Film Reviews 2023

Drama

Best: Saltburn - Oxford fresher obsessed with posho gets invite to country pile inhabited by amusing Rosamund Pike and bumbling Richard E. Grant (Prime)

Social issue: Noise - Mexican woman seeks lost daughter. Powerfully sad (Netflix)

Equal Standard - NY cops embroiled in needless shootings; well-told anti-racism message from Ice-T (Prime)

Working Man - Codger goes back to work in closed factory, other join for novel ‘work in’, main ally not what he appears (Prime)

End credits: White Noise - Started as a potentially scary road trip, disappointingly turned into mediocre family story. Billed as funny and terrifying, it was neither except supermarket choreography to New Body Rumba by LCD Soundsystem during end credits which was fab (Netflix)

Crazy: Waiting For The Barbarians - Mark Rylance and Johnny Depp cross swords in imaginary edge of empire world. Odd do based on book by J.M. Coetzee (Prime)

Formulaic: Creed III - Latest in the franchise, okay (Prime)

Cinematography: The Devil To Pay - Nasty goings-on in The Appalachians with a Nazi Martha Stewart, rednecks, heathens, ace music and lovely photography (Netflix)

Different: The Card Counter - Professional gambler revealed to have dark back-story (Netflix)

Dreamkeeper - Young Lakota man accompanies grandpa to his last pow-wow, stories and visions intersperse road trip (Prime)

Historic

Best: Seven Kings Must Die - Final chapter of The Last Kingdom series, fab battle scene, moved rather fast but at least it had a proper end - but did Uthred go through the door? (Netflix)

German: The Lives Of Others - Stasi bug theatre-types in 1980’s Berlin. Excellent (DVD)

Low-budget: Royal Deceit - Youthful Christian Bale impressive in the old Danish tale which inspired Hamlet (Prime)

Twisty: The Pale Blue Eye - Young Edgar Alan Poe helps detective solve murder of West Point recruits, with daft hats and a twist (Netflix)

Grim: Black 47 - Deserter returns to 1845 Irish potato famine (Film 4)

Bio: Emperor - Runaway slave joins abolitionists for exciting action (Prime)

Queen Marie - Romanian queen stands up for her country after WW1.  Good sets and costumes (Prime)

Elizabeth/Elizabeth The Golden Age - A double-bill re-watch. Eclectic cast, great locations, ace costumes (DVD)

Medieval - Bohemian hero Jan Zizka fights for freedom. Nice to see a film made in Prague concerning that part of the world (Netflix)

 Action/Thriller

Anticipated: John Wick - Long overdue viewing of the first one, less bonkers than 2 and 3 but a large body count over a stolen car and dead dog! Entertaining fun (Prime)

John Wick: Chapter 4 - Globe-trotting mayhem involves even greater body count. Enjoyable if over-long (Prime)

Spy: Heart of Stone - Gal Gadot as relentless as the action (Netflix)

Thriller: Old - Tourists at posh resort get trapped on beach, age rapidly. Very Ballardian (Netflix)

Mystery: The Most Assassinated Woman in The World - Actress fakes actual death to escape theatre (Netflix)

Supernatural: Red Lights - Sigourney Weaver and Cillian Murphy try to debunk psychic De Niro (DVD)

Fun: Plane – Pilot Gerard Butler force-lands on unwelcoming Philippine island for battles with pirates (Prime)

Silly: Hidden Strike - Jackie Chan in predictable mayhem. A touch of the Mad Max (Netflix)

Mr Car and the Knights Templar - Polish Indiana Jones, odd but enjoyable (Netflix)

Action shots: Extraction 2 - Chris Hemsworth recovers from falling off bridge, recruited by Idris, extracts woman and kids from prison. Amazing long action shots (Netflix)

 Biopic

Best: The Edge of the World - English man becomes king of remote Malay area (Prime)

Adventure: The Lost City of Z - Percy Fawcett goes exploring in Bolivia (Netflix)

Grim: Kursk (The Last Mission) - Russians refuse international help to save sub-mariners. Bizarrely also shown on BBC 4 in the week the mini-sub sank (Prime)

Dark October - depressing Nollywood tale of tribal lynch-mobbing. Sign the petition to end Jungle Justice! (Netflix)

Educational: Argentina, 1985 – First prosecutions of Gualtieri and Junta pals by beleaguered lawyer and team of youngsters (Prime)

Scandal: Judas and The Black Messiah – Black FBI guy infiltrates Black Panthers (Prime)

Effie Gray - Young woman marries weirdo John Ruskin (BBC iPlayer)

The Devil Has A Name - Californian farmer sues oil company who poison his land. Disgustingly still happening (Prime)

Pain Hustlers - Drug reps get fentanyl prescribed for all pain relief (Netflix)

