Film Reviews by GI

Clearly influenced by Jim Jarmusch's 1995 western Dead Man this is a strange supernatural story set before the American Civil War in the wilds of Arizona. Guy Pearce plays an ether addicted doctor who is grieving for his dead family who have died of plague. Needing money he agrees to help a former slave (DeWanda Wise) take her young daughter across the wilderness to see a famed priest. This is all because if the girl, who is inexplicably white and blonde, touches anyone or thing they instantly die and the mother believes she is possessed. On the journey they have to deal with a variety of characters and there's plenty of violence along the way too. It's a difficult film to quantify and it did remind me a little of Bone Tomahawk (2015) too. Pearce gives his usual angsty performance and Bill Pullman and Joanna Cassidy pop up in support roles. Visually it's a western, narratively it's a somewhat weird horror film about superstition and fear. It's watchable if a little odd.

Director Noah Baumbach's study of the price of fame and a story about regrets and trying to rediscover what are the real joys of life. In many ways this is, perhaps, a bit overly sentimental but with George Clooney in the titular lead role it actually finds just the right level without tipping over into a saccharine yucky story. Jay is a global movie star who relies on his entourage, led by manager Ron (Adam Sandler) in the running of his life. At a funeral of the director (played by Jim Broadbent) who gave him his big break but who Jay also rejected when his mentor was struggling, he bumps into an old drama school colleague who reveals how much he hates Jay for stealing his big break. This leads him onto a journey of attempted redemption especially with his two daughters with whom he has been a poor father. The journey is into Italy where Jay has to face some home truths about how he is perceived by those around him and re-evaluate his relationships especially with Ron. Clooney is perfect in the role and brings a moving performance that has the contradictions of a man who loves the fame but also feels the looses that it has cost him and includes the responsibility he now holds over those who need his fame for their own lives. An enjoyable and interesting film with a strong support cast that includes Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Greta Gerwig, Patrick Wilson, Stacey Keach and Emily Mortimer, who co-wrote the script.

A thoroughly delightful erotic comedy set in 1920 in Australia. Hugh Grant plays an uptight English priest, Tony, who thinks he's modern and broad minded. He and his wife Estella (Tara Fitzgerald) have just arrived in Australia where Tony is to take up at a new parish. Before doing so he is instructed by his bishop to visit artist Norman Lindsay (Sam Neill) and persuade him to remove a painting, which the church considers to be blasphemous, from a major exhibition. However Norman, his wife and three delectable models, provoke suppressed desires in Estella and Tony finds he's losing the battle of wits with Norman and his wife. This is partly a comedy of manners and partly a sexually charged period drama with digs at the church' obsession with sex. Religious iconography litters the film all of which is used as either a giggle at the ridiculous attitudes of Christianity or to highlight the power of nature and natural emotions of human beings. This is a gem of a film and well worth seeking out if you've never seen it. Supermodel Elle Macpherson costars as one of Lindsay's models and a young Ben Mendolsohn can be spotted in a few scenes. A lovely little film with a great cast, great story and beautiful setting. I highly recommend it.

A somewhat off-kilter sci-fi/horror/thriller that suffers from intermittent plotting but has a neat atmospheric vibe and proves to be intriguing as it goes on. Set in Bavaria it follows Gretchen (Hunter Schafer), an American teenager, who has been forced to join her father (Marton Csókás) and his new family in Germany. Sulkingly she accepts a job on in the resort hotel of her father's boss, Herr König (Dan Stevens). But soon Gretchen begins to witness strange goings on including a rather nasty woman who seems to be lurking in the nearby forests. The plot revolves around König and his nearby hospital/research centre and his apparent interest in Gretchen's mute half sister. It's a bizarre story and not always easily coherent although it keeps you watching. Both Schafer and Stevens are excellent and although the climax is a bit unwieldy, clichéd and arguably underwhelming this is an interesting story and a film that is enjoyable.

The third in the 'Knives Out Mysteries' series with Daniel Craig as the Hercule Poirot styled detective Benoit Blanc. It's an overly contrived plot and perhaps that's the whole idea, but this has the effect of moving the film away from a standard whodunnit and more to a convoluted puzzle narrative that occasionally gives the film a sense of tedium. The cast are exceptional even if some are underused but this is definitely an ensemble piece and follows the genre of the Agatha Christie type of story. Blanc is called in to a small New York State town after the local catholic priest is murdered in circumstances that make the crime 'impossible'. Josh Brolin plays the victim, a fire and brimstone priest who enjoys taunting his parishioners although has a small local following, all of whom it turns out have motives for killing him. His new assistant played by Josh O'Connor, is determined to find the killer although he's the chief suspect. The film is perfectly entertaining mostly because of the generous dollops of humour that are liberally spread throughout the script, indeed there are laugh out loud moments. The unravelling of the mystery is all fairly routine in many ways and while this is funny and clever it's also a film that relies on its contrivances to effectively work. the support cast of Glenn Close, Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott, Mila Kunis, Kerry Washington, Daryl McCormack, Cailee Spaeney and Thomas Haden Church all add to the heady mix with Jefffrey Wright in a cameo role. Still not as good as the 2019 original though! 

