Film Reviews by AER

Fast-paced sequel, that like most follow-ups seems redundant storywise. There's not much time for mourning as this film picks up directly after the last one finished, and we're pretty much straight into the action. Putting the 'sound monsters' into a more prominent position, it's a miracle that there's any tension left to dispense but fortunately there is. This time the central family are looking for refuge after their home is destroyed at the end of the first film, but much of what is introduced has been seen in other films/TV shows like The Road, The Walking Dead, Oblivion. It's Millicent Simmonds deaf child, who is once more, the main reason to buy a ticket, it's her bravery and invention that saves the day again and again. Cillian Murphy's new male lead is little more than a cipher, and Djimon Hounsou is even more wasted in a thankless role close to the end. A Quiet Place and this sequel are elevated from the dreck by good performances and good set-pieces. With it's unique position to give some sheen to the horror genre, it should have been less predictable and brought a few new ideas of its own to the party.

However, it was action-packed, scary, and it made me root for the main characters. So, in the main, it was a cool time killer.

Stuber was the funniest American comedy I've seen in a very long time. It hardly breaks new ground but it had a lot of energy, set-pieces and inventive one-liners to keep me glued. I can't even remember adding this to my Cinema Paradiso list as the last few comedies I've rented like The Longshot, Blockers, and Tag have all been really, really poor. Temporarily short-sighted cop teams up with a Pakistani-American uber driver to track down a drug dealer with hilarious results. The action isn't too shoddy either, although the big bad played by The Raid's Iko Uwais is completely wasted, he's in two fight scenes (on great / one so-so) and a car chase, and has no character and about two lines of dialogue. Dave Bautista and Kumail Nanjiani are great together exchanging a lot of withering putdowns.

Stupid, instantly disposable, but for my money, it's the best 'new' comedy I've seen in a very, very long time. 4 out of 5 for doing what it came to do, make me laugh.

I don't know how Almodovar makes light work of really dense material - there's always something of the daytime soap opera about his films and Live Flesh is no different (with added sex/nudity). Live Flesh never comes to life though, each of the characters are propelled through a narrative that has no engine or makes any sense to the rational viewer. I'm not a fan of Almodovar, but I've seen quite a few of his films and I will say that he is getting better and better. It was interesting to see Javier Bardem in an early role, look out for his real-life mother in early scenes (Pilar Bardem). Based on a pulpy novel by Ruth Rendell, this is full of murder and intrigue but it hops along at fast pace without delving into the characters at all, leaving it without substance and altogether forgettable and stupid.

I think Angelina Jolie made somebody a promise back in 1998 that she'd make their movie as this is a real throwback to the type of thrillers that used to come out every week. With a well-established plot that throws in a few very light variations on the road to predictability, nobody is going to remember this film and that's a shame. Scripted and directed by Taylor Sheridan who made 'Wind River', and wrote 'Sicario' and 'To Hell and High Water' this is a comparatively weak brew. Everybody acts well, but the script is old hat, full of plot holes and just serves to remind you that they don't make films quite as corny as this anymore. Aiden Gillen and Nicholas Hoult's hitmen were the most interesting characters, yet nobody here is developed all that well beyond the lightest of sketches. If you are hankering for 90s films starring Val Kilmer, Sandra Bullock or Denzel Washington in the lead roles, then 'Those Who Wish Me Dead' is an old school treat. Otherwise, this failed to turn up the heat.

Engrossing film about a fractured family who come together to help their taciturn patriarch realise a long held dream. Long, involving scenes with lots of dialogue are emblematic of this director's films (see Mekhtoub My Love / Blue is the Warmeest Colour) and Couscous is no different. Only one scene needed the editor to chop it, but ultimately the long scenes do this story a good service. It's interesting how food can bring people together and serve as a metaphor for family dynamics in film. The ending is worth sticking around for. Recommended - ignore the review that moans on about 'dry couscous'.

Eloquent, poetic and moving, Nomadland isn't a romantic depiction of life on the road, it's tough. However, this film reminds us all that we have to recognise who we are and what we want from life. It's unsentimental yet very persuasive and sad. 10 out of 10.

