Film Reviews by GI

A lighthearted if rather silly teen comedy about three close friends who have formed a talented garage band and dream of making it to the big time. If it had stuck to that plot this could've been a neat comedy but it doesn't. The story goes off into ridiculousness with a plot that involves a conniving music exec' (Parker Posey) and her slimy talent spotter (Alan Cumming) who are more interested in planting subliminal messages into the music of their acts to hypnotise young people into buying crap. They casually murder off any artists who suss this. Eventually our intrepid group of girls (Rachel Leigh Cook, Tara Reid & Rosario Dawson) realise what's going on and set out to defeat the baddies. There's some fun to be had here but it's all daft and forgettable even while trying to say something about materialism and following trends created by companies to make money.

Adapted from an early Stephen King novel this is a film that falls into the dystopian cycle of films where a future society devises some game or contest where it's win or die and designed to benefit society in some warped way; films such as Battle Royale (2000), The Hunger Games series, The Purge series or The Running Man (1987 & 2025) for example. Here in a collapsed USA, after some big war, society is in lethargy and the military control a televised contest where 50 teenage boys are selected by ballot to endure the Long Walk. Fall behind, break any of the rules or even slow down and you get shot until the last man standing wins riches beyond his dreams. This is meant to inspire people! The narrative is one that has to focus on the conversations between the contestants as they reveal their motives for competing and their various issues in the depressed lives they all lead. The deaths are often bloody and shocking but ultimately it's a film involving a lot of walking and talking. It's interesting enough highlighted by the presence of Mark Hamill as the nasty military man and Judy Greer as a worried mother of the main character played by Cooper Hoffman. It's ok but all feels a little too contrived and the ending seems both predictable in one way, surprising in another and ultimately a little disappointing.

Tommy Lee Jones first cinematic film as director and what an absolutely gem of a film it is, one of those movies you come across almost by chance and realise you've found a stone cold classic. If you love the films of Sam Peckinpah or enjoyed No Country For Old Men (2007) then you will really rate this. Set in present day Texas close to the Mexican border and Pete (Tommy Lee Jones) is the foreman of a huge ranch. He befriends Melquiades (Julio César Cedillo), an illegal immigrant Mexican who Pete employs on the ranch. They become firm friends but when Mel's murdered body is found buried in a shallow grave Pete, exasperated by the local police chief's inaction, does his own investigation. When he finds the culprit Pete takes drastic action to make good on a promise he once made to his friend. This is a tale of friendship but also alienation and the film is littered with characters that are isolated or at best unhappy and just make do. It has some scenes that maybe difficult to watch but it's also a beautifully edited, written and photographed film as landscape and its beauty is a theme of the narrative. The support cast are exceptional including Barry Pepper, Dwight Yoakam, January Jones and the always brilliant Melissa Leo. This is a wonderful film and definitely one I can highly recommend so if it's passed you by then check it out.

A pitch perfect film, a dark comedy drama with exceptional performances and filled with nuances that are worth discovering with repeated viewings. Frances McDormand plays Mildred, a tired and sad woman living in the small town of Ebbing. Her daughter was been raped and murdered seven months earlier and Mildred is frustrated at what she perceives to be the ineptitude of the local police especially their chief, Willoughby (Woody Harrelson). So she spends her hard earned savings to have three large billboards on the outskirts of town displayed with criticism of Willoughby. This has the result of dividing opinion in the town and sparks an intense reaction from racist Officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell) who is close to taking the law into his own hands. This is a film about grief, about parental guilt and also about redemption, kindness and acceptance. All the characters have been affected in some way by the events including the murder. It has some really dark moments and intermixed with some cleverly written comedy makes for a unique film that is quite exceptional. Rockwell is particularly superb here and along with McDormand their characters have the fullest journey in trying to reach some sort of peace. And what an ending, so so clever it will baffle, frustrate but ultimately it is perfect.

