Film Reviews by GI

There's been so much said and written about this film it's difficult to offer anything new to it. From the visceral and emotionally challenging opening scenes of D-Day through to the climactic battle for the bridge this is a film that is very powerful. But it's easy to focus on the realistic battles scenes and forget that this is ultimately a piece of cinema and cleverly telling a story with a sometimes intricate plot and it's often in the quieter and more reflective scenes that the themes of the film can be properly seen. This includes the film's introduction in the cemetery where we see a distraught old man and his family, if you've seen the film you'll know who this man is but this is left unclear until the film's end and the cross over shot from the cemetery headstones to the beach obstacles is remarkable and signposts the film's move to 1944 and the D-Day beaches of Normandy. The film has many wonderful edits and the use of sound is especially impressive - the rain fall and gunfire mingling together, the constant long distance sounds of artillery fire etc. There is no doubt war films and in particular cinematic representations of combat were totally changed after this was released and they are gritty and at times shocking and even though Steven Spielberg can't help include his trademark sentimentality into the narrative it sort of fits with the film possibly because the violence creates a contrast that works. Tom Hanks plays Captain Miller. Having survived the hellfire of D-Day he is ordered to take a few of his men and try to locate Private Ryan (Matt Damon) who's three brothers have all been killed in combat and to get him to safety. They resent the mission feeling that their lives are deemed less worthy than Ryan's. Along the way their loyalties, patriotism and morality is all tested until they have to face a final battle for their lives and their own sanity. Good, solid support cast including Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Ted Danson and others. This is definitely a film everyone should see even if war films aren't your thing. It's an important film and certainly a highly impressive one.

One of the reasons a cinephile watches so many films is the eternal hope that everyone is a masterpiece like this one. Director Paul Thomas Anderson has given us a modern action thriller, thematically layered, comic, surreal almost, and an accurate condemnation of the Trump era America. This is a film that delves into the counter-culture and paranoid extremes of American politics (and arguably the world situation too!) with the farcical aspects of modern life thrown in making it have the edge of a screwball yet deadly serious drama. Leonardo DiCaprio in probably his best role to date plays Bob, who is a member of an American revolutionary group who launch attacks on migrant detention camps freeing the migrants, as well as setting off bombs in the buildings of the wealthy right wing establishment. He is in love with Perfidia (Teyana Taylor), the committed leader of their group. She becomes the obsession of the racist, ramrod, chin strutting soldier Colonel Lockjaw, who wants to hunt her down but also is uncomfortably sexually aroused by her. When a bank robbery goes wrong the group has to go into hiding and Perfidia disappears leaving her baby with Bob. The narrative jumps fifteen years and Bob is now a drug fuelled alcoholic but devoted to his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti). But when Lockjaw closes in on them fuelled by his desire to join a far right secretive ruling class club that gives him his orders and that wants Bob and all his old comrades eliminated poor old befuddled Bob has to go on the run and rescue his daughter (aided by Benicio Del Toro, in a great and funny performance) who Lockjaw has a murderous plan for. The film is a thrilling mix of serious and unserious that captures the sheer whimsical yet frightening nature of modern society especially in the USA. The film is really about the unending culture war that rages picking up modern themes around parent/child relationships (and very neatly connecting us to the vile separation of parents from their children by the Trump Administration attempting to deal with the Mexican border migration issues). This is a film about dissent and about being almost powerless to react with so many modern distractions. It's also about the use of violence and military power to control. In short it's a fantastic film that may divide audiences but it's powerful, clever and thoroughly entertaining throughout.

Smart, witty, sad, funny and a thorough delight. Wonderfully directed and superbly edited this tells the story of Walt Disney's quest to woo Mary Poppins author, P.L. Travers, to give him the rights to her books. It's based on real events but the film delves further into the motivation of Travers in withholding the rights and her real fears about what might happen to the characters that she has created and their very personal origins. Tom Hanks plays Disney. Walt has tried to secure the rights to the Mary Poppins books for twenty years but is constantly thwarted by Mrs Travers (Emma Thompson), an austere and prim British woman who hates flimsy and above all, cartoons! But struggling for money she is forced to agree to go to Los Angeles and work with Disney and his team on developing a film. She is obstructive from the outset! Interlinked into the story is the background to her stubbornness in which memories of her childhood in Australia and her father (Colin Farrell), an optimistic, loving man but who is also a depressive alcoholic. The flashback sequences are wonderful and actually form the roots of the narrative and explain the film's title. If you are a lover of Mary Poppins (1964) and/or the original books you will find nothing but sheer joy in watching this film. There's a deep sadness at it's heart but its presented in such a wonderful way with great performances and a heartwarming feel. What's not to love?

