Film Reviews by GI

Director Jonathan Demme's 80s romcom that breaks the conventions of the genre and becomes something else entirely and for that, in many ways, it's a unique film for its time. Basically it's a boy meets girl story on the surface as boring, yuppie Charlie (Jeff Daniels), newly promoted at work, craftily attempts to leave a restaurant without paying in a personal act of societal rebellion but is challenged by the sexy and erotic Lulu (Melanie Griffiths), who basically takes him on a short road trip of sex and risky episodes as Charlie effectively becomes Lewis Carroll's Alice and on a crazy whim jumps down the rabbit hole with Lulu as a temptress who will alter the course of his life. But when she takes him back home to her small-town and a high school reunion pretending they are married they have to contend with her psychopathic ex-con husband Ray (Ray Liotta - in his first major film role). The film then turns into a cat and mouse game as Ray claims Lulu back for himself but doesn't bank on Charlie's uncharacteristic reaction. The film's climactic violence is a stark contrast to the somewhat whimsy of the first half of the film making this closer to, say, Blue Velvet (1986) than a traditional romcom. Daniels is superb as the rabbit caught in the headlights of Lulu's sexual charm and her wayward, wild lifestyle. Griffiths is nuanced and sexy and Liotta quietly menacing. It's a film worth rediscovering and an 80s film that sometimes gets forgotten.

One of the great American comedies and still a riot with a fantastically witty script and very memorable lines and arguably some interesting things to say about sexuality. It's essentially a farce with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon as two down-on-their-luck musicians in Prohibition era Chicago. When they inadvertently witness a mafia killing they are forced to flee the city. Disguising themselves as Josephine and Daphne they join an all girl swing band making their way to Florida. Soon 'Josephine' finds himself attracted to one of the girls, Sugar (Marilyn Monroe) and 'Daphne' finds a rich millionaire has taken a fancy to him. This obviously sets the narrative up with some hilarious cross dressing antics including a famous Cary Grant impression by Curtis. The subject of cross dressing and the slightly implied gay attractions that occur between both men and women was boundary pushing for the late 50s and did give the film a controversial reputation but it soon became a big hit and it's one of director Billy Wilder's best films amongst many great ones. The cast are impeccable and despite stories of her on set shenanigans, not knowing her lines and her limitations as an actor Monroe is a charm and I think this is one of her best performances. George Raft and Pat O'Brien have support roles resurrecting their gangster film personas from yesteryear. A cinematic masterpiece and definitely one of those films everyone should see at least once.

Highly derivative but somewhat absorbing zombie film that riffs on similar films such as 28 Days later (2002), Annihilation (2018) and the Tv series The Last Of Us and utilises amnesia as a narrative tool in a similar way to Memento (2000). This Canadian production tries to take the virus induced zombie narrative and add an interesting twist. A young man, Ethan (Douglas Smith) wakes up in a crashed car but has no memory of how he got there only that he was with his girlfriend Emma (Kimberley-Sue Murray), who his now missing. He finds he's in a post apocalyptic countryside and is taken in by Mae (Carrie-Anne Moss), a confident woman who has survived. But heading off, despite her advice, to look for Emma he discovers there are corpses that have intertwined with trees and plants roaming around needing human flesh. Only Mae can give him the answers he needs. There's a cleverish twist that you'll probably work out before it's revealed but the film lacks any real shocks, horror or nastiness despite an attempt to deliver a different type of zombie albeit The Last Of Us is a clear influence on this. It's a B movie horror flick that has some entertainment value but overall it's a film that doesn't take the genre much further.

A compelling and indeed quite haunting drama that combines musical, courtroom and crime all in a film that feels rather unique from director Lars von Trier. Björk, with an award winning performance, plays Selma, a Czech immigrant working in a metalworks factory in Washington State, USA. She has a young son and cleverly hides a degenerative eye condition that is gradually making her blind and which she suspects her boy has too. She's a gentle, naive and kind hearted woman who finds her happiness in Hollywood musicals. In times of stress she daydreams she is part of a musical dance with these scenes played out for us, the audience. In many ways the representation of Selma's inner thoughts as musical dance numbers encapsulates how film musicals represent the emotions of the characters in it's purest form. Her life is ruptured when her landlord, Bill (David Morse), the local town sheriff, steals her savings that she has for an operation to cure her son's failing eyesight. When she confronts him the situation deteriorates leading to Selma facing a trial. This is a moving story and whilst the trademark handheld camera work that von Trier uses and the improvised nature of the script may be a bit jarring the film is enhanced by the realist styling that this provides. The cast are excellent and include Catherine Deneuve and Peter Stormare in an unusual but interesting and riveting film. The film's climax is both shocking and slightly surreal.

