Film Reviews by GI

There's been many adaptations of Alexandre Dumas' famous novel but this has to be the most original, fun and stylish. Director Richard Lester infused the story with farce, almost pythonesque in order to create a humorous swashbuckling adventure film that will have you laughing as much as any good comedy but all the while caught up in the sheer excitement of the story. The cast are mightily impressive from established film stars like Oliver Reed, Charlton Heston, Frank Finlay, Richard Chamberlain, Faye Dunaway, Michael York, Christopher Lee and Raquel Welch to support actors like Simon Ward, Roy Kinnear Geraldine Chaplin and Spike Milligan. Creating a superb vision of 17th Century France with it's dirty streets, beggars, taverns and with duels, sword fights grittily enacted this is so much fun that it is arguably one of the best films based on this novel. The story remains familiar in that young country boy D'Artagnan (York) heads off to Paris to join the King's musketeers and realises to qualify he must fight duels as often as possible. He is befriended by three established musketeers who are rebellious and find fun in fighting the soldiers of the nasty Cardinal Richelieu (Heston). When D'Artagnan becomes embroiled in a plot to humiliate the Queen he calls on his friends to help. In essence this is a historical caper movie, full of intrigue and romance too. A great film which along with it's sequel is fantastic fun and definitely a must see film if you've never seen it.

Part comedy caper and part serious action thriller film that has a sharp script and manages to condemn America's involvement in the Middle East and the campaign to liberate Kuwait from the Iraqi invaders as an ill thought out and disastrous policy. Set in 1991 at the end of Operation Desert Storm and the liberation of Kuwait. Army Sergeant Troy Barlow (Mark Wahlberg) and two of his mates find a map that identifies a hidden Iraqi bunker where stolen Kuwaiti gold bullion is hidden. When Major Archie Gates (George Clooney) hears about the map he takes them on a mission to steal the gold for themselves but their plans go awry when they become embroiled in Saddam's suppression of dissident civilians. Not only is this really entertaining, full of action, and littered with some really unique approaches to violence but it's also very funny and highlights the utter ridiculousness of the situation created by the Americans. It deals with the abandonment of the Iraqi people who were encouraged to rise up against Saddam Hussain but then unsupported by the allied forces and shows how the whole conflict is just a media war. So interwoven in this film is a human drama story that is quite moving and occasionally shocking. However the film is clever, engrossing and very, very good so if you've never seen this then it's a must see film.

This animated story is a rather joyless and plodding film that has been created by plundering a small piece from Tolkien's epic tales of Middle-earth and seems for no other reason than to continue the LOTR into a franchise. What a mistake that's likely to be if this film is evidence of what's to come. As much as there are admirers of this Japanese animation style it renders the LOTR world into a children's film without anything that a live feature would have done. It's a flat, sometimes boring film that at times sounds like an episode of Game Of Thrones with all the 'northern' accented English voices. In fact I felt short changed that it's an animation at all when these stories, if they are to be made into cinematic film, need to have that epic, fantastical and wondrous feel that came with the original trilogy. Besides, this story of a civil war involving rival factions of the Horse Lords of Rohan is a minor, insignificant one and the film relies on snippets and scenes recreating from the original trilogy just to ground it in the LOTR world at all. A disappointment.

A 'found footage' type horror film with demonic possession as the sub genre on show here. Set in the 1970s where a failing late night chat show hosted by Jack (David Dastmalchian) has one last go at boosting its ratings and staying on air by having a Halloween special where an allegedly devil possessed young girl is interviewed and has the demon inside her called forth. The resulting tape of the show having been later discovered and shown here. There's an element of satire in this narrative that has some expected gory moments and ghostly snapshots that you have to be watching closely to catch. It's all wrapped up by a plot that involves Jack having made some pact with Satan and this final show revealing the price he is having to pay. It's a neat recreation of the 70s style of show that it showcases but it's a fairly routine horror film that fans of the genre will no doubt love. For the rest of us its fairly forgettable.

