Film Reviews by GI

A powerful and heartfelt family drama that is marked by superb performances all round. Set in Miami it follows an African/American family focusing on the two siblings Tyler (Kelvin Harrison Jr) and Emily (Taylor Russell). The narrative settles quickly into following the self congratulatory life of Tyler, a successful school athlete who trains hard pushed by his dominant yet well intentioned father (Sterling K. Brown). Tyler has a girlfriend with whom he is infatuated. But behind the veneer of happiness and success Tyler has demons including an untreated shoulder injury for which he steals his father's medication for pain relief and when his relationship with his girlfriend sours his life begins to spiral out of control. Just when you think the film has reached a conclusion it shifts focus to Emily, who has been sidelined in her father's affections, recognised only by her caring stepmother (Renée Elise Goldsberry). Emily has to cope with the fallout from her brother's actions. There's some big emotions at play here and you are forever expecting more disaster and crisis so the film constantly keeps you hooked. The ripples of actions and decisions and their affect on the family are the core of the story here intermixed with the 'waves' of emotions triggered by events. It's a really quite wonderful film and definitely one to see.

The director, Sion Sono, names Wild At Heart (1990) as a key influence for this weird post apocalyptic fantasy and East/West hybrid film. I'm guessing that's all about Nicolas Cage because I saw nothing in in this that remotely made me think of David Lynch's film. This is more a daft Escape From New York (1981) and Mad Max series rip off and frankly it's all style, and little of that, over substance. Cage is a criminal in this strange land of samurai warriors and cowboys. He's nameless to give him an extra moody edge, as if he needs it! He's released from jail by the corrupt leader of 'Samurai Town' who fits him into a leather suit primed to explode in five days unless he returns from Ghostland with a missing woman (Sofia Boutella). So off he trots to get her. This cues over rehearsed fight scenes, some blood fountains, some disfigured crazies, Cage can even keep Kung Fu up just after blowing one of his own testicles off and pretty dull it all is too. It's certainly colourful and follows a typical and predictable B movie story arc that drags a good twenty minutes too long. One of Cage's throwaways.

There is so much wrong with this film it's often difficult to justify why I am still in love with it after all these years. I'm not going to detail all the errors here suffice to say there's continuity errors throughout, crewmen on show, obvious stuntmen, visible wires, story mistakes, casting mistakes etc....I could go on. Highlander is, for all that, highly entertaining, it has Sean Connery in excellent form, it has sword fights in modern day New York, a great soundtrack by Queen and the germs of a great fantasy film idea. The story is rather a good idea. After becoming a suspect in a homicide when a decapitated body is discovered in the car park of Madison Square Garden, antique dealer Russell Nash (Christopher Lambert) attracts the attention of forensics expert Brenda (Roxanne Hart). She discovers Nash is not who he says he is and is indeed a 400 year old scotsman who is immortal and that there's others like him who can only be killed by decapitation. They are all seeking a prize available to the last one left alive and one of them is determined to be the winner, the psychopathic Kurgan (Clancy Brown). If there was one film that deserves a creative and thoughtful remake it's this one, and dare I add it needs an epic treatment. It's rumoured one is on the way! I'll keep my fingers crossed. For now we can watch director Russell Mulcahy exercise his pop video credentials with what is essentially one big pop video, a lot of style, some splashes of magic and a cult favourite. I just have a soft spot for this even when cringing at some of its daftness and childish mistakes.

This revenge thriller is perfectly watchable although it's mostly incoherent when it's not being implausible to the extreme. Blake Lively is Stephanie, a woman grieving for her family after they are killed in a plane crash. She's turned to heroin and prostitution but a freelance journalist tells her the plane was downed by a terrorist bomb which sets her off on a trail of revenge aided by a rogue MI6 agent (Jude Law). Her heroin addiction miraculously disappears as she tracks down the bad guys and clumsily bumps them off. Some of the action set pieces are well managed including a car chase but overall this feels a bit messy and it's structure has some pointless chops and changes to try and make it look cleverer than it is, the opening for example does nothing for the narrative because it quickly jumps back to the start of her story and then we have a straight forward linear storyline. It's not a dead loss but leaves you feeling a little disappointed by the end.

