filmsExaminer

Emotional racial drama. Set in Harlem in the 1970's, this is a film about a young couple very much in love, just like 'To Kill a Mocking Bird' the protagonist is wrongly convicted of rape, we see strong support from her family to prove his innocence. She becomes pregnant, he goes to prison. I thought the plot was overly long, very slow, especially the character building scenes, the story could have told in 20 minutes. I wanted this movie to be better than it was, especially as I was keen to see it. At the risk of being considered racist I found this disappointing. 4/10

Animated comedy adventure based on the children's construction toy. This film plays out in a young boy's imagination. Aliens from Duplo invade the earth, our heroes' battle to defeat them and save the LEGO universe. This is a film about growing up and getting on with your sibling. Is a colourful action sequel with more fun for kids, but still some gags for parents. The first film caught everyone by surprise, the sequel has lost some of the novelty magic but is still very funny and very good. 7/10

Historical drama. Covers the period following a fire at the Globe Theatre. Shakespeare is the greatest writer there has ever been and ever likely to be. Unfortunately his extraordinary attention to his writing resulted in serious neglect of his family. Throughout the film depicts the great bard as a fairly ordinary man struggling to come to terms with the loss of his son. There are some great candle lit scenes reminiscent of a Vermeer. There are some great performances, especially Judy Dench and Ian McKellen. Slow in places but worth a watch. 7/10

Drama, based on a true story. The son of a preacher comes out and is sent to a gay conversion camp. The camp treats teenagers who are struggling with SSA (same-sex attraction), but it's really the parents who are struggling with this. The high pressure therapy involves reading from the bible, praying a lot and forcing the 'disciples' to be what they're not in an attempt to 'reprogram' them in as much as illustrate that homosexuality is a sin, heterosexual is normal. They are forced to live in shame until they are eventually 'cured' by the process. These institutions are still legal and operating in many states. Very similar (though not as good as) a recent film with the same theme called 'The Miss-education of Cameron Post' 7/10

Drama based on a true story. About a fading biographer who is in a financial crisis, she sells a genuine framed vintage letter from Catherine Hepburn to a collector, she realises that more interesting content generally improves their value, so embellishes others. She realises that this is an easy way of making much needed money, as the authors were dead, there was no easy way of authenticating them. Slow burner about two lonely characters. Ok, but nothing special. Would make a better stage play. 5/10

Road trip drama with some humour based on a 1960's true story. Tony Lip is an Italian-American 'wise-guy', who's struggling to provide for his family. There's an important scene at the beginning which demonstrates his racism. He gets an interview to be a driver, but also a driver who could deal with any problems. Dr. Don Shirley is a black very well educated, very well-mannered, world class classical musician. He's living in isolation on the top floor of Carnegie Hall, he needs driving safely to a series of scheduled concerts in the very prejudice Deep South. During the numerous journeys they refer to 'The Negro Motorist Green Book,' also known as 'The Negro Traveller's Green Book.' This was a guide for African-American travellers, which listed lodging, restaurants, and other businesses that would serve them. They begin to bond over an incident involving two racist cops, a pub beating, a homosexual scene and even something simple like...