wellthatswhatithinkanyway Reviews

Monkey Man (2024)

Grand, ambitious but ultimately misfiring

[4/10 · 15 April 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

An anonymous young man (Dev Patel), holds a low level position in a busy restaurant, whilst taking a pasting in underground fight tournaments whilst wearing a distinctive monkey mask. This comes to the attention of fellow dogsbody Alphonso (Pitabash), who opens him up to a seedy underbelly, where his chance to avenge the death of his mother, at the hands of former General Rana (Sikandar Kher), and his commander, cult leader Baba Shakti (Makrand Deshpanti), presents itself.

Flying high after his breakout role in 2008's Slumdog Millionaire, Dev Patel now delivers his writing/directing debut, that does a complete three hundred and sixty from the personal brand he became known for. Given his significant involvement in the project, it might be a safe gamble that Patel maybe had a fondness for the "chopsocky" flicks that this lengthy effort seems fairly indebted to, and wanted to offer his own contribution to the genre. He goes against the grain with his lead role here, playing a hero who initially doesn't cut the mustard as much of a great fighter, before delivering a pretty devastating onslaught at the end. If ultimately not much else.

Patel's film features all the trappings of many modern action films of present times, with everything close up, from the blurry screen, to the fight scenes, especially disconcerting when they're flying at a million miles a minute. It features an impressive heavy, harsh soundtrack in the early stages of the film, creating an unsettling atmosphere in the build up to the initial showdowns, but from there-on-in it becomes a meandering, overlong experience, taking two hours to tell a story that could have lasted about an hour and a half, with a long, dull, dragging interlude, before a savage, brutal finale, where Patel channels The Raid films style to shattering effect.

If Patel had been a little more focused and less over indulgent, he could have delivered a masterful directorial debut. As it is, while delivered with flair and successful in places, it serves as a lesson to learn from. Maybe with Monkey Man 2. **

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

The latest big screen ruckus, but the audience get knocked about more

[4/10 · 14 April 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

In a futuristic world, the two big screen titans, Godzilla and King Kong, exist separately on Earth, with Godzilla roaming around with the humans, while Kong exists among his fellow primates on 'Hollow Earth.' "As long as they remain in their territories, everything should be fine", says scientist Iilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall.) So, needless to say, things don't, and her adopted daughter, Jila (Kaylee Hotton) starts sketching disturbing images, leading to a journey to ME, and a confrontation with Kong's nemesis, The Scar King.

We've had Alien Vs. Predator! Batman Vs. Superman! And now, director Adam Wingard has delivered a show down between two of cinema's most notable gigantic beasts. Well, there could have been a worse excuse to have them smash everything up. The irony that may be lost on the filmmakers is that there isn't actually much in any way of an actual showdown at all, but enough stamping around and battling with other creatures to distract everyone from this. But not quite enough to gloss over all the flaws.

If nothing else, the film is an alluring visual spectacle, reminiscent of Peter Jackson's 2005 re-imagining of the original 1930's film, the magic of which I can still remember. The central cast fit their roles suitably enough, with young actress Hottle particularly worthy as the troubled girl at the centre of all the hoo-hah, with a decent enough supporting cast, including Dan Stevens as a 'trippy hippy, Ace Ventura' mercenary, and Brian Tyree Henry in the 'expert who wasn't listened to' cliched role, but none of the performances are anything to match any of the effects or action sequences.

There's a lot of roaring and swinging and smashing, the sort of which would look great with a pair of 3D specs. But it wouldn't be wise to expect any more than that. **

Scoop (2024)

Ultimately middling dramatisation

[7/10 · 11 April 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

Prince Andrew (Rufus Sewell) is photographed in New York, talking with financier Jeffrey Epstein. In London, TV producer Sam McAllister (Billie Piper) becomes aware of Epstein's impending arrest on multiple charges of sex trafficking, and learns of Andrew's longer lasting relationship with him. She arranges a meeting with the senior royal, making him aware of how his 'don't explain, can't complain' approach will not wash in the modern, social media driven world, and convinces him to do an interview with the BBC's Emily Maitlis (Gillian Anderson) to try and clear his name.

While I remember the infamous interview with Prince Andrew, albeit in a 'yesterday's fish and chip wrapper' kind of way, I can't actually remember how long ago it was, or that it would leave enough of a cultural impact to have a film made about it, but that's what director Phillip Martin has gone and done with this highly publicised Netflix drama, with an all star cast to back it up. I guess the implications behind the Epstein scandal, and what Andrew had to say to defend himself, did carry some pretty heavy weight, and this drama conveys this in a serviceable but flawed way.

Rolling in at under the two hour mark, Martin's film attempts to build up the tension to Andrew's eventual interview, which finally unravels at the end. What has to drive it until then is the performances, and the human drama, and the director seems to lay the bulk of this at the feet of Piper. If it would be an exaggeration to call her a completely terrible actress, she certainly has trouble holding her own against the likes of Anderson, and Keeley Hawes, or Sewell in the central role, looking miscast and out of place, however much dynamism he's trying to give the role.

It's engaging enough in its attempts to bring a modern talking point to the screen, however relevant that might have been. But Frost/Nixon it ain't. ***

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)

A fun visual ride, but very little else of any substance

[4/10 · 3 April 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

The new Ghostbusters team, headed by partners Gary (Paul Rudd) and Callie (Carrie Coon), along with Callie's kids, Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (McKenna Grace) tackle some supernatural forces terrorising New York City, causing a bit of damage in the process, and raising the ire of new mayor Walter Peck (William Atherton), with Phoebe drawing particular scorn. However, original Ghostbuster Ray Stantz (Dan Ackroyd) may hold the key to regaining everyone's affection for them, when a mysterious orb in his possession unleashes the spirit of Gorocca, an ancient God with the power to plunge the city into a deep freeze.

