Darkest Hour (Joe Wright, 2017) 7/10
Rousing theatrical film that goes a slightly different route than the number of previous films about Churchill. Set during the same time frame as the recent "Churchill's Secret" - Britain in May 1940 - this film concentrates on Churchill, the remarkable orator, as his words move and inspire his countrymen into action while he is opposed on all fronts by the people in power. The King (Ben Mendelsohn) invites Churchill (Gary Oldman under mounds of makeup and padding) to be the new Prime Minister even though his first choice is Lord Hallifax (Stephen Dillane), a personal friend who was in favour of appeasement with Germany, a notion the Royal family also believed in wholeheartedly. Called a war monger by the opposition, Churchill is at odds with just about everyone around him. The power of words literally help him out of his despair and confusion (the catalyst being the "common man" whom he interacts with during a memorable scene set on an undergound train). And Oldman rises to the occasion during the film's many scenes where he is required to not just say his lines but shout them out whether at his secretary (Lily James - playing an amalgamation of various ladies who worked for the P.M. and who takes on the role of his conscience), his exasperated wife Clementine (Kristin Scott Thomas), in front of his War Cabinet or on the floor of the Parliament. The actor gets tremendous help by the constantly moving camera of Bruno Delbonnel which creates a sense of urgency bathing most of the scenes shot in dark parliamentary rooms and underground bunkers with streaks of blinding sunlight. Accompanying the dialogue and creating the appropriate mood is the superb score by Dario Marinelli especially during the film's highlight when the Prime Minister makes his famous speech ("We shall fight on the beaches...."). The film also seems to have struck a chord with the current hot topic plaguing Hollywood and has the strong message of standing up to any "bully" who uses force. Hitler or Weinstein - stand up to them and call and wipe them out. Nominated for 6 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Actor - Gary Oldman who is the frontrunner to win.
Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
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Stronger (David Gordon Green, 2017) 6/10
True inspirational story about Jeff Bauman (Jake Gyllenhaal who is superb) who was injured during the 2013 Boston marathon bombing and both his legs had to be amputated. This is tv-movie territory which the director transforms by taking an intimate view of the character using his camera in inventive ways to put the emphasis on the protagonist. The film covers his rehabilitation, relationship with his on-again/off-again girlfriend (Tatiana Maslany also very good), his loving and boistrous Boston family including his hard drinking mother (a ravaged Miranda Richardson). Warm and humane the film succeeds via it's trio of exceptional performances.
True inspirational story about Jeff Bauman (Jake Gyllenhaal who is superb) who was injured during the 2013 Boston marathon bombing and both his legs had to be amputated. This is tv-movie territory which the director transforms by taking an intimate view of the character using his camera in inventive ways to put the emphasis on the protagonist. The film covers his rehabilitation, relationship with his on-again/off-again girlfriend (Tatiana Maslany also very good), his loving and boistrous Boston family including his hard drinking mother (a ravaged Miranda Richardson). Warm and humane the film succeeds via it's trio of exceptional performances.
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Toilet - Ek Prem Katha (Shree Narayan Singh, 2017) 7/10
A bride (Bhumi Pendekar) moves out of her husband's (Akshay Kumar) house when she discovers there is no toilet. The screenplay humorously touches on a social problem - most houses in villages in India have no toilets and men and women go to the fields to relieve themselves. For the women it becomes a means of socializing as they go in groups and squat in the fields during the early hours of the morning away from prying male eyes. Since the bride is feisty and college educated she rebels against this old age custom insisting that a toilet be built against strong opposition from her religious father-in-law, husband and the villagers who feel their culture is being upturned. Kumar, who was nominated for a Filmfare award, and Pednekar are both terrific - cute and lovable during the romantic scenes and heartbreaking during the phase when they part during the predicament.
A bride (Bhumi Pendekar) moves out of her husband's (Akshay Kumar) house when she discovers there is no toilet. The screenplay humorously touches on a social problem - most houses in villages in India have no toilets and men and women go to the fields to relieve themselves. For the women it becomes a means of socializing as they go in groups and squat in the fields during the early hours of the morning away from prying male eyes. Since the bride is feisty and college educated she rebels against this old age custom insisting that a toilet be built against strong opposition from her religious father-in-law, husband and the villagers who feel their culture is being upturned. Kumar, who was nominated for a Filmfare award, and Pednekar are both terrific - cute and lovable during the romantic scenes and heartbreaking during the phase when they part during the predicament.
