Film Reviews by GI

A passionate and powerful love story that charts sexual awakening, conflicts of desire and the heartbreak of a broken relationship. Whilst there is controversy in this film largely around its intense sex scenes this is also a film that garnered a lot of praise. Filmed in a realist style it follows Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos), a high school student who struggles with the peer pressure she receives from her friends to have sex with a guy who fancies her. She feels that something is missing in her life until she meets the confident and artistic Emma (Léa Seydoux) and they begin a passionate relationship. But as their lives become more entwined Adèle still struggles with being a part of Emma's life. Feelings of jealousy, shyness and inadequacy all contribute to a downward spiral. This is a film that really captures the reality of relationship struggles, ultimately it has a deep sadness in the story but also a strong sense of a journey of emotion that can only result in a rewarding life. The two leads are extremely good here and capture the intensity of their love along with the pain when things begin to go wrong. In many ways this is one of the best relationship dramas you'll see.

What is disappointing about this film is that in remaking the ground breaking BBC series of the 1980s director Martin Campbell lost all the essence, weight, ingenuity, subtlety and complexity of that's series to produce an average cop thriller that makes little sense.....and he directed both! The story here is very simple and ultimately clichéd as a revenge narrative where Boston detective Tom Craven hunts down the mysterious killers of his beloved daughter who was trying to uncover corruption at a nuclear storage facility. Throw is more bloodshed, take out the superb characterisations from Troy Kennedy Martin's original story and this is what you have left. Mel Gibson as Craven does his usual quivering in anger and tearful righteousness, Ray Winstone is underused and basically wasted, his role as a covert agent is eroded to almost nothing making his actions mostly pointless to the story. Campbell dips into some of the key narrative devices used to such great effect in the series and effectively renders them silly here. This is a poor film from a director who has done far better not only with the Edge Of Darkness series but of course his work in the James Bond series reboots. This is a big disappointment and one to avoid. Watch the series instead it's fantastic.

Tom Hardy gives one of his grandiose performances as Al Capone in this story of the last year of his life. Released after ten years in prison, suffering from syphillis caused dementia, he is cared for by his loving wife and surrounded by family and suspicious Feds on a Florida estate. The main plot of the film is that everyone believes Capone has stashed a large amount of cash somewhere and everyone wants to get it. It's unclear whether this is intended as a genuine biopic or a study of dementia, either way it's a bit of an empty film. Capone is plagued by hallucinations of his violent past, all of which are highly exaggerated, and wanders around his estate in adult nappies. Hardy's performance is quite unsubtle and at times I thought he was drifting into his Reggie Kray or Charles Bronson personas. The trouble is Capone as a self caused dementia victim is still a nasty individual with nothing redeeming, in fact the film sort of makes you feel he deserves his fate. Kyle MacLachlan has a role as a Doctor in the employ of the FBI, Matt Dillon pops up as Capone's old mentor in several hallucinations. There's some gratuitous violence, thankfully limited to a couple of scenes, and by the end it's a film that will make you shrug and think 'So what'.

A gonzo revenge western that is heavily influenced by Tarantino with added dashes of Leone and John Sturges, blood spattering galore resulting in this being more cartoon than genre. It has its moments but overall adds nothing that you haven't seen before and in fact lacks a witty enough script to balance out all the gore. Interestingly the characters are all based on real people who lived in the old west but the events of the film are entirely fictitious. Essentially it's two gangs of gunfighters who are out to kill each other. Jonathan Majors plays Nat Love who leads one gang and are sort of the good guys. He's out for revenge for the murder of his parents by Rufus Buck (Idris Elba). Buck's gang are much more ruthless and includes a cold blooded Regina King. The story does some crazy things and there's heaps of nasty violence and the odd laugh (one of the gangs robs a 'white' town which is literally all white). The film has energy and a garish look but it's too long and the final bloody climax is a bit underwhelming.

This is one of the key films of the 1980s. A very dark mystery thriller from director David Lynch and if you're unfamiliar with Lynch's films this is a good one as an introduction to them and you can see the roots of Lynch's later Twin Peaks series here. Here Lynch uncovers the dark underbelly of small-town America with his opening images of a picture postcard world that is corrupted by the strange and evil that lies out of sight. Blue Velvet is a film that once seen is not forgotten, it's essentially a mystery that unravels gradually but it's infused with a grotesque characters, sexual violence and a pervading sense of unease. Set in the 1980s it has a 1950s classic film noir vibe but it goes in some very dark and shocking directions. Kyle MacLachlan plays college student Jeffrey, who returns to his hometown after his father has a seizure to help at the family's hardware store. One afternoon he happens to find a severed human ear and takes it to a police detective who lives nearby. Intrigued by his find Jeffrey begins his own investigation, aided by Sandy (Laura Dean), which leads him to a nightclub singer, Dorothy (Isabella Rossellini), and to the psychopathic Frank, a real monster of a villain, played with gusto by Dennis Hopper. The film has a nightmarish visual style and manages to be a mainstream film with avant-garde and arthouse influences. There's themes here of loss of innocence that are key to Lynch's preoccupation with the darkness that pervades American suburbia. This is a modern masterpiece and one that shows how Hollywood occasionally takes risks.

