Film Reviews by GI

A rich, beguiling and quite fascinating fantasy film set in the Dark Ages and the mythical time of King Arthur. Based on an ancient poem this is story of false courage, nature and life as a young cousin of the King, Gawain (Dev Patel) grabs an opportunity to impress the court by accepting to play in a 'Christmas game' with the strange Green Knight (Ralph Ineson). But there are conditions to the game and Gawain is forced, a year later, to travel to a distant forest to seek out the Green Knight and allow him to inflict the same wounds on Gawain that he caused dealt to the Knight. Gawain is reluctant as this would involve his death but the King forces him on the quest to find the Knight and fulfil his promise. The journey is perilous, across a bleak and unforgiving landscape where he encounters dangers and magic. This is an enthralling, enigmatic film with the same, if condensed, imagery and feel that Peter Jackson brought to his Lord Of The Rings trilogy. It's a seriously told fantasy film that looks at the absurdity of masculine honour and the support cast of Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton makes for an interesting experience. Sean Harris and Kate Dickie as a moody, almost cadaverous King Arthur and Queen Guinevere in a dark, brooding castle are an interesting vision of the legend. This is a quite mesmerising film with a stand out performance from Patel, who captures a combination of bravado, fear and cowardice in the 'hero' figure. This is worth checking out even if it might seem a little baffling to begin with.

Because of the subsequent stage musical and it's huge popularity its often easy to forget this original film is much more than a story about a working class boy becoming a ballet dancer against the odds. Billy Elliot is really a serious social drama and one of the few films that really gets to grips with the social upheaval of the Miner's Strike which thrust apart communities, families and created huge political divides throughout the UK and which still resonate to this day. There are no outside scenes in this film where the police are not in evidence like an occupying army although the film carefully manages to avoid making any gestures about the rights and wrongs of the strike or the law enforcement actions. It does look very closely at the impact on the small Elliot family where widowed father Jackie (Gary Lewis) and older son Tony (Jamie Draven) are striking miners, struggling to make ends meet but determined to see the strike through even risking conflict with former friends who have been forced back to work by hardship. We see much of this through the child's viewpoint of Jackie's younger son Billy. Without his mother and with only a grandmother with dementia as a female role model he looks destined to have a life with little hope. Until that is he meets Mrs Wilkinson (Julie Walters) and secretly joins her ballet class. From this simple story you get a really heart warming story of growing up, of parental and familial love, of friendship and of success through defying the odds. Occasionally Billy is painted as a little too rough and ready to create a contrast with the world he wants to join and the final coda of the film never lets us into how he has overcome this. But this remains a great British film about a troubled time and it deserves continued recognition.

A rather disappointing documentary about this iconic actress. It sort of skimps over her impressive film work, missing out completely some of her films and becomes a sort of magazine style work that emphasises her quasi royal type persona. Impressive as Hepburn's Unicef work was it is however the least interesting part of her life and this film doesn't focus enough on her complex background, marriages and relationships. For example it is well documented that Alfred Hitchcock despised her but this is not mentioned at all. There is interest here but it's a superficial telling of Hepburn's life.

This is another box office bomb that has since gained a massive fan following. Admittedly it's not one of director John Carpenter's top films but it certainly is very original and very zany. It's a comedy but difficult to define as it's also a sort of action/adventure/fantasy and for first time viewers it will be quite a surprise especially as it gets dafter and more zany as it goes on. Kurt Russell plays trucker Jack Burton who delivers goods into San Francisco's Chinatown. When his friend, Wang Chi (Dennis Dun), has his fiancée kidnapped by a street gang Jack agrees to help him get her back. But Jack is not prepared as they search the backstreets of Chinatown because they get caught up in a centuries old battle between an ancient, evil wizard and a local mystic, which leads them to an eerie denizen below the streets of the city. And Jack's reluctant girlfriend, Gracie (Kim Cattrall) falls into the bad guys clutches too adding to his problems. Burton is a sort of useless hero here, incompetent and clumsy beside the more skilled Chinese with their martial arts and fancy weapons. The film has some weird things going on but if you just go with it it is a joy and very funny. This is something different to try, it'll certainly have you smiling and occasionally scratching your head.