Similarities to the Alien series are obvious here not least as the creature was designed by H.R. Giger and scenes are very reminiscent of Alien ones especially the use of hand held flamethrowers and the climax inside the tunnels of a city sewer that are similar to the labyrinthine sets of the first three Alien films. This is a science fiction horror film about the hunt for an alien creature that is the result of a secret experiment led by Fitch (Ben Kingsley) who has crossed alien and human DNA creating a female hybrid. When she escapes from the research lab and quickly metamorphoses into an adult (Natasha Henstridge) Fitch calls in a specialist team to hunt her down before she can mate with another human and spread her species. Michael Madsen is the manhunter and Forest Whitaker an 'empath' who can sort of feel her thoughts (conveniently!) are part of this crew in a film that is essentially one long chase where the alien leaves a trail of bodies as she kills all in her way. The final confrontation reveals the alien in all her 'Alien' lookalike glory. It's an entertaining enough film and Henstridge gets to walk about mostly topless and Madsen gets to play a good guy for a change. It spawned a short series none of the sequels getting anything as entertaining as this one. Worth checking out if you've never seen it but mostly routine stuff.

Basically a remake of the classic psychological western of the same name made in 1957 and adapted from a 1953 short story. This newer version follows the general trend of modern westerns in that it ups the action and brutal violence to appeal to a modern day audience. It's tempting to make a comparison to the '57 film which was kept rigidly to the standard western character trope of honour and stoic manhood and is a classic of the genre and eschews too much gunplay for a more subtle comparison of two men on opposite sides of a moral divide. Director James Mangold brings a revisionist edge to his newer film that is more about the redemption for the outlaw that never quite takes place, leaving him as basically selfish to the end despite his apparent protection of his captor. The two lead stars, Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, are nevertheless fully committed in their characters with Crowe getting the best lines and the more riveting presence but overall, even without recalling the 1957 film, this is a routine, violent western that has some entertainment value but offers little else. The story follows farmer Dan (Bale), crippled in the Civil War and now struggling with debts and an aggressive landlord, but is devoted to his wife and two sons. The eldest (Logan Lerman) is a headstrong, stubborn boy who is eternally disappointed in his father. Opportunity comes when a notorious outlaw, Wade (Crowe) is arrested and Dan agrees to take him to the train station in the next town for a reward that will free him of debt. On the journey he has to battle Indians, a mining gang and Wade's own men. This cues bloody shoot outs and fast action. The film lacks the slow build up of tension in the wait for the train that marks the original as a great western. It's all ok but offers little that's new.

This is a delight. A funny yet melancholy British comedy that brings together quintessential characters into a rather touching film. Charles (Tim Key) is an oddbod; an eccentric, lonely and socially inept guy who lives on a remote coastal island and is the biggest fan of a folk duo who broke up years before after some success. He also happens to be a lottery winner. So he hires them to play on the island. But Herb (Tom Basden) and Nell (Carey Mulligan), once music partners and lovers, are now estranged and herb arrives under the misapprehension he's going to play alone, to a big audience. The end result as these three spend time on this windswept British island is simply lovely, tinged with sadness as their stories are revealed to us. A little surprise of a film and definitely one to check out.

Loosely based on a true story this is a well meaning film that doesn't quite work as it tries to balance a comedy about an animal relating to humans with an allegory to grief and the military suppression tyranny in Argentina in 1976. It makes for a tonally awkward film and sometimes the script is clumsy leaving Steve Coogan in the lead role struggling. He plays Tom, an English teacher in a pretentious school in Argentina just as the Peron government has been overthrown by a military coup and street arrests are a daily occurrence. This struggle is partially reflected in Tom's pupils who are divided in the classroom like their families are politically. Tom hates his job and has some past trauma he has to deal with which all changes when he finds an injured penguin and reluctantly nurses it back to health. The penguin becomes instantly attached to Tom and he can't rid himself of it making him even more curmudgeonly. But the arrival of the penguin opens up a new spirit in all he encounters and brings happiness and joy. The trouble is that trying to channel the dark rise of a violent junta scenario with the cute animal story makes the whole thing messy and a little over the top. It's a feel good film and it entertains but, for me, didn't really work.

