Mute

Netflix is doing a lot of things right these days. Mudbound, excellent btw, is it's first film to get Oscar nominations. It's new show Everything Sucks is a perfect slice of 90's nostalgia. And they've finally started adding older movies to their, up til now, sorely lacking library.  They need to stay away from the sci-fi though. It's just not working out for them. Bright, The Cloverfield Paradox, Spectral and now this, Mute, the new film from Duncan (son of David Bowie) Jones. It's not as bad as the first two but really that's just damning it with faint praise.

A mute technology eschewing Amish man named Leo works as a barman in a futuristic Berlin. He's happy in a relationship with the secretive Naadirah until one day she disappears. At the same time a pair of A.W.O.L. US Army doctors perform underground procedures for criminals in the hope of earning their freedom via forged papers. Slowly we realise both sets of stories are intertwined.

Mute is a lovely looking film. It does well in making a dark, grimy future look somehow beautiful.  But that strange beauty covers up an empty film and painfully pointless one at that. It tells a simple tale that's been splashed with extraneous details to cover up it's lack of depth or substance. For instance the fact that the main character is mute or Amish brings nothing to the film apart from a bit of quirkiness. He could have been a Catholic loudmouth and the end result would have been the exact same. The future setting likewise. It adds nothing apart from letting us know that Duncan Jones has seen Blade Runner one time too many. The story could have been set in World War 2 Berlin without changing any of the plot or story beats. It's all style for the sake of style. 

It's a film noir story that's been dragged out of a 40's B-movie, had it's dust shook off and splashed with a new coat of paint. And some modern nastiness. One story line will make you shudder. Sadly one of the downsides of these older movies has tagged along for the ride too. Women exist in this film purely to motivate men into action. They only appear in the movie to be taunted, disappear or be threatened or leered at. It's pretty unpleasant and will be offputting to a large chunk of the potential audience for this.

It has a few positives though. The brutally unsubtle nod towards Duncan Jones' first film 'Moon' is a bit of fun. The lovely acoustic version of Nirvana's Heart Shaped Box that appears throughout the film. Alexander Skarsgård in the lead role is a solid lead. A big lumbering hulk of a man who looks believable in the few scenes that allow him to throw down. Paul Rudd as Cactus Bill is good value too. He plays an absolutely nasty piece of work and it's fun to see this side of him because he's always so likable in everything else. Plus he rocks the fuck out of a ridiculous moustache and gets to carry around a Bowie knife (injoke) that's nearly as big as himself. Justin Theroux rounds out the main cast and all I will say about him is....well if you are a Justin Theroux fan you won't like this role of his. In fact it will probably ruin him for you. *itches*

I found this fierce disappointing and a massively wasted opportunity. Why set a film in the future and use a story that has no connection to the future. Why write a film and fill it with plot holes that a child would notice? Why would an Amish man who hates tech work in a bar full of robots? Why would a character finding out the most heinous thing ever about another character threaten him and then go for a fun night with him? Why am i getting so annoyed by a film I'll never watch again???? Why why why?

Don't bother.

I, Tonya

An argument kicks off between a mother and daughter at a dinner table. F-words fly, then food, a plate shatters and finally a blade penetrates skin. It's a horribly unexpected moment that will elicit gasps from even the most hardened of viewers. It's not the kind of thing you expect to see in a biopic of an ice skater. But then again Tonya Harding wasn't your ordinary common or garden type of ice skater. And this film is far from an ordinary sporting biopic.

Tonya Harding had the misfortune to be lumped with an absolute weapons grade prick of a mother. The kind of parent who's life has turned bitter and who takes it out on her child as a result. Tonya was naturally gifted at ice skating as a youngster and should have had a happy childhood but instead spent it being physically abused and shouted at and being told she wasn't good enough. She grew up knowing only this kind of relationship and naturally it coloured her view of adult relationships. Her ice skating skills grew until she was competing at national level and seemed destined for greatness. But life and the people you meet along the way have an awful habit of messing things up for you. 

I loved this. I found it to be, despite some of the horribleness described in the last two paragraphs, one of the most blackly entertaining and gripping films I've seen in a long long time. It's a drama containing some of the darkest moments of comedy you'll ever see and it's not going to be for everyone but if you can make it through you'll be happy you did. It will make you think about perceptions you might have held onto for years. It's the kind of true story you think you know but you really haven't a clue about and it goes to places you'll never expect. It's also a story you couldn't take seriously if it was fictional because it's nearly too far fetched but because it's true you'll sit there slack jawed trying to absorb some the things you see played out on the screen.