After an exhilarating but narratively pointless opening we are thrown into Reagan's 1980s America to follow the fantastically glamorous Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman as she catwalks her way around much to the envy of dull ol' Barbara (Kristen Wiig). Into the mix comes a magic stone which grants anyone a single wish, coveted by loopy Maxwell (Pedro Pascal). Barbara gets to be like Diana with additional and surprising powers, Diana gets to resurrect a bewildered boyfriend (Chris Pine), who was a First World War pilot but manages to quickly pick up how to fly modern jet fighters! Meanwhile Maxwell gets his hands on the magic stone and creates worldwide mayhem which Diana needs to sort out with trouble from Barbara who quite likes being super powerful. It's all punch ups and massive damage type scenarios that all superhero films sort of come down to. This film fails to light up the genre even with the attempt by DC to make it a more MCU style bright and colourful film. Batman, Superman etc must have been on holiday while all the world goes crazy. Kristen Wiig is clearly having fun here but doesn't have enough witty and funny lines to make her contribution memorable and the rest is simply genre cliché. Unimpressive.

Like a lot of the Coen Brothers films this plays havoc with genre convention in this case the classical detective thriller and makes absurd the figure of the American screen hero. This hilarious, very clever comedy was released to some bafflement but has since become a much revered cult film and it's one of those films that actually gets richer and funnier each time you watch it. It's littered with film homages many of them playful and subversive but even if that doesn't interest you this remains a great comedy film with a career best performance from Jeff Bridges and a riotous one from John Goodman. Bridges plays a dope smoking drop out affectionally known as 'The Dude' who, along with his friends Walter (Goodman) and Donnie (Steve Buscemi) loves bowling. A case of mistaken identity sees the Dude caught in a chain of hilarious events involving a rich millionaire and his kidnapped trophy wife and weird daughter (Julianne Moore) and a whole cast of strange characters. In part this is an irreverent pastiche of Raymond Chandler's classic crime novel The Big Sleep, it's liberally addled with quotable lines and despite threats, assault and trying to control the Vietnam obsessed Walter The Dude just wants to bowl. This is a film to just go along with, it has a convoluted plot, or so it seems, but it all unravels very clearly and with some laugh out loud comedy. A great film and definitely one you should check out if you haven't seen it.

Apparently a reboot of a long running film franchise (I admit to not having seen any of the others). This is a pagan horror film that takes a well worn generic path of young people venturing into the woods and having to face a 'hillbilly' cult. Consequently there's not a lot of originality here and any number of other horror films are brought to mind as you watch it. In this one we have Jen (Charlotte Vega), along with a group of friends, are exploring the Appalachian Trail and stupidly venture off the marked path (having been warned by the moody locals not to do so!) and are set upon by a creepy bunch of woods people who have been living there since the 1800s. Later Jen's father (Matthew Modine) comes looking for them. A film of a rough two halves with some queasy deaths, skull crushings, a small dose of cannabilism and general torture type stuff. It's all a bit silly and has some daft plot holes although it's not without some energy. Overall it's routine horror fare.

A huge box office hit and a vehicle for the comic talents of Eddie Murphy who in the 80s was a major star. This comedy cop thriller was originally devised as an action film for Sylvester Stallone but thankfully with Murphy on board and his fast talking comedy style this turned into a fun, hilarious and at times gritty comedy. He plays Axel Foley, a wise cracking Detroit detective constantly in trouble with his boss. When Axel's old childhood friend is murdered he heads off to Beverly Hills to try and find out who killed him. Unfortunately he soon comes up against the very strait laced local cops in the form of Judge Reinhold, John Ashton and Ronny Cox, who plays things strictly by the book! With an English bad guy played by stage actor Steven Berkoff (Hollywood loves a British baddie!) the actual investigation is fairly routine and clichéd because this is a film to highlight the talents of Murphy who ad-libs his way hilariously throughout and if you watch carefully you'll often see the other actors trying not to laugh (apparently many, many takes were ruined through corpsing). It's got a great 80s soundtrack, some actually shocking violence on a couple of occasions and some fantastically fun set pieces from an opening chase sequence involving an HGV to the final shoot out. Everyone's seen this but it's worth checking it out again as it's such fun.

