Film Reviews by GI

After the box office success of The Poseidon Adventure (1972) disaster stories became very popular and so began a short cycle of such films and The Towering Inferno was probably the biggest and best. With an all star cast headed by Paul Newman and Steve McQueen it also boasted great special effects, action scenes and some grisly deaths. It's also skilfully written ensuring that the main protagonists are involved in various dangerous episodes throughout the story culminating in the climactic ending. Newman is architect Doug Roberts who returns to San Francisco for the opening night of a huge skyscraper called the Glass Tower, which he designed and was built by millionaire Jim Duncan (William Holden). There's to be a big party in the luxurious promenade near to the top of the building attended by politicians and local celebrities. But a small fire breaks out in a storeroom on a mid level floor and soon spreads caused by poor wiring and shoddy materials having been used by Duncan. The Fire Department led by ace fireman O'Halloran (McQueen) battles to save the hundreds trapped at the top of the building. For a long film this doesn't hang about and the action begins quickly and with a good script it manages to introduce the multitude of characters and their respective stories at the same time making for a great enthralling film. The cast of characters includes Faye Dunaway as Newman's lover, Richard Chamberlain as the cowardly son in law of Duncan, and Fred Astaire as a conman turned hero. Robert Vaughn, Robert Wagner, Jennifer Jones all make appearances mostly in order to be killed in nasty ways. This is a really tremendous and exciting big budget film and as the pinnacle of the disaster films it's definitely one I highly recommend if you've never seen it.

Arguably Orson Welles greatest film, certainly as director and possibly for acting too. A dark, noir thriller that pushed boundaries when it was made and had a controversial release after the studio made cuts that Welles hated. In an impassioned letter he laid out how he thought the film should be shown and in 1998 a restored version was released based on the vision written in this letter. I recommend this version to anyone watching the film today. It's a masterpiece of American cinema and has one of the most odious and malevolent characters ever seen on film in the form of Captain Hank Quinlan, played by Welles himself in heavy make up. It's a tour de force performance and one you'll not easily forget. Set in a small Texas/Mexico border town and a car bomb explodes killing a man and woman. The explosion occurs on the US side of the border but its clear the device was planted on the Mexican side so the investigation is led by famed cop Quinlan assisted by Vargas (Charlton Heston), a Mexican detective who was on his honeymoon and has to look after his lovely wife (Janet Leigh). Quinlan soon has a suspect but when Vargas sees him plant evidence he begins to look into Quinlan's motives and past history. Starting with one of the most famous opening scenes in cinema history, a long tracking shot that culminates in the explosion and creating a tension as the car with the bomb navigates around the open streets and with a plot that was purposely designed to be confusing for the audience this is a film that really drags you in. With it's depictions of drugs, police corruption, perverse sex and violence this was a film that challenged the boundaries of the cinematic art form. It's been a huge influence since (check out 1997s L.A. Confidential as an example) and boasts a fantastic cast including Marlene Dietrich. A film I urge every film fan to see at least once, it maybe challenging to a modern audience but believe me this is an important and quite marvellous film.

A gateway film for youngsters into perhaps more adult fantasy and probably the sort of fantasy story that is really appealing to young teenagers who have been exposed to Tolkien and Harry Potter. This lacks the originality and the energy of director Joe Cornish' previous film, Attack The Block (2011) but does have its moments of horror although after awhile the nasties are all a bit boring. This is the story of Alex (Louis Ashbourne Serkis), a bullied schoolboy living with his mum in a Britain undergoing some international tensions. One evening he finds a sword buried in a block of stone and is then visited by a strange teenager who tells him he is descended from King Arthur and must start to prepare to fight the evil Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson) who is soon to rise from the Underworld. The sword is Excalibur, the stranger is Merlin (Angus Imrie) and there's magic, evil dead knights, etc etc. You can see the influence of John Boorman's Excalibur (1981) and the various fantasy franchises of recent years and simply put this is a group of kids who are given some magical powers and have to save the world (or in this case their school) from an evil queen. There's some vague themes about bullies and the children being the future of the world but its all a bit undercooked and routine. Ferguson is the best thing in the film but woefully underused and Patrick Stewart has a cameo. Kids will love it though.

