Film reviews

FILM OF THE WEEK

SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS

 

This is the best Marvel comics superhero adventure since BLACK PANTHER- destined to spring a plethora of sequels along the way. The legend of the ten rings is told to Shang-Chi by his mother when he is a little boy, but he soon forgets all about it now that he is living as Shaun (Simu Liu) in San Francisco and working as a parking valet. But one day during an ordinary bus journey along with his childhood friend and colleague Katy (Awkwafina) he is attacked by a group of assassins determined to steal his precious penchant. This attack prompts Shawn to reconsider his childhood and travel to Macao again accompanied by Katy. In search of his estranged sister and learn more about the legend that overshadowed his family’s lives…Visually the film is tremendous and the action scenes to die for- the bus sequence running amok in the streets of San Francisco is the best of its kind since SPEED. Director Destin Daniel Cretton, fresh from his JUST MERCY success, delivers the goods in grandiose style. Liu makes a credible hero and is well supported by a strong martial art supporting cast. And it is hardly surprising that Awkwafina threatens to steal the day yet again. Hugely entertaining!

MISHA AND THE WOLVES

This compelling documentary was one of the highlights of the recent London Sundance Film Festival. It builds up like a nail-biting thriller before all the pieces of the jigsaw are put together. It is one of those rare films that the less one knows about the breath-taking revelations the better, so I will try and be as economical about the story as possible. Misha and her Holocaust memoir become a global sensation. Disney wants the film rights while Oprah awaits patiently for an interview with the overnight celebrity, but then something goes terribly wrong when Misha falls out with her publisher… Writer/director Sam Hobkinson has unearthed a gem of a story which by the end it will leave you breathless and open mouthed.. See this remarkable, utterly unpredictable film and join the burning discussion afterwards. One of the best documentaries I have seen for a long time!

SHORTA

There have been many films about police brutality against immigrants – last year’s brilliant LES MISERABLES is the perfect example. Now it is Denmark’s turn to tackle this burning issue with a title which means police in Arabic. Jens and Mike are on routine patrol in Svalegarden’s ghetto when news breaks out that 19-yar- old Talib Ben Hassi dies while in custody. The angry Arab youths are getting ready for revenge…It is a powerful film about racism, violence and its devastating aftereffects that is sadly as relevant today as ever.

WILDFIRE

Cathy Brady’s powerful film debut was one of the highlights of last October’s London Film Festival. She writes and directs this story of two sisters Lauren (Nora-Jane Noone) and Kelly (Nika McGuigan), who grew up on the Irish border. One day Kelly disappears and then a year later she returns without any explanation but feels that it is time to face their past …Brady wisely focuses on the personal rather than the political turmoil of her suffering country. The acting is superb and the chemistry between Noone and McGuigan is electrifying. It is sad that this proved to be McGuigan last film, who sadly died soon after.

SECOND SPRING

I first saw this sombre film over a year ago, but because of the current climate its release date changed several times. Kathy Deane (Cathy Naden) is an archaeologist and lives a happy existence, until she gets a rare brain diagnosis. Without a second thought she leaves her husband and begins an affair with a man she hardly knows… This project is clearly close to Andy Kelleher’s heart and directs his feature debut with sensitivity while painting a fine portrait of this dreadful disease. The pace can afford to pick up occasionally but overall, a worthy production.

THE LAST BUS

Timothy Spall’s wide-ranging career first came to prominence in Mike Leigh’s films where he played a series of lovable eccentrics before his award-winning MR TURNER. Now Mr Spall moves into the grumpy old men territory and here he plays Tom, a grieving man who, after losing his loving wife Mary (Phyllis Logan), embarks on a journey from Scotland to Land Ends only using local buses…The early flashback sequences with Tom and Mary as young lovers set up the tone beautifully before Mr Tom begins his long journey across the UK. We hardly get to know much about Mary’s character, but it is evident from Tom’s determination to reach Lands End -the place where they first met-that their relationship was unique.

HANDSOME: This moving documentary examines the loving relationship between two brothers, Nick and Alex and follows their journey in search of other siblings with Down’s Syndrome. Their first stop is Cornwall before they travel across the pond to New York. The problems of caring for one’s sibling is similar wherever they go- even in India and Vietnam- and the universal problem is that governments and communities almost ignore people living with Down’s Syndrome especially when they reach adulthood. An honourable film!

THE TOLL: Ryan Andrew Cooper makes an impressive debut with this amicable crime comedy which set on the Pembrokeshire border. The story follows a mysterious man (Michael Smiley) who works solo shifts on the quietest toll booth in Wales. Hardly anyone passes by -the perfect hiding place from his criminal past…A stylish western in the deepest heart of Wales with an effective dead pan performance from Smiley.

PARIS CALLIGRAMMES: An illuminating documentary from German filmmaker and avant-garde artist Ulrike Ottinger, who, in 1962, as an aspiring young artist at the tender age of 20, travelled to Paris. Now, it is her turn to give back what she gained from her seven years’ experience in the French capital and celebrate Paris’s magnificent arts scene throughout the years. She has gathered priceless archive material for this beautiful, mesmerising film!

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