A silly American vision of Ireland with a story set in the present day but making it look like 70 years ago. There's been much said about the dodgy Irish accents but to be honest I wasn't overly distracted by them (although Christopher Walken's casting left me baffled) I was more confused by the daft whimsy of the whole film. This is a sort of romcom with Emily Blunt playing a sharp tongued, Irish red headed beauty, Rosemary (all very Maureen O'Hara from The Quiet Man) who has her heart set on her farmer neighbour, Anthony played by Jamie Dornan. The trouble is he's in a dispute with his curmudgeonly old Dad (Walken) who for vague reasons wants to pass the farm to his American nephew Adam (Jon Hamm), who even more strangely is keen on leaving his plush life in New York for a desolate Irish farm! Even more strange is that Anthony's reluctance to reciprocate his love to Rosemary is because he thinks he's a honey bee!! Yes you heard that right. All this adds up to a mess, a silly film and a waste of talent and the sorting of all this out is a major disappointment.

This a worthy sequel and whilst, like all sequels, the originality of the first film is now eroded, this is has retained the quaint delights of the characters as they continue their lives in India. There's plenty of comedy and romance and a plot, of sorts, about mistaking guest for a hotel inspector by the ever enthusiastic but socially clumsy owner played by Dev Patel. In many ways it's the same plot of the Fawlty Towers episode, The Hotel Inspector. But the overarching theme here is about life and time and how there's no point wasting opportunities regardless of age. The cast here are what makes this so entertaining and we get the addition of Richard Gere and David Straithairn joining Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Celia Imrie and Maggie Smith amongst others. Lovely little film, ok not as good as the first but still a nice feel good one.

Burt Lancaster continued to make westerns through the 60s and into the 70s, some of which have become celebrated as key additions to the genre (1972s Ulzana's Raid for example). Valdez Is Coming is the closest to the style that Sergio Leone had introduced in the 60s with it's bordertown setting, dry desert scenery, religious iconography and its uncompromising violence including torture scenes. As a result this is reasonably entertaining western but it lacks Leone's stylistic tongue-in-cheek vision of the west, it needs a rousing score and more disappointedly it lacks a satisfying climax. Director Edwin Sherin, in his first feature film (he went onto a more lucrative TV career), directs in a robotic way with some jarring editing and disconcerting jumps but one can't help but think that Lancaster, a known meddler, tampered here or overly influenced the films direction. Whatever the reason this film doesn't have the appeal of most of Lancaster's other westerns from this period. He plays Valdez, a Mexican sheriff, who is forced to kill a man unnecessarily and seeks compensation for the dead man's Indian wife from the man who caused the killing. This is a nasty gun runner played by Jon Cypher, who refuses to pay the humble sum requested. Instead he tortures Valdez who then kidnaps his woman (Susan Clark), takes her into the wilderness and then turns on the men who come after them. As I said the final confrontation is a huge damp squib! Susan Clark plays an enigmatic character that never really works and the film has Richard Jordan as a cocky gunslinger (he later worked with Lancaster in Lawman made the same year). This is watchable, and Lancaster is always interesting even here as a gentle Mexican with a violent past but overall this western is not one of his best.

