Film Reviews by GI

A gothic melodrama set in early 60s Louisiana where it follows the family of a local black family led by the doctor father, Louis (Samuel L. Jackson) and with the story seen through the eyes of his middle child, Eve (June Smollett). Her mother is the beautiful yet superstitious, Ron (Lynn Whitfield) and her Aunt (Debbi Morgan) claims to be able to read minds. The story centres around Eve witnessing her philandering father having sex with another woman or at least that's what she thinks she sees, and a revelation by her older sister. It's a coming of age narrative that focuses on the confusion of children trying to make sense of the adult world. In many ways it's a similar theme to Atonement (2007) but this one lacks the strength of that film's tragic outcomes, although there is tragedy here, and the fantastical elements of the film are distracting even if you take the view that it's just adults further confusing children. However this is unravelled by the viewer it's a film that has some great cinematography and strong performances but it plays as a languid and non committal film that never raises its game.

An example of commercial film making that produces utter tosh but manages to spend millions doing it. Imagine the great films that could've been made with the resources this mess had available? Anyway what we have here is an attempt to make a new franchise but ends up as another special effects film with a confusing and pointless story and can be summed up as two giant creatures slogging it out while destroying as many buildings as cinematically possible. It's more like an episode of TVs Power Rangers. None of the acting talent on offer here has anything much to do but gape upwards at the green screen as they try and prevent the giant lizard Godzilla from destroying mankind by setting King Kong against him. Clichéd story, which makes little sense and a film that I'm sure boys aged between 8 and 11 will find great on a rainy Saturday morning but for the rest of us it's one to avoid.

Kes is a wonderful film adapted from a wonderful novel. It's a sad, heart warming and earnest story of a young boy, Billy, who lives on a Barnsley housing estate in the late 1960s. He has little future and no-one who actually cares either. His divorced mother shows no love and Billy has only his nasty, bullying brother as a role model. It's in his love of nature and the passion he finds in training a young kestrel that Billy has any hope of redemption. This is a sharp condemnation of British society and its education system based on harsh discipline and which ignores children like Billy. Anyone who was in school at this time will recognise the school scenes especially the comic yet tragic 'games' lesson with the fantastic Brian Glover as the PE Teacher who uses the lesson to live his own fantasy rather than give the children any sense of participation. The caning scene will also shock especially when you realise the actor playing the Headmaster was in fact an actual Headmaster! Indeed director Ken Loach used many non actors in the film giving it a realistic documentary-drama feel. Loach is famous for his socialist outlook but regardless of whether you agree with his politics he shines a very bright light on issues that cannot be ignored. The film touches on the mining community where the only hope for kids like Billy was a job in the coal mines. Billy rejects that future steadfastly throughout the film but the viewer is left with the knowledge that this is where he'll end up and of course in a few short years that industry will have died so watching the film today we know Billy has little to look forward to. This is a superb film and one everyone should make sure they see.

A sexual awakening comedy that suffers from clichéd and stupid characters and just not really being very funny although it has some interesting things to say about break ups and finding love. It's a sort of romcom with a fantasy edge to it that doesn't really work in trying to say that we should all savour every moment of our lives. There's certainly a lot of nudity but this seems there to mainly allow the stupid boy characters to leer childlike at the female form. Ben (Sean Biggerstaff) is an art student who splits from his girlfriend and in his difficulty in dealing with this becomes an insomniac. Taking a night shift job at a local supermarket he has to contend with his stupid male boss and colleagues but falls for the dreamy check out girl, Sharon (Emilia Fox). There's nothing really new here, in fact most of it has been done far better in other films. There's even a 'comedy' five-a-side football match that attempts to copy the one in Trainspotting (1996) but here it's cringeworthy and predictable and very unfunny. Average stuff, watched and forgotten.

This is a solidly made and directed film from Guy Ritchie that holds your attention and delivers what it intends well. There's a good mix of action with some political messaging but in brief this is a survival war film that nicely fills its two hour run time. Jake Gyllenhaal is John, a top US soldier in Afghanistan shortly before the American withdrawal. His unit seeks out Taliban arms dumps and destroys them. But on one such op' they face odds that are too big and Jack barely manages to escape along with his unit's interpreter, Ahmed (Dar Salim). Many miles from their base and relentlessly hunted they have to make it across hostile territory. Years later Jack feels a debt to Ahmed and has to return to try and get him and his family out but faces the bureaucracy of the US system that promised visas for interpreters but is reluctant to issue them. Ritchie handles the action sequences with aplomb and he kept the pace rattling along just nicely. From the end credit photographs this appears based on a true story which gives it some added depth. An entertaining war film and well worth a watch.