This is one of the best of a cycle of conspiracy thrillers that came out in the 1970s. A tense and exciting espionage story set in New York where humble academic Joe (Robert Redford) analyses novels from around the world for the CIA. He works with a small team from a small building posing as a literary society. One day while Joe pops out for lunch his fellow researchers are all murdered and he finds himself first on the run but then forced to find who is behind the killings before he too becomes a victim. Everyone seems to have an agenda and he finds he can trust no-one other than a woman (Faye Dunaway) he is forced to kidnap in order to hide out. A twist and turn plot, sprinkled with sharp action and a story that never goes where you expect. It has a superb support cast with Max Von Sydow as a sinister hitman, Cliff Robertson and John Houseman, as CIA bosses. With America reeling from social unrest and eventually the Watergate scandal these conspiracy thrillers looked with an accusing eye at what lurks beneath the surface of the so called democracy and freedom of the country and here is a brilliant example of the sort of excellent cinema that Hollywood produces. Highly recommended if you've never seen this.

A 'found footage' style story that is actually, and surprisingly, original, interesting and thrilling too. It's a cleverly constructed film that utilises archive and historical footage and intermixed with the grainy black & white style in which the story is shot that blends the narrative into an intriguing story. It's set in the Second World War where two slightly eccentric but genius sisters (Emma Appleton, Stefanie Martini) have managed to build a machine that intercepts radio and TV transmissions from the future, mostly the 60s and 70s. At first they are fascinated by images of David Bowie for example and soon are listening to the pop music of the future and loving it. But the machine also shows them future German attacks on Britain and they devise a way to anonymously warn the public and the military thus thwarting those attacks and saving lives. The military track them down and the machine and sisters become an intricate part of the planning for the war effort allowing for the war to take a different course. What they have not foreseen is their tinkering with the future effectively changes it with dire consequences. A film that draws you in and becomes fascinating the more it goes on. It's a film well worth checking out and an interesting addition to the time travel type genre.

A beautiful, moving and unexpectedly graceful film following the life of a hardworking and gentle man working on building the railroad bridges and logging in early twentieth century America. Joel Edgerton is superb as the quiet and introverted Robert, an orphan who is used to be lonely and working as a semi-hobo in the wilderness with men with strange tales of their dangerous lives, which he absorbs along with the magic of the nature with which he spends his time. When he meets Gladys (Felicity Jones) he embraces their love with a full intensity and yearns for her and their baby daughter when he has to spend months away in the forests. His journey is the heart of the narrative as this is a story of nature, landscape and connections. Robert has to face loss, grief and forlorn hope during his life and Edgerton really nails the guilts and turmoils of this simple man. He dreams of moments of the past where trauma has deeply affected him and also of hopes for the future as he journeys to and from his work to get home to his family. It's a very deeply affecting film and worthy of its awards and accolades. Really quite beautiful.

A lighthearted if rather silly teen comedy about three close friends who have formed a talented garage band and dream of making it to the big time. If it had stuck to that plot this could've been a neat comedy but it doesn't. The story goes off into ridiculousness with a plot that involves a conniving music exec' (Parker Posey) and her slimy talent spotter (Alan Cumming) who are more interested in planting subliminal messages into the music of their acts to hypnotise young people into buying crap. They casually murder off any artists who suss this. Eventually our intrepid group of girls (Rachel Leigh Cook, Tara Reid & Rosario Dawson) realise what's going on and set out to defeat the baddies. There's some fun to be had here but it's all daft and forgettable even while trying to say something about materialism and following trends created by companies to make money.

