Film Reviews by GI

Stupendous satirical dark comedy from director Armando Iannucci, hilariously funny and sharply scripted with a top cast who ring every last drop of brilliance from their roles. Based on a French graphic novel the story is close to historical accuracy in the telling of the rush and rivalry to gain power by the USSR top politicians when their leader Stalin suddenly dies of a brain haemorrhage. But with the actors keeping their natural accents and with a really funny script this becomes comedy gold and it's a film that you could see a mature Monty Python team writing and making. Simon Russell Beale is the dark heart of the film as the notorious Beria, a man who has murdered and sexually assaulted his way to the top and who now evilly plans his way to take over, along with Steve Buscemi as Krushchev and Michael Palin as Molotov out to foil his plans. Another stand out is Jason Isaacs as the tough, no nonsense Field Marshall Zhukov, a really funny performance. Along with a support cast that includes Andrea Riseborough, Rupert Friend, Jeffrey Tambor and Paddy Considine you also have a richly, clever satire on modern politics and whilst this story includes murder and depravity it takes a sharp look at the way politics has evolved including to today and in the aftermath of the Trump debacle viewers will recognise the contemporary themes. A great adult comedy that is a must see.

An experimental sci-fi film shot on an iPhone (although you couldn't tell to be honest) during the Covid pandemic. Written and made by husband and wife team Matthew and Tori Butler-Hart. It's a monotonous film about some weird mind experiment in which an unnamed woman (Tori Butler-Hart) awakes in a strange attic tied to a chair. She's escapes but finds that at certain moments time seems to reset itself and she has to start over, so like a computer game. Each time she manages to puzzle out what to do to keep going, all the while heading for an old country house where the said experiment is being controlled. Ian McKellen and Conleth Hill have cameos but mostly it's a one woman show! Nothing much happens, it's frustrating and self-indulgent and ultimately boring.

A satirical melodrama that is fun even if a little unsubtle that delves into the moral squalor of the super rich. This is epitomised by the character of Sir Richard 'Greedy' McCreadie (Steve Coogan), a billionaire high street retailer and clearly a caricature of the odious Sir Philip Green. Having suffered a big dose of bad publicity after appearing at a parliamentary select committee the film follows McCreadie as he sets up for a lavish 60th birthday party on a Greek island, which includes a roman theme, a wooden coliseum and a lion called Clarence. Isla Fisher plays Richard's awful ex-wife, Samantha and David Mitchell is a writer hired to write Richard's biography. The film follows a rockumentary style as it gradually reveals the lengths McCreadie will go to exploit and suppress people in order to make any profit. Coogan gives a sound performance even though he's not tested by the role because the script doesn't push the boundaries as it weaves between a bit of farce to the very real issue of the exploitation of women around the world who make the clothes the big retailers sell. The support cast are excellent and include Asa Butterfield, Stephen King (in a cameo as himself), and Shirley Henderson as McCreadie's mother. The film has a nice structure and is edited well to show McCreadie's rise from expulsion from a public school to hustling in London's rag trade. Not everything works here but it's an entertaining and at times thought provoking film.

Michael Winner's infamous vigilante film holds up rather well today and whilst it's flawed, violent and controversial it isn't the sadistic film that is often rumoured. It continues Winner's obsession with death that flows through all his films in particular those he made with Charles Bronson in the 1970s. Symbols of violent death litter the film, including hangman's nooses and swastikas for example. Narratively and thematically the film does revel in the law of the gun and Winner can't help but interlink the story with the frontier violence of the western albeit the west is about myth rather than the reality of the social problem of gang violence in modern day USA. (Interestingly Arizona, the landscape heart of the western is depicted as a peaceful and beautiful place over New York as a pit of depravity. One character claims this is because they have a very open relationship with guns) The main issue with the film is that Winner randomly switches his message from support of the actions of the vigilante to a gentle condemnation perhaps intending the viewer to also switch. In my opinion the film's coda leaves little doubt that the main protagonist grows to relish in killing. The story is fairly simple. A humble city architect, Paul (Bronson) is left distraught when his wife is murdered by muggers and his daughter raped. He tries to come to terms but when a colleague gives him a gun as a present Paul carries it for self defence and after killing a mugger starts to prowl the city streets looking to kill more. Meanwhile the police begin a search for the vigilante fearing copycats and a loss of control. The film attacks police methods as ineffectual and the narrative has an interesting political angle when officials have to decide on how to deal with him. Not as violent as some may think (although the swearing is full on for a mid 70s film) this is entertaining and a good example of Bronson's work as a lead actor (I always think he's an unlikely one at that). There were four sequels to this film with part 2 being a very nasty film and none of them are worth your time nowadays. A 2018 sequel from director Eli Roth is also a waste of time but this original is perhaps ripe for reassessment.