The quintessential mockumentary and one of the great movie satires. The very fact that many believed this was an actual documentary about a real band and that many very famous rock musicians have stated this is actually very like real life to them reflects just how brilliantly clever it is and that people think rock musicians are really like this. The film charts the making of a 'rockumentary' by Marti DiBergi (played by director Rob Reiner) who follows British rock band Spinal Tap on a disastrous tour of America. It really is laugh out loud stuff and any music fan will spot the various similarities to the stories of real bands such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and even The Beatles. The realism is emphasised in that the actors playing the band were also accomplished musicians and played all their own parts as well as writing the songs ('Lick My Love Pump' for example). Michael McKean and Christopher Guest are the two main members of the band, David St Hubbins and Nigel Tufnel, who grew up together and are the writing partnership of the band (a sort of Lennon & McCartney) and as the film follows the falling apart of the band when David brings his girlfriend in to help with the management (Nigel hates her) you'll recognise the Yoko Ono analogy. Loads of cameo appearances by the likes of Billy Crystal, Bruno Kirby, Patrick MacNee and Angelica Huston too. Full of hilarious quotable lines and a film where more jokes can be spotted every time you watch it this is one of the great modern comedy films and highly recommended if you've never seen it.

One of the greatest British thrillers, a film of dark shadows, sharp angles and a mystery that twists and turns and, for its time, a narrative that doesn't end as anticipated. Set in Vienna immediately after the Second World War where the city is still controlled by the four main powers of the USSR, USA, France and Great Britain. Arriving here is naive American Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten), an out of work pulp fiction writer, who has come on the promise of a job by his old school friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). But Harry has been recently killed in a road accident. When being told the circumstances Holly becomes suspicious that Harry was murdered and embarks on trying to find out what actually happened. The military police under Major Calloway (Trevor Howard) are also interested in Lime's death but for very different reasons. The film is littered with suspicious characters and as the story navigates around the city, mostly at night, the dark world inhabited by these characters opens up the mystery further. It's a riveting film and a masterpiece of cinema that is quite mesmerising and keeps you hooked throughout. It has one of the most famous 'reveals' in cinema history so if you've never seen this great film then it has been wonderfully restored on DVD & BluRay and it is a film that film fans must ensure they see.

This is arguably Sam Peckinpah's weakest film, he was a director for hire here and had little to do with the film's development and was by this stage of his career an unreliable alcoholic. But in here there are signs of his genius for structure, character development and set piece action direction. It's just that the film is disjointed and at times incoherent. The mid 1970s was the time when martial arts movies were very popular and this conspiracy espionage thriller adds huge doses of kung fu etc into the narrative. The result makes for a film of its time and one of casual interest only. James Caan stars as Mike, a mercenary agent working for a shady private company that specialises in the CIA's dirty work. His friend and partner George (Robert Duvall) betrays him and leaves him crippled. Determined to get his revenge Mike eventually gets rehired by the company for a job where they tell him George will be his adversary. But there are others who can't be trusted. Evidence of Peckinpah's natural animosity to the establishment and puritan conservatism is visible in the characters and these aspects are signs of Peckinpah's rewrites of the script. In many ways the themes here are to be found again in Peckinpah's last film The Osterman Weekend (1983). Overall though this is not close to his best work although fans of Peckinpah may still enjoy the glimpses of his unique style.

This attempt to reboot the iconic 60s TV series with a three film series failed despite it looking rather good and with a topnotch cast including William Hurt, Gary Oldman, Mimi Rogers, Heather Graham, Jared Harris and Matt LeBlanc. The main reason is a poor story that tries to cram in too many storylines without really getting to the depths of any of them. The film's prologue is ill-conceived with an attempt at a Star Wars vibe and this could have been ditched. It looks like a video game scenario and is relatively pointless. There was also a silly alien monkey thing, which not only looks like a rubberised drawing its presence is entirely pointless too. If the story had focused on a space exploration narrative albeit with the added tension of being lost this could have been a great science fiction film and the sequels would possibly have followed. What we do have is a weak film that lacks the depth and gravitas of others of this period. A shame as rekindling the main idea of the TV series was a good one especially upgraded to a cinematic film (even the later TV series reboot lost its way!). Anyway here we have a future Earth dying and a mission led by John Robinson (Hurt) is off into space to confirm a planet is habitable for humans. He has his family with him and a miltary gung-ho pilot (Leblanc, not totally convincing in an action hero role). A terrorist ends up stuck on board (Oldman) and through his actions the ship ends up lost in space and they then get involved with an abandoned space ship, a desolate planet and some time warp issues. The cameos by various actors from the 60s TV series pop up and Edward Fox has one too. Overall this is a disappointment despite some interesting visuals and a couple of exciting set pieces. A new Lost In Space film would potentially be a good idea if the right story can be told sadly this just isn't it.

