Film Reviews by GI

In his first film role after the Harry Potter series Daniel Radcliffe is just right as a grieving young lawyer in this Hammer production of the celebrated novel by Susan Hill. This is just what you want in a ghost story. A Victorian English setting on a fog bound marsh with suspicious locals and a very creepy haunted house. And the film is a simple, quintessential haunted house story that really works, it doesn't rely on gore or 'cattle prod' shocks it creates a creepy atmosphere, gives you glimpses of something sinister every so often and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Radcliffe plays Arthur Kipps who is grieving for his wife who died in childbirth four years earlier. He dotes on his young son but his distracted mental state has put him in difficulty with his firm. As a last chance to show he wants his career he is sent to the north of England to close the estate of an elderly widow recently died. On arrival he finds the locals are suspicious of him and unhelpful but it's only when Arthur has to spend time in the old woman's mansion positioned on the edge of a tidal marsh that he discovers the dark past of the house and why the village folk are so frightened. As a fan of the novel and the earlier TV adaptation too I still recommend this and urge anyone not to make comparisons. This film keeps the shocks restrained and any reveals are limited and carefully introduced, which gives it a real spooky feel. Great story and a perfect English ghost film.

This is one of a series of really great psychological thrillers made in the 1970s this one based on the popular novel by Frederick Forsyth and co-scripted by him. Set in West Germany in 1963 and investigative journalist Peter (Jon Voight) is given the diary of an old man who has committed suicide. The diary reveals the old man was a former inmate of a Nazi extermination camp and had recently seen the former commandant and wanted war criminal Roschmann (Maximilian Schell) walking free in Hamburg. Peter, after reading the horrors outlined in the diary, decides to try and track down Roschmann and his investigation soon finds him the target of a sinister organisation known as Odessa and he becomes of interest to the Israeli intelligence services. This has a good solid story, a twist and turn plot and a neat unforeseen ending. Voight, in one of his first big roles, is perfect as the German struggling to come to terms with the terrible past of his country and the film attempts to delve into the moral issues for modern Germans in dealing with the history of the Holocaust. But at its heart this is a good espionage yarn that is well worth seeking out.

A typically gutsy Australian crime thriller, one that gained a big cult following in Australia and spawned a couple of sequels. It stands out for being loosely based on a real events and for its remarkable cinematography especially sunset and sunrise scenes in the outback. The story is of two British backpackers Liz (Cassandra Magrath) and Kristy (Kestie Morassi) who team up with local guy Ben (Nathan Hughes), they buy a rundown old car and head off into the outback to visit Wolf Creek, the site of a prehistoric meteor crash. But when the car breaks down in the middle of nowhere they are at a loss as to what to do but this is only the start of their troubles. There is some shocking stuff during the latter half of the film and the narrative as a whole sets up a plot that is harrowing and defies prediction. With the use of screen information about missing person statistics the effects are at times scary and haunting and the film holds its suspense very well indeed. If you've never seen this then it's a really interesting and entertaining thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat and hiding behind the cushions too.

A timeless family classic and dedicated to 'the young at heart' the film is often cited as the most viewed film of all time and for many years was a Christmas TV favourite. It is of course a very clever fantasy film and actually quite a dark and at times scary story which is about growing up and understanding the important things in life above and beyond material gain. It's also one of the earliest films that used the world of dreams and the subconscious to weave its narrative. Based on a famous children's book it begins in Kansas during the 1930s and follows a young girl, Dorothy (Judy Garland) who lives with her Aunt and Uncle on their farm. Her best friend is her small dog who she protects fiercely against the nasty Miss Gulch, the richest woman in the county. But injured in a tornado Dorothy finds herself transported to the magical world of Oz where with the aid of a scarecrow (Ray Bolger), a tin man (Jack Haley) and a lion (Bert Lahr) she has to find the all powerful wizard (Frank Morgan) to help her get home but she has to face the evil plans of a wicked witch (Margaret Hamilton). With the 'real' world shot in bland sepia tones and the 'fantasy' world in rich technicolor this has some wonderful songs, the most famous being 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' (which at one time was going to be cut from the film!) and some great dance and comedy performances making this is a joy of a film but tinged with the very scary witch and her flying apes. You can see the influence of this tale on later fantasy stories not least The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings. For it's time the effects hold up remarkably well too. It's a film that every child should see and one that adults can still really enjoy, it's a delight even after all these years.

