Review #1,227: 'Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back' (1980)

As argued by Dante and Randal in Kevin Smith's slacker classic Clerks, the question of whether A New Hope or The Empire Strikes Back is the better movie is one of cinema's most popular debates. Episode IV's introduction to George Lucas' world of aliens, droids and intergalactic war struck a chord with audiences back in 1977, and continues to do so today. It is a fun good vs. evil story that only touches upon the spiritual elements of the 'Force' that we now know so well, and on the vastness of the universe it is set within. Personally, I have to agree with Dante's argument that Empire offers a darker and richer experience, which not only develops the series' mythology even further, but paints its characters with far more layers than seen before.

We no doubt have George Lucas' lack of involvement in the film's development for that, as the witty script by Leigh Bracket and Raiders of the Lost Ark scribe Lawrence Kasdan keeps the action both exciting and with consequence, as well as maintaining a firm grasp on the characters' complicated relationships and personal roles in the expanding story. Director Irvin Kershner, who took over after Lucas bailed following a troubled pre-production, also brings the best out of the actors. Empire really transformed what was an interesting idea drawing inspiration from classic sci-fi serials and the samurai films of Akira Kurosawa into the billion-dollar beast it is today. These films are now so deeply rooted in our culture that it's almost difficult to classify the original trilogy as mere movies, they have now become something else entirely.

After succeeding in blowing up the Empire's planet-destroying Death Star, the Rebels, led by Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), are hiding out on ice planet Hoth while the evil Darth Vader sends out trackers throughout the galaxy in the hope of tracking them down. Smuggler Han Solo (Harrison Ford) wants to repair his ship and get back to his old ways with trusted Wookiee friend Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), but that doesn't prevent him from flirting with Leia (Carrie Fisher). When they are eventually spotted and the planet is attacked, the film does what most sequels do nowadays and splits everybody up. Han and Leia must escape through an asteroid field with the Empire in pursuit to seek refuge in Cloud City with old friend Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), while Luke seeks out Dagobah to learn the ways of the Force from Jedi master Yoda (Frank Oz).

Even though I have seen this movie countless times, the arm hairs still stand up when John Williams' fantastic score kicks in during the opening crawl. From the on, Empire delivers a relentless assault of riveting set-pieces and iconic moments, from the attack on Hoth which still stands up to most modern blockbusters, to the gob-smacking twist at the climax now so routinely, and lovingly, spoofed. It also takes Darth Vader to a new level of villainy, as the helmeted Sith lord relentlessly pursues the young man he feels is strong in the ways of the Force, and brutally takes out any of his own underlings who make the mistake of failing him. It's certainly dark, but it's easy to forget just how exciting and engrossing it is also. Ending at an incredibly low point for most of the good guys involved with only a sliver of hope on the horizon, I can't imagine how much fans were left wanting more back in 1980 as the credits rolled. It will always be superior to A New Hope in my book, but you can't have one without the other, and both are damn near perfect.


Directed by: Irvin Kershner
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker, Frank Oz
Country: USA

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,226: 'War for the Planet of the Apes' (2017)

Matt Reeves' War for the Planet of the Apes, the reboot of the classic series that also work as prequels of sorts, isn't the first ape-led movie this summer to draw inspiration from Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam classic Apocalypse Now. While Kong: Skull Island attempted to re-create some of the visuals from Coppola's masterpiece, especially the helicopters whizzing past the sunset moment that adorned the posters, it shared little of its psychological tone and gravitas. In War for the Planet of the Apes, the only obvious references are the words 'Ape-pocalypse Now' scrawled by humans in a dingy sewer, and Woody Harrelson's bald, painted and psychotic antagonist The Colonel. Yet War also shares much of its weary, exhausted tone, and the psychological effects of battle are a key theme running throughout, as is the desire for revenge driven by an unquenchable hatred.

For anyone hoping to enjoy an action-packed blockbuster full of explosions and thrills will likely be disappointed, or at least take aback by how serious Reeves and co-writer Matt Bomback approach the subject matter. After the blistering finale of the previous film, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, which offered the delightful sight of an ape riding a horse wielding two machine-guns, it would seem more fitting to switch the two titles around, and there is little war in this trilogy-closer, but there is certainly a dawn of something big. Beginning 2 years later, Caesar (Andy Serkis), who can now speak as eloquently as any human, is still haunted by his former ally Koba (Toby Kebbell), whose feelings of pure hatred towards his human abusers could not be quelled by Caesar's teachings of tolerance. Leading a huge tribe hiding out in the woods, they are attacked by the military but manage to defeat the small band of soldiers. After this pulse-racing opener, Reeves takes his foot off the pedal to focus on Caesar's inward struggle and personal journey.