Alison Janney & Margot are amazing as mother and daughter. One a twisted, snarling vicious creation that feels horribly real and the other the product of that creation, a woman struggling to stay in control of her life by hiding her bruised psyche behind a smiling exterior. It would have been very easy for the filmmakers to paint Tonya as an angel here but they don't at all. Growing up with her beast of a mother gave her a spiky outer shell and it's only when she feels that she has let herself down does her vulnerability show. It's a beautifully layered performance and in any other year she'd be showered with accolades for it. Sebastian Stan as Jeff Gilooly gets to stretch his legs too playing a part a million miles away from his Marvel outings. Plus he gets to rock a moustache that will actually make you shudder.

This has been compared to Goodfellas a lot lately and ya on the surface there are similarities, the punching soundtrack and the constant narration but it's very much it's own beast. A thematically packed beast at that. It's a look at the lifelong trauma that can be inflicted by toxic relationships, be they parent and child, husband and wife or just a bad friendship. It's also a look at the cult of celebrity and how that type of adoration can fill the hole in a damaged soul. It's a look at the damage classism can have on people when they are on the wrong side of it and finally it takes a shot at us, the viewer. How our hunger for nonstop news and scandal skews how we see people on screen. Real people. We forget how our consumption of news media effects the real people involved. How we always need to see someone as a baddie. The unreliable narrator is a plot device that's been used in film forever and is one that's always interesting. Here we have two unreliable narrators, Tonya herself and her husband Jeff, both contradicting each other constantly, often turning to the camera during a scene to tell us that their version of what's happening is the true one. Like rival news channels each wanting to come out on top.

Go see this if you can. It's challenging and uncomfortable viewing but it's excellent. 

10 film to watch on TV this week

What Richard Did   Sat   24/2   RTE2 @ 22.00

My favourite Irish film of this century. It's a story leading up to and the aftermath of a night out in Dublin that goes very very wrong. A story of how privilege will ruin you and still protect you. An excellently acted film about a part of Irish society that we rarely see in film. Jack Reynor is great in the title role and is surrounded by a cracking cast of fresh faces we'll be seeing more and more of.

The Heat   Sat   24/2   E4 @ 21.00

Whilst on the trail of a big time drug dealer an uptight FBI agent gets paired with a Boston cop who couldn't possibly be more different to her. Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy make a brilliantly mismatched pair in this entertaining and profane comedy thriller. It's broad, crude and will offend some but it's well worth a watch.Jane Curtin and the always solid Michael Rapaport are fun in support.

American Mary   Sat   24/2   Film4 @ midnight

A broke medical student discovers an unusual way to make extra money and finds herself in some very very dark places as a result. This 2012 dark drama/horror film starring Katherine Isabelle is a highly effective piece of work. Be warned though, it should probably only be watched by those with a strong constitution but if you can go with it you discover a very unique little story that will open your eyes to a whole other world.

Clouds Of Sils Maria   Sun   25/2   BBC4 @ 21.30

An actress revisits the play that made her career 20 years ago. But this time she's taking an older role and it forces her to re-evaluate things. Juliette Binoche is an actress that just makes it all look effortless and is sublime in the lead role here with some fantastic back up from Kirsten Stewart and Chloe Grace Moretz. A beautiful looking movie too that was filmed on location in the Alps. A proper grown up, emotional psychological drama.

Valerie   Mon   26/2   TCM @ 17.15

Set during a murder trial in the old west, 3 very different testimonies are heard but which one is the truthful version? A strange film, a mystery western noir with a touch of Rashomon would be one way to describe it. Sterling Hayden and Anita Ekberg as the leads are superb, Hayden his usual briary persona and Ekberg as a woman who isn't what she seems. OR is she? A bleak, compelling and surprising film.

Black Swan   Tues   27/2   Film4 @ 23.25

Darren Aronofsky's blackly funny and utterly terrifying tale of obsession and jealousy in the world of ballet. Natalie Portman plays a career best role as a Ballerina who's success is threatened when a younger Ballerina played by Mila Kunis appears on the scene. The perfect film to watch when you want to break your brain and feel squeamish, uncomfortable, nauseous and disorientated all at once. Magnificent stuff.

Pitch Black   Wed   28/2   Syfy @ 21.00

A transport ship crashes on a barren desert planet. Onboard is a murderer. The survivors are busy worrying about him and finding water and little do they realise at nightfall that their problems are just beginning. This Vin Diesel starring sci-fi horror is a cracking watch. A full on nail biter of a watch filled with characters you'll actually give a shit about. Super cast in this including Radha Mitchell, Keith David and Cole Hauser.