A dark, twisted and slightly sordid neo-noir crime thriller with Gary Oldman as corrupt NYPD cop Jack Grimaldi. He's an informant for the mob revealing the location of witnesses so they can be murdered before testifying. But being a serial womaniser despite his marriage to Natalie (Annabella Sciorra) Jack finds himself under the spell of mob assassin Mona (Lena Olin) and he soon finds he's targeted by the mob, his police colleagues and Mona. There's strong elements of the Chandleresque detective stories of the 40s here and the femme fatale character in the guise of Mona who manipulates the narrative. There's strong performances in this convoluted story but it tends towards too much exposition as the plot drifts into a muddle. Oldman is always very watchable but here there's a little too much of his Lee Harvey Oswald on show so he doesn't always convince as the weary cop with secrets. There's some underused talent in the film including James Cromwell, Will Patton and Juliette Lewis. A thriller worth checking out but it's not a film that stays in the mind.

A gutsy Boy's Own Adventure film that is often ludicrous, shoddily written in parts and could have done with a different director rather than Andrew V. McLaglen who was more comfortable with big sprawling westerns and tended to opt for shooting over story. But despite all that this is great stuff, entertaining and with a fantastic cast, it's a bit of a firm favourite amongst many and I can see why. An action adventure with a war story set in Africa. A corrupt London merchant banker (Stewart Granger) hires notorious mercenary Alan Faulkner (Richard Burton - only 51 at the time but clearly looking older) to rescue a deposed African tribal leader from the clutches of a dictator so he can get his hands on the copper mining rights. Faulkner forms a mercenary team with the help of his two friends (Richard Harris and Roger Moore - taking some time off from 007)) and they head off to Africa but they are betrayed and have to fight their way to safety. Wrapped up in the violent action is an attempt to highlight issues over black/white relations and there's a touching relationship developed between a tough racist soldier (Hardy Kruger) and the rescued African (Winston Ntshona). It's here you can sense the potential for this to have been a more meaningful and interesting film but sadly McLaglen preferred to go for extended battle scenes instead. These are exciting for the most part but it's the style of this British production from Euan Lloyd that makes it a favourite. Great cast of character actors including Barry Foster, Jack Watson, Frank Finlay and Kenneth Griffith amongst others. It also boasts a fantastic theme song from Joan Armatrading. Great fun and worth seeking out for the great entertainment it is.

A morose American drama about a dysfunctional family where Harley (Alex Pettyfer - also his debut as director) has been forced to head the family of his three younger sisters after their mother (Juliette Lewis) is imprisoned for killing their abusive father. Harley feels lost and futureless as he tries to do the right thing by his three sisters but the eldest, Amber (Nicola Peltz) is slowly going off the rails with a series of bad boyfriend choices and middle sister, Misty (Chiara Aurelia) is becoming moody and challenging. Things aren't helped when he starts an affair with a married woman (Jennifer Morrison) but its the dark family secrets that begin to emerge that pushes Harley to make a grand sacrifice. Somewhat slow, somewhat clichéd, this is too downbeat to make it memorable. Some good performances and a cameo from Robert Patrick add to it but a bit of a disappointment. The final plot reveals make the whole thing obvious.

A funny and poignant coming-of-age comedy from director Taika Waitita. Set in rural east coast New Zealand in 1984 where Boy (James Rolleston) grows up on a tatty farm raised by his Gran and with his brothers and sisters. He's obsessed with Michael Jackson until his absentee father, Alamein (Waitita), shows up and Boy, lacking a male model, begins to hero worship him. But Alamein is a narcissistic man/child who thinks himself a big gang leader but is a totally pathetic individual. The film has much of Waititi's trademark storytelling including imaginary scenes and his bizarre comedy characters. There's no doubt it's partly autobiographical (Waititi also wrote the screen story) and manages to capture the culture and time in NZ in the mid 80s. Entertaining and watchable especially if you're a fan of this director and his comedy style.

This blackest of black comedies is certainly macabre and yet brilliantly entertaining and very ingenious. It's smart, stylish and sort of sits somewhere between a Tarantino film and a Guy Ritchie film with clear influences of Sergio Leone (you can also pick up the telltale Ennio Morricone vibes in the soundtrack). It's a prime example of the sort of American & British influenced cinema that is being made in Russia and I urge anyone resistant to foreign made films to give this a try because it is humorous and fun. Much of the action takes place in the small apartment of Andrei (Vitaliy Khan), a police detective, and his timid wife Tasha (Elena Shevchenko) and starts with the arrival of Matvey (Aleksandr Kuznetsov), a young man who has arrived with a murderous intention after having sex with Andrei's daughter Olya (Evgeniya Kregzhde). From there the film unravels a series of violent and bizarre events linked with flashbacks to the past that reveal more and more of the characters motivations. Accomplished, ingenious and very bloody I found this a real delight and very original. Well worth a watch.

