Film Reviews by GI

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.

From the opening titles to the 1960s setting and the narrative structure and editing style this is clearly a film centred around director Steven Spielberg's love of Alfred Hitchcock and especially his late 50s and early 60s thrillers. To that end this is endlessly entertaining and whilst some of the plot is really unbelievable that simply adds to the sheer delight of the film as it homages such wonderful cinema as North By Northwest (1959) or Torn Curtain (1966). In a charming performance Leonardo DiCaprio is Frank Abagnale, based on a real conman, who learns from his small time grifter father (Christopher Walken) how to commit cheque fraud. he basically grows very adept at it and in addition can utilise disguise to con his way to defrauding banks and institutions from playing an airline pilot, a doctor and a lawyer. The basic plot is a cat and mouse one as he is chased throughout by FBI Agent carl (Tom Hanks) who learns quickly how his prey operates after being fooled by him a few times. Carl runs the lowly Cheque Fraud Unit but soon identifies Frank is netting several millions by his actions. A piece of old school cinema with a great support cast that includes Jennifer Garner, Amy Adams, Martin Sheen, James Brolin and Elizabeth Banks. A Spielberg film that is worth rediscovering and possibly one that gets forgotten amongst his more celebrated and bigger films.

With this thriller we're in Fargo territory as Emma Thompson nails the Minnesota accent. She plays Barb, a kindly woman freshly widowed who heads out to a remote lake to scatter her husband ashes at the fishing site where they had their first date. But losing her way she stops at a remote cabin and disturbs a bizarre couple who have kidnapped a young girl. Without a phone signal and limited resources Barb decides she has to help the girl. This leads to a series of events as the nasty pair played by Judy Greer and Marc Menchaca try to deal with Barb as well as carry out their macabre plan involving the girl. It's an entertaining thriller with a first class lead performance from Thompson and whilst there are some plot holes this is a film that rattles along at a strong pace, has an alarming and twisted plot and a distinct chilly atmosphere. It's outrageously good fun.

This is an explosive, comic, action crime film that utilises the style of Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) with its fast paced, multi stories and razor sharp editing. It's certainly a highly entertaining, violent film with a great cast and it rattles along at breakneck speed. Set in Las Vegas it concerns a seedy entertainer Buddy 'Aces' Israel (Jeremy Piven) who has big mob connections but has decided to turn informer for the FBI and is hiding out in a plush hotel. The mafia have a massive contract out on him which attracts a host of top killers. FBI agents Ray Liotta and Ryan Reynolds, are also on their way to remove Israel into protective custody. When they all converge on the hotel mayhem ensues. The plot is very clever here too involving an FBI undercover operation from the 1950s and the relationships between various characters creates some neat twists. The cast includes Alicia Keys, in her first film, Andy Garcia, Ben Affleck, Joel Edgerton and Jason Bateman. Written and directed by Joe Carnahan this is great fun and well worth checking out if you've never seen it.

A zany, darkly humoured and violent crime flick from director Darren Aronofsky, which is very entertaining and filled with bizarre characters. Austin Butler stars as Hank, a washed up former baseball star whose fall from grace is told in a series of flashbacks. The only good thing in his life is his girlfriend played by Zoë Kravitz. His life takes a very nasty turn when his mohican haired English neighbour Russ (Matt Smith) asks him to look after his cat, which leads to him getting seriously beaten up by some Russian gangsters. As events around Hank get worse he has to find some resolve to fight back. And events really do go in some very unexpected directions. Brilliantly plotted and with some laugh out loud moments this is weird, fun and gloriously gonzo. I did find Hank recovered a little too quickly from a major tragedy during the events of the story but with it's great cast that includes Liv Schreiber, Carol Kane, Vincent D'Onofrio and Laura Dern has a mid end credits cameo this is a recommended film to check out. Surprisingly good.

A really entertaining mystery thriller that despite being set almost entirely in one room works very well and keeps up the tension even though the plot is obviously very contrived and occasionally fails to push itself in certain directions. Meghann Fahy plays Violet, an attractive single mum to Toby (Jacob Robinson). The film opens with Violet being attacked, an incident that becomes relevant to the main plot. She has, after many years, decided to go on a first date with Henry (Brandon Sklenar), whom she has met only online. This takes place in a high rise, posh restaurant. Henry is a handsome, amiable chap but Violet begins to receive anonymous texts that indicate her son is being threatened and that she is being constantly watched. The texts tell her to do certain actions including murder or Toby will be killed. This one of those plots which focuses on who is controlling the 'game'. Several suspects are put forward during the film, and sometimes these are not followed through satisfactorily but overall this is a well directed thriller that uses its limitations of location very well. Eventually it moves into action territory as everything unfolds. Good, solid thriller and very enjoyable.