Cherry Falls   Fri   2/3   The Horror Channel @ 21.00

A serial killer is targeting virgins in a small town. The only way to survive? Lose your virginity as fast as possible. Sounds crass doesn't it? It's far from it. A funny, intelligent and subversive satire on modern horror that really works if you go with the concept. The late Brittany Murphy is very solid in the lead and gets fine support from Michael Biehn and Jay Mohr. Totally ignored on it's original release but worth a re-evaluation.

A Hijacking   Fri   2/3   BBC2 @ 23.55

The crew of a Danish ship is taken hostage by Somalian pirates and they find out exactly what they are worth when negotiations kick off between the hijackers and the ship owners. This 2012 thriller is knuckle chewingly tense and far more subtle than you'd think it would be. Pilou Asbæk from Game Of Thrones is great in the lead. An excellent and very unsettling look at what people under pressure will do.

The Squid And The Whale   Fri   2/3   RTE1 @ Midnight

Two boys in 1980's Brooklyn are effected by their parent's messy divorce and find themselves beginning to act out in strange ways. A cutting, cynical but poignant film that's in places very funny and full of amazing acting from a lovely cast. The always superb Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels bring weight to proceedings and Jesse Eisenberg in an early role is spot on. 

Lady Bird

Around this time of year the cinema's are packed with award winning films. Most of them come riding on a wave of extreme hype and sadly most of them don't live up to that hype. Every now and then though one of them does and it's down to fantastic work from 3 women operating at the top of their game. 

Lady Bird is a bored, selfish 17 year girl who wants to be anywhere but here. Here is Sacramento in 2002. A cultural wasteland, 'The midwest of California.' She longs to move as far away from her hometown as possible. College is on the horizon but Lady Bird isn't exactly a model student. And then there's the issue of her relationship with her mother...

I loved this. It's the kind of film you go into not knowing what to expect and within minutes you're hooked. Director Greta Gerwig has created a painfully real little story about people and their struggles to find their way in the world that will resonate with everyone, man or woman. It's evocative as hell and will conjure up memories you thought you had long forgotten. Mostly cringy bad ones you want to forget but still. It captures that restless teenage feeling perfectly. Speaking your mind without thinking. Constantly being out to impress others even when it's to your own detriment. Wanting to get out and do your own thing. The way you think the world revolves around you. The selfishness of teenage years. Lady Bird isn't exactly selfish, just like most young people she can't see past their own little bubble. This extends to her relationship with her parents as well. They love each other but that love can turn into a blazing row at the drop of a hat when thoughtlessness moments intrude. The film reminded me of Kenneth Lonergan's films actually in the way you get the emotions the characters are experiencing shoved in your face and you feel it all along with them.

Saoirse Ronan is superb in the title role. Despite her flaws you'll never not like her character and the fact that she's funny as hell is the gravy on top. Her first action on turning 18 is brilliant. And even when you want to shake her you'll still be rooting for her. Laurie Metcalfe as her mam Marion is sublime. She's one of those actors we've been watching and enjoying on TV for so long that you'll instantly empathise with her even when she's been a nitpicking asshole. She's just disappears into her role. Both women are nominated for Oscars but if I were a betting man I'd put my money on Metcalfe. They play off each other so well though. You'll be hard pressed to find a more genuine feeling parent child relationship in a recent film. Timothée Chalamet as Kyle is great as that asshole we all knew in school. A hypocritical fool prone to existential musing and cool guy ramblings who's main purpose in life is to get the ride. Tracy Letts as Lady Bird's father Larry is perfect as a man being dealt a crappy hand at life. His quiet scenes with his daughter are as powerful as the louder, more dramatic scenes she has with her mam. There isn't a bad performance in this tbh, Lucas Hedges, Beanie Feldstein, Lois Smith, they all hit the spot.

The only thing I didn't like about this was the soundtrack, more specifically the obviousness of some of the songs on it. Some of them were pretty on the nose but then I realised I was being petty and that this was exactly the stuff teens 16 years ago listened to. Like the story the soundtrack perfectly evokes a those teenage years and tastes.

This is a pretty much perfect little film. It really hit the spot for me. It's short and very sweet and as far from your usual big important Oscar films as it's possible to be. I never got the love for Greta Gerwig as an actress as she always (to me) came across as affected and a bit too quirky but her work here is great. She's created a little world full of characters who you'll keep thinking of when the film is long over. Characters you'll be hoping find their way in the world and do well for themselves.

