Film Reviews by GI

A distasteful, unique, at times very funny dark comedy drama about sexual frustration and the efforts to connect while harbouring deviant tendencies. The writing here is absolutely spot on even though it will make you squirm in scenes, for example, where a paedophile explains himself to his son. This is a film of interlocking stories of a group of people who have some connection with each other including a renowned doctor and family man (Dylan Baker) who lusts after boys and eventually begins raping his son's friends. A frustrated man (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who lusts after his sexy neighbour (Lara Flynn Boyle) but can only resort to making dirty phone calls until she reacts in a way that offers him the opportunity he craves; and a young teacher (Jane Adams) who is lonely and foolishly falls into the trap of an adult pupil who seduces and manipulates her. There is an older couple (Ben Gazzara, Louise Lasser) who decide to be apart but avoid divorce but uncomfortably stay living together. None of this sounds like a comedy and it also includes a woman (Camryn Manheim) who hates sex and has the body parts of a man who attacked her in her freezer, yet writer and director Todd Solondz creates a vignette of tales that is bizarrely compelling. He makes no attempt to give any of reprehensible characters or their acts any justification but does try to explain them. It makes for a challenging, interesting and quite bold film.

The longest in the franchise and it feels it mainly because the first hour is made up of so much poorly written exposition that one starts to be concerned that the film is a misfire. With its plot that warns of AI and has a pop at the internet in general this certainly turns up the ludicrous levels into the red. Indeed the plot is almost secondary to the two huge action set pieces that allow Tom Cruise to up the stunts that he performs to the maximum. Don't get me wrong, for the most part this is cinematically entertaining but it doesn't leave you wanting the gritty thriller vibes that others in the series have kept to the fore, indeed I thought the previous film was sharper. This film carries on where the previous one left off with agent Ethan Hunt refusing to hand over the magic key to his Government despite the President asking personally. Eventually though he agrees to an impossible mission to trap the 'Entity' (a ridiculous name for the villain) and has to marry up two devices. This leads to a quite tense set piece in a sunken submarine and finally to a battle with bi-planes that features prominently in the trailers. The crew from the previous film are back including Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff. The film lacks a good chase sequence, and scenes of Cruise endlessly running at full pelt don't make up for it. In many ways this is a bit of a disappointment but as it's still an action film that pushes the boundaries. It may say Final in the title and Ethan does get to save the world but you can never know if the temptation for yet another film will be too much. If not it's a fitting ending to this action franchise.

Director Todd Phillips was apparently given full control of this sequel to Joker (2019) to the point that he decidedly refused any contact or liaison with DC. That is very much to the film's detriment. I found the original film to be rather bizarrely overpraised and hyped and it was for me a wrong footed departure from the bleakness and dark narratives that were DC stories trademark. Here with this sequel we are given a very tedious, drawn out character drama that bears no resemblance to the character that has dominated the DC universe villainy. Some admire this because it's a sort of musical in some ways but really it's a warped romance and Phillips has been vocal in trying to convince everyone that this is not an origin story of 'The Joker' but about a character that probably influenced that adversary of Batman. Who knows but it seems a lame excuse for creating a story about one of the iconic superhero villains. Central to this film is a courtroom drama where the main character Arthur (Joaquin Pheonix), held in an asylum pending trial for the murders from the first film, is put on trial, his only defence being insanity. Whilst all that is going on he faces routine abuse from the asylum guards led by Brendan Gleeson and manages somehow to start a romance with Lee (Lady Gaga) who is some version of Harley Quinn. It all makes little sense, is very dull and at the end leaves you feeling rather fed up with the whole pretentious mess. A dud.