Caesar's hand in forced when some of his immediate family are murdered by a renegade militant group headed by the genocidal Colonel, who isn't given a name, or much personality until his motivation is eventually explained. Although he sets out on his quest for revenge across the snowy mountains alone, he is soon joined by his loyal companions Maurice (Karin Konoval), Luca (Michael Adamthwaite) and Rocket (Terry Notary, who also did the motion-capture for Kong), who continue to trust the judgement of the leader they have followed from the very beginning. They soon pick up a couple of new faces, the mute young human Nova (Amiah Miller), and former zoo resident and chimpanzee Bad Ape (Steve Zahn). The latter offers the series a levity so badly lacking in the previous instalments, and Zahn wonderfully captures the character's adorable mixture of naivety and weariness, as well as delivering the film's few funny moments. It soon transpires that the clan Caesar had left behind and believed to be on their way to safety have been rounded up by the Colonel and locked away in a concentration camp of sorts, so it becomes a race against time to prevent the extermination of his species.

Dawn represented the very pinnacle of special effects, with the CGI rendered characters interacting seamlessly with their human counterparts, as well as the drizzly forest surrounding them. War somehow eclipses this, taking such care with its special effects that you can truly see the humanity in Caesar's eyes. Even the Colonel acknowledges this by marvelling at how almost human Caesar appears, yet this does not sway his disdain. But this shouldn't take anything away from Serkis' performance. As well as nailing the physicality of the primate's movements, he also delivers a performance of remarkable intensity, yet also one of warmth. Caesar's pacifist attitude has constantly been met with aggression, and his tolerance has taken a battering over the course of Rise and Dawn. He is an ape at the end of his tether, willing to risk certain death to see one man burn, but he also recognises the good side of humanity in the form of the harmless Nova, who has witnessed the barbarity of her species first hand. It's incredibly heavy stuff for a big-budget picture, but although some of the symbolism may be clumsily-handled in parts, this is refreshingly mature stuff. It left me with both the sensation of satisfaction after a fitting closure to the story, and the desire to see the franchise push on even further.


Directed by: Matt Reeves
Starring: Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Karin Konoval, Amiah Miller, Terry Notary
Country: USA/Canada/New Zealand

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,225: 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' (2017)

Marvel fans rejoiced when the announcement was made that Cinematic Universe overseer Kevin Feige had managed to reclaim the movie rights to one of their most beloved and iconic characters, Spider-Man. Along with Bryan Singer's X-Men, Sam Raimi's Tobey Maguire-starring Spider-Man trilogy laid the foundations for the modern superhero movie and proved that comic-books aren't just for nerds. After constant meddling by Sony, Spider-Man 3 was a convoluted mess, and although it raked in the cash at the box-office, plans for a fourth instalment were put on ice. The plan was later scrapped entirely in favour of a reboot with Andrew Garfield, which was also cancelled after its sequel made the same mistakes that saw Raimi's Spider-Man 3 receive a critical mauling.

Marvel cast British actor Tom Holland in the role, and he was quickly heralded as the best Peter Parker yet when he debuted in last year's Captain America: Civil War, and Feige revealed that a standalone reboot was coming soon. The thought of a second reboot just 5 years after the last one naturally had people sceptical, but Holland's exciting cameo also raised hopes. While it certainly doesn't reach the lofty humanist heights of Raimi's Spider-Man 2 (still one of the best comic-book movies ever made), Homecoming - a title that works on two levels - is bloody good fun. Taking Parker all the way back to high school as an overeager 15 year old, with detention, hormones and the homecoming dance as much of a concern to our hero as the villain flying around with alien technology, the film shares just as much in common with the classic John Hughes movies of the 1980s than it does with anything starring Iron Man, Thor or the Hulk.

Having proved himself to Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) by stealing Captain America's shield and helping topple Paul Rudd's Giant-Man during the events of Civil War, Peter Parker now waits eagerly by the phone for a call from Jon Favreau's Happy Hogan to announce his next mission. Only Stark would prefer that he remains a friendly, neighbourhood Spider-Man for the time being, but Parker's eagerness to prove himself and struggle to truly control his powers see him taking on hardened thugs and barely making it out alive. On top of juggling his new responsibilities (thankfully we are spared the Uncle Ben speech this time around), he awkwardly courts the pretty Liz (Laura Harrier), receives abuse from rich douchebag Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori), and must prevent chubby best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) from revealing his superhero alter-ego to the rest of the school. Ned quite rightly believes that the revelation is their ticket to climb the high school cool hierarchy, and Liz naturally has a crush on her local masked vigilante.

