VOD: Beyond The Gates (dir: Jackson Stewart, 2017)

"How are you holding up?"
"Not well."

This pastiche of 1990s VHS-era videotape-based boardgaming and indeed of DTV movies of that era tries hard but just misses the mark by having deliberately lethargic pacing and underplaying that goes just a bit too far, and missing the truly lurid style and presentation of the time.  For the most part, it is just too slow and dull, but wait for the final act: the last thirty-five minutes contain five well-realised gloopy physical gore gags that are fun at least, even though they are not enough to save the film overall. 

VOD: Closet Monster (dir: Stephen Dunn, 2016)

 "Thank you for the imagery."

Canadian writer/director Stephen Dunn's much-lauded debut proves to be a well-made and well-performed account of a fairly typical coming-of-age story.  As the teen grappling with his parents' acrimonious split and his own sexuality, Connor Jessup gives a nicely-judged performance, working well with the director's often smart use of visuals and a spot-on soundtrack.  Having Isabella Rossellini voice the (talking) pet hamster would derail many a film, yet here it seems an oddly natural fit in a film that manages the occasional surprise, including a masterfully-realised piece of Cronenbergian body-horror towards the end.  This is an interesting and largely successful debut that bodes well for Dunn's future.

FILM: Hidden Figures (dir: Theodore Melfi, 2017)

"That sounds important."

This warm-hearted if somewhat simplistic celebration of three extraordinary women tells its important true story very effectively.  This is not a tub-thumping account of racism, sexism and the Space Race but a more gentle film that relies on small but important moments to deploy its themes and yet it still delivers on the big moments.  This is definitely a PG version of racial segregation that hints at the deeper and wider realities, but with a winning focus on the three ladies the film engages audience sympathy well.  Taraji P Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae play the lead roles with genuine dignity and control, and Kevin Costner gets his best role in ages.  In spite of occasionally resorting to cinematic cliché, this inspiring film is charming, powerful and very enjoyable. 

FILM: John Wick Chapter Two (dir: Chad Stahelski, 2017)

"Rules."
"Exactly.  Rules."

This John Wick sequel inevitably lacks the freshness of the original, but it replicates effectively many of the things that made the first film so enjoyable.  There is much enjoyment to be had in watching Reeves at last play a character so comfortably and ably, and the (admittedly) slight attempts to humanise the almost indestructible assassin are quite endearing.  It is a shame that cinemagoers in the UK get a trimmed version, although the bouts of uber-violence remain riotously over-the-top and entrancingly entertaining.  It is perhaps a shade long - its run-time of just over two hours is noticeable - but the range of terrific scenarios and characters just keep on coming and make Chapter 2 extremely entertaining indeed.

FILM: The Great Wall IMAX 3D (dir: Zhang Yimou, 2017)

"We are honoured....to be honoured...."
"Is that the best you've got?"

This expensive collision of Hollywood and China is provoking controversy for the oddest of reasons, largely by people who do not appear to have seen the film.  Essentially, it is a big-budget huge-scale mythic fantasy with Matt Damon (stoic, charming) and Pedro Pascal (a good comedic foil) in the fish-out-of water characters who are seeking gunpowder but find themselves embroiled in the centuries-old battle to repel rampaging monsters - hence the building of The Great Wall Of China.  Visually it is inventive and clearly fits into the Far East fantasy cinema tradition, nearly every shot is incredibly dense and vivid (a perfect showcase for IMAX 3D), although the creatures themselves are hardly original and look very similar to those in the Kong Skull Island trailer.  As the greedy, self-absorbed Westerners learn about trust, sacrifice and honour from their new Chinese comrades, there is a good balance between monster-bashing spectacle and effective performance work from a generally strong cast.  The Great Wall has proved to be an interesting experiment that has created a fairly enjoyable if surprisingly slight epic fantasy romp.

FILM: Lion (dir: Garth Davis, 2017)

"Things change.  Entire worlds change."

Lion is an incredibly strong adaptation of a true-life story that has genuine impact.  Its power lies in its clarity of storytelling which, together with lean and purposeful scripting, enables the actors to breathe and to convey the real heart of this tale.  Although there are occasional echoes of Slumdog, this is not more Boyle-flash cut to a Rahman beat but an altogether more contemplative and unmelodramatic film.   As the adult Saroo, Dev Patel yet again knocks it out of the park with an utterly engaging performance, whilst Nicole Kidman and David Wenham are wonderful as his Australian adoptive parents - both are a marvel to watch in the two scenes of young Saroo's arrival in Australia and then exploring his new home with them.  Even if the final act is a bit more predictable as its protagonist's story reaches its conclusion, the ending is emotional overload as past collides with present and then reality, making Lion a very powerful and satisfying movie.

FILM: Fifty Shades Darker (dir: James Foley, 2017)

 "They're super...large...!"

The middle episode of this spectacularly dopey trilogy is at least a little better than the first film.  In terms of actual story, it is so thin that it is clinically anorexic, but there is a moderately successful attempt to humanise the lead characters this time round, even if it is frequently undermined by the often-ridiculous dialogue.  It is not about the sex, of course (of which there is very little), but about the soapy relationship that fills the lengthy running time, with billionaire Christian lurching awkwardly between his particular fetishes and discovering almost-human feelings, and Anastasia remaining oddly unappealing and trapped within the illusion of independence.  It is so difficult to know how much of this is meant to be taken seriously and what is knowing tongue-in-cheek self-parody, but it does at least set up the final film adequately.

FILM: The LEGO Batman Movie 3D (dir: Chris McKay, 2017)

"All the children at the orphanage call me Dick!"
"Well, children can be cruel..."

Building (sorry) on the huge success of The LEGO Movie, Batman moves centre stage in this frantic, funny, colourful, big-hearted and enormously enjoyable movie.  Not only does this film refer to all the incarnations of Batman through the ages, it also takes in a huge number of DC/WB (super)heroes and villains, making it play out on a huge canvas (everything is designed on a massive scale) but keeping it very focused on Batman and his budding family for the emotional heart.  It might not have Chris Pratt or a song to match Everything Is Awesome, but The LEGO Batman Movie rolls along at a cracking pace from start to finish, it is well-packed with gags and references, the voice cast deliver the witty script with relish, and it is quite simply great fun.

FILM: Rings (dir: F. Javier Gutiérrez, 2017)

"No....and I don't wanna talk about it."

The powerful impact of the original Japanese movie feels a long time ago now, and this scare-free, tension-free American threequel exposes the real limitations of this one-trick franchise.  With more imaginative writing and stronger performers, there may have been an altogether more engaging version of this particular take on the Samara story that gives an unconvincing expansion of the backstory and not only lacks narrative focus but also has little regard for its own logic and timeframe, becoming increasingly frustrating and puzzling as the movie progresses (the well-structured final trailer bears little relation to the meandering film itself). The source material inevitably gives rise to a couple of nicely surreal visuals, and the sickly grey/green mise-en-scene works, but spending the best part of two hours watching a bland prettyboy and his relentlessly dull girlfriend try to react to what should be a horrifying situation pays little dividend - only Johnny Galecki emerges relatively unscathed, giving a fairly good dramatic performance from thin material.