I love this gentle, heart warming film, a tale of regrets, reflections and hope where a group of elderly people, for a variety of reasons, decide to relocate to India having seen an advertisement for a luxurious hotel that turns out to be a bit more rundown than they anticipated. But it's charm, the enthusiasm of the owner (Dev Patel) and the magic of the city of Jaipur all works to bring them a new lease of life. It's a film full of love and charm and with a stupendous cast that includes Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Maggie Smith, Penelope Wilton and Ronald Pickup. Each of the characters has their own story that ends subtly differently than you expect, even the nastiest character played by Wilton gets the chance for honest redemption. This film gives you a chance to see some of the best of British actors together in a delightful, fun (although with huge doses of sadness thrown in for good measure) and simply lovely film that even diehard action film fans will secretly love.

Huge, lavish, spectacular and epic this won 11 oscars and remains today a wonderfully entertaining action drama set in biblical times and even though you might have to forgive the 'Sunday school' aspects of the story (it is after all subtitled 'A Tale of the Christ') it's a marvellous story. A story of betrayal, revenge and redemption set in Judea at the time of Christ where Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston), a rich jew, refuses to help his childhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd), a Roman Tribune in Jerusalem, by betraying any Jewish rebels and gets sent to be a galley slave and his mother and sister are imprisoned. Vowing revenge Judah, against the odds, eventually returns to search for his family and to challenge Messala. The film has some wonderful set pieces including a naval battle and the cinematically famous chariot race, which is gripping, exciting and quite bloody considering when this film was made. Additionally it's a very moving film, at times very sad and a little shocking at times. Overall it's a beautiful film that never fails to enthral and to grip you even though it's a long film. There's romance, action, a touch of fantasy and mysticism and a superb recreation of the times. Brilliant score, superb support cast and wonderfully photographed this is a classic of modern cinema and definitely a film that should be on your list if you've never seen it, you will not be disappointed. (By the way it was bizarrely remade in 2016 and quite abysmally too so whatever you do avoid that version). A wonderful film.

For some reason this is billed as a 'reimagining' of Roald Dahl's origin novel although it's simply a straightforward adaptation that apart from some location and period changes is reasonably faithful to the novel. However it lacks the fun and darkness of Nicolas Roeg's 1990 earlier film version and Anne Hathaway, as the Grand High Witch, is dafter than the malignant character created by Anjelica Huston in Roeg's film. Instead of England as the string this story is in late 1960s Alabama and a recently orphaned boy goes to stay with his wise grandmother (Octavia Spencer). When he is accosted by a weird woman in the grocery store Granny suspects a witch is responsible and whisks her grandson off to a plush hotel for safety. Unfortunately the very same hotel where the Grand High Witch is holding a witches convention with a plan to turn all children into mice. This cues lots of Disney style CGI action set pieces with some forced comedy and witches that aren't anywhere nearly as scary as they should be. A mild children's fantasy film that is a bit mediocre and appears to be playing it safe. The 1990 version is far better.

Lovely, delightful and a real feel good film. A light comedy, with love, break up and music at it's heart, this is one of those films that is a pleasure to watch, has no pretensions even if it's a bit soppy because ultimately its all about finding redemption for the mistakes in life and relationships probably something everyone seeks from time to time. Gretta (Keira Knightley) has moved to New York with her boyfriend and songwriting partner Dave (Adam Levine) where he is to record an album of songs they wrote together. But when Dave deserts her for fame and fortune Gretta is left alone and sad in a strange city. When she bumps into Steve (James Corden), an old friend from London, he takes her to an open mic session in a bar and gets her to sing one of her songs which is heard by alcoholic, down-on-his-luck record producer Dan (Mark Ruffalo), who convinces her they should make an album which sets all of them on a path towards finding what they all want in life. Ruffalo is always great in these roles as the loser with a heart and Knightley is excellent here, she's an underrated actor who can show emotion and strength much more subtly than she is often given credit for. The support cast are also good with Hailee Steinfeld as Dan's daughter and Catherine Keener as his estranged wife. A film everyone can enjoy and one I highly recommend if you've never seen it.