Films round-up
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - Frustrated at the lack of progress in investigating her daughter's murder, Mildred Hayes (the ever-amazing Frances McDormand) places a message across three billboards, challenging police chief Willoughby (an almost equally impressive performance from Woody Harrelson). But the townsfolk like Willoughby, and many of them don't like Mildred, leading to an escalation. Jet-black humour in the style of Fargo; nasty-yet-sympathetic characters from the writer/director of In Bruges; and a surprising plot with no easy answers. Believe the hype about this one. It's a dark, unique and brilliant film, possibly the best you'll see all year.
Darkest Hour - Hyped for Gary Oldman's performance as Winston Churchill, it's true he does a fantastic job, but it's slightly disappointing that this film is little more than a vehicle for his performance. Set in the first days of Churchill's premiership, the story focusses on his political struggles with enemies within his own party, many of whom still support Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup)'s policy of appeasement. Which is fine, and a story rarely looked at in any detail, but that's because there are so many more interesting stories to tell about old Winston. It's very good insofar as it goes, but the war often feels like a distant backdrop.
Coco - Oh Pixar, you're making us smile and cry at the same time again. Set around the Mexican Dia De Los Muertos, young Miguel dreams of being a musician, like his hero, Ernesto de la Cruz. But his family have banned music for generations, ever since Miguel's great-great-grandfather abandoned them to pursue a musical career. Struggling to reconcile his musical passion with his loyalty to family, Miguel finds himself in the land of the dead, and must get back before sunrise. Parts of this are typical Pixar road movie, and the twists are fairly obvious, but it's interwoven with complex themes of loss, memories and reconciliation. It's also visually stunning, even for a Pixar film. Watch it.
Early Man - It's the Stone Age vs the Bronze Age, as a group of cavemen challenge their more sophisticated city-dwelling neighbours, in order to win back their valley. Eddie Redmayne, Maisie Williams and Tom Hiddleston star alongside half of Britain's comedy performers, all feeling the lure of the Beautiful Game. Aardman's latest is a sports underdog film in the style of The Flintstones. It's got all the home-made charm and warm humour we love about Aardman, but it's their least inventive or original work so far. The story is very formulaic and the gags feel less fresh than usual. Football fans will love it, but it's a distinctly average film for everyone else.
The Post - Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks star as the owner and lead journalist, respectively, of The Washington Post, in this worthy Spielberg drama. Details of decades of government cover-ups are leaking out, but President Nixon is taking a firm hand against any newspaper that runs the story, citing national security. Does The Post publish and risk being shut down? Are the security concerns valid? How far do the responsibilities of a free press extend? The film grapples with these questions, while exploring the dynamic between Streep and Hanks, and also the sexism she faces as a woman at the top of a man's world. There's nothing groundbreaking here, but it's a solid film all round.
Phantom Thread - A strange tale of obsession, delving into the weird relationships between eccentric dress designer Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis), his sister, Cyril (Lesley Manville), and his lover/muse, Alma (Vicky Krieps). The critics adore this one. There's some clever fairy tale elements going on, and the lead trio all give excellent performances, but for some reason the film left me cold. I just couldn't get into it. Maybe it's because I wasn't really interested in the subject matter (I only watched it because of the rave reviews). Maybe it's because the main characters were so inhuman and unlikeable. Maybe it was something else. *shrug*
The Mercy - Based on the true story of amateur yachtsman, Donald Crowhurst (Colin Firth)'s attempt to win the first round-the-world solo race, this is real life rather than Hollywood. Things do not go according to plan. Faced with an impossible choice, our "hero" chooses to cheat, and pays a heavy price. Rachel Weisz co-stars as Donald's loyal wife, David Thewlis as the reporter bringing his story to the world, and Ken Stott as his financier. It's a tragic, un-heroic tale that nevertheless always has you on Donald's side, admiring his sense of adventure and sympathising with his plight. It won't be to everyone's tastes, but (unlike Phantom Thread) as a piece of raw, human drama, I got a lot from it.
Darkest Hour - Hyped for Gary Oldman's performance as Winston Churchill, it's true he does a fantastic job, but it's slightly disappointing that this film is little more than a vehicle for his performance. Set in the first days of Churchill's premiership, the story focusses on his political struggles with enemies within his own party, many of whom still support Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup)'s policy of appeasement. Which is fine, and a story rarely looked at in any detail, but that's because there are so many more interesting stories to tell about old Winston. It's very good insofar as it goes, but the war often feels like a distant backdrop.
Coco - Oh Pixar, you're making us smile and cry at the same time again. Set around the Mexican Dia De Los Muertos, young Miguel dreams of being a musician, like his hero, Ernesto de la Cruz. But his family have banned music for generations, ever since Miguel's great-great-grandfather abandoned them to pursue a musical career. Struggling to reconcile his musical passion with his loyalty to family, Miguel finds himself in the land of the dead, and must get back before sunrise. Parts of this are typical Pixar road movie, and the twists are fairly obvious, but it's interwoven with complex themes of loss, memories and reconciliation. It's also visually stunning, even for a Pixar film. Watch it.
Early Man - It's the Stone Age vs the Bronze Age, as a group of cavemen challenge their more sophisticated city-dwelling neighbours, in order to win back their valley. Eddie Redmayne, Maisie Williams and Tom Hiddleston star alongside half of Britain's comedy performers, all feeling the lure of the Beautiful Game. Aardman's latest is a sports underdog film in the style of The Flintstones. It's got all the home-made charm and warm humour we love about Aardman, but it's their least inventive or original work so far. The story is very formulaic and the gags feel less fresh than usual. Football fans will love it, but it's a distinctly average film for everyone else.
The Post - Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks star as the owner and lead journalist, respectively, of The Washington Post, in this worthy Spielberg drama. Details of decades of government cover-ups are leaking out, but President Nixon is taking a firm hand against any newspaper that runs the story, citing national security. Does The Post publish and risk being shut down? Are the security concerns valid? How far do the responsibilities of a free press extend? The film grapples with these questions, while exploring the dynamic between Streep and Hanks, and also the sexism she faces as a woman at the top of a man's world. There's nothing groundbreaking here, but it's a solid film all round.
Phantom Thread - A strange tale of obsession, delving into the weird relationships between eccentric dress designer Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis), his sister, Cyril (Lesley Manville), and his lover/muse, Alma (Vicky Krieps). The critics adore this one. There's some clever fairy tale elements going on, and the lead trio all give excellent performances, but for some reason the film left me cold. I just couldn't get into it. Maybe it's because I wasn't really interested in the subject matter (I only watched it because of the rave reviews). Maybe it's because the main characters were so inhuman and unlikeable. Maybe it was something else. *shrug*
The Mercy - Based on the true story of amateur yachtsman, Donald Crowhurst (Colin Firth)'s attempt to win the first round-the-world solo race, this is real life rather than Hollywood. Things do not go according to plan. Faced with an impossible choice, our "hero" chooses to cheat, and pays a heavy price. Rachel Weisz co-stars as Donald's loyal wife, David Thewlis as the reporter bringing his story to the world, and Ken Stott as his financier. It's a tragic, un-heroic tale that nevertheless always has you on Donald's side, admiring his sense of adventure and sympathising with his plight. It won't be to everyone's tastes, but (unlike Phantom Thread) as a piece of raw, human drama, I got a lot from it.