Whilst showing great promise this is half baked crime drama that has echoes of Widows (2018) and by the end it's a bit of a shallow and empty film that doesn't seem to know what it wants to be, comedy/drama, gangster.....???? Set in the late 1970s in New York's Hells Kitchen area the wives of three Irish hoodlums, Kathy (Melissa McCarthy), Ruby (Tiffany Haddish) and Claire (Elisabeth Moss), are left destitute when their husbands are imprisoned. So they decide to take over the protection rackets pushing out the incumbent gangster. The trouble is everyone has an agenda and its difficult to trust anyone. There's some violence and the odd squeamish scene, there's some comedy, some melodrama and some gangster stuff, mixed together it all feels unstructured which is a shame because in there is a potentially good film. The support cast isn't bad, Domhnall Gleeson as a hitman and James Badge Dale as one of the husbands but sadly this is a disappointing film.

This is a nifty reinterpretation of Philip K. Dick's original novel and best enjoyed without making too many comparisons to the 1990 version directed by Paul Verhoeven. That film has a big fanbase and had a tongue-in-cheek originality and style to it whereas this newer version goes for more visual science fiction tropes. There is clear homage to Blade Runner (1982) in the images of a dystopian future world and the influence of Bourne & Bond is all over the action sequences. In the late 21st Century much of the Earth is uninhabitable and humanity is crammed into New Britain or The Colony (basically Australia). Humble factory worker Doug Quaid (Colin Farrell) and his beautiful wife Lori (Kate Beckinsale) live in New Britain and Doug commutes to the Colony via the 'Fall', a massive transport that passes through the Earth's core each day taking workers back and forth. Feeling life has more to offer he attempts to take a virtual holiday via a memory implant but this goes wrong and Doug begins to believe he's really a former intelligence agent who worked for corrupt Governor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston) but has since joined a rebellion led by Mathias (Bill Nighy). For reasons he cannot fathom his memory has been wiped but of course it could all be a dream! Story wise the plot is identical to the 1990 film more or less although this film stays on Earth and there are no trips to Mars, in that sense it's closer to the original novel. There are more superb effects and the world of the future is impressively recreated with great vehicles (and a superbly executed futuristic car chase). The fights scenes are violent and fast although this is a less bloody film than the former one. Beckinsale is excellent as a murderous baddie and Farrell does well as the hero. This film has panache and it's really enjoyable with some neat sci-fi ideas. Don't dismiss this because you love the Schwarzenegger film this deserves to be appreciated. There's an extended director's cut available that adds some distinct clues to whether the plot is real of imagined so worth checking out.

Yesterday is your typical Richard Curtis penned fantasy romcom with character types he's used before most obviously in Notting Hill (1999). It's whimsical, wacky and yet simply a lovely little film with a star-in-the-making central performance from Himesh Patel. He plays Jack, a hard working busker cum pub singer/songwriter struggling to find his place in the music world and only believed in by his friend and manager Ellie (Lily James). Then after a 12 second worldwide power failure Jack finds he's the only person who remembers The Beatles who, along with Coca Cola and cigarettes, exist no more. He finds he can pass off their songs as his own and finds wealth and fame. As bizarre as this sounds the narrative works as a delightful film about regret, redemption and love with loads of really funny lines and scenes and with Ed Sheeran wonderfully sending himself up. Director Danny Boyle's films are always worth your time, he loves dabbling in all sorts of genres and here has made a neat piece of entertainment. A real delight, a British film that will have you laughing and crying.

Whilst the subject matter is dark this is a poignant, witty and unashamedly defiant social drama and coming-of-age film. It tells the story of Cameron (Chloë Grace Moretz), a teenager who is caught making out with another girl at the High School prom and is sent to a christian gay conversion therapy centre to 'cure' her of her same sex attraction sin. Already a little confused by her blossoming sexuality Cameron is further traumatised by the emotional abuse meted out by the head of the centre Dr Marsh (Jennifer Ehle) and her 'ex-gay' brother (John Gallagher Jr). But she finds comfort in the friendship of two misfits Jane (Sasha Lane) and Adam (Forrest Goodluck) who have found a way to deal with the daily round of accusations the young people all face from the staff. This is a powerful film told with aplomb and a warmth that highlights the frightening power exercised by ultra religious groups in the USA but also the plight of young men and women struggling to find their place in the world. A film well worth checking out and like Boy Erased (2018) it reveals the awful price of gay conversion therapy.