I'm left wondering, again, what incentives are on the table to give director M. Night Shyamalan the funds to make turkeys like this. This is a clumsy, poorly scripted thriller that lacks tension, has plot holes galore and seems only to serve as a vehicle to promote his daughter Saleka's pop singing career. Josh Hartnett plays Cooper. A firefighter who takes his daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a big stadium concert to see her favourite pop star Lady Raven (played by Miss Shyamalan). He quickly discovers that the FBI have set a trap at the concert to capture a serial killer known as The Butcher that they know is there and who happens to be Cooper! He has to find a way to get out. I'm not giving anything else away and Cooper being the killer is not a plot spoiler as it's obvious from the start. The difficulty here is that first you are forced to watch Saleka singing loads of songs while Cooper side glances at potential exits. None of which is at all thrilling or exciting and then there's a cat and mouse scenario involving the singer and the killer which stretches the bounds of credibility too far even in a film as preposterous as this. There's the obvious homage to Hannibal Lector although the police dominated by a mostly wordless Hayley Mills playing some genius profiler are absolutely incompetent for the entire film. A silly film and not worth the effort.

This is a thriller that thrives on the great build up of tension driven by a captivating performance from James McAvoy. It's a loose remake of a 2022 Danish film although this one deviates from that film's finale. This is a film that delves into the ridiculous influence of societal manners that often override natural caution and even sense of danger leading here to uncontrollable violence. A London based upmarket American couple, Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben (Scoot McNairy) along with their highly strung daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler), are on holiday in Italy healing some relationship issues where they meet Paddy (McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), an English couple who seem full of life and joy. They have a young son, Ant (Dan Hough) who is melancholy and has a speech defect. Back home Louise & Ben get an invite to join Paddy & Ciara at their large West Country farm for a week and readily accept but slowly they begin to have a sense that Paddy and his family are not all they seem to be. The speech impaired Ant keeps trying to secretly tell Agnes something and before long the film turns into a desperate fight for survival. MxAvoy is really excellent as the deranged Paddy but the reveal of his nature and motives is subtle and disturbing. McNairy underplays his role as the husband who abhors violence and this works superbly against the alpha male character of Paddy. And Davis is excellent as the mother whose natural protection instincts ultimately come to the fore. The film's climax is horrific and has some Straw Dogs (1971) vibes to it. It's certainly a tense film and plays into that arena of English country paganistic horror without actually fitting into that genre. A film well worth checking out.

With the sheen of a romcom, the comedy that is occasionally slapstick, some funny lines (but not enough) and two great lead actors this is a watchable relationship comedy that is ultimately a bit disappointing as it struggles between drunk scenes and catty one liners of hate as the couple fall apart. Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch play Ivy and Theo, the pitch perfect English couple who have moved the California, had two children and live in loving harmony. She's a talented chef with a small, unsuccessful restaurant and he's a big time architect. But on one fateful storm ridden night they have a reversal of career fortunes resulting in Ivy becoming a nationally renowned chef and Theo's career nosedives. This induces resentment in them both for various reasons and over a series of events they gradually turn to loathing for one another leading to brutal takedowns and a fight over a divorce settlement. The film ultimately loses its nerve and it's too over the top to make for a clever tragic-comedy about marriage. It's enjoyable in a surface kind of way and the two leads are having fun supported by Kate McKinnon and Adam Samberg but it's rather forgettable.

This is epic American adventure cinema made at the time Hollywood was still trying to compete for audiences with the popularity of television. Set in China in 1926 just as the poverty stricken Chinese are rising up against corruption and foreign control into civil war and revolution. Petty officer and engineer Jake Holman (Steve McQueen in his only Oscar nominated role) arrives to join the USS San Pablo, a gunboat assigned to patrol the Yangtze River and protect any American civilians. Jake's inherent racism against the Chinese causes conflicts with the native coolies aboard the ship and when the San Pablo is sent upriver to rescue some trapped missionaries they become embroiled in skirmishes with the Chinese army and local militias. This was a huge prestige picture and it's superbly produced and directed by veteran Robert Wise, who could turn his filmmaking skills to any genre. The opening shot alone sets the film up as epic in proportion and an expensive picture. It was a resounding success and went on to gain eight Oscar nominations and gained a Golden Globe for Richard Attenborough who plays Jake's fellow sailor Frenchy, who gets into a doomed relationship with a Chinese prostitute. The film builds up to a great climax and along the way deals with increasing tensions amongst the crew as they become besieged. Richard Crenna, a veteran American actor, is also excellent as the Captain desperately trying to hold his command together. But this is McQueen's film, he's excellent here and plays the conflicted Holman with a real sense of misguided honour (despite his racism he befriends one of the Chinese workers, a decision that causes a lot of trouble and effectively drives the plot). A marvellous film of the type not made today, a serious adventure drama in a historical and controversial setting looking at the role of, in this case, the USA in the affairs of other nations. It downplays heroism in order to get its message across and Holman is a fine example of the American cinematic anti-hero that McQueen played so well in many other films. A film worthy of a modern audience.

