Film Reviews by GI

This is an eerie almost folk horror film although it's difficult to put it in one box; historical drama tinged with dark thriller maybe. Set in England of 1657 and Fanny (Maxine Peake) lives on a remote Shropshire farm with her young son and her ex soldier husband John (Charles Dance). He fought in the Cromwellian army and has the puritanical view of the world that society has now embraced. Fanny suppresses her natural intelligence and inquisitive nature under his domineering stature. Into their domestic life arrives a young couple, Thomas (Freddie Fox) and Rebecca (Tanya Reynolds) who appear to be on the run hunted by a sheriff and his lackey. Under some threats John agrees they can stay for awhile but their presence will change the lives of the entire family. This is certainly a strange tale and thematically deals with sexual freedom and emancipation focusing on christianity as a religion of love rather than oppression. I found it a little talky and ponderous at times as it moves inexorably towards a reasonably predictable outcome. Peake is very good here as the tough, yet confused Fanny and her performance is worth seeing this film.

A belated sequel arriving ten years after the original with a story set ten years on. The trouble is this really struggles to conjure up any sense of fun or originality and appears to be one for diehard fans of the first film. The ten years is one of the key problems because you have to be a real fan of Zombieland (2009) to remotely get the in-jokes that are liberally sprinkled throughout this sequel but now mean very little. The slightly dysfunctional family unit of Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) are becoming fed up with each other and are living in the remains of The White House. With zombies evolving into more dangerous adversaries the two girls head off on their own and Columbus finds Madison (Zoey Deutch) hiding in the shopping mall. They head off to find the girls and then relationship problems become all the more difficult. The need for easy money must be at the heart of the decision to make this film because despite a great vision of an apocalyptic USA and a really funny performance from Deutch as a dizzy and dumb blonde this fails to live up to much. Rosario Dawson and Luke Wilson offer supporting roles and their are some homages to the zombie sub-genre but other than that a forgettable film.

This is a charming, thoughtful and slightly offbeat drama about one woman's mental illness. Sally Hawkins is Jane, a young woman who suffers from depression and schizophrenia following being stood up at the altar years before (Morfydd Clark plays her in flashbacks). The narrative guides us through Jane's life, a sort of tonal journey, where she hears voices including the fiancé who jilted her, and her bewilderment at the world around her especially her dysfunctional family including selfish sister Nicola (Billie Piper), her older sister and only real friend Alice (Alice Lowe) and her monster of a mother (Penelope Wilton). She almost finds some respite in a weird relationship with the bizarre Mike (David Thewlis). There's comedy, some of it laugh out loud, sadness and at times some real dread too as we are carried into Jane's inner world. Hawkins, who is always worth seeing in anything, is magnificent here and indeed the whole cast are excellent. The film's message that 'normal' may actually be quite boring is both funny and something to actually think about. Ultimately I found this quite a rewarding film and definitely one to check out.

This is a powerful and bleak British social drama that focuses on the exploitation of children to run drugs for criminals from large cities into smaller towns. Conrad Khan in a really good, sullen performance plays Tyler, a disengaged 14 year old who lives on a London estate with his single mother and younger sister. He finds glamour and excitement by running drugs for Simon, a ruthless street dealer. Tyler quickly sees the seedy underbelly of the trade and eventually violence comes his way. This is a compelling film but the narrative is predictable and there are a host of similar dramas quite like this so it comes across as a little clichéd at times. However, it is extremely well acted although occasionally the direction by Henry Blake seems a little heavy handed and unsubtle. Worth checking out though.