Star Michael B. Jordan's directorial debut is a return of his Adonis Creed character from the spin off series originating with the Rocky films. It's a highly polished but soulless boxing drama that follows the same format of most films in the genre and indeed this series. Now retired and a successful trainer and businessman as well as a happy family man Creed is thrown by the sudden return of an old friend from his teenage years. Damian (Jonathan Majors) has just been released from prison for a crime that partially involved Creed and now despite a warm approach has a dark agenda to get even with Creed. There's a couple of big boxing set pieces including the finale where Creed and Damian are the adversaries and these include the usual slow motion and ups and downs until the predictable conclusion. This is one for fans of the series and/or boxing films in general but overall it's routine stuff.

A needlessly incoherent and contrived psychological drama that fails to grip its plot and leaves you with a totally unsatisfied feeling. It seems to be a real jumble of ideas wrapped in a convoluted script that arguably needed some sorting out. The cast do their best but the characters, as written, are incomplete and as the viewer it's difficult, if nigh impossible, to get a handle on what is the film trying to actually say. Julia Roberts is Alma, a Yale University professor, up for renewal of her tenure. She is apparently idolised by one of her students, Maggie (Ayo Edebiri), whose very wealthy parents make donations to the University. Alma's husband (Michael Stulbarg) thinks Maggie has a crush on his wife. After a party at their house at which Maggie attends, Alma's colleague (and possibly ex-lover), Hank (Andrew Garfield) gets drunk and takes Maggie back home. Subsequently Maggie accuses Hank of sexual assault, which he denies, and creates a dilemma for Alma as to who to believe. With this basic storyline the pieces are in place for an in-depth look at this all too frequent scenario but this film drifts laboriously into complexity and ambiguity and results in a bit anticlimax. For added annoyance is the soundtrack which is not only intrusive but for some reason has a bomb like ticking bomb on it which doesn't increase any tension but simply cons you into thinking the film is heading somewhere and its a nuisance too! I can't help but feel this was a wasted opportunity considering the talent on offer and the nature of the story.

Unashamedly a soppy and very contrived love story designed to highlight that movie romances are simply fairy stories. It references and homages An Affair To Remember (1957) and in doing so it's a throwback to the classic romantic comedies of yesteryear. But none of this is a criticism because Sleepless In Seattle is a lovely, heartwarming American romcom with two charismatic leads who have real charisma even though they share very little screen time together. Tom Hanks plays Sam, who having lost his beloved wife to illness, moves with his 8 year old son Jonah (Ross Malinger) to Seattle to start a new life. Jonah, sensing his Dad's loneliness, one night calls a radio station asking for a new wife for his dad and inadvertently starts a nationwide story which is picked up by journalist, Annie (Meg Ryan). She begins to feel a strange connection with Sam despite never meeting him and which brings her own relationship into question. The course of their two stories drives them towards each other in a lovely story that defies all sense of reality but this is movie world and it all works a treat. Although this is not a Christmas film it sort of feels like one so it's a great film for that season. the support cast are excellent including Hanks real life wife Rita Wilson as well as Carey Lowell, Bill Pullman and Rob Reiner.

This is a riotous adult sports comedy that follows the antics of a failing American ice hockey team, the Charleston Chiefs. They are on a huge losing streak and consequently the team's mysterious owner is losing money and there are rumours the team is to be closed down. Veteran player/coach Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman in a performance that will be a big surprise if you've not seen this film) attempts to stall this by spreading false rumours the team is being sought after by a Florida buyer. But then the manager (Strother Martin) brings in the weird Hanson brothers, Jeff, Steve and Jack, to play on the team. Their style amounts to nothing more than fighting on the ice and as the crowd relishes the violence Reggie encourages the others to go all out with fights too and they begin not only to win but also to attract a huge following. But soon Reggie regrets the loss of a good sporting contest and winning by skill. This is really very, very funny and for it's time it's very profane and trying to say something about violence in art and media especially relevant in in the mid 70s when cinema was pushing the boundaries of screen violence and the exposure of it to young people. Viewed today it's a a great sports comedy, entertaining throughout and good to see Newman clearly having the time of his life (he often cited this as his favourite film). If you've never seen this then check it out it's great stuff.