Fantastically entertaining creature feature and disaster film with plenty of horror tropes thrown in for good measure. This is one of those films made simply to sit back and enjoy for the sheer fun of it all and who doesn't love a good shark film? Action director Renny Harlin throws all his usual flair into this, it's all brilliantly done, tense, exciting and wonderfully gory at times. A deep sea laboratory led by scientist Susan (Saffron Burrows) is trying to find a cure for Alzheimers disease from a fluid found in the brains of sharks. With her team she has genetically engineered three sharks to produce sufficient quantities of the precious fluid but a side effect is the sharks have grown larger and more intelligent. When a storm hits the lab everything goes awry. The cast are all having great fun including Thomas Jane as the 'shark wrangler', Stellan Skarsgård, LL Cool J and Samuel L. Jackson. There's some superb surprises to be had along the way. The obvious influences of Alien (1979) and The Abyss (1989) are there for all to see. A film you don't have to think beyond what you see it's just for a great time.

A cop thriller filmed in a noir style and with a subversive undertone. The story though seems a bit clichéd when seen today and there have been better films that deal with the pressures and conflicts of police undercover work. Laurence Fishburne plays uniformed cop Russell who is recruited by DEA agent Carver (Charles Martin Smith) to infiltrate and work his way up in a major drug trafficking ring run by a South American cartel. The aim to nail the foreign politician who runs things. The film follows Russell as he struggles with the boundaries of his role especially as he has a past that causes him particular angst. When his loyalties get tested and political priorities interfere Russell begins to disobey his boss. There's romance, violence and some of the characters are a little stereotypical although the film has it's entertainment value but it seems a little dated today.

Deep Impact is an example of first class cinematic storytelling. An action adventure film that has family drama, political intrigue, romance, apocalyptic disaster, science fiction and good ol' traditional heroism. The film has such a superb structure that follows diverse characters in one main narrative, the editing is spot on and every aspect of the story is interesting and entertaining and all this where many of the characters never interact. The essence of the story that a comet is detected heading for direct impact with the Earth heralds big effects that are neatly mixed with solid character studies as various the characters have to deal privately and professionally with the potential extinction of humanity. Téa Leoni is an ambitious reporter who uncovers the story carefully controlled by the Government and develops a rapport with the President (Morgan Freeman) but also has to deal with a complicated family drama involving her parents (Vanessa Redgrave & Maximilian Schell). The young astronomer Leo (Elijah Wood) who discovered the comet receives fame as a result and desperately wants to save his girlfriend and comes up with a moving and tender plan that nearly goes awry. And to top it all there's the space mission led by a gritty old astronaut (Robert Duvall) along with some very impactive disaster scenes when parts of the comet hit the planet. The film is gripping, tense, and highly entertaining and best of all it comes across as well grounded as if the whole thing is exactly what would happen. A remarkable cinematic treat, one to definitely revisit and enjoy for all it's cleverness and great story.

Dark, subversive, irreverent and really funny and the film that really cemented Ryan Reynolds screen charisma. This is the Marvel film that takes the comic book superhero and gives him a foul mouthed, immoral and violent personality with loads of wisecracks and a penchant for bloody retribution. Reynolds plays Wade Wilson, a former soldier who now hangs around a bar for ex military taking jobs as a mercenary. His love is prostitute Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) but when he is diagnosed with terminal cancer their lives fall apart. But a creepy guy offers him a cure which turns out to be some nasty experiment by the thoroughly despicable Ajax (Ed Skrein), which results in Wade becoming permanently disfigured but with special powers including self healing. He becomes the classic anti-hero, Deadpool, and sets out for revenge on Ajax. Referencing the X-men films and several other superhero characters, including DC Universe, this is a really entertaining comedy. Sharply scripted, sexy and bold this makes sitting through all those overlong MCU films worthwhile. The 2018 sequel is not bad either although lacks the originality of this.