What a thoroughly stupid film! Lovable, with a twinkle in his eye, Will Smith is meant to be the ultimate black ops assassin wanting to retire to peace and tranquility but his last super skilled hit has repercussions and he finds he's targeted by his old boss, a creepy Clive Owen. I'm not sure why, it's a bit of a muddle, but Clive has an ace up his sleeve. A clone of Will, albeit 30 years younger, who has all his skills and none of his conscience. This cues some chases, shoot outs and a ridiculous plot where everyone just buys into it without any thought or even a gasp! Smith has been digitally de-aged to play his younger self, whether you're impressed with this is a matter of opinion. Director Ang Lee shot this at 60fps instead of the normal 24fps giving the film a very sharp and detailed look but it soon becomes wearing and looks like a video game or a cartoon. Mary Elizabeth Winstead supports as a sympathetic agent and gets to do a lot of shooting and fighting too even though she has to get undressed for reasons unknown. Will Smith clearly wants to be an action hero but this pseudo-James Bond stuff is not right for him, he needs to stick to something that better fits his screen persona. International hit man he ain't!

Martin Scorsese's return to the gangster genre doesn't disappoint although this isn't the adrenaline rush of Goodfellas (1990) and is a more contemplative story. Robert De Niro is Frank Sheeran, a mob hitman who we first meet as a very old man in a nursing home recounting his life and relationship with mob boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci in a stunning performance) and eventually with notorious union boss Jimmy Hoffa (a typically shouty performance from Al Pacino). Sheeran expresses both regret and conviction in detailing the murders he commits told in various lengthy flashbacks. And length maybe an issue as this is Scorsese's longest film to date coming in at three and a half hours. That might be an issue for some and the film can feel like it's dragging at times. But the weight of the performances and the sudden, shocking violence keeps you watching. The story and disappearance of Hoffa has become almost a mythological issue in the US and this film offers an answer to the mystery and one to which the narrative builds but it's in the subtleties of the film that it's brilliance is to be found, such as Sheeran's relationship with his daughter Peggy (Anna Paquin) who soon sees what her father is and remains coldly distant from him which affects Sheeran deeply and the conflict between Hoffa and Tony Pro (Stephen Graham who exudes restrained violence always ready to explode at any moment). These are moments and scenes which mark this as a major work. This is not Scorsese's best film by any stretch but it's certainly a worthy one and I highly recommend it.

In the novel First Blood by David Morrell the main character Rambo dies at the end. What a pity that when the 1982 film adaptation was made the character was allowed to survive. That first outing for the character is actually a decent action thriller with something interesting to say about bigotry and combat PTSD. Then we had a series of awful sequels resulting in this latest one. This is a clumsily scripted, exploitative and ultra violent thriller (and it appears the decision to go for all out gratuitous bloodshed was deliberate) and its a bit of a travesty. Basically the story is a hybrid of Taken (2008) and Man On Fire (2004), both far superior films, where the pretty niece of John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone), now a humble but still troubled rancher, foolishly heads off to Mexico to look for her no good father, falls into the hands of sex traffickers and needs her violent and vengeful uncle to come and rescue her. The results are horrific to say the least and sadly there's nothing redeeming in the story or it's presentation. Indeed this is the perfect Trumpian film, exposing the weak border with Mexico where lurk very nasty criminals just waiting to kidnap wholesome American girls!! And sadly the narrative here doesn't even allow for the female to play a part in her own revenge she must wait for crusty old uncle to save her! Stallone has hinted at another instalment despite the title of this film but hopefully he'll see just how bad this is. A shame in a way because in the enjoyable Creed films he neatly sidelined his Rocky character and that's what's needed here too.

An atmospheric, ominous horror psychodrama with two stunning central performances. This is how a good horror film should be, a slow build up to something quite terrifying with clear disturbing signals along the way. Morfydd Clark plays Maud, a young nurse who has recently found God and lives a pious life believing the she can hear God through her prayers. She is sent to the isolated seaside home of Amanda (Jennifer Ehle), a once celebrated dancer and now dying of cancer. Maud's duties include cooking, cleaning and generally caring for Amanda who can be very prickly and difficult. Maud comes to believe that God wants her to save Amanda's soul, a tormented process that gradually pushes Maud to extremes. This is all told in a taut, visually impressive film with Amanda's hilltop house resembling a gothic haunted country retreat and Maud appearing to be a timid loner but who is slowly descending into madness. Her attempts at retaining normality instantly fail and the film moves inexorably to a quite horrific climax. British horror has a long history and when it's good, it's damn good and this is a fresh, impressive and disturbing addition to the genre. Recommended.