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Trapped (Vikramaditya Motwane, 2017) 6/10
A hapless young man (Rajkummar Rao) gets trapped in a 35th floor apartment in an abandoned building without any food, water or electricity. His harrowing ordeal shows man's indomitable spirit as he tries everything to escape his prison. Rao spends the entire film alone (except for a few scenes at the start with his girlfriend) as the camera focuses on him through his every desperate attempt to find a way to get out of his plight. The actor was rewarded with a Filmfare award.
A hapless young man (Rajkummar Rao) gets trapped in a 35th floor apartment in an abandoned building without any food, water or electricity. His harrowing ordeal shows man's indomitable spirit as he tries everything to escape his prison. Rao spends the entire film alone (except for a few scenes at the start with his girlfriend) as the camera focuses on him through his every desperate attempt to find a way to get out of his plight. The actor was rewarded with a Filmfare award.
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Night Into Morning (Fletcher Markle, 1951) 7/10
Understated but heartfelt drama about coping after tragedy. A Berkeley professor (Ray Milland) loses his wife (Rosemary DeCamp) and son in an accident and gradually takes to alcohol in order to cope with day-to-day living. Milland won an Oscar six years before for his harrowing performance as an alcoholic in "The Last Weekend" but here his performance is very subtle. He is a man very much in control of his life even right after the tragedy as he goes about his daily interactions with sympathetic colleagues (John Hodiak & Nancy Davis), the Dean (Lewis Stone), a lonely neighbor (Jean Hagen) and a student (Dawn Addams). They all see through his valiant attempts to ignore the tragedy as he starts using alcohol as his crutch to deal with his depression. Well acted film, an intelligent screenplay and good atmospheric shots of the small-town University - filmed at Berkeley.
Understated but heartfelt drama about coping after tragedy. A Berkeley professor (Ray Milland) loses his wife (Rosemary DeCamp) and son in an accident and gradually takes to alcohol in order to cope with day-to-day living. Milland won an Oscar six years before for his harrowing performance as an alcoholic in "The Last Weekend" but here his performance is very subtle. He is a man very much in control of his life even right after the tragedy as he goes about his daily interactions with sympathetic colleagues (John Hodiak & Nancy Davis), the Dean (Lewis Stone), a lonely neighbor (Jean Hagen) and a student (Dawn Addams). They all see through his valiant attempts to ignore the tragedy as he starts using alcohol as his crutch to deal with his depression. Well acted film, an intelligent screenplay and good atmospheric shots of the small-town University - filmed at Berkeley.
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Pink (Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, 2016) 8/10
Hardhitting film which touches on a nerve very much in the news in the United States and particularly in Hollywood - sexual harrassment, sexual molestation and rape. The screenplay also speaks openly about the double standards women in the sub-continent face on a daily basis by the male population. A man can get away with drinking and smoking, wearing whatever they want and having sexual relations outside of marriage but a woman is condemned and deemed a harlot for doing the same and allowing men to incite sexual violence against them. The film uses a court case to expose this double standard. Three girls, sharing an apartment in Mumbai, go to a concert at the invitation of a male friend who introduces them to some of his other friends there. Later they are invited for dinner and drinks by the boys who try to take sexual advantage of them. While resisting one woman hits her attacker across the face with a bottle. Using his political influence the man has the woman arrested and claims the girls were soliciting them. Coming to their rescue is a bipolar retired lawyer (Amitabh Bachchan). The three young actresses give deeply nuanced performances as they are put on the stand and their characters are ripped apart by the prosecuting attorney. Bachchan's baritone voice is used to great dramatic effect during his monologues in court as a means to expose the ills in society using explicit dialogue to hit hard the message across. Using this much revered star actor to deliver this important message was an inspired choice made by the filmmakers.
Hardhitting film which touches on a nerve very much in the news in the United States and particularly in Hollywood - sexual harrassment, sexual molestation and rape. The screenplay also speaks openly about the double standards women in the sub-continent face on a daily basis by the male population. A man can get away with drinking and smoking, wearing whatever they want and having sexual relations outside of marriage but a woman is condemned and deemed a harlot for doing the same and allowing men to incite sexual violence against them. The film uses a court case to expose this double standard. Three girls, sharing an apartment in Mumbai, go to a concert at the invitation of a male friend who introduces them to some of his other friends there. Later they are invited for dinner and drinks by the boys who try to take sexual advantage of them. While resisting one woman hits her attacker across the face with a bottle. Using his political influence the man has the woman arrested and claims the girls were soliciting them. Coming to their rescue is a bipolar retired lawyer (Amitabh Bachchan). The three young actresses give deeply nuanced performances as they are put on the stand and their characters are ripped apart by the prosecuting attorney. Bachchan's baritone voice is used to great dramatic effect during his monologues in court as a means to expose the ills in society using explicit dialogue to hit hard the message across. Using this much revered star actor to deliver this important message was an inspired choice made by the filmmakers.
