Film Reviews by GI

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,

A competent crime thriller, if a little hackneyed. Joel Kinnamen plays Pete, a former convict now working for a big time Polish drug baron in New York but secretly informing to the FBI in the guise of Rosamund Pike and her boss Clive Owen. When the big sting operation that will see Pete free of the criminal life goes awry he is forced by his handlers to go back to prison to infiltrate the bad guys operation inside. This is all a testosterone filled implausible story but it rattles along at a reasonable pace, has a fair few action scenes that have all been done before but the cast makes up for its failings, including Common and Ana de Armas. Perfectly watchable.

This New York based crime drama gives us probably the best performance from Adam Sandler who we normally see in paltry comedies. Here he plays Howard Ratner, a once successful gemstone dealer who's gambling addiction has led him into serious debt with some nasty guys. He hopes to turn everything around with an illegally imported black opal from Ethiopia which he believes is worth a fortune. But at every turn Howard is thwarted and the risks to his life get greater and greater. What's really enthralling about this film is Sandler's portrayal of Howard as ever optimistic even when his whole life is falling apart. It really is a stunning performance in an energetic and very watchable film with Scorsese influences at every turn. I enjoyed it and there's no doubt director brothers Benny and Josh Safdie will be making films to look out for.

If you love Kramer Vs Kramer (1979) then you will find it's influence here in this fantastic drama from director Noah Baumbach in what is probably his best film to date. The opening scenes where married couple Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) deliver a list of why they fell in love with each other is a heartwarming opening montage that is actually the opening salvoes in an increasingly destructive divorce. She is a successful actor and he a theatre director who have a young son Henry (Ahzy Robertson), they live in New York but Nicole goes to Los Angeles, where she originates, to appear in a new TV pilot, when this becomes a series she wants to stay there with Henry but Charlie wants Henry to return to their home. An acrimonious divorce then develops aided by the nastiness employed by divorce lawyers (Laura Dern & Ray Liotta - both fantastic performances here). It's in turn heart wrenching and amusing and the two central performances are so good I'll be surprised if awards are not forthcoming. Alan Alda has a nice cameo as a down to earth and gentle grandfatherly older lawyer. The film has some painful scenes but it's blended with regrets over lost love, fear of loss and I've no doubt reflects the utter despair when break ups go awry. A must see film.

A thoroughly clichéd, predictable and ultimately a tiring third film featuring Secret Service (super) agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler). This time he's framed for an assassination attempt on the President (Morgan Freeman, who has gradually risen up the ranks through the three films), escapes custody and is then chased around by the bad guys and the FBI until deciding to get his estranged Dad (Nick Nolte) to help him and eventually giving himself up! Cue lots of shooting, explosions and the odd building being demolished, sadly just a hospital in this one, a tad disappointing after half of London was destroyed in the last film. It's all complete nonsense of course and Butler continues his beefy action man stuff that he does in nearly everything nowadays. There's a good support cast including Danny Huston and Tim Blake Nelson but along with Freeman and Nolte they probably did it for the money. Indeed the most disappointing thing is that Nolte is underused and he's the best thing in the film. Hopefully that's the lot and we'll not have to have another.

Immensely influential and setting new standards in screen violence director Akira Kurosawa was influenced by the films of John Ford and Howard Hawks and in turn he became a major influence on other directors. His epic film Seven Samurai (1954) was remade as The Magnificent Seven (1960) and Sergio Leone took Yojimbo and remade it as A Fistful Of Dollars (1964). Yojimbo is an exciting action film set in feudal Japan. A 'Ronin' (or masterless samurai) (Toshirô Mifune) arrives in a dirty town and discovers it's run by two rival gangs. He manipulates both sides in a plan to rid the town of all of them. Shot in widescreen , which was not liked by Hollywood directors at the time, Kurosawa created a rundown world of corruption and effectively demystified the samurai code which had been so damaging to his country in the Second World War. This is a violent and exciting film although the Japanese theatrical style of screen acting may seem unusual today it is a masterpiece of cinema and much praised in studies of cinema. There's plenty of swordplay, and a clever use of imagery to represent the collapse of the society and morals (images of dogs appear regularly). Much of Kurosawa's style and images heavily influenced cinematic action to this day and consequently this is a I urge every film fan to see. Great stuff.