Highly recommended.

I want to see more stories about the parts of Ireland we don't talk about

Ireland is pumping out movies these days. It's great. The film scene here has never been healthier but I'd like to see it being used to shine a light on some of our more pressing societal issues. We need to see more films about the rarely mentioned sides of Ireland, the things we don't want to talk about. The people we ignore, the alienated and the disenfranchaised. The things that to outsiders make us look backward and ignorant. We need to have our faces rubbed in it. We need to wake up. Our leaders need to wake up and film is a great way to get people to take notice.

We need to see stories about : 

The suicide epidemic that is decimating generations of people in this country and that is being totally ignored by the powers that be. The mental health situation in Ireland is a ticking time bomb.

The horror of direct provision and the stories of the people trapped in limbo there. The children who've grown up knowing nothing else. The wasted talent just sitting there rotting.

The stories of the girls and women who've had to travel to Britain for abortions that they can't legally get here. The fact that women in the 21st century don't have the right to choose what they can do with their own bodies is shameful.

The damage religion has done and the indelible stain it has left on people. The people who's lives have been ruined by clerical abuse and church interference.

The families being raised in hotels and bed & breakfasts that have been utterly failed by everyone.

The racism and homophobia that we deny exists anymore but that is still happening around us everyday. 

The story of Irish immigrants, the people who've left and who are miserable abroad but have no choice as there's nothing for them here.

The homeless people whom we are afraid to make eye contact with who are dying on our streets metres away from a building filled with politicians who'd step over them.

The corruption endemic in every aspect of our society from sport to government to charity.

And finally our horrible, horrible relationship with alcohol. The truest Irish cliche we see in film is one that's rarely looked at in a negative light. 

I love Ireland. I really do. It's a beautiful place full of brilliant people but we need to see more about these things. Some of the greatest films ever made were the ones that asked the hard questions and shone a light on the things we wanted to keep in the dark. If these stories are told more openly then hopefully answers will be more forthcoming. Over the years film has shown itself to be a powerful force for change because it's a medium that's accessible to everyone. 

It can do more. It should do more.

Father Figures

Why do people go to see a comedy in the cinema? To be entertained of course. To have a giggle. To be cheered up after a shitty day. The reason a comedy exists is to make people laugh. A comedy that isn't funny has failed at its very reason for being. Which brings us to Father Figures. 7 weeks into 2018 and we already have a strong contender for worst comedy of the year.

Kyle and Peter are twin brothers. Kyle is a bon vivant who got lucky and rich and Peter is depressed and divorced proctologist ( no guessing what gets mined for jokes here). During their mother's wedding they find out their biological father whom they've never met is still alive and they set out on a cross country roadtrip to track him down. But their mother's swinging drug fuelled seventies lovelife makes things rather difficult for them.

Father Figures is a shit film. It's overlong, utterly pointless and painfully unfunny. It doesn't contain a single likable main character and the characters you want to see more of are unceremoniously shunted out of the film 5 minutes after they appear. It's all made even more annoying by the fact that it's heart is in the right place and it could be made work if even the teensiest modicum of effort was made to improve all of it's separate elements. Look at the above poster for feck sake. It's horrible. It looks like it was thrown together in a few minutes by a child proficient in Photoshop. It's that level of effort that permeates the whole film. No one tries. It bangs of laziness. "Hey lets get 2 fine comedy actors together and see what happens!! Script?? Who cares about that!"

Ed Helms and Owen Wilson are the leads. Wilson does his usual aid back guy schtick and manages to glide through the film in cruise control. Helms just looks embarrassed. Like genuinely, I felt bad for him. Like so many other comedic actors out there he can shine when given the right material but here he just dies on his arse. It's painful to watch. The supporting cast is a who's who of great actors like Glenn Close, Christopher Walken, Ving Rhames and JK Simmons. None of whom get any significant screen time or anything close to a funny line. You get the sense their participation in this film was purely a money making exercise. Walken in particular looks even more whacked out than usual and probably doesn't even remember taking part in this muck seeing as it was filmed 3 years ago and has been sitting on the shelf since.

It's a film that could have worked if the comedic elements of the script had been kicked out and it had been played as a straight drama. On paper it sounds like a heartbreaker. 2 brothers travelling the country to find a father they never knew in an attempt to make sense of the directions their lives took. I think Wilson and Helms could have pulled it off and I wish someone reading the script had suggested it. It's quite hard to believe something this unfunny could get by the reading stage without anyone actually piping up that there's not one laugh in it. The ending is especially meaty and is wasted here. Given the right treatment it would have sent people out in screenings in tatters but as is you just leave in relief that it's over. 