British: Profile - Journo sets up fake profile to hunt down ISIS recruiters, ends up with a fatwah (Netflix) 

The Mercy - Man fails to sail non-stop round the world, presumed dead at sea (Netflix)

Uplifting: Rustin - Story of man who organised huge Washington rally leading to US equality laws (Netflix)

A Million Miles Away - Son of Mexican migrant farmers follows dream to be an astronaut (Prime)

Mahalia - Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson becomes first to crossover into mainstream. Enjoyable despite low budget and lack of family endorsement (Netflix)

Worst Soundtrack: Belfast - Branagh's tale of growing up during The Troubles marred by dreadful Van Morrison crooning (BBC iPlayer)

 

War

Best: There Be Dragons - Journo uncovers story of his dad’s long-life relationship with JoseMaria Escriva who founded Opus Dei. Interesting take on Spanish civil war (Netflix)

Ukraine: Sniper: White Raven - Ukrainian pacifist hippy turns Russian soldier in Donbas (Prime)

Afghanistan: 12 Strong - Slow start but kicked into tale of secret operation against Taliban using cavalry. T.E. Lawrence would approve! (Film 4)

Bosnia: The Load - Truck driver takes mysterious cargo from Kosovo to Belgrade. Grim (Prime)

Vietnam: Ambush - GIs go down tunnels in to retrieve a file. Odd (Netflix)

The Last Full Measure - DOD coffee-cupper helps Vietnam vets get their mate a posthumous medal of honour. Moving (Netflix)

Korea: Devotion - Story of black American airman. Good if sentimental, ace end-credit photomontage (Prime)

WW2: Plan A - ‘Nakam’ (Jewish avengers) foiled plot to poison post-war Germany’s water supply (Prime)

American Traitor-The Trial of Axis Sally - Mildred Gillars survives wartime Germany, returns to US, tried for treason (Prime)

Narvik - Couple embroiled in only battle on Norwegian soil and Hitlers’ first defeat. Beautiful scenery (Netflix)

Filip - Jew escapes Warsaw ghetto, works in fancy Frankfurt hotel. Great ending with Nazi jazz dancing (Netflix)

Operation Seawolf - Ageing Dolph leads U-boat mission to invade New York. For him, the war wasn’t over! (Prime)

Echoes Of The Past - Max Von Sydow not playing a Nazi in his last film, recalls destruction of his Greek village (Prime)

Spooky: White Tiger - Russian arises from dead, trials new tank to fight mysterious Nazi White Tiger (Prime)

Small cast: Spitfire Over Berlin - Cheap Brit flick from the team who brought us Lancaster Skies, by and featuring half a dozen people (Prime)

War Western: Red Ghost - Russian spaghetti western with Nazis. Very funny in places (Prime)

YA: Sniff The Dog: The War Hero - Boy raises dog to hate Friesland’s Nazi occupiers, teams up with Jewish girl to foil them (Netflix)

Documentary: Warsaw: A City Divided - How the Nazis split and eventually ruined Warsaw. Included previously unseen amateur footage (Prime)

Western

Best: Surrounded - Recently freed from slavery, ex-soldier woman disguised as boy gets mixed up with robbers. Unexpected end: ‘the bigger boys did it!’ (Prime)

Bio: Hostile territory - Man presumed dead in civil war searches for his children in dangerous lands (Prime)

Australian: The Furnace – Aborigines, colonials and subjects cross paths in search of gold. Nice ending (Prime)

Horror: Skinwalker - Idiots unleash tribal demon. Does not end well (Prime)

Civil War: Terror on the Prairie - Couple fight off confederate losers seeking vengeance (Prime)

 Crime

Best: Luther: The Fallen Sun - Feature-length mayhem from Idris. Entertaining but some silly bits. Set up nicely for Luther: Special Agent (Netflix)

Creepy: Mindcage - Psycho John Malkovitch on death row, ‘helps’ cops find copy-cat killer. Surprising (Prime)

Imaginative: Wasteland (aka The Rise) - Young Leeds man comes up with plot to rob WMC (Netflix)

Noir: Chicago Overcoat - Last gangster in town has final flourish. Enjoyable, proper, old-fashioned noir (Prime)

Pretentious: K__.ller - Cliches, style and Morrisey aplenty but little substance in Guardian-approved assassin flick (Netflix)

Complicated: Reptile - Cop Del Torro investigates murder (Netflix)

Odd: Southern Cross - Chilean mine-owner Malcom McDowell comes back from the dead (DVD)

Clever: Char Nigel Ke Bhaga – This Indian film ingeniously twists from romance to heist to hijack (Netflix)

Heist: Wing women - Amusing French heist film (Netflix)

Fight scenes: Gangs Of New York - Cheesy bits, funny bits, silly clothes, composite characters, ace sets and fight scenes; what’s not to like? (DVD)

