Chariots
of Fire 1981
In the
1924 Olympics a Christian and a Jew are rivals for a running medal. Since I’m
an atheist, I couldn’t care less who won.
So dull. How could this possibly win the Oscar for best film over Reds or Atlantic City is truly a mystery. The acting is good though.
2* of 5
Belle
2013
Belle (Mbatha-Raw)
is the daughter of a black slave and a white father, who loved both. She is
raised by her rich white aristocratic family in England, who love her but she
is not allowed to dine with them, especially if there are guests. The she meets
a white man who fights against the slave trade.
The elite cast of British actors add pondus to this based-on-a-true-story film of ethnicity, gender and class.
4* of 5
Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice 2024
Lydia
(Ryder), now a widow with a teen-aged daughter Astrid (Ortega), returns to the
house with her step-mother Delia (O’Hara) when the father dies. Meanwhile,
Beetlejuice (Keaton) is having troubles of his own.
The
story is messy but OK, the returning cast works well, but it’s the sullen
Ortega, who doesn’t believe in ghosts until… who lifts the film.
And it’s still Tim Burton.
4 * of 5
Beetlejuice
1988
A loving
young couple Barb (Davis) and Adam (Baldwin) die in a car crash and end up
trapped in their house as ghosts. A horrible new family moves in who are going
to refurbish the whole place. Barb and Adam decide to do something about it.
They are helped by the bio-exorcist Beetlejuice (Keaton).
Anyone
who has seen the film will never forget the ‘Day-O’ scene or the wonderfully
Goth emo teenager Winona Ryder, the only one who can see the ghosts.
It’s Tim Burton. It’s weird.
4 * of 5
Bonnie
and Clyde 1967
They rob banks. Not that they get much, it’s the Depression, after all, and they’re rather bumbling bank robbers. Mostly they goof off and kill cops. They’re infamous, and hunted. True story, sort of.
4 * of 5
The
Thursday Murder Club 2025
It must
be confessed that I gave up on the book early on (I’m planning on giving it
another try because I’m quite fond of Richard Osman).
A group of pensioners in a luxury home for the elderly solve murders. Cosy. But unremarkable, despite the cast.
2 ½ * of 5
The
Promise 2016
A love
triangle against the background of the Armenian genocide by the Turks during
WWI. A grim history, difficult to portray but this is a valiant, if flawed,
effort.
Zone
of Interest
Rudolf (Freidel)
is a devoted father living with his loving wife (Hüller) and children in a fine
villa with a beautiful garden. On the other side of the wall is Auschwitz of
which Rudolf is the commandant. The chimneys and smoke can be seen, and
ignored, from the garden.
It is a chilling and frightening reminder that human monsters look like the rest of us. And who knows what we have in us?
4 * of 5
The
Woman in Cabin 10
The book
was OK. Maybe Knightley can lift it.
Journalist
Laura (Knightley) is doing a report on a luxury yacht. She sees a woman being
thrown overboard but nobody believes her.
Yes, Knightley and the rest of the cast lift it. It’s better than the book. That happens sometimes.
3 ½ * of 5
Book
Club the Next Chapter 2023
The four friends from the previous film, which I have not seen nor want to, meet again and go to Italy before Jane Fonda’s wedding. That alone renders it 0*, but otherwise it’s slightly entertaining. Keaton does her job.
2* of 5
Reds
1981
This is an account of the socialist ant-war movement during WWI, the Bolshevik revolution and the splintered left after the war. It is also a great love story of John Reed (Beatty) and Louise Bryant (Keaton, both journalists renowned for their eye-witness reports from the early revolution. Beatty and Keaton are outstanding but I really don’t like Jack Nicholson in the role as Eugene O’Neil. What a sleaze. Loses the film a *.
4 * of 5
Papicha
2019
Algerian film about the oppression of women. Four young university students defy the laws, dress in skimpy Western clothes and go dancing. Girls just wanna have fun? I expected something deeper, and at times it does show the grimmer side of the oppression but it’s still not as good as I expected.
3* of 5
Sweet
Sixteen 2002
Liam
(Compston) scrounges to make money so he and his mum will have somewhere to
live when she gets out of prison. Meantime, his stepdad beats him bloody for
not smuggling drugs into the prison.
It’s grim, desperate, tragic, heart-warming. It’s Ken Loach.
4 * of 5
#
Alive 2020
Young
Jun-u (Ah-In) is trapped in his flat in Seoul while outside in the streets
zombies carry out their murderous rampage.
It
becomes more a study on how to survive a siege, isolation and loneliness.
Are there holes in the plot? Of course but never mind. I care about Jun-u and his fellow survivor Yu-bin (Shin Hye) in the flat across the street. And it’s visually stunning.
4 * of 5
Civil
War 2024
In the
near future the US has collapsed after a civil war but this is more about
journalists covering the evidence than the causes of the war itself. Some
viewers object to this but I find it to be the film’s strength.
It’s low-key with very dramatic moments with possibly Kirsten Dunst’s strongest performance.
4 * of 5
Who’s
Afraid of Virginia Woolf 1966
Martha
(Taylor) and George (Burton) have an alcohol-poisoned vicious marriage which
they don’t mind displaying for the young visiting couple (Sega, and Dennis).
The young couple, too, become inebriated and the situation deteriorates.
The acting is superb, especially Sandy Dennis. Both she and Taylor won Oscars. Segal and Burton were nominated, as was the film. Unfortunately my DVD jammed in the middle and I couldn’t watch the whole thing. Enough, though, to see and remember how completely depressing and impressive it is.
4 * of 5
Soft
and Quiet 2022
A group
of Aryan women meet to spout their racist outrage. They call themselves
Daughters of Aryan Unite. Racist violence against two Asian sisters ensues.
It’s a very strong and disturbing film.
3 ½ * of 5
I
Came By
Toby
(McKay) breaks into rich peoples’ homes and graffitis ‘I Came By’ on the wall.
He lives with his mother Liz (McDonald) with whom there is constant conflict.
When he
breaks into a respected Judge’s (Bonneville) home, it doesn’t go as expected. He
discovers the Judge’s dark secret.
It’s confusing but quite exciting.
3 ½ * of 5
