filmsExaminer

Biopic. Charts the rise to fame of one of the greatest rock bands ever. Touches on Freddie Mercury's (his stage name) background, then how he met the band and became their front man, the development of their unique sound, their meteoric rise to fame, and the key moments leading to Band Aid. Briefly (probably too briefly) touches on Freddie's AIDS condition. The film starts at the same moment as it ends with Freddie arriving on (Live Aid) stage, the last 15 minutes is their whole Live Aid performance. Before the film my wife said to me ... "I'm not a fan, I didn't like their music, and I'm not looking forward to this" After the film my wife said to me ... "I really enjoyed that, think I'm a fan" So ... this film is good, whether you think you're a fan or not. 9/10

Tense exciting documentary drama, based on actual events. Ryan Gosling plays Neil Armstrong who was initially a test pilot, a man in pain following the loss of his young daughter to a brain tumour, he is obviously struggling with this. Neil Armstrong was a very quiet, private man but with drive and focus. He successfully applies to NASA. The film focuses on the sacrifices and emotional cost to his family life and much less about the process behind getting to the moon. There is a constant sense that the training astronauts were in real danger, there is a constantly sense that the mission could fail with no way back alive. Of course we all know the mission outcome, at the end see the lunar surface and hear the iconic "1 small step for man, 1 giant leap for mankind" A very nice touch was seeing Neil drop his daughter's bead bracelet into the 'blackness' of a deep crater and in doing so his final closure. A well-made emotional biopic. 8/10

Children's animated slapstick adventure. A community of yetis live in an isolated village, they live by the rules of the 'stones'. A human (small foot) pilot crashes their plane and is discovered. The wise head Yeti known as 'Stone-keeper' tries to keep the discovery a secret. This is an 'OK' children's film, which deals with some weighty moral concepts, prejudice, conformity, challenging beliefs. This is a comedy with visual gags for kids and some aimed at parents and some catchy songs, though I found them to be easily forgettable. 6/10

Dark, gritty action drama. The film starts with a gangster character burying a life changing bag if cash under the floorboards of a hotel, he's suddenly disturbed and brutally murdered. Immediately the film jumps forwards 10 years where we see seven diverse characters arrive and check-in at the same hotel, each character retires to their rooms and each room is a distinctive and destructive chapter. Over the course of the night, through slipping timelines the developing plot is observed from the guest's individual points of view. Their background stories unravel and intertwine. Obviously influenced by Tarantino, similar to 'The Hateful Eight' - this violent, twisty film will keep you guessing. 9/10

Slapstick comedy nonsense. From the makers of 'Girls Trip', this is marginally better, but only just. Stars Kevin Hart, who we see is a good fast-talking salesman at a BBQ shop, he loses his job after an accident causes the shop to burn down. Flashbacks show he was a poor student in his childhood, now he urgently needs to go back to (night) school to complete his education in order to get a new job, we see that his class-mates are all damaged characters. Very few laughs, no out-takes (there must have been plenty!) The message is admirable - never give up and work hard. However, the plot was poor and the acting wooden, ultimately forgettable. 4/10

Melodramatic love story. Bradley copper (he) is a country music global mega star, he is fighting alcoholism and drug addiction. Lady Gaga (she) is an undiscovered singer / songwriter, she is chasing a dream of fame as a singer but has just about given up. He discovers and falls in love with her, he persuades her onto the stage of one of his gigs. The song she sings and the video clip goes viral. Some themes explored are; ambition, massive egos, self-destruction, strong emotions, alcoholism, mental illness and deep depression. This is a good, well directed film that proves that very little divides genius and madness. 8/10

Superhero fantasy action adventure with horror from Marvel. The earth is dying, the human race on the brink of extinction. The villain runs a technology company, brings slimy aliens back from a space expedition, he wants aliens to inhabit humans, escape the earth and build a new world somewhere else. Tom hardy plays the sarcastic anti-hero with some humour, but not enough. There's the standard love interest, but I'm bored with this stock character. There's some exciting CGI action sequences, but a bit dull before Venom properly appears. I found it hard to relate to anything. Tom Hardy never appears to be in jeopardy. There's a standard post credit scene that introduces a possible sequel. 5/10

Emotional drama. Set in 1992, with flash-backs to the 1950's.  Stars Glen Close as the long suffering wife of a soon to be awarded Nobel Prize winner for literature. They both travel to Stockholm, Sweden for him to receive the award. A self-appointed biographer travels with them, determined to uncover the truth and confirm his dark suspicions. (you can probably guess) A strong message conveyed is that writers need to write or suffocate, but also writers need to be read and this is where the problem lies for 'the wife' character. Women are discriminated against - writing, journalism, publishing are all a man's world, with the prospects of forever being confined to the side-lines or have their work completely ignored. She decides to give up everything but remain supportive and dedicated to her husband for the sake of their children. Many flashbacks show how they met and built their relationship, the truth that slowly emerges proves that he is not the brilliant autho