This review may contain spoilers. This is an enjoyable and gripping survival/rescue thriller based on a true story about a deep sea diver who becomes trapped deep under the North Sea and quickly runs out of oxygen. The ending of course is never in doubt from the get go mainly because this is based on a documentary about the actual event and these narratives invariably have the required happy ending. So it's no plot spoiler to reveal all ends well. And we get there in a reasonably tight runtime which is ample here to tell this tale. A three man dive team are sent down for essential repair work. The leader stays in the diving bell while two of them, Chris (Finn Cole) and Dave (Simu Liu) head down to the seabed. As is often the case a raging storm on the surface causes problems and during their attempt to get back into the bell Chris' air supply cables get trapped and broken and he gets left behind with only ten minutes of air supply left. The film plays out the desperate attempts to get to him. Woody Harrelson plays the team leader and I can't help think he's here to give the film a reasonably big name because he has very little to do. The film adds some flashbacks to add some emotional depth but overall it's a watchable film with an interesting story. The opening shot of the trapped diver in the murky waters is a moving one especially as this is a picture of the real Chris at the moment he was found.

A somewhat dated 70s social drama with aspects of the thriller thrown in. It's an interesting film for it's varied themes around American class structures and attitudes and in particular the conservative side of US society's attitude to the growing counter-culture of free love, drugs and rejection of authority. Bill (Dennis Patrick), a middle class businessman is distraught when his wayward heroin addicted daughter (a first screen role for Susan Sarandon) is hospitalised after an overdose. In a fit of rage he kills her drug dealer boyfriend but bizarrely confesses this to a working class man he meets in a bar who applauds his actions. This is Joe (Peter Boyle) a bit of a bully with old fashioned ideas around the status of women and young people and who despises the hippies. They form an unlikely friendship and so when Bill's daughter goes missing again Joe offers to help to find her. The search ends in murder and tragedy as Joe reveals he has a more extreme streak than Bill realised. This is a very 70s style film in many ways and is a good example of American cinema allowing more adult themes and scenes including drug taking, nudity and violence. Some of the depictions here are a little unpleasant but it's a good example of cinema exploring the hypocrisies of America at that time.

A cult classic that failed on original release but is now considered one of the seminal horror/scifi films of the 1980s and pretty much since. It's a masterclass in special effects courtesy of Rob Bottin and viewed today it has a strong impact. In short this a story of a USA Antarctic Science Station and its twelve man crew who are surprised one morning when a Norwegian helicopter arrives with two men who appear to be chasing a dog. This unlikely event leads to their discovery of some kind of alien creature that has the ability to mimic anything or anyone and being trapped due to the severe weather the men have to try and identify who is human and who isn't. This is certainly a tense and occasionally disturbing tale and taps into human reactions to difference, disease and how trust quickly evaporates. This has some startling special effects that are surreal, lurid and shocking perversions of the human body. Body horror narratives are a staple of the horror genre but this is by far the most impactive, with it's mystery plot, genuine frightening creature and brooding, sinister fear that gradually overcomes the crew. There is a brilliantly gripping scene where blood tests are performed on the crew one at a time to try and identify who has been overcome by the alien. It's a masterclass in suspense. With a great low key bass heavy score by Ennio Morricone and starring Kurt Russell this is arguably John Carpenter'd best film and viewed today it resonates with the coronavirus pandemic that has affected the world. The Thing is a film that is a testament to the human spirit battling against an insurmountable foe in a hostile environment, a narrative that cuts across many genres but not always in such an exciting and original movie as this one. If you've never seen this then it is an absolute must see.