This second spin off film in the Star Wars saga is far better than any of the hackneyed and overdone final trilogy and like Rogue One (2016) it utilises story aspects from the original trilogy to make an exciting, adventure science fiction film. Admittedly you have to be very familiar with the Star Wars saga especially episodes 4 to 6 but the decision to look at the early life of Han Solo is a sound one, he is arguably the most charismatic and interesting character from the SW world and Alden Ehrenreich manages to channel Harrison Ford's mannerisms nicely to give the character some warmth, humour, combined with great action all within a good story. So the film starts with Solo as an orphan under the control of a nasty gangster and along with his lover, Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke) he plans to escape to become a pilot. But their plans go awry and Solo gets away but Qi'ra is trapped. Years later Solo, still yearning to find Qi'ra, joins a criminal gang led by Beckett (Woody Harrelson) and after a robbery goes wrong they have to steal a shipment of hyper fuel for top baddie Dryden (Paul Bettany) and need a very fast ship to do so as the journey requires speed and daring. Here we get to see how Solo meets Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) and how he acquires the iconic Millennium Falcon, all presented in a grungy set of worlds that makes the film dark and mysterious. There's plenty of great set pieces especially the attempt to steal a shipment from a hi-speed train but what's especially good about this film like Rogue One before it, it doesn't need to bring in the tired old Star Wars stuff like Jedi warriors etc. The support cast are brilliant including Phoebe Waller-Bridge as a droid, Thandie Newton and Warwick Davis has a cameo. Great entertainment, an underrated Star Wars film that deserves re-evaluation and well worth checking out again.

A powerful and gripping Second World War drama and one of the best films about resistance fighters. It's based on a true story and memoir although the names have been changed and some characters condensed. It's also one of director Paul Verhoeven's more interesting Dutch films and if you only know his work from his famous USA made films like Robocop (1987) and Total Recall (1990) then this will be a real treat. Set in Holland the story follows a group of university friends who find their education cut short as the Germans invade. Each of them gets mixed up in different ways with the resistance until, as the war progresses, some of them escape to England for training and are then sent back on covert missions. The story mostly follows Erik (Rutger Hauer), who is at first reluctant to get involved believing the war will end quickly but as friends are killed he soon becomes embroiled in the conflict until he finally gets to England. The film is a gritty and realistic story with some splashes of violence but there's also love and above all friendship. This is the main theme of the film as it's a story of loyalty and honour and shows how close friends were forced to take different paths during the war. Susan Penhaligon and Edward Fox have supporting roles in what is a first class war film that you should check out if you've never seen this.

A really quite typical 1970s western that pushed the envelope for screen violence and gained itself a reputation as a result. The trouble with Soldier Blue is that in there is a decent film trying to get out and in the hands of a better, more nuanced director it could have been a masterpiece but Ralph Nelson litters the film with blood squib violence sometimes with slow motion added all rather pointlessly and the films structure at times feels clumsy and childish. But where the film works well is in its central narrative which is a surprisingly tender romance mixed with a survival story. Candice Bergen, in what is probably her most famous role, is Cresta, a former Cheyenne captive, 'rescued' by the cavalry and who is now being escorted back to her fiancé, an army officer. Her escort is massacred in an exciting set piece battle and she escapes along with Honus (Peter Strauss), a naive and prudish soldier. They have to make it across hostile wilderness pitted against the land, Indians and a nasty Indian trader (Donald Pleasance in a wonderful performance) and of course they eventually fall for each other, rather surprisingly actually as they are thoroughly ill matched in every way, and their love changes Honus' attitude to the Indians who he has previously viewed as violent savages and his comrades as noble and morally sound soldiers. The eventual final massacre is the controversial one with the US Army attacking a peaceful Indian village and murdering women and children and dismembering bodies in a blood frenzy. It's clearly an allegory to the Vietnam War and reported American atrocities but the scenes of violence here, designed to shock, are so poorly edited and structured that any emotional impact is lost. Besides the film was heavily cut and that too has weakened its intent. On a more positive note this is an important addition to the revisionist westerns of the 70s despite its controversies. Today it's worth watching for its attempt to reposition the Native American in a genre that has made them nearly always the villain even though other films have done this far better. There's an absolutely marvellous theme song and in the final analysis the film does highlight the genocide of Native Americans more so than any other film I can think of. Worth seeking out if you've never seen it and rewatching if you just remember the nasty bits and have forgotten the overall story.

