Review: BlacKkKlansman

Lee's latest film is based on the true story of Ron Stallworth - a black police officer who managed to inflitrate the KkK in the late 1970s. It takes a considerable dramatic licence with the story.

On the police side, Washington and Driver are excellent and help to ratchet up the tension in key plot moments. Washington is a real find with a great flair for the comedic elements of the tale.  Harrier gives a spirited and credible take as a black student activist.  For the KkK, Hauser adds another barely literate redneck to his roster while Pääkkönen provides suitably chilling menace.

One is struck a little by how little the incendiary talk on both sides translates into action.  This is explored in more depth with the KkK as the focus of infiltration quickly shifts to them.  They are always talking up their petty conspiracies based on half-imagined injustices. At least, the black power argument is coherent.

Verdict: Though BlacKkKlansman rarely made me laugh out loud,  it was very enjoyable and the closing scenes in particular remind us it still a very relevant story. 

Review: Jack the Giant Slayer

Bit of an oddity this one.  The themes are too dark and scary for little 'uns, but it's hard to imagine fully fledged adults finding enough here either.

Hoult doesn't really have enough charisma to carry off the hero part and while Tomlinson is charming there's a sense that none of the actors have had their best coaxed out of them.  I often felt distracted by McGregor's clipped accent and seeing Tucci with hair as well.

The CGI is almost the star here. It never entirely convinced, but the character design of the giants and locations are highly inventive. I also enjoyed the attempt to flesh the story out beyond the basic fairytale and at times it feels appropriately influenced by the BFG and Lord of the Rings (the soundtrack in particular).

Verdict: Fun, but lacking a little heart. 

Review: Their Finest

Meta-fictional narrative about the making of propaganda film to gee up British audiences shortly after the evacuation of Dunkirk.  Add in a dose of technicolour and the protagonists could easily be making a Powell & Pressburger production (but minus the sly satire perhaps although there are some fun in-jokes about scriptwriting and movie making in general).  At other points, I felt it had been inspired by Cinema Paradiso.

Nighy does some solid - even scene stealing - work as a past-it actor(!), and I was impressed by Arterton's affecting and restrained performance too. She and Clafin have good on-screen chemistry.

Location-wise, it looks recognisably like war torn London and even the specific area of Bloomsbury.

I was disappointed by the unsatisfactory fate of one of the characters towards the end.

Verdict: Not quite the finest, but certainly enjoyable enough. 

Review: Another Little Christmas Murder

This month's book group choice is a good riff on Agatha Christie's works where a plucky heroine is caught up in a murder mystery in a remote snowbound manor house.  Don't be fooled by the alternative title as Christmas gets barely a mention here. It's also very much of it's time.

I found the overuse of commas and redundant phrases in the opening chapters like listening to chalk being tortured on a blackboard.

It's slow to get going and most of the characters are only drawn in outline making it quite difficult for me to keep track of the increasingly large cast.

Thankfully, I found some solace in the odd bits of sly humour from the heroine in particular. 

Lastly, the identity of the murderer will surprise no-one.

Verdict: No classic, but enjoyable enough.

Review: First Man

Most space movies tend to be somewhat bombastic or at least patriotic, and First Man is refreshingly different as it's more a biopic of Neil Armstrong - the first man to step onto the moon - than an account of how the US beat the Russians to the ultimate space race goal.

Armstrong by all accounts was rather taciturn and that plays to Gosling's strengths as an actor who has made of a career out of expressionless or extremely subtle (depending on your point of view) characters.  For myself, I've increasingly grown to appreciate Gosling's work. Bladerunner 2049 was probably the turning point for me.

First Man itself turns out to be a moving and impressionistic tale of Armstrong's grief as well as his preparations for the voyage which would define his life.  While the outcome is never less than certain, director Chazelle manages to wring every moment of tension out of the landing itself and showing why Armstrong was a great man for the job. He remains calm while many of us would no doubt be clawing the control panels in frustration as their initial landing site proves unfeasible and fuel is running low.

Mention must also go to Foy as Janet Armstrong. Her steadfastness and support for a man who is often uncommunicative while facing tremendous risks is almost as breathtaking as the main endeavour. It's not just men that were made of the right stuff - their wives were too.

Verdict:  A powerful concoction of character study and human achievement. 

Review: The Dark Knight

Do you remember when superhero movies used to be slightly camp, even comedic?  Nolan's take on the Batman played a decent part in getting us to treat our comic book heroes rather more seriously.

Rewatching The Dark Knight I'm struck by how grounded it is.  Most of the action feels plausible as does the psychologies and psychopathies of the principle characters. The dialogue too is serviceable rather than occupying the hyperreal.

The canvas in which universal themes like corruption, weakness and sacrifice are explored is anything but though.

Verdict: Epic and game changing

Review: The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark

It's a wonder I haven't read Tomlinson's children's classic before. I was given this as part of a book exchange for Christmas at my local book group (on strict instructions to return it safely to its owner as it was a cherished favourite within their family).

It's a very Ronseal kind of book as it is indeed the story of Plop, a young barn owl who would rather be a Day Bird than a Night one - and how they overcome their fear of darkness.

The result is a short read which has quite a lot of charm, and provides plenty of opportunities for audience participation if you are reading it aloud.

I may even read it to my night owl missus who is also afraid of the dark...

Verdict: Cute and funny