Film Reviews by GI

The English public school narrative with it's bully or be bullied life has been very well mined by filmmakers for years. This doesn't really offer much that's new, utilising the basic elements of the Cyrano de Bergerac story to tell the story of nerdy student Amberson (Alex Lawther), who is low down the food chain in a clichéd public school that gives more importance to it's tough rugby style game than teaching the boys the basics of life. He falls helplessly in love with Agnés (Pauline Etienne), the daughter of the new French teacher but she only has eyes for the handsome but dimwitted head boy, Winchester (Jonah Hauer-King). Amberson agrees to help Winchester to impress her but all the time his romantic efforts just show his own ever deepening love. The film has some humour but it's ultimately a bit of a lame film and Lawther deserves better than playing another posh nerd.

The story of the infamous 'Panama Papers' that revealed a web of dodgy, off shore corporate dealings and tax evasions told in a fictionalised series of stories narrated by the two businessman at the centre of it all, here played with a sort of cabaret cheerfulness by Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas. The main part of the story concerns Meryl Styreep's Ellen, whose husband is killed when a lake ferry capsizes while they are on holiday. When Ellen seeks to make claim for negligence she finds the insurance is mired in shady companies set up to avoid paying. So she begins her own investigation. The trouble is this is a messy film, it has other stories which help expose the two bad guys but some are short and some are long without any real sense of why. An extended story involving a businessman caught out having an affair by his daughter is given more screen time for no reason I can work out. There's no doubt that director Steven Soderbergh really wants to get this story told but the style and structure of the film makes it a tedious experience. Streep is clearly enjoying herself for reasons I won't spoil and the cast is prestigious including James Cromwell, Jeffrey Wright, Robert Patrick, David Schwimmer and Matthias Schoenaerts amongst others. An attempt to make a film about this scandal on the same lines as The Big Short (2015) but it's not as well told.

Michael Palin's first solo effort away from the Monty Python team and a film he wrote, scripted and stars in. This is a big step away from the Python zany comedy and much closer to the style of Palin's TV series Ripping Yarns. Essentially a comedy of manners set in 1906 and Palin is the enthusiastic yet naïve Reverend Charles Fortescue who returns to England after ten years as a missionary in Africa. He yearns to marry his fiancée Deborah but his Bishop (Denholm Elliott) gives him a new role to set up a mission in London for 'fallen women'. This sets the frustrated Charles on a difficult course surrounded by young women who want some genuine love and affection and his troubles are further enhanced by the unwelcome attentions of his sponsor, Lady Ames (Maggie Smith). A gentle comedy with a wonderful recreation of the times especially the slums of docklands. There's a dreamy and nostalgic atmosphere to the film and it's a delight with little bursts of silliness and Palin's skill at portraying a boring man forced into unusual circumstances. A film well worth renting if you've never seen it. There's a prestigious cast too, Trevor Howard, Michael Hordern, Timothy Spall and David Suchet.

British social drama that highlights the plight of young people forced into becoming the main carers in their family. This story follows 15 year old Sarah (Liv Hill) who is angry yet quick witted and intelligent. Her mother (Sinead Matthews) is a manic depressive and thoroughly unreliable spending most of her time in bed. Sarah cares for her two younger twin siblings, feeding them and getting them to school while trying to go to school herself and holding down a crap job at an amusement arcade to pay for food and bills. The money isn't enough and she is forced into providing sexual favours for the seedy old men who frequent the arcade. Her drama teacher (Cyril Nri) sees some talent for comedy in her and encourages her to write and perform for the school show but her family problems are forever stifling her life. Like alll such dramas this is powerful stuff and has some uncomfortable scenes although director James Gardner rightly avoids explicit visuals to focus on the after effects on Sarah. Liv Hill gives a strong performance with the emotional turmoil she faces clearly evident. Set in Margate this does exhibit the somewhat out of date and griminess of British seaside towns which may come across as a little clichéd but overall this is a film worth checking out.

A standard horror thriller where a group of naïve students get lured into playing a game in an ancient, dilapidated church in Mexico and find that a demon forces them to continue playing or face instant death. There's the usual grisly scenes and the inevitable search for a way out but all in all the film offers little that's new or original. Indeed in many respects it's a mediocre affair and has a lacklustre ending. There's been a lot better films built off the same idea.

A quite nasty thriller with a story and plot that has been done before and better, Steven Spielberg's Duel (1971) for instance. Essentially a road rage themed film that misses a trick or two mainly in that the basic idea of road rage sparking off the events is lost because of the silly idea to give the bad guy a backstory that sort of explains his behaviour. This has the effect of undermining the premise of the entire narrative leaving it as just another psychopath film. Rachel (Caren Pistorius) is having a stressful day and a minor loss of temper with another driver (Russell Crowe) results in him stalking not only her but her family too because he's basically unhinged. Shocking deaths, nasty violence and the girl in distress doesn't enhance this film, and while it rattles along at a reasonable pace and exudes some entertainment value it's a tired plot that is predictable and even has a ridiculous coda that is almost worth a groan.

Adapted by director Billy Wilder from Agatha Christie's celebrated play this is the quintessential courtroom drama and a film with so much intrigue and twists in the plot they even put a request in the credits not to reveal the story. Full of tour de force performances from stars Tyrone Power (in his last film, he died a year later aged only 44), Marlene Dietrich and Charles Laughton, who is exceptional here, this is a must see film. A true classic of cinema. Laughton plays Sir Wilfred Roberts, a famous barrister, who despite recovering from a heart attack agrees to defend Leonard Vole (Power), accused of murdering a rich widow. Sir Wilfred is convinced of his client's innocence despite overwhelming circumstantial evidence of his guilt. But the prosecution call a surprising witness which threatens the entire defence and Sir Wilfred suspects something isn't right. The main courtroom of the Old Bailey was faithfully reproduced as the main set where most of the film takes place and there's also small clues to the films puzzle if you are on the ball to spot them. It matters not because this is such a cleverly told tale that it keeps you hooked throughout and in many ways it's a whodunnit. Added into the mix is a good dose of humour especially in Laughton's grumpy barrister and his feud with his domineering nurse played by his real life wife Elsa Lanchester. Brilliantly written, edited and directed this is a fantastic film, remade a few times but this is the one to seek out it's a real joy.

Uninspiring addition to the Marvel Cinema Universe and the superhero genre which is a shame because there's an originality to the character of Venom and Tom Hardy who is the only good thing about the film. However where he injects some grounded humour it is nowhere near enough to lift this tired narrative into anything remotely memorable. By the time the damp squib of an ending occurs you'll be glad it's over (although it isn't there's a mid credits extra scene setting up the inevitable sequel to come). But like a lot of these films they always end up with just a big punch up and here it's a short and dull one. The story is a science fiction based one where nasty, insane and rich scientist Drake (Riz Ahmed) has managed to find alien creatures on a comet and had them returned to Earth. These are called symbiotes and they need to merge with a host to survive. One escapes and joins with disgraced journalist Eddie (Hardy) and gets a liking to stay on earth but first together they have to take down Drake who has merged with a very nasty alien intent on destroying everyone. There's some fun around the middle of the film where Eddie and Venom have to come to terms with each other but it's a small glow of fun in an otherwise average film so lets hope the sequel to come can lift the whole thing.