Film Reviews by GI

A delightful, quite charming although a little formulaic romance with a charismatic performance from Emilia Clarke. The trajectory of the story is reasonably predictable but this is still a pleasant love tale with simple humour and expected sadness along the way. Lou (Clarke) is a happy-go-lucky young woman who helps support her parents but suddenly loses her simple cafe job. Desperate she applies for the job to help with the daily care of a rich young man, Will (Sam Claflin) who has been paralysed in a road accident. Lou has no experience but impresses Will's mother by her optimistic outgoing demeanour. Will is depressed and unimpressed by Lou but soon their relationship develops and she decides to try and give him back some zest for life especially after she discovers his plans. Clarke and Claflin are really good together and the film has a good support cast including Charles Dance, Janet McTeer and a cameo from Joanna Lumley. This is a romance that feels genuine and as a consequence it has that feel good vibe such films should have.

Essentially a melodrama that at times feels glib and perfunctory when it moves into historical territory and as it's filmed in a fixed position in the living room of a house in Philadelphia it just feels like a novelty. Because, though, it stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright you sort of feel obliged to ride with it and although the de-aging technology utilised here to have the two stars go from teenagers to old age feels a bit false it's their characters that are the heart of the film. In many ways this is a typical Robert Zemeckis film, syrupy and fairytale in its depictions of everyday life. The film follows the various lives of occupants of the one house and it slips and slides across various times including prehistoric all the way to the modern day with most of it in the one room. Attempts to dip into the loss of Native American land to settlers is dealt with far too quickly and a clever scene where the last occupants, a black family, has the dad giving advice to his young son on how to deal with a police traffic stop is clever but again not given enough prominence. This is because the central story here is of one family staring with parents played by Paul Bettany and Kelly Reilly, post Second World War, through to their oldest child and his new girlfriend (Hanks and Wright) who are forced for economic reasons to live with his parents when she becomes unexpectedly pregnant. Their marriage with all its ups and downs is the main story. It's all ok but the constant flitting around with the use of inset panels to change the times is, after awhile, annoying and the film feels static and dull. An interesting experiment perhaps but not very cinematic.

An entertaining psychological thriller with two solid central performances that has a cracking first half but does drift into absurdity in the second. Set in a wealthy suburb in the early 1960s neighbours and best friends, Alice (Jessica Chastain) and Celine (Anne Hathaway) have a relaxed life as stay-at-home mums of nine year old boys enjoying their social life, with loving husbands although there are hints of past traumas for each of them. When tragedy strikes their lives and relationship turns to guilt, suspicion and eventually paranoia. There's a Hitchcockian vibe to the film's tension and trajectory and the suspense builds gently and moodily until it then goes a bit too far and ends up a trifle daft. The plot turns on the chance finding of an item that by then you would think would've been more carefully hidden. Anyway, it's a solid enough thriller that is an enjoyable watch.

A drama that has two compelling performances from Martin Freeman and Jenny Ortega and one that dances around your expectations without ever actually fulfilling any of them. At times the language feels so ostentatious it struggles to convince but there is a sense of dreaming and of regrets that could be countered with redemption. Jon (Freeman) is a creative writing teacher at a Tennessee college. He's a failed writer who has turned to teaching convincing himself this was a good choice but really he was badly affected by the criticism of his last book. His alcoholic wife (Dagmara Dominczyk - solid performance) niggles him about this constantly. Jon is, however, impressed by new student Cairo (Ortega), the daughter of wealthy parents who are absent so she lives alone in their mansion. She has talent which Jon spots immediately and he's drawn to her by this. Cairo is though an enigmatic character, part child of nature, part narcissist who wants only to ensure she's the smartest person around. Given a writing assignment by Jon Cairo pushes him and the college regime by what she writes which implies an affair between them. It's open to debate as to whether Jon crosses acceptable boundaries with Cairo or whether he simply dreams of doing so. He's sexually frustrated especially as his wife is constantly half dressed and any intimacy between them is always interrupted before satisfying either of them. Whether you read this as a story of a manipulative young woman dominating a weaker man or a man convinced he's a failure dreaming of some other future for himself it's a film that has an unsatisfying conclusion and yet interesting all the same.

