VOD: Coming 2 America (dir: Craig Brewer, 2021)

"Well, look at us, just one big Zamundan-American blended happy family."
"Ah, just like the Kardashians!"

Hardly the sequel the world was waiting for, over thirty years later this story is basically an inversion of the original fish-out-of-water tale, in which Eddie Murphy's Prince is now an African King, but he has no male heir - until an illegitimate son from his earlier time in America is discovered and flown to Africa with his larger-than-life mother to assume his birthright.  Although this is a very much dialled-back Eddie Murphy - and the film is better for it - this sequel is still more of the same: crass comedy that lands very occasionally, Murphy and Hall playing multiple unwatchable characters, and writing and performances that are generally given the broadest of strokes.  Fans of the Wayan Brothers' style of comedy and writing will probably enjoy this film, but otherwise it is quite a long slog, even with a largely pleasantly engaging performance from Jermaine Fowler (going full Fresh Prince) as Murphy's newly-acquired grown-up son.  There are a few bloopers during the end credits that lift the mood, but the post-credits scene is pointless.

 

VOD: Red Dot (dir: Alain Darborg, 2021)

"Suddenly, you have everything to lose..."

This slick and effective Swedish Netflix thriller is very contained and delivers the goods.  A young Swedish city-living couple with a baby on the way take off for a hiking weekend in the snowy North, but a small altercation with a couple of locals finds them hunted and alone in the icy wilderness in a desperate fight to survive.  More than just a standard survival movie, the film takes in other themes such as racial tensions and grief to purposeful effect, and the story certainly takes some unexpected turns.  It also features one unbearable scene that is up there with the kettle scene in Mother's Day!  Whilst not a gamechanger, performances are solid, the set pieces are handled well and the momentum keeps interest right to the end.
 

VOD: Pieces Of A Woman (dir: Kornel Mundruczo, 2021)

"There will be consequences."

Pieces Of A Woman started as fragments of dialogue which were turned into a stage play and now adapted into this impressive but emotionally harrowing film.  With the chill winter of the Boston setting reflecting the emotional bleakness (mostly filmed in Canada), the film starts with some brief introductory shots before launching into the unflinching and much-lauded (and rightly so) 24-minutes single take of a homebirth that goes tragically wrong, and the rest of the movie follows the shattering aftermath over the following months.  The echoes of Ingmar Bergman are very strong, with pain and despair played out fantastically by a hugely impressive Vanessa Kirby and another strong performance from a matured Shia LaBeouf, and a barnstorming turn from Ellen Burstyn as Kirby's controlling mother.  Although the final scenes play out a bit predictably, this is a strong and difficult film to watch but very impressive and rewarding as well.
 

VOD: The Remains (dir: Thomas Della Bella, 2016)

"If you keep trying to scare me, then I'm going to smack you!"

This low-rent haunted house thriller could not be more generic if it tried, as a predictable family (bereaved father, stroppy teenage girl, irritating younger brother and sister) move into a surprisingly cheap house that was the site of a seance-gone-wrong a century earlier, and the discovery of an old suitcase of artefacts in the attic sees the unleashing of an angry spirit - yes, we've been there before, and the lacklustre performances fail to elevate the weak fare on offer here.
 

VOD: Babyteeth (dir: Shannon Murphy, 2020)

 "This is the worst possible parenting I can imagine."

This low-budget Australian gem takes the recent soppy terminally-ill-girl-gets-together-with-unsuitable-boy YA sub-genre and gives it a wonderful grounded and engaging shake-up.  By turns funny, heartbreaking and heartwarming, it skewers character tropes wonderfully and is buoyed by very strong performances all round, especially Eliza Scanlen and Toby Wallace as the mis-matched young couple.  With sharp observations and by keeping things relatively realistic, the conclusion might be inevitable but the characters and their journey are well worth watching.

VOD: The Dig (dir: Simon Stone, 2021)

 

"Time lost its meaning."

Loosely based on the famous Sutton Hoo (Suffolk) wartime archaeological excavation, this is a very slow-moving but beautifully crafted film that evokes its time and setting well.  The standout here is very impressive character work by Ralph Fiennes as the unsung local hero Basil Brown, supported by reliably strong work from (late-replacement) Carey Mulligan and Johnny Flynn.  For much of its running time there is little of great consequence happening, with the off-dig dramas feeling like slightly lightweight filler when it is actually dealing with big issues, but this is well-made, gently-paced if slightly soporific period drama.

VOD: Hope Gap (dir: William Nicholson, 2020)

"It's like somehow you sneaked away while I wasn't looking."

Set on the beautiful Sussex Coast, this story of the dying throes of a stagnant marriage of an older couple is both gentle and powerful.  It has a languid style and pace with its Pinter-esque dialogue and uncomfortable silences, which allows the three main actors to shine.  Annette Bening manages to create sympathy for a horrible character as she negotiates her story arc very successfully, Bill Nighy is at his understated best in portraying a very gentle man who recognises his situation fully, and Josh O'Connor gives another impressive turn as the son who comes to understand how his parents' relationship has affected his own take on life as he tries to act as a bridge in their new situation.  It may be yet another dissection of middle-class angst, but it is presented and performed very well indeed.
 

VOD: Occupation (dir: Luke Sparke, 2018)

"Mum, it's a country town.  Nothing's gonna happen."

There is an alien invasion, and a small Australian town fights back.  Expectations were not high based on that premise, but Occupation surprises.  Director/writer Luke Sparke aims for the scale and sheen of a Hollywood blockbuster with visuals to match and an epic James Horner-style score that thunders away tirelessly, making this film look and sound very cinematic from the first alien assault onwards.  It is all played unwaveringly straight, solid lead performances from Dan Ewing, Temura Morrison and Stephany Jacobsen are engaging, and overall the characters are given effective depth and story arcs to make it interesting.  Occupation has more scale and bite than expected of its type, which makes it worth a spin.

 

VOD: Atlantic Rim - Resurrection (dir: Jared Cohn, 2018)

"This is gonna be as bad as it was the first time, probably worse."

Just as Pacific Rim Uprising followed Pacific Rim, so Atlantic Rim spawns Resurrection the the mockbuster factory.  At least this low-rent sequel goes off in its own direction after the first act.  A kaiju attacks Los Angeles, a highly-improbable team of robot-jockeys attempt to bring it down whilst battling cheap-looking sets and barely-successful CGI.  Just above average for this type of fare thanks to a couple of reasonable performances and a story that is not stretched too thinly, Atlantic Rim Resurrection does what you would expect and no more.
 

VOD: The Map Of Tiny Perfect Things (dir: Ian Samuels, 2021)

"I just have all this...this time..."

Most of the time the YA genre is enough to set anyone's eyes rolling, but The Map Of Tiny Perfect Things is a sweet, good-natured and enjoyable film.  Yes, it is the YA genre's take on Groundhog Day (and it gets the Groundhog Day/Doctor Who references out of the way pretty early), as teen Mark finds himself stuck in a time-loop with no-one else aware, until one day he comes across someone else who is aware as well...  The film bounds along, held together by a charming performance by Kyle Allen in the lead role, and the film captures not only the optimistic energy of youth but also so many of those 'tiny perfect moments' referred to in the title that make this movie a surprisingly very pleasant watch indeed.