Film Reviews by GI

This is a nuanced and thought provoking study of female trauma following sexual assault presented in a mild darkish comedy but which still manages to hit the spot in highlighting the emotional impact that such a crime has on the individual woman. Eva Victor directs and stars as Agnes, a PHD student in a small New England university who has a mild flirtatious relationship with her tutor and a mutual admiration exists between them. But when he switches a meeting from his office to his home we see Agnes arrive at dusk and leave in the dark in a flustered manner. It's a clever presentation of the rape that Agnes later reveals to her best friend Lydia. The film charts Agnes experience with an unfeeling doctor and a period of panic attacks with also her deciding how to deal with the experience including whether to go to the police. Her decision not to is an interesting one. This is a film that explores rather well I thought the conflictions and confusion of Agnes as a victim whilst showing how she strives to rise above it in her life. An interesting drama that is well worth checking out.

Another 'Ghostface' Horror/Whodunnit that is, as expected, totally formulaic taking the advantage that franchise's like this can get away with in that they can spew out the same narrative, same tropes and appeal to fans who expect it but it's effectively lazy filmmaking. This latest one offers nothing new or particularly interesting. Admittedly there are some inventive gory deaths including one in a bar but overall this just relies on boring cattle prod style jump scares and false alarms to please fans. The saving grace is the plot rattles along at a good pace. Neve Campbell stars as the mother who has a history of dealing with Ghostfaces and just wants to protect her daughter played admirably by Isobel May. Eventually there's plethora of Ghostfaces they have to deal with and of course you're expected to try and guess who they are. It's not hard!! Overall this is another tedious horror film that is instantly forgotten.

A strictly B movie contemporary western/crime thriller set in a small town. The discovery of the body of a local businessman's son sparks an investigation by the small local police led by Sheriff Nick Light (Michael Edwards). He's an aging cop still suffering from grief after the unsolved murder of his son five years ago. Very quickly it gets established there's a connection between the new murder and his son's death. It opens up the uncovering of corruption and drug trafficking that up until then the police had no idea about!! A terrible script and formulaic plotting make this one huge cliché. There's nothing new to be found here, it passes the short running time ok but it's instantly forgettable.

An absurdist comedy about male loneliness and inadequacy that is occasionally cringy, hilarious and strange but with a solid central performance from Tim Robinson as Craig. Craig is a dull, suburban husband and father who is socially inept, almost childlike in his attempts to interact with other male colleagues and who cannot understand their ease with each other. All his attempts are met with derision and so he retreats into his isolated shell. Then he meets his new neighbour Austin (Paul Rudd), a local minor celebrity (He's a TV weatherman), he plays in a band and has a group of male friends. Austin at first welcomes Craig in but soon, after some very funny and cringeworthy incidents, decides that it's best to distance himself from Craig. Craig, of course, cannot understand the rejection and is left bereft by it, attempting other ways to find some connections with himself, his family, Austin and others. There are some scenes that don't always fit here for example when Craig decides to try a bizarre 'drug' experience, which makes some parts of the film a little forced as if trying to make it funnier. As a comedy character Craig is interesting if a little too immature bordering on mental illness but the theme of the difficulty of male bonding is cleverly interwoven into the narrative. Rudd , whose character hides a secret that Craig inadvertently discovers, plays a solid counter character to Craig allowing the film to have a gentle touch too as they navigate their 'friendship'. Kate mara plays Craig's wife, sadly she's underused but has a central part to play in Craig's final and extreme push to be 'cool'. An enjoyable film and worth aa watch.

You can just accept that Jason Statham knows his fanbase and what a Jason Statham film needs to be like. Admittedly not all his output has merited attention but there are some really great gems amongst his films and whilst Shelter isn't offering anything new it is a solid action thriller that unashamedly rips from the Bourne and John Wick series' but nevertheless is entertaining throughout. Statham, in his usual charismatic screen performance, is Mason, a reclusive man living alone on a remote Scottish Island with his faithful dog. It's no plot spoiler to reveal he has a dark past that involves him needing to hide and of course he nurtures a 'special set of skills' that make him particularly formidable. When he rescues a young girl, Jessie (Bodhi Rae Breathnach), who brings him his supplies, from drowning during a heavy storm, events begin that get him spotted by MI6, some of whom need him eliminated. He and the girl have to go on the run. There's some solid and well executed set pieces mostly gunfights and chases including one in a night club that has probably been influenced by the one in Collateral (2004). The cast includes Naomi Ackie, Bill Nighy and a cameo from Harriet Walter. It's all predictable and been done before (mostly by Statham himself) but it's constructed beautifully and keeps you hooked in. It's well worth your time.

