Sir Anthony Hopkins gives both a powerful and an understated performance of a surprisingly humble man who is moved by empathy and compassion to just do something to help in a world that is turning to madness some twenty years after the end of World War One
film
Outside the Wire (2021)
This futurist war film is set in a Ukraine torn apart by pro-Russian separatists and local resistance groups in 2036
The Best Bedroom Scene in a Movie!
There is no attempt to suggest that Homer's life is going to be anything but difficult, Wyler just emphasises that with love and friendship any disabled person can have a life that is still worth living.
Fake History is as bad as Fake News
I have written previously about my concern that history is being misrepresented in popular media, first in Is Racism in Historical Dramas being quietly Erased? and then in Why Race in a Historical Context is Important. The arrival of Bridgerton on Netflix has not put my mind at ease. The television series departs from the novels by … Continue reading Fake History is as bad as Fake News
Avatar (2009) Revisited
I like science fiction and, as with so many other enthusiasts, I was excited by the prospect of watching James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ when it was first released. After seeing it, however, I was haunted by a persistent feeling of déjà vu. The story goes like this: an ex-soldier is recruited by a private firm to … Continue reading Avatar (2009) Revisited
The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot (2019)
There are two ways to view this film. The first is as the result of a bet for director and writer Robert D Krzykowski to come up with something outlandish and present it as a serious drama, the second is that violence simply takes its toll of the best of us. An elderly Calvin Barr, … Continue reading The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot (2019)
Is Racism in Historical Dramas being quietly Erased?
Last night I went to see the film ‘The Aeronauts’, starring Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. It is a story inspired by true events. In 1862 James Glaisher undertook a balloon ascent to test his hypotheses concerning weather and his ability to predict it. The story, written by director Tom Harper and Jack Thorne who … Continue reading Is Racism in Historical Dramas being quietly Erased?
Joker (2019)
Several reviewers have stated that this film is just one man's descent into insanity; it is not. Joker is one man discovering that society has descended into insanity and it is pulling him down to join it. Arthur Fleck's status as a victim is not an excuse for the crimes he later commits, it is … Continue reading Joker (2019)
Stan & Ollie (2018)
As biographical films go this movie achieves a clever launch of the story of Laurel and Hardy. It begins with the pair informing the audience all about their lives in 1937 as they conduct a conversation while making their way to the set of their latest film, ‘Way Out West’. It is a very clever … Continue reading Stan & Ollie (2018)
The Frankenstein Chronicles
I am very used to people messing around with established works to produce something inferior. There is the 2015 movie ‘Victor Frankenstein’ for example. I like to think that James McAvoy was as disappointed with the script as I was, hence why he played the title character in such a pantomime fashion. Neither he nor … Continue reading The Frankenstein Chronicles
Peter C Whitaker 