An absurdist character study of a quite unpleasant chancer wrapped up in a film that could be mistaken for a sports movie but which doesn't go down that line at all. There's no doubt the performances here are exemplary and potentially award winning especially Timothée Chalamet in the title role and Gwyneth Paltrow as a former movie star (a shout out to for Abel Ferrara in a cameo role that is quite sinister too). Marty Mauser is a shoe salesman in the early 50s New York who has a talent as a table tennis player. It's not a popular or well known sport in the US but Marty sees his chance for fame and glory within it and totally believes in himself. But when he's runner up to a calm and brilliant Japanese player in the British Open Championships Marty sees that he has to find a way to get into the World Finals in Japan and beat his nemesis. To do this he will con and manipulate his way through friends, girlfriends and various relatives with little, if any, conscience. This includes his married girlfriend who is carrying his baby and famous actress Kay (Paltrow) who he cons into his bed and her rich, but ruthless, businessman husband (Kevin Leary) who gets his revenge on Marty in a quite sadistic way. This is a frenetic film that comprises of a series of set piece incidents that show Marty as a deeply narcissistic exploiter out for his own ends. There's nothing redeeming about him at all despite an apparent attempt by the end of the film to sort of show he has finally found something worthwhile other than himself. There are some quite shocking scenes that are wrapped up in a slapstick style story that is very authentic looking but which leaves you a bit empty. You'll either think the pure craziness of this film is a marvel or that you've watched a film about a very unpleasant young man who deserves the tears he feels at the end despite the poignancy with which the final scene is delivered. Interesting film with great performances and no doubt it will be on the award circuit but I was left a little underwhelmed by it.

A unique vision of a post apocalyptic near future from director Bong Joon Ho. Set in the 2030s and the Earth has become a frozen wasteland with all life extinct except for a few surviving people who are on an ark. This is a massive train that circumnavigates around the world completing one circle every year. For seventeen years the train has been perpetually moving while those aboard have become divided by the privileged at the front sections and those at the rear sections who are fed a protein jelly and kept in their place by armed guards controlled by the sinister Minister (Tilda Swinton). But Curtis (Chris Evans) is planning a revolt and intends to take over control of the engine but the journey to the front of the train will prove to be a hazardous one. This is an exciting story and with a superb cast that includes Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, John Hurt and Ed Harris. It's full of action and tension and with a clever vision of a dystopian, fascist state evolving on the train. The images of the frozen wasted planet outside are stunning and the film has some very keen plot twists that keep it rattling along at a great pace. A narrative that explores the twists and turns of human political history, it's both thought provoking and highly entertaining. It spawned a TV series but as a dystopian futuristic film this has a unique vision.

A David & Goliath underdog story that delves into the murkiness of hedge fund billionaires and Wall Street as a nerdy YouTuber manages to raise a small company's share price against the odds. This is based on a true story and has Paul Dano perfect in the role of Keith, a financial analyst and part time social media guru who correctly predicted that as the Covid 19 pandemic hit young people would be indoors playing computer games more so he invested some money in a small game store company and posted about it. People picked up on it and the share price rocketed making it a phenomenon. But some hedge fund billionaires had bet on the stock collapsing and consequently lost big time against it, causing a furore as the powerful tried to stop the ordinary investors from having their day! The film lacks the spark of similar films but it does manage to explain the complexities of system in a way that us ordinary folk can understand. There's a great cast too including Shailene Woodley as Keith's wife along with Seth Rogen, Nick Offerman, Sebastian Stan and Vincent D'Onofrio as the shady and panicked billionaires. Interesting although not as compelling as, say, The Social Network (2010) or The Big Short (2015).

A compelling and at times shocking drama set in apartheid era South Africa. and one of the significant films made that exposed the racist regime and it's casual human rights violations. Ben (Donald Sutherland) is a white school teacher, a caring and gentle man but one who has routinely believed the propaganda of his government. When his black gardener Gordon (Winston Ntshona) comes to him to help find his son who has been arrested at a demonstration Ben finds that enquiries are met with a deep suspicion by the police and he soon finds his life is turned upside down as those he seeks to help turn up dead. The film has some unpleasant scenes of torture and violence including the random shooting of children by the state police but which are used to highlight the issues the film sought to raise. It was certainly a film that the South African government were keen to suppress! There's wonderful cast that includes Susan Sarandon as a journalist, Jürgen Prochnow as a ruthless police officer, Michael Gambon, and Marlon Brando as a barrister. At the time of it's release this was clearly a controversial and challenging film as the apartheid policy in South Africa was still alive and well, viewed today this remains a strong and disturbing story and a film well worth discovering if you haven't seen it.

