who dreams of being a stuntwoman and Lena (Ritu Arya), the older who has dropped out of art school and is in a bit of a rut. They are the only children in a reasonably well to do London based Pakistani family. The girls have that spiky type of sibling relationship that also reveals a deep affection for one another. So when Lena is wooed by the rich Salim (Akshay Kanna) Ria becomes suspicious and sets out with her two school chums to get the dirt on him. This gets them into various antics and trouble and threatens the two sisters bond. And it's all done with comedy and action that is funny and quite original. Then Ria discovers something about Salim's matriarchal mother (Nimra Bucha) and the film slips into a daft area that makes it too slapstick and far fetched for its own good and effectively spoiling the entire experience. The cast are all great and work well with what they have but it's a shame the film falls from good relationship/high school antics comedy into a ridiculous evil genius narrative.

Monsters is an impressive film not least when you consider the small budget and crew that was used. Most of all though it takes a familiar genre narrative and manages to produce a really original story and visual experience. First time director Gareth Edwards has arguably never topped this. The film begins six years after a NASA probe, returning to Earth having been searching for life forms in the solar system, has crashed in northern Mexico. Soon after strange creatures have begun to emerge in the area and a huge 'infected zone' has been created which completely cuts off Mexico from the USA. The story then begins with photo-journalist Andrew (Scoot McNairy) who is working in Mexico being ordered by his boss to assist his daughter, Sam to get back home. When their passports are stolen they are forced to take the hazardous journey across the infected zone. We are then set up for a growing romance between them, which whilst a little routine and obvious is acted tenderly by the two leads. But most impressively are the creatures and the images of the destruction they have wrought. But this is not an Alien (1979) type scenario and perhaps the film's title is a little misleading because the exposure to the creatures leads to interesting interpretations. I've no doubt the influence of H.G. Wells' The War of The Worlds and Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey are to be found here but overall this is a surprising film, clever, fresh and very enjoyable. I highly recommend it.

The latest and possibly the last film from director Ken Loach and another blisteringly powerful social drama that highlights, with brutal honesty and emotional intensity, the state of modern Britain. The Old Oak is a dilapidated pub in a Durham village, owned and run by TJ (Dave Turner), a former miner. He has a strong community spirit that extends to helping Syrian refugees who are housed in the village. This pits TJ against a few racist locals who have seen their own properties crash in value and whose families suffer from the collapse of the economy. TJ with the help of Syrian Yara (Ebla Mari) opens up the large and long shut up function room in his pub to try and bring the community together. Loach delivers his message with an intensity that cannot but be admired whatever your own political viewpoint may be and this film opens up questions for any reasonably minded person. But Loach delivers a balanced narrative here and attempts to show how a cauldron of false and biased social media and misconceptions affect the attitudes of people faced with deprivation and yet see strangers apparently being given an advantage. There are disturbing scenes here and a final uplifting conclusion that avoids a saccharine solution to Britain's problems. The film does suffer somewhat from the non professional actors who at times are clearly struggling but this is a minor criticism. A film well worth checking out.

The main issue is that the railway children don't actually return! Well Jenny Agutter does and then has a small role that is essentially pointless. There's nothing at all wrong with a sequel to the children's 1970 favourite but this latest film isn't really a sequel, it's a completely separate story that essentially repeats the main plot points of the original film. In that sense it's a plodding, somewhat annoying and dull film that lacks any sense of daring or interest. It's set in the Second World War and three siblings are evacuated from Salford to the countryside and move into the house of the local head mistress (Sheridan Smith), the daughter of Bobbie (Agutter). Along with Bobbie's grandson they find a black American deserter being hunted by the military police and decide to help him evade capture as he's only 14. None of it is exciting or original and the image of a nostalgic, sunny and wonderful England in the 40s is a bit laughable. A children's film that is just unimaginative.

Sadly this is a rather superficial biopic about a pop star who was far more interesting than the screenplay here attempts to portray. One can't help wonder that there has been some issues when every producer credit seems to be a family member and that a truer and more complex story has been whitewashed. What's left is a cursory look at the iconic reggae star from 1976 to 78 starting with the attempt on his life during the civil unrest in Jamaica. As a cinematic set piece this has to be the lamest and dullest assassination attempt committed to screen but it pushes the narrative to Marley heading to London to make his seminal album Exodus before returning home. None of the intricacies of this man are dealt with either at all or adequately and whilst we have the music, which is of course good, we don't get any sense of what he was about. Kingsley Ben-Adir does a reasonable job as Marley but there was something which nags at the back of the mind when watching his performance that he was not right for the role. Lashana Lynch tries her best as his wife but the script lets them both down to what in the end becomes one long pop video. There are some flashbacks, one of which lifts the film when the young Wailers get a try out in a Jamaican recording studio, but the rest seem pointless and a recurring one involving burning fields grates after the fifth or sixth time of seeing it! Overall the film has it's moments but it's disappointing.

Top class British crime drama from director Neil Jordan and a film to watch to revel in the sheer brilliance of Bob Hoskins, an actor who created layered characters and could mix a softy with a tough guy all in one. Here he plays George, a career criminal just released from prison after seven years who finds himself out of touch with the criminal world. He's given a job driving a high class prostitute, Simone (Cathy Tyson, in a brilliant performance) to and from her rich clients. Gradually they develop an affection for one another and George, desperate for love, hopes for more. But Simone is playing her own dangerous game which brings both of them into conflict with Mortwell (a sadistic Michael Caine), the local criminal kingpin. The narrative is built around a twisted love story with stark, realistic violence the inevitable conclusion. This is a remarkably good crime film and definitely one I cannot recommend enough.