A disturbing and yet vibrant crime drama that recreates the true story of the FBI's infiltration of the Black Panther movement in the late 60s in order to bring down the charismatic head of the Illinois chapter, Fred Hampton (David Kaluuya). This is a revealing look at a sad chapter of the USA's battle with civil rights and the film attempts to show the true ethos of the Black Panther movement and the extremes to which the authorities, here epitomised by J.Edgar Hoover, creepily played by Martin Sheen, and Agent Mitchell (Jesse Plemons in a subtly menacing performance). Mitchell forces petty criminal Bill O'Neal (LaKeith Stansfield), on threat of imprisonment, to join and rise up in the Black Panther movement and supply intelligence on Hampton. The story is the struggle of O'Neal as he becomes torn between his role as informant and his growing relationship with Hampton. It's a tragic story that ends in a state approved murder with O'Neal playing an intregal part. The film is cleverly constructed and the performances are all really good especially Kaluuya, who reminded me so much of Keith David in his mannerisms here, and Stansfield, who captures O'Neal's complex position and emotions. The core of the film is their contradictory relationship. However, it is a very speech ridden film and at times I found this was wearing on my attention span. There's no doubt the story is an important one but the film is a bit labouring at times which makes for a viewing experience that tests ones patience. Worth checking out though.

Whilst an interesting story from an historical perspective and despite the all star cast this is an over talky Second World War drama that has that air of Colonel Blimp about it. It seems that the core of the story wasn't enough so it's been puffed out to include love affairs and personal jealousies in side plots that peter out and go nowhere. This is the story of a British covert intelligence operation in 1943 to have the Germans find a dead body that is carrying secret documents alluding to a panned allied invasion of Greece instead of Sicily, which is the real strategy. This is dreamed up by Naval intelligence officer Ewen (Colin Firth), whilst dealing with marital problems, aided by RAF intelligence officer, Charles Cholmondeley (now there's upper class British name for you!) (Matthew Macfadyen). Of course they have trouble getting the higher ups to agree, in the form of a grumpy Admiral (Jason Isaacs) until good ol' Winston (Simon Russell Beale) backs it personally. The tense nature of the plan is told mostly through lots of hand wringing in smoke filled offices while Ewen and Charles moon over their assistant Jean (Kelly Macdonald). This love triangle is distracting and lessens the more interesting story as the discovery of the body by the Spanish doesn't always go to plan. Thes tory has been told before in The Man Who Never Was (1956) and the core of the idea was used in North BY Northwest (1959) but as a modern war story it's a bit of a lame film that fails to lift itself beyond a passing interest.

A long winded drama that would probably have been better if it had been made as a six or eight part TV series. In a two and a half hour film it both drags and yet seems to whizz by important aspects of the story leaving the viewer a bit bewildered at times and even when the finale arrives we are denied a satisfying conclusion properly edited. The film boasts a good cast but not even Nicole Kidman's assured cameo lifts the film beyond the odd interesting moment. This is the story of Theo, who as a young boy is at a museum with his mother when a terrorist bomb kills her and leaves him traumatised. At the moment of the explosion they are looking at a famous painting, The Goldfinch, and in the aftermath Theo impulsively takes the undamaged picture and keeps it into adulthood, it becoming a symbol of the mother he lost. However the painting links his later life into crime in various episodes. Jeffrey Wright and Sarah Paulson are both good here and Oakes Fegley and Ansel Elgort as the young and older Theo respectively try really hard with the drawn out script. This is one of those films that gets to a point, about halfway through, when you want to give up, it does pick up from there but ultimately leaves you disappointed.