This is a really entertaining and somewhat underrated sword & sorcery fantasy that keeps the essence of the original fairy tale (and there are some tiny homages to Disney's 1937 cartoon masterpiece) but is told as a dark adventure film. It steals blatantly from The Lord of The Rings trilogy but that actually makes it all the better and I've no doubt that without Peter Jackson's game changing films this would never have been made. The stand out here is Charlize Theron who channels the sinister and evil Queen Ravenna so brilliantly. It's a wonderful performance and shows just how good an actor she is. Having murdered the smitten king on their wedding night Ravenna imprisons his daughter, Snow White (Kristen Stewart) in case she later proves useful and with the aid of her nasty brother (Sam Spruell) rules the kingdom through fear and the use of dark magic. The sets and cinematography are superbly created and director Rupert Sanders keeps the CGI down to a minimum using real buildings made for the film. Eventually Snow White escapes and the Queen hires The Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to track her down in a dark forest. But Snow White is linked in some way to the land and nature and aided by a band of dwarf warriors she leads a rebellion against the Queen. The dwarfs are wonderfully cast including Bob Hoskins (in his last role), Ray Winstone, Toby Jones and Ian McShane and are reminiscent of the dwarves of LOTR, as are the dark forests, white horses, birds as friend or foe. There's monsters and mystical creatures, knights in armour and plenty of sword fighting This is a family film but with a dark edge especially in the battles and combat scenes. It's great fun, played totally seriously and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Don't be put off by the title by assuming this is a children's film, it's not, this is aimed at adults as much as teenagers. The original fairy story of vanity and jealousy is there but used only as the central core of a good fantasy film. Indeed personally I would have liked to see it as an even darker tale with more blood and guts in the battle scenes especially. Well worth checking out though.

Guy Ritchie's follow up film after the success of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) was, at the time, unfavourably compared to his debut because it was stylistically and in many ways narratively similar. But over the years Snatch has garnered its own fanbase because it's a highly entertaining caper film and has some really memorable and cult status performances. Brad Pitt as the Irish traveller, Mickey, is the one that most will instantly recall and it's anuncannily accurate the portrayal. Beginning with a jewellery robbery in Antwerp where a huge and much coveted diamond is stolen, the action moves to London where the diamond ends up and various criminals try to get ahold of it. Jason Statham moving up to the main lead after his break out role in Lock, Stock...,plays 'Turkish', a London petty criminal and illegal boxing promotor. He finds himself in the debt of the very nasty gangster, Brick Top (Alan Ford), and he becomes embroiled with Pitt's Mickey who happens to be a very accomplished bare knuckle fighter. The diamond acts as the film's 'MacGuffin' as everyone involved gets caught up with trying to find it. Vinnie Jones basically recreates his role from Lock, Stock..., and added into the mix is an early big part for Stephen Graham along with Lennie James, Mike Reid, Dennis Farina, Benicio Del Toro and Rene Sherbedgia. The film is funny with touches of lunacy, brilliantly edited and cleverly plotted, full of cartoonish characters that are Ritchie's trademark and it's one you can return to time and time again and still enjoy. An adult, dark British crime comedy that is thoroughly entertaining and with a cleverly constructed plot.

Sneakers is a really entertaining thriller full of suspense, intrigue and humour. A neat conspiracy plot and a great all star cast and performances makes this hugely enjoyable and, if you've never seen this, it's a film I highly recommend. It has that caper style of narrative similar to the Mission Impossible Tv series. Robert Redford is Martin Bishop. He runs a small investigation company who specialise in security especially testing the systems of banks and similar corporations. He employs a crew of geeks and misfits including computer experts and ex CIA agents. Martin is blackmailed by Government agents to steal a code breaking machine or they will expose him over an old arrest warrant from years ago. It turns out that many others covet this machine and soon Martin and his crew find themselves caught up in a deadly espionage game. Co starring Mary McDonnell, Dan Aykroyd, River Pheonix, David Strathairn, Ben Kingsley and a cameo from James Earl Jones this is one of those films that keeps you hooked throughout, it's a tense story with twists and turns and also has some moments of real hilarity. lovely little film that is well worth checking out.

Director Ron Howard usually makes award tipped all American dramas with an edge of heroism usually with a likeable star. attached. With this film however we have a sort of survivalist drama set in the 1930s, an interesting and disturbing story that has a strong cast but occasionally is a bit too clunky and predictable. Believing that democracy leads to racism which leads to war on a never-ending cycle Ritter (Jude law), a German Doctor and his wife Dore (Vanessa Kirby) have left Germany as it drifts into Nazi control and live alone on a remote island in the Galapagos. Ritter shuns human society and writes about the need for change but his letters sent home find their way into newspapers and he unknowingly has a following back in Europe. This results in unwelcome visitors to the island, first come Heinz (Daniel Brühl), his wife Margret (Sydney Sweeney) and his son (Jonathan Tittel). After a frosty start Ritter comes to respect that Heinz and his family want the same as he does and they settle into an easy co habitation of the island. But then the narcissistic self titled Baroness Eloise (Ana de Armas) and her entourage of three men arrive with her claiming she intends to build a tourist hotel there. As bitterness rises between the parties and Eloise drives a wedge between everyone the primeval instincts of humanity come the fore with violence. The story doesn't get to grips with the characters and their motivations with any real sense of depth with the script being a little too flimsy, Vanessa Kirby's character is underwritten which is a shame, but overall this is an interesting drama that is like Lord Of the Flies with grown ups.