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Wonder Wheel (Woody Allen, 2017). 6/10
The film evokes the Coney Island of the early 1950s - James Stewart's "Winchester '73" is seen playing at the cinema - bathed in shimmering golden hues courtesy of Vittorio Storraro and Jo Stafford is heard singing her hit tune "You Belong to Me". Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine" had Cate Blanchett channel Tennessee William's Blanche DuBois from "A Streetcar Named Desire" while Kate Winslet here hints at William's Alexandra Del Lago from "Sweet Bird of Youth". A waitress (Kate Winslet) works at a clam-bar on the boardwalk. She is married to an abusive lout (Jim Belushi) who works the carousel and her son from a previous marriage is a pyromaniac. She is having an affair with a much younger lifeguard (Justin Timberlake) who takes her for long walks on the boardwalk and under which they have quick sexual trysts. Into their lives arrives the husband's daughter (Juno Temple) from a previous marriage who is on the run from her mobster husband. When the lifeguard falls in love with her stepdaughter the waitress has a breakdown. Allen is not only reverting to the nostalgia of his own "Radio Days" but seems to be paying homage to not only Tennessee Williams but also Eugene O'Neill in who's play "The Iceman Cometh" the characters all have pipe dreams just like here. Allen writes great parts for actresses but they have a tendency to whine and here Winslet is saddled with playing an annoying drip. And the endless shouting begins to get on one's nerves after a while. It's amazing that the director still continues to churn out a film every year but this one is clearly second tier.
The film evokes the Coney Island of the early 1950s - James Stewart's "Winchester '73" is seen playing at the cinema - bathed in shimmering golden hues courtesy of Vittorio Storraro and Jo Stafford is heard singing her hit tune "You Belong to Me". Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine" had Cate Blanchett channel Tennessee William's Blanche DuBois from "A Streetcar Named Desire" while Kate Winslet here hints at William's Alexandra Del Lago from "Sweet Bird of Youth". A waitress (Kate Winslet) works at a clam-bar on the boardwalk. She is married to an abusive lout (Jim Belushi) who works the carousel and her son from a previous marriage is a pyromaniac. She is having an affair with a much younger lifeguard (Justin Timberlake) who takes her for long walks on the boardwalk and under which they have quick sexual trysts. Into their lives arrives the husband's daughter (Juno Temple) from a previous marriage who is on the run from her mobster husband. When the lifeguard falls in love with her stepdaughter the waitress has a breakdown. Allen is not only reverting to the nostalgia of his own "Radio Days" but seems to be paying homage to not only Tennessee Williams but also Eugene O'Neill in who's play "The Iceman Cometh" the characters all have pipe dreams just like here. Allen writes great parts for actresses but they have a tendency to whine and here Winslet is saddled with playing an annoying drip. And the endless shouting begins to get on one's nerves after a while. It's amazing that the director still continues to churn out a film every year but this one is clearly second tier.
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Molly's Game (Aaron Sorkin, 2017). 5/10
Sorkin treats the story of Molly Bloom, who was indicted by the FBI for running a high stakes private poker game attended by celebrities, with incredible reverence as if she is some grand lady. Not unlike one of those women's vehicles at Warner Brothers starring Bette Davis or Joan Crawford. Sadly Jessica Chastain is no Davis or Crawford and neither does the character she is playing hold any interest for this overlong film. Sorkin uses a flashback structure to tell this long winded tale starting with her childhood as a ski champ under the tutelage of a demanding father (Kevin Costner), the end of that career due to an accident, her introduction to the game of poker, her drug addiction, the indictment and her defence by a lawyer (Idris Elba). Chastain is miscast - as she has been in most of her previous films - and appears to be merely going through the motions mouthing the rat-a-tat dialogue by Sorkin in character and as part of the narration.
