Film Reviews by GI

I'll admit I was baffled and underwhelmed when I first saw this. However watching it again and knowing how the story plays out I began to see that this is a very intelligent and complex narrative that reveals a film worthy of re-evaluation. Set about 100 years in the future and space travel has advanced to the point that there's tourism to the moon and Mars has outposts. Brad Pitt plays Roy McBride, a major in the US military space division. He's a loner unable to connect with others including his wife (Liv Tyler). This is due to his family history as his very famous father, Clifford (Tommy Lee Jones), a pioneering astronaut, disappeared 29 years ago on a mission to the outer edges of the solar system to search for other intelligent life. When huge power surges hit the Earth killing thousands of people, Roy is told that it is believed his father is still alive somewhere out there and is the cause of the surges. Realising there's a plan to send a team to locate and kill Clifford Roy takes over the spacecraft and heads out to find and bring his Dad home. The beating heart of this film is the journey and in many ways the story is similar to Apocalypse Now (1979), indeed there are quite a few aspects that will remind you of that film if you are familiar enough with it. But ultimately this is a film that tries to highlight the importance of humanity and that the focus should be on our inner selves rather than always searching beyond. To that extent it's a psychological film with some interesting action set pieces thrown into the journey all of which play a relevance once you've grasped the film's ideas. All in all this is a visually spectacular and enthralling science fiction film with some interesting things to say and it's worth checking out and especially if you weren't convinced the first time you saw it.

This is James Cameron's most underrated film probably because it faired poorly at the box office but it is an absolutely fantastic adventure film and one of the very best set almost entirely at the bottom of the ocean. It has that claustrophobic atmosphere and tense threat that being stuck on the seabed creates. If you've never seen this then it's one to seek out because it has a great story that mixes disaster, action, a bit of romance and science fiction and it's a great example of Cameron's storytelling expertise. Starring Ed Harris as Bud Brigman who runs a deep sea drilling rig with a small crew. It can manoeuvre along the seabed in search of mineral deposits. When a US nuclear submarine mysteriously crashes on the edge of a deep trench Bud and his crew are recruited to assist in a rescue mission, aided by a Navy Seal team led by Coffey (Michael Biehn) and joined by Bud's estranged wife and designer of the rig, Lindsey (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). But when a severe hurricane leaves the rig damaged and stranded they have to figure out how to get back to the surface and Coffey starts to show signs of psychosis. To add to their problems they keep seeing strange lights coming from the depths of the abyss on which they are teetering. Cameron pioneered stunning new CGi effects for this film which he later improved upon for Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), and he created some beautiful imagery and the film is a real visual delight and exciting stuff. In 1992 Cameron reinserted some key scenes, removed for the theatrical release, in a 'Special Edition' and this is the version to watch. It has, in particular, a major scene at the end which gives the entire narrative a sense of meaning. A great adventure film that is full of surprises and well worth checking out.

Surprisingly a huge hit in the US no doubt due to the draw of Sidney Poitier who stars as Mark Thackeray. He's a newly qualified engineer but unable to find a job in his chosen career he takes up a position as a teacher in a rundown East End school inhabited by unruly and under privileged teenagers. Finding it impossible to engage his class in the normal subjects he comes up with a bold plan of treating them as adults and teaching them life skills. Considered a quite risqué film at the time of its release it may seem quite dated today with its relatively tame swearing and themes of sexual awakening. It is however a wonderful film about the eroding state of education in Britain and the loss of opportunities for young people. The film tries to highlight the young persons's love of pop music, and even pop star Lulu has a role and sings the title song. But this is Poitier's film showcasing his ability. He plays a convincing London teacher here and when you consider his other big roles he is such a capable and intriguing actor and one to really admire. Interestingly, whilst there are some minor approaches to racism, obviously widespread in 60s Britain, it's hardly touched upon in the film. There's a host of familiar actors including Judy Gleeson, Suzy Kendall and a first film role for Patricia Routledge. A key British film of the 1960s and worth seeking out if you've never seen it.