A good, solid British golden oldie from director Roy Boulting tapping into the, usually American, fear of communist fifth columnists attempting a takeover. A series of explosions at dockyards that is clearly sabotage brings in a wily Scotland Yard detective (Liam Redmond) and MI5 who soon start to build a cache of suspects. The film has a neat suspense building narrative with police surveillance and subtle visits to cause fear amongst the conspirators. They target a weak link who ends up getting kidnapped by his erstwhile friends and the clock begins ticking as the bad guys plot to blow up a power station. There's a gritty gun battle in the films climax and a smarmy politician gets his comeuppance. There's a quaintness to the images of the police use of telephone kiosks, morse code and rooms full of card indexes in this modern day and yet the film retains a good thriller narrative. Today it's an example of British film making when there was a fully established and world wide respected industry that produced such great entertainments as this. Worth checking out for the sheer nostalgia of the experience.

Clint Eastwood's second film as director is heavily influenced by the style of Sergio Leone especially A Fistful Of Dollars (1964) and there are similarities in a few scenes both from a story perspective and theme, and it's one of Eastwood's most violent films. This includes some questionable depictions of sexual violence and this has resulted in the film being dismissed today as gratuitous. Even taking Eastwood's mysterious stranger as a western anti hero it is a shock when he carries out a brutal rape in the early stages of the story. But this is a very original take on the revenge western and Eastwood, almost solely, has made big efforts throughout the 70s and beyond to keep the western alive and in High Plains Drifter he added the most interesting element of the supernatural although he has always denied the main character is in anyway supernatural but he's deliberately sidelining the strong images and narrative clues that lead the viewer to this interpretation. The opening and closing shots of the drifter appearing and disappearing are the most famous but there are other significant hints, not least the drifter's ability to remarkably guess what various other characters are about to do. In the small gold mining town of Lago a mysterious stranger arrives one morning and threatened by the three town bullies quickly despatches them demonstrating he's a gunfighter of exceptional skill. But the town has a dark secret that's connected with the release of three bad guys from prison who are expected by the townspeople to arrive and reek revenge on them. They hire the stranger to protect them but he too has a sinister agenda. Above all this is a tremendously entertaining film with the great Geoffrey Lewis as a sadistic outlaw and a host of actors that Eastwood used in many of his films. This film is also a fine example of Eastwood's ability to make a film on a small scale, it is tightly shot and edited with some great western vista cinematography, this is a cut above other films from this period. A great example of a 70s revenge western and an important film in the genre.

Reminiscent of Tom's Midnight Garden (1999) and even, in many ways Back To The Future (1985) this is a childhood fantasy, fairy tale that looks at the way children perceive their parents. Eight Year old Nelly (Joséphine Sanz) travels with her parents to the isolated forest located house of her recently departed grandmother in order to clear the house of her possessions. Nelly's mother Marion is struggling with grief and has a history of sadness that Nelly is very conscious of. Overcome Marion returns home leaving Nelly and her father at the house. Playing in the woods one day Nelly meets a girl of the same age building a den just like her mother once did as a child and coincidentally also named Marion. As they bond in friendship Nelly becomes convinced that her new playmate is her mother somehow the past and present having fused together. This is a gentle, calming story about childhood and the realisation that your parents were once children and had the same worries and fears that we have all experienced. There is something a little spellbinding about this film making it one to check out.

This wonderful romantic comedy is so original, funny and touching, it's the definitive romcom for anyone going through any form of reflective life crisis. Based on the book by Nick Hornby the action is moved from England to Chicago, there's a great soundtrack and Jack Black has never been funnier. But this is John Cusack's film, he really nails the thirtysomething man who is forced to reflect on his life by making Top Five lists including his break-ups when his girlfriend leaves him. He plays Rob, the owner of a cool Record Store with its two assistants who drive him crazy. He's a depressive man always unhappy with his lot so when his girlfriend, Laura (Eben Hjejle) leaves him because their relationship has become stale he has an existential crisis which includes tracking down some old girlfriends to ask them why they left him. Is he doomed to be abandoned? is his big worry. Of course the film looks at life is what you make of it and often the things that make us happy are already within our grasp. One of the funniest films to break the 'fourth wall' and brilliantly directed by Stephen Frears this remains one of my very favourite films. Superb support cast includes Lisa Bonet, Tim Robbins, Catherine Zeta Jones and Joan Cusack. And there's an awesome soundtrack. A treasure and a must see film.

