Film Reviews by GI

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.

In somewhat typical Christopher Nolan style here we are presented with a bold, epic adventure clouded in mystery and structured for an adult audience and as a result it's an absolute triumph. This adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey is a story of the consequences of war, the sadness and cruelty of sending men to battle and expecting them to survive unscathed. As a fantasy genre picture this is breathtaking in its ambition as an adventure of men, monsters and ultimately morality and sacrifice. Odysseus (Matt Damon), the King of Ithaca, is forced to join the war against Troy led by Agamemnon (Benny Safdie) realising that the reason is about trade routes and not the pretext over Helen (Lupita N'yongo). After Troy is sacked and the population massacred Odysseus embarks on the long journey home with his men. It's a journey fraught with danger! The film is structured in a non-linear way with flashbacks to events including the famous wooden horse in which Odysseus and his troops suffer in silence waiting for their trick to take effect. Back home awaits his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and his son Telemachus (Tom Holland) who hope Odysseus will return but gradually losing hope and having to deal with a host of suitors hoping to marry the Queen. These threads combine into a gigantic, mythical film about anguish, love, fear and desperation. It's a masterpiece of modern cinema.

This is a really absorbing drama and has a magnificent central performance by Sydney Sweeney, Based on real events and with the script a reconstruction of the actual taped conversations that take place Sweeney plays Reality Winner, a former US Air Force Intelligence Officer who now works for a Government organisation translating classified information. Returning home from work she is confronted by two FBI agents who state they have search warrants and are investigating her for leaking secret documents. The narrative then plays out as the agents and Winner interact with each other while the house is searched. The two agents played by Josh Hamilton and Marchánt Davis are passive-aggressive, all smiles and emphasising they only want her to voluntarily talk to them but notably do not read her her rights nor offer her a lawyer. Sweeney plays Winner cleverly and subtly with the character playing it quite cool and appearing baffled but nonchalant to the agents suspicions. In fact Reality Winner had leaked a document to the press that revealed Russian interference in the US elections. As the film plays out, all within Winner's house, the tension mounts steadily as the Agents gradually reveal their hand and Winner is cornered into admitting her guilt. Cleverly constructed this is an interesting and compelling drama and showcases how good an actor Sweeney is. Well worth your time

A moving biopic with a tremendous central performance from Sally Hawkins aided by an equally superb Ethan Hawke. This is the story of Canadian artist Maud Lewis who was born with crippling rheumatoid arthritis and due to her awkwardness and obvious pain is treated as stupid by her brother and her Aunt with whom she is forced to live. Finally taking a stand Maud takes a job as a cleaner and cook for intellectually challenged Everett, a local fisherman and renowned for his short temper and difficulty with people. But it's here that Maud finds herself and discovers her talent as a painter. Soon she gains some fame for her landscapes and her and Everett find a sort of love for one another and marry. But her condition deteriorates until she becomes gravely ill. It's a sad story for the most part but equally has a tenderness that is spoilt by Everett's obvious physical and emotional abuse of Maud which the film doesn't hide but nor does it condemn either. Visually an impressive film that is uplifted by the excellent central performances.

A largely disappointing adaptation of a novel by Stephen King although it's a closer story to the book than the earlier adaptation from 1987 that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger (he is homaged here with his picture appearing on bank notes). This is another dystopian film where society has designed a game that contestants have to try and survive but rarely do and all to appease the public! The focus of the narrative is the media control and manipulation to bag riches and control the agenda and thoughts of the general populace. Glen Powell stars as Ben Richards, an unemployable worker due to his honesty in pointing ut safety issues, who signs up for the game in desperation for cash for his sick daughter. Essentially the game is three contestants have to survive 30 days while being ruthlessly hunted by armed nasties. They can go anywhere but the public are constantly encouraged to report sightings of them and media technology is constantly monitoring everyone anyway. There's also a growing underground anti-establishment movement who occasionally provide help along the way. Michael Cera has the best role as a young rebel. Josh Brolin plays the slimy boss who controls the game through lies and doctored footage. The film has some set pieces that are entertaining but the script occasionally feels cheesy and one wonders if there was an intent for this to be read as a satire. The pacing is varied and at times events seem too contrived to work as a sinister sci-fi thriller. Overall it's forgettable.

An exploration of isolation and loneliness set in Japan and utilising a service available there from companies who supply actors to play fake roles as family members, friends etc. Brendan Fraser gives a gentle and emotional performance as Philip, an American actor who did a toothpaste commercial and then remained in Japan having no-one back home to return to. He now spends lonely days hoping for more work but just gets pointless roles that are unsatisfying. Then he gets hired by a Rental Family company and moves into the morally questionable arena of playing fake people often in circumstances that make him very uncomfortable. There are two main connections he makes through his work, the first is playing the father to a young girl, Mia, in order for her to get into a prestigious school. Mia is told that he is her real father and when they bond this causes Philip some considerable angst. The second is with an elderly actor with dementia where Philip plays a new friend. Both these relationships formed from lies and deceit show Philip a way to human connection but highlight the fraudulence and fragility in human relationships. The film is overly sentimental and the theme raises some very difficult questions about emotional abuse that are not well dealt with by the film. The storyline with Mia is particularly troublesome. However the film has a sweet disposition to it and there is some redemption for all involved by the end. It's worth checking out.

An entertaining social comedy drama with Woody Harrelson as the title character, a lonely, neurotic and socially inept man who reconnects with his ex wife (Laura Dern), learns he has a teenage daughter (Isabella Amora) who has been adopted and attempts to build a new family. This all ends in disaster and Wilson has to go to prison. Eventually he finds some love with his dog sitter (Judy Greer) and eventually a sort of relationship with his daughter. Some of the comedy, mostly from Wilson's inability to speak to people without offending them, falls a little too heavily but overall this is a funny story of an isolated man and it rests on Harrelson's screen charisma. It's a flawed study and the pacing of the film is a little uneven but it's worth checking out.

A Hi-Octane action film full of martial arts, gunplay and bloody violence that is as relentless as it is exciting from Welsh writer and director Gareth Evans. Set in Indonesia a heavily armed SWAT team arrives at a dilapidated tower block, the headquarters of a big gangster, with the intention to shut the place down and bring the big bad guy into custody. But unbeknownst to the team their boss is a corrupt cop and the team have no back up. With their presence soon discovered the cops become engulfed in a huge battle with the last survivors holding out on the seventh floor and who decide their only option is to counter attack. Basically the narrative follows the mythological 'trapped in a labyrinth' scenario and much of the fighting occurs in long corridors or small rooms with he enemy armed with machetes and knives. It's a brutal film in many ways and some of the fight scenes do tend to drag on just a little too long. But this is a film that has gained huge popularity and as an action film it's fast and furious and thoroughly entertaining.