It's always a risky business satirising Nazism especially when the narrative is played out through the eyes of a child. This comedy plays it quite safe and comes out with plenty of laughs and occasionally tips into the brutality of the Nazi regime. Whether this works will be a matter of personal opinion. Set in Germany in 1944 and ten year old JoJo (Roman Griffin Davis) lives with his mother (Scarlett Johansson). With his father away serving in the war JoJo is a member of the Hitler Youth and has been indoctrinated in the propaganda of the state. But when he attends a weekend camp he finds he has no appetite for the lessons on killing and he ends up back at home with menial chores to perform. Without a father figure he has created Adolf Hitler as his imaginary friend (director Taika Waititi) and seeks his guidance when he has doubts about the future of Germany and nazism. Then one day JoJo finds a young Jewish girl, Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) in the attic where she is being hidden by his mother. Their relationship gradually changes JoJo's outlook. Believe it or not there's plenty of comedy found here and there are laugh out loud moments. But equally there are some shocking moments and combat scenes. I'm not convinced these worked within what the film is trying to achieve but where the film studies the manipulation of children there is something interesting to be seen. The support cast are good especially Sam Rockwell as a German officer now reduced to being in charge of the local Hitler Youth, Stephen Merchant as a cartoonish Gestapo officer and Rebel Wilson is here doing her usual thing. An interesting film, and certainly a funny one and worth checking out even though it's a little imbalanced and the slapstick and the seriousness occasionally don't quite mix.

With any Nicolas Cage film you never quite know whether you're going to get rage Cage, trippy Cage or demure and serious Cage. With this horror/scifi hybrid you get elements of all three and it's makes for a rather enjoyable, psychedelic, phantasmagorical film. Cage is Nathan, a former artist, who now lives in a gothic style old country house in an ancient forest with his family, where he breeds alpacas. One night a strangely glowing meteorite lands in their garden and afterwards the flora & fauna begin to change and then soon Cage and his family too. First with mood swings and tantrums followed by physical transformations. There's some scary bits and some funny bits too, and yes the whole thing is downright bizarre but very, very watchable too and you'll end up enjoying this despite yourself. It has the feel of a good ol' Hammer Horror. Adapted from a short story by H.P. Lovecraft, which if you're familiar with his work, has all the traits you'd expect. Interestingly the story has been adapted before in the 1965 British horror film Die Monster Die which set the story in Cornwall (it's worth checking out if you can find it nowadays). Here British director Richard Stanley has added some interesting modern day aspects including a homage to John Carpenter's 1982 film The Thing. This is well worth checking out especially as it's Cage at his best.

Here's an example of why genre cinema is so fulfilling. The ability of a skilful director and writer (Rian Johnson wrote & directed this) to satisfy his audience whilst playfully subverting their expectations. This whodunnit is a homage to Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes et al which delivers laughs, twists and sheer thrills in equal number. In a gothic style old country house elderly and famous mystery novel author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer - still brilliant as always) is found dead on his 85th birthday. Suicide appears the obvious reason but famous sleuth Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) has been hired by an anonymous person to investigate and he quickly suspects foul play. This opens the narrative up to showing the possible motives of various members of the family and a convoluted twist and turn plot that includes flashbacks to a party held on the night of the 'murder', and inevitably towards a final reveal. It's marvellously entertaining and with a superb cast including Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon and Toni Collette. So if you love a good mystery thriller then look no further, this fits the bill perfectly.