Director William Friedkin's forgotten masterpiece. His fall from grace after the breathtaking originality of The French Connection (1971) and The Exorcist (1973) was due, possibly, to his over inflated ego, but this hi-octane cop thriller is one of the best in the buddy cop genre. Whereas many films in this category add great dollops of comedy Friedkin effectively deconstructs the buddy cop narrative to create an intricate, gritty and at times enigmatic film that boasts a fantastic seven minute car chase that arguably out 'chases' the one in The French Connection. Influenced heavily by the style of the TV series Miami Vice this is a story of US Secret Service agents investigation into counterfeiting. When his partner is murdered Agent Richard Chance (William Petersen) vows to get the man behind the killing, arch counterfeiter Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe). With a new partner in tow Chance pushes the boundaries of right and wrong when he plans to rob a crooked diamond merchant in order to fund an undercover operation to catch Masters. The violence here comes suddenly and shockingly and the plot has some very big surprises. With the adrenaline filled car chase and a film that twists loyalties and plays with sexuality this is one of the finest crime thrillers of modern times and certainly of the 1980s. Fast paced, exciting and gutsy this is highly recommended if you've never seen it.

A bonkers and off-kilter comedy about a woman who is destined to fall in love with the same unworthy man and die for him before being reincarnated each time to suffer the same fate.....or is she just mentally ill? Alice Lowe's comedy has a bit of Peter Greenaway's storytelling style and the vibe of an early Ben Wheatley feature. She is Agnes who we see in different lives from the mid 1600s and through various later incarnations some fleeting and some in more depth. Each time she becomes besotted with Alex (Aneurin Barnard) even though he's a complete waste of space. Several other characters seem to follow her through these lives including Nick Frost as George, a violent jealous man who often kills her! This could be interpreted as madness through obsession and the film heavily leans in that direction at one point but it's a film that is always slightly unclear as if the themes can't get through the narrative. Either way I has some funny moments but it's a little too bizarre for my taste.

A bizarre and somewhat enigmatic film from a Stephen King short story and I suspect not one of his best. It feels like a story half baked with ideas that are unfulfilled as if the author and latterly the director of the film, Mike Flanagan have struggled to nail down. It leaves the film with a feeling of vague disappointment. It's a difficult narrative to summarise but it's a film divided into three acts which are shown in reverse order. Act 3 mostly follows a humble high school teacher (Chiwetel Ejiofor) in a small US town as the world begins to crumble, first with California falling into the sea, then the internet going down and it seems the end of the world is nigh. Annoyingly for the teacher despite the potential end of humanity the town has a series of posters and messages pop up that permeate through the terrifying news and simply announce congratulations to Charles 'Chuck' Krantz for 39 years. No-one seems to know who Chuck is or what he's achieved but it's soon made clear he's a nobody who is dying. This then gives the film its structure as a study of how one man's life holds a universe unique to him and at his death that universe is destroyed. Acts 2 and 1 show Chuck's earlier years principally around his love of dancing and his relationship with his grandparents. The film is sort of celebrating life as uniquely wonderful for each individual. There's a magical vibe to it and yet it feels abstract and incomplete. Tom Hiddleston plays the adult Chuck although he only has about 20 minutes of screen time and his role is mainly centred around a big dance number. Mark Hamill costars as his grandfather who hides a secret in his old house (another vague mystery that is a bit of a let down). This is a film that tries for that feel good thing that better films have created with more assuredness such Field Of Dreams (1989) or The Truman Show (1998). I wasn't convinced by it, it has some interesting moments but as a whole it lacks depth.