Gangs of Lagos - Everyday Nollywood of gang crime and corruption. Great fight choreography (Prime)

Daft: Nobody - After his home is burgled, ex FBI ‘auditor’ Bob Odenkirk goes on rampage with gun-toting codger dad Christopher Lloyd. Ridiculous but entertaining final scene (Netflix)

Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre - Statham doing his stuff and outlandish characters in Guy Ritchie effort (Prime)

Cast: The Little Things - Codger cop Denzel and versatile Rami Malik pursue serial killer. Unexpected end (Prime)

Renegade - Veteran SAS pals get revenge on murdering gang-lord. Ensemble cast includes Lee Major, Ian Ogilvy, Stepanie Beecham and Patsy Kensit (Prime)

Old man dancing: The Boondock Saints - FBI agent Willem Defoe pursues vigilante serial killers and dances (Prime)

Disappointing: The World We Knew - Crims hole up in creepy house. Disappointingly unscary (Prime)

Bio: Lansky - Writer employed to write crime boss’ biography embroiled with FBI (Netflix)

Bandit - Prison escapee robs Canadian banks. A cheeky chappie from the east end of Detroit! (Prime)

British: Three Day Millionaire - Fishermen plan stupid heist to save Grimsby trawlers (Netflix)

The Fall of the Essex Boys - More doc-style and informative telling of the infamous foot soldiers story (Prime)

The Rise and Fall of a White Collar Hooligan - Young man embroiled in dangerous gangster dealings (Prime)

Dead in a Week (or Your Money Back) - Assassin convinces suicidal young man to pay him to do him in, capers ensue. Good turn by Christopher Eccleston (Prime)

 

Sci-Fi

Best: The Matrix: Resurrections - Long-awaited return of Neo and Trinity. Meta but very enjoyable (Prime)

Rebel Moon Part 1 - Planet-hopping rebels versus baddies. Good but over-long (Netflix)

Remake: Dune – Rather less interminable than the original. Good visuals (Prime)

Dystopian: Paradise - In a Berlin-set future, the poor sell the rich years of their lives (Netflix)

Nowhere - Pregnant woman escapes evil regime, gives birth in shipping container. A Spanish Children of Men (Netflix)

Cerebral: The Frame - Man and woman watch each other on telly. Which is real? (Prime)

Mr. Earth - Man chosen at random to speak for humanity on another planet. Thought-provoking (Prime)

Allegory: Night Raiders - Native Canadians protect their land from alien drones (Prime)

Brit: The Quiet Hour - Dakota Blue Richards tries to protect brother and farm from aliens and thugs in post-apocalyptic world (Netflix)

Australian: Chronical 2067 - Imaginative, interesting premise and great imagery (Prime)

Futuristic: Reminiscence - Memory-miner/PI Hugh Jackman uncovers twisty secrets of woman he fell in love with. Reminiscent of PK Dick, cleverly filmed in 1940’s noir style (Prime)

Harley Davidson and The Marlboro Man - Mickey Rourke and Don Johnson in Easy Rider-style adventure set in the near future of the late nineties! (Prime)

AI/Robots: T.I.M - Couple trial AI robot, does not end well (Netflix)

Delete - Singularity takes over, lots of twists and turns (Prime)

JUNG-E - Korean company creates ace AI robots from dead people’s brains (Netflix)

Mousa - Egyptian student builds robot to wreak vengeance. Echoes of The Terminator (Netflix)

Crime: The Initiated - In a Colombian future of acid rain, the rich conspire to own all the fresh water (Prime)

Horror: Bird Box Barcelona - Seers try to convince others the mysterious suicide-inducing force is angels. Hints at a third film (Netflix)

Comedy: Robots - Idiots make illegal robot copies of themselves. Silly but some funny bits (Prime)

 Fantasy

Best: Mayday - Young women at war with men, nice turn from lesser-seen Juliette Lewis (Prime)

Comic: The Suicide Squad - DC mayhem, very silly but fun (Prime)

Myth: Troll - Norwegian troll awakens from mountains. Fun King Kong trope (Netflix)

Pungo: A Witch’s Tale - Woman descended from real witch Grace Sherwood hires burnt-out navy Seal and emotionally damaged firefighter as handymen in rural Virginia. Cheap silly time-travelling goings-on ensue (Prime)

Video game: Monster Hunter - Milla Jovovich crosses world to fight monsters. Ridiculous fun (Netflix)

Weird: Three Thousand Years Of Longing - Story-teller Tilda Swinton unbottles Djinn Idris Elba (Prime)

Daft premise: The King’s Daughter - Louis XIV‘s Illegitimate daughter befriends mermaid and falls for ship captain (Prime)