A world away from Marvel's previous supervillain Ego the Living Planet (no pun intended), whose masterplan spanned the entire universe, Homecoming's big bad is in the form of working man Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton). Talking in a thick New York accent and favouring a baseball cap and a hoodie, Toomes is introduced cleaning up the mess left by Loki and his Chitauri army during the climax of 2012's The Avengers, only to watch as his contract is snatched away by Stark and his billions. He doesn't leave empty-handed though, as he manages to smuggle some alien technology away and form a lucrative, and highly illegal, arms business. He also has a formidable suit made for him, allowing him to soar through the sky on razor-sharp wings, dubbing him the Vulture. After a number of forgettable Marvel villains, Toomes brings to mind Alfred Molina's three-dimensional and incredibly sympathetic Doc Ock, and Keaton has fun with the role, proving a menacing presence during a particularly tense car journey on the way to the homecoming dance, in what is undoubtedly the film's standout moment.

The likes of Thor would be able to take out Toomes with the blink of an eye, but his family-first motivation and distrust of the rich and powerful ground the movie, and helps make Homecoming Marvel's smallest and most intimate entry since Ant-Man. While the climax does deliver a routine smash-em-up CGI fest that director Jon Watts doesn't seem experienced enough to handle, the film mainly avoids the usual superhero tropes and rarely shifts its focus away from Parker, who is played with irresistible charm and athleticism by Holland. There's an endearing playfulness in the smaller moments, particularly in the dynamic between Holland and scene-stealer Batalon. Having watched Watts's previous film Cop Car recently, it now seems obvious why Marvel placed so much trust in a director so clearly adept in handling young relationships. Homecoming continues the recent trend of proving that superhero movies don't necessarily need to be superhero movies: They can also be a high school comedy, or a violent western. Was a second reboot for a character only introduced to the big screen 15 years ago justified? Somehow, yes.


Directed by: Jon Watts
Starring: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr., Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Zendaya, Tony Revolori
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,224: 'Kundun' (1997)

Kundun, Martin Scorsese's beautifully realised story of the Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, is possibly his most divisive amongst fans. Directed by the guy whose specialities are wiseguys in sharp suits and dazzling camerawork, Kundun is a remarkably subdued tale. Scorsese had tackled religion before with the controversial The Last Temptation of Christ, but his version of the story of Jesus also came with a recognisable edge. Yet even his roughest and toughest movies come with a sense of spirituality - Mean Streets in particular - and Kundun has this in abundance, so Scorsese isn't exactly far from safe ground. Spirituality is woven into the movie's very fabric, as is the idea of watching a ready-made saint in action.

A saint is precisely how Scorsese views the Dalai Lama, and Melissa Mathison's script paints him like a key religious figure whose teachings can now only be read in scripture. As of 2017, Gyatso is still alive and reigning, although the film begins in 1937. This almost mythical presence does work in the context of Buddhism however, as if their beliefs in reincarnation are true, then Gyatso is just another body containing a soul hundreds of years old. As a young boy (played by Tenzin Yeshi Paichang at 2 years old), he is shown various objects, some of which belonged to the previous Dalai Lama, by some Tibetan monks. He chooses correctly, and is taken away to lead, but as to whether this was the expression on the monks face as he fondled the items or genuine reincarnation, Scorsese lets you ponder. He grows old and wiser, and faces difficult decisions as Imperial China invade to claim Tibet as their own.

This is undoubtedly Scorsese's most beautiful picture, and he takes his time to admire the lavish golds and reds of the ceremonial robes, as well as the intricate creation of Bhavachakra and its inevitable destruction, all backed by Philip Glass' haunting score. The decadence comes at a price however, as although we spend near enough the entire screen time with the Dalai Lama, we learn little about Gyatso. He must suffer his decisions in relative silence, or in hushed utterances to his trusted council. The refusal to follow a traditional narrative makes for a slow-moving if never boring movie, with the drama punctured by a powerful sequence depicting Gyatso standing in a sea of slaughtered monks. While it may leaving us questioning who this man truly was, I can only admire Scorsese's insistence on making the movie he wanted to make. Movies like Kundun are the reason why the director will always be remembered as a true master of his craft.


Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong , Gyurme Tethong, Tulku Jamyang Kunga Tenzin, Tenzin Yeshi Paichang
Country: USA/Monaco

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,223: 'Cop Car' (2015)

For anyone with children of their own, Jon Watts' Cop Car may just be one of the most uncomfortable cinematic experiences you'll ever sit through, as it revels in putting its two young protagonists through hell as part of their unique coming-of-age. The two baby-faced runaways at the story's centre are played with incredible naturalism by James Freedson-Jackson and Hays Wellford, which will no doubt make the movie all the more distressing for any doting parents. The rest of us can marvel at an incredibly well-constructed and tightly-wound thriller, which also ventures into neo-noir territory akin to early work of the Coen Brothers and, more recently and albeit with less blood, Jeremy Saulnier's Blue Ruin. It's a small piece of work that didn't escape the eyes of Marvel Studios, who quickly snapped Watts up for their delicate reboot of Spider-Man.

Opening in a vast field in the middle of nowhere, pre-teens Travis (Freedson-Jackson) and Harrison (Wellford) wander aimlessly practising swearing and sharing a Slim Jim. It's soon becomes clear that they have run away from home, but less clear is why and just how far they've come. Their boredom is soon relieved by the sight of an empty police car, parked suspiciously with keys still in the ignition and an empty beer bottle on the hood. Curiosity naturally gets the better of them and they are soon revving up the engine and teaching themselves how to drive. If anyone pulls them over, they'll just claim to be the police. We are then treated to a flashback, in which we learn that the car's owner, Sheriff Kretzer (Kevin Bacon), is not a very nice man at all. He strips to his vest, dons gloves, and proceeds to pull a body out of the trunk and buries it. When he returns to his parking spot and realises his grave error, he quickly starts to cover his tracks and hunt down the thieves.

The plot of Cop Car relies heavily on sheer stupidity. Kretzer, an experienced officer, should not have left the keys behind, or his gun, or the soon-to-be-discovered roughed-up criminal in the trunk (played by Shea Whigham). But many great thrillers are built upon the clumsy actions of the buffoons driving the action, and Cop Car is no exception. In keeping the characters backgrounds a mystery, they come unpredictable, and the film becomes increasingly intense because of this. Watts and Christopher Ford's screenplay carefully moves its small band of characters into place (including a nosy bystander played by Camryn Manheim whose good intentions seem to be destined for tragedy) for a thrilling finale that manages to keep you on the edge of your seat right up to the very last scene. Passed on for a cinema release, Cop Car is a fine example of the kind of surprises to be found with straight-to-DVD titles, elegantly combining action, dark humour, and a believable coming-of-age tale.


Directed by: Jon Watts
Starring: Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson, Hays Wellford, Camryn Manheim, Shea Whigham
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,222: 'The Creature Walks Among Us' (1956)

Directed by John Sherwood, The Creature Walks Among Us is the third and final movie in one of Universal's most beloved monster franchises, that of the Gill-Man of the Black Lagoon. The original is a genre classic, a surprisingly creepy picture given its B-movie shackles that makes powerful use of its man-in-a-rubber-suit special effects. With audiences losing interest in creature features and denying Universal its bread and butter in the process, Creature from the Black Lagoon inspired a quickly-made sequel the following year, Revenge of the Creature, a routine monster movie that proved to be as uninspiring and unimaginative as its title, drawing from what made its predecessor so memorable without any of its skill of execution.

This final bow wraps the trilogy up nicely, while facing the wrath of its fans by being rather hesitant to go underwater and taking the evolutionary curiosity in a different direction all together. After the events of Revenge, the creature is at large in Florida, believed to be hiding out in the wetlands of the Everglades. A new crack team of square-jawed scientists and one of their pretty wives head out on a boat in the hope of snaring the beast, although it quickly comes to light that each man may have their own intentions. The handsome Thomas Morgan (Rex Reason) hopes to gain medical insight through experimentation, but the unhinged William Barton (Jeff Morrow) plans to mess with its DNA and creature a whole new species. The presence of Barton's wife Marcia (Leigh Snowden) has testosterone running high, sending Barton slowly mad in the process, while sleazy jungle guide Jed Grant (Gregg Palmer) tries to catch her eye.