As long as you don't pick too many holes in the plot this is a solid B movie thriller/horror that entertains throughout and keeps you on the edge of your seat for the most part. It's a serial killer narrative combined with a shark attack story where the sharks aren't the villains for a change. A simple story really that follows a common enough trajectory. A free spirited surfer girl, Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) is touring around the beaches of Australia riding the waves. After a brief romantic encounter with rich kid Moses (Josh Heuston), who yearns for her and proves to be a much needed ally, she heads off on her journey where unfortunately she encounters Tucker (Jai Courtney in a fun and gnarly performance), a man who runs a business taking tourists out on his boat to see sharks. Tucker happens to be a psychopath who kidnaps Zephyr and intends to film her being eaten by the sharks he worships. But she proves to be a resourceful and difficult victim. There's much to like here, there's horror but it's nicely restrained, and Courtney is great as the villain. Worth checking out.

Shot in a documentary style this is another of those great British war films of the 1950s and early 60s that pushed the propaganda a little but are still exciting little films filled with images and telling a story that is filled with a cultural nostalgia. This one recreates the hunt for the German battleship Bismarck, a flag ship of the Third Reich that attempted to break out into the Atlantic where it was to wreak havoc on British shipping. Winston Churchill personally ordered its destruction at any cost. Kenneth More plays the fictional Captain Shepard who has some emotional hang ups and takes charge in the Admiralty Operations Room ably assisted by the delectable Dana Wynter. The use of actual footage and very advanced model work makes for an exciting sea battle film and some quite interesting inserted real footage for a British film of its time including some distinctive mouthed swearing and some grisly deaths. The story of the Battle of the Denmark Straits and the sinking of HMS Hood is told more or less accurately and the film is edited to create a memorable naval battle film. Worth seeking out if you've never seen it. I have a fondness for these British war films so I maybe biased but this is a little gem and made at a time when the British film industry was still something very special.

Whether you are a lover of the classic Hollywood musicals or not Singing' In The Rain is a joy. Colourful, fun and simply a really happy film. It's also one of the great films about Hollywood itself. Everyone will know the songs even if you've never seen the film from the classic title song to 'Good Morning'. It has the great screen partnership of Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor and introduced Debbie Reynolds (who had no previous dancing experience) to cinema. Kelly plays Don Lockwood, a silent movie star, who has made a string of highly popular films with his shallow co star Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen). To the public they are a loving couple but in reality Don hates her. She also has a very high, squeaky voice (in real life Hagen had a really soft and beautiful voice) so when the studio moves to making Talkies Lina has to be dubbed by Kathy (Reynolds), a young, sweet budding actress and with who Don happens to be in love. Lina blackmails the studio head to keep secret that she has to rely on Kathy's voice to stay at the top but Don and his friend, Cosmo (O'Connor) have other ideas! Despite the great comedy, songs and dance numbers this is also a clever exposé of Hollywood celebrity image, showing the manipulation and selfishness that was the reality behind many of the most beloved stars, and it also tells the story of how many silent stars could not make the transition to sound. A wonderful, romantic musical comedy and classic film that everyone should see at least once, it's a simply a piece of cinema magic.

A post modern 'pop art' styled film noir with ultra cartoonish violence and numerous homages chucked in for good measure (film fans can have fun spotting them). Based on Frank Miller's celebrated Sin City graphic novels this essentially lifts the graphic novel format into a motion picture. It's tremendously entertaining with some fantastic visual effects utilising bold colours in a black & white landscape. The characters, the story and the location are all extreme and almost other-worldly creating a quite original narrative that has copied it's structure from Pulp Fiction (1994) with it's intertwining stories and unusual mise en temps. Fantastic cast of actors including Benicio Del Toro, Jessica Alba, Powers Boothe, Rutger Hauer, Elijah Wood, Rosario Dawson and Clive Owen amongst others. There's plenty of showy violence and an almost misogynistic use of sex but it is still remarkably original and entertaining with stories involving a cop's hunt for a paedophile and his obsessive protection of a young girl, a mentally ill man's love of a murdered prostitute and a corrupt cop's ill fated attempt to threaten some prostitutes. They are all linked and very well told. If you loved 300 (2006) or even A Scanner Darkly (2006) then you will like this too.

Silverado is a pure cinematic myth western overloaded with genre tropes and clichés but being genuinely highly entertaining as a result. Writer and director Lawrence Kasdan utilises influences from a multitude of westerns and famous directors especially Anthony Mann (with arguably star Scott Glenn here in a James Stewart type role) and Sergio Leone with homage shots really evident in the final gunfight. Glenn plays Emmett, fresh out of jail for the manslaughter of a rich cattle baron and now on his way to meet his brother Jake (Kevin Costner). On his way he saves the life of Paden (Kevin Kline) and the three team up together. After some adventures along the way they head for Silverado where the corrupt Sheriff (Brian Dennehy), an old outlaw friend of Paden, is in cahoots with the son of the man Emmett killed. It all goes round and round all the while building up to a big showdown and involves Danny Glover, John Cleese, Jeff Goldblum, Rosanna Arquette and others in an action adventure western that is epic in scale, occasionally frustrating (Rosanna Arquette's part seems pointless and looks like it was heavily cut leaving her part of the story very unfulfilling) but full of shoot outs, villains, betrayal, revenge and everything that the classic westerns of the 50s and 60s delivered in spades. Yes it's flawed but if you love a good western then this is great fun and well worth checking out if you've not seen it.