Part caper, part crime thriller and part morality tale this is a glitzy and powerful film about women taking control albeit in a questionable way. Constance Wu plays Destiny, a young New York based woman struggling for money and taking care of her ageing grandmother. She takes a job as a lap dancer/stripper in a Club frequented by rich Wall Street bankers. She is taken under the wing of Ramona (Jennifer Lopez) who knows exactly how to operate in the seedy environment and soon she's making large amounts of cash. But then the 2008 financial crash occurs and the clientele drys up leaving all the girls struggling until Ramona teaches them all how to 'fish'. This amounts to picking up men in bars, getting them drunk and drugged and then milking their credit cards. Things go well for awhile but then it all starts to unravel. Although a fictional story this is based on an exposé article that identified the practices that the film portrays. The film looks at the uncomfortable relationship of lurid male desires fuelled by wealth and the exploitation that results on both sides of the sexual divide and it tries to judge where the line should be drawn. It's not always successful in this regard. There's some amusing episodes in the film and some very uncomfortable ones and the narrative signposts that something is going to go terribly wrong so there are no big surprises. However the performances are all sound especially Lopez and the film is well worth checking out.

This is a highly effective psychological thriller cum futuristic horror film. Without any explanations as to the origins or purpose the story is set in a strange prison known as 'The Hole' where two people occupy each cell, with one cell on every level. Each day for two minutes a platform containing a sumptuous feast of food is lowered through to each cell. The platform contains enough food to feed all if those at the upper level, who get access to it first, only take what they need. Inevitably they stuff themselves leaving nothing for those on the lower levels. Each month the occupants wake up on a different level never knowing whether they will be higher or lower and consequently will get lots of food or very little if any. The story focuses on Goreng (Ivan Massagué) who has volunteered to complete six months in the Hole in return for a social reward. His cell mate is an old man who teaches him the rules and has been imprisoned for one year after accidentally killing a man. Goreng quickly learns that if the higher levels ration themselves no-one will go hungry. He has to persuade others to his way of thinking. The concept here is a very clever one based on theories of social conscience, greed and human hypocrisy. There's some quite unsettling aspects to the story and some of it is shocking but what an interesting little film and certainly one worth checking out.

This latest adaptation of Charles Dickens celebrated novel is a real treat. In the hands of director Armando Iannucci it has that Pythonesque absurdity and great comedy he always brings to his films. This makes it highly original and it zips along at a wonderful pace. The film puts great emphasis on Dickens' bizarre and eccentric characters and reinforces them beautifully. Most important is Iannucci's choice of casting and the deliberate ignoring of the actors ethnicity. It simply works and of course resonates so wonderfully in the modern world. If you are unfamiliar with the story, young David Copperfield is raised by his widowed mother who dotes on him but when she remarries his new stepfather is cruel and sends him off to a life of hardship in a bottling factory. When his mother later dies David finds his Aunt and his fortunes turn for the better but it's not to last as the family is defrauded by the sinister and creepy Uriah Heep. The cast are all impeccable with Dev Patel in the title role, the always brilliant Tilda Swinton as the Aunt, Hugh Laurie hilariously funny as Mr Dick, Ben Whishaw as Heep, Peter Capaldi as the ever optimistic Mr Micawber and loads of others. This is a really enjoyable and funny film and one I highly recommend.

This big sprawling historical epic links aspects of Shakespeare's lyrical play with real history and manages to create a rather tawdry film in the process. A shame really because Timothée Chalmet's performance as the reluctant King Henry V is rather good. So here we have a young Henry or Hal to his mates spending his time drinking and whoring with his drunkard of a friend Falstaff (Joel Edgerton as a sort of Little John figure) - Falstaff is a direct lift from Shakespeare as he didn't really exist. His father Henry IV (Ben Mendelsohn in a nice cameo) disinherits him but Henry comes to the throne in any event and is then faced with treachery and political intrigue and forced into a war with France which culminates in the Battle of Agincourt. The final battle is a little anti-climactic although it does stick as close as possible to how the real battle went although it lessens the mythological impact of the longbow's decisive use. Indeed the battle scenes are very reminiscent of The Battle of the Bastards from Game of Thrones, a strong influence on the film as a whole. Overall this is a bit too long, has many things going for it but ultimately it's disappointing,