This is a strange drama that is so derivative it becomes easy to see how much copycatting is going on. From The Stepford Wives (1975) via The Truman Show (1998) and touching upon The Matrix (1999) it's an unoriginal narrative that is all glitz and show and lacks substance. The somewhat hammy acting doesn't help either other than Florence Pugh in the lead role, who is as excellent as always but isn't directed well enough here by Olivia Wilde who hasn't kept the story tight and controlled, indeed the mystery in the story is given away far too early. Pugh plays Alice, who along with her husband Jack (Harry Styles - with dodgy accent), live in the utopian town of Victory in a 1950s styled time. The menfolk all work for a company and are forbidden to talk about what they do while the wives stay home and live a sort of idyllic unfilled life of dutiful housewife. But strange dreams and various incidents begin to cause doubts in Alice that all is not as it seems which causes the towns cultish leader Frank (Chris Pine) to focus his attention on Alice. By the time the whole thing begins to unravel it's become somewhat boring and the final ending lacks any real climax and is a real disappointment. A showy film that ultimately fails and none of its reveals has any depth or gravitas behind it.

This is an interesting and very entertaining addition to the psychopath/serial killer sub-genre. Brad Pitt plays Early, an uneducated piece of 'white trash' who along with his girlfriend Adele (great performance by Juliette Lewis), joins Brian & Carrie (David Duchovny and Michelle Forbes), an educated couple, he a writer and she a photographer, as they embark on a trip to California. Brian is writing a book about famous murder cases and is visiting the old crime scenes along the way. The trouble is Early's a psychopath! I always admire Pitt's selection of roles, he likes to challenge himself and the audience expectations and whilst his almost cartoonish Early is both fun and very frightening he really dominates this film. Lewis is a close second as the dopey Adele, a wonderful piece of acting. The narrative doesn't try and skimp on what's coming, the film gets quickly into a kidnap scenario and when Early's homicidal nature kicks in it does so with gusto. A quick mention too for Michelle Forbes who plays the moody and perceptive Carrie. She's really very good here and is an actor that we should see more of. The director Dominic Sena uses his camera in some interesting ways and whilst occasionally he seems voyeuristic in his shots you'll soon see what he's driving at. This is a great crime film and if you've not seen it then I highly recommend it.

Whilst this is a big, brashly entertaining biopic about Elvis Presley it's not a film that attempts in anyway to tell his story per se. Indeed it skirts or omits many key events and doesn't ever get to grips with his physical and drug fulled decline only barely revealing these matters. The narrative here is focused on the relationship between Elvis (Austin Butler) and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), his manipulative and selfish 'partner' who liked 50% of the profits and 100% of the control. Hanks plays Parker as a slimy Bondian villain, almost a comic book Auric Goldfinger, whose odious voice and chequered history dictate his motives. With Butler, highly competent singing and dancing, but otherwise just competent portraying Elvis you have a colourful yet slightly empty film. Don't get me wrong it's entertaining, sad and uplifting at times but by the end it all feels a bit of a let down as if the intention was to create a concert film but forced into adding some 'story' to bulk it out. The highlight is the middle section that details the Elvis 1968 Comeback TV special in which Parker is hoodwinked into thinking Elvis will do a cheesy Christmas show when he effectively again showed what a great rock and roll performer he is. The breakdown of the Parker/Presley relationship is all build up and then another fizzle out. Perhaps I expected too much here but it's only in the end credits real footage that the full emotions of Elvis life are thrust at the viewer and it's a long wait for that. Overall this has merits, is enjoyable but it feels Director Baz Luhrmann doesn't really care about his subject.

The first, best and most original in what has become a declining franchise. Back in 1993 this was a major film with unbelievable developments in CGI and whilst the effects that were so awesome then are now very commonplace it is far too easy to forget what a great fantasy/adventure film this is, none of the subsequent sequels has come remotely near to this for story, cast and excitement. A palaeontologist (Sam Neill) and his partner (Laura Dern) are recruited by a wealthy entrepreneur (Richard Attenborough) to evaluate his new theme park. They are baffled by the request but are shocked to discover he hs discovered a way to recreate live dinosaurs. The great Jeff Goldblum is another scientist who delivers stark messages about the power of nature, which in these days of climate change are somewhat prophetic and the sub plot about corrupt corporate shenanigans reflects todays continuing struggles with power politics and corporations. Above all this is a fantastic family film, full of tension, scares and humour and whilst it has Spielberg's trademark sentimentality with the ever present cute children this works exactly right for the drama. A film to dig back out and enjoy again with the family.

Jerry Maguire is an all round feel good film. How can you not love this? It's a Tom Cruise performance that makes you yearn for more Tom Cruise performances just like this instead of the action hero all of the time. He's spot on here as the cynical, business obsessed sports agent who has an epiphany one night, decides he's in a shitty business and advocates change. Fired as a consequence of his honesty and desperate he has to build a relationship with his one remaining client, Rod, an egotistical football player with a chip on his shoulder played in a tour-de-force comedy performance by Cuba Gooding Jr. Underpinning this tale of corporate coldness versus loyalty and friendship is a growing love story with Renee Zellweger's Dorothy. She's a single mum and Jerry's developing bond with her young son and eventually her is tender, heartfelt, funny and downright magical. This is a wonderful story about humanity, many of its themes match those you'll find in many classic films such as It's A Wonderful Life (1946) and it's a film that doesn't seem to date or lose its strength however may times you see it. One of the best modern romantic comedies you'll ever hope to see.