This portrait of a man trapped by circumstance failed to move me because the lead character seems shell-shocked, or is badly acted. I can appreciate a good character piece but this felt hard to get into. It makes sense that the main character doesn't engage much with his customers, he tries to be alone whilst nursing great pain. However, it never once sprang to life and could have been more compelling if the tow lead male actors had shown a bit more verve. It's well filmed and plotted, however, it relies to heavily on actors that just have no power or presence.

This is for fans of Yorkshire cinema. If you loved The Selfish Giant and Kes, Catch Me Daddy will make a very good impression on you. It’s a stark reminder that there are divides in British society that are unsurpassable and no matter what we do human nature sabotages everything. This is a blistering portrayal of young love at a dangerous cost to all. Two rival teams of bounty hunters are looking for a couple, one Asian, Laila (SAMEENA JABEEN AHMED) and one Scottish, Tony (CONOR MCCARRON – NEDS). Laila’s Muslim family want her to return home, and they also want to kill Tony. They believe she has brough dishonour to the family. Also on their trail are two white trackers, Barry (BARRY NUNNEY) and Gary (GARY LEWIS – ORPHANS) and four Asian guys (Anwar Hussain, Ali Ahmad, Adrian Hussain, Shoby Kaman). Things are complicated when Laila causes the death of one of their pursuers. What goes from a simple extraction gets quickly complicated as the situation gets beyond anybody’s control.

Coming on like a Western, this concerns infamous honour killings and it is a brutal watch, elevated by excellent performances, superb cinematography, and an expemplary soundtrack too. The cast (mainly one-timers) and the script is flawless making this one of the most vital British films of the 2010s. It makes the similar and very poor Honour look like child’s play.

I write this review in 2019, I’ve seen this film twice now. Why hasn’t anybody given the Wolfe Brothers the money to make another film?

9 out of 10 – Classic modern British cinema. A nigh on perfect film for those with a strong stomach. Be brave, it’s a difficult watch but well-worth the effort. Chilling, brilliant and unmissable.

Mogul Mowgli is one of the UK's best films to-date about the being Asian in Britain. It's not a watered down valley of cliche's like The Kumars at No.42 or even My Beautiful Laundrette, this is the real deal. Co-written by Riz Ahmed, this tale of an Hip Hop MC on the rise to fame who unexpectedly falls ill is a bracing ride. The performances by the entire cast are flawless and convincing, however, I wasn't so sure about the narrative's reliance on dreams, flashbacks and hallucinations. These served as a stylish distraction rather than augmenting the story, and they were occasionally disorientating, which is a shame because this film could have stood firm without the need for flashiness. A floral faced man called Toba Tek Singh haunts Riz Ahmed's character too, he would have been way more effective if used more sparingly. Lots of great scenes, and amazing acting bring this through, the flourishes make the needle skip.

PS: I've not seen the Sound of Metal yet (also starring Riz Ahmed), but that one seems to have a very similar plot too.

This deceptively simple comedy does a backflip two-thirds of the way in and gives us food for thought. For the first hour or so, this film presents Don Jon as an unsympathetic, unfunny caricature, but this slips us a sly twist that belies the keen intelligence of the screenwriter, director and actor. It's a smart film that plays dumb. It's not a rule-breaker or worth more than one watch, however, it was interesting in how it made us reassess every single one of the characters. Brie Larson's taciturn sister probably comes off worse when the film begins to evolve into something a little more thoughtful - she's left high and dry as a stupid Silent Bob-style cipher.

It's not often I begin loathing a film and end up having to rethink everything I've seen before. For a modern American comedy this is very good, uneven but good.

This elusive supernatural story avoids answering just about every question I found myself asking as this film progress. It's all tale no twist and the mysteries are left intact come closing time too. It's well-acted, beautiful to look at, but something about failed to drag me into this one further. It's sad because its premise is super intriguing, and would usually be of interest to me - however, it fails to grip, has no internal logic, and ulitmately flops despite offering us viewers something a little difference. All comparisons to M Night Shymalan's The Village are purely cosmetic, however.