Horror

Best: El Conde - Pinochet and Thatcher turn out to be vampires in this novel and amusing satire (Netflix)

Cult: The Wicker Man - Genius (DVD)

Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things - Funny bad, sometimes hilarious ‘cult classic’ from 1972 (Prime)

The Exorcist - Weirdly a 25^th anniversary edition, in the 50^th anniversary year ((DVD)

Odd: Malignant - Woman has evil parasitic conjoined twin (Netflix)

Spooky: Widow’s Walk - Atmospheric tale of woman and son at Suffolk seaside (Prime)

Twisty: Last Night in Soho - Young student has visions of stabbings and ghosts from 1960s London (Netflix)

Creepy: In My Mother’s Skin - Filipino girl does deal with flesh-eating fairy to save her ill mum. Odd (Prime)

Predictable: Run Rabbit, Run - Aussie film in vein of Babadook (Netflix)

Effects: Depraved - Modern reworking of Frankenstein. Cheap but imaginative effects (Prime)

Daft: Studio 666 - Foo Fighters record album in creepy house, Grohl possessed by demon, bloodbath ensues. Very silly but good soundtrack and hilarious Lionel Richie cameo (Netflix)

Funny: The Conference - Swedish coffee-cuppers team-building in holiday village encounter psycho; bloody mayhem ensues (Netflix)

Christian: Immanence: Odd tale of people on boat experiencing strange goings-on (Prime)

Prey For the Devil Young nun becomes first woman to perform exorcisms in 700 years (Netflix)

Zombies: The Final Days - Post-pandemic marauding zombies leap on apartment blocks (Prime)

Werewolves: Viking Wolf - Cop investigates wolf attacks in Norway. Predictable (Netflix)

It Be an Evil Moon - Ex-scientist uses wolfbane to grow hair, becomes werewolf. Funny in places (Prime)

 

Comedy

Best: Another Round - The Excellent Mads Mikkelsen and fellow Danish teachers experiment with staying mildly drunk at all times. A sad demise for one but ultimately uplifting (Film 4)

Bio: The Burial - Funeral homeowner hires rich ambulance-chaser to take on the big boys. Good turns by Tommy Lee Jones and Jamie Foxx (Prime)

Rom-com: Persuasion –A delightful Richard E. Grant and innuendo aplenty in Jane Austen update (Netflix)

Satire: Competicion Official - Cruz and Banderas in wry Spanish story of rehearsing for a film (Netflix)

Operation Nation - Meathead Polish Nazis and lefties in hilarious capers (Netflix)

Nazis: Blood and Gold - SS on hunt for gold in tiny village. Hilarious spaghetti western (Netflix)

Cult: The Disaster Artist - Second viewing for this madcap true tale about making cult movie The Room (Prime)

The Ruling Class - Peter O’Toole bought the rights to act the shit out a of part made for him in this madcap 1970’s Brit lark. Sadly, cap-doffing has not lessened in intervening decades (Prime)

Silly: The Dictator - Daft but enjoyable Baron-Cohen effort (Netflix)

Crime: The Kill Room - Crim Samuel Jackson gets gallery owner Uma Thurman to launder money with comical results (Prime)

Finding Steve McQueen - True tale of plan to steal Nixon’s secret money. Really good (Prime)

Gold Brick – Factory workers get even with family who control their small town. Imaginative heist (Netflix)

Killers Anonymous - Killers support group, where could that go? Hint: huge shoot-out finale (Prime)

Buba - German man believes he’s fated to horrid life so his brother can have a nice one, joins fake Albanian gang (Netflix)

Shotgun Wedding - J Lo and groom getting wed on Philippine island, embroiled in kidnapping. Madly funny (Prime)

 Music

Musical: The Phantom Of The Opera - Enjoyable rewatch of the classic (DVD)

Bio: Straight Outa Compton - The rise and disintegration of NWA. Good but curtailed music left me hankering for 2Pac! (Prime)

Arthouse

Golden Ophelia - In a world where suicide is permitted, man falls in love and changes his mind (Netflix)

Shorts From Another Dimension - Michael Jackson in salami coat the high spot in this Pan-European anthology (Prime)

Wes Anderson collection (Poison, The Swan, The Ratcatcher, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar) - film quartet based on Roald Dahl stories. Short mainly due to insanely fast talking (Netflix)

Christmas

Christmas Chronicles - Kurt Russel as streetwise Santa. Very amusing and enjoyable (Netflix)

Candy Cane Lane - Silly Eddie Murphy offering. Some funny bits but rather complicated (Prime)

Your Christmas or Mine 2 - Predictable family mix-up in Innsbruck (Prime)

Withnail and I - Forgot how funny it is with memorable moments such as don't mix your drinks and the Camberwell carrot, but why do we consider it a Christmas film? (DVD)