This is an intricate and captivating British espionage and political thriller with a great cast led by the inimitable Bill Nighy. The tone of the film is like a John le Carré novel with twists and turns of plot and not knowing who can be trusted and what the motives of each character might be. Nighy plays long standing MI5 intelligence man, John Worricker. His best friend and boss Benedict (Michael Gambon) asks him to read an intelligence file which reveals on page eight a startling revelation that may expose dodgy goings on at the very heart of the British government. When Benedict dies the file becomes a very hot property. Don't expect an action film here, this is a more delicate and involved story of double cross and deceit and it reflects the real world of intelligence. Rachel Weisz, Ralph Fiennes, Felicity Jones and Judy Davis are amongst the sterling cast but this is Nighy's film (he was Golden Globe nominated for this), he is the calm and clever agent who has to unravel the shenanigans in what is a wonderfully involved story. A little gem of a film and well worth checking out.

This is one of those exposé dramas similar to Spotlight and The Big Short (both 2015) in this case the sexual harassment culture at America's hugely popular, right wing TV channel Fox News. It's a powerful and shocking story and backed by fantastic performances. The Murdoch owned channel (Murdoch here played by Malcolm McDowell) is rocked when long standing presenter Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) is sacked from her show by the channels seedy, repulsive but all powerful boss, Roger Ailes (John Lithgow). She begins a lawsuit against Ailes personally alleging long standing sexual harassment and reveals the open secret of his habitual attitudes to women forcing them into sexual acts on threat of dismissal. Gretchen hopes her actions will bring out other victims but fear for their careers plays a big role in forcing them into silence. Top news anchor Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron) knows Ailes is guilty but wrestles with what to do. She famously attempted to expose Donald Trump for his attitudes to women and knows she needs to support Gretchen. There's some disturbing scenes including where Ailes harasses and assaults young employee Kayla (Margot Robbie). This character is fictitious created as a composite to represent the typical victim of Ailes. Lithgow in heavy makeup brilliantly plays the loathsome Ailes in this thoroughly well told, uncomfortable and superbly done film. An excellent drama with topnotch performances and a film well worth checking out.

This is one of the cycle of British war movies from the 1950s and a great one it is too. Based on a real event and starring one of the most popular actors from this period it's an example of the fantastic films produced when the British film industry was thriving. Set in the Second World War this tells the story of a daring mission to attack the German battleship 'Tirpitz' while its moored in a Norwegian fjord impervious to air attack. Commander Fraser (John Mills) convinces a sceptical admiralty that he can lead a few highly trained men in midget submarines past the German defences and destroy it. It's a tale of derring do and the entire film focuses on the training and operation and like all submarine narratives it plays on that sense of tension of being under the water and hunted by a skilled enemy. There's no attempt here, unlike other similar films made when the war was raging, to incorporate any family or romance into the narrative, this is simply a story of courage. In that sense it's wonderfully constructed and directed with a superb cast including John Gregson and Donald Sinden, both big stars at the time. These films are worthy of rediscovery, they're gritty, exciting and very realistic. If you love a good war film then this is worth your time.

A confusing and quite dull thriller that despite delusions about corrupt banking, bitcoins etc is nothing more than a routine story about Russian mafia and the inadvertent uncovering of their money laundering operation in small-town America. Underwhelming and with a lead actor (Beau Knapp) who has little charisma and a teenage boys beard! He plays Martin, a hotshot Wall Street banker, sent to audit the books of a small branch that happens to be in his hometown. This cues some family drama involving his father (Kurt Russell) and his uncovering of said mafia naughtiness. Nothing exciting happens, there's a lot of staring at computer screens and the final denouement is a damp squib.

A schlock horror film that is a sort of Superman / Damien (from The Omen) hybrid, a good idea but ultimately all rather silly. The basic story is a subversion of the Superman one where a strange object crash lands in Kansas, inside is a baby boy who is taken in by wannabe parents (Elizabeth Banks and David Denman) but who grows up to be something special and, in this case, something nasty. In the final analysis it's a creepy kid narrative with some gruesome murders and a story arc that starts off with promise but soon becomes ridiculous especially in the way the adult characters are written. Their reactions defy belief and, if you're like me, you'll occasionally groan at some of the daft decisions they make. A disappontment and if we're to have a sub genre that deliberately sets out to subvert and challenge the superhero genre then more thought needs putting in.