After an incident leaves the Gill-Man badly burned, the crew tend to him and head for home. The burns peel back to reveal a smoother skin beneath, and the group are shocked to learn that the gill-breather also has lungs. The creature starts to, as the title suggests, walk among us, and is here more human than ever. With this idea, the film harks back to the original and turns its focus on man as the beast. He doesn't even need shackles to walk into his enclosure once he is brought ashore, and is eventually only thrown into a rage by evil acts committed by man. There's no claiming and kidnapping women to be his mate, and at one point he even prevents a rape. There is a startling amount of characterisation for a genre normally so reliant of archetypes, thanks to the script by Arthur A. Ross and strong performances from Morrow and Reason (who appeared together in sci-fi turkey and 'classic' This Island Earth. Given its obvious appeal, the Creature has remained surprisingly untouched by Hollywood's fondness for remakes, and judging from the reaction to Universal's introduction to their planned 'Dark Universe', The Mummy, let's keep it that way.


Directed by: John Sherwood
Starring: Jeff Morrow, Rex Reason, Leigh Snowden, Gregg Palmer
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,221: 'Fast & Furious 8' (2017)

By the time Paul Walker bailed and Vin Diesel only bothered to show up for a wink-and-a-smile cameo back in 2003 with the third instalment in the Fast & Furious franchise, Tokyo Drift, it seemed like the series started by Rob Cohen in 2001 as an entertaining Point Break rip-off was done and dusted. 14 years later, the eighth entry sits happily as the eleventh highest-grossing movie of all time, raking in a whopping $1.2 billion at the box-office. Having evolved from low-key crime thrillers with a street-racing twist to all-out, physics-defying spy adventure blockbusters, audiences are clearly not done with Dominic Toretto (Diesel) and his street-hood 'family'. The film's alternate title of The Fate of the Furious - keeping up with the series' trend of frustratingly difficult-to-follow title meddling - suggests that this may be the most ridiculous, balls-to-the-wall spectacle yet, and it certainly lives up to its billing.

Ever since previous fan favourites were cherry-picked to inexplicably form the gang of ass-kickers-for-hire the movies are now built around, the cast has rapidly expanded and individuals have been reduced to little more than the odd one-liner. When Dwayne Johnson's oiled man-mountain Hobbs was introduced to add some spice and charisma to a stagnant series, Vin Diesel found himself in the awkward position of hogging screen-time from an actor everyone would rather be seeing. This is very much Diesel's product and he takes things very seriously, so Fast & Furious 8 sees the two split up into two very tonally different story lines, in a move that may have been made to satisfy the needs of both actors, or to simply keep the two away from each other. Johnson made comments on social media criticising a certain cast member's behaviour, in a thinly-disguised jab at Diesel. The tension isn't evident in the final movie, but it does mean you're likely to spend half the time wishing you were with the former wrestler, especially when he teams up with the returning Jason Statham.

Dom growls and mumbles before turning his back on the gang when his honeymoon with Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) is rudely interrupted by a hacker known as Cipher (Charlize Theron), who blackmails the big lug into stealing an EMP device. Enter exposition device Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) and, for some reason, his partner played by Scott Eastwood, who round up the former car-jackers and criminals to steal it back before chaos is unleashed. And so the two stories unfold: One a moody drama that often turns quite violent, and the weirdly erotically-charged, but nevertheless amusing, penis-comparing adventures of Johnson and Statham. When you're watching a movie in which a submarine is 'jacked', it's clear that the mood of the latter better suits the franchise. Diesel's brooding and Theron's phoning-in don't make for particularly entertaining viewing, especially when it follows a scene of hacked autonomous CGI cars swarming through the city streets like a hoard of fast-moving zombies.

Characters seem to fill every inch of the screen, and it was a struggle to remember just what roles returning actors Elsa Pataky, Luke Evans and Djimon Honsou had played previously, although anoraks will have no trouble. To say it is a convoluted mess driven by a McGuffin would be an understatement, and it could be argued that this plot has been done before a few films ago. Nevertheless Fast & Furious 8 delivers when it fires up the nitrous oxide. While there's nothing to match Hobbs' Gatling-gun rampage in part 7, there is a punchy prison breakout scene, Tyrese Gibson ice-skating on a car door, and the aforementioned submarine. You came here for fast cars, and they are worked into the story whether it makes logical sense or not. If only Diesel would lighten up and not take a series built on fun so damn seriously, this could have been so much better. Fingers crossed for the Johnson/Statham spin-off though.