One of the most startlingly brilliant of modern American films. It's a warm, tender morality tale that delves into the issues of multimedia, obsession with reality TV and soap opera, consumerism and the philosophical themes of what is real, how we perceive the world and the effects of religion and belief in a creator. That's a lot for a film to encompass but The Truman Show manages it all with aplomb. This is also one of Jim Carrey's best films and performances and if you think of him as a zany, manic comic then this will surprise you. He plays Truman Burbank who lives in the idyllic picture postcard town of Seahaven. He grew up there and is married to Meryl (Laura Linney) and works now in an insurance company. He dreams of travel but seems forever trapped in his boring life. What he doesn't know is that the world of Seahaven is a construct and everyone else in his life is an actor pretending to be his friends, relatives and neighbours. All of his life is constantly watched and controlled under the management of Christof (Ed Harris), a megalomanic media mogul. But little incidents start to make Truman suspicious. This is so good, funny but very moving too and asks some interesting questions about modern life and our acceptance of the world we see and experience. This is a unique, intelligent and exceptionally well made film, it's a masterpiece and one you should definitely make sure you see.

This is an entertaining slice of escapism that keeps it's plot simple and well grounded which is a nice surprise in a film that is about a huge apocalyptic event and one that would usually have huge doses of expensive CGI. Here it's all much more restrained and all the better for it. Gerard Butler (often the poor mans action hero) plays John, a structural engineer, who is trying to patch up problems with his wife, Allison (Morena Baccarin) and dotes on his young son Nathan (Roger Dale Floyd). The news is full of reports about a comet that will soon pass close to the Earth and will be visible as it does so. But John receives a message telling him to report, with his family, to a military airbase where they are to be evacuated to a special shelter. It appears the government have been hiding the fact the comet will impact the planet. Their journey to safety will be a very difficult one as mass hysteria soon grips those left behind. The basic plot has echoes of Deep Impact (1998) in some scenes although Greenland is not a science fiction story and there's no space travel plot line. This is a film about a family trying to survive as the key event sets off the expected problems. It's all done at a good, solid pace with everyone involved on top form and best of all the film doesn't fall into the American trap of everyone arming themselves to shoot their way out of trouble. Butler is good here showing a vulnerability as he tries to save his family although not really knowing how. This is a good action drama with some good set piece scenes of the family in jeopardy from falling meteorites and desperate people. Well worth an evenings viewing.

This exploration of female sexuality and desire is a bit of a cold and uninteresting affair. Controversial for its graphic sex scenes they are the antipathy of the film's title but perhaps that's intentional. Marie (Caroline Ducey) is a young schoolteacher desperately in love with her boyfriend, Paul (Sagamore Stévenin) and they live together in their sterile apartment. Paul shuns intimacy and Marie is left feeling unwanted and yearning for sexual fulfilment which she explores in a series of encounters and fantasises. When at last Paul makes brief love to her she falls pregnant and this changes her resolve and the nature of her feelings for Paul. The need to push the boundary of what is cinematic depiction of sex and pornography clouds the theme of this film which would have been better in my view with a more restrained vision. What we have here is a quite unpleasant experience at times. As was proved with Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) and its tired sequels there is little to be gained by trying to be deliberately controversial and this earlier film confirms it. Romance has some admirable ideas around the mystery of female desire but sadly it doesn't do it any justice.

A really charming and entertaining lovers on the run road movie that is a real surprise. Daniel Kaluuya (in another arresting performance) is Earl, a law abiding, God fearing young man who goes on a first date with Angela (Jodie Turner-Smith, a rising star I have no doubt), she's a criminal lawyer and sharply intelligent. The date goes badly and it seems a second is unlikely but then on their way to dropping her at home they are pulled over by a cop, who gets angry, pulls his gun and events take a dramatic turn forcing the two to go on the run. There's elements of Bonnie & Clyde (1967) and even Thelma and Louise (1991) in the plot and the romance that develops as the two try to steer their way to freedom is touching and clever. Of course the drama, which adds lovely doses of good humour, has the tension it seeks with the pair accused of a crime in a racially divided America struggling to escape. Whilst the film is slightly long this doesn't detract as the story keeps you hooked throughout with its emotional honesty and suspense. A film well worth checking out, you will be pleasantly surprised at how good it is.