It's easy to dismiss this as just another Hugh Grant romcom coming as it did within the cycle of films that made him a big star (Four Weddings...., Notting Hill etc) but it's actually a very intricate and sharp social drama with big dollops of humour. A coming-of-age story that concerns not only a lonely child struggling to understand the adults in his life but also a story of a conceited, self centred man who through the course of the film realises that other people are of more importance than his own narcissistic view of them. Grant plays Will, a relatively wealthy, single man who lives off the royalties of a song written by his late father. He's never worked or been in a serious relationship and lies routinely to get women into bed. When he invents a son to try and seduce a single mum things backfire when a young, isolated and bullied teenager, Marcus (Nicholas Hoult) finds him out and tries to get Will to help his own suicidal, depressive mum (Toni Collette). It's the developing relationship between the man and boy that is the focus of the story. A touching film that is very funny as well as dealing with themes of isolation, friendship, mental health and trying to find meaning in life. It's actually one of Grant's best films and performances. It also boasts Rachel Weisz in a support role. Based on a novel by Nick Hornby (also recommended) this is a film ripe for rediscovery and it's one that will appeal to all. If you've never seen this then I highly recommend it.

Steven Spielberg's science fiction cum fairy story epic is a really interesting film, flawed in theme and concept but still one that offers something new and interesting each time you watch it. It has been criticised for it's saccharine sentimentality but that fits with the story that is trying to be told here. It's overtly a postmodern Pinnochio tale (indeed the Pinnochio analogy is a consistent theme that drives the story) with added dark themes about a futuristic bigotry and the moral dilemmas that mankind has about what is 'real', what is 'human' and our obligations to other life. In the future the icecaps have melted due to climate change and humanity has been pushed into smaller land mass and population control measures introduced. But technology has advanced especially in relation to robots, here referred to as 'mechas'. Along with increasingly humanlike advances in the development of mechas there is also a growing hatred of them by the less wealthy. One company develops a robot child designed to help parents who have lost children and it's so advanced it can imprint onto a human and show love. A young couple, with a son in a coma, are given a prototype named David (Haley Joel Osment) but the dedication the robot shows towards his new 'mother' becomes so stifling that they abandon it in a forest. However David's programming means he is determined to return home and gets the help of robot gigolo, Joe (Jude Law). There's some great visions of a future where hedonism remains rife and some dark aspects of a postmodern racism towards robots led here by Brendan Gleeson that asks big moral questions ultimately delving into the philosophical debate that specifies 'I think, therefore I am'. This is not Speilberg's best film but it's an ambitious and intelligent one and the interesting coda to the story has been much debated. If you've not seen this then it is definitely a film to see, you may need a hanky or two though!

Considering the talent in this film this is all rather flat and uninspiring. It's as if the script deliberately went for cliché or at least just took an easy route. Considering the potential with the themes here this is a real shame. Susan Sarandon is the family matriarch who is slowly dying of a wasting disease. In agreement with her husband (Sam Neill) and family she intends to take her own life with assistance from hubby. They all meet up at the family home for one last weekend together also joined by her best friend (Lindsay Duncan). But her two daughters played by Kate Winslet and Mia Wasikowska start to feel old family wounds reopening and this begins to scupper mum's careful plan. So we have the main theme about assisted dying wrapped up in a melodrama that has a gay couple, a repressed daughter and a wayward one, loads of family arguments around the dinner table over a sneaky joint. The shame of it is that Winslet is somewhat miscast, Wasikowska plays a role she can do blindfolded and deserved better and Sarandon and Neill are clearly just coasting. The film never really goes anywhere worth the effort of the viewing time. Much promise but a let down.

