filmsExaminer

Crime drama based on a true story. This focuses on an elderly man (Eastwood), who is a successful horticulturist and completely dedicated to his business, so much so that he neglects his family, even at their most important occasions. Unfortunately the rise of the internet kills his business, because he can't get to grips with this new technology and he loses everything. He arrives at his granddaughters wedding, is rejected but a random guy suggests he uses his clean driving license to deliver 'packages'. He has no alternative, takes up the offer to transport just one 'package', though he didn't initially appreciate what the cargo was or know who he was working for. It looks like he can fix his financial problems just by driving. The arrangement worked for him because no one was likely to notice a 90 year old white man as a potential drugs mule, he becomes the Mexican cartel's most successful, and remained 'invisible' to the authorities. His cargo s...

Cop revenge drama. Stars Nicole Kidman as a very heavily made up and unrecognisable world weary LAPD detective. Her life has fallen apart, her colleagues have written her off, and she's tracking down the gang leader of a team of cold-blooded killers, this is from an undercover assignment from her past. When the leader re-emerges many years later, she tracks him down to finally have her revenge. Many flash-back sequences explain her motivation, she has an estranged family, and her young daughter is becoming the woman she has already become. Nicole Kidman is a wasted talent, she's never played this type of hard, gritty character before and shouldn't try again as it either didn't work or she was simply poorly directed. There's a totally unnecessary (kind of sexual) scene with Nicole and a villain in bed, she does him a 'favour' that didn't make sense. The film pretty much end where it starts, which is becoming a tad cliché. The selling point is Nicole Kid...

Documentary drama, based on actual events with BBC production written all over it. Follows Mary Stuart and Elizabeth I. Mary was raised in France and Queen, she was widowed at age 18, returns to Scotland to reclaim the throne of both Scotland and England. Elizabeth I was the English monarch whose rule was under threat. The plot is thrilling, depicting the power struggle between two strong-willed women that included homosexuality, infidelity, politics, the poor treatment of women, many PC messages and violent sexual moments bordering on rape. Great acting, great costumes and cinematography (the BBC are masters of this genre) I enjoyed this emotional Oscar contender. 8/10

An uplifting comedy drama about friendship and trust. Based on a true story between a quadriplegic billionaire (Cranston) and his street wise, ex-con, live in caretaker (Hart). Hart's intention was to secure any kind of employment and hopefully reconnect with his estranged son and ex-wife. They meet by accident when Hart applies for a janitor's job but secures a care taking role instead. They form an unlikely friendship even though they seem to have nothing in common. Hart offers a fresh perspective on living life, he competently delivers an unusual straight role with some of his usual humour. I saw the original when Cineworld was offering a buy one get one free deal, so I booked two tickets and gave away two tickets to my son and his best mate, not knowing we were about to see a subtitled foreign film... Anyway I gave the kids the option to bail out if they wanted, but it was one of the highlight films of the year, we all enjoyed very much. Upside is also a very good charact...

Historical costume drama, based on a true story. Colette is the story of a young spirited girl who almost accidentally becomes an author. She starts by writing 'fan mail' for her husband but then (for financial reasons) he asks her to take a stab at writing a novel, she does so about her own experiences growing up including details of romantic relations. He reads the first draft and adds some energy and glamour to this first attempt and this becomes a best-selling book, so much so that it's the start of a series. These erotic books are particularly popular with female readers. The husband is already an established author, but a serial philanderer, who didn't mind spending money he didn't have! He initially takes credit for Colette's work, but she resents this. The film charts their friction. Colette's later successful life is summarized during the end credits, with vintage black n white images (which is pretty standard). My wife liked this film, b...

Documentary drama. Laurel & Hardy were one of the world's greatest comedy double acts. As a child I remember their black n white TV features transmitted regularly in the UK. What I didn't know was that they fell from Hollywood mega stardom and came to England in the early 1950's to tour smaller venues in order to revive their careers and earn a living. Their wives were equally interesting characters, who later joined them for moral support. The impersonations of both characters were played perfectly, their famous mannerisms and voices were flawless, the chemistry between them was spot on, and their classic comedy routines were recreated impeccably. You never doubted for a moment that they were Stan and Ollie. This is a touching film that demonstrates the friendship these comic geniuses had for each other with some moving scenes, especially scenes about Ollie's failing health that made the lady sitting two seats to my right to cry. Highly recommended. 9/10

Animated adventure in the style of a comic in association with Marvel. This wasn't on my watch-list, but my wife had another appointment so I decided to go on my own, and I'm glad I did. This is a kind of origin movie. We see the introduction of a teenage hero. Just like the original Spider-man, the bite from a radioactive spider results in the transformation of a boy to a superhero. Multiple Spiderman characters from different dimensions need to combine forces to defeat the villain (Kingpin) - each of these deserve spin-off films of their own. Contains lots of tongue in cheek humour but is not a comedy, has a clever and interesting plot with some twists you won't see coming and some sad moments as well. Great whether you're a Spider-man fan or not. 8/10

Children's fantasy animated adventure. What a boring film, makes references to familiar internet games, familiar social media, shopping sites, iconic internet logos. To be honest a lot of this stuff is very foreign to me. However, my 8 year old granddaughter, which I presumed is the target audience, fidgeted almost throughout. A virus 'villain' is introduced to threaten the characters and their world. With so many references to eBay you could almost think that this film was sponsored by them! 3/10

Historical costume melodrama (based on actual events). I'm not familiar with the director or his previous films, but apparently the tone and atmosphere is a trademark of his work. Set in the 18th century, England is at war with France. During this period in history England always seemed to be at war with France. The film revolves around three women, Queen Anne (Coleman). Her closest advisor, Lady Churchill (Weisz) and the newly arrived, fallen from grandeur Abigail Masham (Stone). Abigail was previously a 'lady' and sees any devious association with the queen as a chance to return to her aristocratic past. Whatever you first think of Abigail at the beginning is turned on its head by the end. The film is a struggle for power and position. The end is a little weird and abrupt. (*** WARNING I'm not a great fan of the 'C' word, it's used a lot ***). 9/10