Lost for many years and now rediscovered, restored and available on DVD and BluRay this has been hailed as a modern masterpiece. It's a very powerful study of toxic masculinity, pushes boundaries even today and has some scenes that remain quite controversial. Set in the vast emptiness of the Australian outback where school teacher, John (Gary Bond) heads off home to Sydney from the tiny desert school he hates for the Christmas holidays. On his way his train stops at a township where he has to stay for one night before catching the next to complete his journey but getting drunk he gambles all his money away and finds himself stuck there in the company of a bunch of loutish, violent men. He gradually becomes more desperate to escape the town. The film has a hunt as a major set piece as the group of men drunkenly shoot kangaroos for fun. This is most definitely not for the squeamish and the extended scene is a very difficult one although highly relevant to the narrative. There's a sense of utter helplessness as John becomes more embroiled in depravity and starts acting like the others who have revolted him. I can see that the central theme here was likely an influence on Oliver Stone's U Turn (1997) and there are some grotesque characters not least Donald Pleasance' doctor who appears to have been trapped like John but has accepted his fate. This is not an enjoyable film, and the depiction of squalor and edgy violence does gets to you after awhile making this a very impactive film. It is well made and sits in those 70s films that looked closely at male violence such as Straw Dogs (1971) but its not a film that makes you want to watch more than once.

A somewhat bland psychological drama in which Eva Green plays Sarah who is overjoyed to be selected as one of the three man crew for a spaceflight to Mars as part of the European Space Agency program. The intense training and difficulties with the misogynistic team leader Mike (Matt Dillon) are hard but nothing compared to the unsettling trauma of the separation Sarah has to endure from her young daughter, Stella (Zélie Boulant - remarkable performance and the best thing about the film). It's in their relationship and it's gradual erosion that the drama is focused. The trouble is the film is anticlimactic and it settles for sentimentality and a huge dose of implausibility making it a disappointing affair. Eva Green gives a sound performance and there are times the film is very watchable but it lacks a sense of the dramatic which is tantalisingly hinted at but never forthcoming.

Here is a great wartime Boy's Own adventure film that sits alongside similar films from the same era such as The Great Escape (1963), The Bridge At Remagen (1969) etc. Hugely popular at the box office and they remain brilliantly entertaining today although some, like this one, don't get seen nearly as much as they should. These films shunned any attempt at war realism focusing instead on action, excitement and clichéd characters and with this being a Hollywood blockbuster this has an American star who is cleverer and braver than everyone else. Indeed there is an element of a clash-of-culture theme here with the thorny relationship between the American characters and the British ones. Frank Sinatra plays American Air Force Colonel Ryan who crash lands in Italy in 1943 and is sent to an Italian prisoner of war camp. He soon becomes embroiled in differences of opinion with the emotional British senior officer played by Trevor Howard. When Italy surrenders Ryan leads the whole camp in a bid for freedom by taking over a train and heading for Switzerland all the time hunted by the ruthless Germans. There's plenty of shooting, and some very tense scenes as the prisoners have to trick their way through various checkpoints etc with raincoat wearing Gestapo agents, and shouty SS officers. It's all great fun, it rollicks along at a fantastic pace and if you can suspend your incredulity at the ridiculousness of the whole thing you'll have a great time.

Villain sits as one of the series of London crime films of the 1970s and ranks alongside The Long Good Friday (1980). Richard Burton plays Vic Dakin, an embodiment of the Kray twins, a gay, London gangster who is a violent psychopath but obsessively loves his ageing mother. With his crew he rules by terror and when he plans and executes an armed robbery that doesn't go well Scotland Yard are soon on his tail. Burton seems a strange choice for the part and his performance was criticised as somewhat over the top but viewed today he captures the, perhaps hyped, portrayal of the violent London gangster from the 60s and 70s. At the time this was an especially risqué film with it's language and portrayal of sexual violence including the controlling gay relationship Vic enjoys with his young protegé Wolf (Ian McShane). The story encompasses corruption, police rule breaking (and in this sense its clearly an influence on the iconic TV series The Sweeney) and it highlights the control such criminals had on their territories in London. This film has a good eye for the rundown state of Britain's capital in these times and has those characters such as the bent car dealer, the seedy police informant, strippers, and even a depraved MP ripe for blackmail. A gripping, adult crime film that has that unique English realism that makes these films so good and make them somewhat nostalgic to watch today. The support cast includes Nigel Davenport, Colin Welland and Donald Sinden. This is a top British film of the 70s and one to check out if you've never seen it.