Film Reviews by GI

A gloomy and uninspiring drama with a fairly predictable storyline. It's a story of two brothers, Stan (Charlie Hunnam) and 'Lion' (Jack O'Connell), down on their luck and with Stan dreaming of making it rich on the back of Lion's boxing skills. But they're stuck in the world of illegal bare knuckle fights and Lion is becoming tired of Stan's dreams whilst he gets ever more injured. Stan wants Lion to fight in a big tournament in San Francisco that has massive prize money and secures Lion a place with the help of a loan shark on the condition they deliver a package to a gangster en route to the tournament. This package turns out to be Sky (Jessica Barden), a wayward girl who is coveted by a nasty gangster. The film then turns into a sort of road movie where loads goes wrong, mostly for Stan and inevitably Lion and Sky start to be attracted to one another. It all ends in a big confrontation that is under done and obvious. Hunnam and O'Connell are ok as the brothers but the relationship is stereotypical and doesn't offer much that hasn't been seen before. The baddies aren't nasty enough and of course the brothers' bond becomes tested to breaking point. This is an average film and whilst it looks good it's one that is quickly forgettable.

The few attempts at making films during the Covid 19 restrictions mostly met with dismal failures but British director Ben Wheatley has here made an interesting pagan horror film that for the most part is rather good, tense and at times very disturbing. It's an ambitious film considering there have been a few films set in forests where something may or may not lurk. This has a phantasmagoric feel to it, and if you like your horror films to be a little different then this is a bit of a treat. It's a part folk horror and part survivalist story where the backdrop is that a devastating virus is affecting the world. But this isn't the focus of the narrative. It begins with a young scientist, Martin (Joel Fry), who has come out of enforced isolation to embark on a journey deep into an ancient forest searching for his muse, Dr Wendle (Hayley Squires), who is conducting experiments at a camp and hasn't been heard of in awhile. Accompanied by a guide, Alma (Ellora Torchia), they head off on the two day trek but are attacked and have all their equipment including their shoes stolen. They are helped by a strange hermit, Zach (Reece Shearsmith), who turns out to be someone with a much darker agenda. There's some edge-of-your-seat stuff juxtaposed with some more relaxed scenes that gives the film a growing sense of eeriness and malevolence. Unfortunately though as it moves into the final third the film does lose its way a little with a bit too much exposition that really was unnecessary. That said though this has Wheatley's unique touch that gives his films that extra zing (be prepared there's some shocks) and whilst it's not perfect it is a welcome return to horror with a touch of difference. Worth trying.

This is an intriguing psychological drama with a stunning central performance from Olivia Colman (destined to become as treasured as Judi Dench). She plays Leda, a Yorkshire born academic now based at Harvard, who goes alone to a Greek island for a relaxing holiday. She's divorced but seeks the tranquility of the island where she spends her time on the beach working and reading. Her peace is shattered by the arrival of a brash and loud American family, which includes Nina (Dakota Johnson) and her toddler daughter. Leda views their intrusion with contempt but when Nina's daughter goes missing she helps in the search and with a kind of sixth sense, finds her and is hailed as a hero. As a sort of strange friendship develops with Nina this brings back painful memories of Leda's troubled past and her own relationship with her two daughters. These scenes are told in flashback with Leda played by Jessie Buckley. Colman's performance is outstanding as she makes the character so enigmatic, Leda is always teetering on the brink of some emotional collapse or revelation and her strained attempts at romance are inept, first with young handsome waiter Will (Paul Mescal) and with Kyle (Ed Harris), an American ex-pat who lives on the island. On the surface Leda appears just a shy, decent person but there's always something lurking under the surface. The film is worth seeing for Colman's performance alone. Overall this is a confident film, the ending is a little tame but for first time director Maggie Gyllenhaal its quite an achievement.

Here's one of the great conspiracy thrillers from the 70s. A film that is as exciting today as when it was released and cinema audiences cheered at the end. Basically a chase story with political intrigue and murder thrown in for good measure and directed at great pace by Peter Hyams. James Brolin plays Colonel Brubaker, the commander of a three man crew of the first space flight to Mars. It's a huge prestigious event for the USA but a mere 15 minutes before the launch the crew are pulled from the rocket which launches without anyone on board. They are told that faulty equipment on board has been detected and would have killed them but to avoid world wide embarrassment for the country they are asked to cooperate in a hoax to pretend that the flight, Mars landing and return all happen with the aid of trickery. When they show doubts their families are threatened and Brubaker realises that everyone is in danger and he decides to take action. Meanwhile a journalist (Elliott Gould) uncovers evidence of the hoax and finds his life threatened. He needs to find the crew to prove his theory. The story is influenced by the long standing conspiracy theory that the moon landings were all faked. It's a great story that has some great chase sequences and some gruelling survival scenes in the wastelands of the Arizona desert. The cast includes Brenda Vaccaro, Sam Waterston and Hal Holbrook plus Telly Savalas in a great cameo. A film well worth rediscovery and an example of a great action film.

Part biopic and part 'true crime' thriller this is an absorbing film dominated by a first rate performance from Philip Seymour Hoffman as the famed American author and raconteur, Truman Capote. The film tells the story of Capote's involvement in the investigation of the brutal murder of a family in Kansas in 1959. Looking for a new subject for a book he chances upon a press story about the murders and, accompanied by his best friend Nelle Harper Lee (Catherine Keener), heads off to Kansas. As the case develops with the arrest of the two killers Capote sees an opportunity for his book by forming a strange friendship with one of the them, Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr). Hoffman captures the intense intelligence but disturbing narcissism of Capote who casually lies to just about everyone in order to achieve his goals. This is especially the case with his relationship with Smith who believes Capote will be able to get him reprieved from the death penalty. The film is a first class character study intermingled with the very nasty crime, which is later shown in flashback after Capote's many attempts to get Smith to describe what happened. As a thriller this is a compelling film with first rate performances throughout including Chris Cooper as the investigating detective. A disturbing story not least because it's based on true events. NB The book by Capote is called In Cold Blood and it's a real page turner.

A disappointing film which does have a great central performance from Sienna Miller but it's the script that doesn't seem to know what sort of film it is. It also boasts the last film of the great Charles Grodin who is also brilliant in his small role but in a part that fails to properly fit into the narrative. Miller is Kate, a successful New York based actor, who accidentally shoots her abusive, criminal ex boyfriend after he threatens her. Panicked she hides the body in a big trunk and later pushes it into a lake. So far so good we have a domestic violence related story, a victim destined to be a suspect yet the film meanders off into a story of Kate's mental health that stems back to many years. She also narrates her actions as if she's writing a movie screenplay the film attempting I think to suggest the killing is in her mind. But then a detective shows up (Alec Baldwin) clearly suspicious of her explanation of when she last saw the dead man. Then we meander again into a family drama involving her Alzheimer's affected Grandfather (Grodin). None of this ties together and just when you think the film gets back on course it ends abruptly. The whole thing is perplexing and unsatisfying.

Hilarious, zany and mad comedy about an illegal road race across the USA. The whole thing is daft and silly but simply great fun with a host of eccentric characters played by a great cast. Led by Burt Reynolds who plays a speed freak desperate to win the race and to avoid the police drives a souped up ambulance accompanied by his dopey friend, Victor (Dom Deluise). To make their ruse work they find a strange doctor (Jack Elam) and a beautiful girl (Farrah Fawcett) to act as a patient. Victor also has an alter-ego who appears every so often when the going gets rough - I'll not spoil this with more details as it's a laugh out loud part of the film. Roger Moore also stars effectively playing a silly version of himself and a man who thinks he's an international spy. Everyone drives a fast car of some type or another and the police aided by an environmentalist try to stop them There's loads of great chase sequences, big fistfights, a farce like script and loads of sexy fun. With the addition of Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Jackie Chan (in his first American film) and Peter Fonda rounding out the cast you get a really funny comedy with a simple plot, totally bonkers stuff but leaves you feeling good for having a great time watching it.

This is a social and relationship drama that is very riveting and exudes an atmosphere that makes it really interesting and at times a little creepy. But don't be put off by that because this is really very good and surprising. Jude Law plays Rory, an English entrepreneur and commodity broker living in New York with his wife, Allison (Carrie Coon), her teenage daughter, Sam (Oona Roche) and their young son Ben (Charlie Shotwell). He's very successful but one day tells the family he has accepted a job back in London which will make them all rich. They relocate to a large yet dreary Surrey country house and soon the family structure begins to unravel. Mercurial, self-obsessed and overly ambitious Rory leads the family in a path to emotional destruction. It's a powerful and very well told story, set in the 1980s although it presents it's setting lightly, but allows it to remind the audience of the days of 'yuppies'. As Allison begins to discover Rory's lies and deceptions she is faced with her children falling into despair and the wrong crowd. This is really a very good watch. Jude Law and Carrie Coon are exceptional and Anne Reid has a powerful cameo as Rory's mum in a scene which reveals a lot behind Rory's personality. Recommended.

This is a quite charming comedy drama, frequently very funny. It follows the freewheelin' Scott (Pete Davidson), a young twenty something man living an aimless life smoking weed and hanging out with his deadbeat friends. He dreams of being a tattoo artist but seems pretty useless at it. His life is dominated by the loss of his firefighter father many years earlier who died in the course of duty. When his younger sister heads off to college Scott is left with his stressed and lonely mum, Margie (Marisa Tomei). When she meets Ray (Bill Burr), coincidentally a fireman, and begins a relationship Scott is thrown into turmoil and resents Ray. He is faced with some very difficult decisions about his future. Davidson has a casual and warming comic touch and the script here is witty and inoffensive with some really laugh out loud moments. Tomei is excellent as the mum with a lovely performance. Steve Buscemi has a small role too. The film isn't structured perfectly and occasionally it feels a little contrived but overall this is a gentle American comedy film that is well worth checking out.

The first time you watch this you'll face plenty of early confusion and question whether you're watching the right film. The title sits the film fairly and squarely in the horror/slasher genre but it will quickly become something far more intriguing. Yes on the surface this is a story of five students who head off for a weekend at the titular ramshackle cabin. The characters all fall into a set of stereotypes you'd expect; the sex hungry one (Anna Hutchison), the alpha male (Chris Hemsworth), the brainy one (Jesse Williams), the fool (Fran Kranz) and the virginal innocent one (Kristen Connelly) but this is deliberate. Because as the plot unravels you'll find this is a subversive black comedy that deconstructs the horror genre in a most entertaining and quite funny way. If you loved Scream (1996) you'll perhaps get what I'm on about here because Scream did the same thing. I'm not giving much away by saying that the five main characters are attacked at the cabin by something terrible but there's also something else that becomes clear as the film gets into it's stride. A thoroughly entertaining and thrilling film that definitely needs checking out if you've not seen it. Homages galore are liberally strewn throughout the film particularly in the final third so have fun because this is a real treat.

A classic and one of those films that everyone should try and see. A western that is structured like a Shakespearean tragedy with lovely dollops of good humour mostly thanks to the inspired pairing of Paul Newman and Robert Redford in the title roles. Their bickering and banter but thoroughly devoted friendship is the soul of the film. Based on true events this is also a revisionist film, it mixes fact with myth and legend beginning with a sepia tinted credited sequence that is like an early silent film, continuing into a prologue that sets the tone as a traditional western before moving into full colour to tell the main story. It debunks much of the western tropes of the film genre and becomes much more historical drama as the story progresses. Newman plays Butch, the outlaw with loads of ideas and who leads a gang of bank & train robbers. His best friend is the quiet Sundance (Redford), who goes along with Butch's plans even as he fears they will be their downfall. After a train robbery goes awry the two find themselves relentlessly pursued by committed bunch of lawmen and so flee to Bolivia to continue their trade. The script is witty and the film deliberately subverts what you might expect from a simple western outlaw film. For example Sundance is lightening fast with his gun but never gets to use the skill other than in a job interview and Butch's enthusiasm camouflages that he really has no clue who to do (on their first Bolivian bank robbery they suddenly find they can't speak the language!). With Katherine Ross supporting as the woman who accompanies them on their adventures this is a really wonderful film, funny, sad and with some very memorable scenes (their escape by jumping from a cliff being a very famous one). A must see film so even if you aren't attracted by westerns try this you will be very pleasantly surprised.

This is a wonderfully scripted farce from the Coen Brothers, a situation comedy that relies on assumptions, greed and stupidity to weave a convoluted tale that satirises the spy film genre. With it's top cast this is a film worthy of re-evaluation, it's adult and very funny and it's great to see these actors playing against type. The plot involves a floppy disc that contains the rather boring memoirs of Osborne Cox (John Malkovich), a former CIA analyst sacked for his drinking problem. His snobbish wife Katie (Tilda Swinton) wants a divorce and expects her married lover, Harry (George Clooney), a sex obsessed Treasury Agent, to move in with her. The disc gets lost and is found by two hapless gymnasium employees, Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt) who think they've come across secret intelligence files. Their attempts to bribe Osborne results in all the characters getting embroiled together in some very unexpected ways. The film has some very unexpected surprises and you'll gasp with some shocked laughter at times and like all of the Coens' film it goes in directions you will not anticipate. This is what makes their movies such great fun and here in this comedy they are clearly having a great time with the characters most of which were written specifically for the actors playing them. Brad Pitt especially excels as the amiable but thoroughly stupid Chad. This is an underrated film but one I recommend because it's adult comedy that is well written, and wonderfully performed.

Award winning biopic that follows the last year of the life of Judy Garland. Renée Zellweger totally dominates the role and her vocal performances are astounding. This is a story about the price of fame and celebrity and includes flashbacks to Garland's time as a child actor being exploited and abused by movie mogul Louis B. Mayer (Richard Cordery). The main story deals with Garland's arrival in London in 1968 to do a series of concerts at The Talk Of The Town. She's been forced into it due to financial difficulties and a custody battle with her ex husband over her two youngest children. Relying on alcohol and drugs she has to be coaxed on to the stage each night by her assistant Rosalyn (Jessie Buckley). Garland is portrayed as a sad victim, exploited all her life and now in mental and physical decline. the magic is that when eventually faced with an audience she sparkles into life as a performer of rare talent. Zellweger gives a first rate performance not only singing all the songs herself but also creating the vulnerability that controlled Garland's feelings and life. This is an entertaining film, with a touch too much sweetness to balance the melancholy and it does gloss over Garland's reliance on drugs, which eventually killed her but it's well worth checking out.

One of the greatest cop thrillers ever made. Exciting, gritty and with a great plot that has twists and turns with one of the best car chase sequences as a centrepoint to the film. Steve McQueen plays San Francisco detective Frank Bullitt who is assigned to guard a Chicago gangster who is to give evidence against the mob. When he is murdered Frank defies the DA Chalmers (Robert Vaughn) and goes on his own investigation to find out who did the killing. But he soon becomes embroiled in a case of mistaken identities and political intrigue. With some realistic violence and that very fast paced iconic chase sequence with McQueen doing much of the driving in a Ford Mustang fastback this is a fantastic film. The film's climactic foot chase through San Francisco airport ends what is overall one of the best cop films you'll ever see. It was very influential in films like Dirty Harry and The French Connection (both 1971) for example. Here is an action film that has mystery, film noir styling, chiaroscuro lighting especially in the night and indoor sequences and a star at the top of his game. Jacqueline Bisset supports as McQueen's girl and there's Robert Duvall in a support role too. One of those films everyone should see.

A classic British thriller shot in black and white, this mystery drama from director Otto Preminger is captivating. It's very film noir in style but it's the great story that hooks you in. Carol Lynley plays Ann Lake, a naïve American who has just moved to London with her journalist brother, Steven (Keir Dullea) and her four year old daughter Bunny. Pressured by time Ann drops Bunny off at her new nursery school but when she returns the child has gone missing and no one can remember seeing her. Soon the police in the form of Superintendent Newhouse (Laurence Olivier) arrive and he quickly begins to suspect that Bunny doesn't exist and begins to investigate why Ann should have invented her. There are mysterious characters littered throughout not least the mysterious former Headmistress of the school (Martita Hunt) and Ann's landlord, the seedy Horacio Wilson (Nöel Coward). Preminger's skill is making the viewer begin to suspect different characters too as the narrative picks up pace. The film, whilst tame by todays standards, did push boundaries back in the mid 1960s with it's references to abortion and the odd swear word but this is great British crime film and one that offers a vision of London in the mid 60s adding a good dose of nostalgia and definitely one to seek out if you've never seen it.