Sorkin treats the story of Molly Bloom, who was indicted by the FBI for running a high stakes private poker game attended by celebrities, with incredible reverence as if she is some grand lady. Not unlike one of those women's vehicles at Warner Brothers starring Bette Davis or Joan Crawford. Sadly Jessica Chastain is no Davis or Crawford and neither does the character she is playing hold any interest for this overlong film. Sorkin uses a flashback structure to tell this long winded tale starting with her childhood as a ski champ under the tutelage of a demanding father (Kevin Costner), the end of that career due to an accident, her introduction to the game of poker, her drug addiction, the indictment and her defence by a lawyer (Idris Elba). Chastain is miscast - as she has been in most of her previous films - and appears to be merely going through the motions mouthing the rat-a-tat dialogue by Sorkin in character and as part of the narration.
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Newton (Amit Masurkar, 2017) 6/10
A bullishly honest young man, named Nutan (Rajkumar Rao) which he has changed to "Newton", finds himself in a conundrum when he finds himself conducting the election process in the middle of a forest teeming with Naxalite terrorists. The Indian democratic process gets a drubbing in this black comedy, a film submitted by India for an Oscar. Newton faces off the cynical army officer (Pankaj Tripathy) who has seen the system fail time and again but he remains steadfast in his efforts to see the locals vote even though the illiterate villagers have no idea who they are voting for nor do they know how to vote in the booth. Sharply drawn characters, superb performances and witty dialogue are a plus in this rather slow film.
A bullishly honest young man, named Nutan (Rajkumar Rao) which he has changed to "Newton", finds himself in a conundrum when he finds himself conducting the election process in the middle of a forest teeming with Naxalite terrorists. The Indian democratic process gets a drubbing in this black comedy, a film submitted by India for an Oscar. Newton faces off the cynical army officer (Pankaj Tripathy) who has seen the system fail time and again but he remains steadfast in his efforts to see the locals vote even though the illiterate villagers have no idea who they are voting for nor do they know how to vote in the booth. Sharply drawn characters, superb performances and witty dialogue are a plus in this rather slow film.
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Tumhari Sulu (Suresh Triveni, 2017) 7/10
Vidya Balan has cornered the market in Bollywood, once ruled by the likes of Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil, playing ordinary middle class characters with a lived-in appearance. These are characters the public can easily identify with. Sulu (Vidya Balan) is a bored frumpy homemaker but ambitious and with big dreams. She enjoys entering radio contests which she often wins. Her husband manages a dysfunctional tailor shop and her son sells dirty magazines to make a buck. Her life changes when she expresses an interest to be a Radio Jockey, a job she gets when the owner (Neha Dhupia) of the radio show unexpectedly offers it to the "sari wali bhabhi. The job entails talking to horny and lonely men in a sexy voice. The plot, which veers into melodrama, has the superb Vidya Balan who manages to keep it afloat with her natural humour and charm. And it's refreshing to see a Bollywood heroine with minimal makeup and allowing herself to look "fat" and photographed at angles that emphasize her "full" figure while dressed in unflattering clothes. The screenplay may meander but the star makes it all worthwhile.
Vidya Balan has cornered the market in Bollywood, once ruled by the likes of Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil, playing ordinary middle class characters with a lived-in appearance. These are characters the public can easily identify with. Sulu (Vidya Balan) is a bored frumpy homemaker but ambitious and with big dreams. She enjoys entering radio contests which she often wins. Her husband manages a dysfunctional tailor shop and her son sells dirty magazines to make a buck. Her life changes when she expresses an interest to be a Radio Jockey, a job she gets when the owner (Neha Dhupia) of the radio show unexpectedly offers it to the "sari wali bhabhi. The job entails talking to horny and lonely men in a sexy voice. The plot, which veers into melodrama, has the superb Vidya Balan who manages to keep it afloat with her natural humour and charm. And it's refreshing to see a Bollywood heroine with minimal makeup and allowing herself to look "fat" and photographed at angles that emphasize her "full" figure while dressed in unflattering clothes. The screenplay may meander but the star makes it all worthwhile.
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The Perfect Marriage (Lewis Allen, 1947) 3/10
Extremely corny film about a couple (David Niven & Loretta Young) who decide they are bored with each other on their tenth wedding anniversary. Friends and in-laws get vicious as they create further doubts in their minds. The two stars look bored to be in this extremely silly film.
Extremely corny film about a couple (David Niven & Loretta Young) who decide they are bored with each other on their tenth wedding anniversary. Friends and in-laws get vicious as they create further doubts in their minds. The two stars look bored to be in this extremely silly film.
