I knew nothing of the epic voyage that Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl made in 1947, sailing across the Pacific Ocean from Peru to Polynesia on a raft, so Kon-Tiki for me was a history lesson as well as a seafaring adventure story.
To read the rest of the review I wrote for The London Economic click on the link below:
http://www.thelondoneconomic.com/2014/12/22/kon-tiki-film-review/
An effortlessly cool, funny, truly timeless film from Hollywood’s golden age of musicals; Guys and Dolls is the kind of film that plants a sloppy smile on your face and fills your head with snappy songs you’ll catch yourself singing in the shower for weeks to come. So here are my top five reasons why you should see it:
For the full post written for The London Economic please see the link:
http://www.thelondoneconomic.com/2014/12/23/5-reasons-see-guys-dolls-christmas/
After last year’s “Let’s put a roof on this house” Labor Day debacle, Jason Reitman’s back with Men, Women and Children, following in the footsteps of Spike Jonze’ fascinating futuristic film Her, Reitman seeks to explore our very ‘new’ relationship with technology and its impact on how we relate both to ourselves and each other in its wake.
To read the rest of my review for The London Economic please click on the link below:
http://www.thelondoneconomic.com/2014/12/05/men-women-children-film-review/
“ I take it, I take it and I flip it.” James Brown
Get On Up is a moving and suitably energetic homage to the legend that was James Brown, The Godfather of Soul. Much more than a rags-to-riches tale and avoiding the usual drab pitfalls that standard syrupy colour-by-number biopics fall into, Director Tate Taylor delivers a riveting portrait of a remarkable talent and an extraordinary life.
To read the rest of my review for The London Economic click on the link below:
Christopher Nolan fans will delight at the loopy, lustrous, pyrotechnic vision that is Interstellar but will the narrative hold up by comparison?
To read my review for The London Economic, just click on the link below:
http://www.thelondoneconomic.com/2014/11/17/interstellar-review/
Few films depict the real horror of war like Kajaki. The True Story. So realistic is the carnage that the film moves into trailblazer territory, taking the war film genre and catapulting it into brave new terrain. It’s a visceral and shockingly authentic portrayal of a British unit’s experience of the Afghanistan war. The film’s release too is a timely one, wedged between Remembrance Sunday and the WW1 Centenary, a poignant and fitting reminder of the sheer brutality of war, the senseless cost to human life as well as the terrific bravery of soldiers caught up in situations of unimaginable terror.
To read the rest of the review I wrote for The London Economic, click the link below:
http://www.thelondoneconomic.com/2014/11/17/kajaki-the-true-story-review/
Ida is a profoundly moving, visually mesmerising coming of age tale, steeped in the shadowy secrecy of post-holocaust, Poland. At eighteen, Ida, a novitiate, is about to take her vows but before doing so, her mother superior asks her to spend some time with her only relative, long-lost, estranged aunt Wanda (Agata Kulesza). Ida dutifully, albeit reluctantly, complies only to discover the truth of her own Jewish identity – her real name is Ida Lebenstein, setting her on a path to uncover her hidden family history; a journey that cuts deep into the shameful remnants of the Jewish genocide and the greed that underpinned it.
To read the rest of the review for The London Economic please click here:
http://www.thelondoneconomic.com/2014/09/23/ida-review/
Pride is a funny, heartwarming, celebratory film about the real-life union between gay rights campaigners in London and striking Welsh miners. Set in the 80’s, depicting a time when the harsh policies of Margaret Thatcher’s government made insurgents out of the least likely, crossing societal divisions of class, race, gender and sexual identity, when politically the only side to be on was – any side but Thatcher’s side. Throw into the mix a stonking 80’s soundtrack (The Smiths, Billy Bragg), wall-to-wall quiffs, Levis and Doc Martin boots and let the fun begin.
To read the rest of the review I wrote for The London Economic click here:
http://www.thelondoneconomic.com/2014/09/17/pride-film-review/
It’s not the destination, it’s the journey and in Two Days, One Night we witness, what could be likened to, an homeric Odyssey of sorts. The Dardenne Brothers (Rosetta, The Kid with a Bike) are masters of subtlety, who convey simple stories which reveal a great deal more about us as human beings, than imaginable.
In Two Days, One Night Marion Cotillard plays Sandra, a factory worker, emerging from a bout of clinical depression, only to be told that her job is no longer viable; an unfathomable blow at such a difficult time. To make matters worse, the factory workers have been asked to vote either to keep her on or keep their bonuses, with an unscrupulous supervisor pressurising the workforce to go for the latter. Sandra finds herself, with the encouragement of her husband, Manu and co-worker, Juliette and the imminent financial difficulty she potentially faces, with no choice but to fight back.
The journey begins with a demand for a secret re-ballot and then the real work of convincing her colleagues to save her job at financial loss to themselves and their families. These are poor working class people and this is a hell of a choice for them to be given. Sandra knows the difficulty she faces as a result, after all she’s one of them. Over the course of a weekend, she is forced to go door-to-door to canvas their votes and try to save her livelihood.
It is in this simple, repetitious plot that we encounter the full gamut of human emotion, greed, compassion, selfishness, rage and despair, are all there and we are given insight into ourselves and the truth of our human nature. This is intense, emotional, masterful filmmaking at its minimal best.
Cotillard gives a striking performance, subtly nuanced and one of the best depictions of depression I’ve seen on screen; her fragility is juxtaposed with enormous courage in the face of crippling unfairness and societal economic inequality; it’s an emotional roller coaster ride and a visceral experience to watch.
In Two days, One Night, The Dardenne brothers have succeeded in continuing to make masterful French cinema, conveying the real plights of working people without embellishment or affectation, producing a film of great insight and depth into the human psyche and the struggle for survival amongst working class people in modern society. Unmissable.
They Came Together is a spoof of every rom-com you’ve ever seen, with a quirky meet-cute, (they both turn up to a fancy dress party dressed as Abraham Lincoln), and clashing values, (he’s a corporate sell-out but with a heart and she’s the kooky ‘little shop around the corner’ competition) and of course despite all this they, Joel (Paul Rudd) and Molly (Amy Poehler), somehow fall in love.
You find yourself playing spot the spoof, naming each disemboweled, mocked and belittled Rom-Com du jour in each scene and this can be funny- until it isn’t. The laughs are pretty few and far between and at this point the walls start to close in and you just want it to end. The problem with this too-clever-for-its-own-good parody of romantic comedy is that it simply isn’t that funny. It labours and drags and ultimately is a series of vignettes and sketches that are tired, tried and would be better placed on Saturday Night Live rather than in an 83 minute long feature film.
If you’re a lover of GOOD Romantic Comedy there’s a danger you may feel condescended to or worse just bored. A good skit of Harry Met Sally will make you laugh once but by the third, you’re done laughing.
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