As documentaries go that are about the natural world this one highlights a rare success story. The rehoming of black rhinos within the Kenyan conservation areas as the team of rangers protect the animals while dealing with poachers, bandits, a struggling local population and drought. The success of the protection of the Rhinos here has had a side effect and that is there is now not enough territory for the growing population and the males, especially, fight for control of their own area often a very large one. It's a well made documentary, interesting and at times moving as violent encounters often result in tragedy, all documented here. Narrated by Tom Hardy this is worth checking out if you love wildlife programmes. 

This is a decent crime thriller that has a solid cast and a twist and turn plot that is a little far fetched amplified by a lead character who makes some really daft decisions but overall it's very entertaining. Julianne Moore leads as Kate, a sad, lonely woman who is mired in grief for her recently deceased partner. She owns a small horse farm where she gives riding lessons but she is desperately short of money. Her only shining light is her wayward daughter, Claire (Sydney Sweeney), a spoiled drug addicted girl who only returns home when she's in need of money. When she arrives she unfortunately leads nasty drug dealer Jackie (Domhnall Gleeson) to Kate's ranch where he demands money. But this is nothing to what Claire and Jackie eventually lead Kate into. The film lags somewhat in the middle third and Sweeney isn't on screen for enough time even though her performance is really good when she is. Gleeson is suitably menacing and Fiona Shaw costars as Kate's one friend. Kyle MacLachlan has a cameo too. The climax is a solid twist and the film is a good thriller with a stand out cast and definitely worth checking out.

This is quite an absorbing documentary from British filmmaker Victoria Mapplebeck who has stitched together about twenty years of mobile phone footage to document her life and relationship with her son Jim from baby to young adult. At 38 Mapplebeck found herself pregnant, alone and struggling for money. With the father absent (they met through a dating agency) she creates a self portrait of her struggles and devotion with all the highs and lows including a serious diagnosis for breast cancer. In many ways this is a love letter to her son and parenting, there's several very moving moments and one that stands out is where she is thinking she may not survive her cancer Mapplebeck cries on camera about her desperation to see Jim to adulthood so he can survive without her. Jim is portrayed as a cute boy but doesn't shy away from his troubles and emotional struggles particularly over trying to build some sort of a relationship with the father he hardly knows. Overall an enthralling documentary, honestly told and with humanity and warmth.

A classic American underdog story told in a sports and social drama that made Sylvester Stallone a major star. It led to a short franchise but this, the first, is the significant film although it follows a familiar and somewhat predictable path. It tells the story of a lowly street boxer, Rocky Balboa, who fights in clubs for a small fee and acts as a debt collector for a loan shark. He gets the one in a million chance to fight against the heavyweight champion of the world in a title fight. The film has some pacing issues and can feel a bit slow for the most part mainly, I think, because all such films build to the climactic bout and you are always waiting for that to happen. The best part of this film is the romance as Rocky ineptly woos a local girl, the brother of his drunk friend. Set in Philadelphia the film portrays the grubbiness of the poorer quarters where Rocky resides and contrasts those scenes nicely with the glitz and glamour of the boxing world that the champ inhabits. The film is a little dated in some ways when viewed today especially around the standard boxing film narrative but the film stands out as the making of Stallone and highlighting his talents as a screen writer.

A belated sequel to the 1995 science fiction action film that was adapted from a Philip K. Dick story and was a decent if flawed action sci-fi with a solid story and a good lead star in Peter Weller. This follow up is strictly a B movie fare that surprisingly has some reasonable effects but is let down by a daft story and script and some shoddy acting mostly from an unknown cast. Lance Hendricksen has a cameo in a poorly thought out role. Years after the events of the first film the planet is believed deserted and the 'screamers' now inoperable. But a distress signal brings a rescue ship with some soldier types to look for survivors. Of course the screamers are far from dead and in fact have evolved into bloody cyborgs. The film steals from far better sci-fi offerings and goes for gore over getting a good plot and story together. They even throw in a ridiculous sex scene in the middle of all the mayhem just to get the all too predictable conclusion into the plot. A forgettable sequel that disappoints as the first film was rather good.