Fans of David Cronenberg films will clearly see the self reverential aspects of this latest offering highlighting his body horror obsessions. You'll spot the references to his earlier films almost scene by scene but I suppose only Cronenberg is really capable of doing this effectively. Here we have a human future that is bleak, squalid and thoroughly repulsive where human evolution appears to be speeding up with human bodies changing. Saul (Viggo Mortensen) is an avant garde performance artist who is capable of growing strange new organs inside his body. His ex surgeon wife, Caprice (Léa Seydoux) then removes and tattoos them in front of an audience. This is a world where technological advances have all but eradicated pain and so it is sought for its sexual pleasures. There's a new organ registry department and a police unit dedicated to hunting down irresponsible organ growth....or something or other, I lost track! Eventually the narrative climaxes with an autoposy of a child, murdered by his mother because he had the ability to eat and digest plastic. So there's an environmental aspect too! However you see this film it is a hard watch, gross in parts and ultimately shocking without the satisfaction of a good story. Mortensen and Seydoux play it all very seriously and Kristen Stewart pops up as an organ registrar who wants 'old sex' with Saul albeit he's not good at that anymore as surgery is the new sex. If you loved Crash (1996) or Existenz (1999) then you might dig this but I found it an unpleasant and at times tedious film.

Vicky Krieps gives an intense yet subtle performance here in a fictional account in a year in the life of Elisabeth, Empress of Austria in 1877. The narrative is concerned with loneliness and the female as object rather than human being. Elisabeth's life is one of being constantly under the gaze and as she turns 40 years old she is officially deemed 'old' and consequently she begins the tiresome process of trying to maintain her youth, if only figuratively. This is an interesting period drama and study of controlled femininity under the strange conditions of monarchy, where adultery is condemned but rife and image tops intelligence and passion. Yet in many ways this is a study of how women, regardless of status, are isolated and imprisoned by cultural image.

Heartwarming and yet bittersweet comedy now much applauded and with an award nominated performance by Ellen Page as the titular Juno. As an offbeat 16 year old Juno finds herself pregnant after a one night stand with her friend Bleeker (Michael Cera). The films then manages with an awesomely clever script to look into issues as deep as abortion, teenage pregnancy, adoption and moving ever deeper into the meaning of parenthood, love and relationships. All of this is told in a period covering four seasons beginning one Autumn in Minnesota. It's by far Page's best role and she exudes personality here in a laugh out loud look at modern life for a young person having to navigate sexual awakening and trying to understand her feelings. There are subtle hints around sexuality too although I may be looking too intently here considering Page later came out as gay and has since transitioned. But the fact remains the script is so audacious yet brilliantly structured this remains one of the best teen comedies ever made. The film is further enhanced by the brilliant support cast of Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman as potential adoptive parents with their own problems and Allison Janney and J.K. Simmons as Juno's parents. If you've never seen this great film then it's a must see.

Junior Bonner is one of the great unsung American films of the 70s. A wonderful elegiac film that continues Sam Peckinpah's themes of the loss of a past age. On the surface this is a story of Junior (Steve McQueen in one of his best roles), a washed up rodeo rider desperate for one last victory, who returns home for a tournament but also to reconnect with his wayward father, Ace (Robert Preston in a superb performance) and lonely mother Ellie (Ida Lupino). Underlying this narrative is a story of changing times, of modernity destroying the old ways (you can find this theme in many of Peckinpah's best films). An early scene shows Junior witnessing the bulldozing of his father's ramshackle ranch house with the rodeo standing in for the simple yet tough life of the cowboy. Using split frames and altering ratios Peckinpah employs a rich and nostalgic vision of a dying past. Joe Don Baker plays Curly who represents a borderline corrupt but definitely materially greedy future while Junior and Ace are the past, and it's a past doomed to be lost. This is a marvellous film, you'll be hard pushed to find a movie as good as this today.

An interesting, at times very moving and yet flawed documentary about the popular film and TV actor and his struggle with Parkinson's Disease. It's an affecting portrait of Fox but at times goes for cutesy American media imagery rather than a detailed insight into the actor and in particular his past. For instance it glibs over his renowned promiscuity before settling down with his wife, actress Tracey Pollan, whom he met on set. The worst decision of the director was to edit scenes from Fox's roles to represent key moments in his real life. This is distracting, pointless and undermines the message. The film is at times sad especially when seeing Fox struggling with his disease which he kept silent about for several years effectively hiding his symptoms within his acting but in the clips included they can be clearly seen. Fox is himself humorous and warm in the interview sections and shows how likeable and magnanimous he really is. There's bleak moments, funny moments and huge gaps, which is a shame and leaves the film wanting.