Directed by: F. Gary Gray
Starring: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Charlize Theron, Kurt Russell, Scott Eastwood, Nathalie Emmanuel
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,220: 'Kong: Skull Island' (2017)

The title of this latest movie to feature cinema's most famous giant ape, King Kong, refers to the beast's misty and unexplored home in Indonesia, or the Pacific Ocean, or the Indian Ocean, depending on which incarnation you happen to be watching. It's a world known to movie fans to be full of prehistoric or unnaturally gigantic monsters, and things are very much the same in Jordan Vogt-Roberts' entertaining big-budget update. Anyone fearing a retread of the story told back in 1933 and never bettered since can relax, as Kong: Skull Island is less interested in exploring the incredibly fragile relationship between man and nature than it is with smashing helicopters to pieces in front of a gorgeous sunset.

Both a follow-up to 2014's Godzilla and a build-up to the upcoming smack-down cross-over between two of the big screen's most famous abominations, Kong carries on the tone by making its human characters infinitely less interesting than the big guy we all came to see. Early trailers and posters before the film's release teased a tone akin to the great Vietnam War movies, especially Apocalypse Now, but there are little similarities other than the famous shot from Coppola's movie of helicopters flying by a setting sun and the 1973 setting. This is big, dumb fun, and little more, but that is by no means a bad thing. Peter Jackson tried earnestly back in 2005 to tell the traditional story with a mixture of heart and spectacle, with mixed results. It climaxed with the ape's relocation to the mainland and his tragic end at the top of the Empire State Building, but here, once government agents/scientists Bill Randa (John Goodman) and Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins) seal the required funds and hit the island, we never leave.

At just shy of 2 hours, Skull Island struggles to handle the unnecessarily expansive cast of characters, and boy are they bland. Tom Hiddleston's British Special Forces captain James Conrad (an obvious nod to Heart of Darkness author Joseph Conrad) is the closest thing we have to a lead, but this is only because he is handsome and warns the others of danger. They are escorted by Samuel L. Jackson's Preston Packard, a Lieutenant Colonel in charge of a helicopter squadron called the Sky Devils whose idea of scientific study is to bomb the shit out of the island upon arrival. Among the rag-tag bunch of monkey-food soldiers are the grizzled Cole (Shea Whigham), and Jack Chapman (Toby Kebbell, who also performs the motion-capture for Kong), an eager-to-please young buck with a questionable American accent. In a somewhat baffling move, they also invite photojournalist Mason Weaver (Brie Larson) on a mission you would expect the Army to want to keep quiet.

At one point, I counted three concurrent storylines. Supporting characters such as John Ortiz's Nieves and Tian Jing's San are played by familiar faces but serve absolutely no purpose, and only John C. Reilly's stranded World War II veteran Hank Marlow brings any heart and soul to the story. Yet, Roberts knows how to make carnage look incredibly cool, and this is the meanest, leanest and biggest Kong to date. Helicopters are torn to shreds, a giant octopus (living in fresh water?) is brutally devoured, and soldiers are swallowed whole - Kong doesn't have time to share a tender moment with a beautiful woman lying in his palm. When the action shifts away from the puny humans and to the titular powerhouse, the film is so damn exciting that you can, for a short time, forgive the film's many misgivings and cliches. It's unlikely that the 1933 original will ever be topped, so it's pleasing that Kong: Skull Island at least makes an attempt to try something a little different. For a B-movie dressed up as an A-movie with only one memorable character who isn't simian, it certainly entertains.


Directed by: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson, John C. Reilly, John Goodman, Corey Hawkins, Toby Kebbell, Shea Whigham
Country: USA/China/Australia/Canada

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,219: 'I Am Not a Serial Killer' (2016)

Last year, Netflix unleashed one of its bigger hits to date - the nostalgic, creepy and ridiculously entertaining Stranger Things. Set in the 1980s, the show quickly garnered a legion of fans old enough to have grown up on the blockbuster classics of Steven Spielberg, as well as attracting younger viewers drawn to its mystery and lovable characters. While Stranger Things itself may have been influenced by J.J. Abrams' throwback Super 8, the show's success can certainly be felt throughout cinema. One such film is Billy O'Brien's I Am Not a Serial Killer, adapted from Dan Wells' young adult novel of the same name, which manages to hide its low budget roots incredibly well and deliver an interesting character study with a supernatural edge.