Seriously, don't bother. Wait til Friday and and go see Lady Bird or I,Tonya instead. Once again I have martyred myself to save ye.

A perfect pairing of sound & vision. Johnny Boy & The Rolling Stones.

Charlie (Harvey Keitel) is a man on the edge of organised crime. He's level headed and cool under pressure. Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro) is his wannabe gangster best friend who constantly has him on edge. Johnny's a firecracker and capable of literally anything. Because of him Charlie can't even relax and have a drink in his local. Look at his face when Johnny walks in to the sound of Jumpin' Jack Flash, arms around two women and in full on jack the lad mode. The red light in the bar matches Charlie's mood, the slow pan along the bar mimicking the feeling of impending doom that he always has around his friend. Another friend Tony ( David Proval who played Richie Aprile in The Sopranos ) laughing away to himself because he knows how things end up around Johnny.

That famous guitar riff kicking off the pan. It's just perfect ain't it. The first outing for what would become Scorsese's signature style. Slo-mo, music and moody surroundings. So perfect that it's a scene he has re-used again and again throughout his career, Goodfellas, Casino, The Departed etc. This scene also marked the first time he used a song by The Rolling Stones in his films. It's a pairing that has proved to be fruitful to both parties.

Watch the scene below.



It's great when you can pinpoint the second someone's career kicks off into overdrive ain't it. Robert De Niro had been in a few films already but this scene is the moment people started really taking notice of him. Harvey Keitel might have the lead but it's De Niro's Johnny Boy who steals the show. This film was released in 1973. In 1974 he played young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part 2 and that was that. A star was born.

Previous Parts

Watership Down
Casablanca
Zodiac
Jackie Brown
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
Deliverance
The Omen
Copland
Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Once More With Feeling
The Mission
Before Sunset
Carlito's Way
A Knight's Tale
Platoon
Before Sunrise
Rushmore
An American Werewolf In London
Dazed And Confused
Boogie Nights
Raging Bull
Almost Famous
Once Upon A Time In The West
Goodfellas
Last Of The Mohicans

10 films worth watching on TV this week

The Stag   Sat   17/2   RTE2 @ 21.30

Six friends go on a stag weekend in the west of Ireland. 5 of them are very sensible. 1 of them is the total exact opposite of sensible. Madness ensues. A very funny film with a lot of heart. The main character played by Hugh O'Connor is such a wet rag you'll want to slap him but the characters played by Peter McDonald and Andrew Scott more than make up for him. Oh, BTW the Raglan Road scene will choke you up. 

Young Frankenstein   Sat   17/2   BBC2 @ 23.00

The grandson of an infamous scientist inherits his castle and goes to Transylvania to find out for himself what type of experiments his relative took part in. Mel Brook's parody of 1930's horror films is a masterpiece of comedy. Both affectionate of it's source material and willing to rip the piss out of it. It's just hilarious fun. Gene Wilder, Madeleine Kahn, Peter Boyle, Cloris Leachman and Marty Feldman are all at the top of their game here. 

A Film With Me In It   Sun   18/2   RTE2 @ 00.35

Mark is a waste of space. He doesn't care about anything and spends his time avoiding paying rent. Then a bad thing happens and trying to fix it makes it all even worse. Chaos ensues. Mark Doherty writes and stars in this very funny and pretty dark Irish comedy. This is a rare showing on TV and it's definitely worth catching. The always entertaining Dylan Moran is fun in support and Amy Huberman and David O'Doherty hit the spot too. 

Zero Dark Thirty   Sun   18/2   Film4 @ 23.10

Kathryn Bigelow's tremendous tale of the hunt and eventual take down of Osama Bin Laden. Jessica Chastain is perfect in the lead role as the woman who planned and executed the entire operation. We may find some of her methods problematic but the story neither glorifies or condemns and just tells it like it was. A tense & superbly acted film which will grip you even when you know the ending.

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner   Mon   19/2   BBC2 @ 00.05

A woman brings her new fiance home to meet her parents. He's black and they are very old fashioned. Things don't go well. This classic comedy drama might seem dated 51 years after it's release but some of it's themes but still sadly strike a chord with people. Sidney Poitier is excellent as always but Katherine Hepburn & Spencer Tracey as the parents are brilliant. Tracey especially given the fact he was dying as the film was being made. 