Adapted from an early Stephen King novel this is a film that falls into the dystopian cycle of films where a future society devises some game or contest where it's win or die and designed to benefit society in some warped way; films such as Battle Royale (2000), The Hunger Games series, The Purge series or The Running Man (1987 & 2025) for example. Here in a collapsed USA, after some big war, society is in lethargy and the military control a televised contest where 50 teenage boys are selected by ballot to endure the Long Walk. Fall behind, break any of the rules or even slow down and you get shot until the last man standing wins riches beyond his dreams. This is meant to inspire people! The narrative is one that has to focus on the conversations between the contestants as they reveal their motives for competing and their various issues in the depressed lives they all lead. The deaths are often bloody and shocking but ultimately it's a film involving a lot of walking and talking. It's interesting enough highlighted by the presence of Mark Hamill as the nasty military man and Judy Greer as a worried mother of the main character played by Cooper Hoffman. It's ok but all feels a little too contrived and the ending seems both predictable in one way, surprising in another and ultimately a little disappointing.

Tommy Lee Jones first cinematic film as director and what an absolutely gem of a film it is, one of those movies you come across almost by chance and realise you've found a stone cold classic. If you love the films of Sam Peckinpah or enjoyed No Country For Old Men (2007) then you will really rate this. Set in present day Texas close to the Mexican border and Pete (Tommy Lee Jones) is the foreman of a huge ranch. He befriends Melquiades (Julio César Cedillo), an illegal immigrant Mexican who Pete employs on the ranch. They become firm friends but when Mel's murdered body is found buried in a shallow grave Pete, exasperated by the local police chief's inaction, does his own investigation. When he finds the culprit Pete takes drastic action to make good on a promise he once made to his friend. This is a tale of friendship but also alienation and the film is littered with characters that are isolated or at best unhappy and just make do. It has some scenes that maybe difficult to watch but it's also a beautifully edited, written and photographed film as landscape and its beauty is a theme of the narrative. The support cast are exceptional including Barry Pepper, Dwight Yoakam, January Jones and the always brilliant Melissa Leo. This is a wonderful film and definitely one I can highly recommend so if it's passed you by then check it out.

A pitch perfect film, a dark comedy drama with exceptional performances and filled with nuances that are worth discovering with repeated viewings. Frances McDormand plays Mildred, a tired and sad woman living in the small town of Ebbing. Her daughter was been raped and murdered seven months earlier and Mildred is frustrated at what she perceives to be the ineptitude of the local police especially their chief, Willoughby (Woody Harrelson). So she spends her hard earned savings to have three large billboards on the outskirts of town displayed with criticism of Willoughby. This has the result of dividing opinion in the town and sparks an intense reaction from racist Officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell) who is close to taking the law into his own hands. This is a film about grief, about parental guilt and also about redemption, kindness and acceptance. All the characters have been affected in some way by the events including the murder. It has some really dark moments and intermixed with some cleverly written comedy makes for a unique film that is quite exceptional. Rockwell is particularly superb here and along with McDormand their characters have the fullest journey in trying to reach some sort of peace. And what an ending, so so clever it will baffle, frustrate but ultimately it is perfect.

The quintessential mockumentary and one of the great movie satires. The very fact that many believed this was an actual documentary about a real band and that many very famous rock musicians have stated this is actually very like real life to them reflects just how brilliantly clever it is and that people think rock musicians are really like this. The film charts the making of a 'rockumentary' by Marti DiBergi (played by director Rob Reiner) who follows British rock band Spinal Tap on a disastrous tour of America. It really is laugh out loud stuff and any music fan will spot the various similarities to the stories of real bands such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and even The Beatles. The realism is emphasised in that the actors playing the band were also accomplished musicians and played all their own parts as well as writing the songs ('Lick My Love Pump' for example). Michael McKean and Christopher Guest are the two main members of the band, David St Hubbins and Nigel Tufnel, who grew up together and are the writing partnership of the band (a sort of Lennon & McCartney) and as the film follows the falling apart of the band when David brings his girlfriend in to help with the management (Nigel hates her) you'll recognise the Yoko Ono analogy. Loads of cameo appearances by the likes of Billy Crystal, Bruno Kirby, Patrick MacNee and Angelica Huston too. Full of hilarious quotable lines and a film where more jokes can be spotted every time you watch it this is one of the great modern comedy films and highly recommended if you've never seen it.