Teenager John Wayne Cleaver (Max Records) shows all the signs of being a future serial killer. He is well aware that his sinister thoughts and general disdain for humanity do not bode well, and openly tells his therapist so. In order to ensure that he doesn't commit a terrible act he cannot take back, John follows a strict set of rules, including responding to abuse by paying a compliment. It hasn't prevented him from developing a reputation as a freak among his fellow students in high school, but he does enjoy an easy-going friendship with his elderly neighbour, Mr. Crowley (Christopher Lloyd). In his spare time, John helps out his mother (Laura Fraser) with the family funeral home business, where he gets to stare with intense curiosity at the cadavers being readied for embalming. When the town is hit by an organ-stealing murderer, John uses his encyclopaedic knowledge of serial killers to carry out his own investigation.

It's to O'Brien's credit that he has managed to sculpt such an impressive-looking piece out of such a modest budget. It has a grungy, 90s aesthetic with a soundtrack including the likes of Donovan and Norman Greenbaum, but with the way it explores its dark subject matter and troubled protagonist, also feels contemporary. The less known about the film the better, as what little I had heard about it before going in led me to believe that I would be getting a serious study of a young sociopath, but this is only half of the story. The young Records, last seen in 2009's Where the Wild Things Are as an eleven year-old, plays the psycho with a heart of gold with a weirdly endearing blend of creepiness and fragility, and Lloyd gives one of his career-best as one of John's prime suspects. It has its flaws, and your enjoyment of the film may depend on how much genre-mixing you can stomach, but this is an odd yet compelling little indie.


Directed by: Billy O'Brien
Starring: Max Records, Christopher Lloyd, Laura Fraser, Karl Geary
Country: Ireland/UK/USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,218: 'The Thomas Crown Affair' (1968)

Some movies rely on the chemistry of their lead co-stars in order to engage their audience, hoping that the thrill of watching two sexy movie-stars romancing and eventually getting it on with each other will provide sufficient escapism to make the reality lurking outside seem a world away. It's difficult to think of a film as reliant on the raw sex appeal of its superstars than Norman Jewison's 1968 heist thriller The Thomas Crown Affair, and Steve McQueen, as the titular millionaire playboy, and Faye Dunaway, as the sultry insurance investigator hot on his tail, positively sizzle with chemistry. In fact, they are so gorgeous that they manage to turn a game of chess into a playful game of seduction. The duo have certainly given much better performances during their careers, but they have never looked so good.

This pretty much sums up The Thomas Crown Affair: a polished, colourful star vehicle with an unashamedly glossy veneer. At the very centre of the story is a bank heist gone right, masterminded by the rather smug Thomas Crown (McQueen) after he handpicks his crew without ever letting them see his face. The thieves escape with over 2 million dollars, and nobody, including the rather clueless Detective Eddy Malone (Paul Burke), has any idea who it was. Enter Vicki Anderson (Dunaway), a no-nonsense independent woman with a love of the finer things in life. She quickly figures out that Crown was behind it all, but remains puzzled at why a man with everything would want to steal money he doesn't need. Of course, it's all a game, and the couple start their own game of cat-and-mouse as they embark on a steam affair.

Taking inspiration from the Expo 67 film A Place to Stand, which greatly impressed McQueen, Jewison employs 'multi-dynamic image technique', splitting the screen into sections with each part showing a different viewpoint. It gives the film a unique style, especially during the opening heist, and when combined with 60s kitsch, everything is wonderful to look at. While the visuals still impress, the characters are somewhat dated. He's the rich, philandering charmer, and she is bowled over by his fast-living and expensive possessions. It makes it all the more difficult to warm to a character I would detest in real life, but McQueen has more than enough charisma to pull through. There are never any real stakes, but it's pretty fun while it lasts, just a little hollow at its centre. The Pierce Brosnan/Rene Russo remake from 1999 makes for a more satisfying ride.


Directed by: Norman Jewison
Starring: Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, Paul Burke, Jack Weston, Yaphet Kotto
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,217: 'Life' (2017)

When promotion started for Daniel Espinosa's space-set horror, a popular fan theory emerged that the movie was in fact an origin film for Sony's upcoming Venom movie, in which an alien symbiote arrives on Earth and attaches itself to Spider-Man, or so the comics and Sam Raimi's terrible Spider-Man 3 go. It speaks volumes about fans' eagerness to attach an original story to some ongoing franchise as part of a bigger, expanding world, as is the fad nowadays brought on by the success of Marvel's nine-year strong 'cinematic universe'. Life is not a Venom origin movie, but is in fact a throwback to popular, adult genre movies that flourished in the 1970s and 80s, although the potential for sequels is purposely there. That said, you have no doubt seen this movie before, as it rests comfortably into a well-worn formula and has no qualms about its own lack of originality.