This is director Terrence Malick's third feature film and it had been twenty years since his previous one. So it says something about his reputation and the respect he's given by the sheer number of top actors who wanted to appear in this film. Hailed as a maverick genius many of Malick's films however can leave viewers perplexed and disconcerted. The Thin Red Line is no exception. Yes it's a war film set during the Second World War and covering the battle for the island of Guadalcanal. But it's a war film that goes completely against the conventions of the genre and whilst it has some very realistic combat scenes it shuns action, patriotism and even narrative to bring a film that takes an exquisite look at nature. It's a film that is about seeking knowledge and truth and whilst it condemns the stupidity of man's relentless need for war it also celebrates the beauty of the Earth even while bloody death is all around. So this is a tragedy really, a reflection of our co-existence with nature and the rest of the world and our apparent commitment to destroy ourselves. The film follows an American army company as it lands on the island and their attempts to root out the wily Japanese soldiers. The central section of the film is a cautious battle to destroy enemy machine gun bunkers sited on the top of swaying grasslands. There's a serene beauty to this even when the soldiers are being killed. There is no real central character, the closest being Private Witt (Jim Caviezel), a deserter, caught and returned to his unit who sees the futility of the war but is forced to take part. The cast is stellar and large and includes Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, John Travolta, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, George Clooney and Jared Leto. There's no doubt this is an important piece of cinema and it certainly requires several viewings to really get to the depths of the film and appreciate it fully but if you haven't seen this then I certainly recommend it.

A strange addition to the films about the Arthurian legend here focused on the conflict that arises between Lancelot, Arthur and Guinevere owing to the rumours of the adulterous relationship between Lancelot and Guinevere. The opening scenes of bloody conflict are more reminiscent of the parody employed in Monty Python & The Holy Grail (1975) which may have been influenced by the copious lakes of blood spurting seen here. Once the opening credits are over though the film drifts along often with no sense of narrative flow and the actors all delivering their lines with no emotion. This of course may be a deliberate ploy by the director but even so it renders the film feeling cold and wooden. If there is any theme going on here, such as the condemnation of religion as purpose and reason in life, then they are as vague as the plot. I didn't get any sense of the mystical that is often attributed to this film and it maybe that I am unduly influenced by the later Excalibur (1981), which had it in buckets and with more character and adventure thrown into the narrative. A film that I'm sure divides viewers. For me it was soulless.

A typical B movie that has a preposterous story, daft script, some very wooden acting and from the get go carries on the cinematic myth that sharks are simply psychopathic man eaters that will attack swimmers at every opportunity. Basically a small group of friends head out on a boat to look for a sunken wreck and do a bit of diving. One of them has a phobia of sharks since her father was eaten by one! While on the very first dive a shark pops up and bites the arm off of one of them and then a load of pirates led by a former US Navy Seal arrive looking for some abandoned drugs that are in the locale. There's a lot of shooting for a bit and the sharks get to eat a few of them. That's about it. Oh the film has managed to get Richard Dreyfuss involved to add some shark movie kudos playing a grandfather. There's some pointless flashback scenes of him dispensing some worldly wisdom and thank goodness it all plays out in a short run time. But just when you think it's done Dreyfuss pops up again over the credits to tell you how wonderful sharks are. Really???? One to miss, it's silly stuff.

A slick Los Angeles crime thriller from British director Bart Layton who delivers a Michael Mann styled film about a cool, very professional thief who plans his heists meticulously, avoids violence and has baffled the police. This is Mike (Chris Hemsworth), he has a troubled past and is controlled by a grizzly old crook played by Nick Nolte. When his latest heist almost goes awry Mike decides to do one big last job and move on. He persuades a disillusioned insurance agent (Helle Berry) to give him inside information on his next target. But he doesn't realise that shabby LAPD Detective Lou (Mark Ruffalo)is getting close and his old mentor has recruited a violent rival (Barry Keoghan) to pull the job first. Highly watchable, it rattles along nicely and apart from an attempt at social moral commentary about LA's homeless this is an entertaining crime film worth checking out.