Brazil   Mon   19/2   UK Gold @ 23.45

Sam is a office worker in a bizarrely dystopian future. When he tries to fix an administrative error concerning a wrong arrest he brings his world crashing down on his head. Terry Gilliam's sci-fi fantasy is a film that will demand your utmost attention but it's really really worth it. One of the most unusual and surreal films you'll ever see. Jonathan Pryce in the lead role is fantastic and the supporting cast is packed full of famous British faces.

Society   Wed   21/2   The Horror Channel @ 00.45

Bill is a teenager from a rich family in Beverly Hills. He has it all, he's popular and he has a lovely family and yet he feels out of place. One night he finds out why. This is a film worth going into cold. It contains one of the all time great WHAT THE FU...... scenes and if you can stomach the onscreen action you'll have a great time. Seriously though, don't watch this unless you have a strong constitution. Billy Warlock in the lead gets the job done.

The Bank Job   Thurs   22/2   ITV4 @ 22.00

Jason Statham. In a polo neck. In the 1960's. And he's called Terry Leather. Bank Robberies. Cups of tea. Royal porn. Toyah from Coronation Street. More cups of tea. Ham radio. A fun and tense thriller about a bank robbery in swinging 60's London. A different type of Jason Statham film but well worth a watch. Did i mention he's called Terry Leather. Best name ever.

Lawman   Fri   23/2   TG4 @ 21.30

A marshall arrives into a town to arrest the troublemakers who caused the death of an old man in his town. The townsfolk aren't going to make things easy for him though. This was a cracking western and one that effortlessly bridged the gap between the old fashioned westerns of the 60's and the dark and violent ones of the 70's. Burt Lancaster, Lee J. Cobb, Robert Ryan and Robert Duvall, old hands at this genre are all in fine form in this.

Danger Diabolik   Fri   23/2   Film4 @ 23.20

From the mind of Mario Bava, a director more usually know for his bloody giallo films, comes this wacky, psychedelic and very very entertaining tale of mystery and espionage about a jewel thief planning a heist while avoiding cops and gangsters. Very much a film of it's time (1968) but brilliantly camp, kitschy, garish fun none the less. John Phillip Law has a good time in the lead role.

The Shape Of Water

When I was 7 there was a cartoon on RTE2 called the Snorks. Snorks were little creatures that lived at the bottom of the sea. There was a girl snork in it called Casey. I loved her. It sounds odd but everyone is odd when they are 7. Anyway, armed with this 32 year old memory I went into the very hyped up new Guillermo Del Toro film 'The Shape Of Water' to see did it live up to what people have been saying about it for months. 

Happily I'm glad to say it does. It's his best film since Hellboy 2.

Elisa is a mute woman living in Baltimore in 1962. The cold war is at its height. Elisa works as a cleaner in a secret government laboratory. Her only two acquaintances in the world are Zelda, a fellow cleaner who also interprets for her at work and her neighbour Giles, a gay man who has just lost his advertising job. Both love and care for her because her condition makes her a perfect listener. One day at work an aquatic creature is brought to the lab to be studied for military reasons. Elisa takes pity on the creature and begins to pay it secret visits and slowly a bond begins to build between them. 

It sounds a bit odd doesn't it. It is but it's also tender, beautiful and sad and joyous. The kind of movie that's just hopeful and has you leaving the cinema on a high. Sally Hawkins gives a fantastic performance without ever saying a word. Her character with one look radiates empathy and affection better than 100 lines of dialogue could. She's just great. Economic (wait til you see her morning routine), level headed and unsqueamish. She's her own woman and answers to no-one. Her two best friends are a black woman and a gay man in a time where associating with either was frowned on. You can't beat a film with a warm heart at the centre of it. So many films today are built around hateful characters. They give you no one to grasp for. This one does in spades. 

Richard Jenkins and Octavia Spencer play Giles and Zelda and give us two more thoroughly likable characters but both sadly suffering from oppression in different ways. Most oppressed of all is the creature played by Del Toro regular Doug Jones. Like Hawkins his is a non verbal role and he's even more hampered by a lack of sign language yet still does cracking work getting across the creature's suffering, dignity and curiosity.  He doesn't have a good time in this film but seeing the growing connection between him and Elisa is a delight .

Even though the film is set 56 years in the past it still feels topical as hell. The cold war was a time where the threat of nuclear war was at an all time high and here in the real world it's like that all over again. The spectre of homophobia and racism hover over the film too. The early Sixties weren't a good time to be gay or black and in present day America things aren't much better. The racism extends to the treatment of the creature too. He's different and doesn't get treated nicely because of it. Michael Shannon's bad lad government guy is a hissable villain. A real nasty piece of work. He's played as a distillation of everything that's wrong with America at the moment. All the cruelty and hate boiled down to one man who's determined to take his anger out on anyone who's different, be they mute, black or non-human.