One of the greatest films about childhood and a moving story of injustice, racism and hatred. Set in a small town in Alabama during the Great Depression and local lawyer, Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck - who won an Oscar for his performance) takes on the case of Tom Robinson (Brock Peters), a black man accused of raping a white woman. The story is told through the eyes of his two young children Jem (Philip Alford) and Scout (Mary Badham) who spend their days playing and fantasising about the locals including the scary Radley house where they believe a maniac lives. This is a wonderful film, despite it's dark condemnation on American societal and endemic racism it also has a heart warming and feel good quality that makes it such a lovely viewing experience. Both the classic novel by Harper Lee (a book everyone should read) from which this film is adapted and the film itself captures the magical way that children view the world and in this case that racism and hatred are indoctrinated and learnt behaviours because here the children are blissfully ignorant of the bias over race and colour. There is so much that can be analysed and discussed in this film but enough to say here that it is one of the finest motion pictures you will ever see and it's definitely a film to be enjoyed time and time again. Watching the courtroom scene and Peck's soliloquy (shot in one take) is incredibly moving and a tour de force in screen acting and direction. A film everyone must see, it is simply a masterpiece. (NB also the first film for Robert Duvall who plays 'Boo' Radley)

Lily Gladstone excels in this tale of stoicism and family, a drama that highlights the still existing ambivalence of the authorities to the Native American population. It's structured as a mystery and road movie although this is about relationships as much as anything else. Gladstone is Jax, who lives on an Oklahoma reservation, caring for her teenage niece, Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson) since her sister and Roki's mother has disappeared. The police have treated the disappearance lightly and Jax, who still hustles and deals drugs, is ever trying to find some clue to her disappearance. When her white father (Shea Whigham) files for custody of Roki they head out on the road to reach an Indian festival, a powwow, where they hope Roki's mum will turn up. This theme of disappearance reflects the American tendency to be blind to its Native Americans and treat them as less worthy of support and aid as others. It's a moving film that has the odd misstep but its strong performances and thoughtfulness make it a serious and interesting drama.

Adapting the complex spy novel by John Le Carré and turning it into a two hour film was no mean feat. Along with adept direction, a remarkable recreation of the grimy London of the early 1970s and a topnotch cast and you have a really clever, intelligent and realistic espionage film. This is no James Bond film this is a thriller that takes its story straight from the experiences of real agents in the British Secret Service. A twist and turn plot that requires careful watching and what you have is really very gripping. If you are expecting an action film you will be disappointed because, despite some very gruesome murders, this is a drama that concerns itself with mystery and a convoluted plot to unmask a double agent. When an unsanctioned mission goes wrong in Hungary the Head of MI6 (John Hurt) is forced to retire along with his No2 George Smiley (Gary Oldman). But the mission was an attempt to uncover a traitor, believed to be one of five department heads running the Secret Service. Smiley is bought back in secret by the Government to investigate whether there is any truth to the suspicions. Oldman is magnificent here receiving both Oscar and BAFTA nominations for best actor; and with the addition of Hurt, Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Kathy Bates and Ciarán Hinds the cast is faultless. The director drops tiny hints throughout the film as the plot goes deeper into trying to identify who is the traitor, and even when you know the ending this remains a riveting drama. Not only is the book on which this is based excellent but this is one of the best films about the real world of spies that's been made in a very long while. If you haven't seen this then it's a must see.

A nostalgic science fiction adventure film that deserves a modern audience. Adapted from the celebrated novel by H. G. Wells it tells the story of a late Victorian British inventor (Rod Taylor), obsessed with time, who builds a machine with which he intends to explore the future. On his journey he barely survives a nuclear war but manages to travel nearly a million years forwards in time where he discovers that humanity has evolved into two distinct species; the gentle, pastoral Eloi and the industrial, underground dwelling Morlocks but he's in for a shock when he discovers how one uses the other. This is a great story, with a good solid action hero in his first major role. There's no attempt at getting into complex science and the film never attempts to explain how the machine works. This is a family film with some added menace to give that little bit of a scare just to make it memorable. There's some vague attempt at condemning war and industrialisation and a grimace at slavery but the film isn't concerned with being too meaningful. This is just a plain old slice of hokum that entertains all the way through. By today's standards the model work and effects may seem clumsy but these sci-fi/fantasy films of yesteryear are still marvellous when watched today. Here there is a great vision of a future world, an iconic time machine, and some neat monsters to give you a nightmare or two!