Following 2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife, writer/director Gil Kenan brings the franchise back to the big screen, forty years after the iconic original film was released, and determined to keep the series rolling. With the current stars and the original actors meeting at a crossroads, it's a weird reflection of how far the series has come, and where it may be stuck. With all the original stars crammed in together with the new performers, it's an overstuffed egg resulting in too many characters to keep up with, and clearly still too clingy to its original source material.

As a big screen, visual spectacle, it's still an impressive, immersive experience, the kind of thing 3D was created for, and on this front could provide a fun day out for all the family. The special effects, then, make it a sort of fun ride. But of course, they can't compensate for a weak, flat plot, and unfunny, forced humour, that the original managed so effortlessly. While original stars Ackroyd and Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddemore, who's now an entrepreneur, seem to embrace the whole thing as wildly as they can, strangely its original rivals Murray and Atherton who seem more reluctant, with Atherton's arsey, bureaucratic Peck now more awkwardly inserted into scenes, while Murray shows up for roughly half an hour towards the end. This uneven distribution of faith in the project between the stars is one of the many disconcerting things about the whole thing.

If you're in an especially undemanding mood, it does provide a decent, flashy fun ride, but there's very little beneath the surface beyond a commercial interest in keeping the franchise going, and letting the quality take a backslide. **

Thanksgiving (I) (2023)

Fun, undemanding slasher horror yarn

[7/10 · 2 April 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

Black Friday falls once again, in the sleepy town of Plymouth, Massachusetts, overseen by Thomas Wright (Rick Hoffman), the owner of the local superstore. A stampede ensues, that results in the deaths of several people. One year later, and Wright ill advisedly reopens the store for more wild sales, whilst at the same time a masked killer stalks the town, gruesomely slaying local teenagers and various other people, building up to a horrifying final confrontation with those behind his venom.

The universal religious holiday of Christmas has for the most part become more associated with gifts and shopping than its true meaning, and so its interesting to see a holiday not celebrated on these shores descend into commercialism, in the shape of Thanksgiving and its 'Black Friday' shopping event (which has still arrived over here!) which this latest horror farrago from renowned horror director Eli Roth explores. We get a glimpse of the animalistic state hordes of people are reduced to, even if the film's tongue is kept firmly in its cheek throughout, however outrageous and excessive the blood and gore gets.

It follows a familiar and very well worn formula, with various obnoxious teenagers, dropping f bombs like they're going out fashion, getting sliced and diced in a variety of inventive, blood splattered ways, but in the manner of the audience being in on the joke, rather than made to feel uncomfortable about it. It's the formula that has kept the likes of the Scream franchise going for so long, and it's been rebranded here. There is a hint of a critique of capitalism, or at least consumerism, a la Dawn of the Dead in 1978, but nothing explicitly stated in any way.

There's nothing new or refreshing to see here, but it's all done in a pleasingly knowing and self deprecating manner that should keep fans happy. No classic, but certainly no (Thanksgiving) turkey, either. ***

Road House (2024)

Even with an open mind, it's still a pale, poor man's version of the original

[2/10 · 26 March 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a former UFC fighter, whose career came to a shattering halt after a bout went wrong. He moves to the Florida Keys, and takes a job by bar owner, Frankie (Jessica Williams) whose business has come under attack from a group of violent thugs. He attracts the attention of Ben Brandt (Billy Magnussun), the son of a notorious drug lord, who is struggling to run things, and Knox (Conor McGregor), a hulking brute with whom he is drawn into a shattering final confrontation.

In a day and age when the 'reboot' has become the accepted norm, when modernised versions of classic films from years past are updated to modern audiences, who may not even have heard of the original film. But to me, Rowdy Herrington's 1989 beat em up/shoot em up fest is one of the quintessential 80's action films, and I'm sure to many others. And so, naturally, my first thought is simply: it won't be a patch on the original. But even with this in mind and appreciate it as much as I could on its own merits. But sadly, even from this viewpoint, Doug Liman's modernised take on the original film falls desperately short.

Some may say it's unfair to even consider the original film when reviewing this new one, but being so fond of that film, what else can I do but compare it, and see how far short of the mark it falls compared to that?!? And as a result, the main thing that comes off...is it's just so unconvincing. Unlike the original. Where the roadside Double Deuce bar, with bikers loitering around outside, created such an uninviting impression, complimented by a cramped, tight, smoky inside, that created such a genuinely brutal feeling. This trendy, cosmopolitan new version, with its open space design and tree palm roadside location, totally fails to recapture that, along with bouncers who don't look like they could fight their way out of a wet paper bag (unlike the grizzled, mean looking ones in the original), and whose fight scenes are pathetically unconvincing.

Cast wise, in the lead role, Gyllenhaal, making a name out of remakes after 2021's The Guilty (which I'd bet far fewer are aware of), and who's allegedly been quite vocal of his dissatisfaction with the film's stream service fate, certainly has an impressively ripped physique, and gives his Dalton a more wise-cracking persona over Patrick Swayze's calm, philosophical but alternately icy and unnerving portrayal, but...he's also less convincing. Dalton's back story, involving his guilt over taking a man's life, is more closely examined here and far more prominent, through some vividly relived flashbacks to the incident, but sadly no more affecting. Former real life UFC fighter McGregor I imagine is aping Marshall Teague's role, but just comes off as a mindless lunatic, whilst Magnussun's whiny, shrieking overseer really makes you appreciate Ben Gazzara's original cruel, sadistic kingpin.