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Geostorm (Dean Devlin, 2017) 5/10
Typically hokey plot which is an excuse to destroy prominent cities around the world via CGI effects as the hero (Gerald Butler who looks drunk throughout) comes to the rescue. The world is in peril after it is discovered that someone has tampered with assorted satellites which are helping to control the world's climatethe. Mr Hero, who helped create the satellites, is called in to save the day. The tampering suspects are the President of the United States (Andy Garcia) and his second in command (Ed Harris). Helping to sort out the mess are the inventor's brother (Jim Sturgess) and his girlfriend (Abbie Cornish) who has the inside track as she is part of the Secret Service. It's all nonsense but has a certain fascination due to the scenes of disaster where excessive heat and cold create havoc.
Typically hokey plot which is an excuse to destroy prominent cities around the world via CGI effects as the hero (Gerald Butler who looks drunk throughout) comes to the rescue. The world is in peril after it is discovered that someone has tampered with assorted satellites which are helping to control the world's climatethe. Mr Hero, who helped create the satellites, is called in to save the day. The tampering suspects are the President of the United States (Andy Garcia) and his second in command (Ed Harris). Helping to sort out the mess are the inventor's brother (Jim Sturgess) and his girlfriend (Abbie Cornish) who has the inside track as she is part of the Secret Service. It's all nonsense but has a certain fascination due to the scenes of disaster where excessive heat and cold create havoc.
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Miss Grant Takes Richmond (Lloyd Bacon, 1949) 3/10
Dull comedy with Miss Grant (Lucille Ball) hired by Mr Richmond (William Holden), a bookie posing as a realtor, as his dim witted secretary. While he pulls his scams she turns the table on his plans and gets him involved in providing housing for homeless people. Holden, just a year away from full fledged movie stardom, plays well opposite Ball but the material is too boring for them to create the right kind of sparks. Skip this comedy.
Dull comedy with Miss Grant (Lucille Ball) hired by Mr Richmond (William Holden), a bookie posing as a realtor, as his dim witted secretary. While he pulls his scams she turns the table on his plans and gets him involved in providing housing for homeless people. Holden, just a year away from full fledged movie stardom, plays well opposite Ball but the material is too boring for them to create the right kind of sparks. Skip this comedy.
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The Fuller Brush Girl (Lloyd Bacon, 1950) 7/10
This film came just before "I Love Lucy" and appears to be her audition tape for the show. Nobody was better at physical comedy than Lucille Ball and she takes the silly material and runs with it. A dumb telephone operator (Lucille Ball) gets fired from her job and with her equally dimwit boyfriend (Eddie Albert) gets involved with two murders for which they both get framed. Both stars are hilarious as they get into one scrape after another with both the police and the hoodlums after them. The highlight of the film is Lucy impersonating a burlesque dancer on stage. Extremely silly material that the two stars turn into something quite hysterically funny. The later tv show used a lot of the gags from this film with the star playing her part with superb comic timing. Well worth a watch for fans of her tv shows.
This film came just before "I Love Lucy" and appears to be her audition tape for the show. Nobody was better at physical comedy than Lucille Ball and she takes the silly material and runs with it. A dumb telephone operator (Lucille Ball) gets fired from her job and with her equally dimwit boyfriend (Eddie Albert) gets involved with two murders for which they both get framed. Both stars are hilarious as they get into one scrape after another with both the police and the hoodlums after them. The highlight of the film is Lucy impersonating a burlesque dancer on stage. Extremely silly material that the two stars turn into something quite hysterically funny. The later tv show used a lot of the gags from this film with the star playing her part with superb comic timing. Well worth a watch for fans of her tv shows.
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The Gay Falcon (Irving Reis, 1941). 5/10
"The Falcon" is basically "The Saint" under a different name because Leslie Charteris (author of The Saint) was giving the studio problems so they got the star George Sanders to continue playing the character but under a different name. Low budget B-film series has the droll Sanders as a detective solving the mystery of a series of jewel robberies. Debonair and witty, he breezes through this rather pedestrian first entry in the Falcon series. Wendy Barrie plays his fellow sleuth while Gladys Cooper appears as one of the matrons whose jewels are stolen. Average mystery-thriller.
"The Falcon" is basically "The Saint" under a different name because Leslie Charteris (author of The Saint) was giving the studio problems so they got the star George Sanders to continue playing the character but under a different name. Low budget B-film series has the droll Sanders as a detective solving the mystery of a series of jewel robberies. Debonair and witty, he breezes through this rather pedestrian first entry in the Falcon series. Wendy Barrie plays his fellow sleuth while Gladys Cooper appears as one of the matrons whose jewels are stolen. Average mystery-thriller.