Director Guillermo Del Toro has a fantastic eye and creates images that will stay in your head for an age. Apartments and labs filled with noirish shadows. An embrace in a flooded room. A black and white sequence straight out of a 1930's Warner Brothers musical. A first time in a movie theatre. Glorious. You can tell he's influenced by and a fan of films from the mid 20th century. The noir thrillers of the 30's/40's/50's with their shadowy locations and constant fear of "the other" and the monster films from the same time. The Creature From The Black Lagoon especially is homaged here except this time the creature is sound and the heroine is running towards it instead of swimming away from it.

All these lovely visuals are good but thankfully they're backed up with a cracking story and characters worth caring about. Del Toro has created a fairy tale for the modern age. It's not really one for the family though as it's studded with moments of sexuality and terror and some pretty nasty violence (fingers!!). But if you're a fan of the aul romance stuff and also like your films a little bit different too, well this is going to be perfect for you. 

Black Panther

"I never get tired of this" says soon to be King T'Challa as his craft flies through a cloaking device that hides Wakanda from the rest of the world. Me neither T'Challa, me neither. Black Panther is the latest installment from Marvel Pictures and it proves there's still life in the old dog yet.

Wakanda is a African country that hides itself from the world. It accepts no aid and doesn't take part in world politics. Because it doesn't have to. It's built on a massive source of Vibranium. The wonder metal that can do anything. Unknown to the rest of the world Wakanda is thriving and is way more technologically advanced than anywhere else on Earth. T'Challa is going home to claim his birthright after the death of his father but little can he imagine the obstacles facing him.

This rocked. It's Marvel through and through and hits every beat you expect it to but like the Taika Waititi directed Thor Ragnarok before it, it does it all with bucket loads of style, aplomb, freshness and fun. It also adds a big splash of colour to the Marvel universe. Literally. To this generation of Black children this will be their Star Wars, the film they'll remember growing up. It really is a first. A true cultural event. A $200 million blockbuster headlined by black actors and actresses. It's fucking desperate that it's taken this long but it's here now and it's going to mark it's mark in a big way. It's Afrocentric through and through. The actors, the writers and director Ryan Coogler ( It's actually hard to believe this is only his third film after Fruitvale Station and Creed. Both fantastic. ) its clothes, designs, music, down to the brief glimpses we get of posters on walls. Even the prologue of the film set in Oakland is a knowing nod to the revolution started there in 1966 by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton, the original Black Panthers. 

The character of Black Panther appeared in Captain America : Civil War, but this is his real origin story. No no no, wait, come back. I know these origin stories put a lot of people off but it's done well here. The opening scene set in the past is a great way to explain the mythology of the character and it's all done economically and in a way respectful to both the character and the culture of the character. There's no waiting until the halfway point of the film before we see the main guy in action like so many other of these stories. He's fully fleshed out straight away and the film doesn't waste time in showing what he can do. 

The cast is splendid. Chadwick Boseman nails the regal poise and physicality of T'Challa. His relationship with his sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) and mother Ramonda (Angela Bassett) gives the movie it's heart and it's impetus. Wright is infectious fun as the Q of the movie and provides an array of gadgets that would make Bond jealous. Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger may just be the best Marvel villain yet. So much better than any CGI creation. He's a snarling, ferocious, nearly animalistic enemy but one with a grievance that's actually some bit relatable and refreshingly for a comic book baddie his humanity does shine through in places. Lupita Nyong'o and Danai Gurira also rock as a pair of women warriors. Two characters worthy of their own film and I hope we see loads of them in the upcoming Infinity War. And here's where I have an issue.

This is the 18th film in the Marvel series. They are pumping them out hard and fast and amazingly the quality of the series seems to be improving with each film released. Infinity War is out in 3 months time and here's what's causing a problem for me. If you've seen the Infinity War trailer you've seen characters from Black Panther in it. Seeing them in that trailer can only mean they've survived this film and thus kills a lot of dramatic tension. It's silly and I hope it's something Marvel deals with going forward. Sorry I despise that phrase but needed to use it here. Other that than there's only a few small annoyances. Martin Freeman's character Everett Ross adds little and is only in the film seemingly to tie it into the bigger universe. The opening section is a bit all over the place too. It jumps around a bit too much but thankfully settles down.