I was determined not to write it off. I tried to give it a fair chance. And I tried not to think too much about the original. But sadly, my memories of it, along with a weak, apathetic plot, sadly just expose what an inadequate, unsatisfying mess this is. *

Ted (2024)

Manages to capture the spirit of the films just perfectly

[9/10 · 25 March 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

It's 1993, and a teenage John Bennett (Max Burkholder) lives with his dysfunctional parents, Susan (Alanna Ubach) and Matt (Scott Grimes), older sister Blaire (Georgia Whigham), and Ted (Seth McFarlane), the teddy bear he wished to life as a prepubescent, and with whom he now smokes pot, casually swears and talks about girls. As hormones rage and rites of passage emerge, these two outsiders have each others backs throughout.

Nearly ten years after the last film hit theatres, writer/director Seth McFarlane transfers the format of his hit films, to a more condensed, nine part series on Sky Showcase, so at the very least I didn't have to shell out on another streaming service to catch it. A major obstacle it must overcome, telling John Bennett's backstory as a teenager, is the absence of Mark Wahlberg in the lead role, having been such a major presence in the films. But Max Burkholder more than does him justice as his younger self, and the series holds its own against the films.

McFarlane really seems to have sensed his creation's absence in our cultural landscape, and seems to be on a kamikaze mission to create something even more outrageous and boundary crossing than his films, creating a hilariously offensive piece, loaded with enough foul language and explicit sexual talk to make even the remotely faint of heart want to stay as far away as possible. Most uncontrollable is Grimes as John's irascible, Vietnam vet dad, the pretty Whigham as his frustrated sister, and Jason Kravits in a supporting role as a teacher who can't stop blurting his frustrations about his home life out in the classroom.

Somehow, MacFarlane has managed to condense the format from his two successful films into an effective TV series, which does wear its welcome out a little toward the end, but is still a fun, wild ride up to that point. ****

American Nightmare (2024)

Another perversely fascinating Netflix true crime drama

[9/10 · 24 March 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

In 2015, young couple Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn found themselves the target of a brutal home invasion, with Aaron gettIng tied up, and Denise getting abducted. With nothing other than his word to corroborate it, suspicion fell on him having enacted foul play on her. Until Denise miraculously reappeared, only for suspicion to fall on both of them, with them being accused of reenacting the film Gone Girl. But Denise had an account of her own, that cast the police department that investigates her case in a terribly compromising light, before a series of similar crimes were exposed across states.

It's deeply unsettling how much perverse entertainment can be found in 'true crime' dramas, real life misery recounted for the viewing of the masses, from the special section in the bookstores, and more increasingly these days, on Netflix. One of the latest would be this succinct three part drama, recalling a particularly far flung case, that leaves a fairly lasting impression.

As an unfolding saga (certainly to those who aren't aware of the outcome), it's more genuinely intriguing than your average crime thriller trotted out on the screen, genuinely keeping you on the edge of your seat with how things are going to turn out, however morbid this might be as a true life story. As a couple caught up in this, Denise and Aaron seem like a typical, all-American pair, and you can sense the devastation, as they describe their ordeal, as well as the incompetence/corruption they experienced from the local police force. It's always creepy in these cases how humanistic the perpetrators can be, with the culprit here apparently calmly explaining how he had to carry out their crime, and even giving tips on how to avoid it happening again to another couple he wasn't so lucky with, not like in the movies at all.

It's certainly not easy viewing, but as a short, sweet account of an unthinkable crime, it does its job just marvellously. ****

Bob Marley: One Love (2024)

Engaging enough, but doesn't really do its subject matter justice

[7/10 · 21 March 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

The year is 1976. The tiny island of Jamaica in the Caribbean is at war, with rival political factions vying for control with brutal violence. Bob Marley (Kingsley Ben-Adir), a rising reggae superstar, organises a concert of unity to try and heal divisions. The concert goes well, but afterwards Marley is the subject of a home invasion, where his wife, Rita (Lashana Lynch) is left for dead with a gunshot to the head. Refusing to be cowed, Marley takes some time away, and tries to gain inspiration for his mammoth, bestselling album Exodus.

A slew of, if not awful, at least distinctly average reviews have not had much in the way of bad results for Bob Marley: One Love, director Reinaldo Marcus-Green's much anticipated biopic of easily the most recognisable name in reggae music, Bob Marley. It must be one of the highest grossing box office films of the year so far, with a couple of major factors behind this. Firstly, a dedicated marketing campaign that ensured it got promoted in all quarters, and secondly a practically guaranteed broad appeal to longtime devotees of Marley, stretching over many years. It's quite possible, it seems, to generate hype even when the critics broadcast banality.

In spite of the lacklustre reviews, there has still been unanimous praise (from the same quarters) for the lead performance of Ben-Adir as the reggae icon, and there is no doubt that he is one of the very notable positives in the proceedings. He certainly manages to capture Marley's subtle mannerisms very well, and his wild, magnetic energy bursts out in his stage performances, complimented by his co-star Lynch as his wife and backing vocalist, who gives a passionate, committed energy in her role. While some have accused the film of glorifying Marley to sainthood, his flaws (his absence as a father, and philandering with other women) are documented. Sadly, there is little in the way of development in Marley's backstory, with what motivated him to become who he was, and his inspirations, which does hinder the film somewhat.

It has a bit more energy and magnetism to it than to be the TV movie of the week people are making it out as, but ultimately it's still an underwhelming and average effort that doesn't get under its subjects skin the way it should. ***

American Fiction (2023)

Interesting, subversive take on the comedy genre

[9/10 · 20 March 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

Thelonius Monk (Jeffrey Wright) is a frustrated novelist, with a tricky family life, who is tired of offensive and outdated tropes and stereotypes involving black culture, claiming to come from an authentic, lived experience, which end up generating profit for the publishing industry. After the tragic death of his sister, Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross), who he looked up to, Thelonius turns the situation to his advantage, and uses a pen name to write his own novel that conforms to all the stereotypes he claims to despise, in order to expose the hypocrisy at the heart of the business.

American Fiction, the directorial debut of Cord Jefferson, who also serves as one of the writers, initially appeared as an off the radar, independent offering, with some encouraging reviews, but of little other notable worth. Next thing I know, it's among the contenders for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It's certainly an interesting, original piece, exploring identity politics, without pushing any kind of white privilege narrative, indeed with a central protagonist raging against a stereotypical depiction of 'the black experience.'

Wright has to carry the film, much like every other leading actor, and thankfully he is certainly one of the films many good points, delivering a restrained, warm performance, and creating a likeable central character, managing the many obstacles in his life being hurdled at him, and deciding to stamp his mark in his own creative and effective way. Each of his encounters feels very relatable and human, and so keeps you engaged, right up until the ending, which delivers a clever, subversive twist that completely warps your expectations.

Adapted from an original novel by Percival Everett, Jefferson's film is a pleasantly surprising piece of work. It didn't win the Best Picture award, as we know, but the end product leaves you in little surprise at its considered worthiness. ****

Breathtaking (II) (2024)

Inevitable but effective and well made Covid drama

[9/10 · 18 March 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

England, March 2020. The World Health Organisation have already warned of a mass outbreak of cases of a new, devastating strain of coronavirus that has spread across Italy, and looks set to arrive on British shores. Dr. Joanne Henderson (Joanne Froggatt) leads a team at a hospital in North London, who find themselves plunged right into the forefront of the enveloping crisis. Forced to isolate from her husband, Nick (Christopher Heatherhall), and son Tommy (Henry Meredith), and with changing guidance from Public Health England, Joanne and her team try to manage, with faulty PPE equipment and decreasing morale.

It's hard to believe that this week, four years have passed since the Covid pandemic broke out and lockdown was imposed after it already had in other countries across Europe. It seems so surreal now, how normal, everyday life suddenly ground to a halt, and everyone was forced to adapt to a new way of life. To be honest, it's surprising that a drama depicting the events that took place has taken as long as it has to be made about it, but now, this succinct three part drama, from seasoned writer Jed Mercurio, co writer Prasanna Puwanarajah, and adapted from the novel by Rachel Clarke, has arrived.

With a limited amount of time to make an impression, we are plunged straight into the heart of the action, without much in the way of development of the central characters, but this inadvertently adds to a sense of realism, as it creates more of a feeling of ordinary, everyday workers, plunged into an horrific, unmanageable nightmare, a group of different personalities working together to try and come out on top. In the lead role, Froggatt is commanding and believable, someone driven by a determination for things to work out. Things really kick in in the third act, when the drama kicks up a notch, and a more dynamic sense kicks into the drama.

If there's a fault to be found, it's maybe in the slightly misjudged title, giving an awe-inducing feel to such a tragic tale, but it's a comparatively trivial gripe, with what is otherwise a sensitively handled drama, a gripping account of one of the great crises of our time, as we stumble into numerous others. ****

Spaceman (I) (2024)

Rather baffling, outlandish, far fetched sci-fi thriller

[4/10 · 17 March 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

Jakob Prochazka (Adam Sandler) has risen from humble beginnings as a scientist, to become the Chezch Republic's most revered astronaut, half way into the middle of a manned mission in outer space. However, this has come at the expense of his marriage to Lenka (Carey Mulligan) on Earth. Isolated in space with no one for company, he runs into Hanus (voiced by Paul Dano), an other-wordly creature who has a personal knowledge of his life, and his ultimate destiny.

Following on from crime caper Uncut Gems a few years ago, former comic supremo Adam Sandler continues his serious actor path with this space bound sci-fi drama, from director Johan Renck and writer Jaroslav Kalfar. With elements of Interstellar and 2001: A Space Odyssey, meshed in with its own unique zaniness, it's a curious, far fetched piece, that will leave you rather bewildered with what it's aiming for. And will probably exhaust your patience while you try to figure it out.

If Sandler wants to branch out into more serious roles, then it's a fine ambition to want to pursue, but it's strange that a once so comedic actor wants to play things so straight, without so much as the odd wisecrack, or funny line, resulting in a film with even less warmth and substance than it already has. It doesn't help that the central character is so undeveloped as he is, with the absurdity of him talking to a giant spider added on. It's the perfect set-up for one of Sandler's old school comedies, leaving its offering as a serious film even more off kilter.

It's unclear what it was aiming for in the off-set, but the lasting impression is one of sheer pretentiousness, not from the mind of a Spaceman, but more of a Spaced-Out Man. **

Griselda (2024)

Satisfying if imperfect true crime drama series

[7/10 · 12 March 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

After a tough life on the mean streets of Medellin, Columbia, among the drug gangs and pimps, Griselda Blanco (Sofia Vergara) flees to Miami with her young sons, forever having to look over her shoulders for her pursuers. Determined to survive and prosper, she seizes on a chance to make her mark in the drug business, and before long has flooded the clubs and streets with her product, whilst brutally maintaining her place at the top. All seems to be going well, until Agent June (Juliana Aidan Martinez), leads an investigation to bring her down.

"The only man I ever feared was a woman, named Griselda Blanco." This quote from Pablo Escobar appears in the opening shot of the first episode in this Netflix limited series from director Andres Baiz. When the most notorious drug lord of all time makes this claim, it certainly serves as some unsavoury publicity for what you're in for. And Baiz's short, sweet series is certainly not shy of depicting the brutal, bloodthirsty violence inherent in the world of Blanco, with a commanding lead performance from Vergara at the centre of it all.

As a limited series with a condensed amount of episodes, Baiz doesn't invest too much time in Blanco's history or backstory, although there is a sufficient amount to get an impression of who she was and what motivated her to make the choices she did. At times, the script becomes overly theatrical, with Griselda losing the self control that got her to the top too readily (most notably, a boat party sequence towards the end, where in a coke induced psychosis, her recklessness nearly has catastrophic consequences), and so the dramatic impact is lost when it becomes too frequent. While Vergara is required by the script to go wild, she is complimented by co star Martinez as the female agent on a mission to bring her down. They're two females on different sides of the law, determined to prove themselves in the male dominated worlds they both inhabit, and contrast each other quite well as a whole.

All in all, it's a successful effort in spite of its flaws, with an intriguing central protagonist, and a decent, funky soundtrack to prop it up. Sadly, it's just that notch short of perfect to stop it short of what it could be. ***

Wicked Little Letters (2023)

Entertaining enough, hilariously entertaining in parts

[7/10 · 10 March 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

In the 1920's, in the little village of Littlehampton, a scandal erupts where a series of outrageous, insulting, profane letters are sent to local residents. Edith Swan (Olivia Colman), a prudish local woman, is especially shocked at the tone of the letters, along with stern head of the household , her father Edward (Timothy Spall.) She has her suspicions, in the shape of Rose (Jessie Buckley), a foul mouthed Irish lady Edith took under her wing and now regrets. Everything seems clear cut, but under the surface, a shocking truth lurks.

Director Thea Shurrock's homegrown period comedy piece has proven something of a sleeper hit, a seemingly traditional historical yarn, with a subversive twist in its tail, with its intermittent outpourings of hilariously filthy profanity, and even more unbelievably, based on a true life story. With a slew of top flight acting talent heading the bill, including current acting royalty Olivia Colman in the lead role, it definitely has loftier ambitions than just to be a one-joke comedy piece, but in spite of touching on some worthier notes, the sporadic letter sequences and the outrageous belly chuckles they provoke remain its chief selling point.

Sending up the moral pruriency of the time it's set in as it does, and with the incredulity of the plot line already having it up in arms on the back of this, at the risk of having my review rejected by IMDb, the historical accuracy of the piece feels further compounded, sadly, by the notable minority cast members in key roles, including Anjana Vasan as an Asian female police constable on the hunt for the culprit, which given the setting and the historical timeline, sadly does hinder the believability of things. It's not distracting enough to see Jonny Sweet's script touch on other worthwhile points, such as people's standing in a community affecting peoples judgment of them without proof, as well as hitting on some darker sequences in general that even out the funnier stuff.

For all its loftier praises, it's essentially a novelty film, with its laughs generated from a rather stationary source, but it still hits the nail on the head this way, and when they strike, they do provide an outrageously good chuckle. ***

Anatomy of a Fall (2023)

Surprising, superior foreign courtroom drama

[9/10 · 6 March 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

Sandra Voyter (Sandra Huller), a successful German writer, lives in Grenoble, in the French Alps, with her half blind eleven year old son, Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner), and successful husband, Samuel (Samuel Theis), with whom she's having marital difficulties. When Samuel is found dead after a fall from the top of the house, Sandra finds herself hauled into court on suspicion of his murder. With Daniel as the only credible witness, he is kept apart from her, and plunged into a moral quandary over what he wants to tell the courts.

Foreign cinema gets disturbingly little exposure over here, but this lengthy, award winning effort from writer/director Justine Triet has arrived on a non-streaming platform service. And luckily, it's worth the cash. And the time, given its over two and a half hour length. With a cast likely to be unfamiliar to uncultured swine who aren't familiar with a broader range of cinematic staples (such as moi), there's no one whose star power overshadows the proceedings, and so the whole experience can be soaked up in just the right way.

Although it's a legal drama set in an unfamiliar climate, with a courtroom procedure that seems completely wild from the outside looking in (with cross examination seemingly mixed in with all kinds of other factors), there's still a searing sense of realism to it all, without the wild theatricality of your average cheesy Hollywood courtroom drama, real people with real emotions and real revelations pouring out in the courtroom. In the lead role, Huller lays everything on the line, unleashing the pent up frustrations of a wife who's kept everything in for years, but it's probably Machado-Graner who steals the show as the afflicted rich kid stuck in the middle in his own private hell.

It all builds up to a genuinely suspenseful climax, where nothing is certain, and the trial will leave a tonne of emotional turmoil one way or the other. It's refreshing to see something as pure and unvarnished as this, which builds up to an experience you'll remember. ****

Mea Culpa (2024)

A definitive turkey, scoring way more misses than hits

[4/10 · 3 March 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

Mea (Kelly Rowland) is a Defence Attorney, who's having relationship counselling with her partner, Kai (Sean Sagar), as they're going through a rough patch. Things are further complicated when she agrees to defend Zyair (Trevante Rhodes), an artist accused of his girlfriend's murder, who Kai's State Prosecutor brother, Ray (Nick Sagar) wants to bring down. As Mea puts everything on the line so as not to be pushed around, she is drawn into Zyair's alternate world, and finds herself embroiled in a twisted path of discovery, on a collision course with the truth behind the case.

This latest offering from the much lambasted writer/director Tyler Perry, arrived on Netflix without much in the way of fanfare or publicity, but did manage to make it to number two on the top ten films list. But then just as soon it's gone and done that, it's been the recipient of some of the harshest, worst reviews imaginable, and led to insinuation Perry shouldn't be allowed to work alone with his own project again. Its main aim seems to be to resurrect the 'erotic thriller', which has lain dormant for some time. Well, you can't blame it for trying.

In the lead role, Kelly Rowland gets a chance to flex her acting skills, aiming to prove herself a multi-talented performer after her singing career, and she does develop something of a chemistry with co star Rhodes, who individually has a fairly magnetic charisma of his own, but together their love scenes are blandly unerotic, and there is not much in the way of any sexual tension. While the story has some flicker of intrigue, in the third act, it all descends into complete absurdity, and so any effective pay-off is completely null and void.

Apparently, the name Tyler Perry should have sent alarm bells ringing before I even fixed my eyes on this piece, but in lieu of anything else I gave it a chance. My end reaction is to find the whole thing as perplexing as the title. **

Fool Me Once (2024)

Scattershot thriller that will have you fooled more than once

[4/10 · 25 February 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

Maya Stern (Michelle Keegan) is a Royal Air Force aerial pilot, who's served a tour and now spends her time training on the side. But she's also mourning the loss of her partner, and sister, within a few months of each other. But Maya's life is truly plunged into chaos, when she sees her apparently dead husband showing up on her nanny-cam, and she is driven by an insatiable desire to get to the bottom of it, plunging her into an electrifying collision course with Detective Sami Keece (Ameel Akhtar) and Judith (Joanna Lumley), her wealthy mother in law.

Harlan Coben appears to have been behind a number of thrillers that have been adapted for the screen, but I don't think I've ever read any of their (don't know if they're male or female!) novels, but I have ended up watching this lengthy series on Netflix, with two former Coronation Street actresses (albeit many years apart) fronting the proceedings. It's a far fetched, outlandish tale, that has more than a touch of incredulity to its mystery angle. But sadly, it's an altogether convoluted result that leaves you, if not fooled, certainly quite dumbfounded.

In the lead role, Keegan is convincing enough as a no nonsense, battle hardened individual, on a determined mission to get to the bottom of a mystery at the heart of a personal tragedy, even if her limitations as an actress are sometimes glaringly evident. She's bolstered by a strong supporting cast, including Akhtar as a detective trying to get to the bottom of the case while battling his own personal demons, and Dino Fletscher, in an irritating and unfunny role as Fleece's partner, acting more stupid than he really is. But none of them can surpass the star power of Lumley in a supporting role, effortlessly commanding the show as the icy cold mother in law. But all of them are at the mercy of a meandering, incoherent story that plays out over a typically lengthy Netflix duration, building up to an absurd ending that ends things on a laughable note.

Two directors seem to have messed this up, overcooking something that could have been better handled in a more condensed style, instead of this lumbering, meandering mess. **

The Kitchen (I) (2023)

Flickers of inspiration, but fails to create an effective whole

[4/10 · 21 February 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

London, 2044. The gap between rich and poor has reached saturation point, and the vast majority of social housing has been taken away. In the midst of this, Izi (Kano), who works in a funeral centre, finds himself approached by Benji (Jedaiah Bannerman), a young man who has recently lost his mother, and is now looking for a role model. As the authorities move in to clear the remaining residents out of The Kitchen, the housing block Izi calls home, they must join together to save their future.

Daniel Kaluuya has become a fairly established star over the last few years, and now, along with co director Kibwe Tavares, he's delivered a directorial effort that's arrived with a subdued fanfare on Netflix, with revered 'grime' star Kano in the lead. For something so comparatively small scale, it certainly seems to have lofty ambitions, with a sci-fi element that gives it the feel of theatrical films like Attack the Block and Children of Men. But while there are some impressive elements in place, the whole thing is ultimately too scattershot and misdirected to succeed.

The futuristic element of the story is no small component of its being, and the set design of the futuristic, run down, decrepit tower block is certainly one of the film's high points, giving a searing vision of poverty existing well into the future. And it's an interesting, humourously off-kilter touch to have ex-footballer Ian Wright in a supporting role as the tower's resident radio broadcaster 'Lord Kitchener', pumping out classic tunes to keep everyone's spirits up. The big problem is the plot itself having no clear cohesion of where it wants to go, or what it wants to be, which is a big problem in a film nearing the two hour mark. The central theme of the plot seems to be the growth of wealth inequality, but this is rarely touched upon in any great depth at all, save in the most ambiguous touches.

Performances wise, Kano in the central force in the lead role, and his mumbling, moody tough guy act is convincing enough, among a cast of otherwise forgettable performers. In an otherwise forgettable film. **

The Marsh King's Daughter (2023)

Highly satisfying thriller adapted from a novel

[9/10 · 19 February 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

As a young girl, Helena (Daisy Ridley) was raised in an isolated cabin in the middle of the forest, with her 'father' Jacob (Ben Mendelsohn) teaching her about the ways of the wild, until an unexpected event shatters the illusion and her whole world is turned on its head. Years later, she has a husband, Stephen (Garrett Hedlund) and young daughter Marigold (Joey Carson) of her own, and all seems well, until she learns of Jacob's escape from custody, and is drawn to settle events from her past once and for all.

The pros and cons of seeing a film adaptation of a novel you haven't read (and from an author you can't name) are respectively that you can see it with a fresh pair of eyes, not knowing what will happen and so having no idea what to expect, but also having nothing to compare it to, and see how accurately it holds up to the source material. Although this was the case for me with The Marsh King's Daughter, director Neil Burger has still delivered a highly satisfying, thrilling drama that hits the nail on the head.

It's billed as a fairly straightforward revenge thriller, but it doesn't play out in any sort of conventional way, with Helena's motivations never ostensibly clear in any overtly obvious way. As the central protagonist, Mendelsohn is convincingly unnerving and edgy, and is bizarrely complimented by Ridley as his nemesis, who shares the icy calm he raised her with. Together they form a dark repertoire that puts the viewer into an entrancing hold.

Whether you've read the novel or not, you're still in for a highly satisfying ride, a solid, hard hitting thriller of the sort you don't see so much of nowadays. ****

Saltburn (2023)

Peculiarly entrancing, off kilter dark comedy

[7/10 · 8 February 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) is a young man from the north, who arrives at Oxford University, and is a complete fish out of water. Ostracised by his fellow students, and seen as unduly studious, even by his tutors. By a chance encounter with a flat tire on a bike, he strikes up a friendship with Felix (Jacob Elondi), the most popular guy at the place, from an upper class background out in the sticks. Oliver finds himself drawn into Felix's wild world of excess and privilege, but all may not be as it seems.

This Amazon Prime release has certainly garnered something of a word of mouth cult status at the moment, not least for causing a resurgence in popularity of Sophie Ellis Bextor's 2001 hit Murder on the Dance Floor. Writer/director Emerald Fennell has drawn on her upper class background, and created a host of eccentric and wild characters that (presumably) well reflect that world. What matters is that they're entertaining, and play an important part in propelling the story forward. And here, they and the story just about do. Just about.

After some standard social awkwardness comedy/drama at the beginning, it quickly becomes about the central relationship between the two central characters, which is quietly engaging, but largely dull and uneventful, with an overload of niceness and amiable chit chat between the pair that doesn't really go anywhere, or really liven things up in any way, even in spite of all the wild goings on. It only really gets interesting when it becomes clear that something's amiss, and then the big twist comes, which is admittedly unexpected and startling, making the second act more of a pay off than the first.

Performances wise, Keoghan and Elordi have an awkward chemistry in their respective lead roles, whilst supporting performers Rosamund Pike and Richard E. Grant ham it up as the upper class, eccentric parents. It's a curious, offbeat piece, wickedly funny, just about paying off if you can get over the lethargy of the first act. ***

Mr Bates vs. The Post Office (2024)

Socially affecting drama that's had a profound impact

[9/10 · 24 January 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

Alan Bates (Toby Jones) is a sub-postmaster in a small Welsh village, visited by agents on behalf of The Post Office, suspected of stealing from the accounts. He is the latest in a long line of sub-postmasters, falsely accused of stealing on account of the faulty accounting system Horizon, installed by electronics firm Fujitsu. While many have been sent to prison and even been driven to suicide over the years, Alan and others, including Jo Hamilton (Monica Dolan), Lee (Will Mellor) and Lisa Castleton (Amy Nuttall) and David Hamilton (Conor Mullen) are presently under suspicion. But Alan, a man of principle, decides to fight back, and rounds all affected together in a battle to expose the truth.

Unless you've been living under a rock these last few weeks, it will have been impossible to escape from the scandal of the false prosecutions brought against hundreds of sub-postmasters over a span of twenty years, lauded as arguably the biggest injustice of all time, dominating the headlines in all the papers and other forms of media. While the plight of the innocent postmasters has been at the forefront of the story, the behaviour of the Post Office has also come under heavy scrutiny, especially with its seemingly unique power to being its own private prosecutions. The whole sorry affair has cast a cynical light on the thanks you get for being a decent, hard-working 'ordinary person' (and conversely, what you think you can get away with when you're all high-and-mighty and powerful.)

Like any other average person caught up in a situation like this, there's a rawness in how they react, since they never asked to be put there, and the cast here, including Jones in the commanding central role, Julie Hesmondhalgh as his sturdy partner, Dolan, Mellor and Nuttall all play everything in an affectingly natural way, without any distracting histrionics, that keeps the drama on solid ground and provides a sense of believability, guided along by a similar approach from director James Strong. In a succinct four episode take, this horrifying true life travesty is brought to shattering life.

The realist approach is reminiscent of the style of a Ken Loach film, and this fittingly has had the most shattering real life impact since Cathy Come Home led to the creation of the charity Shelter, in forcing former Post Office CEO Paula Vennells to hand back her CBE, and showing the power drama still has to address and combat injustice. ****

Maestro (2023)

Flat, uninviting exploration of a musical icon

[4/10 · 23 January 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Walsh) was a musical composer and conductor, with a prodigious talent who transcended into the mainstream of popular culture. In 1946, he meets fellow performer Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan), and they have a tempestuous relationship that lasts several decades and produces three children. However, behind the pleasant facade, Bernstein battles with his repressed homosexuality, and a possessive fixation on his work.

Netflix have their eye on their own Oscar contender with this biopic of legendary composer Leonard Bernstein, with established performer Bradley Cooper in the lead role, as well as taking on writing and directing duties too. Obviously a passion project for him, but personally, I couldn't even put a face to the name of Leonard Bernstein, uncultured swine that I am. And sadly, this uninviting, self indulgent piece fails to make you any more invested in wanting to learn more about him.

Cooper has taken a curious artistic choice, shooting the more optimistic, possibility bound first half of Bernstein's life in a black and white, film noir style, before slowly blending into a warmer, more inviting colour palette in his later, more hard bitten, world weary stages, but it's a touch that develops a natural progression in its own right. His lead performance is quite clearly the film's most winning touch, with a notable change from how he usually sounds. He seems to have studied his subject's accent and mannerisms quite thoroughly, a character who appears to be quite clearly struggling with his sexuality and gives new meaning to the term chain smoker. There's just nothing to get you invested in his life.