There's no doubt that fans of the MCU will absolutely love this and to be sure the character of Black Widow is one that had the potential for a fulfilling spin-off/stand alone film. This is certainly action packed, spectacular, exciting and great fun although if the Avengers series is not your thing then it'll have some confusing moments in trying to understand what is always going on and where it fits in the Avengers film chronology. In short Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow is forced to join up with her dangerous assassin sister, Yelena (Florence Pugh) to foil the ubër baddie Dreykov (Ray Winstone) who has created an army of brain washed female super soldiers. This forces both to confront their past as the 'daughters' of two Russian spies who posed as their parents in the US where the girls grew up. David Harbour and Rachel Weisz have great fun as those parents and both get stuck into the great fight scenes and huge action set pieces. The influences of the Mission Impossible series and hints of the Terminator films are obvious and William Hurt and Olga Kurylenko have cameos. It's good fun all round and there's the usual end credits sequence so don't switch off too soon.

You could say this is a soppy ol' Disney family adventure that will make you go 'Aww...' at various intervals and you'd be right but it's a good solid, old fashioned dog story that has a good heart much like it's main character. Adapted from the celebrated novel by Jack London (previously adapted in 1923, 1937, 1972 and 1997) this one opts for full on CGI for it's canine characters and this was a good choice giving the animals a wide emotional range that gives the film a lovely, cuddly feel. This is the story of Buck, a St Bernard/Collie cross breed, who is stolen from his luxury home in California, where he lives a mischievous life but is well adored, and sold to be part of a sled team working in the harsh Yukon during the infamous Gold Rush. Here he has to battle the winter conditions, a nasty lead dog named Spitz, and a baddie in the form of Dan Stevens. But he finds love and friendship with grizzled old John (Harrison Ford), who befriends the dog. But the remote forests starts to affect Buck as he feels the call of the wild summoning back to nature. It's all bit corny but there's a warmth to the film and kids of all ages will love this. This is a film that you can all snuggle together on the sofa and enjoy. It's actually a bit of a treat.

A gory horror 'home invasion' thriller set in your typical backwoods cabin. The difference is that the heroine is a thirteen year old girl, the titular Becky (Lulu Wilson). Becky is grieving and angry at the premature death of her mother from cancer and her relationship with her dad is a bit frosty. It gets frostier when he takes her to the family cabin for a weekend and surprises her by also bringing along his new fiancée. Storming off in a huff proves a good idea as four escaped criminals turn up searching for a mysterious key. That storyline goes nowhere and the film veers into a revenge narrative as Becky, instead of running away in fear, sharpens up some weapons (a ruler and pencils!) and starts the violence against the bad guys who are led by Kevin James in a departure from the lovable family guy type roles he usually plays. There's some torture, some cringeworthy violence and not much else really. It's all been done before. The baddies aren't quite bad enough, they're certainly a bit incompetent and Becky comes across as a sort of teenage girl version of Nicolas Cage. It's average stuff, a throwaway that has its moments but they're few.

One of the great contemporary American noir thrillers. A tale of jealousy, greed and murder with a wonderfully scripted and clever plot. It's the debut feature of the Coen Brothers and a very assured film it is too. Set in modern day Texas and nasty bar owner Marty (Dan Hedaya) suspects his barman, Ray (John Getz) is having an affair with his pretty wife Abby (Frances McDormand). He hires a seedy private investigator (M. Emmet Walsh) to get proof. But overcome with a jealous rage he later hires the investigator to murder Abby and Ray. But greed, misunderstandings and mistrust combine to make all their plans go awry. This is a superbly dark tale with plot twists that keep you constantly on your toes. Celebrated character actor Walsh especially is superb here in a memorable performance as the overweight, menacing PI who has his own agenda. This is constructed like the classic Hollywood Film Noirs and plays with the conventions of the genre, toying the audience with a femme fatale in McDormand's character but then making you question her motives. The detective here is no hero either and the 'hero' turns out to be more ready to do dastardly acts than you'd expect. Equally the characters themselves are never sure who is on who's side. It's a great story and well told. If you like a good mystery thriller then look no further, this is a cracking film and one to make sure you see.

A sobering and intelligent drama centred on a woman with anorexia. Sian Brooke plays Stephanie, a woman struggling with drugs, depression and an eating disorder. She returns to her family after seven months in rehab' and tries to reconnect with her troubled teenage daughter who has been living with Stephanie's frosty mother (Amanda Burton). She is planning her wedding to her new partner and insists that Stephanie and her daughter are bridesmaids. There's an excruciating scene of trying on the awful dresses made worse by Stephanie's emaciated state. This film addresses a subject often overlooked and it does so with great honesty and although it's a melancholy film it does pack an emotional punch. It shows the combination of issues that give rise to physical illness like anorexia and how the intolerance and ignorance of loved ones can make matters so much worse. An interesting social drama with a strong central performance and well worth checking out.

A first rate action thriller set in West Africa amidst a civil war and international corruption over 'conflict' diamonds. Leonardo DiCaprio stars and proves his action chops as well nailing a character of moral ambiguity. He plays Archer, a former soldier and now diamond smuggler moving illegal diamonds across the various borders at the behest of his old army boss (Arnold Vosloo). When a smuggling trip goes wrong Archer sees way to repay his debts when he hears that a humble fisherman, Solomon (Djimon Hounsou), knows the location of a rare pink diamond he has hidden in the bush. Eventually everyone isa after this diamond and Solomon is searching for his missing family and a son turned child soldier. Archer finds he needs the help of crusading journalist Maddy (Jennifer Connolly) to get across country on the promise he will reveal all he knows about the smuggling networks. With some fantastic action set pieces and a narrative that opens up the debates around western exploitation of African countries for their natural resources, the use of children as soldiers by rebel factions and the plight of refugees this also is a fast paced piece of entertainment. A cracking film with DiCaprio especially brilliant here (and really good at the accent of a former Rhodesian soldier who can converse in the patois language of the rebels). If you've never seen this then I highly recommend it. Great stuff.

This comedy drama from Australia and starring Paul Hogan is a mixed bag affair. It has some great funny moments but the episodic structure means the jokes are hit and miss as the various adventures of the two protagonists are sometimes too hurried and opportunities seem to have been missed. Also the main story veers about so that it you soon lose touch with the theme of the film. It's basically a road movie with recently bereaved husband Charlie (Hogan) grieving for his beloved wife is forced out on the road by his partly estranged son Boots (Shane Jacobson). They are heading north for a long promised fishing trip. Charlie goes very reluctantly and Boots hasn't really planned it well. They get in some scrapes and adventures along the way, some are funny, some are not despite trying to be. It all gets a bit too American with country music clubs and rodeos so that the Aussie brand of comedy is given up on. Hogan's character veers from sad widower to prankster at the drop of a hat and you can never quite shed from your mind that's he's Crocodile Dundee. There's a certain charm to the film at odd moments but overall it's clichéd and a lost opportunity.

Noel Coward's celebrated play brought to the screen by David Lean is a quintessential English farce with ghosts added in. As you'd expect with Coward's work the script is wonderful with some very risqué lines for the times and the laughs are mostly courtesy of the superb performance from Margaret Rutherford as the batty Madame Arcati. Lean shot the film in a glorious technicolour which was quite unusual for a story that is mostly set inside one house and he also had opportunity to create some special effects that had been impossible on the stage. Controversially he changed the ending much to Coward's annoyance. Rex Harrison stars as novelist Charles who invites the barmy and eccentric Madame Arcati to his dinner party to perform a seance. He hopes to observe the tricks he expects her to use and then use them in a story for his latest novel. But unfortunately for him she manages to summon his dead first wife Elvira (Kay Hammond) much to the annoyance of his current wife, Ruth (Constance Cummings). Getting rid of Elvira proves much harder and she is very jealous of Ruth. Coward sets his story in a class privileged world that would be very real in the 1940s and of great interest to the cinema going public and this gives the film a unique charm even today. It's a very typical British comedy of the time and although it clings to it's stage play origins throughout it's a humorous film that is well worth seeking out and it remains far superior to the 2020 remake.

For all its panache, explosions, slo mo gunfire, and bright city car chases this is an action comedy that is all very dumb and very empty. The comedy part is just not funny, it's all strained and poorly written with Martin Lawrence, as the chubby, bumbling half of the cop duo especially struggling to get anything remotely original from the script. Will Smith, no doubt a talent, but with just a clichéd action cop character who can't decide if he's vengeful or righteous. He needs better roles than this nonsense. In this latest instalment of the equally poor earlier films the two Miami detectives are hunted by a woman drug cartel boss and her son over some issue or other from years ago. Lawrence has to be persuaded to go back into action (it doesn't take a lot mind) and then off the merry bunch go a-shooting and a-hollerin' all over the city and down into Mexico. Even the plot twist is like a bulldozer that you'll see crashing towards you pretty easily. This is high production sloppy cinema and one to avoid.

Based on a stage play by Steven Berkoff this is an attempt to highlight the social prejudices in modern day Britain and what a failure. It's essentially a foul mouthed attempt at comedy in order to show generational racism, fat shaming, homophobia etc etc. Watching it is a cringeworthy experience. Not bothering to move away from the stage play format director Stephen Cookson sets most of the film on the sea front at Brighton where the four main characters sit and reminisce about their meeting there in the 1950s. Larry Lamb is the raging Teddy Boy who rants on about 'poofs' and 'packs' while his friend played by Phil Davis sits in awe of him. Lamb's wife played by Marion Bailey is a despicable character, a nasty, self pitying glutton and only Lesley Sharp as Davis' wife is given any real depth and a decent story. A film that is all too late and now meaningless and one that leaves a bit of a nasty taste in the mouth. Not worth your time.