This is a great way to spend a couple of hours in the cinema. It's 135 minutes long but feels half that length because it's so entertaining. And fear not, even if you haven't been following the Marvel universe story you can still enjoy this because it's pretty much a stand alone movie aside from a few small scenes. 

I can't wait to see what King T'Challa does next.

Reg E.Cathey. An unsung hero of TV & film

This superb actor died this week aged only 59. He'll be an awful loss to film and TV as he was one of those actors who instantly added a nice touch of class to whatever he was performing in and was an influence who forced the people around him to up their game. Sadly he never quite made it to the big time but he was an actor you'd recognise straight away and you'd definitely recognise his accent. A silky voice of the type beloved by people looking to hire a smooth talking charmer. Thankfully we'll get to see him do his thing one last time in series 2 of Luke Cage soon.

He's been an advisor to the mayor of Baltimore. Been Don King, the man with the funniest hair in America. Been murdered by Patrick Bateman along with his dog. Been father to a fiery superhero. Been a coroner who dealt with gluttony, pride and greed. Played a mutant half man half kangaroo in a post apocalyptic world. He worked alongside Frank and Claire Underwood, Liz Lemon and Jean Luc Picard. And he even wanted to visit Carrigstown one day. Seriously. Check out his 34 year long career here.

Greatest hits

Airheads. Marcus. The level headed radio station employee and well able to deal with the 3 fools who hijack the place. This mid 90's comedy is really worth revisiting btw. It's so much fun.

The Wire. Martin Querns. The boss of Emerald City and a morally corrupt bastard. A brilliantly slimy role.

American Psycho. A small one scene role as a homeless man but one embued with dignity. Tough to watch what happens to him here.

The Wire. Norman Wilson. The engine behind Tommy Carcetti's mayoral machine. Didn't vote for him of course.

Previous heroes

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The 15.17 To Paris

Clint Eastwood has been directing films for 47 years now. He started in 1971 with Play Misty For Me and as expected of a career that long he's been pretty prolific. There's been a few honest to god masterpieces like The Outlaw Josey Wales, Bird, Unforgiven and A Perfect World. A lot of dross like Space Cowboys, The Rookie and The Eiger Sanction and then plenty of what could only be described as meh movies. The 15.17 To Paris is one of those.

On the 21st of August 2015 a terrorist called Ayoub El Khazzani boarded a train from Amsterdam to Paris pulled out an automatic rifle and went to open fire in a train carriage. On that same train carriage were 3 American tourists in the last stage of a European backpacking holiday, Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler. Stone and Skarlatos were off duty soldiers. Guess what happened next.

It doesn't sound like enough for a movie does it? To combat that Eastwood goes back in time and tells the story of these men from their first childhood meeting until that faithful summer day. Here's where he adds a unique twist to the movie. The men play themselves as adults. Sounds cool right. Yes in theory it does but in practice it's pretty painful. These blokes are no actors and that combined with some horribly cliched and painfully earnest dialogue ( "Do you ever felt like life is pushing us towards some greater purpose?" ugh) kind of kills the film in it's tracks. That said there are moments where their natural chemistry works but it's only tiny flashes. Any time a bit of emoting is required your eyes will roll up into your head.

It's a film with a strange political stance too. There's one very pointed dig at America's self appointed protector of the world stance but mostly it's a love letter to the military. Spencer's training is shown in detail and everything, and I mean everything he learns comes in handy later in life. Alek's time at war in the middle east is shown but strangely skipped over and Anthony, the civilian of the bunch gets no back story at all. None. We don't even see his family unlike the other two who's mothers we meet ( played by Judy Greer and Jenna Fischer, totally wasted ) Anthony was African American too and I'm trying my hardest not to think about the undertones there. And as for Ayoub El Khazzani? Nothing, not a jot of motivation or even a name. It would have been good to see his story parallel to the others. To see the way he grew up in and maybe get an insight into what makes a man do what he did. A wasted opportunity right there. But speaking of him.

The climax of the film, the attack itself is well done. It's tense, clearly shot, doesn't resort to rapid action movie style cutting to build any kind of fake excitement. This is where Eastwood's experience shines through. He unfussily and bluntly gets across the impact of the violence on all parties involved. It's rough and realistic and very unHollywood. But a small 10 minute section doesn't make a film.

I get the reasoning behind using the real blokes to play themselves but it sucks the life right out of the film. The original choices were the actors Kyle Gallner, Jeremie Harris and Alexander Ludwig and they would have been a better choice. Ludwig especially as he's a dead ringer for Spencer Stone. But this is Clint's film. Clint gets to do what he wants and it's a pity he's spending his latter years on films like this.