A big epic length and flamboyant adaptation of the famous novel by Alexandre Dumas. A historical period adventure film that is overly long but visually rather impressive and very well acted. It's a tale of nineteenth century revenge as Edmond (Pierre Niney), a newly promoted sea captain is falsely accused of treason and imprisoned in a dungeon on a remote island. His accusers all have selfish reasons for betraying him but many years later having escaped and found wealth Edmond returns as the Count of Monte-Cristo to find justice and reek a convoluted vengeance on those who have wronged him. A great story and here wonderfully presented. It deviates from the source novel occasionally but overall this is an entertaining film that is well worth checking out

This is an entertaining horror B movie that riffs on the zombie genre, has some quite good visual set pieces not least the climax and rattles along at a great pace. Its downside is there's little new on offer here as the narrative follows a well worn path. It's set in a small farming town in the USA where the local sheriff (Timothy Olyphant) keeps the peace and his wife (Radha Mitchell) is the local doctor. When a military plane carrying a biological weapon crashes nearby the locals become infected turning them into homicidal maniacs. When the military turn up to contain things which basically involves killing everyone the sheriff and the doc make a bid for freedom. There's plenty of gory killings, and some tense set pieces but as I said it's all been done before. Good fun though.

This is a smartly scripted conspiracy thriller with a neat Hitchcock style set piece and a plot twist I did not see coming! It has the look and feel of a 70s thriller. Riz Ahmed plays Ash, a recovering alcoholic, who specialises in an illegal and covert service where he arranges for clients who have stolen documents that incriminate their employers in some corrupt way or other but who now fear the repercussions and want to return them without fear of reprisals. He moves in the shadows communicating through a messaging relay service and avoiding personal contact. He is hired by Sarah (Lily James), a scientist who has stolen a file from her company that shows they were producing a dangerous foodstuff but who now wants to stop the harassment she is facing. With strict rules to protect himself Ash finds himself up against a ruthless agent (Sam Worthington) and gradually developing feelings for Sarah he lets his guard down with dire consequences. There's a great scene at a music concert that builds tension and the scenes in the city are well orchestrated as a cat and mouse scenario is played out. A good, solid and entertaining thriller well worth checking out.

One of the defining films of the 1990s, adapted from a unique and compelling novel, it weaves together crime thriller and gothic horror conventions to create a really distinctive variation on the cinematic portrayal of serial killers. The narrative entwines a whodunnit and a police procedural story with a modernising use of sexual politics in the heroine and her relationship with the men around her. A surprise winner of the Best Picture Oscar it remains a clever and highly entertaining film. Jodie Foster plays FBI trainee Clarice Starling who is sent to interview the incarcerated psychopath, Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) ostensibly as part of some research but really because it is suspected he has information on the identity of a serial killer known as Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) who has been murdering and skinning his women victims for reasons unknown. Starling manages against the odds to create a rapport with Lecter which helps her begin to unravel the Buffalo Bill case. Tightly edited this story is propelled along at a great pace and the characters are all brilliantly drawn. It is a disturbing story but the actual shocking events are mostly committed off screen although the after effects are shown. This follows a lot of classic story telling tropes but in an exciting and compelling way, for instance the hunt through the labyrinth of the killer's basement in the films climax that utilises the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. This is still a highly impressive film and certainly worth a revisit if its been awhile since you've watched it and if it's passed you by then I strongly recommend it.

This is what a great action thriller should be like, audacious, gritty, adult themed, occasionally shocking but compelling and thought provoking. Director Denis Villeneuve seems to turn everything he touches into gold and Sicario is simply flawless. Emily Blunt, in an absolutely mesmerising performance, is Kate Macer an experienced FBI agent. After the FBI raid a Mexican cartel owned house in Arizona they find decomposing bodies hidden in false walls. The discovery is so shocking that an operation to find who is responsible is quickly commenced led by Graver (Josh Brolin) and Kate volunteers to be a part of it. But who Graver works for is unclear and soon Kate becomes suspicious about what exactly the mission's objectives are especially the role to be played the mysterious Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro), one of the team. At times this is realistically violent and bloody and at others it's carefully restrained but the story keeps you hooked throughout and there's an ominous, threatening soundtrack to keep the level of suspense turned full on at all times. A fantastic film with real energy and it's often edge of your seat stuff especially the use of night vision scenes. I highly recommend this it's a film you should make sure you check out (there was a sequel in 2018 which some like but I found it disappointing in comparison to this wonderful film).