A Tolkienesque fantasy tale with hints of Game Of Thrones thrown in for good measure that doesn't exactly take the fairytale sub genre anywhere particularly new but it does entertain and offers a wholesome adventure story that is totally watchable. Millie Bobby Brown plays the Elodie, the daughter of the King (Ray Winstone) in a barren northern land struggling for survival. A betrothal offer from a richer kingdom far to the south for Elodie to marry a prince is warmly welcomed and Elodie agrees in order to save her people from starvation. But once they arrive in this plush new land its Queen (Robin Wright) soon reveals her devious plan to sacrifice Elodie to a dragon as part of a centuries old deal with the beast. Elodie of course proves rather good at survival. The visual effects here are excellent and Elodie basically has to navigate a labyrinth to escape the dragon leading to a tense chase scenario. A good, solid fantasy adventure for all the family.

Director Richard Donner's charming comedy western based on the popular TV series from the 50s & 60s is still an entertaining film with some strong laughs, although some jokes fall a little flat, mostly down to the screen charisma of Mel Gibson and his two costars Jodie Foster and James Garner (the original Maverick). All three are rather good together here. Gibson as Brett Maverick is a wisecracking, handsome gambler (who is also very good with gun and fists) who is making his way to a big poker game run by James Coburn in a cameo. On the way he intends to collect various debts owed to him so he has enough money to get into the game. But there are baddies out to stop him and he gets into various scrapes on the journey as well as beginning a romance with the clumsy, but devious Annabelle (Foster) also a gambler with her own agenda. Garner's lawman is ever on scene and there's a twist that is obvious from the start regarding his character. Various stalwarts of the western pop up such as Dub Taylor and there's some funny and neat set pieces including stunts that homage ones from Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) and Stagecoach (1939) which cinephiles will relish. This is a film worth a rewatch as it entertains throughout, it's a little overly long, but good, clean fun.

This is visually spectacular and has great production design but suffers from an overly long runtime, a very loose script leaving whole sections feeling dull and the panto villains make this seem at times silly. Set in the comparative near future and Mickey (Robert Pattinson), in debt to a nasty loan shark, signs onto a space exploration mission as an 'expendable', where he is given all the dangerous indeed suicidal tasks and then having been killed, his body is reprinted with memories etc intact, with his old body sent down the garbage chute. When they reach an ice planet suitable for colonisation Mickey version 17 is thought to have died in a crevasse but is saved by a strange insect like creature. When he gets back to the ship he finds that Mickey No. 18 has been produced on the assumption 17 is dead. The two do not get along but have to unite to deal with the husband and wife baddies (Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette) who are intent on wiping out the planet's creatures which Mickey 17 knows are intelligent. This is a mixed bag with some impressive ideas and set pieces but also a narrative that seems to drift and makes for a tiresome viewing experience at times. I'm certainly not taken with the satire which is often too heavy and detracts from the more impressive aspects of this sci-fi film. It's ok, watchable and entertaining for the most part but also vaguely disappointing.

A goofball comedy that's quite absurd. It boasts a very strong cast and does have a whole range of interesting jokes that only work if you know the reference. This is a comedy about the invention of the Pop Tart by Kellogs. Written, directed and starring Jerry Seinfeld it's overall rather too silly for its own good and ends up being dull. The post credit bloopers are the best thing about the whole thing. Hugh Grant plays another Shakespearean actor reduced to being Tony the Tiger in the Kellogs TV adverts along with Melissa McCarthy and Amy Schumer in support roles. There's a host of cameos too. It may appeal to some but overall it's just a carnival of daft jokes strung together in an over the top surrealist farce.