Film Reviews

FILM OF THE WEEK

THE GUARDIANS

Xavier Beauvois is an accomplished actor as well as a director who previously made the much admired OF GODS AND MEN. Now he sets the action of his compelling new film in a French farm called The Paridier during the Great War, All the men are on the front while Hortense Sandrall (Nathalie Baye) and her daughter Solange (Laura Smet) are determined to keep the family farm running smoothly despite immense difficulties. The men visit on rare occasions while on a brief leave, so the women are left totally on their own. Hortense is reluctant at first to hire a young woman from the orphanage but when she meets Francine (Iris Bry) she begins to change her mind… Beauvois creates a realistic setting for his protagonists and photographs the harsh location throughout the seasons with perfectly framed compositions. He elicits spellbinding performances from his leading ladies especially from Nathalie Baye, known for the eighties classic films LA BALANCE, NOTRE HISTOIRE and LE DETECTIVE. Here she delivers her most physical film to date- she is endlessly working on the farm either ploughing or nourishing the land. Newcomer Iris Bry makes a remarkable debut and she is already nominated for a Cesar for Most Promising Actress.

CHRISTOPHER ROBIN

Last year Fox released GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN with Domhnall Gleeson as A.A Milne, the writer who gets inspired by his son Christopher Robin to create Winnie the Pooh. Now in Disney’s interpretation penned by Alex Ross Perry and Allison Schroeder Christopher Robin is no longer a little boy but a grown up married man (Ewan McGregor) living and working in the city. His innocence and sense of fun with his lovable animals in the Hundred Acre Wood are now a distant memory until one day Winnie the Pooh pays him an unexpected visit…Marc Foster’s charming film boasts superb production values and endearing performances. He sets up the scene effectively and atmospherically while Ewan McGregor delivers a committed performance as the eponymous hero but inevitably it is the lovely forest animals that steal the show. However, the action takes a while to get going and doesn’t catch fire until probably the second act when Christopher’s daughter Madeline (Bronte Carmichael) takes over the reins. A pleasing and satisfying film for the summer!

THE EQUALIZER 2

The winning collaboration between Denzel Washington and his TRAINING DAY director Antoine Fuqua continues with this sequel which surprisingly I found more satisfying than the original made 4 years ago. Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) is the retired CIA agent still on a personal crusade to provide man made justice to the oppressed and exploited His first mission takes him to Turkey in order to save a kidnapped girl from the clutches of some brutal Turkish thugs and this spectacular opening on a fast train to Istanbul sets up the tone of the film despite McCall’s desire for a more peaceful life after he returns to the States…Denzel Washington is a commanding presence and makes a credible hero in the very first sequel in his illustrious career. He is well supported by the luminous Melissa Leo, who repeats her performance as Susan Plummer, his former agency colleague but the real revelation here is Ashton Sanders as Miles, the talented graffiti artist whom McCall takes under his wings.

THE MEG

British action hero Jason Statham and a giant shark of epic proportions known as the Megalodon pair up for this spectacular summer adventure and deliver the goods aplenty. In the prologue sequence expert sea diver Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) is forced to abandon his mission when an unknown danger from beneath the water attacks them mercilessly. Five years later a reluctant Jonas is called back from retirement in Thailand in order to save a crew trapped in a deep-sea submersible at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean… It is a fun premise and Statham relishes his opportunity to act opposite this giant Megalodon. The actors deliver their lines with conviction despite the uneven dialogue but that’s hardly relevant in such a spectacle. There are many thrilling set pieces with Statham trying to get even with the Moby Dick like monster which are both funny and exciting. I don’t want to spoil the plot but my favourite moment is when Pippin the dog, played Kelly the dog, goes for a swim. Enjoy!

THE EYES OF ORSON WELLES

 Mark Cousin’s love letter to Orson Welles is an utter joy from beginning till end. The film is written, directed and narrated by Mark Cousins and is based on a vast collection of private drawings and paintings by Welles, most of which have never been seen in public. Welles’ daughter Beatrice gave permission to Cousins to film her father’s artworks and here he examines the significance of Welles’ graphic work in relation to his theatre and film work. Cousins is a passionate filmmaker about movies and his sheer enjoyment in narrating this film is highly infectious like his previous A STORY OF CHILDREN AND FILM. You don’t have to be an Orson Welles’ fan to enjoy this poetic piece of filmmaking but it helps!

UNFRIENDED; DARK WEB

The original UNFRIENDED made in 2014 was an unexpected hit, so it not a huge surprise that Universal has re-commissioned a repeat of more or less the same premise but with different characters this time. Stephen Susco, the writer of THE GRUDGE 1& 2, makes an assured directorial debut with his own screenplay about a group of a teenage friends drawn into a dark mystery and intrigue when one of them finds a laptop left in a café… It is all fascinating stuff superbly and economically put together that will keep you glued to the screen till the shocking finale.

ELVIS: ’68 COMEBACK SPECIAL

The legendary Elvis comeback special is back in cinemas in order to celebrate its 50^th anniversary and also to coincide with the week of his death in August 1977. It is a unique television programme that brought Elvis back to prominence following years of making mediocre films. It is no wonder he is The King- a charming, genuine artist with a wicked sense of humour who simply loves what he does. Magnetic!

DOG DAYS

Ken Marino’s amicable comedy tells the story of a group of dog lovers in Los Angeles whose lives are connected thanks to their best friends.  Elizabeth (Nina Dobrev) is a successful newscaster who shares a love/ hate relationship with her new co-anchor Jimmy (Tone Bell) while Tara (Vanessa Hudgens) dreams of dating her dog’s desirable vet…The characters are fun but the plot feels a bit sketchy until the elderly widower Walter (Ron Cephas Jones) loses his beloved pug which ends up being sheltered by Grace’s (Eva Longoria) newly adopted daughter. It is a touching section of film and exposes the other parts as light and uneven. Likeable but unmemorable!

LEANING INTO THE WIND: ANDY GOLDSWORTHY

Celebrated British artist Andy Goldsworthy is reunited with director and cinematographer Thomas Riedelsheimer, sixteen years following their collaboration on RIVERS AND TIDES. Riedelsheimer follows this unique sculptor and environmentalist in rural as well as urban settings and discreetly observes him at work. Goldsworthy comes across as a genuine artist, who loves experimenting with nature in the most remote of places and with his daughter along with him, who becomes literally his right hand partner. A unique film about a unique artist!

George Savvides