Notorious for it's big plot twist and reveal (of which I will give nothing away in case you haven't seen this) this remains a moving, intricate and very well written ghost story, full of suspense it is director M. Night Shyamalan's best film. Bruce Willis is eminent child psychologist Malcolm Crowe. He takes on a new patient, a young boy named Cole (Haley Joel Osment), who suffers from chronic anxiety and is socially ostracised. His mother (Toni Collette) doesn't know why and is desperate to help her little boy. Malcolm soon discovers that Cole has a deep secret that he has never revealed and Malcolm knows he has to get the boy to tell him what it is if he is to help him. He is completely unprepared for what that secret happens to be. Willis and Collette are both fantastic here but the film goes to young Osment who really nails the role of Cole. It's an emotional rollercoaster and whilst there's some shocks along the way Shyamalan is rightly restrained making the film extremely watchable. He sprinkles clues throughout the narrative and follow up viewings help you to spot them. This is often cited as a film that is spoiled once you know how it turns out but I disagree. This is a film with more to offer than just the story's conclusion and I recommend you to watch again if you've only seen it once. And if you've never seen this little gem then I really recommend it.

A really intriguing science fiction film that predated The Matrix (1999) and which I suspect influenced that very popular and ground breaking film. Dark City is a dystopian fantasy that involves a mystery and surreal imagery as the plot gradually unfolds. John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) wakes up in a seedy hotel with no memory. It's an American city circa late 40s and early 50s and seems trapped in perpetual nighttime. John quickly discovers he's wanted for a series of brutal murders of prostitutes including the freshly killed girl in his hotel bedroom. Avoiding the police led by hard boiled Detective Bumstead (William Hurt) John tries to find out what has happened to him and learns he has a wife (Jennifer Connelly), a strange doctor (Keifer Sutherland) and to top it all a very peculiar band of pasty faced weirdos are after him too. There's some Lynchian set pieces and the plot unravels in a well scripted and quite original story. There's a director's cut that is the version to see as it is the truer version of director Alex Proyas' vision. Great cast, great story and very entertaining.

Clearly influenced by Jim Jarmusch's 1995 western Dead Man this is a strange supernatural story set before the American Civil War in the wilds of Arizona. Guy Pearce plays an ether addicted doctor who is grieving for his dead family who have died of plague. Needing money he agrees to help a former slave (DeWanda Wise) take her young daughter across the wilderness to see a famed priest. This is all because if the girl, who is inexplicably white and blonde, touches anyone or thing they instantly die and the mother believes she is possessed. On the journey they have to deal with a variety of characters and there's plenty of violence along the way too. It's a difficult film to quantify and it did remind me a little of Bone Tomahawk (2015) too. Pearce gives his usual angsty performance and Bill Pullman and Joanna Cassidy pop up in support roles. Visually it's a western, narratively it's a somewhat weird horror film about superstition and fear. It's watchable if a little odd.

Director Noah Baumbach's study of the price of fame and a story about regrets and trying to rediscover what are the real joys of life. In many ways this is, perhaps, a bit overly sentimental but with George Clooney in the titular lead role it actually finds just the right level without tipping over into a saccharine yucky story. Jay is a global movie star who relies on his entourage, led by manager Ron (Adam Sandler) in the running of his life. At a funeral of the director (played by Jim Broadbent) who gave him his big break but who Jay also rejected when his mentor was struggling, he bumps into an old drama school colleague who reveals how much he hates Jay for stealing his big break. This leads him onto a journey of attempted redemption especially with his two daughters with whom he has been a poor father. The journey is into Italy where Jay has to face some home truths about how he is perceived by those around him and re-evaluate his relationships especially with Ron. Clooney is perfect in the role and brings a moving performance that has the contradictions of a man who loves the fame but also feels the looses that it has cost him and includes the responsibility he now holds over those who need his fame for their own lives. An enjoyable and interesting film with a strong support cast that includes Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Greta Gerwig, Patrick Wilson, Stacey Keach and Emily Mortimer, who co-wrote the script.