Ken Loach's political thriller about the murder of an American Civil Rights lawyer investigating torture by the British security forces in Northern Ireland at the height of 'The Troubles' certainly divided audiences especially in the UK. It's loosely inspired by the 'Stalker Enquiry' with Brian Cox playing a top UK detective, Kerrigan assigned to investigate the murder but who finds himself out of his depth in the convoluted politics and twisted morality of Ulster during this time. A small international group of civil rights lawyers led by Paul Sullivan (Brad Dourif) and his partner, Ingrid (Frances McDormand) is preparing a report on the use of torture and a possible 'shoot to kill' policy by the British Intelligence forces. He is given a recording by a disaffected soldier (Maurice Roëves) that he claims has evidence of high ranking politicians in a major plot that includes bringing down the Government. When he is murdered Kerrigan is sent to investigate but finds he is up against an obstructive police force and may himself become a target. Loach makes no attempt to hide his assertion that the security services and British Government were engaged in a dirty war involving a shoot to kill policy. Cox is superb here, a no nonsense copper who faces a crisis of faith in what is a very sharp thriller, with double cross and murder at the heart of the well written story and although director Ken Loach's films are unapologetically political in theme and narrative this is a topnotch British film.

This comedy crime thriller is well worth checking out especially for the very adept central performance by Olivia Cooke as the title character. It's Irish setting adding to that feeling of tough yet funny situations. There's an element of Tarantino mixed with the film style of something like In Bruges (2008) or The Guard (2011) here and added all together makes for a really enjoyable film. Pixie is the step daughter of a local gangster (Colm Meaney), who dotes on her but her step brother (Turlough Convery) hates her. Pixie's mother died in mysterious circumstances and she's determined to get to the bottom of it and take revenge. She uses her natural beauty and sassiness to control the men around her including two hapless locals (Ben Hardy & Daryl McCormack) who inadvertently get embroiled in her plans when they gain possession of a large quantity of drugs coveted by all the big baddies including a criminal gang of Catholic priests. It all rattles along at a nice pace and has plenty of big laughs along the way and there's some bloody violence thrown in to put it on the dark side of comedy. Alec Baldwin has a small cameo but offers little other than some star presence but overall this is a joy.

This explicit drama about the American porn industry is less an exposé than a study of consent about which it asks complex questions. It's a tough watch and whilst the film steers a middle ground between condemnation and acceptance of the industry it ultimately leaves an unpleasant feeling. In her breakout role Sofia Kappel plays Linnea, a nineteen year old Swedish girl who travels to LA to make it big in porn films. Changing her name to Bella Cherry she dips her toe gingerly into the world but soon makes decisions to push her limits in order to make it to the top. The set pieces look at how the films are arranged with the female participants given failsafe codes and when there's a female director on one shoot Bella is apparently carefully nurtured to ensure she is ok even though the action is extreme sado/masochistic. In comparison Bella later takes part in a male directed film where she soon feels very uncomfortable and despite promises from the men around her she is verbally abused for wanting to stop. This has, in parts, a documentary style to it and as such it is an uncomfortable film to watch but the central performance is excellent and this is an assured first main feature for director, Ninja Thyberg. Interesting but difficult.