The crew of the International Space Station manage to pull of the dangerous feat of capturing a fast-moving probe returning from Mars carrying soil samples. The six-strong team, captained by Russian Ekaterina (Olga Dihovichnaya), quickly discover that the package contains evidence of alien life in the form of dormant cells. Biologist Dr. Hugh Derry (Ariyon Bakare) manages to revive one cell by turning up the temperature, witnessing the alien's rapid growth and quick-learning. Back on Earth, school children name the discovery 'Calvin', but on the space station the creature becomes aggressive, attacking Derry and causing the rest of the crew, consisting of medical officer David Jordan (Jake Gyllenhaal), quarantine officer Miranda North (Rebecca Ferguson), pilot Sho Murakami (Hiroyuki Sanada) and wise-cracking engineer Rory Adams (Ryan Reynolds), to flee for their lives. Soon enough, preventing Calvin from reaching Earth becomes the top priority.

Drawing inspiration from the swirling camerawork of Gravity, the horror bursts of Event Horizon, the culturally diverse line-up of Sunshine, and, most of all, the claustrophobic man-versus-beast panic of genre classic Alien, Life offers nothing new to the genre, and will likely be all but forgotten in a few years. If you're expecting atmosphere, characterisation, gore or surprises, this is not that movie. However, your enjoyment of the film will depend on how quickly you come to accept the formulaic way it goes about its business, and the sooner the better. While it's nothing like the dizzying innovation of Gravity, Espinosa's film offers some spectacular visuals, blurring the line between reality and CGI. It also feels short, which is always a good thing. Life is a time-waster; something to switch your brain off to and kill 100 minutes. You may wait for a twist or the story to change direction, but it doesn't, and when the film attempts to deliver a surprise, chances are you'll have already guessed it.


Directed by: Daniel Espinosa
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ariyon Bakare, Olga Dihovichnaya
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,216: 'Overlord' (1975)

Stuart Cooper's Overlord is a meditation on the mechanics of war and the young souls swept into it. After winning the Silver Bear at the 25th Berlin International Film Festival, the film became incredibly obscure until recently, when it was given the restoration it deserved by the lovely folks at Criterion. Beginning in a quaint English home and ending on the beaches of Normandy for 'Operation Overlord' during World War II, it's a simple yet hypnotic story of a young private named Tom (Brian Stirner) and his slow journey to a death he feels is inevitable. The very first scene shows an out-of-focus soldier running from or towards an unknown threat before being shot down, only to be revealed as a dream sequence. This vision plagues Tom's thoughts, but he nevertheless remains somewhat chipper about it.

What makes this very personal journey so incredibly powerful is the sense of impending doom. Tom always seems to be on the move, be it on a train or an army jeep, as if he is making a slow trek towards his fate, and he chooses this time to daydream. Despite not knowing where the war is heading or if he'll even see combat, he somehow knows he is going to die but remains nonchalant about it. A nice boy, well spoken and slight, Tom is not built for the army, but he does what he is told and makes friends. The only time we really see his personality come to the fore is when he meets a pretty young lady (Julie Neesam) and the pair enjoy what little time they have together. He tells her they'll meet again, but we know they won't. In making Tom such an everyman, Overlord studies the anonymity of battle, and celebrates the millions of unknown soldiers who have charged into certain death without really understanding why.

Starting out life as a documentary, Cooper later made the bold decision to use the startling archive footage provided by the Imperial War Museum and weave a narrative through it. Cinematographer John Alcott (who collaborated with Stanley Kubrick on the likes of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Barry Lyndon) employs grainy black-and-white photography for the central story so it is interchangeable with the stock footage. The result is staggering. By adding sound, scenes of devastating city bombings become hellish nightmares, and a beach landing turns into something out of science-fiction. In a bizarre scene, a water wheel device powered by mini rockets rolls across the water and onto land, hoping to detonate any landmines or unexploded bombs before mightily toppling over. It's World War II like you've never seen it before, and it's real. It's a winning combination of observational and personal, making Overlord one of the most innovative and devastating humanist war films ever made.


Directed by: Stuart Cooper
Starring: Brian Stirner, Davyd Harries, Nicholas Ball, Julie Neesam
Country: UK

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie