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Archive for the ‘Film Reviews’ Category

1 Mile to You (2017)

Posted in Film Reviews, tagged , , , , , on September 27, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Okay, full disclaimer: I watched this film because Tim Roth is in it. Partly also because it’s about running and I love running, but mainly the Tim Roth thing. So to make it clear for any fellow Rothians – he’s not in it much at all!! Anyway onto the film itself…

Kevin Schuler (Graham Rogers) is an athlete in a high school team, coached by Coach Jared (Roth). Kevin’s girlfriend Ellie is also in the team and is Coach Jared’s daughter. When Ellie and several of Kevin’s team mates are killed in a roac accident, he turns to running to help him cope with his loss. He starts at a new school with the unconventional Coach K (Billy Crudup) who helps with Kevin’s running training.

Kevin finds himself trapped by memories of the past byt hoping to forge a new future and is torn between his life before the crash and his life after it.

If I’m honest, I was slightly disappointed by this film. Not just because Tim Roth’s involvement ended after about 15 minutes, but because I unfortunately don’t have much patience with teenage angst. While I totally understand that losing your girlfriend and best mates in a crash is far more than just normal teenage problems, Kevin was never really that likeable to me. I did like Coach K though and thought this was a great performance from Crudup. Overall, a perfectly passable way to pass an evening, but not the great running movie I had been expecting.

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Roger Dodger (2002)

Posted in Film Reviews, tagged , , , , , on September 27, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Another evening, another Campbell Scott movie. In Roger Dodger he plays against type as Roger, a sleazy, womanising ad agency executive in NYC; the film opens with a short scene in a bar after which Roger is unceremoniously dumped by his girlfriend Joyce (Isabella Rossellini), who is also his boss. Shortly afterwards his awkward 16 year old nephew Nick turns up in the Big Apple looking for advice from his uncle on how to attract the ladies. What follows is a journey through a NY night out, where Roger introduces Nick to various women and imparts his own brand of wisdom on how to attract and treat ladies. Roger has no respect for women, or indeed for practically anyone. He proudly admits that his job is to make people feel bad about themselves so that they will buy into whatever he is advertising. He is basically an extremely charismatic bastard. He would be easy to hate, but there’s the thing – there are moments, just a few but enough, that you do feel sorry for him. He may not admit it to himself or to anyone else, but we can see that he IS hurt by Joyce finishing their relationship. Campbell Scott is fantastic in this movie because in the hands of a lesser actor, Roger would just be a very one-dimensional character, but there’s clearly more to him somewhere. Kudos also to Jesse Eisenberg, who embodies the nervous, slightly misfit teenager.

It’s a very talky film – lots of lots of dialogue and not an awful lot of action. Roger and Nick drift from scene to scene encountering different women but it’s really all about the words. If action is your thing then this might not be for you, but if you like dialogue-heavy films, then you may enjoy this. I also love films that take place over one night or over one short period of time, and this dilm does exactly that.

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Saint Ralph (2004)

Posted in Film Reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , , on September 27, 2021| Leave a Comment »

I’d been meaning to watch this film for ages and when I finally got around to it I was not disappointed!

Saint Ralph aka The Miracle of Saint Ralph stars Adam Butcher as the titular character, a 14 year old boy at Catholic school in the 1950s, who has a mother desperately ill in hospital. When a nurse tells him that it will be a miracle if his mom recovers he decides that he will create the miracle that is needed by running and winning the Boston Marathon. One of his teachers, Father Hibbert (Campbell Scott, one of my faves) offers to train him against the wishes of the strict headmaster Father Fitzpatrick (Gordon Pinsent).

Considered to have absolutely no hope when he begins training, Ralph is determined to complete his mission and the local town starts to see his as an embodiment of their hopes and desires and everyone who initially laughed at the idea starts to support him. He also provides a new lease of life to Father Hibbert, who gave up some of his own athletic dreams when he joined the priesthood.

This is such a sweet film, with lots of humorous moments – although it isn’t really a comedy, and lots of poignant moments. All of the main cast are excellent, including Jennifer Tilly as the nurst who looks after Ralph’s mom, and by extension, Ralph himself. Campbell Scott is perfect as the slightly rebellious priest, and I defy anyone to watch this and not end the film with a smile on their face.

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1985 (2018)

Posted in Film Reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on October 26, 2020| Leave a Comment »

This little gem of a movie is unsurprisingly set in 1985, and revolves around a young man named Adrian Lester (Cory Michael Smith), who has been living in New York City for several years. He is returning to the small Texas town where he grew up to spend Christmas with his ultra conservative parents (Michael Chiklis and Virginia Madsen) and his younger brother (Aidan Langford). What Adrian hasn’t told them is that he is gay, or that he is HIV positive.

There’s not a lot of action in this film and in many ways not a lot actually happens. It is a careful study of an awkward and difficult relationship between a young man and his father (his mother is far more open and affectionate with Adrian). His father Dale is deeply religious and also extremely homophobic. It’s clear from the tension between them when Dale picks Adrian up from the airport, that they have little in common and don’t know how to be around each other.

The small main cast is rounded out by Jamie Chung as Carly, a childhood friend of Adrian, who his mother would like to see him have a relationship with. His father is not so keen as Carly is Korean, and along with his many prejudices, Dale is also racist. But Chiklis plays him as a multi-layered character, as distasteful as his attitudes definitely are. Smith is wonderful and heartbreaking as Adrian, and kudos to Langford for a sensitive portrayal as younger brother Andrew. Virginia Madsen straddles the line between sensitivity and love for her son, and the uncomfortable suspicion that his lifestyle might be one she cannot cope with.

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Maggie (2015)

Posted in Film Reviews, tagged , , , , , , , on October 24, 2020| Leave a Comment »

This film was something of a departure for Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was previously always known as an action star with the occasional foray into daft comedy (Twins, Junior). This is a post apocalyptic horror, slow moving but thoughtful and poignant.

The world is consumed by the Nercoambulist virus which turns those afflicted into violent ‘zombies’ 6-8 weeks after infection. Wade’s (Schwarzenegger) daughter Maggie (Abigail Breslin) has been infected but has not yet turned violent and he is determined to bring her home and look after her until such time as she turns violent and becomes a threat to their safety.

There are a few scary ‘made you jump’ moments, but this is not really that kind of a horror film. Instead, it’s more about watching someone die slowly, knowing that they will become a danger to their loved ones. It’s set in the present day, but the world has been ravaged by the virus. Wade loves his daughter but has to struggle with what he knows is to come.

I enjoyed the film, although it was by no means a relaxing watch. Schwarzenegger put to bed any suggestion that he can’t act – clearly he can, and while he might not be Oscar winning level, he is as good in this role as many other talented actors would be, and you can see the pain on his face.

My only complaint about the film is that it is just so dark. I don’t mean figuratively – it’s certainly that – I mean quite literally. A lot of the scenes are so dimly lit that it was sometimes difficult to make out what was happening. This reflected the tone of the film but at times became slightly frustrating. On the whole though, if you like a more thought provoking type of zombie movie, you might want to watch this.

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Anthony (2020)

Posted in Film Reviews, tagged , , , , on October 23, 2020| Leave a Comment »

In 2005, 18 year old Anthony Walker was murdered in a racist attack in Liverpool. He had been a promising student, a well mannered young man, and had hoped to pursue a career in law, concentrating on civil rights.

His mother Gee Walker, who subsequently set up a foundation in her son’s name, to tackle racism, discrimination and hate crime, approached screenwriter and producer Jimmy McGovern, to make a television movie about the life that Anthony might have had if he had not been murdered.

It’s a difficult concept to wrap your head around in some ways because of course nobody knows what the future holds. However, McGovern’s approach to this story is compassionate and heartbreaking.

It starts with Anthony at 25, happily married with a child, at an awards show where his friend wins and presents the award to Anthony who his friend said is the real deserved winner.

It then tracks backward year by year, showing how Anthony met his future wife, how he helped a friend who had reached rock bottom, and how he started to realise his dream of becoming a lawyer. When the film reaches Anthony at age 18, tension sets in because of course we know as viewers what is going to happen. His murder is depicted brutally and made me furious at the injustice. I also sobbed uncontrollably for the last half an hour of the film.

Toheeb Jimoh played Anthony and conveyed the inherent goodness of this young man, who cared deeply for his mother and for those around him. Rakie Ayola played his mother Gee, in a simply outstanding performance.

This was not an easy watch, it made me sad and angry. But it’s an important watch, and extremely respectfully done. I urge you to watch it if you get the opportunity.

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The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)

Posted in Film Reviews, tagged , , , , , , , on October 21, 2020| Leave a Comment »

The Stanford Prison Experiment is a film about an actual social psychological experiment conducted at Stanford University in 1971.

24 students out of a larger pool (one alternate ended up being used) were selected to take part in the experiment, which put half of them into a ‘prisoner’ group and half into a ‘guard’ group. They were then put into a makeshift prison and observed on camera by Professor Philip Zimbardo (played here by Billy Crudup), who was running the experiment, and his team. The idea behind it was to see the psychological effects of being in a particular role. The results were astonishing.

Almost immediately the guards, one in particular, began to display aggressive and sadistic tendencies, while the prisoners – now known only be numbers, instead of their names – started to get institutionalised, with some rebelling against the guards and others kowtowing to authority.

It’s not spoilerish to say that things got out of hand quickly and shockingly, but even knowing this going in, I was stunned to see how quickly people took on a new mantle and attitude due to the role they had been given. It’s worth bearing in mind that all of these subjects were students at Stanford University, with no criminal record or known psychological issues. They were all deemed to be stable and healthy. They all knew that it wasn’t an actual prison, yet they were all affected badly by what happened to them. It makes me shudder to think how someone with emotional or psychological issues could be affected.

This is certainly not an easy film to watch, but it was certainly difficult for me to tear my eyes away from the screen. Utterly compelling and unforgettable. I definitely recommend this film.

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Walk, Don’t Run (1966)

Posted in Film Reviews, tagged , , , , , , , on October 20, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Walk, Don’t Run was Cary Grant’s last film, and (unbeknown to me prior to watching) is a remake of an earlier film The More The Merrier.

Grant is William Rutland, a British businessman who arrives in Tokyo during the 1964 Olympics and is unable to find a room to stay. He has arrived two days early, meaning that the hotel room he had booked is not yet available. He finds a room to let in the apartment of a young woman named Christine Eaton (Samantha Eggar). Christine had advertised for a female flatmate but reluctantly agrees to let Rutland stay as she feels it is her patriotic duty. Rutland then invites a young athlete named Steve Davis (Jim Hutton) to also stay at the apartment, in the hope of playing cupid for Christine and Steve.

The two youngsters are very different people but eventually start to get along fairly well. However there are obstacles to their romance, not least Christine’s stuffy diplomat boyfriend Julius Haversack (John Standing).

This film has one major point in it’s favour, that is Cary Grant. Grant himself declined to play a romantic lead at this point in his career as he felt that he was too old to be believable in such a role. He subsequently retired from acting to raise his daughter. In all fairness, Samantha Eggar and Jim Hutton are also both very good in their roles. The film itself though is ultimately something of a let-down. It’s not bad, but it starts with a bang and ends with a whimper.

Still, as a fan of Cary Grant, that alone makes it worth the watch, so while I wouldn’t recommend it necessarily, I wouldn’t mind if I had to sit down and watch it again.

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The History Boys (2006)

Posted in Film Reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 19, 2020| Leave a Comment »

In February 2020, a month before the lockdown due to Covid-19, I went to the theatre to see a live performance of The History Boys. I had never seen the film but the live show captivated me so much that I decided I must see the film as soon as I got chance. Being in lockdown for several months certainly gave me that chance!

Set in 1983, the film revolves a group of working class, high achieving schoolboys who have stayed on an extra term at their grammar school in Yorkshire, in order to be coached for the Oxford/Cambridge entrance exams. Their teacher, Hector (Richard Griffiths) has some unorthodox teaching methods, but the boys enjoy his classes. He also gives the boys lifts home on his motorbike, and touches them sexually, but despite this the boys like and respect him. However, the headmaster (Clive Merrison) doesn’t like Hector’s methods, and his suspicions about Hector’s behaviour leads him to employ a young teacher named Mr Irving (Stephen Campbell Moore) to tutor the boys instead. Mr Irving is less about educating the boys academically and more about teaching them how to present themselves and interview well, so that they stand out among other candidates. The two different teaching methods clash, and the boys are caught in the middle, although the teachers do learn to respect each other.

This is a play charged with sexual tension – not just in the case of Hector as outlined above, but also with one of the boys having unrequited feelings for another, and another of the boys feeling curious about his feelings for Mr Irving.

To put it bluntly, this film is brilliant and far better than I expected it to be, even though I went in with high expectations. It’s an interesting film, because it refuses to cast Hector as a villain, despite his sexual touching of the boys in his charge. His behaviour is obviously inexcusable and completely wrong, but what this play does is show it as part of Hector’s character, rather than the entirety of his character. (Please don’t misunderstand, I am in no way defending what he does, but I do think that this portrayal is brave and unusual.)

Griffiths and Moore are both excellent. Unsurprisingly, so is Frances De La Tour as the only main female role – an intelligent teacher annoyed at being sidelined by her male counterparts, and probably the most clear headed of the teaching staff.

The boys are played by Samuel Anderson, James Corden, Dominic Cooper, Andrew Knott, Russell Tovey, Jamie Parker, Samuel Barnett and Sacha Darwan, and each brought a distinctive and relevant character to the screen.

One of my favourite films of the year, and highly recommended.

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Akeelah and the Bee (2006)

Posted in Film Reviews, tagged , , , , , on October 17, 2020| Leave a Comment »

A film about the spelling bee contest does not sound like it should be exciting or compelling, but Akeelah and the Bee manages to be both.

Akeelah (Keke Palmer) is a young girl living in an LA ghetto, attending an underfunded school where education is not a priority for most of the students. But Akeelah is intelligent and has a talent – she can spell. She can spell tough, complicated words that many of us haven’t even heard before. Her teacher wants her to enter the school spelling bee and see if she can’t make it all the way to the national bee.

A former spelling bee winner, Dr Larabee (Laurence Fishburne) agrees to coach Akeelah, and together they embark on a journey that metaphorically takes them much further than either could have imagined. Akeelah herself becomes a symbol of hope for the people in her neighbourhood, who rarely have much to celebrate.

I was surprised by how much this film drew me in. I do love words and spelling, but I wasn’t sure how it would work in a film. Keke Palmer, who was just 13 when this film was made (Akeelah is 11) showed a real talent and I loved her. Fishburne was his usual reliable self in a layered portrait of a man trying to help someone achieve something which seemed out of reach. Angela Bassett is always, always brilliant, and certainly was here as Akeelah’s mother, initially resistant to her daughter taking part in the bee.

The ending genuinely did have me shouting at the TV! I won’t spoilt it, but I thought it did finish on a perfect note. If you are thinking that a film about a spelling bee does not sound like your kind of thing, give this a try…you might be pleasantly surprised.

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