Basically a film that replicates more or less every other Jason Statham film adding nothing new as it's just another of those plots where an everyman who has a special set of skills goes on the rampage all in a good cause. This is a clumsy action film with a lead character that comes from a series of books, a bit like the Reacher series, and here adapted for the screen with that worrying hint their maybe a sequel or two! Statham plays Levon Cade, a construction foreman who used to be in the military. When his bosses daughter is abducted for the sex trafficking trade Cade agrees to find her. This leads to the Russian mafia, loads of ever more cartoonish villains for him to despatch as the film goes on, lots of violence and zero originality. Scripted by Sylvester Stallone, who no doubt still thinks he's the ultimate avenger, this rips from Taken (2008), The Equalizer (2014) and loads of similar films. Jason Flemyng hams it up as a Russian gangster and David Harbour has a cameo but does essentially nothing. It's rather pointless and daft and hardly worth the time.

This British indie is a strange film, a slow burner that has been described as a sort of fairy tale yet is more a story of grief and mental health. An unnamed young man (Rory Alexander) returns to his home in Gloucester after spending many years in a mental health institution following his traumatisation after the mysterious disappearance of his mother. But this is not a film that explores that with any sense of a mystery plot it's a slow burning examination of his attempt to return to life but unable to fit back in as the trauma still haunts his entire being. Mark Rylance as a sort of uncle figure to the young man is what draws you to watch this film as he's superb. But it's a testing film that ends up feeling a bit of a drag.

Unapologetically ambiguous and odd this is another Lynchian surreal horror from director Yorgos Lanthimos. Three stories that are linked by having the same cast led by Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons aided by Willem Dafoe and Margaret Qualley and about which there is the sense of a link but it remains annoyingly elusive. It's also the directors longest film to date and unfortunately it feels like a bit of a slog at times. It's an unwieldy film that borders on being an uncomfortable experience with its depictions of auto-amputation, cannabilism, drugged sex and delusional emotions. The first story has an employee under the entire control of his suave employer even down to when he has sex with his wife and what he can eat and drink. When he rebels over a particular awful demand and is cast aside he suddenly finds he can't function without that control. In the second a police officer grieves for his wife who has been lost at sea but is overjoyed when she is found having survived on a desert island but soon begins to suspect that she is not actually his wife. The third follows two members of a strange cult searching for a woman who has the power to raise the dead. It's difficult to pinpoint any unifying idea or theme between these three tales other than kindness is basically and mysteriously absent from all of them and I can only argue the director seems obsessed with issues of control and subjugation of free will. It's certainly a different sort of narrative and in a way you have to respect the idea behind the film even though it's a very difficult one to enjoy.

This is a no nonsense classically structured science fiction thriller that is at times excruciatingly tense. The film begins after some sort of apocalyptic event has occurred, we never get told what happened although there are clues in the various newspaper clippings shown during the film. Whatever occurred has led to the arrival of predatory creatures that are blind but hunt with acute hearing meaning any sound draws them extremely quickly. Emily Blunt and John Krasinski are husband and wife, Evelyn and Lee, who live on a farm with their children and attempt to survive by foraging the surrounding area all the time maintaining complete silence. They have one small advantage in that their eldest daughter, Regan (Millicent Simmonds) is hearing impaired and so the entire family are able to communicate by sign language. But with Evelyn expecting a baby they have to prepare ready to raise the newborn in a silent world. Cleverly the creatures are kept mostly in the background although they are pretty fearsome and the design is quite original. There are some nail biting scenes especially with Blunt who is awesomely good here. The film works so well because it has a simplicity and a punchy story that really keeps you on your toes. Thematically it's a film about family and in particular children thrust into an adult survival narrative with the subsequent loss of innocence. It has some big shocks so be prepared if you've never seen this but I really recommend it if you haven't.