It's all wrapped up in its subject, with all their pretentiousness and pomposity, but you don't feel like you've been invited, creating an unengaging experience that leaves you cold to it all. If Cooper wins an award, all well and good, he's certainly the best thing about it. **

One Life (2023)

Highly worthwhile true life drama

[9/10 · 17 January 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

In 1938, European leaders appease Hitler by conceding a large chunk of Czeckoslovakia to his invading armies. However, this results in a mass displacement of people from their native land, leaving them on European soil, at the mercy of Nazi soldiers hunting Jews. In London, young stockbroker Nicolas Winton (Johnny Flynn) becomes aware of the situation, and becomes part of a movement, arranging for Jewish children to be transported to England to escape the clutches of harm. In 1987, a much older Nicolas (Anthony Hopkins) starts to become aware of the full effect of his actions.

Here we are, at this corner of the filmic year, in between the end of the last one and the start of this new one, and we've had films featuring older actors getting theatrical releases. We had The Great Escaper with Michael Caine a few months back, which featured similar themes of an older man having flashbacks to his younger self during the events of World War 2, and reconciling with themselves in the present day, and now we have this drama, the big screen feature length debut of James Hawes, starring Anthony Hopkins, and with a supporting cast including the likes of Helena Bonham Carter and Jonathan Pryce. Celluloid is wasted on the young.

Given how many Jewish lives were lost in the war, to think that they still have such a fairly sizeable population is something of a miracle in itself, and there must have been strong efforts from various people at various stages to save as many as there were, and here we see a man who pulled off a similar feat to Oskar Schindler, portrayed by Liam Neeson in Schindler's List, and while it doesn't quite hit the master stroke of that film, it's still highly stirring and effective, with a reliably stirring lead performance from Hopkins, and a strong, solid supporting cast.

This is an important and powerful film, that shows the horrors of humanity, but also the selflessness and decency of people in the face of such cruelty. ****

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Incomprehensible, overloaded endeavour of a film

[4/10 · 16 January 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

Amanda (Julia Roberts) and Clay Sandford (Ethan Hawke), and their children Rose (Farrah Mackenzie) and Archie (Charlie Evans), are a family caught up in some inner turmoil. After a series of natural disasters occur, tension and speculation fester among them over what may be behind it. Then, one night, G. H. Scott (Mahershala Ali), who they lease their home from, and his daughter, Ruth (Myha'la) suddenly turn up, asking to take refuge. As events progress, suspicions fester among them that could have shattering consequences.

It's a time when apocalyptic thrillers have a certain timeliness about them, given everything that seems to be in the news these days, as well as racial politics, even if only in the background, and so this lengthy amalgamation of a film from writer/director Sam Esmail and co-writer Rumaan Alam, has at the very least some relevance in this regard. It's hard to comprehend exactly what they were trying to accomplish with it, though, given the result is such a jumbled, pretentious mess that requires a quite unreasonable two and a half hours to suck it all up.

Esmail and Alam have managed to assemble an impressive all-star cast for their project, from A listers Hawke and Roberts in the lead roles, to fellow household name Kevin Bacon in a supporting role which he only shows up in the end, having served minimal significance in the proceedings up to that point. And what a point it is to get to, a wholly overlong story, completely far fetched and devoid of much in the way of humour, with a sense of self indulgence that is quite distracting. A genuine sense of mystery to the story is really the only thing that holds your interest for so long.

Esmail certainly seems to think he's creating his magnum opus here, a challenging film that breaks convention, but you'll have wanted to leave it behind long before you leave the world behind. **

RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop (2023)

Incredible documentary that rivals its inspiration in its own way

[10/10 · 14 January 2024]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

In the early 1980's, after the success of films like Blade Runner and The Terminator, writer Edward Neumeier was inspired to write his own science fiction piece, moving away from the 'humanoid' robots portrayed in those films, and attempting to craft something more traditionally robotic, but still in human form. And so Robocop was born, with eccentric, renowned Dutch director Paul Verhoeven attached to helm the project. And so followed a blistering shoot in the Dallas heat, numourous ups and downs with the prosthetics and 'stop motion' effects, and on-set dramas, all in the name of creating one of the most iconic sci-fi films of all time, that has a lasting fan base to this day.

Following the success of 2022's Pennywise: The Story of It, director Christopher Griffiths here teams up with former producer Eastwood Allen to depict the production of the greatest sci-fi action film of all time. Rather than overwhelming the viewer as a feature length film, the production is considerately condensed into four separate episodes, each detailing the various stages of production, as the project gained momentum and everything came together. And everyone involved seems as eager as the makers to make RoboDoc shine.

This is possibly the most in-depth documentary you are ever likely to see, with seemingly no stone left unturned in detailing the efforts in creating the film's distinctive visuals, stand-out blood splattered special effects, avant garde production design, and the toll wearing the iconic 'Robocop' suit took on lead actor Peter Weller, as well as director Verhoeven's legendary temper making things hard to deal with. But when the whole film's been explored, there's time to examine the film's lasting cultural impact, from the spin-off comics and TV series, as well as exploring the themes of Reaganism and corporate corruption.

In setting out to document a stone cold classic of a film, Griffiths and Allen have created something as great in its own way as the film that inspired it, with most of the surviving cast reunited, and visibly loving recounting the film many of them are still best known for. An incredible achievement. *****