This remake of a 1963 Akira Kurosawa film is a bewildering concoction that left me unsatisfied even whilst I appreciated the dominating central performance from Denzel Washington as a big music mogul. This is part crime thriller, part cultural study and part social drama that feels unevenly paced and a little stilted in the way the film edits the story and in the dialogue. But it's certainly a bold, brash film. Washington is David King, a bit of a cult figure as a famous music producer. He lives in a huge penthouse apartment, has a beautiful wife and sporty son. He's on the brink of a new deal to take over his record company when a kidnapper grabs his godson thinking it's King's son. The godson is the child of King's driver and friend and an ex-con played by Jeffrey Wright. Persuaded to pay the huge ransom leaves King unable to conclude his business deal. The police are rather inept and include one white officer who can barely contain his contempt for everyone involved. Eventually King has to get on the streets to try and get his money back. None of the characters are likeable and nearly of them are self serving. It's unclear if director Spike Lee intended to highlight the police incompetence in dealing with the kidnap but they are certainly useless and the most exciting set piece is King's chase and confrontation with the kidnapper on a subway train. The kidnapper's motives are borderline daft to say the least. Overall this is watchable, has it's moments but it's an unevenly paced film that didn't resonate with me.

A lavish period drama adapted from the celebrated Jane Austen novel by Emma Thompson who stars as Elinor. Directed by Ang Lee the film captures the mystic landscape of England and is a beautiful film to watch. It's a story of love, romance and manners in late 18th Century England where a wealthy man dies and by law his estate is left to his son by a first marriage effectively leaving his current wife and three daughters destitute. The son (James Fleet), under the spiteful influence of his wife (Harriet Walter) fails in his promise to his dying father to look after them and they end up in a humble cottage in Devon. But they thrive and the story follows the two eldest daughters, Elinor and Marianne (Kate Winslet), as they fall in love. Elinor with the shy Edward (Hugh Grant) and Marianne with the dashing Willoughby (Greg Wise). But social rules and expectations and various problems with money cause heartache and near tragedy until happiness finds them in the end. The cast are all on top form and include Alan Rickman, Robert Hardy, Imelda Staunton and Hugh Laurie. A charming adaptation, delightful story and visually beautiful film.

A somewhat lightweight sports drama about the infamous quarrel between Roy Keane, the Captain of the Irish national football team, and the team's manager Mike McCarthy resulting in Keane's walk out from the 2002 World Cup. The two main stars, Éanna Hardwicke as Keane and Steve Coogan as McCarthy, are both good in what is essentially a chamber piece drama as the two butt heads with Keane frustrated by what he sees as the poor treatment of the Irish team at their training ground on Saipan, including the failure to supply footballs! McCarthy agrees but sees Keane as behaving with an air of entitlement and superiority. There's a more interesting story potentially here in the international treatment and view of Ireland and their own self perception which is touched upon but not really pursued with the film played as a personality conflict. It's intermixed with real footage and is of interest particularly for football fans but overall it's underwhelming.

Harris Dickinson's debut as director (he also cameos in the film) shows a talent that hopefully will produce more. This social drama has its flaws but it's grounded by a strong central performance from Frank Dillane as Mike. He's a homeless young man who's been living on the streets for a few years, alcohol and drugs have been his undoing, and when a fellow homeless man (Dickinson) steals his money Mike commits a nasty violent crime and ends up in prison. On release he's taken into the system that provides a hostel room and a job and he begins to turn things around although his vulnerability remains. His agreement to take part in a restorative justice meeting with the victim of his crime seems to have the opposite affect on Mike who can't relate or feel the emotions that are expected of him and from this point his life begins a slow spiral back to the streets, drugs and alcoholism. The odd aspect of this film is some strange visions he has of an old woman, perhaps his mother, and a dark cave that may represent a place from his childhood. These are unexplained and can possibly be read in various ways including a complex past that has led to Mike's situation. As a social drama that looks at the plight of homelessness and the British system it's a committed story, well directed if a little offbeat. It's an impressive directorial debut all the same.

Pedro Almodóvar's first English speaking film and in many ways a typically styled film by him, with big blocks of colour, the sense of an enigmatic and mysterious plot giving the story a dark edge and strong, bold female lead characters. Here this is Martha and Ingrid played respectively by Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore. They were both close friends in their youth working for a magazine but lost contact years ago until Ingrid, now a successful novelist, discovers Martha is in hospital with terminal cancer. Her visit reignites their friendship. In pain Martha has decided to commit suicide and asks Martha to stay with her "in the room next door" while she takes a pill acquired via the dark Web. They go to an idyllic holiday home in a forest for Martha's final days. There's often a sense during the interactions between these characters that Martha has some other agenda although it's Ingrid that hides an issue from Martha. I found the script to occasionally be a bit forced leaving an air of falsity to it and I'm not convinced it deals effectively with the issue of euthanasia and assisted suicide. The most interesting aspect of the plot is an indiscretion by Martha made during her planning for her death that later leaves Ingrid in some legal jeopardy. It was disappointing that this wasn't entirely worked out in the film. John Turturro costars in an interesting yet flawed drama.