One of the greatest British thrillers, a film of dark shadows, sharp angles and a mystery that twists and turns and, for its time, a narrative that doesn't end as anticipated. Set in Vienna immediately after the Second World War where the city is still controlled by the four main powers of the USSR, USA, France and Great Britain. Arriving here is naive American Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten), an out of work pulp fiction writer, who has come on the promise of a job by his old school friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). But Harry has been recently killed in a road accident. When being told the circumstances Holly becomes suspicious that Harry was murdered and embarks on trying to find out what actually happened. The military police under Major Calloway (Trevor Howard) are also interested in Lime's death but for very different reasons. The film is littered with suspicious characters and as the story navigates around the city, mostly at night, the dark world inhabited by these characters opens up the mystery further. It's a riveting film and a masterpiece of cinema that is quite mesmerising and keeps you hooked throughout. It has one of the most famous 'reveals' in cinema history so if you've never seen this great film then it has been wonderfully restored on DVD & BluRay and it is a film that film fans must ensure they see.

This is arguably Sam Peckinpah's weakest film, he was a director for hire here and had little to do with the film's development and was by this stage of his career an unreliable alcoholic. But in here there are signs of his genius for structure, character development and set piece action direction. It's just that the film is disjointed and at times incoherent. The mid 1970s was the time when martial arts movies were very popular and this conspiracy espionage thriller adds huge doses of kung fu etc into the narrative. The result makes for a film of its time and one of casual interest only. James Caan stars as Mike, a mercenary agent working for a shady private company that specialises in the CIA's dirty work. His friend and partner George (Robert Duvall) betrays him and leaves him crippled. Determined to get his revenge Mike eventually gets rehired by the company for a job where they tell him George will be his adversary. But there are others who can't be trusted. Evidence of Peckinpah's natural animosity to the establishment and puritan conservatism is visible in the characters and these aspects are signs of Peckinpah's rewrites of the script. In many ways the themes here are to be found again in Peckinpah's last film The Osterman Weekend (1983). Overall though this is not close to his best work although fans of Peckinpah may still enjoy the glimpses of his unique style.

This attempt to reboot the iconic 60s TV series with a three film series failed despite it looking rather good and with a topnotch cast including William Hurt, Gary Oldman, Mimi Rogers, Heather Graham, Jared Harris and Matt LeBlanc. The main reason is a poor story that tries to cram in too many storylines without really getting to the depths of any of them. The film's prologue is ill-conceived with an attempt at a Star Wars vibe and this could have been ditched. It looks like a video game scenario and is relatively pointless. There was also a silly alien monkey thing, which not only looks like a rubberised drawing its presence is entirely pointless too. If the story had focused on a space exploration narrative albeit with the added tension of being lost this could have been a great science fiction film and the sequels would possibly have followed. What we do have is a weak film that lacks the depth and gravitas of others of this period. A shame as rekindling the main idea of the TV series was a good one especially upgraded to a cinematic film (even the later TV series reboot lost its way!). Anyway here we have a future Earth dying and a mission led by John Robinson (Hurt) is off into space to confirm a planet is habitable for humans. He has his family with him and a miltary gung-ho pilot (Leblanc, not totally convincing in an action hero role). A terrorist ends up stuck on board (Oldman) and through his actions the ship ends up lost in space and they then get involved with an abandoned space ship, a desolate planet and some time warp issues. The cameos by various actors from the 60s TV series pop up and Edward Fox has one too. Overall this is a disappointment despite some interesting visuals and a couple of exciting set pieces. A new Lost In Space film would potentially be a good idea if the right story can be told sadly this just isn't it.