Adapted from the epic novel by Stephen King this started out intended as a feature film then it was switched to a two part TV series before finally being re-edited for a cinema release in Europe. In that version there was scenes removed and others cut down but after a cult following developed the full length version was put together for cinema and its now available on DVD & BluRay. It's a really remarkable gothic horror film that narratively reads like a small town American melodrama. The film introduces the viewer to the quiet town of Salem's Lot with it's various inhabitants and shows us the townsfolk with all their gossip, sexual impropriety and mistrust of strangers. Into the town arrives Ben (David Soul), a novelist, who is actually returning to the town where he was born in order to write his next book. Arriving just before him is Straker (James Mason), a sinister British gentlemen who opens a small antique shop and awaits the arrival of his partner, Barlow (Reggie Nalder). Ben is obsessed with the decrepit old mansion that overlooks the town, having been plagued with nightmares about it since he was a child. Coincidentally that house has recently been purchased by Straker and Barlow. A romance develops between Ben and local teacher, Susan (Bonnie Bedelia) but soon suspicious events begin including a boy going missing. Ben becomes convinced that the old house and it's new occupants are somehow responsible. The film draws out the tension from Peyton Place style drama to haunted house tale and beyond and it is a genuinely creepy film, without the need to rely on gore or OTT violence. There is a particular chilling scene involving the missing child that will gives you the shivers! David Soul is a little limited in his acting ability and occasionally delivers lines that almost make you chuckle but this is counter balanced by James Mason who is darkly sinister and even when he is being so polite he conjures up real dread. This is an American horror film of some substance and it is really enjoyable so if you want to have a real treat check this out it's really good.

An interesting, if a little over the top, satire that delves into the misogynistic world of celebrity where a former film actress now reduced to a daytime TV show doing a keep fit section finds she is being fired for being too old and past it. The film has influences that are quite obvious such as The Fly (1986) and probably The Thing (1982) and is a modern take on Oscar Wilde's Picture Of Dorian Grey story. Demi Moore plays Elisabeth a once Oscar winning actress who has dedicated her life to her career and consequently has nothing other than her celebrity and work. When she is sidelined by the sleazy network producer (Dennis Quaid being deliberately over the top gross) she is devastated. Then she discovers a mysterious source of a black market drug that will allow a younger and fitter version of herself to emerge on a seven day temporary cycle. Taking the drug she 'births' her inner alter ego in the form of Sue (Margaret Qualley) who takes her place on TV and becomes a sensation. But being Sue becomes an addiction and soon Elisabeth breaks the rules of the drug with horrific consequences. Ultimately this is a body horror film with some interesting things to say about the modern media image of what women should look like and body objectification and it has bold performances from Moore and Qualley. It is at times though a little ridiculous and I'm unconvinced by the climax which stretches credibility somewhat but it's an interesting film.

This isn't really a Star Trek film, indeed apart from the occasional mention of the Federation and a very brief snippet of the theme music you'd never know. Michelle Yeoh plays Philippa, a character from one of the many TV spin off series apparently, who is some arch villain hiding out in some night club in space where she is recruited by a black ops team called Section 31 to recover a super weapon that she designed so it can't fall into the wrong hands. This cues a routine chase and fight sci-fi film that fails to bring any real excitement or thrills, is all very routine and some quite wooden performances. Yeoh gets to do martial arts, there's some weird aliens around and that's about it really. This is a very poor man's Guardians Of The Galaxy and an example of the increasing attempt by various studios to drag out the various sci-fi franchises to the point where it serves no one except extremely die hard fans. I like Star Trek but this isn't worth anyone's time.

This is a first rate cop film that has the added bonus of a great setting. Griff (Willem Dafoe) and Al (Gregory Hines) are US military police investigators based in Saigon during the Vietnam War. Their duties mostly consist of tracking down deserters in the seedy world of the clubs and brothels of the city. Then a prostitute is murdered and a witness sees a US Army officer leaving the scene and Griff and Al are assigned the investigation. They soon learn that there have been other similar killings that appear to have been covered up and as their investigation begins to lead to very senior officers they find themselves targeted. A great story, grippingly told and with two great wisecracking performances from Dafoe and Hines aided by Fred Ward as their supervisor. As a murder mystery film with good action sequences it excels and whilst there's a slight misfire with a partial romance thrown in the film as a whole is riveting. A forgotten gem and definitely one to seek out if you've never seen it. NB: In the UK this film was titled Saigon. A much better one in my view.