The Tarantino film that Tarantino didn't direct. But as the writer his style and influence are all over it and it's often thought to be one of his directorial efforts, it is though one of Tony Scott's best films. Interestingly it struggled to find an audience on initial release probably because of the slightly misleading title and a struggle in marketing the film. However it has since gained a massive following and is something of a cult movie. It is a romance at heart with Christian Slater's geeky Clarence (clearly Tarantino wrote a lot of himself into the character) meeting hooker Alabama (Patricia Arquette) and they both fall in love. When Clarence tries to extricate Alabama from the clutches of her pimp, Drexl (a magnificent Gary Oldman) he finds himself in possession of a suitcase full of cocaine and they head off to LA to sell it, but the mob and eventually the police end up on their tail. The film is littered with memorable characters including Dennis Hopper as Clarence's father, a malevolent Sicilian mafia boss played by Christopher Walken, Brad Pitt as a dopehead, James Gandolfini as a mobster and an early role for Samuel L. Jackson. You'll also spot Val Kilmer if you pay close attention. The script is witty, the violence typical comic book style found in most Tarantino films with a dramatic shoot out in the film's climax. Arquette is beautiful and arguably in her best role and certainly Slater has never topped this film. Yes it's all very adult, over the top and brilliantly humorous and very entertaining so if by some small chance you've never seen this then it's a must see, you will not regret it.

Less a remake of the 1969 film but a new adaptation of the source novel and a lot closer to it. In the hands of the Coen Brothers this is a particularly interesting and commendable film (garnering ten Oscar nominations, although winning none). It's always tempting to compare to the John Wayne earlier version but viewers should try to avoid this as far as possible. There are similar scenes and the story arc is approximately the same but the Coens have created a revisionist style and combined it with a mystical journey narrative. As soon as the main characters cross the river on their hunt they enter a land of strange characters that can be viewed as almost fantastical and Jeff Bridges is their guide. He plays Marshall 'Rooster' Cogburn, "a pitiless man fear don't enter into his thinking", who is hired by the headstrong fourteen year old Mattie (Hailee Steinfeld) to catch her father's murderer, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). The trouble is Mattie insists on going along too into the wild Indian Nation territory of Arkansas, a land inhabited by misfits and violent criminals. Tagging along is LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), a Texas ranger also after Chaney. The Coens have a skill at nuanced storytelling and treat their audience respectfully allowing the viewer to work out the issues as they play out. There is merciless violence here and the wilderness is reflected in the savagery of the characters. It's a film about death and an obsession with it, but it's also a film about passion, devotion and revenge and it's really a modern masterpiece. This is definitely a film to check out and if you fell into the trap of comparison with the first version because of your love for John Wayne then I urge you to give this another go, it's worth it and you will not be disappointed.

Hugely watchable and entertaining western probably more famed for being John Wayne's Oscar win for Best Actor although he'd been better quite a few times before and this is more like his 'honorary' win for services rendered. Viewed today it's the rather wonderful cinematography that shines through as the film has some lovely views of the Colorado mountains and forests although the story is set in Arkansas, a more poignant setting than the usual dusty desert scenarios of westerns. Wayne plays US Marshall 'Rooster' Cogburn, a curmudgeonly and tough hombre recruited by a young girl (Kim Darby) to bring her father's killer to justice. Cogburn's a drunk and unreliable but ultimately comes across as a sort of uncle figure. This is at odds with the character from the novel where Cogburn is quite nasty and ruthless and the version that Jeff Bridges employs in the 2010 remake. The film is hampered by the casting of country singer Glenn Campbell as a Texas ranger, he's simply awful and totally wooden and a better actor would have improved the film because the sparring with Wayne is part of the story. Darby too has come into some criticism for her portrayal too not least from Wayne but for the most part she does give a quite nuanced performance and especially as her character is designed to be bolshy but naïve it's easy to dislike her. In any case this is Wayne's film and one of his last good ones at that. Support from Robert Duvall and an early role for Dennis Hopper adds appeal. If you like a good western then this does the job.