A formulaic action cop thriller with some overtones about police racism and corruption. Naomie Harris is rookie New Orlean cop Alicia who, after two tours in Afghanistan whilst in the army, has returned to her hometown and is shocked by the casual racism she witnesses day to day by her colleagues. When she inadvertently captures crooked cop, Malone (Frank Grillo), shooting a young black man in cold blood on her body cam she becomes hunted by Malone's team of corrupt cops and the local bigwig gangster. Only the cop wary Mouse (Tyrese Gibson) can help her. The plot has holes you can drive a bus through and the action scenes are fairly routine. Overall its a mediocre film and Harris deserves better.

A firm favourite among many. A Boys Own war adventure based on a real events and characters although, like all films based on a historical incident, it's not to be considered an accurate reconstruction. Indeed many of the characters are much different from their real counterparts and the battle itself was fought much differently. It's interesting that this film often stirs a false sense of patriotism from those who tend to rely on cinema for their history lessons. This is the story of the 1879 battle of Rorke's Drift, a small missionary station and hospital in the heart of Zulu country in South Africa. Understanding the British intentions of colonial suppression over their traditional land the Zulu nation launch an attack against the British army and destroy over a thousand troops before moving onto the isolated mission where less than a hundred soldiers are stationed. An inexperienced Engineer officer, Chard (Stanley Baker) organises a defence of the station aided by posh officer, Bromhead (Michael Caine - in his first major film role). The film is beautifully shot and the battle, which takes up most of the film, is brilliantly edited. It's gritty and exciting stuff and very rousing too. For those who pay attention the film does condemn the British presence and tries to highlight the broad racist culture of colonialism. But as a stirring war adventure this is a film that you'll struggle to beat. With a great support cast that includes Jack Hawkins and the real Zulu King Cetawayo this is a film that, if you get a chance, is worth seeing on a big cinema screen for the sheer spectacle of it. If you have by some chance never seen this then it's a must see film.

A superb British drama about a doomed friendship set in Scotland in the mid 1990s. The film is an evocation of the period when raves were the draw for disenchanted youth and the film sets itself at the time when the controversial Criminal Justice Bill was about to become law effectively banning raves but bizarrely insisting the music had to have a repetitive beat! There's a marvellous scene of riot police breaking up the rave at the centre of the story and beating their truncheons on riot shields in time with the rave music. At it's heart this a story of a bromance between Johnno (Cristian Ortega) and Spanner (Lorn MacDonald) who have bonded over their love of banging techno music. Their friendship is doomed as Johnno is moving to a new upmarket housing estate and Spanner is stuck in a seedy flat with his bullying criminal brother. The two risk all by going to an all night rave with a bunch of n'er do wells. There's an earthy humour and honesty to the film that reminded me of the films of Shane Meadows but also Northern Soul (2014) and the influence of Transporting (1996). Shot is bleak black and white to reflect the blandness of the friends lives with splashes of colour as they almost reach a state of nirvana and happiness at the rave. A clever film that is a real surprise and well worth checking out.

One of the greatest film comedies, a cult classic and a loving tribute to the Universal 'monster' films of the 1930s. It is literally hilarious and having seen it so many times it never fails to have me in stitches. It's always difficult to ascertain if this was influenced by Monty Python or they were influenced by Mel Brooks, probably a bit of both, but this is zany comedy that works on every level not least because you can see that Gene Wilder is in the verge of corpsing in nearly every scene. He plays Dr Frederick Frankenstein (he prefers Fronkensteen) and resents association with his grandfather, the famous Baron who reanimated dead people. But forced to travel to the family castle in Transylvania to get an inheritance he discovers the old laboratory and notes on the means to bring the dead to life and proceeds to do just that with the help of Igor (Marty Feldman) and a beautiful assistant, Inga (Teri Garr). There are so many memorable scenes and a great cameo from Gene Hackman ("I was going to make espresso") but it's Wilder and Feldman who are a riot here. Marty Feldman is often forgotten for the brilliant screen comedian he was. And of course this is probably director Mel Brooks best film, and one of the few in which he didn't appear himself, he certainly had a keen eye for film comedy of a style that borders between daft to outrageous and is all the funnier for it. This is a must see film and if you've never seen it then it is a real treat.