A missed opportunity, and a frustrating near miss. And a near miss is still a miss.

Another Country is a classic British movie made in the 80s about the oppression of homosexuality in public schools and hypocrisy and order of life therein. Rupert Everett (THE HAPPY PRINCE) plays Guy Burnett perfectly as the lovelorn teen whose success on graduation is guaranteed. However, his need to express his sexuality isn' t the 'done thing' and it ruffles a lot of feathers which lead to some decisions that will echo throughout his life profoundly. Also starring Colin Firth (THE ENGLISH PATIENT), Cary Elwes (SAW), and a few familiar faces from 80s TV, this would have benefitted from sharing a bit more detail about how Guy Burnett went onto defect to the Soviet Union and why he was being interviewed by a young woman for his story. He explains early on that he cannot 'name names' and that all he can offer is background. Sadly, this renders the bookending story void as the whole film is told in linear flashback making it hard to relate the 80s to the 30s. More spy stuff would have enhanced this otherwise engaging, important movie.

Recommended.

The Painted Bird is a heartbreaking and gruelling movie about the death of humanity as seen and experienced by a young boy. The levels of cruelty meted out on the characters in this film are unbearably sad, you want it all to stop. All I could think about whilst watching it is how the novel (this film is based on) was inspired by witness accounts from the chaos that ensued across mainland Europe during WW2. I also thought about how any of us would manage in these circumstances where life is so cheap and dangerous. Not only does the main character have soldiers to hide from (sometimes they are depicted as the most humane / or kind to the main boy) he also finds evil in the unassuming locals. Familiar faces break the illusion sometimes, often in silent roles (is Harvey Keitel's priest dubbed?) and some of the deaths are terrible (even if the worst one occurs off-screen). Does the film end on a note of hope? Maybe not, but I read it as a moment of understanding, of an accord being reached.

One of the best WW2 movies I've seen since Son of Saul.

5/5

Cop Land could have been a classic. However, it looks like it's had its place in history cancelled by possible reshoots and some brutal editing. This interesting cop drama offers a tantalising prospect by telling the story of the cop the polices the cops at home. Sylvester Stallone places a sad-sack small-town cop who is pressed to act by internal affairs when some serious police corruption comes to light in his neighbourhood. Stallone has rarely been better, matching co-stars Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro note for note. Ray Liotta's character is a bit pointless and he overacts here slightly as Stallone's only local friend. What this needed was a longer running time to allow the interesting characters some room to breathe, but it looks to me like this got filleted in the editing room. What could have stood head-to-head with Heat, Good Fellas and other 90s classics is a forgotten also-ran due to (suspected) studio interference.

A good try but a frustrating near miss.

It's as if Hollywood (or Wellywood) had the idea of making a film version of the YA series of books about a marauding mobile London rampaging across Europe to echo Brexit. If you look at Mortal Engines this way, it may be fun marking some of the parallels. However, I don't think the makers had the wit; it's difficult to believe that this film has the same pedigree as The Lord of The Rings trilogy, and King Kong (2005) but it does. Although it wasn't directed by Peter Jackson, it was jointly scripted by him and Pip Boyens, and Fran Walsh (probably with the lights off). All the imagination comes from the source material, none of the rest of its constituent parts make an good impression at all.  COmpetent actors struggle to stay awake with a script that is boring, predictable and cheesy, a plot that has no ideas of its own, and it shows that the the cast know that they are playing second fiddle to the SFX. 

The cities on wheels are a great spectacle and the opening chase is very entertaining, beyond that Mortal Engines is flop with few reasons to recommend it. The chink of light in this brown cloud of cack is Stephen Lang's resurrected human character Shrike. This CGI character alone injects the film with an ounce of identity. Like Lord of The Rings, the makers were definitely the most inspired by the most grotesque and complex of characters (Gollum / Shrike are cut from the same cloth).

Spectacle aside, this has no characters, sleepwalking actors, and SFX to fill 10 films. Shame it had no beating heart or an interesting story to tell.

2 out of 5