When I first heard about this film (today, admittedly) my immediate thought was “please let it be Jeremy Irons to play Neville Chamberlain!” and well, here we are. And there he is, waving the infamous “piece of paper”. Chamberlain was British Prime Minister from 1937 to 1940 (WW2 broke out in 1939), and pursued a… Munich — The Edge Of War: first images Read More
BLOG: ‘Allo ‘Allo: the film club watches Overlord…
Sorry but if you set a WW2 film in a French village or town, Brits of a certain age will see every blond Nazi officer as Herr Flick. Naming the film’s hero Boyce also means that unfortunately many of us will immediately think BOYCIE! (hehehehehehehe). Which is a shame as Boyce is a topnotch hero:… BLOG: ‘Allo ‘Allo: the film club watches Overlord… Read More
The Devil All The Time: the devil is in the detail
Warning: full of spoilers, fire and brimstone. Well, spoilers anyway. My review is here. Character posters are at the bottom of the page. Despite the melodrama, multiple dead bodies and spiders, The Devil All The Time finishes – eventually – on a note that is both cathartic and hopeful. Arvin does survive. The ending is… The Devil All The Time: the devil is in the detail Read More
The Devil All The Time 3.5 stars
In Knockemstiff, Ohio and its neighbouring backwoods, sinister characters – an unholy preacher, twisted couple, and crooked sheriff – converge around young Arvin Russell as he fights the evil forces that threaten him and his family. An orphan boy, two romantically involved serial killers, a corrupt sheriff, several guileless young women, one preacher who believes… The Devil All The Time Read More
Summerland 3.5 stars
In Kent during World War II, Alice, who has never got over a broken relationship, reluctantly takes in Frank, a young evacuee. Initially resolving to be rid of him within a week, she eventually opens her heart to him. Some of the insults and accusations aimed at women down the ages may be dependent on… Summerland Read More
Summerland: loneliness, love and lore in new trailer
*** My review of Summerland is now live (3.5/5) *** Summerland sees the very brusque and pragmatic Alice accidentally taking on Frank, a young evacuee during WW2 – as they get to know each other she’s forced to face up to a past love affair she wanted to forget. It’s also of the first UK… Summerland: loneliness, love and lore in new trailer Read More
Greyhound 3.5 stars
In a thrilling WWII story inspired by actual events, Captain Ernest Krause leads an international convoy of 37 ships on a treacherous mission across the Atlantic to deliver thousands of soldiers and much-needed supplies to Allied forces. There’s a moment in Greyhound – just after an oil tanker has exploded and the initial flame burst… Greyhound Read More
JoJo Rabbit (London Film Festival 2019) 4 stars
A young boy in Hitler’s army finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home. JoJo Rabbit works nearly all of the time, which for a comedy about the friendship between a small boy in the Hitler Youth and a Jewish girl, and with a buffoonish Hitler as an imaginary father figure, is… JoJo Rabbit (London Film Festival 2019) Read More
Notorious (4k re-release) 4.5 stars
Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious (rereleased by the BFI in a stunning 4K restoration) pairs Cary Grant with Ingrid Bergman in a nail-biting thriller where an investigation into South American Nazi enclaves becomes entangled with the messiness of human relationships – as both the chilly Devlin and urbane Nazi Alex Sebastian fall in love with Alicia, the German-American daughter of… Notorious (4k re-release) Read More
The Aftermath – 1 minute video review Includes Video 2.5 stars
READ MY FULL REVIEW OF THE AFTERMATH
The Aftermath 2.5 stars
How much can be rebuilt after it has been smashed to pieces? That’s the big question in The Aftermath – a postwar love story that attempts to to examine the realities of reconciliation, whether between people or countries. The film is about rebuilding broken relationships as much as broken cities, with the ambiguities of war… The Aftermath Read More
The Aftermath: can everything be rebuilt? Trailer, interviews and featurettes
*** Read my review of The Aftermath now *** The film, directed by James Kent, is about reconciliation – rebuilding broken relationships as much as broken cities, and the ambiguities of war that are thrown up, particularly afterwards. It stars Keira Knightley, who I love, though I’m looking forward to the day she takes a… The Aftermath: can everything be rebuilt? Trailer, interviews and featurettes Read More