The Quiet Man is a Taming of The Shrew story, a romantic comedy that has a picture postcard vision of Ireland and it's a sheer joy to watch. Director John Ford had held the rights to the short story on which the film is based for 20 years and he had to beg and bribe the studio to make the film. It went onto win him the Best Director Oscar. John Wayne is one of his most powerfully romantic roles plays Sean Thornton, an American, who arrives in the sleepy backwater of Innisfree hoping to buy the cottage where he was born. He soon becomes embroiled in a feud with the local rich farmer Will Danaher (Victor McLaglen) who has long held ambition to buy the same cottage. When Sean falls for Will's sister, Mary Kate (Maureen O'Hara) Will makes it his mission to stop them marrying, with hilarious results. If you've ever doubted that Wayne was an accomplished actor then this film will prove otherwise. It's one of his best performances and it's in the little scenes where this is most apparent. In a film with some major scenes, such as the turbulent thunderstorm, the horse race or the big climactic fistfight, it's easy to lose sight of Wayne's gift in the close ups and gentle scenes. He wasn't the No.1 box office star for 40 years for nothing. The Quiet Man remains a lovely film and it holds up because of the romance and humour in a story about passion, love, redemption and a search for peace. A masterpiece by a master director and one of the greatest films you could ever wish to see.

This pseudo-noir thriller tries a little too hard and adds scenes that would have been better left out but has an interesting premise. It does though follow the time worn narrative path of a victim who turns out to be more of an adversary than the bad guys banked on. American character actor Dale Dickey stars as Ann, who along with her ailing husband have retired to a quiet life. Her granddaughter Emma (Romane Denis) has nicknamed her The G, short for granny, and is close to her although Ann is a hard nosed grump who likes her vodka a little too much. Events take a turn for the worst when Ann and her husband are victims of a scam where a criminal, Rivera (Bruce Ramsey) with the help of a corrupt doctor and some nasty henchmen have the couple declared incapable via the courts, he then seizes their assets and imprisons them in a grim care home. Rivera is unprepared for Ann's ability to turn the tables. It's interesting and different to see the an elderly woman in the role of avenger and Dickey carries this off well. But overall the film is a little overcooked and would have been better served by a tighter narrative. Worth checking out though.

A crime thriller that feels like a throwback to the 90s with Pierce Brosnan starring in a role that feels it was written for a slightly younger man. He's Charlie, a fixer for mob boss Stan (James Caan in his final film). When Stan's crew gets assassinated Charlie, surviving the attempt on his own life, goes all vengeful on the gang that are responsible. The film is thankfully short and sharp, it offers no real surprises and boasts a couple of solid action set pieces and Morena Baccarin as a resourceful love interest who helps Charlie on his mission. This is a reasonably entertaining thriller with dark comedy vibes that does exactly what you expect.

The charismatic performance from Florence Pugh, who here establishes once and for all that she is a major film star, is what lifts this new MCU film above the previous outings. I'm not a huge fan of the MCU series and found the Avengers films overlong, bloated and confusing but I get that there is a fanbase that needs feeding. Thunderbolts* is a story of a ragtag bunch of super antiheroes who are all misfits that come together in the absence of the actual Avengers, who have gone on holiday maybe, to deal with Julia Louis-Dreyfus baddie. This band are all full of angst and self doubt or even incompetence as they have to figure out a way to deal with a new super soldier created to allow the baddie to rule the world! There's the inevitable resorting to destroying lots of city buildings and big punch ups (these superheroes always seem to end up slogging it out with each other) to keep fans of this genre happy. Admittedly the first half of the film is the best, with Pugh's Yelena as the dominant character that the narrative follows and there's some well constructed set pieces and, of course, the opening has Pugh performing what is already a well advertised major stunt. But eventually the film drifts into a standard MCU plot and story arc. It's entertaining and David Harbour as Yelena's father offers brash humour. The ending signposts a potential new series which I'm sure will delight fans but I hope we don't lose Florence Pugh in a wealth of these films, she's so good in more subtle narratives.