A brilliantly sly, clever and a bit crazy coming-of-age film from Australia set in the mid 70s in a small seaside town of Nobby's Beach. In one cul-de-sac live three families, ostensibly all friends and neighbours, but where the antics of the parents attracts the attention of their children. It's a film about the delayed effect of the sexual revolution on a group of daft adults who are behind the times. The story is told through the eyes of one of the children, Jeff (Atticus Rob), a budding filmmaker who captures the parents attempts at 'swinging', their silly parties and their efforts to become 'modern'. The arrival of a washed up dead whale on the local beach brings everyone together in some hilarious scenes that will have you laughing out loud. The entire film is a dig at Aussie stereotypes and whilst it's subtle and mad at the same time it also reveals a sadness in the unfulfilled lives of the generation on display. Guy Pearce and Kylie Minogue play one of the couples (Kylie as an alcoholic agoraphobic is just bonkers and her role is sadly underwritten) and the film takes tiny things like a beach umbrella and lets them loose in some crazy scenes. If you want a good chuckle then this is a comedy film that is daft and clever rolled in one and will have you entertained.

Almost forgotten today but the first moon landing in 1969 was a major world event and it marked a feeling of a big change for the world, a change that sadly did not come to pass but if you remember being caught up in this historic event this documentary rekindles the feeling of hope that was rife at the time. As a documentary this has huge interest looking into the life of the first man on the moon and revealing a life tinged with tragedy and a workaholic sense of duty that cost him in his personal life. Admittedly this lacks the sheer spectacle of the 2019 documentary Apollo 11 but if you are interested in the Gemini & Apollo space missions this is worth checking out. It's a straight forward, no frills film that uses archive footage and interviews with family, friends and colleagues to tell the life story of Neil Armstrong, it's obviously dominated by the moon landing itself but it's in the private life that there is a human story worth checking out.

An understated sexual harassment drama that quietly, almost eloquently and very astutely exposes the casual toxic masculinity that thrives in the corporate world. Julia Garner, in a very restrained yet powerful performance is a bright, young junior assistant to a powerful manager in an entertainment business. She has the dogsbody role in the office, basically the first to arrive and the last to leave, but it's in the everyday misogyny she sees from her boss (cleverly kept hidden throughout) and the fall out from his angry wife when she has to cover for his dalliances with young women that pushes her to go to the slimy head of HR (Matthew Mcfadyen) to complain. His response is not what she expects. This is an interesting film that approaches its theme and subject through the nuanced performance of Garner who is on screen the entire film. This won't be for everyone and as a film it may come across as slow and not quite reaching some sort of explosive conclusion which is always expected. In dealing with the pervasive, cultural sexism in everyday life it works very well.

A drama about sexual awakening that pushes the boundaries of onscreen sex and has a theme about the danger of youth culture. Set on the Danish/Belgian border where one summer a group of eight teenager friends, out of boredom, begin to explore their sexuality. This soon becomes tiresome for them and their moral and natural boundaries begin to wear away as they delve into depravity, criminality and soon become predatory which leads to tragedy. As an extreme vision of youth violence, albeit here using sex as their weapon, this has some interesting things to say but sadly the film offers up an explanation that has the effect of diffusing the entire film into a type of clever caper story. That essentially spoils the film. As a film that is trying to push against the boundaries of cinematic sex this is of interest but ultimately it's disappointing.

Smart, fast talking, funny and an unashamedly feminist comedy that is very clever, very well written and very entertaining. Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) are two high achieving students on the eve of graduating where Molly is off to an Ivy league University and Amy onto a gap year working in Africa before taking up a top college place too. They have achieved this by working hard and shunning the party hard mentality of their peers. But then they discover that their fellow students have also gained top places in top universities too they suddenly realise they have missed out. So they decide to attend the biggest graduation party in town but have to find out where it is first as they haven't been invited. The two stars are in every scene and it's their hilarious dynamic that drives the film and where the themes of confident sexuality, friendship and tolerance are grounded. A remarkable debut from first time director Olivia Wilde and great performances including cameos from Lisa Kudrow and Jason Sudeikis. The High School antics comedy is not a new film genre but this one exudes originality and goes in unexpected directions. Recommended.

A supernatural thriller with it's story based around a weird house (echoes of The Shining are fairly obvious) where middle aged, jealous and stressed Theo (Kevin Bacon) goes with his much younger screen actress wife Susanna (Amanda Seyfried) and their six year old daughter Ella (Avery Essex) for a much needed getaway. It's a big, modern property, in Wales, with no phone signal and a strange design to it. Theo has a dodgy past which comes back to haunt him as strange things begin to happen. There's a lot that's clichéd here but equally the film does offer some quirky twists and sudden events that take you by surprise. Story wise it's enjoyable and entertaining but as a modern indie horror film it lacks that certain sharp sense of impending terror to make it something good. There are events and characters that are left unexplained especially around the house itself which leaves you feeling perplexed and unsatisfied by the end. Entertaining as far as it goes but could have been better.