As prolific as Nicolas Cage is with the films he churns out you never know when one is going to surprise you. I don't mean surprise by Cage going even more deranged or manic in a character but the opposite. Here's just such a film, a restrained, interesting drama that sets an early tone for a revenge narrative, all very Cage, but then becomes something quite different. Here he plays Rob, a hermit who lives in the dense Oregonian forest above Portland, in a small shack from where he hunts truffles which he sells to a young businessman from town, Amir (Alex Wolff). Rob has a truffle pig to which he is very fond as it's his only companion. Until one day someone breaks in and steals his pig. With no hesitation Rob makes his way out of the wilderness and recruits a reluctant Amir to help him track it down. The course of this hunt is not what you expect as Rob's very interesting past is gradually revealed and a surprising one it is too. So don't expect another 'old man with a special set of skills' story as in violence is the trade. This is a more gentle, subtle and at times heart warming story with some interesting twists. Cage is rather good here showing a tender and seasoned characterisation that marks him for a sensitive and nuanced actor. There's a wonderful scene where he visits a posh restaurant in his pig search, a place where they specialise in 'deconstructed' local dishes and Rob effectively manages to 'deconstruct' the very pompous chef. It's all quite well presented and well worth checking out if just to see Cage as he can be.

Even though this is a conventional comedy it has a sweet nature and is very watchable. Admittedly it could've been a lot funnier with a better script but it has a heart warming feel and an enjoyable vibe. Set in Texas the story follows Willowdean (Danielle Macdonald), a plus size teenager, bullied and ridiculed at school for being overweight but who rises above it and spends her days with her best friend. She has a warm nature but despairs of her former beauty queen mum, Rosie (Jennifer Aniston), who still obsessively organises the local beauty pageant and calls her Dumplin' meant affectionately but doesn't realise that it promotes taunts from Willowdean's fellow students. In protest at the stereotyping of women's body shapes she signs up for the pageant, much to her mum's dismay, and finds other students who don't 'fit' the image also sign up. They of course transform the event. Putting aside the issues with beauty contests as a whole this has a strong message especially for young people about body image and it's all held together by the strong character and performance of Macdonald. The soundtrack is by Dolly Parton as her songs are an inspiration for Willowdean and there's a great set piece at a club where Dolly impersonators perform and help the girls with their style. A film that does what it says on the tin and all perfectly well so well worth checking out.

A fantastic heist movie from Taylor Sheridan who also wrote the brilliant Sicario (2015) and directed by David MacKenzie who brings the vastness of the Texas plains into the narrative of this elegiac crime thriller and modern western. There's something of the Coen Brothers about this film and it's easy to set it alongside No Country For Old Men (2007). Jeff Bridges, excellent as ever is the cynical cop chasing down Chris Pine and Ben Foster as the two bank robbers who you can see are doomed from the start. There's flashes of sudden and gritty action, some family drama and a mournfulness about the film that sets it as a cut above. Two brothers, Tanner (Foster) and Toby (Pine) begin a spree of clumsy robberies of small town banks, they only go for cash drawer money and soon to be retired cop Marcus (Bridges) believes they are raising a specific amount. Trying to guess which town they'll hit next Marcus and his partner take to the roads which climaxes in a dramatic confrontation. A fantastic, punchy thriller that is highly entertaining with a real sense of the classic American crime film.

A poignant drama set against the backdrop of a 1980s Britain nosediving into recession, unemployment and violent racism, the time of inner city race riots. Set in Margate in a seafront cinema called The Empire, which was once a grand four screen picture house with a ballroom but is now fading with only two screens left operating. The selfish manager Ellis (Colin Firth) oversees a small family of staff led by Hilary (Olivia Colman), the duty manager, who is conscientious and dedicated to her job along with the projectionist (Toby Jones) and a team of ticket sellers etc. But Hilary deals daily with her loneliness and depression that all times threatens to spill over into a breakdown. When a young black man, Stephen (Micheal Ward) joins the team his open honesty and kindly nature attracts Hilary and they begin a tentative relationship. But when that ends Hilary's mental state declines drastically. This is an ode to the magic of cinema but that is not the main theme here. This is a film about human connection and bittersweet relationships highlighting that everyone carries private demons that are often never revealed to even those closet to them. The film doesn't shy away from the violence erupted from blind racism either. Colman is nothing short of awesome here delivering a note perfect performance as the emotionally unpredictable Hilary, indeed when she does 'lose it' her set piece rant is a masterclass in great screen acting. A sweet, very heartfelt film from director Sam Mendes who also wrote the screenplay with a real feel for the times and humanity.