This may not be director John Hillcoat's best film by a long way but its still a fine action packed crime thriller that has the influences of Heat (1995) about it. With an all star cast this has some gritty action set pieces, a strong if occasionally overly convoluted plot and some bloody violence. Chiwitel Ejiofor plays Michael, a former Special Forces soldier, who heads a tight crew of criminals that includes several corrupt cops. Michael is under the control of a Russian mobster, Irina (Kate Winslet, suitably menacing) who orders him to carry out two complex heists in order to steal some very particular items. The first nearly goes wrong when one of the gang (Aaron Paul) gets greedy and the second is highly risky. The gang decide that they need a huge diversion to draw the police away from the scene of the second heist and plan to murder a police officer, Chris (Casey Affleck), which will cause all the police to head towards the police murder. But loyalties in the gang become very fraught! Woody Harrelson heads the team of detectives investigating the gang and Anthony Mackie, Gal Gadot and Norman Reedus co star. All the characters are neatly drawn with various flaws and agendas and there's some terrific chase scenes and shoot outs. All round it's thoroughly enjoyable and definitely worth checking out.

Director Michael Apted's first feature film adapted from a short novel by H.E. Bates and like Bates' novels this captures the eerie splendidness of the English countryside in this warped romance. Glenda Jackson plays Alice who faithfully tenders her family farm during the Second World War with her husband a prisoner of war. One day she finds a young soldier, Barton (Brian Deacon), wandering across her fields and invites him to share a meal. Soon they become lovers and Barton, a conscript who hates the army, decides to go AWOL and stay with Alice who has the idea to pass him off as her sister, Jill. But 'Jill' finds she is appealing to a bullish army sergeant (Oliver Reed) a situation that increases the risk of discovery for Barton and Alice. Reed is inspired casting here, frightening yet somehow vulnerable too and Jackson is excellent as the lonely woman who briefly finds comfort in the arms of a younger man. An interesting British drama that has probably been forgotten nowadays but worth checking out to see Reed and Jackson together on screen in another memorable partnership following Women In Love (1969).

There's real humanity and real anger in this complex drama that taps into the Black Lives Matter Movement. This follows the aftermath of a police shooting of a black man in New York with a ripple effect narrative that follows three men who find themselves caught up in the incident albeit in three quite separate ways. Manny (Anthony Ramos) witnesses the shooting of his friend and films it on his phone and soon finds the cops responsible making his life extremely difficult. Dennis (John David Washington) is a NYPD patrolman who knows that the cop responsible is prone to racial violence and despite being the subject of continuous racial bias himself when off duty he finds he is in a dilemma when asked to cooperate with an internal investigation. Finally Zee (Kelvin Harrison Jr) is a conscientious student with a promising career in baseball but who decides to take a stand in the community action protesting the police over the shooting. The film has emotional tilts that keep you watching and really caring how the characters turn out and even though one of them disappears from the story without us getting to know his fate this only enhances the power of the story. There are little incidents in the film that really highlight the attitudes in American society that cause deep wounds and in that sense this is a brilliantly written and directed film and worth checking out.

A massive homage to the 70s B movies and the giant bug films of the 50s this has become a firm cult favourite because it's simply great fun, has two great actors in the lead roles clearly having a ball of a time. It's a rollicking ride too with an early build up followed by full on action. Val (Kevin Bacon) and Earl (Fred Ward) are two bored handymen living in a ramshackle Arizona town that has a population of just 14. As they dream of hitting the high life in the nearest city the town becomes besieged by strange creatures that live underground and can hunt by detecting vibrations. This is neatly constructed and edited and has some funny characters not least the survivalist/gun nut couple, Burt and Heather (Michael Gross, Reba McEntire) and there are some clever little references to other films which it's fun to spot (Jaws being an obvious one). The relationship between Val & Earl is a nice take on male friendship and they give the film a real heart. Whilst it has a low budget vibe to match the links with the creature features of the past this is a very accomplished pice of hokum and its worth seeking out if you've never seen it because it is really very good.