Paying homage to just about every Sergio Leone western ever made this is a real treat, a shoot em up western with a modern twist. It's such fun and entertaining throughout and with it's tongue firmly in its cheek this is a violent story of gunfighters. A mysterious woman (Sharon Stone) rides into a small frontier town of Redemption for the annual shooting contest. The town is run by former outlaw Herod (Gene Hackman) who rules with a fast gun. He usually wins the contest which attracts gunfighters from all over. But the woman has her own agenda for being there and the townspeople hang onto the slim hope that Herod will be killed and free them from his tyranny. Even if you are not normally a fan of westerns I urge you to give this a go, it really is topnotch and boasts a support cast of Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio and it's the last film of Woody Strode who has a cameo and if you doubt Sharon Stone has any star attraction then she is damn good in this and it's good to see a western with a central female character. The gunfights are all subtly different, neatly bloody and original. A great little film that I highly recommend if you've never seen it.

The character of Professor Bernard Quatermass has largely been forgotten today. First appearing in the early 1950s he's often considered one of the first British TV heroes and is a precursor to Dr Who. The character appeared in radio and three TV serials in the 50s and a later one in 1979 starring John Mills (there was an attempt to revive the character in 2005). All of the earlier serials were subsequently remade into films of which Quatermass and The Pit, produced by Hammer Films, is considered the best. That's not least because it stars Andrew Keir as Quatermass, a Scottish actor of great range and ability who is considered the best to have played the role. The story is a very clever one utilising pagan horror and science fiction alien invasion narratives in a clever twisting plot that is still quite unsettling. During repairs to a London Underground station several fossilised skulls are unearthed. Archaelogist Dr Roney (James Donald) and his team are called in and further excavations reveal a strange object thought to be a German missile. Government rocket scientist Bernard Quatermass is sent to investigate and he soon suspects the object to be something not of this world. Efforts to penetrate the device soon unleashes something highly unexpected. The special effects are quite good considering this is a low budget film made in the 1960s and model work aside they work well. This was a film made for adults but viewed today it's more fun than frightening but still a film worth seeking out if you've never seen this great example of British science fiction horror.

A mystery crime thriller, a whodunnit, with a courtroom drama episode and a supernatural element from director Sam Raimi. It's marked by a particular but typically brilliant and nuanced role from Cate Blanchett and a rare bad guy role from Keanu Reeves. The plot, whilst flawed, twists and turns keeping you guessing for the most part and the narrative , from writer Billy Bob Thornton, is interesting and entertaining although relies a little too much in the denouement on the plot device of 'visions'. Annie (Blanchett) is a recently widowed mother of three young sons living in America's Deep South. Annie has an inherited psychic gift where she can see events both in the past and future and to supplement her meagre income she gives card readings to locals some of whom hold her in deep suspicion. When she gets involved in the investigation of the disappearance of a local socialite she finds herself front and centre in the trial of a local man for murder. Costarring Katie Holmes, Greg Kinnear and J. K. Simmons this is a reasonably clever thriller that benefits from the cast and their performances with the setting of the menacing swamplands adding to the mystery. Worth checking out if you've never seen it.

It spawned a series and is a bit of a cult favourite although there are some scenes in this American teenage sex comedy that are considered somewhat problematic when viewed today; in particular an extended scene where boy covertly streams a girl getting undressed in his bedroom that he has inadvertently shared with the entire year of his school. Today that scene would not be allowed. It's interesting or at least difficult to comprehend the lightness at which this scene is taken in the narrative and ultimately its final acceptance by the girl in question. But that aside this is quite a puerile comedy and lacks the real laughs that other films of this type have managed far better such as Porky's (1981). American Pie is set in a Californian senior High School where the students are approaching graduation and their prom night. Four of the boys are particularly obsessed with sex and make a pact with each other to lose their virginity by the end of prom. The film is then their clumsy efforts to achieve this with mixed results. There's some famous scenes here not least one with an apple pie although the best scenes involve Eugene Levy as the father of one of the boys who does his embarrassing best to pass on some relationship wisdom to his son. A popular comedy that does attempt to balance the teenage mindsets of both sexes as they navigate the complexities of relationships, love and sex but it hasn't dated well and the film sits firmly in the teenage boy audience demographic.