Another big, brash fantasy epic from the Marvel Universe that boasts the directorial skills and uniqueness of Chloé Zhao but unfortunately despite some flashes of her indie director style she seems to have been restrained by the sheer weight of the MCU machine. The film is entertaining enough for fans and has all the usual CGI set pieces and offers a story that doesn't rely on the usual run of Marvel characters. Devotees of MCU will be able to name the links to some of the other films. The story is based around ancient gods and here they are a race of alien immortals called Eternals who were sent to Earth 7000 years ago by a supreme power to protect humanity against a predatory alien monster species called Deviants. Having defeated them the Eternals are left lingering on Earth until the present day when the Deviants return and the Eternals find they have been misled and have a big battle on their hands. There's the usual punch ups and the Eternals have a variety of somewhat silly powers to fight with. The cast do their best including Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie and others. The usual end credits sequences (there are two - one right at the very end) signposts the inevitable sequel. I don't know about you but I'm finding these films all a bit tiresome now.

Well there's certainly a lot of actual howling to be experienced along with a very jarring soundtrack to try and give you the odd jolt. Having recently been released in an upgraded 4k UHD edition this horror cult favourite is worth checking out if you've never seen it. It doesn't seem to have aged as well as An American Werewolf In London (1981), which has the comedy to give it some flair. Both were lauded at the time for their special effects by Rob Bottin for The Howling and Rick Baker on the other. So here you get the usual werewolf transformation scene which has interest from a horror film history perspective but it a curiosity today rather than a very scary scene. This is a fairly typical Avco Embassy production, exploitation cinema with dollops of sex and violence, designed to shock but nowadays are pretty tame. The story is a simple one, famous TV show host, Karen (Dee Wallace) is used as bait to trap a serial killer who the police shoot dead. Traumatised Karen and her hubby head off to the recovery retreat of Dr Waggner (Patrick Macnee) which happens to be in the heart of some creepy woods and inhabited by a troop of weirdos. They turn out to be a colony of werewolves (as was the original serial killer who shows back up). This cues lots of howling, paganistic campfire bonking, and werewolves roaming around. The presence of western film icons John Carradine and Slim Pickens is funny and I can't help feel they must've needed the money! Overall it's an average horror film, a bit laughable today but a good example of the sort of film that grew popular in the 80s just as the video rental boom was beginning.

Adapted from the first novel by John Le Carré, Call For The Dead, this is a slow burning espionage story with a top cast but one which dillies and dallies around too much making it a bit of a grind at times. This is a shame because it has a superb cast led by James Mason. He plays Charles (in the novel this is George Smiley, the name had to be changed because another studio owned the rights to it), a British Intelligence officer who carries out a routine security check on a foreign office official who the next day commits suicide. Feeling himself being blamed for the death Charles begins an investigation with the help of a police detective, Mendel (Harry Andrews) and uncovers a sinister spy ring working in Britain. He also has to cope with his young philandering wife who looks set on leaving him for his old friend, Dieter (Maximilian Schell) Like Le Carré's novels this attempts to be a realistic look at modern espionage and the plot has some interesting twists and turns. It's not an action film but more like a mystery story where the truth is gradually deduced and revealed. Unfortunately director Sidney Lumet lingers a little too long over some scenes that make the film slow down even more although you can see that he's attempting to mirror the Shakespearean tragedies that are taking place in scenes within a theatre. If you're a fan of Le Carré then this is an interesting adaptation and Mason is a George Smiley very much like the character of the novels and later TV and film appearances. Worth checking out if you've never seen this.

An interesting, entertaining if fairly routine prison escape drama based on a true story. Daniel Radcliffe stars as Tim Jenkin, who along with a friend, are arrested after detonating a series of 'leaflet' bombs (these basically just blow lots of leaflets into the air) as part of an ANC campaign in late 1970s South Africa. Given harsh prison sentences they meet up with other political prisoners and clever Tim spots that the doors are all controlled by well worn locks and keys and he cleverly manages to replicate them in wood. The film has all the usual tense scenes of the escapees tiptoeing around avoiding the patrolling nighttime guards but unfortunately this tension is watered down by the very title of the film as we know what the end result is. But that aside this is a competently told and well acted drama that is worth checking out.