My Best Friend’s Exorcism
It’s 1988 and 16 year old Abby (Elsie Fisher) and Gretchen (Amiah Miller) are inseparable best friends. However, after taking drugs, Gretchen’s character changes and it becomes clear she is possessed. This is billed as a comedy horror but that is misleading. There are some funny moments and the horror element is obvious, but this is really about bullying and class discrimination. Fisher is brilliant as Abby bears the brunt of both of those. It is an award worthy performance that will get no recognition.
Rating: 7 out of 10

The Drowning of Arthur Braxton
Arthur is struggling. His Mum has left and his Dad has pretty much given up whilst hitting the bottle, and he is being bullied mercilessly at school. Whilst exploring a disused bath house her meets a girl and falls for her, but she cannot leave the pool. For most of the running time, this mixture of gritty drama and fantasy works pretty well with James Tarpey doing a good job as Arthur. However, the last act doesn’t really work as i did not believe either the bully becoming his friend or his Dad’s recovery.
Rating: 6 out of 10

Ben Stokes: Phoenix From the Ashes
A timely release for this documentary following the extraordinary all rounder’s, so far, spectacular reign as England test captain. Whilst it would be impossible to make a dull film about the man, directors Chris Grubb and Luke Mellows have surpassed themselves and produced one of the most impressive sports documentaries in years. There is an unflinching look at the lows of Stokes’ career and life, including that over in the T20 World Cup Final, his trial after the Bristol incident, his Dad’s lingering death and the Sun newspaper, classy as always, publishing details of a tragic event from his mum’s past. A large section involves Sam Mendes interviewing Stokes when he was at his lowest ebb, and you can see from the haunted look on his face, the mental health problems he was struggling with. Thankfully, the highs are covered too, primarily the World Cup win and that Headingly ashes innings from 2019, the latter of which still makes me emotional.
Rating: 9 out of 10

Another new documentary on Amazon Prime, coincidentally also featuring Sam Mendes, is The Sound of 007, launched to coincide with all the Bond films being made available for free on that platform. It starts off excellently as we learn about how the Bond theme was written. After that, it is always interesting enough but far too much time is spent on No Time To Die, with some of the better songs like The Man With the Golden Gun and For Your Eyes Only not getting a mention.
Rating: 7 out of 10

The final one of this trio of documentaries on Amazon Prime is Flight/Risk. This is the second doc this year investigating the tragedies of the two Boeing 737 Max crashes and how the company prioritised profits over safety. For anyone who has seen Downfall: The Case Against Boeing, this might feel a little redundant as it covers much the same ground. However, the story remains shocking, and the access to The Seattle Times reporters pushing for answers gives it a different perspective.
Rating: 8 out of 10

Also on Amazon Prime….After Ever Happy is the fourth and thankfully final part of the After series based on Anna Todd’s books. Soapy and less than compelling. Jekyll & Hyde is a micro budgeted re-telling of the famous story brought to the screen by prolific director Steve Lawson, following his takes on Jack the Ripper and Dracula. Poorly acted and limited to a small number of locations because of the monetary restrictions.

It has been a couple of months since I watched a bad Bruce Willis movie but with American Siege we have another. His illness is beginning to show and reportedly all his scenes were shot in one day. The plot involves a criminal gang taking a doctor hostage is formulaic stuff. Last Survivors is yet another post-apocalyptic tale. A father and son are contentedly living in the woods when a third party disrupts their peaceful existence. It felt like I have seen this film dozens of times before. Please someone give Alicia Silverstone a better role!

I am sure that there is a decent film to be made about Ted Kacynski’s back story and motivation to become the Unabomber but the overlong and tedious Ted K is not it. First Love is a sappy teen romance, with a horribly treacly score, story than unwisely side lines a much more interesting subplot about an older man losing his job. Romcom Dating and New York works better in depicting a modern relationship, but it is far too quirky for its own good. However, it is nowhere near as boring as Glasshouse, a so called thriller about a family that lives in the titular building in order to avoid a toxin that erases memories, called The Shred. After the first ten minutes, I was keen to experience that myself.

Ratings out of 10:
After Ever Happy: 3
Jekyll & Hyde: 2
American Siege: 3.5
Last Survivors: 3.5
Ted K: 3
First Love: 3
Dating and New York: 4.5
Glasshouse: 2.5